Application of magnetic graphitic carbon nitride nanocomposites for the solid‐phase extraction of phthalate esters in water samples

Magnetic graphitic carbon nitride nanocomposites were successfully prepared in situ and used to develop a highly sensitive magnetic solid‐phase extraction method for the preconcentration of phthalate esters such as di‐n‐butyl phthalate, butyl phthalate, dihexyl phthalate, and di‐(2‐ethyl hexyl) phthalate from water. The adsorption and desorption of the phthalate esters on magnetic graphitic carbon nitride nanocomposites were investigated and the parameters affecting the partition of the phthalate esters, such as adsorption, desorption, recovery, were assessed. Under the optimized conditions, the proposed method showed excellent sensitivity with limits of detection (S/N = 3) in the range of 0.05–0.1 μg/L and precision in the range of 1.1–2.6% (n = 5). This method was successfully applied to the analysis of real water samples, and good spiked recoveries over the range of 79.4–99.4% were obtained. This research provides a possibility to apply this nanocomposite for adsorption, preconcentration, or even removal of various carbon‐based ring or hydrophobic pollutants.     

Determination of phthalates in beverages using multiwalled carbon nanotubes dispersive solid‐phase extraction before HPLC–MS

A microdispersive solid‐phase extraction method has been developed using multiwalled carbon nanotubes of 110–170 nm diameter and 5–9 μm length for the extraction of a group of nine phthalic acid esters (i.e., bis(2‐methoxyethyl) phthalate, bis‐2‐ethoxyethyl phthalate, dipropyl phthalate, butylbenzyl phthalate, bis‐2‐n‐butoxyethyl phthalate, bis‐isopentyl phthalate, bis‐n‐pentyl phthalate, dicyclohexyl phthalate, and di‐n‐octyl phthalate) from tap water as well as from different beverages commercialized in plastic bottles (mineral water, lemon‐ and apple‐flavored mineral water, and an isotonic drink). Determination was carried out by high‐performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. The extraction procedure was optimized following a step‐by‐step approach, being the optimum extraction conditions: 50 mL of each sample at pH 6.0, 80 mg of sorbent, and 25 mL of acetonitrile as elution solvent. To validate the methodology, matrix‐matched calibration and a recovery study were developed, obtaining determination coefficients >0.9906 and absolute recovery values between 70 and 117% (with relative standard deviations < 17%) in all cases. The limits of quantification of the method were between 0.173 and 1.45 μg/L. After the evaluation of the matrix effects, real samples were also analyzed, finding butylbenzyl phthalate in all samples (except in apple‐flavored mineral water), though at concentrations below its limit of quantification of the method.     

A porous carbon derived from amino‐functionalized material of Institut Lavoisier as a solid‐phase microextraction fiber coating for the extraction of phthalate esters from tea

In this work, a porous carbon derived from amino‐functionalized material of Institut Lavoisier (C‐NH₂‐MIL‐125) was prepared and coated onto a stainless‐steel wire through sol–gel technique. The coated fiber was used for the solid‐phase microextraction of trace levels of phthalate esters (diallyl phthalate, di‐iso‐butyl ortho‐phthalate, di‐n‐butyl ortho‐phthalate, benzyl‐n‐butyl ortho‐phthalate, and bis(2‐ethylhexy) ortho‐phthalate) from tea beverage samples before gas chromatography with mass spectrometric analysis. Several experimental parameters that could influence the extraction efficiency such as extraction time, extraction temperature, sample pH, sample salinity, stirring rate, desorption temperature and desorption time, were investigated. Under the optimal conditions, the linearity existed in the range of 0.05–30.00 μg/L for green jasmine tea beverage samples, and 0.10–30.00 μg/L for honey jasmine tea beverage samples, with the correlation coefficients (r) ranging from 0.9939 to 0.9981. The limits of detection of the analytes for the method were 2.0–3.0 ng/L for green jasmine tea beverage sample, and 4.0–5.0 ng/L for honey jasmine tea beverage sample, depending on the compounds. The recoveries of the analytes for the spiked samples were in the range of 82.0–106.0%, and the precision, expressed as the relative standard deviations, was less than 11.1%.     

One-step in-syringe dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction and GC-FID determination of trace amounts of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate and its metabolite in human urine samples

Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is used as plasticizer in polyvinylchloride (PVC) plastics. Its metabolites and the parent phthalates are considered toxic. As the DEHP plasticizers are not chemically bound to PVC, they can migrate, evaporate or be leached into indoor air and atmosphere, foodstuff, and other materials. We have reported a novel, easy and available analytical method for the determination of DEHP and its metabolite, mono(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP) in human urine samples by the in-syringe dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction method coupled with gas chromatography with flame ionization detector. The limits of detection and precision (RSD) were 2.5 μg/L and 1.4% for DEHP and 1.1 μg/L and 3.0% for MEHP, respectively. This method could be utilized for routine monitoring of the trace DEHP and MEHP in urine of human exposure to plasticizers.     

Validation of a new high‐throughput method to determine urinary S‐phenylmercapturic acid using low‐temperature partitioning extraction and ultra high performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry

A new highly sensitive and environmentally friendly analytical method, using low‐temperature partition extraction and ultra‐high‐performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry, without the use of a labeled analyte, was developed and validated to determine and quantify urinary S‐phenylmercapturic acid in urine samples. The World Health Organization, in its guidelines for air quality in Europe, recognizes that benzene is carcinogenic to humans and there is no safe level of exposure. Urinary S‐phenylmercapturic acid is a sensitive and specific biological marker of exposure to benzene. The new analytical method, extraction, and analysis, were linear in the working range between 0.1 and 200.0 μg/L, precise (relative standard deviation lower than 6.0%), accurate (97.0–105.0%), and sensitive. The method's limits of detection and quantification were 0.02 and 0.084 μg/L, respectively. The recovery with the low‐temperature partition extraction was 96.1%, with relative standard deviation less than 3.8%. The method is simple, accurate, and reproducible, and has been successfully applied in the evaluation of nonoccupational exposure to benzene, by urinary S‐phenylmercapturic acid in urine samples.     

Gas chromatography with mass spectrometry for the determination of phthalates preconcentrated by microextraction based on an ionic liquid

A new procedure is proposed for the analysis of migration test solutions obtained from plastic bottles used in the packaging of edible oils. Ultrasound‐assisted emulsification microextraction with ionic liquids was applied for the preconcentration of six phthalate esters: dimethylphthalate, diethylphthalate, di‐n‐butylphthalate, n‐butylbenzylphthalate, di‐2‐ethylhexylphthalate, and di‐n‐octylphthalate. The enriched ionic liquid was directly analyzed by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry using direct insert microvial thermal desorption. The different factors affecting the microextraction efficiency, such as volume of the extracting phase (30 μL of the ionic liquid) and ultrasound application time (25 s), and the thermal desorption step, such as desorption temperature and time, and gas flow rate, were studied. Under the selected conditions, detection limits for the analytes were in the 0.012–0.18 μg/L range, while recovery assays provided values ranging from 80 to 112%. The use of butyl benzoate as internal standard increased the reproducibility of the analytical procedure. When the release of the six phthalate esters from the tested plastic bottles to liquid simulants was monitored using the optimized procedure, analyte concentrations of between 1.0 and 273 μg/L were detected.     

Solid‐phase extraction based on chloromethylated polystyrene magnetic nanospheres followed by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry to determine phthalate esters in beverages

An ultrasound‐assisted magnetic solid‐phase extraction procedure with chloromethylated polystyrene‐coated Fe₃O₄ nanospheres as magnetic adsorbents has been developed to determine eight phthalate esters (bis(4‐methyl‐2‐pentyl) phthalate, dipentyl phthalate, dihexyl phthalate, benzyl butyl phthalate, bis(2‐butoxyethyl) phthalate, dicyclohexyl phthalate, di‐n‐octyl phthalate, and dinonyl phthalate) simultaneously in beverage samples, in combination with gas chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry for the first time. Several factors related to magnetic solid‐phase extraction efficiencies, such as amount of adsorbent, extracting time, ionic strength, and desorption conditions were investigated. The enrichment factors of the method for the eight analytes were over 2482. A good linearity was observed in the range of 10–500 ng/L for bis(2‐butoxyethyl) phthalate and 2–500 ng/L for the other phthalate esters with correlation coefficients ranging from 0.9980 to 0.9998. The limits of detection and quantification for the eight phthalate esters were in the range of 0.20–2.90 and 0.67–9.67 ng/L, respectively. The mean recoveries at three spiked levels were 75.8–117.7%, the coefficients of variations were <11.6%. The proposed method was demonstrated to be a simple and efficient technique for the trace analysis of the phthalate esters in beverage samples.     

A rapid method for the quantification of urinary phthalate monoesters: A new strategy for the assessment of the exposure to phthalate ester by solid‐phase microextraction with gas chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry

In the following work, a new method for the analysis of the phthalate monoesters in human urine was reported. Phthalate monoesters are metabolites generated as a result of phthalate exposure. In compliance with the dictates of Green Analytical Chemistry, a rapid and simple protocol was developed and optimized for the quantification of phthalate monoesters (i.e., monoethyl phthalate, monoisobutyl phthalate, mono‐n‐butyl phthalate, mono‐(2‐ethylhexyl) phthalate, mono‐n‐octyl phthalate, monocyclohexyl phthalate, mono‐isononyl phthalate) in human urine, which entails preceding derivatization with methyl chloroformate combined with the use of commercial solid phase microextraction and the analysis by gas chromatography‐triple quadrupole mass spectrometry. The affinity of the derivatized analytes toward five commercial coatings was evaluated, and in terms of analyte extraction, the best results were reached with the use of the divinylbenzene/carboxen/polydimethylsiloxane fiber. The multivariate approach of experimental design was used to seek for the best working conditions of the derivatization reaction and the solid phase microextraction, thus obtaining the optimum response values. The proposed method was validated according to the guidelines issued by the Food and Drug Administration achieving satisfactory values in terms of linearity, sensitivity, matrix effect, intra‐ and inter‐day accuracy, and precision.     

Mesoporous Silica‐coated Magnetic Nanoparticles for Mixed Hemimicelles Solid‐phase Extraction of Phthalate Esters in Environmental Water Samples with Liquid Chromatographic Analysis

To extract, preconcentrate and determine the trace level of environmental contaminants, a novel mixed hemimicelles solid‐phase extraction (MHSPE) method based on mesoporous silica‐coated magnetic nanoparticles (Fe₃O₄/meso‐SiO₂ NPs) as adsorbent was developed for extraction of phthalate esters from water samples. The Fe₃O₄/meso‐SiO₂ NPs were synthesized by using a combination of hydrothermal method and sol‐gel method. The obtained Fe₃O₄/meso‐SiO₂ NPs possessed a large surface area (570 m²/g), superparamagnetism, and uniform mesopores (2.8 nm). MHSPE parameters, such as the amount of surfactant, pH of sample, shaking and separation time, eluent and breakthrough volume that may influence the extraction of analytes greatly, were further investigated. Under the optimized conditions, the extraction was completed in 20 min and a concentration factor of 500 was achieved by extracting 250 mL water sample. Detection limits obtained of butyl‐benzyl phthalate (BBP), di‐n‐butyl phthalate (DnBP), di‐(2‐ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and di‐n‐cotyl phthalate (DnOP) were 12, 21, 12, and 32 ng/L, respectively. The proposed method exhibited high extraction efficiency and relatively short time for extracting the target compounds.     

Simple determination of betaine,l‐carnitine and choline in human urine using self‐packed column and column‐switching ion chromatography with nonsuppressed conductivity detection

A sequential online extraction, clean‐up and separation system for the determination of betaine, l ‐carnitine and choline in human urine using column‐switching ion chromatography with nonsuppressed conductivity detection was developed in this work. A self‐packed pretreatment column (50 × 4.6 mm, i.d.) was used for the extraction and clean‐up of betaine, l ‐carnitine and choline. The separation was achieved using self‐packed cationic exchange column (150 × 4.6 mm, i.d.), followed by nonsuppressed conductivity detection. Under optimized experimental conditions, the developed method presented good analytical performance, with excellent linearity in the range of 0.60–100 μg mL⁻¹ for betaine, 0.75–100 μg mL⁻¹ for l ‐carnitine and 0.50–100 μg mL⁻¹ for choline, with all correlation coefficients (R²) >0.99 in urine. The limits of detection were 0.15 μg mL⁻¹ for betaine, 0.20 μg mL⁻¹ for l ‐carnitine and 0.09 μg mL⁻¹ for choline. The intra‐ and inter‐day accuracy and precision for all quality controls were within ±10.32 and ±9.05%, respectively. Satisfactory recovery was observed between 92.8 and 102.0%. The validated method was successfully applied to the detection of urinary samples from 10 healthy people. The values detected in human urine using the proposed method showed good agreement with the measurement reported previously.     

Acrylamide‐functionalized graphene micro‐solid‐phase extraction coupled to high‐performance liquid chromatography for the online analysis of trace monoamine acidic metabolites in biological samples

Monoamine acidic metabolites in biological samples are essential biomarkers for the diagnosis of neurological disorders. In this work, acrylamide‐functionalized graphene adsorbent was successfully synthesized by a chemical functionalization method and was packed in a homemade polyether ether ketone micro column as a micro‐solid‐phase extraction unit. This micro‐solid‐phase extraction unit was directly coupled to high‐performance liquid chromatography to form an online system for the separation and analysis of three monoamine acidic metabolites including homovanillic acid, 5‐hydroxyindole‐3‐acetic acid, and 3,4‐dihydroxyphenylacetic acid in human urine and plasma. The online system showed high stability, permeability, and adsorption capacity toward target metabolites. The saturated extraction amount of this online system was 213.1, 107.0, and 153.4 ng for homovanillic acid, 5‐hydroxyindole‐3‐acetic acid, and 3,4‐dihydroxyphenylacetic acid, respectively. Excellent detection limits were achieved in the range of 0.08–0.25 μg/L with good linearity and reproducibility. It was interesting that three targets in urine and plasma could be actually quantified to be 0.94–3.93 μg/L in plasma and 7.15–19.38 μg/L in urine. Good recoveries were achieved as 84.8–101.4% for urine and 77.8–95.1% for plasma with the intra‐ and interday relative standard deviations less than 9.3 and 10.3%, respectively. This method shows great potential for online analysis of trace monoamine acidic metabolites in biological samples.     

Simultaneous quantification of antofloxacin and its major metabolite in human urine by HPLC–MS/MS,and its application to a pharmacokinetic study

This study presents a high‐performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC–MS/MS) method for the simultaneous determination of antofloxacinin and its main metabolite – N ‐demethylated metabolite (N‐ DM) – in human urine. Ornidazole was used as the internal standard. This was a clinical urine recovery study, in which 10 healthy Chinese volunteers were intravenously administered a single 200 mg dose of antofloxacin hydrochloride. Compounds were extracted by albumen precipitation, after which samples were isocratically eluted using a Poroshell 120 SB‐C₁₈ column, and were analysed using HPLC–MS/MS under electronic spray ionization positive ion mode. The method was successfully applied in a urine pharmacokinetic study of antofloxacinin, with a detection range of 0.02/0.01 to 200/100 μg/mL (for antofioxacin/N‐ DM).The average percentages of antofioxacin/N‐ DM measured in urinary excretion frp, 10 volunteers were 54.9 ± 5.7/8.2 ± 2.5% in 120 h duration.     

Capillary electrophoresis chemiluminescence assay of naphthol isomers in human urine and river water using Ni(IV) complex‐luminol system

A capillary electrophoresis method involving online indirect chemiluminescence (CL) detection was used to determine naphthol (NAP) isomers. The method was based on the quenching effect of 1‐ and 2‐NAP on a new CL reaction of luminol with Ni(IV) complex in an alkaline medium. Separation was conducted with a 25.0 mM sodium borate buffer containing 0.8 mmol/L luminol. Under optimized conditions, 1‐ and 2‐NAP were baseline separated and detected in less than 8 min. The limits of detection of 1‐ and 2‐NAP were 3.1 and 2.7 μg/L, respectively (S/N = 3), with a linear range of 4.0–80.0 μg/L (r > 0.995). Analysis of real samples demonstrated that the spiked recoveries were in the range of 89.2–107.5% (n = 3). The proposed method was successfully used to determine 1‐ and 2‐NAP contents in three environmental water samples and 14 human urine samples. No derivatization or tedious pretreatment was required in the analysis. The proposed method is a potential approach for routine tests of naphthol isomers in a facile CE–CL system.     

Simultaneous determination of nine anticoagulant rodenticides in soil and water by LC–ESI‐MS

A new and sensitive analytical method is presented to determine nine anticoagulant rodenticide (chlorophacinone, bromadiolone, pindone, diphacinone, warfarin, coumatetralyl, brodifacoum, floucomafen, and difenacoum) residues in water and soil samples by LC–ESI‐MS. Rodenticides were extracted from soil using a methanol and ammonium formate 30 mM mixture, while ethyl acetate was employed in the water samples. A Gemini 5 μm C₁₈ column was employed, and a mobile phase comprising a mixture of ammonium formate 30 mM and di‐n‐butylamine 30 mM in water (pH 3.5), ammonium formate 30 mM and di‐n‐butylamine 20 mM in water (pH 4.4), ammonium formate 30 mM in water (pH 6.5), and methanol in a gradient elution mode was selected. The method was fully validated and it was found to be selective and precise in terms of linearity and accuracy. Extraction recoveries ranged from 90 to 104% for the compounds studied, while the detection and quantification limits were between 0.09 and 2.2 μg/kg in soil or 0.08 and 1.7 μg/L in water. The method was applied to simultaneously measure these compounds in water and soil samples.     

Simultaneous determination of seven phthalic acid esters in beverages using ultrasound and vortex‐assisted dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction followed by high‐performance liquid chromatography

A sensitive, rapid, and simple high‐performance liquid chromatography with UV detection method was developed for the simultaneous determination of seven phthalic acid esters (dimethyl phthalate, dipropyl phthalate, di‐n‐butyl phthalate, benzyl butyl phthalate, dicyclohexyl phthalate, di‐(2‐ethylhexyl) phthalate, and di‐n‐octyl phthalate) in several kinds of beverage samples. Ultrasound and vortex‐assisted dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction method was used. The separation was performed using an Intersil ODS‐3 column (C₁₈, 250 × 4.6 mm, 5.0 μm) and a gradient elution with a mobile phase consisting of MeOH/ACN (50:50) and 0.2 M KH₂PO₄ buffer. Analytes were detected by a UV detector at 230 nm. The developed method was validated in terms of linearity, limit of detection, limit of quantification, repeatability, accuracy, and recovery. Calibration equations and correlation coefficients (> 0.99) were calculated by least squares method with weighting factor. The limit of detection and quantification were in the range of 0.019–0.208 and 0.072–0.483 μg/L. The repeatability and intermediate precision were determined in terms of relative standard deviation to be within 0.03–3.93 and 0.02–4.74%, respectively. The accuracy was found to be in the range of –14.55 to 15.57% in terms of relative error. Seventeen different beverage samples in plastic bottles were successfully analyzed, and ten of them were found to be contaminated by different phthalic acid esters.     

In silico methods for predicting metabolism and mass fragmentation applied to quetiapine in liquid chromatography/time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry urine drug screening

Current in silico tools were evaluated for their ability to predict metabolism and mass spectral fragmentation in the context of analytical toxicology practice. A metabolite prediction program (Lhasa Meteor), a metabolite detection program (Bruker MetaboliteDetect), and a fragmentation prediction program (ACD/MS Fragmenter) were used to assign phase I metabolites of the antipsychotic drug quetiapine in the liquid chromatography/time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (LC/TOFMS) accurate mass data from ten autopsy urine samples. In the literature, the main metabolic routes of quetiapine have been reported to be sulfoxidation, oxidation to the corresponding carboxylic acid, N‐ and O‐dealkylation and hydroxylation. Of the 14 metabolites predicted by Meteor, eight were detected by LC/TOFMS in the urine samples with use of MetaboliteDetect software and manual inspection. An additional five hydroxy derivatives were detected, but not predicted by Meteor. The fragment structures provided by ACD/MS Fragmenter software confirmed the identification of the metabolites. Mean mass accuracy and isotopic pattern match (SigmaFit) values for the fragments were 2.40 ppm (0.62 mDa) and 0.010, respectively. ACD/MS Fragmenter, in particular, allowed metabolites with identical molecular formulae to be differentiated without a need to access the respective reference standards or reference spectra. This was well exemplified with the hydroxy/sulfoxy metabolites of quetiapine and their N‐ and O‐dealkylated forms. The procedure resulted in assigning 13 quetiapine metabolites in urine. The present approach is instrumental in developing an extensive database containing exact monoisotopic masses and verified retention times of drugs and their urinary metabolites for LC/TOFMS drug screening. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An expedient reverse‐phase high‐performance chromatography (RP‐HPLC) based method for high‐throughput analysis of deferoxamine and ferrioxamine in urine

The present study was planned to optimize and validate an expedient reverse‐phase high chromatography (RP‐HPLC) based protocol for the analysis of deferoxamine (DFO) and ferrioxamine (FO) in urinary execration of patients suffering β ‐thalassemia major. The optimized RP‐HPLC method was found to be linear over the wide range of DFO and FO concentration (1–90 μg/mL) with appreciable recovery rates (79.64–97.30%) of quality controls at improved detection and quantitation limits and acceptable inter and intraday variability. Real‐time analysis of DFO and FO in the urine of thalassemic patients (male and female) at different intervals of Desferal®(Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation) injection revealed DFO and FO excretion at significantly (p < 0) different rates. The maximum concentrations of DFO (76.7 ± 3.06 μg/mL) and FO (74.2 ± 3.25 μg/mL) were found in urine samples, collected after 6 h of drug infusion while the minimum levels of DFO (1.10 ± 0.12 μg/mL) and FO (2.97 ± 0.13 μg/mL) were excreted by patients after 24 h. The present paper offers balanced conditions for an expedient, reliable and quick determination of DFO and FO in urine samples.     

Nanostructured gemini‐based supramolecular solvent coupled with ultrasound‐assisted back extraction as a preconcentration step before GC–MS

Liquid‐phase microextraction based on gemini‐based supramolecular solvent was successfully applied as a preconcentration step before gas chromatography with mass spectrometry. To eliminate the interferences of gemini surfactant, the analytes were back‐extracted into an immiscible organic solvent in the presence of ultrasonic sound waves. Three phthalate esters (di‐n‐butyl‐, butylbenzyl‐, bis(2‐ethylhexyl)‐, and di‐n‐octyl phthalatic esters) were used as target analytes. The effective parameters on extraction efficiency of the target analytes (i.e., the amount of surfactant and volume of propanol as major components making up the supramolecular solvent, ionic strength, hexane volume, and ultrasound time) were investigated and optimized by a one‐variable‐at‐a‐time method. Under the optimum conditions, the preconcentration factors of the analytes were in the range of 95–182. The linear dynamic range of 0.05–200.00 μg/L with a correlation of determination of (R ²) ≥ 0.9935 was obtained. The proposed method had an excellent limit of detection (S/N = 3) of 0.01 for di‐n‐octyl and 0.02 μg/L for butylbenzyl‐ and di‐n‐butyl‐phthalatic ester. Good relative recoveries in the range of 85.7–105.2% guaranteed the accuracy of the amount of phthalates distinguished in the nonspiked samples.     

Liquid‐phase microextraction based on two immiscible organic solvents followed by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry as an efficient method for the preconcentration and determination of cocaine,ketamine, and lidocaine in human urine samples

A new type of liquid‐phase microextraction based on two immiscible organic solvents was optimized and validated for the quantification of lidocaine, ketamine, and cocaine in human urine samples. A hollow‐fiber based microextraction technique followed by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry detection was used to reduce matrix interferences and improve limits of detection. The analytes were extracted from aqueous sample with pH 11.0, into a thin layer of organic solvent (n‐dodecane) sustained in the pores of a hollow fiber, and then into a second organic acceptor (acetonitrile) located inside the lumen of the hollow fiber. With the application of optimized values, good linearity was obtained in the range of 1–500 μg/L for lidocaine and ketamine and 2–500 μg/L for cocaine with the determination coefficient values (r²) >0.9943. The preconcentration factors and limits of detection (S/N > 3) were 250–350 and 0.01–0.05 μg/L, respectively. Intra and interassay precision values were <7.3 and 9.3%, respectively. The method was successfully applied for the determination and quantification of target analytes in human urine samples.     

High‐performance liquid chromatography assay using ultraviolet detection for urinary quantification of milrinone concentrations in cardiac surgery patients undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass

An analytical assay using liquid–liquid extraction and high‐performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection was developed for the quantification of total (conjugated and unconjugated) urinary concentrations of milrinone after the inhalation of a 5 mg dose in 15 cardiac patients undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass. Urine samples (700 μL) were extracted with ethyl‐acetate and subsequently underwent acid back‐extraction before and after deconjugation by mild acid hydrolysis. Milrinone was separated on a strong cation exchange analytical column. The mobile phase consisted of a constant mixture of acetonitrile:tetrahydrofurane–NaH₂PO₄ buffer (40:60 v/v, pH 3.0). Thirteen calibration curves were linear in the concentration range of 31.25–4000 ng/mL, using olprinone as the internal standard (r² range 0.9911–0.9999, n = 13). Mean milrinone recovery and accuracy were respectively 85.2 ± 3.1% and ≥93%. Intra‐ and inter‐day precisions (coefficients of variation) were ≤5% and ≤8%, respectively. Over a 24 h collection period, the cumulative urinary milrinone recovered from 15 patients was 26.1 ± 7.7% of the nominal 5 mg dose administered. The relative amount of milrinone glucuronic acid conjugate was negligible in the urine of patients undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass This method proved to be reliable, specific and accurate to determine the cumulative amount of total milrinone recovered in urine after inhalation. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.