Determination of aluminum in large volume parenteral drug products used in total parenteral nutrition therapy by ICP-MS with a dynamic reaction cell

Abstract

The proposed method was developed for the determination of aluminum (Al) in large volume parenteral (LVP) drug products used in total parenteral nutrition (TPN) therapy. The determination of Al in LVP drug products was performed by an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer equipped with a dynamic reaction cell (DRC-ICP-MS). DRC-ICP-MS conditions for the analysis of Al were studied to obtain the best signal to background (S/N) ratios. The interfering polyatomic ions at mass 27 (Al) were reduced by using NH3 as a reaction gas. The detection limit of Al in a 1% (v/v) HNO3 aqueous solution was 2 ng/l. The Al contents in LVP drug products obtained by this method were in the range of 1.16-4.33 μg/l and were less than 25 μg/l, that is, the regulation value of Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In order to trace the origin of Al in LVP drug products, each part of the LVP drug product, which is composed of three chambers, was investigated. However, a clear difference of the Al contents in each chamber was not observed. Furthermore, the Al contents in injection bags were quantified. Although the Al contents in injection bags were relatively high (in the range of 27.5-33.6 μg/g), dissolution of Al from the injection bags was not observed in the stability testing. From all of these results, it was concluded that the Al contents in the LVP drug products investigated originated in the amount of the Al in each raw material. © 2008 Pharmaceutical Society of Japan.