LC determination of biopterin reduced forms by UV-photogeneration of biopterin and fluorimetric detection

An off-line photoirradiation LC fluorimetric method to determine tetrahydrobiopterin (BH₄), by photogeneration of biopterin (BIO), is described, as an alternative way to the chemical oxidation procedure. To minimize the uncontrolled BH₄ oxidation, due to environmental oxygen, an antioxidant, dithiothreitol (DTT), was used. The acidity of the medium, as well as the presence of hydrogen peroxide, affects the rate of the photoreaction and the nature of the obtained fluorescent photoproducts. The best conditions were achieved by irradiation in hydrochloric acid (0.2 M) medium, in presence of 100 mM hydrogen peroxide, and using an irradiation time of 20 min. The method was tested in the analysis of serum samples containing BH₄, and recoveries between 89 and 105% were found. Also, the proposed method allows the resolution of BH₄ and BIO, in the same sample, by injection of non-irradiated and irradiated sample aliquots in the chromatographic system.     

Simultaneous determination of main phytoecdysones and triterpenoids in radix achyranthis bidentatae by high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array-evaporative light scattering detectors and mass spectrometry

A liquid chromatographic method was developed for simultaneous determination of two main types of bioactive compounds: four phytoecdysones and eight triterpenoids in Radix Achyranthis Bidentatae (RAB), i.e., polypodine B (1), ecdysterone (2), 25-R inokosterone (3), 25-S inokosterone (4), ginsenoside Ro (5), chikusetsusaponin IVa (6), zingibroside R₁ (7), chikusetsusaponin IVa ethyl ester (8), 28-deglucosyl-chikusetsusaponin IVa (9), PJS-1 (10), 28-deglucosyl-chikusetsusaponin IVa butyl ester (11), and oleanolic acid (12). Optimum separations were obtained with a Zorbax C18 column, using a gradient elution with 0.08% aqueous formic acid (containing 5% isopropyl alcohol) and acetonitrile as mobile phase. Phytoecdysones were detected by diode array detector (DAD) at 242 nm, whereas triterpenoids were monitored by evaporative light scattering detector (ELSD) connected in series with DAD, temperature for the drift tube was 110 °C and the nitrogen flow rate was 3.2 L min⁻¹. The identity of the analytes was confirmed using retention times, ultraviolet absorbance and mass spectral data in comparison with reference compounds. The method was validated for acceptable precision (intra- and inter-day variation ≤ 4.87%), accuracy (recovery ≥ 88.9%) and sensitivity (LOD ≤ 0.43 μg mL⁻¹ (DAD) and 26.0 μg mL⁻¹ (ELSD), LOQ ≤ 0.97 μg mL⁻¹ (DAD) and 46.5 μg mL⁻¹ (ELSD), respectively). This rapid and reliable method was applied for the analysis of four cultivated and ten commercial samples. The results demonstrated that the method is suitable for routine analysis and quality control of RAB.     

Separation and determination of 11 marker pteridines in human urine by liquid chromatography and fluorimetric detection

A simple liquid chromatographic method has been developed to achieve the complete separation and determination of a wide range of pteridinic compounds and creatinine (CREA) in urine samples, in just one run. The influences of mobile phase composition and buffer pH have been studied. The optimized mobile phase was composed of a Tris-HCl buffer (15 mmol/L) at pH 6.10 solution (eluent A) and a Tris-HCl buffer (15 mmol/L) at pH 6.40 solution (eluent B), in gradient mode. Analytes were determined by fluorimetric detection, exciting at 272 nm, and measuring the fluorescence emission at three wavelengths, 410, 445 and 465 nm. CREA, as a reference of metabolites excretion in urine, was determined by photometric detection at 230 nm. Pteridines detection limits varied from 0.2 to 6.1 ng/mL, and 0.2 g/mL for CREA. Calculated precision values expressed as RSD (%) varied from 1.1 to 5.9. Two different oxidation procedures for urine samples were optimized. The neopterin/biopterin ratios found were 0.98 and 0.86 for adults and children, respectively, by means of the alkaline iodide/iodine oxidation and 0.45 and 0.57 using neutral KMnO(4) oxidation.     

Folded 2,5-diazapent-3-ene metallacycle in ene-diamido group 4 metal compounds: DFT and AIM analyses

Mononuclear complexes, which contain a dianionic ene-diamido ligand bound to a group 4 metal atom in the formal d⁰ configuration, are analyzed by the DFT method to interpret the electronic origin of the folding at the five-membered 2,5-diazapent-3-ene metallacycle moiety. Geometry optimizations were carried out for the following models, TiCl₂[o-(Me₃SiN)₂C₆H₄], Ti(OPh)₂(DAD), CpTiCl(DAD), CpTiMe(DAD) and Cp₂Zr(DAD) (DAD = HNCHCHNH). They show some common electronic features, the nature of the HOMO, in particular. In all cases, the latter results from the donation of a filled ene-diamido level into an empty σ metal orbital, this being maximized upon the folding of the metallacycle. Such a geometric rearrangement involves the filled nitrogen p_π lobes, while the CC π bond remains essentially uninvolved. The feature is confirmed by the application of the atom in molecules (AIM) theory, that provides no evidence of critical points between the metal center and the pair of two carbon atoms.     

Portable flow-injection analyzer with liquid-core waveguide based fluorescence, luminescence, and long path length absorbance detector

We describe a multifunctional flow analysis instrument that is portable ( cm, 2.3 kg) for facile field deployment. Using a 50 cm long Teflon^® AF tubing as final reaction and optical measurement conduit, we combine a liquid-core waveguide (LCW) based fluorescence detector that is transversely illuminated by an addressable light emitting diode array, a chemiluminescence (CL) detector and an absorbance detector with a solid-state broadband (400-700 nm) source. Several illustrative experiments have been carried out to test the performance of the instrument in different detection modes. A S/N=3 limit of detection (LOD) of 0.25 μg l⁻¹ for chromium(VI) was established using the diphenylcarbazide chemistry, and an LOD of 5 μg l⁻¹ was similarly established for Al(III), using Pyrocatechol Violet (PCV) as the chelating chromogenic dye, in both cases using long path absorption detection. The LOD for aqueous hydrogen peroxide was 16 nM using a fluorescence method based on the formation of thiochrome from thiamine and 4 nM by a luminol chemiluminescence method. With a Nafion membrane diffusion scrubber (DS), the LOD was 8.0 pptv for gaseous hydrogen peroxide by the fluorescence method.     

Sensitive DNA biosensor improved by Luteolin copper(II) as indicator based on silver nanoparticles and carbon nanotubes modified electrode

A novel and sensitive electrochemical DNA biosensor has been developed for the detection of DNA hybridization. The biosensor was proposed by using copper(II) complex of Luteolin C₃₀H₁₈CuO₁₂ (CuL₂) as an electroactive indicator based on silver nanoparticles and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (Ag/MWCNTs) modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE). In this method, the 4-aminobenzoic acid (4-ABA) and Ag nanoparticles were covalently grafted on MWCNTs to form Ag/4-ABA/MWCNTs. The proposed method dramatically increased DNA attachment quantity and complementary ssDNA detection sensitivity for its large surface area and good charge-transport characteristics. DNA hybridization detection was performed using CuL₂ as an electroactive indicator. The CuL₂ was synthesized and characterized using elemental analysis (EA) and IR spectroscopy. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and fluorescence spectroscopy were used to investigate the interaction between CuL₂ and ds-oligonucleotides (dsDNA). It was revealed that CuL₂ presented high electrochemical activity on GCE, and it could be intercalated into the double helices of dsDNA. The target ssDNA of the human hepatitis B virus (HBV) was quantified in a linear range from 3.23 × 10⁻¹² to 5.31 × 10⁻⁹ M (r = 0.9983). A detection limit of 6.46 × 10⁻¹³ M (3σ, n = 11) was achieved.     

A Comparison of the Properties of Contactless Conductivity and Diode‐Array Photometric Detectors in Analyses of Low‐Molecular,Biologically Active Substances by Capillary Electrophoresis in Acetic Acid Solutions

The performance of the contactless conductivity (C⁴D) and diode array photometric (DAD) detectors has been compared for CE separations of creatinine, arginine and 3‐methylhistidine in acetic acid background electrolytes. The contactless conductivity detector response has also been modeled. It has been found that the two detectors provide similar responses and can readily be used for dual CE detection. Changes in the acetic acid concentration affect the C⁴D noise less than the DAD noise, but their effect on the C⁴D response to the analytes is greater than with DAD. In general, C⁴D provides better detection results at higher acetic acid concentrations, while DAD is more sensitive and reliable at very low ones. Capillaries with greater internal diameters are preferable for both detectors, provided that the separation efficiency is not adversely affected. Acetic acid is a suitable background electrolyte for CE separations of small, basic organic molecules.     

Simultaneous determination of 11 antibiotics and their main metabolites from four different groups by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array-fluorescence (HPLC-DAD-FLD) in human urine samples

A new, accurate and sensitive reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) as analytical method for the quantitative determination of 11 antibiotics (drugs) and the main metabolites of five of them present in human urine has been worked out, optimized and validated. The analytes belong to four different groups of antibiotics (sulfonamides, tetracyclines, penicillins and anphenicols). The analyzed compounds were sulfadiazine (SDI) and its N⁴-acetylsulfadiazine (NDI) metabolite, sulfamethazine (SMZ) and its N⁴-acetylsulfamethazine (NMZ), sulfamerazine (SMR) and its N⁴-acetylsulfamerazine (NMR), sulfamethoxazole (SMX), trimetroprim (TMP), amoxicillin (AMX) and its main metabolite amoxicilloic acid (AMA), ampicillin (AMP) and its main metabolite ampicilloic acid (APA), chloramphenicol (CLF), thiamphenicol (TIF), oxytetracycline (OXT) and chlortetracycline (CLT). For HPLC analysis, diode array (DAD) and fluorescence (FLD) detectors were used. The separation of the analyzed compounds was conducted by means of a Phenomenex^® Gemini C₁₈ (150 mm × 4.6 mm I.D., particle size 5 μm) analytical column with LiChroCART^® LiChrospher^® C₁₈ (4 mm × 4 mm, particle size 5 μm) guard column. Analyzed drugs were determined within 34 min using formic acid 0.1% in water and acetonitrile in gradient elution mode as mobile phase. A linear response was observed for all compounds in the range of concentration studied. Two procedures were optimized for sample preparation: a direct treatment with methanol and acetonitrile and a solid phase extraction procedure using Bond Elut^® Plexa™ columns. The method was applied to the determination of the analytes in human urine from volunteers under treatment with different pharmaceutical formulations. This method can be successfully applied to routine determination of all these drugs in human urine samples.     

LiMn(BH4)3/2LiCl复合物的反应球磨制备及其脱氢性能

以LiBH₄和MnCl₂为初始原料, 采用反应球磨法制备了LiMn(BH₄)₃/2LiCl复合物, 并系统地研究了该复合物的脱氢性能及含钛催化剂的掺杂对其脱氢性能的影响. 结果表明: LiMn(BH₄)₃/2LiCl复合物是由非晶态的LiMn(BH₄)₃和晶态的LiCl组成, 在135-190 °C分解, 分解反应的活化能为114.0 kJ·mol^-1; LiMn(BH₄)₃/2LiCl复合物分解失重约7.0% (w). 组分分析表明除H₂外, 释放的气体中还含有4.0% (摩尔分数, x)的B₂H₆. B₂H₆的生成是该复合物失重超过其理论储氢容量6.3% (w)的原因; 进一步研究发现, 含钛催化剂(TiF₃、TiC、TiN和TiO₂)中, 仅TiF₃能够催化LiMn(BH₄)₃/2LiCl复合物的分解反应, 使其起始分解温度和分解反应活化能分别降低至125 °C和104.0 kJ·mol^-1. 这主要归因于TiF₃中的Ti原子取代了LiMn(BH₄)₃中的部分Li原子, 并在局域形成了易于分解的Ti(BH₄)₃.     

Liquid chromatography-electrochemical detection for studying the effects of tetrahydrobiopterin on monoamine neurotransmitters in rat striatum

BH4 is the natural cofactor of two important amino acid hydroxylases: tyrosine hydroxylase, the rate-limiting enzyme in the biosynthesis of dopamine from tyrosine, and tryptophan hydroxylase, the rate-limiting enzyme in the biosynthesis of serotonin from …     

Method development and validation for trifluoroacetic acid determination by capillary electrophoresis in combination with capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection (CE-C4D)

A method was developed to determine traces of trifluoroacetic acid as impurity in synthetic or semi-synthetic drugs as antibiotics, macropeptides, etc. Capillary electrophoresis in combination with capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection (CE-C⁴D) was used due to lack of UV absorbance property of trifluoroacetic acid (TFA). The optimized method took less than 1 min with good linearity (R² = 0.9995) for trifluoroacetic acid concentration from 2 to 100 ppm. It also has a good repeatability expressed by the relative standard deviation (% RSD) which is 1.2 and 2.1% for intraday and interday precision, respectively, at 50 ppm TFA, and good sensitivity with 0.34 ppm, 1.2 ppm LOD and LOQ, respectively. In addition, the content of TFA in synthetic drug, was determined using the validated method which gave good linearity (R² = 0.9996) for trifluoroacetic acid spiked into drug in a concentration range of 2-80 ppm, with good intraday repeatability of 2.0%.The analysis is performed in a background electrolyte composed of 20 mM morpholinoethane-sulfonic acid (Mes) and 20 mM l-histidine (l-His) pH 6.1. Cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) was added as flow modifier in a concentration (0.2 mM) lower than the critical micellar concentration. Ammonium formate 6 ppm was used as internal standard. The applied voltage was 30 kV in reverse polarity. A fused silica capillary with 75 μm internal diameter and total length 47 cm (31 cm to C⁴D detector and 37 cm to DAD detector) was used.     

Determination of Cinchona alkaloids and Vitamin B6 by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection

A simple and specific method has been developed for the simultaneous determination of the four major Cinchona alkaloids and their dihydroderivatives and pyridoxine hydrochloride (Vitamin B₆) by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence detection (λ_em=420 nm with λ_ex=330 nm). The chromatographic separation was performed on a Phenomenex Prodigy ODS column (5 μm,  mm i.d.), recommended for basic compounds, under isocratic reversed-phase conditions. The method allowed a good peak shape and an effective resolution of the tested compounds. The extraction of alkaloids from the Cinchona succirubra bark was carried out in mild and fast conditions (ambient temperature, 20 min) by ultrasonication. The procedure showed to be advantageous respect to a reference method, which involved Soxhlet extraction. The results were compared statistically by means of the Student’s t-test and the variance ratio F-test; no significant difference was found. The method was reproducible (relative standard deviations in the range of 1.0-5.0% for the different alkaloids) and gave quantitative recovery of alkaloids added to bark samples (97.8-105%). For additional informations a photoreactor was arranged between the analytical column and the detector and the online post-column photochemical conversion (irradiation=254 nm) was investigated. Vitamin B₆ was shown to be highly photosensitive, giving significantly different fluorescence spectra with and without UV irradiation. The proposed method was successfully applied to the quality control of Cinchona bark, liquid extract and cosmetics.     

Fast SPE and HPLC–DAD determination of brucine in human urine using multi-walled carbon nanotubes modified with magnetic nanoparticles

A nanomaterial comprising Fe₃O₄-modified hydroxylated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (Fe₃O₄–MWCNTs–OH) was prepared by a co-precipitation method. Combined with HPLC-photodiode array detector (DAD), Fe₃O₄–MWCNTs–OH was used to determine brucine in human urine. Some important parameters that could influence extraction efficiency of brucine were optimized, including the extraction time, amounts of Fe₃O₄–MWCNTs–OH, pH of sample solutions, desorption solvent and desorption time. Under the optimal conditions, the recoveries of brucine from spiked urine samples were between 93.1 and 104.1%, and the relative standard deviations (RSDs) ranged from 3.1 to 5.7%. The correlation coefficient was 0.9997. The limits of detection and quantification were 6 and 21 ng/mL at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3 and 10, respectively. The results indicated that Fe₃O₄–MWCNTs–OH combined with HPLC–DAD is a promising solid-phase extraction material for the sample pretreatment in the determination of brucine.     

Fluorescence resonance energy transfer between acridine orange and rhodamine 6G and its analytical application for vitamin B12 with flow-injection laser-induced fluorescence detection

By coupling flow-injection with laser-induced fluorescence detection, a setup was developed and a novel method combining fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) and flow-injection analysis (FIA) was proposed for the determination of vitamin B₁₂ (VB₁₂) based on its fluorescence quenching on the system of acridine orange (AO)/rhodamine 6G (R6G). The effective energy transfer could occur between AO and R6G in the dodecyl benzene sodium sulfonate (DBS) while 454 nm argon laser was used as the excitation source, and as a result, the fluorescence emission of R6G has been increased significantly. It was found that the fluorescence of the above system could be sharply diminished by VB₁₂. By using the mixed solution AO-R6G-DBS and the same solution containing VB₁₂ as the carrier and sample, respectively, a series of negative peaks which could be applied for the quantification of VB₁₂ were obtained. The detection limit for VB₁₂ was 1.65 × 10⁻⁶ mol/L. The linear range for determining VB₁₂ was 4 × 10⁻⁴ to 2 × 10⁻⁶ mol/L (correlation coefficient, r = 0.9923). The method was applied to measure VB₁₂ injections with satisfactory results.     

The nitro aromatic compounds detection by triazole carboxylic acid and its complex with the fluorescent property

The 5-methyl-1-(4-nitrophenyl)-1H-1, 2, 3-triazole-4-carboxylic acid (1) was synthesized by an improved method. By using the compound 1 as ligand, a new complex [Cu(L)₂][Cu(L)₂(H₂O)₂] (2) was prepared firstly under hydrothermal condition. Both 1 and 2 were all used as exclusive fluorescence sensor for 2, 4, 6-trinitrophenol (TNP) for the first time. The fluorescence exploration demonstrated that they exhibit highly selective and sensitive (K_SV = 393685 M^?1 and K_SV = 213269 M^?1, respectively) sensing to TNP from other nitro aromatic compounds (NACs) with high quenching efficiency QP value of 96.76% and 93.37%, as well as low detection limit (0.68 μM and 0.37 μM, respectively). It means that complex 2 had higher selectivity due to the less interference by 4-NT and 2-NP compared with 1. Moreover, the fluorescence quenching phenomenon of sensor 1 with TNP was analyzed by density functional theory (DFT).     

Identification of degraded products of aldicarb due to the catalytic behavior of titanium dioxide/polyacrylonitrile nanofiber

Photocatalytic properties of fibers containing TiO₂ nanoparticles were explored for use as a self-decontaminating material using degradation of the pesticide aldicarb as the model toxin. During the analysis of the aldicarb treated sample by liquid chromatography (LC) with diode array detector (DAD), an unidentified peak was found at relative retention time (RT) 3.9 min when compared to aldicarb and major metabolites, aldicarb sulfoxide, and aldicarb sulfone. An analytical method was developed to confirm and identify this degradation product. LC–APCI/MS techniques were used first to analyze molecular ions and major fragments comparing retention times and spectra with those of known standards. FTIR and LC–MS/MS techniques were used to confirm the identity of the degradation product as 2-propenal, 2-methyl-, O-[(methylamino)carbonyl]oxime.     

2-(苯并噻唑-2-基)-5-(N,N-二乙基氨基)苯酚衍生物的合成及其对H2S的识别

以4-N,N-二乙基氨基水杨醛为原料,制备了2-(苯并噻唑-2-基)-5-(N,N-二乙基氨基)苯酚衍生物(探针L),并对其结构进行了表征。在DMSO/PBS(体积比3∶7,pH=7.4)溶液中,探针L具有高选择性并可荧光"关-开"识别H_2S,在365nm紫外灯照射下,由无荧光变成蓝色荧光。实验表明,探针L识别H_2S的检测限为2.05×10~(-6)mol/L,pH适用范围为6～9,可用于检测实际水样中的H_2S。     

Comparative study of 2-hydroxy propyl beta cyclodextrin and calixarene as ionophores in potentiometric ion-selective electrodes for neostigmine bromide

Three novel neostigmine bromide (NEO) selective electrodes were investigated with 2-nitrophenyl octyl ether as a plasticiser in a polymeric matrix of polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Sensor 1 was fabricated using tetrakis(4-chlorophenyl)borate (TpClPB) as an anionic exchanger without incorporation of an ionophore. Sensor 2 used 2-hydroxy propyl β-cyclodextrin as an ionophore while sensor 3 was constructed using 4-sulfocalix-8-arene as an ionophore. Linear responses of NEO within the concentration ranges of 10⁻⁵ to 10⁻², 10⁻⁶ to 10⁻² and 10⁻⁷ to 10⁻² mol L⁻¹ were obtained using sensors 1, 2 and 3, respectively. Nernstian slopes of 51.6 ± 0.8, 52.9 ± 0.6 and 58.6 ± 0.4 mV/decade over the pH range of 4-9 were observed. The selectivity coefficients of the developed sensors indicated excellent selectivity for NEO. The utility of 2-hydroxy propyl β-cyclodextrin and 4-sulfocalix[8]arene as ionophores had a significant influence on increasing the membrane sensitivity and selectivity of sensors 2 and 3 compared to sensor 1. The proposed sensors displayed useful analytical characteristics for the determination of NEO in bulk powder, different pharmaceutical formulations, and biological fluids (plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)) and in the presence of its degradation product (3-hydroxyphenyltrimethyl ammonium bromide) and thus could be used for stability-indicating methods.     

Fabrication of electrolytic cell for online post-column electrochemical derivatization in ion chromatography

An electrolytic cell (EC), composed of two ruthenium-plated titanium electrodes separated by cation-exchange membranes, was fabricated and evaluated for online postcolumn derivatization in ion chromatography (IC). Folic acid (FA) and methotrexate (MTX) were preliminarily used as prototype analytes to test the performance of EC. After separation by an anion exchange column, FA and MTX, which emit very weak fluorescence when excited, were electrochemically oxidized online in the anode chamber of the EC. The compounds with strong fluorescence, which are oxidation products, were detected by the fluorescence detector. The phosphate buffer solution (100 mM KH₂PO₄) served as an optimal eluent for anion exchange chromatographic separation and a suitable supporting electrolyte for electro-oxidation, leading to ideal compatibility between IC separation and the postcolumn electrochemical derivatization. For the presently proposed method, the linear ranges were from 0.01 mg L⁻¹ to 5 mg L⁻¹ for both FA and MTX. The detection limits of FA and MTX were 1.8 and 2.1 μg L⁻¹, and the relative standard deviations (RSD, n = 7) were 2.9% and 3.6%, respectively. The method was applied for the simultaneous determination of FA and MTX in the plasma of patients being treated for rheumatoid arthritis. The determination of MTX in the urine of the patients of diffuse large B cell lymphoma was also demonstrated.     

A novel lophine-based fluorescence probe and its binding to human serum albumin

The binding of a lophine-based fluorescence probe, 4-[4-(4-dimethylaminophenyl)-5-phenyl-1H-imidazol-2-yl]benzoic acid methyl ester (DAPIM) with human serum albumin (HSA) was investigated by fluorescence spectroscopy under physiological conditions. While DAPIM shows extreme low fluorescence in aqueous solution, DAPIM binding with HSA emits strong fluorescence at 510 nm. The binding constant and binding number determined by Scatchard plot was 3.65 × 10⁶ M⁻¹ and 1.07, respectively. Competitive binding between DAPIM and other ligands such as warfarin, valproic acid, diazepam and oleic acid, were also studied fluorometrically. The results indicated that the primary binding site of DAPIM to HSA is site II at subdomain IIIA. DAPIM can be a useful fluorescence probe for the characterization of drug-binding sites. In addition to the interaction study, because the fluorescence intensity of DAPIM increased in proportion to HSA concentration, its potential in HSA assay for serum sample was also evaluated.