Spectrophotometric Estimation of Acyclovir in Spectrophotometric Estimation of Acyclovir in Spectrophotometric Estimation of Acyclovir in Spectrophotometric Estimation of Acyclovir in Spectrophotometric Estimation of Acyclovir in Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms PREETI GANDHI, NILOFAR MOMIN, SUDHA KHARADE, N. P. KONAPURE AND B. S. KUCHEKAR* Government College of Pharmacy, Vidya Nagar, Karad-415 124, India. A simple, sensitive, rapid, accurate and precise spectrophotometric method has been developed for estimation of acyclovir in bulk and pharmaceutical dosage forms. Acyclovir shows maximum absorbance at 253 nm with molar absortivity of 1.3733 ×10 4 l/mol×cm Beer’s law was obeyed in the concentration range of 2-20 μg/ml. Results of the analysis were validated statistically and by recovery studies. Acyclovir, chemically known as 9-[(2-hydroxyethoxy)methyl] guanine is a purine nucleoside analogue, active against herpes simplex virus type 1 and 2 and against viricella zoster virus. It inhibits enzyme thymidine kinase and interferes with DNA synthesis 1 . It is official in USP and BP. The reported techniques for its estimation include solid phase extraction and HPLC 2 and electroimmunoassay 3 in serum and cerebrospinal fluid 4 . No spectrophotometric method is available for the estimation of drug in dosage forms. The objective of the study was to develop simple, rapid, accurate and specific spectrophotometric method for the estimation of acyclovir using UV spectrophotometry. The simple method was developed using solvent distilled water *For correspondence E-mail: bskuchekar2000@yahoo.com with minimum processing steps. The λ max of acyclovir in distilled water was found to be 253 nm and Beer’s law was obeyed in the range of 2-20 μg/ml. The result of analysis was validated statistically and by recovery studies, thus this method of estimation of acyclovir was found to be simple, precise and accurate. A Shimadzu 1700 UV spectrophotometer with 1 cm matched couvettes was used for estimation. Standard solution of drug, 100 μg/ml was prepared in distilled water. Sample solution was prepared by weighing twenty tablets of acyclovir and powdered in glass mortar. Amount equivalent to 10 mg was transferred to 100 ml volumetric flask, dissolved, sonicated for 20 min and made up the volume with distilled water. Aliquots of 0.2 to 2.0 ml portions of standard solution were transferred to a series of 10 ml corning test tubes and Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences July - August 2006 516