HPLC quantification of 5‐hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid in human lung cancer tissues

A simple and cost‐effective HPLC method was established for quantification of 5‐hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (5‐HETE) in human lung cancer tissues. 5‐HETE from 27 patients' lung cancer tissues were extracted by solid‐phase extraction and analyzed on a Waters Symmetry C₁₈ column (4.6 × 250 mm, 5 µm) with a mobile phase consisting of methanol, 10 mm ammonium acetate, and 1 m acetic acid (70:30:0.1, v:v:v) at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. The UV detection wavelength was set at 240 nm. The calibration curve was linear within the concentration range from 10 to 1000 ng/mL (r² > 0.999, n = 7), the limit of detection was 1.0 ng/mL and the limit of quantitation was 10.0 ng/mL for a 100 µL injection. The relative error (%) for intra‐day accuracy was from 93.14 to 112.50% and the RSD (%) for intra‐day precision was from 0.21 to 2.60% over the concentration range 10–1000 ng/mL. By applying this method, amounts of 5‐HETE were quantitated in human lung cancer tissues from 27 human subjects. The established HPLC method was validated to be a simple, reliable and cost‐effective procedure that can be applied to conduct translational characterization of 5‐HETE in human lung cancer tissues. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Separation and purification of two taxanes and one xylosyl‐containing taxane from Taxus wallichiana Zucc.: A comparison between high‐speed countercurrent chromatography and reversed‐phase flash chromatography

10‐Deacetylbaccatin III, an important semisynthetic precursor of paclitaxel and docetaxel, can be extracted from Taxus wallichiana Zucc. A process for the isolation and purification of 10‐deacetylbaccatin III ( 1 ), baccatin III ( 2 ), and 7β‐xylosyl‐10‐deacetyltaxol ( 3 ) from the leaves and branches of Taxus wallichiana Zucc. via macroporous resin column chromatography combined with high‐speed countercurrent chromatography or reversed‐phase flash chromatography was developed in this study. After fractionation by macroporous resin column chromatography, 80% methanol fraction was selected based on high‐performance liquid chromatography and liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry qualitative analysis. A solvent system composed of n‐hexane, ethyl acetate, methanol, and water (1.6:2.5:1.6:2.5, v/v/v/v) was used for the high‐speed countercurrent chromatography separation at a flow rate of 2.5 mL/min. The reversed‐phase flash chromatography separation was performed using methanol/water as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 3 mL/min. The high‐speed countercurrent chromatography separation produced compounds 1 (10.2 mg, 94.4%), 2 (2.1 mg, 98.0%), and 3 (4.6 mg, 98.8%) from 100 mg of sample within 110 min, while the reversed‐phase flash chromatography separation purified compounds 1 (9.8 mg, 95.6%) and 3 (4.9 mg, 97.9%) from 100 mg of sample within 120 min.     

Rapid high‐performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method for simultaneous measurement of venlafaxine and O‐desmethylvenlafaxine in human plasma and its application in comparative bioavailability study

A rapid high‐performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method has been developed and validated for simultaneous measurement of venlafaxine and O‐desmethylvenlafaxine in human plasma using fluoxetine as an internal standard. In the liquid–liquid extraction method, compounds and internal standard were extracted from plasma using methyl tertiary butyl ether as an extraction solvent. The HPLC separation of the analytes was performed on a Zorbax SB‐C₁₈, 50 × 4.6 mm, 5 µm column, using a isocratic elution program using a mobile phase consisting of HPLC‐grade methanol: 5 mm ammonium acetate (80:20 v/v) at a flow‐rate of 1.0 mL/min with a total runtime of 3.0 min. The proposed method has been validated with a linear range of 4–400 ng/mL for venlafaxine and 5–500 ng/mL for O‐desmethyl venlafaxine. The method was applied for a bio‐equivalence study of 75 mg tablets formulation in 32 Indian male healthy subjects under fasting conditions. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The bioanalysis of vinorelbine and 4‐O‐deacetylvinorelbine in human and mouse plasma using high‐performance liquid chromatography coupled with heated electrospray ionization tandem mass–spectrometry

A sensitive, specific and efficient high‐performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry assay for the simultaneous determination of vinorelbine and its metabolite 4‐O‐deacetylvinorelbine in human and mouse plasma is presented. Heated electrospray ionization was applied followed by tandem mass spectrometry. A 50 µL plasma aliquot was protein precipitated with acetonitrile–methanol (1:1, v/v) containing the internal standard vinorelbine‐d3 and 20 µL volumes were injected onto the HPLC system. Separation was achieved on a 50 × 2.1 mm i.d. Xbridge C₁₈ column using isocratic elution with 1 mm ammonium acetate–ammonia buffer pH 10.5–acetonitrile–methanol (28:12:60, v/v/v) at a flow rate of 0.4 mL/min. The HPLC run time was 5 min. The assay quantifies both vinorelbine and 4‐O‐deacetylvinorelbine from 0.1 to 100 ng/mL using sample volumes of only 50 µL. Mouse plasma samples can be quantified using calibration curves prepared in human plasma. Validation results demonstrate that vinorelbine and 4‐O‐deacetylvinorelbine can be accurately and precisely quantified in human and mouse plasma with the presented method. The assay is now in use to support (pre‐)clinical pharmacologic studies with vinorelbine in humans and mice. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Three‐phase hollow‐fiber liquid‐phase microextraction based on deep eutectic solvent as acceptor phase for extraction and preconcentration of main active compounds in a traditional Chinese medicinal formula

A three‐phase hollow‐fiber liquid‐phase microextraction based on deep eutectic solvent as acceptor phase was developed and coupled with high‐performance capillary electrophoresis for the simultaneous extraction, enrichment, and determination of main active compounds (hesperidin, honokiol, shikonin, magnolol, emodin, and β,β′‐dimethylacrylshikonin) in a traditional Chinese medicinal formula. In this procedure, two hollow fibers, impregnated with n‐heptanol/n‐nonanol (7:3, v/v) mixture in wall pores as the extraction phase and a combination (9:1, v/v) of methyltrioctylammonium chloride/glycerol (1:3, n/n) and methanol in lumen as the acceptor phase, were immersed in the aqueous sample phase. The target analytes in the sample solution were first extracted through the organic phase, and further back‐extracted to the acceptor phase during the stirring process. Important extraction parameters such as types and composition of extraction solvent and deep eutectic solvent, sample phase pH, stirring rate, and extraction time were investigated and optimized. Under the optimal conditions, detection limits were 0.3–0.8 ng/mL with enrichment factors of 6–114 for the analytes and linearities of 0.001–13 μg/mL (r² ≥ 0.9901). The developed method was successfully applied to the simultaneous extraction and concentration of the main active compounds in a formula of Zi‐Cao‐Cheng‐Qi decoction with the major advantages of convenience, effectiveness, and environmentally friendliness.     

Solid‐phase microextraction based on an agarose‐chitosan‐multiwalled carbon nanotube composite film combined with HPLC–UV for the determination of nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs in aqueous samples

We describe the preparation, characterization, and application of a composite film adsorbent based on blended agarose‐chitosan‐multiwalled carbon nanotubes for the preconcentration of selected nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs in aqueous samples before determination by high performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection. The composite film showed a high surface area (4.0258 m²/g) and strong hydrogen bonding between the multiwalled carbon nanotubes and agarose/chitosan matrix, which prevent adsorbent deactivation and ensure long‐term stability. Several parameters, such as sample pH, addition of salt, extraction time, desorption solvent, and concentration of multiwalled carbon nanotubes in the composite film were optimized using a one‐factor‐at‐time approach. The optimum extraction conditions obtained were as follows: isopropanol as conditioning solvent, 10 mL of sample solution at pH 2, extraction time of 30 min, stirring speed of 600 rpm, 100 μL of isopropanol as desorption solvent, desorption time of 5 min under ultrasonication, and 0.4% w/v of composite film. Under the optimized conditions, the calibration curve showed good linearity in the range of 1–500 ng/mL (r² = 0.997–0.999), and good limits of detection (0.89–8.05 ng/mL) were obtained with good relative standard deviations of < 4.59% (n = 3) for the determination of naproxen, diclofenac sodium salt, and mefenamic acid drugs.     

Separation of five oligostilbenes from Vitis amurensis by flow‐rate gradient high‐performance counter‐current chromatography

A rapid and efficient high‐performance counter‐current chromatography (HPCCC) method was developed to separate five oligostilbenes from the roots of Vitis amurensis. An n‐hexane/ethyl acetate/methanol/water system (4:8:4:10, v/v/v/v) was selected as an optimal two‐phase solvent system of which the upper phase was used as the stationary phase and the lower phase was used as the mobile one. Partition coefficient values for the target compounds under these optimized conditions were 0.28 ( 1 , ampleosin A), 7.12 ( 2 , (+)‐g‐viniferin), 2.26 ( 3 , vitisin A), 5.38 ( 4 , wilsonol C), and 11.23 ( 5 , vitisin B). Flow‐rate gradient HPCCC (4 mL/min in 0–70 min, 8 mL/min in 70–250 min) was applied to isolate the target compounds in as high purity as possible within the shortest possible run time. Under these conditions, ampelopsin A (12.1 mg), (+)‐g‐viniferin (10.4 mg), vitisin A (2.8 mg), wilsonol C (3.2 mg), and vitisin B (37 mg) were isolated with >95% purity from 150 mg of enriched oligostilbene extract. Although the K_D of the last eluted compound, vitisin B (K_D = 11.23), was relatively large, it was eluted in 115–145 min using the two‐phase solvent system. This study shows that HPCCC is an efficient tool for the isolation and purification of natural products.     

Efficient methods for isolating five phytochemicals from Gentiana macrophylla using high‐performance countercurrent chromatography

Efficient high‐performance countercurrent chromatography methods were developed to isolate five typical compounds from the extracts of Gentiana macrophylla. n‐Butanol‐soluble extract of G. macrophylla contained three hydrophilic iridoids, loganic acid ( 1 ), swertiamarin ( 2 ) and gentiopicroside ( 3 ), and a chromene derivative, macrophylloside D ( 4 ) which were successfully isolated by flow rate gradient (1.5 mL/min in 0–60 min, 5.0 mL/min in 60–120 min), and consecutive flow rate gradient HPCCC using n‐butanol/0.1% aqueous trifluoroacetic acid (1:1, v/v, normal phase mode) system. The yields of 1 – 4 were 22, 16, 122, and 6 mg, respectively, with purities over 97% in a flow rate gradient high‐performance countercurrent chromatography, and consecutive flow rate gradient high‐performance countercurrent chromatography gave 1 , 2 , 3 (54, 41, 348 mg, respectively, purities over 97%) and 4 (13 mg, purity at 95%) from 750 mg of sample. The main compound in methylene chloride soluble extract, 2‐methoxyanofinic acid, was successfully separated by n‐hexane/ethyl acetate/methanol/water (4:6:4:6, v/v/v/v, flow‐rate: 4 mL/min, reversed phase mode) condition. The structures of five isolates were elucidated by ¹H, ¹³C NMR and ESI‐Q‐TOF‐MS spectroscopic data which were compared with previously reported values.     

Simultaneous quantification of sildenafil and N‐desmethyl sildenafil in human plasma by UFLC coupled with ESI‐MS/MS and pharmacokinetic and bioequivalence studies in Malay population

A simple, rapid, specific and reliable UFLC coupled with ESI‐MSMS assay method to simultaneously quantify sildenafil and N‐desmethyl sildenafil, with loperamide as internal standard, was developed. Chromatographic separation was performed on a Thermo Scientific Accucore C₁₈ column with an isocratic mobile phase composed of 0.1% v/v formic acid in purified water–methanol (20:80, v/v), at a flow rate of 0.3 mL/min. Sildenafil, N‐desmethyl sildenafil and loperamide were detected with proton adducts at m/z 475.4 > 58.2, 461.3 > 85.2 and 477.0 > 266.1 in multiple reaction monitoring positive mode, respectively. Both analytes and internal standard were extracted by diethyl ether. The method was validated over a linear concentration range of 10–800 ng/mL for sildenafil and 10–600 ng/mL for N‐desmethyl sildenafil with correlation coefficient (r²) ≥0.9976 for sildenafil and (r²) ≥0.9992 for N‐desmethyl sildenafil. The method was precise, accurate and stable. The proposed method was applied to study the bioequivalence between a 100 mg dose of two pharmaceutical products: Viagra (original) and Edyfil (generic) products. AUC_0–t, C_max and T_max were 2285.79 ng h/mL, 726.10 ng/mL and 0.94 h for Viagra and 2363.25 ng h/mL, 713.91 ng/mL and 0.83 hour for Edyfil. The 90% confidence interval of these parameters of this study fall within the regulatory range of 80–125%, hence they are considered as bioequivalent. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Determination of ferruginol in rat plasma via high‐performance liquid chromatography and its application in pharmacokinetics study

Ferruginol, a diterpene phenol, has recently received attention for its extensive pharmacological properties, including anti‐tumor, antibacterial, cardio‐protective and gastroprotective effects. In the present study, a high‐performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method was developed for determination of ferruginol in rat plasma and applied for the pharmacokinetics study. The HPLC assay was performed with a VP ODS‐C₁₈ column. The mobile phaseconsisted of methanol and 1% acetic acid solution (90:10, v/v). The flow rate was 1.0 mL/min, and the wavelength was set at 270 nm. This method was linear over the studied range of 0.1–10.0 µg/mL for ferruginol. The correlation coefficient was 0.9998. The intra‐day and inter‐day precisions were better than 4 and 5%, respectively. The extraction recovery and accuracy were greater than 97 and 96%, respectively. The detection limit was 30 ng/mL. The mean maximum concentration of ferruginol in rat plasma was 3.14 µg/mL at 40 min after oral administration at a dose of 20 mg/kg. Ferruginol was absorbed quickly p.o. with t_1/2ka = 14.86 min and had a high rate of elimination with t_1/2 = 41.73 min. The pharmacokinetic process of ferruginol in rat was well described with a one‐compartment model. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Simple HPLC‐UV for the quantification of a new leishmanicidal candidate (E)‐1‐4(trifluoromethyl) benzylidene)‐5‐(2‐4‐dichlorozoyl) carbonylhydrazine (LASSBio‐1736) in rat plasma for pharmacokinetics assessment

In this study, a sensitive HPLC‐UV assay was developed and validated for the determination of LASSBio‐1736 in rat plasma with sodium diclofenac as internal standard (IS). Liquid–liquid extraction using acetonitrile was employed to extract LASSBio‐1736 and IS from 100 μL of plasma previously basified with NaOH 0.1 M. Chromatographic separation was carried on Waters Spherisorb^®S5 ODS2 C₁₈ column (150 × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) using an isocratic mobile phase composed by water with triethylamine 0.3% (pH 4), methanol and acetonitrile grade (45:15:40, v/v/v) at a flow rate of 1 mL/min. Both LASSBio‐1736 and IS were eluted at 4.2 and 5 min, respectively, with a total run time of 8 min only. The lower limit of quantification was 0.2 μg/mL and linearity between 0.2 and 4 μg/mL was obtained, with an R² > 0.99. The accuracy of the method was >90.5%. The relative standard deviations intra and interday were <6.19 and <7.83%, respectively. The method showed the sensitivity, linearity, precision, accuracy and selectivity required to quantify LASSBio‐1736 in preclinical pharmacokinetic studies according to the criteria established by the US Food and Drug Administration and European Medicines Agency. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Determination of risperidone and 9‐Hydroxyrisperidone using HPLC,in plasma of children and adolescents with emotional and behavioural disorders

A simple, rapid, selective, accurate and precise method is described for the determination of risperidone and its active metabolite, 9‐hydroxyrisperidone, in plasma using a chemical derivative of risperidone (methyl‐risperidone) as the internal standard. The sample workup involved a single‐step extraction of 1 mL plasma, buffered to pH 10, with heptane–isoamyl alcohol (98:2 v/v), then evaporation of the heptane phase and reconstitution of the residue in mobile phase. HPLC separation was carried out at on C₁₈ column using a mobile phase of 0.05 m dipotassium hydrogen orthophosphate (containing 0.3% v/v triethylamine) adjusted to pH 3.7 with orthophosphoric acid (700 mL), and acetonitrile (300 mL). Flow rate was 0.6 mL/min and the detection wavelength was 280 nm. Retention times were 2.6, 3.7 and 5.8 min for 9‐hydroxy risperidone, risperidone and the internal standard, respectively. Linearity in spiked plasma was demonstrated from 2 to 100 ng/mL for both risperidone and 9‐hydroxyrisperidone (r ≥ 0.999). Total imprecision was less than 13% (determined as co‐efficient of variation) and the inaccuracy was less than 12% at spiked concentrations of 5 and 80 ng/mL. The limit of detection, determined as three times the baseline noise, was 1.5 ng/mL. Clinical application of the assay was demonstrated for analysis of post‐dose (0.55–4.0 mg/day) samples from 28 paediatric patients (aged 6.9–17.9 years) who were taking risperidone orally for behavioural and emotional disorders. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Comparison of C18 silica and multi‐walled carbon nanotubes as the adsorbents for the solid‐phase extraction of Chlorpyrifos and Phosalone in water samples using HPLC

A comparison between C₁₈ silica and multi‐walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) in the extraction of Chlorpyrifos and Phosalone in environmental water samples was carried out using HPLC. Parameters affecting the extraction were type and volume of elution solvent, pH and flow rate of sample through the adsorbent. The optimum conditions obtained by C₁₈ cartridge for adsorption of these pesticides were 4 mL dichloromethane as elution solvent, sample pH of 5, flow rate of 1 mL/min, and those for MWCNT cartridge were 3 mL dichloromethane, pH of 5 and flow rate of 10 mL/min, respectively. Optimized mobile phase for separation and determination of these compounds by HPLC was methanol/water (80:20 v/v) with pH=5 (adjusted with phosphate buffer). Under optimal chromatographic and SPE conditions, LOD, linear range and precision (RSD n=8) were 3.03×10^?3, 0.01–5.00 μg/mL and 2.7% for Chlorpyrifos and 4.03×10^?4, 0.01–5.00 μg/mL and 2.3% for Phosalone, in C₁₈ cartridge, respectively. These values for MWCNT were 4.02×10^?6, 0.001–0.500 μg/mL and 1.8% for Chlorpyrifos and 1.02×10^?6, 0.001–0.500 μg/mL and 1.5% for Phosalone, respectively.     

A rapid and sensitive LC–MS/MS method for quantification of quercetin‐3‐O‐β‐d‐glucopyranosyl‐7‐O‐β‐d‐gentiobioside in plasma and its application to a pharmacokinetic study

A rapid and sensitive LC–MS/MS method with good accuracy and precision was developed and validated for the pharmacokinetic study of quercetin‐3‐O‐β‐d ‐glucopyranosyl‐7‐O‐β‐d ‐gentiobioside (QGG) in Sprague–Dawley rats. Plasma samples were simply precipitated by methanol and then analyzed by LC–MS/MS. A Venusil® ASB C₁₈ column (2.1 × 50 mm, i.d. 5 μm) was used for separation, with methanol–water (50:50, v/v) as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 300 μL/min. The optimized mass transition ion‐pairs (m/z) for quantitation were 787.3/301.3 for QGG, and 725.3/293.3 for internal standard. The linear range was 7.32–1830 ng/mL with an average correlation coefficient of 0.9992, and the limit of quantification was 7.32 ng/mL. The intra‐ and inter‐day precision and accuracy were less than ±15%. At low, medium and high quality control concentrations, the recovery and matrix effect of the analyte and IS were in the range of 89.06–92.43 and 88.58–97.62%, respectively. The method was applied for the pharmacokinetic study of QGG in Sprague–Dawley rats. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Development and validation of a high‐performance liquid chromatography method for determination of lisinopril in human plasma by magnetic solid‐phase extraction and pre‐column derivatization

A sensitive, reliable and simple HPLC method was developed for the determination of lisinopril in human plasma. The method consists of extraction and clean‐up steps based on magnetic solid‐phase extraction and pre‐column derivatization with a fluorescent reagent. The mobile phase consisted of a mixture of methanol–sodium dihydrogen phosphate (pH 3.0; 0.005 m ; 75:25, v/v). The flow rate was set at 0.7 mL/min. Fluorescence detection was performed at 470nm excitation and 530nm emission wavelengths. Total chromatography run time was 5 min. The average extraction recovery of lisinopril and fluvoxamine (internal standard) was ≥82.8%. The limits of detection and quantification were determined as 1 and 3 ng/mL respectively. The method exhibited a linear calibration line over the concentration range of 3–1000 ng/mL with coefficient of determination (r²) of ≥0.98. The within‐run and between‐run precisions were satisfactory with values of CV of 1.8–12.8% (accuracy from 99.2 to 94.7%) and 2.4–13.7% (accuracy from 99.5 to 92.2%), respectively. These developments led to considerable improvement in method sensitivity and reliability. The method was validated according to the US Food and Drug Administration guidelines. Therefore, it can be considered as a suitable method for determination of lisinopril in plasma samples.     

Supercritical fluid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry combined with postcolumn compensation and one‐step acetone protein precipitation to evaluate the bioavailability of probucol solid dispersion tablet

Solid dispersion technology was used to improve the bioavailability of probucol due to its low hydrophilicity and high lipophilicity. In this study, a highly rapid and sensitive supercritical fluid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry method was optimized and validated for the determination of probucol in beagle dog plasma with diazepam as an internal standard. The analyte and internal standard were extracted by acetone and then separated on a polar 2‐ethylpyridine phase column (100 mm × 3 mm, 1.7 μm) at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min using CO₂ (≥99.99%) and methanol (95:5, v/v) as the mobile phase. The mass transition ion‐pair was m/z 515.6→236.2 and 285.2→193.1 for probucol and internal standard, respectively. Excellent linearity was observed over the concentration range of 5–5000 ng/mL (r² ≥ 0.9999) with a lower limit of quantification of 5 ng/mL. The intra‐ and inter‐day accuracy and precision for all quality control samples were within ±15%. The proposed method was accurate, rapid and reproducible, which was successfully applied to a bioavailabilty evaluation of probucol solid dispersion tablets.     

Porous‐membrane‐protected polyaniline‐coated SBA‐15 nanocomposite micro‐solid‐phase extraction followed by high‐performance liquid chromatography for the determination of parabens in cosmetic products and wastewater

A SBA‐15/polyaniline para‐toluenesulfonic acid nanocomposite supported micro‐solid‐phase extraction procedure has been developed for the extraction of parabens (methylparaben, ethylparaben, and propylparaben) from wastewater and cosmetic products. The variables of interest in the extraction process were pH of sample, sample and eluent volumes, sorbent amount, salting‐out effect, extraction and desorption time, and stirring rate. A Plackett–Burman design was performed for the screening of variables in order to determine the significant variables affecting the extraction efficiency. Then, the significant factors were optimized by using a central composite design. The optimum experimental conditions found at 50 mL sample solution, extraction and desorption times of 40 and 20 min, respectively, 500 μL of 3% v/v acetic acid in methanol as eluent, 0.01 M salt addition, and 10 mg of the sorbent. Under the optimum conditions, the developed method provided detection limits in the range of 0.08–0.4 ng/mL with good repeatability (RSD% < 7) and linearity (r² = 0.997–0.999) for the three parabens. Finally, this fast and efficient method was employed for the determination of target analytes in cosmetic products and wastewater, and satisfactory results were obtained.     

Separation of flavonoids from Millettia griffithii with high‐performance counter‐current chromatography guided by anti‐inflammatory activity

Millettia griffithii is a unique Chinese plant located in the southern part of Yunnan Province. Up to now, there is no report about its phytochemical or related bioactivity research. In our previous study, the n‐hexane crude extract of Millettia griffithii revealed significant anti‐inflammatory activity at 100 μg/mL, inspiring us to explore the anti‐inflammatory constituents. Four fractions (I, II, III, and A) were fractionated from n‐hexane crude extract by high‐performance counter‐current chromatography with solvent system composed of n‐hexane/ethyl acetate/methanol/water (8:9:8:9, v/v) and then were investigated for the potent anti‐inflammatory activity. Fraction A, with the most potent inhibitory activity was further separated to give another four fractions (IV, V, VI, and B) with solvent system composed of n‐hexane/ethyl acetate/methanol/water (8:4:8:4, v/v). Compound V and fraction B exhibited remarkable anti‐inflammatory activity with nitric oxide inhibitory rate of 80 and 65%, which was worth further fractionation. Then, three fractions (VII, VIII, and IX) were separated from fraction B with a solvent system composed of n‐hexane/ethyl acetate/methanol/water (8:1:8:1, v/v), with compound VIII demonstrating the most potent inhibitory activity (80%). Finally, the IC₅₀ values of compound V and VIII were tested as 38.2 and 14.9 μM. The structures were identified by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry and¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy.     

Rapid and cost‐effective method for the simultaneous quantification of seven alkaloids in Corydalis decumbens by microwave‐assisted extraction and capillary electrophoresis

A rapid and cost‐effective method based on microwave‐assisted extraction followed by capillary electrophoresis was developed for simultaneous quantification of seven alkaloids in Corydalis decumbens for the first time. The main parameters affecting microwave‐assisted extraction and capillary electrophoresis separation were investigated and optimized. The optimal microwave‐assisted extraction was performed at 40°C for 5 min using methanol/water (90:10, v/v) as the extracting solvent. Electrophoretic separation was achieved within 15 min using an uncoated fused‐silica capillary (50 μm internal diameter and 27.7 cm effective length) and a 500 mM Tris buffer containing 45% v/v methanol (titrated to pH^* 2.86 with H₃PO₄). The developed method was successfully applied to the quantification of seven alkaloids in Corydalis decumbens obtained from different regions of China. The combination of microwave‐assisted extraction with capillary electrophoresis was an effective method for the rapid analysis of the alkaloids in Corydalis decumbens .     

Determination of a novel paclitaxel derivative (NPD‐103) in human plasma by ultra‐performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

A sensitive and specific ultra‐performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC‐MS‐MS) method for quantification of a newly developed anticancer agent NPD‐103 has been established. An aliquot of human plasma sample (200 µL) was spiked with ¹³C‐labeled paclitaxel (internal standard) and extracted with 1.3 mL of tert‐butyl methyl ether. NPD‐103 was quantitated on a C₁₈ column with methanol–0.1% formic acid (75:25, v/v) as mobile phase using UPLC‐MS‐MS operating in positive electrospray ionization mode with a total run time of 3.0 min. For NPD‐103 at the concentrations of 1.0, 5.0 and 10.0 µg/mL in human plasma, the absolute extraction recoveries were 95.58, 102.43 and 97.77%, respectively. The linear quantification range of the method was 0.1–20.0 µg/mL in human plasma with linear correlation coefficients greater than 0.999. The intra‐ and inter‐day accuracy for NPD‐103 at 1.0, 5.0 and 10.0 µg/mL levels in human plasma fell into the ranges of 95.29–100.00% and 91.04–94.21%, and the intra‐ and inter‐day precisions were in the ranges of 8.96–11.79% and 7.25–10.63%, respectively. This assay is applied to determination of half‐life of NPD‐103 in human plasma. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.