Determination of iron in liposomal dosage forms by flame atomic absorption spectrometry after an acidic digestion

Abstract

Improving compliance to oral iron is one of the essential goals. Iron Encapsulation into liposomes as nano-particles has provided newer opportunities for ameliorating tolerance with iron oral therapy. Several analytical techniques have been used for quantitative determination of iron. In this study, the liposomal iron has been determined quantitatively in capsules and oral drops by using flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). A new simple method for disrupting liposomal structure, dissolving and extracting entrapped iron salt (ferric pyrophosphate) in one step prior using FAAS, is achieved. This method is based on acidic digestion using boiling mineral acid for 15 minutes, it was also standardized by applying it on raw material (iron III- hydroxide polymaltose complex) and the iron concentration was determined by FAAS. Through results obtained in this study, liposomes were successfully digested with an accurate determination of liposomal iron. The percentage of iron concentration was between 96 to 104 % from the authorized content in capsules and oral drops. For iron complex in raw material the percent recovery was between 96 to 99.4 %. Thus, a versatile method was developed to facilitate determination of iron in liposomal dosage forms in short time, low requirements and lower costs.