Determination of tobramycin in eye drops with an open-source hardware ion mobility spectrometer

• Published in: Analytical and bioanalytical chemistry Vol. 414; no. 14; pp. 4059 - 4066
• Main Authors: Chantipmanee, Nattapong, Hauser, Peter C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.06.2022; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: active ingredients; Analysis; Analytical Chemistry; Biochemistry; Calibration; Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Composition; Correlation coefficient; Correlation coefficients; detection limit; electrospray ionization mass spectrometry; eyes; Food Science; Hardware; Ionic mobility; Ionization; Ions; Laboratory Medicine; Methods; Mobility; Monitoring/Environmental Analysis; Ophthalmic Solutions; quantitative analysis; Reproducibility of Results; Research Paper; spectrometers; Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization; Spectrum analysis; standard deviation; Tobramycin; Switzerland; Open-source hardware (OSH); Eye drops; Ion mobility spectrometry; Tobramycin; Electrospray ionization
• ISSN: 1618-2642; 1618-2650; 1618-2650
• DOI: 10.1007/s00216-022-04050-2

The analysis of tobramycin was demonstrated successfully as an example for electrospray ionization on an open-source hardware ion mobility spectrometer. This instrument was assembled inexpensively in-house, and required only very few purpose-made components. The quantitative determination of tobramycin required 20 s for a reading. The calibration curve for the range from 50 to 200 μM was found to be linear with a correlation coefficient of r  = 0.9994. A good reproducibility was obtained (3% relative standard deviation) and the limit of detection was determined as 8 μM. As the concentration of the active ingredient in the eye drops (ophthalmic solutions) is too high for the sensitivity of the instrument, the samples had to be diluted appropriately. Graphical abstract