Voltammetric and DFT Studies on Viloxazine: Analytical Application to Pharmaceuticals and Biological Fluids

Abstract

The oxidative behavior of viloxazine was studied at a glassy carbon electrode in different buffer systems using cyclic, differential pulse and square-wave voltammetry. The oxidation process was shown to be diffusion-controlled and irreversible over the studied pH. The voltammetric study of the model compounds, 2-ethoxyanisole and morpholine, associated with quantum mechanical (DFT) calculations, allowed to elucidate the oxidation mechanism of viloxazine. An analytical method was developed for the quantification of viloxazine using an acetate pH 5 buffer solution as a supporting electrolyte. A linear response was obtained in the range 7 to 45 muM, with a detection limit of 0.8 muM. Validation parameters such as sensitivity, precision and accuracy were evaluated. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of viloxazine in pharmaceutical formulations and in human serum. The results were statistically compared with those obtained through an established high-performance liquid chromatography technique, no significant differences having been found between the two methods.