A micellar liquid chromatographic method for quality control of pharmaceutical preparations containing tricyclic antidepressants

Micellar liquid chromatography methods for quality control of pharmaceutical preparations (capsules, pills, tablets, injections) containing the tricyclic antidepressants amineptine, amitriptiline, clomipramine, doxepin, imipramine, melitracen and nortriptyline alone or together with other CNS drugs like diazepam, medazepam and perphenazine are described. The methods using micellar solutions of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide as mobile phases and UV detection are rapid and reproducible. Due to the versatility of interactions in micellar liquid chromatography, it is possible determine highly hydrophobic compounds such as TCAs in a short time using mobile phases containing low organic solvent concentrations and usual flow rates, in contrast with the RP-HPLC methods proposed for these compounds. Samples preparation only requires solution and adequate dilution with the mobile phase before injection into the chromatographic system.