Simultaneous Determination of Toxic Alkaloids in Blood and Urine by HPLC–ESI–MS/MS

A sensitive and selective method for simultaneous determination of 29 toxic alkaloids in human blood and 31 in urine using high-performance liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry was developed and validated. The samples were diluted with 0.1 mol L⁻¹ HCl, and the target alkaloids were purified by solid phase extraction. The separation of 31 alkaloids was carried out on a C18 column using a gradient mobile phase with 10 mmol L⁻¹ ammonium formate in water with 0.1% formic acid and methanol at the rate of 0.25 mL min⁻¹. The triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer equipped with an electrospray source in the positive mode was set up in the dynamic multiple reactions monitoring mode (dynamic MRM) to detect the ion transitions of 31 alkaloids. The calibration curves were linear over a range of 0.5–400, 1–400, or 4–400 μg L⁻¹ for target alkaloids in human blood and urine, and the correlation coefficients (r ²) was higher than 0.9943. The limit of determination and limit of quantification were 0.2–1 and 0.5–4 μg L⁻¹ for blood and urine, respectively. The only exceptions were sanguinarine and chelerythrine in human blood. All the target alkaloids were stable under the test condition. In addition, the solvent effect and reconstituted solution were investigated. The method was validated and proved to be accurate and precise over the studied concentrations and suitable for poisoning diagnosis and forensic toxicology.

     

Quantification of phytochelatins in plants by reversed-phase HPLC–ESI–MS–MS

An on-line HPLC–ESI–MS–MS method has been developed for determination of glutathione and phytochelatins (PC) in plant tissues. For sample pretreatment, dithiothreitol (DTT) must be added at the very beginning, as an anti-oxidant. Optimization of instrumental conditions i.e. composition of HPLC mobile phase, ionization efficiency of the electrospray interface, and MS–MS detection in the multiple ion-monitoring mode, are the central aspects of this work. A polystyrene-packed column was found to be superior to a standard silica-packed reversed-phase column. A concave quadratic gradient of ammonium formate buffer and acetonitrile was found to be optimum. The limits of quantitation were 0.2 mol kg^–1 plant tissue for glutathione and PC. The method has been applied to analysis of tissue samples from Vicia faba grown in Cd-containing nutrient solutions.Dedicated to the memory of Wilhelm Fresenius     

Simultaneous determination of eight adulterants in weight management supplements and herbs by HPLC–DAD and LC–MS/MS

An efficient HPLC–DAD method was developed for simultaneous determination of eight adulterants in weight management supplements and herbs. The eight adulterants were phenolphthalein, sibutramine, nuciferine, and five anthraquinone compounds including aloe-emodin, rhein, emodin, chrysophanol, and physcion. The analytes were ultrasonically extracted with 70% (v/v) methanol aqueous solution followed by centrifugation. The supernatant was subjected to HPLC analysis. A Phenomenex Luna C18 column was applied for chromatographic separation. The mobile phase was consisted of methanol and aqueous solution of 0.05% (v/v) phosphoric acid–0.025% (m/v) sodium dodecyl sulfonate. The flow rate of mobile phase was 0.8?ml?min^?1 with gradient elution. Clenbuterol and ibuprofen were used as internal standards. The retention times and the characteristic UV spectrograms were used for qualitative analysis. Quantifications were based on the internal standard curves. Good linearities (r?>?0.9996) for all analytes were obtained with the intra- and inter-day precision (n?=?6) ranging from 0.76 to 5.9% and 0.90 to 8.1%, respectively. The average recoveries from the spiked samples with different matrices varied from 73.4 to 114%. Validations were subsequently performed using LC–MS/MS. The proposed method successfully determined the target adulterants in eight commercial weight management supplements and five weight reducing herbs with satisfactory results.     

Identification and Determination of Related Substances in Diosmin Bulk Drug and Pharmaceutical Formulations by HPLC and HPLC–MS

Six related substances were detected in diosmin bulk drug substances and products by a newly developed gradient reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) with UV detection. The chromatographic system consisted of an Intersil Wondasil TM ODS (C 18) column (250 × 4.6 mm; 5 μm). The mobile phase consisted of water/acetic acid 66:6 v/v (solvent A) and methanol (solvent B) using a gradient program at a flow rate of 0.8 mL min^?1 with 345 nm detection and an injection volume of 20 μL. In addition, the linearity, quantitation limit (QL), accuracy, selectivity, robustness and precision were determined. Good linearity was obtained over the concentration range 0.5–200 μg mL^?1 with the coefficient of determination (r ²) of 0.999. The QL was 0.125 μg mL^?1 (relative standard deviation <2.0 %). The major impurities have been resolved and identified using two analytical systems, HPLC and HPLC/electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry operated in a negative ion mode. One of these impurities marked as 7-hexopyranosidal diosmetin was unknown and has not been reported previously. Based on mass spectrometry data the structure of the new impurity was proposed as 5-hydroxy-2-(3-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl)-4-oxo-4H-chromen-7-yl hexopyranoside. The newly developed RP–LC method for quantitative determination of diosmin-related substances was found to be precise, accurate, robust and specific. It has been successfully employed for the quality evaluation of different sources of raw material and generic formulations of diosmin.     

Constituent analysis and quality control of anthocyanin constituents of dried Lycium ruthenicum Murray fruits by HPLC–MS and HPLC–DAD

In recent years, many investigations on the anthocyanins of the fresh Lycium ruthenicum Murray fruits have been reported; while few studies about dried fruits have been published. In this study, chemical profile of dried fruits was illustrated by a high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method, which provided evidence for the certain identification of the main anthocyanins. Among these compounds, nine of them were selected as marker compounds for the semiquantitative evaluation, using a simple and reliable method by high-performance liquid chromatography–photodiode array detection (HPLC–DAD), with the combination of chromatographic fingerprint analysis. Separation was achieved on a C18 ODS 80TS QA analytical column with linear gradient elution of acetonitrile and 10% formic acid and 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) aqueous solution. Our results showed that the contents of anthocyanins of dried L. ruthenicum Murray from different origins were different. We also inferred the anthocyanin compositions of dried L. ruthenicum Murray through analyzing the UV spectrum, retention time, elution order, and MS data. Finally, eight kinds of anthocyanin compositions were identified and different from the anthocyanins in fresh L. ruthenicum Murray. In a word, this study may provide experimental data in further development and utilization of L. ruthenicum Murray.     

Determination of arsenic species and arsenosugars in marine samples by HPLC–ICP–MS

Arsenic-speciation analysis in marine samples was performed by high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) with ICP–MS detection. Separation of eight arsenic species—As^III, MMA, DMA, As^V, AB, TMAO, AC and TeMAs⁺—was achieved on a C₁₈ column with isocratic elution (pH 3.0), under which conditions As^III and MMA co-eluted. The entire separation was accomplished in 15 min. The HPLC–ICP–MS detection limits for the eight arsenic species were in the range 0.03–0.23 μg L⁻¹ based on 3σ for the blank response (n=5). The precision was calculated to be 2.4–8.0% (RSD) for the eight species. The method was successfully applied to several marine samples, e.g. oysters, fish, shrimps, and marine algae. Low-power microwave digestion was employed for extraction of arsenic from seafood products; ultrasonic extraction was employed for the extraction of arsenic from seaweeds. Separation of arsenosugars was achieved on an anion-exchange column. Concentrations of arsenosugars 2, 3, and 4 in marine algae were in the range 0.18–9.59 μg g⁻¹. This paper was presented at the European Winter Conference 2005     

Validated HPLC–MS–MS method for determination of azithromycin in human plasma

A validated, highly sensitive, and selective HPLC method with MS–MS detection has been developed for quantitative determination of azithromycin (AZI) in human Na₂EDTA plasma. Roxithromycin (ROX) was used as internal standard. Human plasma containing AZI and internal standard was ultrafiltered through Centrifree Micropartition devices and the concentration of AZI was determined by isocratic HPLC–MS–MS. Multiple reaction monitoring mode (MRM) was used for MS–MS detection. The calibration plot was linear in the concentration range 2.55–551.43 ng mL⁻¹. Inter-day and Intra-day precision and accuracy of the proposed method were characterized by R.S.D and percentage deviation, respectively; both were less than 8%. Limit of quantification was 2.55 ng mL⁻¹. The proposed method was used to determine the pharmacokinetic profile of AZI (250-mg tablets).     

Separation and identification of trinucleotide–melphalan adducts from enzymatically digested DNA using HPLC–ESI–MS

Melphalan is a bifunctional alkylating agent that covalently binds to the nucleophilic sites present in DNA. In this study we investigated oligonucleotides prepared enzymatically from DNA modified with melphalan. Calf thymus DNA was incubated in-vitro with melphalan and the resulting modifications were enzymatically cleaved by means of benzonase and nuclease S1. Efficient sample preconcentration was achieved by solid-phase extraction, in which phenyl phase cartridges resulted in better recovery of the modified species than C₁₈. The applied enzymatic digestion time resulted in production of trinucleotide adducts which were efficiently separated and detected by use of reversed-phase HPLC coupled to an ion-trap mass spectrometer with electrospray ionization. It was assumed that melphalan could act as both a monofunctional and bifunctional alkylating agent. Mono-alkylated adducts were much more abundant, however, and the alkylation site was located on the nucleobases. On the other hand, we unequivocally identified cross-link formation in DNA, even though at low abundance and only a few adduct types were detected. Figure Different Alkylation reactions of Melphalan with DNA     

The identity confirmation of 99gTc-DMSA complexes by using NMR and HPLC–MS/MS methods

The analyses of ^99gTc-DMSA complexes prepared under alkali and acidic reactions were reported. Modern analytical, separation and spectral methods such as NMR (¹H-NMR, ¹³C-NMR, APT, COSY and HSQC) and Q-TOF HPLC–MS/MS system with ESI were employed to determine the identity and characterization of the products. The structure of ^99gTc(V)DMSA was clearly confirmed and its fragmentation path in negative and positive ionisation mode was suggested. The effect of ascorbic acid and new alternative labelling with the use of NH ₄ ^99g TcOCl₄ was examined. Surprisingly, ^99gTc(III)DMSA complex was not formed under acidic reaction conditions. ^99gTc(V)DMSA complex was the main reaction product under both experimental conditions. This result suggests the key role of ^99g/99mTc concentration during the process of radiopharmaceuticals preparation.     

Analysis of pesticide residues in essential oils of citrus fruit by GC–MS and HPLC–MS after solid-phase extraction

A robust reliable method for the analysis of residues of pesticides in citrus groves was developed. Residues of twelve pesticides were extracted from citrus essential oils by SPE, separated by liquid chromatography and analyzed by GC-MS. In addition, ten pesticides were extracted by SPE, separated and analyzed by electrospray HPLC-MS. In the case of lemon essential oils, all twenty residues were separated by liquid/solid extraction on a mixed Florisil-C(18) cartridge. The method enabled the analysis of the twenty pesticide residues at levels of 2 to 30 ppm with limits of detection ranging between 0.02 to 0.50 mg L(-1).     

Validated HPLC–MS–MS method for simultaneous determination of atorvastatin and 2-hydroxyatorvastatin in human plasma—pharmacokinetic study

Cholesterol-reducing statin drugs are the most frequently prescribed agents for reducing morbidity and mortality related to coronary heart disease. In this publication a validated, highly sensitive, and selective isocratic HPLC method is reported for quantitative determination of the major statin drug atorvastatin (ATV) and its metabolite 2-hydroxyatorvastatin (HATV). Detection was performed with an electrospray ionization triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer equipped with an ESI interface operating in positive-ionization mode. Multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) was used for MS–MS detection. The calibration plot was linear in the concentration range 0.10–40.00 ng mL⁻¹ for both ATV and HATV. Inter-day and intra-day precision and accuracy of the proposed method were characterized by measurement of relative standard deviation (RSD) and percentage deviation, respectively; both were less than 8% for both analytes. The limit of quantitation was 0.02 ng mL⁻¹ for ATV and 0.07 ng mL⁻¹ for HATV. The method was used for pharmacokinetic study of ATV and HATV. Pharmacokinetic data for all analytes are also reported.     

Quantitative determination of cationic modified polysaccharides on hair using LC–MS and LC–MS–MS

Cationic polysaccharides containing N-hydroxypropyl-N,N,N-trimethylammonium substituents are widely used as conditioning agents for hair-care products. A sensitive method has been developed for the quantitation of these polymers. After acidic extraction from hair the polysaccharides are hydrolyzed using trifluoroacetic acid. The cationic monoglycosides are determined using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS–MS). The developed method is independent of hair treatment. Even hair cut from test persons after customary hair wash can be analyzed. After treatment of natural and bleached hair tresses using a real-life treatment procedure 180 g and 300 g of polymer per gram hair were quantified, respectively. Additionally the fragmentation mechanism of the cationic N-hydroxypropyl-N,N,N-trimethylammonium group during electrospray ionization was investigated. A mass loss of 60 Da in combination with loss of a single charge is observed and associated with cleavage of trimethylamine and a proton. It is assumed that this process is promoted by the anionic counter-ion which might be hydroxide in an aqueous environment.     

HPLC–TOF–MS分析泽泻提取物中三萜类化合物

分析和鉴定泽泻提取物中的化学成分。釆用高效液相色谱与飞行时间质谱联用技术(HPLC–TOF–MS),在正离子检测模式下用全扫描方式获得高分辨质谱数据,结合Agilent Mass Hunter Qualitative Analysis软件、PCDL、数据库和参考文献,总结已知化学成分的质谱裂解规律,对泽泻中的三萜类成分进行定性鉴别。泽泻提取物中共鉴定了22种三萜化合物。实验结果为泽泻的物质基础及质量控制研究提供了理论依据。     

Gamma radiolytic degradation of fluoranthene and monitoring of radiolytic products using GC–MS and HPLC

Removal of priority pollutant fluoranthene in methanol by gamma-irradiation under varied conditions has been optimized. The influence of applied dose and dose rate on the degradation of fluoranthene under nitrogen has been investigated. The preliminary radiolytic degradation efficiency has been monitored by spectrophotometry. HPLC and GC–MS have been used to study the nature of degradation pattern. It is found that four main degradation products are formed and detected by HPLC. Different reversed phase columns have been used for the separation of degraded products under optimum chromatographic conditions. For 2 kGy dose ⩾80% fluoranthene has been degraded at dose rate 200 Gy/h. However, a dose of 370 Gy/h was more effective and it produces for less degradation products. Radiolytic degraded fluoranthene was also analyzed to detect various degradation products using GC–MS. It was proposed that major products were hydrocarbons and methoxy group containing organic compounds after comparing their mass spectra with the installed NIST mass spectral library.     

Investigation of the transformations of a novel anti-cancer agent combining HPLC, HPLC–MS and direct ESI–HRMS analyses

One of the main problems of anti-cancer therapy is an insufficient differentiation between normal and malignant cells by the known anti-proliferant agents. The antibody-directed enzyme prodrug therapy is a promising approach for a selective treatment of cancer, in which a non-toxic prodrug is enzymatically converted into a highly cytotoxic drug at the surface of malignant cells by a targeted antibody–enzyme conjugate. The transformations and the stability of a very promising novel prodrug and its corresponding cytotoxic derivative were now investigated in detail by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)–mass spectrometry (MS). In order to determine the time-dependent DNA alkylation efficiency and the sequence selectivity of the novel compounds, DNA binding studies using direct electrospray–Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance–MS (ESI–FTICR–MS) have been performed. These measurements were accompanied by HPLC analyses followed by MS of the separated species to confirm the results of the direct ESI–FTICR–MS measurements. The sites of DNA alkylation could be identified unambiguously by the mass spectrometric fragmentation pattern of the alkylated oligodeoxynucleotides as well as by the results of HPLC followed by MS. A combination of all techniques applied led to a better understanding of the mode of action of the new therapeutics and might be used for an estimation of the cytotoxicity of different prodrugs and drugs since the alkylation efficiency correlates with the bioactivity of the compounds in cell culture investigations. After enzymatic cleavage of the sugar moiety, the untoxic prodrug is converted rapidly into the corresponding highly cytotoxic drug that alkylates DNA with high efficiency Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Detection and Confirmation of Ginsenosides in Horse Urine by GC–MS and LC–MS

Ginseng has been used by the Chinese as a traditional herbal medicine for thousands of years. In view of the growing popularity in the use of ginseng preparations as natural remedies and food supplements worldwide, there is an increasing concern for their abuse in both human and animal sports. Ginsenosides are considered the major constituents of ginseng responsible for its pharmacological properties. In this study, a method was developed for the detection and confirmation of a number of ginsenosides in horse urine. The intact ginsenosides were detected and confirmed at 5–100 ng mL^?1 by LC–MS², and two deglycosylation metabolites, namely protopanaxadiol and protopanaxatriol, could both be detected and confirmed at 2 ng mL^?1 by GC–MS² after trimethylsilylation. The above GC–MS and LC–MS methods were then applied to study the in vitro metabolism of ginsenosides Rg1 and Rb1 and the in vivo urinary metabolites after oral administration of Rg1 to horses. Results obtained reveal the very first evidence for the existence of the metabolites, Rg1 and protopanaxatriol, as glucuronides in urine.     

LC–MS–MS Determination of Stabilizers and Explosives Residues in Hand-Swabs

The contribution of explosive trace detection in samples from the hands of suspects has been fundamental in several forensic cases involving terrorists. This paper describes a method for the rapid extraction and unequivocal confirmation of some high potential explosives (trinitrotoluene, cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine, pentaerythritol tetranitrate, nitroglycerin) and two stabilizer (diphenylamine and ethylcentralite) residues in hand-swabs using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. The extraction procedure of the analytes from the swabs is realized by solvent elution and the extracts are directly analyzed. Recoveries from spiked swabs range from 78 to 96%; the limits of quantification are between 0.04 and 1.8 ng injected and the inter-day method precision is less than 15%. The developed procedure was applied to the detection of explosives traces in samples after handling tests.