Simultaneous analysis of ellagic acid and coenzyme Q10 by derivative spectroscopy and HPLC

Antioxidants are gaining tremendous interest as chemopreventive as well as chemotherapeutic agents. Ellagic acid (EA) is a plant derived compound with very poor solubility in water and very low octanol/water partition coefficient and coenzyme Q(10) (CoQ(10)) is a highly lipophilic compound, which is synthesized in the body and can be derived from food supplements as well. The new insights in the combination therapy are promising a better future in many challenging diseases. Synergism is among the key advantages of combination therapy apart from decreased intensity of unwanted effects of a compound, increased patient compliance and reduction in cost of therapy. EA and CoQ(10) supplementation in combination will be beneficial in strengthening the weakened antioxidant defense system in many diseases related to oxidative stress. Here we report first derivative UV spectroscopic and HPLC methods for the simultaneous analysis of these two agents in pharmaceutical preparations. Results obtained indicate that the derivative spectroscopy is as efficient as HPLC method in quantitative analysis. Retention of ellagic acid can be increased using PEG bonded column which is poorly retained on C-18 column. PEG column can be used for rapid simultaneous analysis of EA and CoQ(10), which are having diverse physicochemical properties. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.