Spectrofluorimetric determination of warfarin sodium by using N1-methylnicotinamide chloride as a fluorigenic agent.

A spectrofluorimetric method is described for the determination of drugs containing active methylene groups adjacent to carbonyl groups. The method was applied successfully to the determination of warfarin sodium in laboratory-prepared mixtures, in commercial tablets, and in spiked human plasma samples. Finally, the method was applied to the determination of the steady-state concentration of warfarin sodium in the blood of a hospitalized patient. The method involves the reaction of warfarin sodium with 0.2 ml (0.4 x 10(-3)M) N1-methylnicotinamide chloride reagent in the presence of 3 mL 1.0N NaOH and cooling in ice for 8 min, followed by adjustment of the pH to 2.0, using formic acid and heating for 4 min, whereby a highly fluorescent reaction product is produced. The optimal wavelengths of excitation and emission were determined by using a synchronous wavelength search and found to be 284 and 354 nm, respectively. The standard curves were linear over a concentration range of 50-1500 ng/mL in both aqueous solutions and spiked human plasma samples. The mean recoveries (+/- standard deviation) were 101.157 (+/-1.33) and 95.73 (+/-1.88%) for aqueous solutions and spiked human plasma samples, respectively. The method showed good specificity and precision. The proposed method is simple and economical because of its minimal instrumentation and chemicals requirements. Nevertheless, it is highly sensitive, specific, and reproducible. Accordingly, it is suitable for quality-control applications, drug monitoring, and bioavailability and bioequivalency studies.