Rapid dissolution of vitamin E by using sodium N-lauroylsarcosinate ionic surfactant

Vitamin E is widely used in pharmaceutical, food and cosmetic preparations. This paper discusses methods of preparing a vitamin E emulsion by using sodium N-lauroylsarcosinate (SNLS) ionic surfactant. The amount of vitamin E dissolved in water was analyzed by turbidity and UV absorption measurements. The emulsion droplet size was determined by laser light scattering. Microemulsions with small particle size and high resistance to oxidation in air can be obtained by solubilizing vitamin E in SNLS solution. The dissolution is rapid and the surfactant solution has high solubilization power. At 0.7% surfactant concentration, the saturation value is 1 g vitamin E per gram of surfactant. The micellar dissociation concentration (MDC) of the surfactant can be estimated from a vitamin saturation—surfactant concentration curve. Dissolution mechanisms at different surfactant concentrations are interpreted by use of the MDC and CMC (critical micellar concentration) concepts.     

A simple method of target preparation for the bulk analysis of powder samples by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS)

A simple and rapid procedure using a glue technique has been developed for the preparation of stable targets from powder samples for bulk analysis by LA-ICP-MS. The procedure was evaluated for the analysis of trace elements in SiC, of rare-earth elements in different types of silicate (rocks, sediments, and soils), and of Au and platinum-group elements in geological silicates. The test analysis was conducted using an IR laser in combination with a quadrupole mass spectrometer. The recommended preparation procedure offers the possibility of different types of calibration, for example application of certified reference samples in combination with prepared spiked samples on a base of a natural or synthetic matrix, or addition calibration. The resulting calibration functions are linear over a range of several decades. The trueness of the results was evaluated by use of certified reference samples. Analytical concentration ranges, detection limits, and the relative standard deviations are reported.     

A simple method of target preparation for the bulk analysis of powder samples by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA–ICP–MS)

A simple and rapid procedure using a glue technique has been developed for the preparation of stable targets from powder samples for bulk analysis by LA– ICP–MS. The procedure was evaluated for the analysis of trace elements in SiC, of rare-earth elements in different types of silicate (rocks, sediments, and soils), and of Au and platinum-group elements in geological silicates. The test analysis was conducted using an IR laser in combination with a quadrupole mass spectrometer. The recommended preparation procedure offers the possibility of different types of calibration, for example application of certified reference samples in combination with prepared spiked samples on a base of a natural or synthetic matrix, or addition calibration. The resulting calibration functions are linear over a range of several decades. The trueness of the results was evaluated by use of certified reference samples. Analytical concentration ranges, detection limits, and the relative standard deviations are reported. Received: 20 November 2000 / Revised: 13 March 2001 / Accepted: 17 March 2001     

Determination of low atomic number elements at trace levels in uranium matrix using vacuum chamber total reflection X-ray fluorescence

Determinations of low atomic number elements Na, Mg and Al present at trace concentrations in uranium matrix were made by vacuum chamber total reflection X-ray fluorescence spectrometer for the first time. For this purpose, synthetic samples of uranium with known amounts of these low atomic number elements were prepared by mixing different volumes of their solutions with U solution of high purity. The concentrations of these elements in the samples were in the range of 100–300 μg/g with respect to uranium and 10–20 μg/mL in the solutions. Major matrix uranium was separated by solvent extraction with 30% solution of tri-n-butyl phosphate in dodecane. After the solvent extraction, aqueous phase containing trace elements was mixed with Sc internal standard and the samples were analyzed by vacuum chamber total reflection X-ray fluorescence spectrometer having a Cr Kα excitation source. The total reflection X-ray fluorescence results obtained, after blank corrections, indicated an average deviation of 14% from the calculated concentrations of these low atomic number elements on the basis of their preparation. However, the total reflection X-ray fluorescence determined concentration of Mg was exceptionally lower than the calculated concentration in two samples. These studies have shown that vacuum chamber total reflection X-ray fluorescence is a promising technique for the determination of low atomic number elements in uranium matrix after its separation.     

Synthesis and physiological activity of novel tocopheryl glycosides

Vitamin E glycosides were synthesized and enzymatic hydrolysis was examined for use as potential pro-drugs, however, the glycoside bond was found to be stable. On the other hand, among the glycosides synthesized, dl-alpha-tocopherylglucoside (6b) and dl-alpha-tocopherylmannoside (6c) showed strong inhibitory action on histamine release from mast cells. In addition, 6c also showed a suppressive action on IgE antibody formation. Thus, tocopheryl glycoside showed new properties compared to tocopherol (vitamin E). In particular, 6c was shown to be a novel lead compound with excellent manifold anti-allergic activity and anti-inflammatory activity.     

β-环糊精与维生素E包合物的制备及其光谱特性

分别用溶液法、超声波法、微波辐射法制备了β-环糊精与维生素E的包合物,研究了温度、包合时间、β-环糊精与维生素E的摩尔比对包合率的影响,并用荧光光谱法测定了包合物的包合常数Kf为2.84×103 L/mol,用紫外光谱、红外光谱及荧光光谱对包合物进行了表征。     

The recognition of similarities in trace elements content in medicinal plants using MLP and RBF neural networks

The objective of the paper was to verify if the content of some elements provides enough information for proper classification of the medicinal plant raw materials. Such information could be helpful in standardization process of herbal products. Four elements—zinc, copper, lead and cadmium were determined using inverse voltammetry in commercially available medicinal herbal raw materials. Initially, principal component analysis (PCA) was employed to investigate the relationships among the analyzed trace elements. In the next stage of the study, two different types of feed-forward artificial neural networks (FANNs)—multilayer perceptron (MLP) and radial basis function (RBF) were applied. The concentrations of the elements were used as input variables to neural networks models, which were to recognize the taxonomy of the plant and the anatomical part it originated from. Although full recognition of the samples with use of FANNs on the basis of some trace elements content was not achieved, it was possible to identify two elements—cadmium and lead as the most important in the classification analysis of medicinal plants.     

Determination of vitamin B12 as cobalt by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry using the solid sampling technique

Summary An investigation has been carried out to establish a rapid method for the determination of vitamin B₁₂ as cobalt in solid pharmaceutical samples by electrothermal atomization atomic absorption spectrometry with the solid sampling technique using an inner miniature cup. Calibration graphs of peak area versus mass of the element were constructed by use of a synthetic reference material (SyRM). The SyRM is prepared by coprecipitation of cobalt ions with magnesium(II) 8-quinolinate. In order to determine the accuracy of the proposed method, three pharmaceutical preparations were analyzed according to the proposed method using standardization against the SyRM and the results obtained compared with those when solutions of the same samples were analyzed by other techniques. There is good agreement between the results obtained from the proposed and the other method. The detection limit for cobalt in a solid pharmaceutical preparation is 0.15 ng/mg (i.e. 4 ng/mg of vitamin B₁₂) for a typical sample mass of 1.0 mg.

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Bestimmung von Vitamin B₁₂ als Cobalt mit Hilfe der elektrothermischen Feststoff-AAS

     

Microwave assisted sample preparation for determining water-soluble fraction of trace elements in urban airborne particulate matter: evaluation of bioavailability

The feasibility of using two different microwave-based sample preparation methods was investigated to determine the total and water-soluble trace metal fraction in airborne particulate matter. The extraction techniques were then applied to urban particulate matter of different sizes in order to evaluate their bioavailability of associated trace metals. While a combination of HNO₃-HF-H₂O₂ was used for the total trace metal fraction of particulate matter, water was employed for the microwave-assisted extraction of water-soluble trace metal fractions. Inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was used for the analysis of trace elements. The experimental protocol for the microwave assisted digestion was established using two different SRMs (1648, urban particulate matter and 1649a, urban dust). In the case of water-soluble trace metal fraction, the quantities extracted from the SRMs were compared between ultrasonic and microwave-assisted extractions, and there was a good agreement between the two extraction methods. Blanks values and limits of detection (LODs) for total and water-soluble trace metal concentrations were determined for three different filter substrates (Teflon, Zeflour, and Quartz). Subsequently, the proposed digestion method was evaluated for its extraction efficiency with these filter substrates. Finally, the real-world application of the proposed microwave-based sample preparation methods was demonstrated by analyzing trace elements in airborne particulate samples collected from different outdoor environments in Singapore. The solubility of 11 trace elements detected in the particulate samples is quantified.     

原子吸收光谱法测定茶叶中铅和镉时消解方法的优化

采用多种方法对同一种茶叶进行消解,用原子吸收光谱法测定不同方法消解的茶叶中有害微量元素铅和镉的含量并进行对比,探索了茶叶中微量元素铅和镉低损耗的最佳消解条件.实验结果表明,不同的消解方式对茶叶中微量元素的测定结果影响很大.测定茶叶中铅和镉元素时,采用硝酸-高氯酸加盖浸泡过夜方法较为理想.     

Application of RF GDMS for trace element analysis of nonconducting La0.65Sr0.3MnO3 ceramic layers

Radio-frequency glow discharge mass spectrometry (RF GDMS) has been applied to the determination of trace elements in ceramic perovskite layers (La_0.65Sr_0.3MnO₃) using synthetic standards. For the preparation of these standards high-purity powder of the basic material (La_0.65Sr_0.3MnO₃) was doped with trace elements in concentrations from 20 to 500 μg/g and the mixture was pressed to compact samples. The resulting calibration curves and the calculated relative sensitivity factors (RSF) differed only from 0.4 to 2 for different elements. For nearly all elements the standard deviations in the determination of trace elements in La_0.65Sr_0.3MnO₃ were better than 15% and detection limits (using the 3σ-criterion) were below 10 μg/g. Changes of the discharge parameters (RF power, pressure of the discharge gas (Ar) in the RF glow discharge) have no significant influence on the sensitivity to elements.     

VITAMIN E DISSOLUTION IN SULFOBETAINE ZW1TTERIONIC SURFACTANT SOLUTION AND ENHANCEMENT OF DIS SOLUTION BY ADDING SODIUM CHLORIDE

Vitamin E is widely used in pharmaceutical, food and cosmetic preparations.This paper discusses methods of preparing vitamin E emulsions by using sulfobetaine (SB) zwitterionic surfactants which have high electrolyte tolerance. The amount of vitamin E dissolved in water was analyzed by turbidity and UV absorption measurements. The emulsion droplet size was determined by laser light scattering. Microemulsions with small particle size and high resistance to oxidation in air can be obtained by solubilizing vitamin E in SB solutions at high concentrations (above %) The performance of a series of SB surfactants is compared in 1.5% solutions. A SB surfactant with a 12 carbon chain seems to be the most effective in dissolving vitamin E. The saturation value of vitamin E is increased about one order of magnitude by adding NaCl to the SB surfactant solutions. Emulsions formed in surfactant solutions containing NaCl (0 4-0.6 M) are stable at low surfactant concentrations such as 0.2-0.4 % The emulsion droplet sizes are below or around 200nm.     

A year away to 100th year of vitamin E synthesis

Vitamin E was discovered in the year 1922 as a dietary constituent by Herbert McLean Evans and Katharine J. Scott Bishop. Next year we will be celebrating 100th year anniversary of vitamin E discovery. This minireview highlights discoveries of eight naturally available forms (tocopherols and tocotrienols) of vitamin E and their most important synthetic attempts. This minireview is dedicated to the pioneers of vitamin E for serving a crucial biomolecule to the mankind.     

Present-day methods for the determination of trace elements in oil and its fractions

The development and use of instrumental methods for the determination of a wide range of trace elements in oil is considered. Special attention is paid to methods of the direct introduction of samples into spectrometers. It is shown that preliminary sample preparation is in certain cases necessary for the determination of trace elements in oil. The main methods of sample preparation of oils, including methods of extraction of a series of trace elements from crude oil (extraction, membrane, sorption, etc.), are described.     

A preliminary study of background concentrations of elements in plants of the Xizang Plateau

A total of 29 major and trace elements have been determined in 43 plant samples collected from the Xizang (Tibet) Plateau using INAA at a SLOWPOKE mini-reactor in order to study elemental background concentration values in Xizang plants. In this paper are reported elemental concentrations of different parts of the plants compared to average values of plants worldwide. The preliminary results suggest that nutritional, plant elements in this region are quite low indicative of a state of malnutrition, while the contents of Al, Ti, Cr and Ba are comparatively high. These findings indicate that the concentrations of most elements in the plants are mainly affected by local soil geochemical characteristics. Some variation in elemental distribution within the plants was also evident: in general, higher concentrations were found in stems compared to roots, and, differences for nutritional elements among the plant species were much greater than found for other elements.     

Chromatographic analysis of alpha-tocopherol and related compounds in various matrices.

Tocopherols and tocotrienols (Vitamin E) are part of a group of "minor components" of main interest, present in the unsaponifiable fraction of many samples. Their importance in biological, metabolical and nutritional studies makes determination of tocopherols and related compounds of major interest. Present work critically reviews the different ways to perform sample pre-treatment and analysis of these compounds, related to the matrices, other analytes to be measured, sensitivity, and simplicity. The review includes well referenced tables that provide in-depth summaries of methodology for the chromatographic analysis of alpha-tocopherol and related compounds in foods, pharmaceuticals, plants, animal tissues and other matrices.     

Distribution of trace and minor elements in hungarian spice paprika plants

Detailed investigations were carried out to study the distribution of trace and minor elements in different parts (fruit, seed and rib, peduncle, stem, leaf, root) of ripe Hungarian spice paprika plants. Two varieties of paprika plants were analyzed for their Cl, Co, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Rb, Sc, V and Zn content by non-destructive neutron activation analysis. The results showed that the iron contents of the samples were much higher than those of the other trace elements. For the trace elements Co, Fe, Mn, Sc, V and Zn a considerable enrichment was observed in the leaf, while the Rb and K, Na, Mg showed accumulation mainly in the peduncle. In the other parts (fruit, seed and rib, stem) of the paprika plants no significant enrichment of trace elements was found. Since some of the elements investigated may have been partially eluted during the cleaning of the roots with distilled water and, on the other hand, if the cleaning was not intensive enough, some soil particles could be retained on the samples, the data obtained for the roots should be considered with precaution.     

维生素E的催化合成路线分析

维生素E具有多种特异的生理活性,同时也是一种优良的抗氧化剂,已经逐渐成为维生素领域中的焦点,市场需求不断增加。目前合成维生素E占据市场的80%以上,提升维生素E的产量和生产效率势在必行。天然维生素E包括四种生育酚类物质和四种生育三烯酚类物质,其中α-生育酚含量最大,生理活性也最高。本综述简要介绍α-生育酚的合成路线,其中包括2, 3, 5-三甲基氢醌和异植物醇的合成以及它们二者缩合的反应。本文着重阐述路线的设计和催化剂的选择,并对存在的问题及潜在的解决办法进行评述和展望。     

Redispersible dry emulsion system as novel oral dosage form of oily drugs: in vivo studies in beagle dogs.

The absorption characteristics of vitamin E acetate (VEA) formulated into a dry emulsion system after its oral administration to beagle dogs were determined and compared to those of two different dosage forms (an oily mixture of the drug with cottonseed oil and an oil (drug)-in-water emulsion). The three dosage forms were administered in a crossover fashion to six nonfasting subjects, and the drug absorption was assessed from the plasma concentration of the major metabolite (free vitamin E). VEA formulated in the dry emulsion was rapidly absorbed, which suggested that a considerable amount was released as reformed emulsion droplets in the gastrointestinal tract as well as in water in vitro. Based on the analysis of variance, no significant differences in bioavailability parameters (AUC, Cmax or Tmax) were observed among the three dosage forms.     

维生素D缺乏诱导小儿呆小病与血液微量元素的关系研究

目的探讨维生素D缺乏诱导呆小病新生儿血液中微量元素含量的变化。方法采用微分电位溶出法测定维生素D缺乏诱导呆小病的新生儿与健康新生儿血液中微量元素的含量。结果呆小病组血清锌、镁、铁、钙均低于正常,全血铅、血清铜均高于正常。结论小儿维生素D缺乏诱导呆小病新生儿血液微量元素存在一定的失衡,与感染所造成的机体伤害有一定的关系,因此需要及时补充和调理微量元素,对疾病的治疗和恢复有重要意义。