Analytical Sciences

Analysis of Drugs Illegally Added into Chinese Traditional Patent Medicine Using Surface-enhanced Raman Scattering

Yan ZHANG,* Xiaoyan HUANG,** Wenfang LIU,** Zeneng CHENG,** Chuanpin CHEN,** and Lihui YIN***

*Hunan Xiangtan Institute for Food and Drug Control, Xiangtan, Hunan 411100, P. R. China
**Department of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410013, P. R. China
***National Institutes for Food and Drug Control, Beijing 100050, P. R. China

Illegal chemicals, which could cause unpredictable side effects, may be added into traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for a rapid healing effect. In this report, a surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) analysis method for five kinds of illegally added drugs (rosiglitazone maleate, phenformin hydrochloride, metformin hydrochloride, pioglitazone hydrochloride and sibutramine hydrochloride) in Chinese traditional patent medicine (CTPM) has been demonstrated, including simultaneous detections of drug mixtures with CTPM. Silver colloidal, prepared by a sodium citrate reaction, was used as a SERS substrate. The optimum pH condition for each drug has also been explored because of its combined effect on protonation, surface charge, repulsion of an analyte and nanoparticles. Furthermore, the simultaneous detection of two or three kinds of these chemicals has been carried out. Characteristic peaks are employed for qualitative analysis. This is the first research using SERS for the analysis of drug mixtures in CTPM without any separation process.

J-STAGE: View this article in J-STAGE