Determination of berberine hydrochloride using a fluorimetric method with silica nanoparticles as a probe

The interaction of silica nanoparticles (SiO2NPs) with berberine hydrochloride (BRH) was studied in aqueous solution at pH 9.0 and room temperature by using fluorophotometry. Based on a significant enhancement of the fluorescence intensity of the SiO2NPs–BRH aggregates, a spectrofluorimetric method which was simple, sensitive and green was developed for the determination of BRH in aqueous solution. The linear range of the method was from 2.0–50.0 μg L−1 with a detection limit of 0.73 μg L−1. There was no interference from the compounds normally used to formulate pharmaceutical tablets. The proposed method was applied to the determination of BRH in tablets with satisfactory results and good consistency with the results obtained by standard methods.