Development and Validation of an Rp-Hplc Method For Curcumin Biodistribution Analysis From a Folic Acid-Targeted Mwcnt Nanoformulation in Rats
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22159/ijap.2026v18i5.59059Keywords:
RP-HPLC, Bioanalytical technique, Biodistribution, Curcumin, Drug release kineticsAbstract
Objective: An essential flavonoid, curcumin (CUR), possesses exceptional anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antidiabetic, analgesic, and anticancer activities. The objective of this study was to develop a bioanalytical method using reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) technique for quantifying CUR in rat plasma and to apply the established method for in vivo biodistribution study of CUR-loaded nanoformulation.
Methods: Using a C-18 reverse phase column, the procedure was further verified in accordance with ICH M10 requirements. The internal standard was quercetin (QUER). At a flow rate of 1 mL/min, gradient elution was performed using acetonitrile (ACN) and 0.1% formic acid. The detection wavelengths for the CUR and QUER chromatograms were 420 and 376 nm, respectively. The protein precipitation method was used to remove the drugs from the plasma samples. Folic acid anchored CUR-loaded multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CUR-MWCNT-FA) based formulation was developed and duly characterized.
Results: Retention times for QUER and CUR were determined to be 2.26 and 3.23 min, respectively. The developed method's regression coefficient (r2) remained 0.9958, indicating a linear correlation within the range of 25–125 ng/mL. The method's accuracy and precision were demonstrated by replicate experiments with a percentage relative standard deviation of less than 2% and a drug recovery percentage above 95%. The data showed that the mean % recovery across all three levels was within the desired range of 95-105%. The limits of quantification (LOQ) and detection (LOD) in plasma samples were found to be 0.54 and 0.18 ng/mL, respectively. The method was successfully applied to quantify CUR in a biodistribution study of a novel nanoformulation. The CUR-MWCNT-FA formulation showed significantly higher accumulation in ovarian tissue compared to free CUR.
Conclusion: The suggested approach may be used to compute CUR in rat plasma, as it is reliable and meets all validation requirements. According to findings, the created CUR-loaded nanoformulations may be able to provide a much greater quantity of the bioactive and produce better therapeutic benefits.
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