Fabricating a designer capsule phase microextraction platform based on sol–gel Carbowax 20M-zwitterionic ionic liquid composite sorbent for the extraction of lipid-lowering drugs from human urine samples

A sol–gel Carbowax 20 M/3-[(3-Cholamidopropyl) dimethyl ammonio]-1-propanesulfonate composite sorbent-based capsule phase microextraction device has been fabricated and characterized for the determination of four statins (pravastatin, rosuvastatin, pitavastatin, and atorvastatin) in human urine. The presence of ionizable carboxyl functional groups in statins requires pH adjustment of the sample matrix to ensure that the target molecules are in their protonated form (pH should be 2 units below their pK(a) values) which not only is cumbersome but also risks unintended contamination of the sample. This challenge was addressed by introducing zwitterionic ionic liquid in addition to neutral, polar Carbowax 20 M polymer in the sol–gel-derived composite sorbent. As such, the composite zwitterionic multi-modal sorbent can simultaneously extract neutral, cationic, and anionic species. This particular attribute of the composite sorbent eliminates the necessity of the matrix pH adjustment and consequently simplifies the overall sample preparation workflow. Various experimental parameters such as the sample amount, extraction time, salt addition, stirring rate, and elution solvent type that may affect the extraction performance of the statins were investigated using a central composite design and the one-parameter-at-a-time approach. The analytes and the internal standard were separated on a C(18 )column with gradient elution using phosphate buffer (20 mM, pH 3) and acetonitrile as mobile phase. The analytes were detected at 237 nm. The method was validated, and linearity was observed in the range 0.10–2.0 μg mL(−1) for all compounds. The method precision was better 9.9% and 10.4% for intra-day and inter-day, respectively, while the relative recoveries were acceptable, ranging between 83.4 and 116% in all cases. Method greenness was assessed using the ComplexGAPI index. Finally, the method’s applicability was demonstrated in the determination of the statins in authentic human urine after oral administration of pitavastatin and rosuvastatin-containing tablets. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT: [Image: see text] SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00604-023-05998-3.