Analysis of 3 Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs Using a Solid Core HPLC Column

Importance of the Topic

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ketoprofen, naproxen and ibuprofen are among the most prescribed analgesics worldwide. Rapid, reliable analysis of these compounds is critical for pharmaceutical quality control, environmental monitoring and clinical research. Advances in column technology can significantly reduce analysis time and solvent consumption, while maintaining high separation efficiency and reproducibility.

Objectives and Study Overview

This study evaluates the performance of a superficially porous (core–shell) HPLC column with a polar-embedded reverse-phase stationary phase for fast separation of three acidic NSAIDs. Key goals include demonstration of selectivity, peak shape, resolution and reproducibility under a short gradient time.

Methodology and Instrumentation

Sample Preparation:

• Primary standards (1 mg/mL) in methanol.
• Working mixture in water: 10 µg/mL ketoprofen, 10 µg/mL naproxen, 50 µg/mL ibuprofen.

Instrument and Chromatographic Conditions:

• System: Thermo Scientific Accela LC.
• Column: Accucore Polar Premium, 2.6 µm core–shell, 50 × 2.1 mm.
• Mobile phase A: 0.1% phosphoric acid in water.
• Mobile phase B: 0.1% phosphoric acid in acetonitrile.
• Gradient: 30%→60% B over 3 min.
• Flow rate: 0.5 mL/min; Column 30 °C; Injection 1 µL; UV detection at 265 nm.

Main Results and Discussion

The three NSAIDs eluted in under 3 minutes with excellent performance metrics:

• Retention times: ketoprofen 1.27 min, naproxen 1.40 min, ibuprofen 2.36 min.
• Peak asymmetry: <1.25 for all analytes, indicating sharp peaks.
• Resolution: 2.25 (naproxen/ibuprofen) to 16.02 (ketoprofen/ibuprofen), ensuring baseline separation.
• Retention time precision: %RSD <0.01, demonstrating high reproducibility.

The polar-embedded phase resisted dewetting in 100% aqueous conditions and remained stable across pH 1.5–10, supporting robustness.

Benefits and Practical Applications

Use of core–shell technology reduces backpressure compared to sub-2 µm particles, enabling fast gradients on conventional HPLC hardware. High efficiency and ruggedness make this approach suitable for routine pharmaceutical analysis, environmental screening of NSAIDs in water samples, and high-throughput QA/QC labs.

Future Trends and Possibilities

Continued development of superficially porous materials with tailored chemistries will expand their use in bioanalysis and complex mixture separations. Integration with UHPLC systems and mass spectrometry coupling will further enhance sensitivity and selectivity for trace-level detection of pharmaceuticals in biological and environmental matrices.

Conclusion

The Accucore Polar Premium core–shell column delivers rapid, efficient and reproducible separation of ketoprofen, naproxen and ibuprofen in under 3 minutes. Outstanding peak shape, resolution and robustness in aqueous conditions make it an excellent choice for high-throughput NSAID analysis in pharmaceutical and environmental applications.