Evolving Methodologies for the Analytical Determination of Metoclopramide

Metoclopramide (MCP) is a commonly prescribed prokinetic and antiemetic agent used to manage gastrointestinal motility disorders as well as nausea and vomiting. Given its extensive clinical use and the risk of dose-related adverse effects, reliable quantitative determination of MCP in pharmaceutical formulations and biological matrices is crucial for quality control, pharmacokinetic evaluation, and therapeutic monitoring. This review compiles English-language studies published over the past 25 years, retrieved from major scientific databases including Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, and PubMed. It provides a critical overview of analytical techniques applied to MCP determination, focusing on chromatographic, spectrometric, and electroanalytical methods. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) remains the most widely used approach because of its robustness, accuracy, and suitability for diverse sample matrices. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) offers superior sensitivity, achieving detection limits in the pg-ng/mL range, and is particularly valuable for advanced bioanalytical studies. Although less sensitive, HPLC-UV methods are still favored for routine pharmaceutical quality control due to their simplicity and cost-effectiveness. Spectrometric and electrochemical techniques, especially those employing nanostructured electrodes, present promising alternatives. Nonetheless, challenges such as MCP instability, matrix interferences, and cost-performance trade-offs remain, highlighting the need for robust, affordable, and portable analytical strategies.