Determination of etoricoxib by high performance liquid chromatography

Objective: when conducting forensic studies in the forensic chemistry department of the Krasnoyarsk Regional Bureau of Forensic Medicine, there were many cases of identification of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in cadaveric material, such as Ibu-profen, Diclofenac, and others. Drugs found predominantly in individuals suspected of non-medical use of psychoactive substances can serve as specific markers of the latter. Earlier, Etoricoxib was not defined in expert material, therefore the aim of the presented research was to develop a method for determining this agent in cadaver blood. Materials and methods: cadaver blood was tested, a standard solution of Etoricoxib prepared from a commercial drug Costarox (Sandoz), tested for purity and content of the active substance, the qualification of reagents complied with the requirements for examination. The analysis was carried out on a «Milichrom A-02» liquid microcolumn chromatograph with a spectrophotometric detector of the UV-range, multiwave detection, with the MultiChrom processing program. The study was carried out in compliance with the requirements of evidence-based medicine. The reliability of the study is provided by the formation of control groups and comparisons, using the correct methods of statistical processing of results. Results. A method for determining the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agent Etoricoxib by the method of gradient high-performance liquid chromatography in cadaveric blood in relation to forensic chemical studies has been developed, ensuring a reduction in the duration and material costs of the analysis without compromising the evidence of the results. This effect is achieved by using as a mobile phase a mixture of eluents - acetonitrile (B) and lithium perchlorate (A) (gradient elution from 5 to 100% eluent B in eluent A), as well as the use of an internal standard (Anekain). The detection limit of etoricoxib was 2 ng/ml, the limit of quantitative determination was 6 ng/ml. The relative standard deviation of Sr does not exceed 0.08. The percentage of extraction of Etoricoxib from cadaveric blood ranged from 32.7 to 37.4%. Conclusions: The described method is characterized by a fairly high sensitivity, reproducibility, efficiency, express. Obtaining quantitative values of the concentration of Etoricoxib will allow to differentiate the purpose of the drug, to specify the cause of death. The described technique is used in the practice of the Krasnoyarsk Bureau of Forensic Medical Examination and can be recommended for routine forensic chemical studies in order to establish the presence and content of Etoricoxib in human cadaveric blood.

etoricoxib, determination method, high performance liquid chromatography, forensic chemical study