A novel monolithic column for capillary electrochromatographic separation of oligopeptides

A monolithic column was prepared using l-phenylalanine as template and a covalent approach through the formation of Schiff base with o-phthalaldehyde (OPA). OPA, allylmercaptan, l-phenylalanine, and triethylamine were stirred at first, then methacrylic acid, 2-vinylpyridine, ethyleneglycol dimethacrylate, α,α-azobisisobutyronitrile, and 1-propanol were added to the reaction mixture. The resulting material was introduced into a capillary column. Following thermal polymerization, the template was then extracted with a mixture of HCl and methanol. The column was employed for the capillary electrochromatographic separation of oligopeptides. A capillary column of 75 (50) cm × 75 μm ID with a mobile phase of phosphate buffer (pH 7.0, 40 mM)/methanol (5%, v/v), an applied voltage of +15 kV, and detection at 214 nm, could baseline separate angiotensin I, angiotensin II, [Sar¹, Thr⁸] angiotensin, oxytocin, vasopressin, tocinoic acid, β-casomorphin bovine, β-casomorphin human, and FMRF amide within 20 min. The separation behavior of the templated polymer was also compared with that of the non-templated polymer. As a result, it can be concluded that the electrochromatographic separation of this set of peptides was mediated by a combination of electrophoretic migration and chromatographic retention involving hydrophobic, hydrogen bonding, electrostatic as well as the Schiff base formation with OPA in the cavity of the templated polymer.     

Determination of captopril in human plasma with precolumn derivatization using solid phase extraction and HPLC

A rapid, accurate and sensitive method for the determination of captopril in human plasma was developed by solid phase extraction and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), using precolumn derivatization of captopril with chromophore label o-phethaldialdehyde (OPA). The extraction of captopril from human plasma was carried out by an amino propyl cartridge. A 0.01 M solution of HCl in methanol showed the best recovery and was chosen for elution of captopril in cartridge. This methanolic solution was applied to react with aqueous solution of OPA and glycine as a coderivatization reagent. The process of derivatization was completed within 2 min at room temperature. The derivatized captopril was injected into a reverse phase HPLC system. Mobile phase was consisted of water:acetonitrile:trifluoroacetic acid (85:15:0.1 v/v/v) with a flow rate of 1 ml min^?1 and detector was used at 345 nm. Linear dynamic range and limit of detection were found as 0.1–6 ppm and 0.1 ppm, respectively.     

Determination of Tranexamic Acid Using Ethyl Chloroformate as Derivatizing Reagent in Pharmaceutical Preparations and Blood by GC

Ethyl chloroformate was used as a derivatizing reagent to develop a simple and sensitive gas chromatographic procedure for the determination of tranexamic acid. Analysis was performed on an HP-5 column (30 m × 0.32 mm i.d.) coupled with mass spectrometric detection. Linear response was obtained from 60 to 500 pg with a limit of detection of 20 pg tranexamic acid injected onto the column. Aminocaproic acid was used as an internal standard. Tranexamic acid was determined in pharmaceutical preparations and blood samples after therapy with the drug. Appoximately 2.0 μg mL^?1 was found in blood samples. Relative standard deviation for analysis was within 0.1–0.4% (n = 3). Recovery of tranexamic acid added to deprotenized serum was 99.6% with an RSD of 1.2–1.6% (n = 3). Pharmaceutical additives and amino acids, if also present, did not affect the determination.     

Qualitative and quantitative analysis of cinobufacini injection using rapid separation liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole‐time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry and HPLC‐photodiode array detection,a feasible strategy for the quality control of Chinese medicine injections

Cinobufacini injection, prepared from the skin of Bufo bufo gargarizans Cantor, has presented its significant effects on the treatment of hepatitis and various cancers in the clinic. However, as an unclear complex chemical system, the optimization of its quality control markers has been a long‐term challenge. In present study, a feasible strategy integrated markers screening, determination, and statistical analysis was efficiently proposed, especially for the undefined Chinese medicine injections. First, rapid separation LC‐quadrupole‐TOF‐MS method was applied in the identification of 19 major compounds in the cinobufacini injection for the first time. Further, nine high‐level contents active compounds were selected as quality control markers for the quantification analysis. An acceptable and validated determination method was established in 17 batches of cinobufacini injection by HPLC‐photodiode array detection method, including linear regression relationship (r², 0.9996–1), precisions (RSD, 0.02–1.35%), repeatability (RSD, 0.05–1.97%), stability (RSD, 0.1–3.85%), and recovery (95.88–104.89%). Each analyte was detected at its maximum ultraviolet spectra wavelength. Finally, based on the quantification results, principal component analysis was performed on the quality assessment of cinobufacini injections. This three‐step strategy provides a newly feasible solution for the quality control of Chinese medicine injections.     

Flow-injection determination of inorganic pyrophosphate with use of an enzyme thermistor containing immobilized inorganic pyrophosphate

Inorganic pyrophosphate immobilized on controlled-pore glass is used in a simple flow enzyme thermistor system. The heat produced in hydrolysis of pyrophosphate is enhanced. by using Tris-HCl buffer, pH 7.2, containing 1 mM magnesium chloride, as carrier stream. The calibration graph is linear for 0.1–20 mM pyrophosphate; 500 assays are possible without loss of enzyme activity. For 0.5-ml injections of 10 mM pyrophosphate, the relative standard deviation was 2.0% (n=30). A single determination takes 6 min. Calcuim and strontium interfere.     

Carbofuran: analytical methods and its determination in natural water samples by flow injection DPA(III)–H2SO4 chemiluminescence

This study proposes, a simple, rapid and sensitive chemiluminescent (CL) method for determination of carbofuran based on diperiodatoargentate(III) (DPA)-sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄) reaction coupled with flow injection (FI) methodology. Under optimum conditions, a linear standard curve is achieved in the range of 0.001–8.0 mg L^–1 (R²= 0.9994 (n = 11) with relative standard deviation (RSD) of 1.4–3.7% (n = 4)), a limit of detection (LOD) 5.0 × 10^–4 mg L^–1 (S/N = 3) and injection throughput 180 h^–1. The proposed method was applied satisfactorily for the analysis of carbofuran in freshwater samples using solid phase extraction (SPE) technique with the recoveries of 94–110% (% RSD = 1.7–3.8, n = 4). A possible CL reaction mechanism has also been discussed briefly.     

Enzymatic assay with detection by enhanced luminol chemiluminescence in a reversed micellar system: determination of l-amino acids and glucose

A detection system for hydrogen peroxide, i.e., luminol chemiluminescence (CL) in a hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) reversed micellar system, was coupled to enzyme reactions. The use of CTAB reversed micellar medium allows one to conduct both the oxidase enzymatic and CL detection reactions simultaneously at mild pH (l-amino acid system, pH 8.7; glucose system, pH 8.5) in the absence of any co-oxidant or catalyst. Based on this result, simple and unique determinations of l-amino acids and glucose as substrates were developed. The calibration graph for a representative amino acid, l-phenylalanine, was linear in the concentration range 4.0×10^?6?200×10^?6M with a relative standard deviation of 5.78% (five determinations). The method established for l-phenylalanine was also applicable for the assay of fourteen other l-amino acids. The calibration graph for glucose was linear in the concentration range 5.4×10^??540×10^?6M with a relative standard deviation of 4.27% (eight determinations). This method was compared with a standard spectrophotometric method (hexokinase) and successfully applied to the determination of glucose in human serum.     

The synthesis and structural characterization of N-ortho-ferrocenyl benzoyl amino acid esters. The X-ray crystal structure of N-{ortho-(ferrocenyl)benzoyl}-l-phenylalanine ethyl ester

A series of N-ortho-ferrocenyl benzoyl amino acid ethyl esters 3-9 have been prepared by coupling ortho-ferrocenyl benzoic acid 2 to the amino acid ethyl esters of glycine, l-alanine, l-leucine, l-phenylalanine, β-alanine, 4-aminobutyric acid and (±)-2-aminobutyric acid using the conventional 1,3-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide, 1-hydroxybenzotriazole protocol. The compounds were fully characterized by a range of NMR spectroscopic techniques and by mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS, ESI-MS). The X-ray crystal structure of the l-phenylalanine derivative 6 has been determined.     

Characterization and quantitative amino acids analysis of analgesic peptides in cinobufacini injection by size exclusion chromatography,matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry and gas chromatography mass spectrometry

Cinobufacini injection that comes from the water extract of Bufo bufo gargarizans Cantor skin is widely used for cancer treatment in China. Peptide is one of its major types of constituents, however the biological effects and content of this injection are little reported. In present study, the analgesic effect of peptides was determined and evaluated by in‐vivo models. To characterize and quantitatively analyze these peptides, a reliable and efficient method combining size exclusion chromatography and matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry with amino acid analysis was developed. The peptides presented as a series of analogs with similar molecular weights mostly ranging from 2 to 8 kDa. The amino acid analysis by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC‐MS) was developed to determine both free and combined amino acids (FAA and CAA) in cinobufacini injection. This method achieved good linearity (R², 0.9909–0.9999) and low limit of detection and quantification. FAA and CAA samples were efficiently analyzed by modified Phenomenex EZ: faast procedure. For the sample analysis, the method showed good repeatability (relative standard deviation, RSD ≤ 10%). For most FAA and CAA the mean recoveries were >80% with RSD <10%. The GC‐MS based method is useful for quality assurance of both FAA and CAA in cinobufacini injection. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Selective LC Determination of Cabergoline in the Bulk Drug and in Tablets: In Vitro Dissolution Studies

Cabergoline (CAB) is an ergot alkaloid derivative with dopamine agonist activity. A novel, simple, and rapid stability-indicating high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method for assay of CAB in tablets has been developed and validated. Chromatography was performed on a 4.6 mm i.d. × 250 mm, 5 μm particle, cyano column with acetonitrile–10 mM phosphoric acid, 35:65 (v/v), containing 0.04% triethylamine, as mobile phase, at a flow rate of 1.0 mL min^?1, and UV detection at 280 nm. Response was a linear function of concentration in the range 0.1–4 μg mL^?1 (r ² = 0.9999). The recovery of the method was good (99.45%) and RSD values for intra-day and inter-day precision were 0.24–0.88% and 0.66–1.19%, respectively. The method can be used for quality-control assay of CAB in tablets, for stability studies, and for in vitro dissolution studies.     

LC Assay of Eletriptan in Tablets and In Vitro Dissolution Studies

Eletriptan (ELT) is a new selective serotonin agonist approved for the treatment of acute migraine headaches. A simple and rapid liquid chromatographic method was developed and validated for the assay of ELT in tablets. Chromatography was carried out on a 250 mm × 4.6 mm C₁₈ column at 30 °C. Acetonitrile–15 mM triethylamine solution (adjusted to pH 7.0 using concentrated o-phosphoric acid) (60:40, v/v) mixture was used as mobile phase at 1.0 mL min^?1 flow rate and UV detector was set at 225 nm. A linear response (r ²  = 0.9999) was observed in the range of 0.1–1.6 μg mL^?1. The method showed good recoveries (100.08 %) and the RSD values for intra- and inter-day precision were 0.78–1.93 and 1.10–2.15%, respectively. The method can be used for quality control assays and in vitro dissolution studies of ELT in tablets.     

Extraction-photometric determination of vanadium(V) with N-hydroxy-N-m-tolyl-N′-(2-methyl-5-chloro)phenyl-p-toluamidine hydrochloride in the presence of acetic,monochloroacetic, and phenylacetic acids

N-Hydroxy-N-m-tolyl-N′-(2-methyl-5-chloro)phenyl-p-toluamidine hydrochloride (HTMCPTH), a monobasic and bidentate chelating agent which reacts with vanadium(V) in carboxylic acid media to develop a blue-violet complex, has been employed as a highly selective reagent for extraction and direct photometric determination of the metal. Solvent extraction experiments indicate that from aqueous acetic acid (1.0–10.0 M), monochloroacetic acid (0.1–10.0 M), and phenylacetic acid (at pH 0.5–6.0) vanadium(V) is quantitatively extracted into chloroform. Almost all common ions including Fe³⁺, Cu²⁺, Ni²⁺, Co²⁺, Mn²⁺, Cr³⁺, Ti⁴⁺, Zr⁴⁺, and Mo⁶⁺ do not interfere with the proposed method. The procedure has been utilized for accurate determination of vanadium in standard steels.     

Cathodic stripping voltammetry of pipemidic acid and ofloxacin in pharmaceutical dosages and human urine

Sensitive cathodic stripping voltammetric methods have been developed for two quinolone antibacterial drugs, pipemidic acid (PIP) and ofloxacin (OFL) using hanging mercury drop electrode as working electrode vs. Ag/AgCl reference electrode. The methods were developed for the determination of drugs individually as well as simultaneously. 0.1 M and 0.01 M hydrochloric acid was used as medium for PIP and OFL, respectively, 0.1 M potassium chloride was used as base electrolyte. Reduction waves were observed for PIP within ?700 mV to ?800 mV and for OFL within ?1100 mV to ?1200 mV. Linear calibration ranges for PIP and OFL were observed within 10–100 μg ml^?1 with detection limits of 50 ng ml^?1 and 1 μg ml^?1, respectively. Relative standard deviations (RSD) for the analysis of 10 gµg ml^?1 of PIP and OFL (n = 6) were 0.5% and 1.4%, respectively. The presence of glucose, lactose, sorbitol, gum arabic, starch, magnesium stearate, methylparaben and propylparaben did not affect the determinations of both PIP and OFL. The methods were used for the analysis of pharmaceutical preparations and the results indicated relative deviation of 0.5–5.5% from labeled values with RSD within 0.49–2.5%. PIP and OFL could also be determined simultaneously, and were determined from spiked human urine.     

The synthesis of amides and dipeptides from unprotected amino acids by a simultaneous protection-activation strategy using boron trifluoride diethyl etherate

The reaction of l-phenylalanine (1) with boron trifluoride diethyl etherate and primary amines leads to the formation of amides via a cyclic boron intermediate. It is also possible to use the amino dicarboxylic acid l-aspartic acid and N-alkylated amino acids (peptoid building blocks, e.g., NPhe-OH 9). The latter can be used in the preparation of dipeptidomimetics.     

Analysis of amino acids and biogenic amines in breast cancer cells by capillary electrophoresis using polymer solutions containing sodium dodecyl sulfate

We describe simultaneous analysis of naphthalene-2,3-dicarboxaldehyde (NDA)-amino acid and NDA-biogenic amine derivatives by CE in conjunction with light-emitting diode-induced fluorescence detection using poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) solutions containing sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). After sample injection, via EOF 0.1% PEO prepared in 100 mM TB solution (pH 9.0) containing 30 mM SDS entered a capillary filled with 0.5 M TB solution (pH 10.2) containing 40 mM SDS. Under this condition, 14 NDA-amino acid and NDA-amine derivatives were separated within 16 min, with high efficiency ((1.0–3.2) × 10⁵ theoretical plates) and sensitivity (LODs at S/N = 3 ranging from 2.06 to 19.17 nM). In the presence of SDS and PEO, analytes adsorption on the capillary wall was suppressed, leading to high efficiency and reproducibility. The intraday analysis RSD values (n = 3) of the mobilities for the analytes are less than 0.52%. We have validated the practicality of this approach by quantitative determination of 9 amino acids in breast cancer cells (MCF-7) and 10 amino acids in normal epithelial cells (H184B5F5/M10). The concentrations of Tau and Gln in the MCF-7 cells were different than those in the H184B5F5/M10 cells, respectively. Our results show the potential of this approach for cancer study.     

An air‐assisted flow‐gating interface for capillary electrophoresis

A new kind of flow gating interface (FGI) has been designed for online connection of CE with flow‐through analytical techniques. The sample is injected into the separation capillary from a space from which the BGE was forced out by compressed air. A drop of sample solution with a volume of 75 nL is formed between the outlet of the delivery capillary supplying the solution from the flow‐through apparatus and the entrance to the CE capillary; the sample is hydrodynamically injected into the CE capillary from this drop. The sample is not mixed with the surrounding BGE solution during injection. The functioning of the proposed FGI is fully automated and the individual steps of the injection process are controlled by a computer. The injection sequence lasts several seconds and thus permits performance of rapid sequential analyses of the collected sample. FGI was tested for the separation of equimolar 50 μM mixture of the inorganic cations K⁺, Ba²⁺, Na⁺, Mg²⁺, and Li⁺ in 50 mM acetic acid/20 mM Tris (pH 4.5) as BGE. The obtained RSD values for the migration times varied in the range 0.7–1.0% and the values for the peak area were 0.7–1.4%; RSD were determined for ten repeated measurements.     

Large-Volume Sample Stacking with Polarity Switching in CE for Determination of Natural Polyphenols in Plant Extracts

A simple on-column preconcentration method for capillary electrophoretic determination of eight polyphenolic compounds (carnosic acid, cinnamic acid, caffeic acid and rosmarinic acid, quercetin, apigenin, luteolin and rutin) was devised. The method was applied for the assay of polyphenols in methanolic extract of the medicinal plant Orthosiphon Stamineus Benth. The analysis was carried out in fused silica capillaries (I.D. 50 μm, effective length 50 cm, total length 60 cm) with UV detection at 200 nm. The background electrolyte was 50 mM sodium tetraborate of pH 9.0 (adjusted with phosphoric acid). Large volume sample stacking with polarity switching was used for sensitivity enhancement. With sample injection representing 50% of capillary volume and polarity switching at 1.6 min, an average 90-fold enhancement of absorbance signal of the analytes was achieved. The calibration curves were linear (r = 0.9956–0.9994) in the range 0.2 to 1.8 μg mL^?1 of an analyte. The repeatability of migration times and peak areas was characterized by RSD values 0.11–0.57 and 1.63–5.66%, respectively. The proposed method offers favourable limits of detection (9–16 ng mL^?1) that compare well with those of LC.     

Determination of rutin and forsythin in fruit ofForsythia suspensa(Thunb.) Vahl by capillary electrophoresis-electrochemical detection

Summary Capillary electrophoresis-amperometric detection is evaluated for simultaneous determination of rutin and forsythin. The cyclic voltammogram, hydrodynamic voltammogram, effect of pH, buffer concentration and SDS, and percent organic modifier on separation and detection were studied. Conditions were optimized as follows: 1.2 V detection potential; separation at 12 kV; 5 s at 15 kV for sample injection time and sample injection voltage; mobile phase 20 mM boric acid buffer; pH 8.4, containing 40 mM SDS and 10% (v/v) acetontrile. The method gave low detection limit as 0.001 mg mL⁻¹ and 0.0005 mg mL⁻¹ (S/N=3), wide linear range 0.005–0.5 mg mL⁻¹ for rutin and forsythin, respectively. The relative standard deviations of peak current and migration time for 8 consecutive injections of the standard solution containing 0.1 mg mL⁻¹ each compound were 4.78%, 3.63% and 6.40%, 2.95% for rutin and forsythin, respectively. In addition, levels of the two compounds in traditional Chinese herbal drugs were easily determined.     

Flotation separation and electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometric determination of lead in water samples

Abstract

The application of macro- and micro-electrodes constructed using the new ionophore were tested in a range of solution compositions reflecting concentrations found in fresh waters, and containing Cl^?, NO₃ ^?, SO₄ ^2-, HCO₃ ^2-, H₄SiO₄ and a natural humic acid. The inhibition of the electrode responses to these ions was quantified using a mixed-solution method by optimising the agreement between the measured potentials and predictions from the Nicolsky-Eisenman equation. In addition, measurements were made in separate solutions of KC1 to enable results to be compared with the literature. Apart from the results obtained for humic acid, mean selectivity coefficients for 16 macro- and 21 micro-electrode experiments are given. The results indicate inhibition of the electrode response to phosphate for all the anions in the concentration ranges of 0.05–1 mM Cl^?, 0.1–1.0 mM NO₃ ^?, 0.1–10.0 mM HCO₃ ^? and 0.1–1.5 mM SO₄ ^2- with high selectivity for HPO₄ ^2- in the presence of both dissolved silicon and a standard humic acid. This means that the application of the electrodes to hard waters is impracticable although studies of soft waters and laboratory studies in controlled conditions, e.g. calcium phosphate precipitation experiments, are feasible.     

Modelling and Optimization of Stability Constants of Cadmium or Zinc with Biological Buffers (DIPSO or TAPS) in Aqueous Solutions by Electrochemical Techniques

The complexation behavior of four systems involving cadmium(II) or zinc(II) in aqueous solutions with the biological buffers 3-[N,N-bis(2-hydroxyethyl)amino]-2-hydroxypropanesulfonic acid (DIPSO), and [(2-hydroxy-1,1-bis(hydroxymethyl)ethyl)amino]-1-propanesulfonic acid (TAPS) was studied by direct current polarography (DCP) and glass electrode potentiometry (GEP), at 25.0 ± 0.1 °C and ionic strength 0.1 mol·dm^?3 KNO₃. Except for the Cd–TAPS system, for which full characterization of the system was possible either by DCP or GEP, full characterization of the other metal-buffer systems (Zn–DIPSO, Zn–TAPS and Cd–DIPSO) was only possible using DCP. For Zn-buffers systems, ZnL⁺ and $ {\text{ZnL(OH)}}_{2}^{ - } $ ZnL(OH) 2 ? (where L stands for buffer) were identified. For the Zn–DIPSO system, the overall stability constant values (as log₁₀ β) are 2.1 ± 0.2 and 13.4 ± 0.2, respectively. For the Zn–TAPS system, the overall stability constants values (as log₁₀ β) are 2.4 ± 0.1 and 12.9 ± 0.3, respectively. For the Cd–DIPSO system, the overall stability constants values (as log₁₀ β) of CdL⁺ and CdL(OH) are 2.9 ± 0.1 and 6.9 ± 0.3, respectively. For the Cd–TAPS system, only the species CdL⁺ was identified with log₁₀ β = 2.5 ± 0.1.