Simultaneous Determination of Morphine, Codeine, Pentazocine and Propoxyphene in Urine Using HPTLC

Opiate abuse is a major problem worldwide. Simple and cost-effective method with quantification capabilities is need of time especially for developing countries. A procedure for simultaneous determination of morphine, codeine, pentazocine and propoxyphenene in urine by High performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) is described. Following enzymatic hydrolysis, urine samples were extracted. Liquid-liquid extraction was carried out with dichloromethane and isopropanol (9: 3) at pH 9. Extracts reconstituted in methanol were analyzed by HPTLC in quantification mode. Limit of quantification (LOQ) was120 μg/ml for morphine and codeine with 20 ml of urine sample. For propoxyphene LOQ was 60 μg/ml and pentazocine 800 μg/ml with 20 ml of urine sample. This study is an attempt to utilize HPTLC for semi-quantification of biological sample. Unavailability of HPTLC inserts forced to take larger urine volume. Software (wincats) inability to save calibration curve resulted in preparation of calibration curve on regular basis.