Simultaneous Determination of Hydrophilic and Lipophilic Drugs in Anti-Cancer Liposomes: Absorptivity Method

Background: Dual loaded liposomes have always been a hot topic of investigation because of their therapeutic advantages over single drug regimens. But simultaneous estimation of both the drugs during in vitro and in vivo analysis is most of the times a major obstacle for the researchers. This problem is even bigger when the two drugs are of opposite nature (hydrophilic and lipophilic). Methods: Here, we formulated anti-cancer liposomes loaded with Dacarbazine (hydrophilic) and Eugenol (lipophilic). Since both the drugs are of different nature, selecting a solvent system that dissolves both the drugs, as well as is a suitable media for determining in vitro release, was a challenge. After resolving this issue, we developed a simple and robust UV method based on the principle of solving simultaneous equations generated after Absorptivity measurements of the two drugs. Results: UV spectrophotometer is preferred over other analytical techniques because of its availability, broad area of applications, easy and fast handling, robust nature and simplicity. Thus, using the developed method for simultaneous determination, loading of the two drugs and their simultaneous release from the liposomes was determined. Conclusion: We could perform the in-vitro characterization of formulated anti-cancer liposomes using the developed UV Absorptivity method, which justifies the practical applicability of the developed method and proved that the method is specific and reproducible.