Simultaneous speciation analysis of glutathione peroxidase,selenoprotein P and selenoalbumin in human serum by tandem anion exchange-affinity HPLC and on-line isotope dilution ICP-quadrupole MS

A method based on anion exchange (AE) and affinity (AF)-HPLC (AE-AF-HPLC) hyphenated to inductively coupled plasma-(quadrupole) mass spectrometry (ICP-QMS) was developed for the speciation analysis of selenoprotein P (SelP), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and selenoalbumin (SeAlb) in human serum. AE-HPLC is proposed here for the on-line alleviation of Cl and Br spectral interferences on ⁷⁷Se (⁴⁰Ar³⁷Cl) and ⁸²Se (⁸¹Br¹H). Separation of GPx, SelP and SeAlb by AE-AF-HPLC was obtained within a total chromatographic runtime of <20 min. On-line (post-column) isotope dilution (ON-ID) and on-line external calibration (ON-EC)-ICP-QMS were used for the quantification of Se in GPx, SelP and SeAlb. ON-EC using a Se-L-cystine standard was shown to be a suitable approach for the routine simultaneous speciation analysis of serum GPx, SelP and SeAlb. The method validation was carried out by direct ICP-sector field MS determination of Se in GPx, SelP and SeAlb fractions collected after AE-AF-HPLC separation. In addition, the method accuracy for the determination of total protein-bound Se was assessed by analyzing a human serum reference material (BCR-637) certified for total Se content. Figure A methodology for the alleviation of Cl and Br interferences in the accurate simultaneous speciation analysis of glutathione peroxidase, selenoprotein P and selenoalbumin in human serum by affinity HPLC coupled on-line with ICP-quadrupole MS is proposed. This approach may be particularly useful for clinical laboratories that only have an ICP-quadrupole MS without a collision cell, or that lack an expensive ICP-SFMS (high-resolution) instrument     

Separation and identification of ceramides in the human stratum corneum by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry and electrospray multiple-stage mass spectrometry profiling

Summary A sensitive, selective, and rapid method is described for analysis of ceramides in the human stratum coracum by direct coupling of HPLC with an electrospray ion-trap mass spectrometry. Nonaqueous reversed-phase chromatography stabilizes the electrospray ionization, resulting in sensitivity that enables direct measurement of skin lipid extracts with no special sample preparation. Assignment of individual signals to the corresponding ceramide species is based on interpretation of the fragment spectra from MS-MS experiments. This enables much finer differentiation between ceramdies than that achievable by thin-layer chromatography. Summary A sensitive, selective, and rapid method is described for analysis of ceramides in the human stratum corneum by direct coupling of HPLC with an electrospray ion-trap mass spectrometry. Nonaqueous reversed-phase chromatography stabilizes the electrospray ionization, resulting in sensitivity that enables direct measurement of skin lipid extracts with no special sample preparation. Assignment of individual signals to the corresponding ceramide species is based on interpretation of the fragment spectra from MS-MS experiments. This enables much finer differentiation between ceramides than that achievable by thin-layer chromatography.     

A rapid and selective LC method for simultaneous determination of cyclosporin a and its major metabolite (AM1) in human serum at room temperature

A simple and highly selective isocratic reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-LC) method at room temperature is developed in order to determination of Cyclosporine A (CyA) and its major metabolite (AM1) in serum samples of kidney transplanted patients. The method uses a phenyl column stationary phase, acetonitrile–water–methanol 47:50:3 as mobile phase and 215 nm detector wavelength, at room temperature. The solid phase extraction procedure using cyano disposable extraction column was carried out to separtate the CyA and AM1 with recovery 99±6 and 98±10, respectively. A linear correlation was found at the range of 40–1000 ng ml⁻¹ for CyA and 25–500 ng ml⁻¹ for AM1. The average intra and inter-day variations were 5.03 and 7.89% for CyA, 5.92 and 8.12% for AM1, respectively. The detection limit of 20 ng ml⁻¹ was found for CyA and 12.5 ng ml⁻¹ for AM1. Also, the clinical application of the method using serum concentration against time profile from kidney transplantated patients is reported.     

Fluorescence immunological determination of immunoglobulin G in human serum by high-performance liquid gel-permeation chromatography

Summary A high-performance liquid gel-permeation chromatographic method is described for the determination of human serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) by separating the fluorescent immuno complex from the free fluorescence-labeled antibody. Fluorescence-labeled antibody used in this study was fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-labeled Fab fragment goat anti-human IgG (anti-IgG Fab). Immuno complexes and antibody of different molecular sizes can be separated. FITC-labeled anti-IgG Fab was added to the serum and the mixture is passed through the column. An immuno complex separates as well-delineated peak in the column void volume, and was measured by the fluorescence of the column eluate (Ex=490nm, Em=520nm). The total analysis time for a serum sample was approximately 15min. The minimum detection limit was 25 mg/dl. The relative standard deviation was below 2% (peak area). The results of the HPL-GPC analysis correlate well with those obtained by laser nephelometric assay (r=0.992).     

Micellar electrokinetic chromatography method for the determination of sulfamethoxazole, trimethoprim and their main metabolites in human serum

A complete analytical procedure, including sample clean-up and a micellar electrokinetic chromatographic method, is presented for the determination of sulfamethoxazole, trimethoprim, and their main metabolites by using 20 mmol L(-1) borate buffer (pH 9.3), 25 mmol L(-1) sodium dodecylsulfate, and 5% v/v acetonitrile as electrolyte. The separation was carried out at 30 kV and 20 degrees C in a fused silica capillary (60.2 cm x 75 microm inner diameter) fitted with a window in the capillary cartridge of 100 x 800 microm. The detector response was linear from the limit of quantification to 3 mg L(-1) for the individual components. The limits of quantification ranged from 0.13 up to 0.24 mg L(-1). The method was applied to human serum, previously spiked at different concentrations of all the analytes, and recoveries between 95% and 108% were obtained.     

Development and optimization of ultra-high performance supercritical fluid chromatography mass spectrometry method for high-throughput determination of tocopherols and tocotrienols in human serum

The goal of this study was to develop an effective supercritical fluid chromatography method using single quadrupole MS for analysis of all isomeric forms of vitamin E. Finally, two fast and effective methods, the high resolution one and the high speed one, for the determination of 8 vitamin E isomers in human serum were developed.     

A systematic approach to the accurate quantification of selenium in serum selenoalbumin by HPLC-ICP-MS

In this paper, two different methods are for the first time systematically compared for the determination of selenium in human serum selenoalbumin (SeAlb). Firstly, SeAlb was enzymatically hydrolyzed and the resulting selenomethionine (SeMet) was quantified using species-specific isotope dilution (SSID) with reversed phase-HPLC (RP-HPLC) hyphenated to (collision/reaction cell) inductively coupled plasma-quadrupole mass spectrometry (CRC ICP-QMS). In order to assess the enzymatic hydrolysis yield, SeAlb was determined as an intact protein by affinity-HPLC (AF-HPLC) coupled to CRC ICP-QMS. Using this approach, glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and selenoprotein P (SelP) (the two selenoproteins present in serum) were also determined within the same chromatographic run. The levels of selenium associated with SeAlb in three serum materials, namely BCR-637, Seronorm level 1 and Seronorm level 2, obtained using both methods were in a good agreement. Verification of the absence of free SeMet, which interferes with the SeAlb determination (down to the amino acid level), in such materials was addressed by analyzing the fraction of GPx, partially purified by AF-HPLC, using RP-HPLC (GPx only) and size exclusion-HPLC (SE-HPLC) coupled to CRC ICP-QMS. The latter methodology was also used for the investigation of the presence of selenium species other than the selenoproteins in the (AF-HPLC) SelP and SeAlb fractions; the same selenium peaks were detected in both control and BCR-637 serum with a difference in age of ca. 12 years. It is also for the first time that the concentrations of selenium associated with SeAlb, GPx and SelP species in such commercially available serums (only certified or having indicative levels of total selenium content) are reported. Such indicative values can be used for reference purposes in future validation of speciation methods for selenium in human serum and/or inter-laboratory comparisons.     

Measurement of bisphenol A in human serum by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry

The purpose of this study is to establish an easy and accurate method for the determination of bisphenol A (BPA) in the human serum. The samples were applied to the C₁₈ solid phase extraction (SPE) column for clean up of samples. The BPA is conjugated with tetrabutylammonium hydrogen sulfate as the counter ion in alkali solution. The ion paired BPA is moves from the aqueous phase to the organic phase as an ion paired extraction. BPA extracted from human serum were derivatized with pentafluorobenzyl bromide (PFBBr). The derivative was analyzed by gas chromatography (GC)/mass spectrometry (MS) using negative chemical ionization (NCI). The instrumental detection limit of BPA was 5 pg/ml (10 fg). The instrumental response between 0.01 and 100 pg/ml of BPA standards was linear (r²=0.998). The recovery of BPA spiked into human serum was 101.0±4.63 (1 pg/ml) and 100.9±3.75 (10 pg/ml), respectively. The concentration of BPA in the human serum from 20 individuals was 0.54 pg/ml.     

胶束液相色谱法直接注射同时测定人血清中利凡诺和米非司酮

建立了一个简单、快速的胶束液相色谱方法,直接注射样品,同时测定人血清中利凡诺和米非司酮。分离于30℃反相C18柱上进行,流动相:含75 mmol/L的十二烷基硫酸钠和体积分数9%正丁醇的混合溶液(pH4.0),流速为1.2 mL/min。以苯为内标物。采用多波长模式检测,利凡诺、米非司酮、苯的检测波长分别为272、305、256 nm。直接注射的人血清样品体积为100μL。结果表明,利凡诺、米非司酮的校准曲线分别在20~1000、50~1000 ng/mL浓度范围内呈线性,检测限分别为4.9和13.8 ng/mL,精密度和准确度良好。该方法可直接注射样品同时测定人血清中两种药物,应用于评估同时使用两种药物的妇女的血药水平。     

Determination of total homocysteine in human serum by capillary gas chromatography with sulfur-specific detection by double focusing ICP-MS

A selective and sensitive method for determination of total homocysteine (Hcy) in human serum, by gas chromatography coupled to ICP–MS(HR), has been developed. After reduction of the sample with sodium borohydride the liberated Hcy and other aminothiols, such as cysteine (Cys) and methionine (Met), were converted to their N-trifluoroacetyl (TFA)-O-isopropyl derivatives and these were injected into a gas chromatograph equipped with an HP-5 capillary column. Detection was carried out by means of a double-focusing inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (DF-ICP–MS) monitoring ³²S at m/m (resolving power)=3000. The transfer line used to transport the analytes from the GC column to the ICP–MS had previously been developed in our laboratory. The different parameters affecting the derivatisation process were optimised, as were the instrumental operating conditions. This optimised GC–ICP–MS(HR) method was successfully applied to the determination of total homocysteine in human serum—values obtained were in agreement with data reported in the literature. Quantitative recoveries and good precision were obtained for spiked human serum, demonstrating the suitability of the method for quantitative determination of total homocysteine in serum.     

The fabrication and performance of an Ag/AgCl reference electrode in human serum

A simple set of electric circuits was used to assemble a pulse generator. With pulse potentials and under galvanostatical control, a clean silver wire was anodized electrochemically for 0.2–0.5 min in 1.0 mol l⁻¹ HCl with a pulse current density of 20 mA cm⁻², and the pulse wave parameters of t_a/t_c = 1 and a cycle of 4 s forming an Ag/AgCl reference electrode. Even though the AgCl layer was consumed during the working period when the Ag/AgCl electrode was used as a cathode, the AgCl layer could be in situ recovered electrochemically in serum used when a reversed potential was applied to the electrode system immediately after the measuring program was finished. The current response curve of the anode indicated that an AgCl layer in high density was basically accomplished during the first 6 pulse cycles in human serum. In order to keep a stable and uniform AgCl layer on the reference electrode after each measuring cycle, the ratio of the recovery time (t_r) to the working time (t_w) was measured and the smallest value was obtained at 0.03. The open-circuit potential of the Ag/AgCl electrode with respect to a SCE in 0.1 mol l⁻¹ KCl was monitored over a period of 14 days and the mean value was 40.09 mV vs SCE with a standard deviation of 2.55 mV. The potential of the Ag/AgCl reference electrode did remain constant when the measurements were repeated more than 600 times in undiluted human serum with a standard deviation of 1.89 mV. This study indicated that the Ag/AgCl reference electrode could been rapidly fabricated with a pulse potential and could be used as a reference electrode with long-term stable properties in human serum samples.     

Quantitation of urapidil and its metabolites in human serum by high performance liquid chromatography

The antihypertensive agent urapidil (Ebrantil Byk-Gulden, Konstanz) can be reliably quantitated with three metabolites in human serum using high performance liquid chromatography. Serum is alkalinized and extracted with ethyl acetate. The organic phase is back-extracted with diluted acid. An aliquot is sampled automatically and chromatographed in an optimized combination of mobile and stationary phase. UV-detection at 273 nm allows a quantitation limit of 5 ng/ml for all analytes. Precise handling of exact volumes facilitates external calibration. The coefficient of variation for spiked samples is less than 5% within and less than 7% between studies. Application of the method to experimental and clinical pharmacokinetic studies of urapidil is illustrated.     

Determination of vitamins A, D, E, and K in human and bovine serum, and β-carotene and vitamin A palmitate in cosmetic and pharmaceutical products, by isocratic HPLC

Summary An HPLC method has been developed for the determination of fat-soluble vitamins. Ten fat-soluble vitamins were separated simultaneously on a 25 cm×4.6 mm i.d. Hypersil C₁₈ column with acetonitrile-dichloromethane-methanol, 60:20:20 (v/v) as mobile phase at 1.0 mL min⁻¹ with wavelength-programmed ultraviolet-visible-absorbance detection. Total analysis time was 12 min. The limits of detection were 0.03, 0.01, 0.55, 1.84, 0.02, 0.02, 0.01, 0.16, 0.33, 0.01, and 0.01 ng mL⁻¹ for retinol, retinyl acetate, retinyl palmitate, β-carotene, ergocalciferol, cholecalciferol, tocopherol, tocopherol acetate, phylloquinone, menatetrenone, and menadione, respectively. Analysis of human serum 2–7 days after ingestion of oral vitamins and Chinese herbs led to the conclusion that the concentration of vitamins was higher than for control serum.     

Analysis of 5-methyltetrahydrofolate in human blood, serum and urine by on-line coupling of capillary isotachophoresis and zone electrophoresis

The predominant circulating folate coenzyme in plasma/serum, 5‐methyltetrahydrofolate (5‐MTHF) was determined in human blood, serum and urine using a method based on the hyphenation of capillary ITP and zone electrophoresis. Measurements were done with a commercially available instrument for capillary isotachophoresis equipped with a column‐switching system. The choice of electrolytes was limited by the instability of 5‐MTHF and volatility of electrolytes for the potential coupling of the instrumentation with MS detector. To get an insight into the separability of individual sample components in an isotachophoretic analysis, we constructed zone existence diagrams for isotachophoretic electrolyte systems having a leading electrolyte composed of acetate and ammonium of pH 4.5 and 7.0, hydrocarbonate and ammonium, pH 7.8, chloride and ammonium, pH 5.6, and chloride and creatinine, pH 5.0, with hydroxide ion as the terminator. For isotachophoretic preseparation, the non‐volatile leading electrolyte with good buffering capacity composed of 1×10⁻² M HCl and 2.5×10⁻² M creatinine, pH 5.0, and terminating electrolyte composed of 1×10⁻² M MES was selected as the most suitable. The optimum BGE for CZE analysis from the standpoint of analyte stability, separability and volatility for MS coupling was 1×10⁻² M acetate with 3.5×10⁻² M ammonium, pH 4.5. Using this combination of electrolytes, LODs reached with optical detection at 220 nm were 1.6×10⁻⁷ M in human blood, 1.1×10⁻⁷ M in human serum and 4.7×10⁻⁶ M in human urine. Estimated content of 5‐MTHF in blood and serum samples of women following oral daily administration of 0.8 mg of folic acid was 1.2×10⁻⁵ and 5.8×10⁻⁶ M, respectively.     

An on-line solid phase extraction—Liquid chromatography—Tandem mass spectrometry method for the analysis of citalopram, fluvoxamine, and paroxetine in human plasma

Summary A specific and sensitive direct-injection high performance liquid chromatography atmospheric pressure chemical ionization tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-APCI-MS-MS) method has been developed for the rapid identification and quantitative determination of citalopram, fluvoxamine, and paroxetine in human plasma. After dilution with 0.1% formic acid, plasma samples were injected into the LC-MS-MS system. Proteins and other large biomolecules were removed during an on-line sample cleanup step. The inter- and intra-assay coefficients of variation for all compounds were <11%. The total analysis time was 6 min per sample. The proposed method permits direct analysis of plasma samples without time-consuming sample preparation.     

Liquid chromatographic determination of dimethadione and trimethadione in human serum on octadecyl treated microporous glass columns

Summary The liquid chromatographic determination of trimethadione (TMO) and its methabolite, dimethadione (DMO) were studied by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) on octadecyl-modified microporous glasses, prepared with toluene solution containing octadecyl-dimethylchlorosilane, using two types of microporous glass with various mean pore diameters and/or specific surface areas. Using acetonitrile-water mixtures as eluents, TMO and DMO in human serum were separated on the glasses studied, but with different degrees of resolution. In this present study, we report the development of a rapid and selective HPLC method for the simultaneous analysis of TMO and DMO in human serum.     

Direct determination of free bilirubin in serum at sub-nanomolar levels

Direct analysis of free bilirubin in human and animal blood serum samples is reported for the first time. A state-of-the-art system comprised of newly developed high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) on reverse-phase (RP) C18 support coupled with thermal lens spectrometric detection (TLS), based on excitation at λ = 457.9 nm by an argon laser was used for this purpose. This HPLC-TLS method enabled a baseline separation of all three structural isomers of bilirubin (XIII-α, IX-α and III-α) and the respective degradation products in isocratic mode in fewer than 7 min. The method excels in ultra-high sensitivity with limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantitation (LOQ) of 90 pM and 250 pM, respectively. Moreover, this method also affords high precision and accuracy, with correlation coefficients R² > 0.997 over a broad linear range (0.250–150 nM) and R² = 0.9998 in a concentration range of clinical interest (0.500–25 nM). The method's boosted sensitivity enabled to streamline sample preparation to just one serum ultrafiltration step, which made qualitative evaluation of sample preparation possible for the first time. The performance of the HPLC-TLS method was assessed to have 20-fold enhanced sensitivity when compared to a comparable method incorporating HPLC coupled with diode array detector (DAD), which is also a novel method by itself, and could be applied for free bilirubin determination in patients with elevated bilirubin levels.     

Determination of misoprostol free acid in human breast milk and serum by gas chromatography/negative ion chemical ionization tandem mass spectrometry

To study an expected transition of misoprostol from human blood into breast milk, a novel method for the determination of its active metabolite misoprostol acid (MPA) was developed. MPA was determined in serum and breast milk samples by an isotope dilution assay using gas chromatography/negative ion chemical ionization tandem mass spectrometry (GC/NICI-MS/MS). After addition of (15S)-15-methylprostaglandin E(2) (15-methyl-PGE(2)) as an internal standard, MPA was extracted from both matrices using a reversed-phase cartridge. The prostanoids were derivatized with O-2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorobenzylhydroxylamine hydrochloride (PFBHA) and 2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorobenzyl bromide (PFBB) to the pentafluorobenzyl oxime (PFBO)-pentafluorobenzyl ester (PFB) derivatives. The sample was subjected to thin-layer chromatography with ethyl acetate-hexane (1 : 1 (v/v)) as the developing solvent. The corresponding zone was extracted. After derivatization to the trimethylsilyl ether, MPA was determined by GC/NICI-MS/MS using the [molecule (M) - pentafluorobenzyl (PFB)](-) ([P](-)) ions as precursor in the negative ion chemical ionization mode. The product ions used for quantification were [P - 2TMSOH - C(6)F(5)CH(2)OH](-) (MPA) and [P - 2TMSOH - C(6)F(5)CH(2)OH - CO(2)](-)(15-methyl-PGE(2)), respectively. The limit of quantification for MPA was approximately 1 pg ml(-1) in breast milk and serum samples. The correlation coefficients of the calibration curves for MPA were r > 0.997 in the 0.5-2000 pg ml(-1) range for both tested matrices.     

Simultaneous determination of benzene,toluene, ethylbenzene,and xylene metabolites in human urine using electromembrane extraction combined with liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry

For the first time, electromembrane extraction combined with liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry was applied for the determination of urinary benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene metabolites. S‐Phenylmercapturic acid, hippuric acid, phenylglyoxylic acid, and methylhippuric acid isomers were extracted from human urine through a supported liquid membrane consisting of 1‐octanol into an alkaline acceptor solution filling the inside of a hollow fiber by application of an electric field. Various extraction factors were investigated and optimized using response surface methodology, the statistical method. The optimum conditions were established to be 300 V applied voltage, 15 min extraction time, 1500 rpm stirring speed, and 5 mM ammonium acetate (pH 10.2) acceptor solution. The method was validated with respect to selectivity, linearity, accuracy, precision, limit of detection, limit of quantification, recovery, and reproducibility. The results showed good linearity (r² > 0.995), precision, and accuracy. The extract recoveries were 52.8–79.0%. Finally, we applied this method to real samples and successfully measured benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene metabolites.     

固相萃取-气相色谱-负化学源质谱法测定人血清中的多溴联苯醚

采用OasisHLB固相萃取柱萃取血清中的多溴联苯醚(PBDEs),经浓硫酸柱上除脂后,利用气相色谱-负化学源质谱法测定BDE-17、28、47、66、99、100、153、154、183和209共10种PBDEs组分。BDE-209的测定采用DB-5 ms色谱柱(15 m×0.25 mm×0.1 μm),其他组分采用VF-5 ms色谱柱(30 m×0.25 mm×0.25 μm)。对样品中蛋白质的去除溶剂和固相萃取条件(如洗脱溶剂及其用量)进行了优化。胎牛血清中的加标回收试验结果显示,各PBDEs单体相对于内标的平均回收率为78.5%～109.7%,日内测定的相对标准偏差(RSD)为0.3%～7.4%,日间测定的RSD为1.4%～14.1%。胎牛血清中三溴～七溴联苯醚的检出限(信噪比为3)为0.10～0.27 ng/L;定量限(信噪比为10)除了BDE-209为7.91 ng/L外,其他PBDEs为0.35～0.91 ng/L。采用本方法测定标准参考物质SRM1957和SRM1958,结果在参考值范围内。实验结果表明,本方法灵敏度高、准确度和精密度好,简便快速,溶剂消耗量少,适用于人体血清中三至十位溴取代联苯醚的测定。