Comparative analysis of 15 chemical constituents in Scutellaria baicalensis stem‐leaf from different regions in China by ultra‐high performance liquid chromatography with triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry

Scutellaria baicalensis is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine containing multiple components, which has been extensively used in clinics to treat epidemic febrile disease and hyperactivity cough. To get a deeper understanding about Scutellaria baicalensis stem‐leaf resources, we analyzed 15 chemical constituents in 35 batches of Scutellaria baicalensis stem‐leaf from eight regions in China. A rapid, simple, and sensitive method using ultra‐high performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole electrospray tandem mass spectrometry has been developed for the first time to simultaneously determine 15 chemical constituents (including phenolic acids and flavonoids) in Scutellaria baicalensis stem‐leaf. Sufficient separation of 15 target constituents was achieved on a Waters Acquity UPLC BEH C₁₈ (2.1 mm × 100 mm, 1.7 μm) column within 14 min under the optimized chromatographic conditions. The established method was validated and showed good linearity, precision, repeatability, stability, and recovery and was successfully applied for the simultaneous determination of the 15 chemical constituents in these samples. Hierarchical clustering analysis and principal components analysis were performed to estimate and classify these samples based on the contents of the 15 chemical constituents. This study provided theoretical basis and scientific evidence for the development and utilization of Scutellaria baicalensis stem‐leaf resources.     

Determination of oroxylin A,oroxylin A 7‐O‐glucuronide,and oroxylin A sodium sulfonate in beagle dogs by using UHPLC MS/MS Application in a pharmacokinetic study

Oroxylin A, obtained from the root of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi, is a flavonoid with antitumor and other pharmacological activities. Our previous studies showed for the first time that it is mainly metabolized to oroxylin A sodium sulfonate by sulfotransferase enzymes in beagle dogs. In this study, rapid, universal, selective, and robust ultra‐high‐performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry methods were established and fully validated to quantitatively detect oroxylin A, oroxylin A 7‐O‐glucuronide, and oroxylin A sodium sulfonate in beagle dog plasma. The quantitative analysis for oroxylin A sodium sulfonate was reported for the first time. Plasma samples were processed with acetonitrile, a universal protein precipitant. Gradient elution was performed to resolve carryover effects and to achieve separation efficiency and sufficient chromatographic retention. The linear relationships of oroxylin A, oroxylin A 7‐O‐glucuronide, and oroxylin A sodium sulfonate in plasma were in the range of 2.0–500.0, 5.0–500.0, and 1.881–940.5 ng/mL, respectively. The assay method was successfully applied to pharmacokinetic study. This is the first paper that reveals the pharmacokinetic profile of oroxylin A, oroxylin A 7‐O‐glucuronide, and oroxylin A sodium sulfonate after single‐dose intravenous and oral administration of Oroxylin A in beagle dogs.     

Development and validation of an analytical method for multiresidue determination of pesticides in lettuce using QuEChERS–UHPLC–MS/MS

A new analytical method for multiresidue determination of 16 multiclass pesticides in lettuce was developed using ultra‐high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry with a triple quadrupole mass analyzer and positive mode electrospray ionization, using a previously optimized quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe method for sample preparation. Validation studies, according to document SANTE/11945/2015, demonstrated that the developed method is selective, accurate, and precise, providing recoveries of 70–120%, relative standard deviations ≤20% and quantification limits from 3 μg/kg. The method was compared with one based on high‐performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry, in terms of chromatographic performance, detectability and matrix effect for five varieties of lettuce. The new method provided a reduction in the time for the chromatographic analysis of 50%, from 30 to 15 min, using a lower mobile phase flow rate (0.147 mL/min), which reduced the consumption of mobile phase by 25%, and injection of smaller amounts of sample (1.7 μL). Lower limits of quantification were obtained for almost all pesticides studied for green‐leaf lettuce. However, in relation to the matrix effect, four of the five types of lettuce studied presented higher matrix effects.     

Simultaneous determination of polysaccharides and 21 nucleosides and amino acids in different tissues of Salvia miltiorrhiza from different areas by UV–visible spectrophotometry and UHPLC with triple quadrupole MS/MS

Salvia miltiorrhiza, a traditional Chinese medicine, is a widely used herbal medicine to treat cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. In this study, ultraviolet (UV)–visible spectrophotometry and ultra‐high performance liquid chromatography with triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry analytical methods were used for rapid quantification of polysaccharides and 21 nucleosides and amino acids in S. miltiorrhiza to determine 17 samples of different tissues from different areas. Based on the total contents, hierarchical clustering analysis and principal components analysis were performed to classify these samples. The established methods were validated with good linearity, precision, repeatability, stability, and recovery. Chemical analysis revealed a higher content of total analytes in the sample of inflorescence from Nanjing (34.17 mg/g), sample of root and rhizome from Shaanxi (34.13 mg/g) and sample of stem and leaf from Nanjing (31.14 mg/g), respectively, indicating that root and rhizome from Shaanxi and the aerial parts from Nanjing exhibited the highest quality due to their highest content. In addition, contents of nucleosides and amino acids in the aerial parts (14.67 mg/g) were much higher than that in roots and rhizomes (9.17 mg/g). This study suggested that UV–visible spectrophotometry and ultra‐high performance liquid chromatography with triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry are effective techniques to analyze polysaccharides, nucleosides, and amino acids in plants, and they provided valuable information for the development and utilization value of the aerial parts of S. miltiorrhiza. This analysis would also provide useful information for the quality control of S. miltiorrhiza.     

Development and validation of a UHPLC–MS/MS method for the simultaneous determination of five bioactive flavonoids in rat plasma and comparative pharmacokinetic study after oral administration of Xiaochaihu Tang and three compatibilities

An accurate, rapid, and reliable ultra high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of baicalin, wogonoside, baicalein, wogonin, and oroxylin A in rat plasma. Then, the stability of baicalin and baicalein in the preparation of plasma sample was systematically investigated. The Waters BEH C₁₈ column was used with a gradient mobile phase system of acetonitrile and water containing 0.1% formic acid. The analytes were detected in the multiple reaction monitoring mode with positive electrospray ionization. 100 μL fresh plasma was added with 50 μL antioxidant reagent (1 mol/L HCl containing 0.5% Vitamin C), and liquid–liquid extraction with ethyl acetate was used to extract the analytes from plasma. Lower limits of quantification of baicalin, wogonoside, baicalein, wogonin, and oroxylin A were 21.9, 4.80, 1.20, 0.848, and 0.800 ng/mL, respectively. The mean extract recoveries of five flavonoids were 69.1∼89.2%, and the precision and accuracy were within the acceptable limits. This method was further successfully applied to the comparative pharmacokinetic study of these five flavonoids in rats after oral administration of Xiaochaihutang and three compatibilities. The obtained results may be helpful to reveal the mechanism of Xiaochaihutang formula compatibility.     

高效液相色谱法测定不同产地枇杷叶中的3种黄酮类成分

建立了高效液相色谱同时测定枇杷叶中3种黄酮类成分的分析方法。该方法分析了不同产地枇杷叶中芦丁、槲皮素和山柰酚的含量差异。枇杷叶粉末用甲醇超声提取后,加盐酸回流,制备样品测试液。采用Diamonsil C18色谱柱（250 mm×4.6 mm,5 μm）,以0.4%（v/v）磷酸水溶液-乙腈为流动相,梯度洗脱。分别对7个不同产地的枇杷叶样品中的芦丁、槲皮素和山柰酚进行测定。结果表明,芦丁、槲皮素、山柰酚在各自的质量浓度范围内线性关系良好（r>0.99）,加标回收率分别为96.33%、95.81%和95.80%,RSD分别为6.48%、0.90%和3.02%。该方法操作简单、分离度好、重复性高。不同产地枇杷叶中3种黄酮类成分的含量存在差异,其中芦丁的差异最大,而山柰酚的含量最稳定且在不同产地样品中均可检出,或可用作枇杷叶药材质量控制的标志成分。     

Simultaneous determination of 29 pharmaceuticals in fish muscle and plasma by ultrasonic extraction followed by SPE–UHPLC–MS/MS

A confirmatory method for the simultaneous detection of 29 pharmaceuticals in fish muscle and plasma was developed by using solid‐phase extraction combined with ultra‐high performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry. Fish samples were extracted with methanol and enriched using Oasis HLB solid‐phase extraction columns in one step. Twenty‐nine target pharmaceuticals were quantified by the internal standard method and the calibration curves showed good linearity in a wide range with determination coefficients of greater than 0.913. The detection limits of the pharmaceuticals ranged from 0.01 to 2.00 μg/kg (μg/L). The applicability of the method was checked by precision and recovery experiments. The average recoveries of the 29 pharmaceuticals were between 61 and 111%, and all the relative standard deviations were below 25%. Our reported method has been demonstrated to be sensitive, convenient, rapid, and reliable for the simultaneous determination of 29 pharmaceuticals in fish muscle and plasma. Real sample determination showed that 25 and 9 of the 29 compounds were detected in fish muscle and plasma, respectively.     

Determination of carbapenems in water samples by UHPLC–MS/MS

A rapid and reliable method for the detection of five carbapenems (biapenem, imipenem, doripenem, meropenem, and faropenem) in water was developed and validated. After acidification of water samples with acetic acid, carbapenems were isolated using a Bond Elut PPL cartridge. The target compounds were separated using ultra high performance liquid chromatography with a chromatographic run time of 5 min and detected on a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer operated in positive electrospray ionization and multiple reaction monitoring mode. Mean recoveries were in the range of 76.6–106.5%, with satisfactory intraday and interday relative standard deviations lower than 10.0 and 10.8%, respectively. The limits of detection and quantification were in the ranges of 0.05–0.2 µg/L and 0.1–0.5 µg/L, respectively, depending on the analyte. The proposed method was applied to the analysis of river samples and wastewater samples from swine farms, and no carbapenems were detected in the collected samples.     

Simultaneous determination of pyrifluquinazon and its main metabolite in fruits and vegetables by using QuEChERS–HPLC–MS/MS

A rapid, reliable, and sensitive method is reported for the simultaneous analysis of pyrifluquinazon and its main metabolite NNI‐0101‐1H in fruits (strawberry and cherry) and vegetables (cucumber and tomato) using high‐performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. A modified, quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe procedure was used for the sample pre‐preparation. The target analytes were extracted with acetonitrile and then cleaned up using dispersive solid‐phase extraction procedure with primary secondary amine. Sample analysis was performed using electrospray ionization in positive mode. Good linearities with the correlation coefficients higher than 0.9991 were obtained in the range of 1–1000 μg/L under the optimized conditions. The average recoveries of the pyrifluquinazon and NNI‐0101‐1H were in the range of 71.4–106.0% with the relative standard deviations 1.8–11.8% in all matrices at three spiked levels (10, 100, and 1000 μg/kg). The limit of quantification 10 μg/kg was set as the lowest spiked level. The developed method is reliable and effective for the routine monitoring of pyrifluquinazon and its metabolite NNI‐0101‐1H in fruits and vegetables to ensure food safety.     

Ionic liquid vortex‐simplified matrix solid‐phase dispersion for the simultaneous determination of terpenoids,crocins, quinic acid derivatives and flavonoids in Gardeniae fructus by UHPLC

A novel ionic‐liquid‐based vortex‐simplified matrix solid‐phase dispersion method using 2,6‐dimethyl‐β‐cyclodextrin was established by ultra high performance liquid chromatography coupled with a photodiode array detector. 2,6‐Dimethyl‐β‐cyclodextrin was first used as a promising adsorbent in this proposed method for simultaneous determination of eight compounds in Gardeniae fructus. These compounds are terpenoids (geniposidic acid, genipin‐1‐β‐D‐gentiobioside, geniposide, 8‐o‐acetyl shanzhiside methyl ester), crocins (crocin‐I, crocin‐II), quinic acid derivatives (chlorogenic acid), and flavonoids (isoquercitrin), respectively. Several parameters were investigated in the adsorption and desorption processes to obtain the optimal conditions, including 2,6‐dimethyl‐β‐cyclodextrin as sorbent, 0.5 mL 100 mM 1‐dodecyl‐3‐methylimidazolium hydrogen sulfate as the extraction solvent, 2:1 of sample/sorbent ratio, grinding for 2 min and vortexing for 60 s. The recoveries of the eight compounds ranged from 96.6 to 100% (<3.50%). The limits of detection and quantification were in the range of 0.02–0.30 and 0.06–1.25  μg/mL, respectively. Meanwhile, a good linearity was attained with r values (>0.9997). The established method showed higher extraction efficiency and less reagent consumption than traditional matrix solid phase dispersion and ultrasonic‐assisted extraction. Hence, it could be applied for sample preparation and analysis of natural products.     

固相萃取-超高效液相色谱-三重四极杆质谱法同时测定不同水体中的6种雌激素

建立了固相萃取-超高效液相色谱-三重四极杆质谱（SPE-UPLC-MS/MS）联用技术同时测定不同水体中6种雌激素（雌三醇、17-β-雌二醇、17- α-雌二醇、雌酮、炔雌醇、己烯雌酚）的分析方法。样品经HLB固相萃取柱提取和净化后经BEH C18色谱柱分离,采用MS/MS多反应监测模式（MRM）进行分析。采用内标法定量,以雌三醇-D3、17-β-雌二醇-D2、己烯雌酚-D8为内标。当6种雌激素的质量浓度在1.0~100 μg/L线性范围内时,所得回归方程的相关系数（r）均不小于0.9982;方法检出限为0.27~0.45 ng/L,定量限为1.08~1.78 ng/L;在高、中、低3个添加水平下的回收率为68.3%~97.4%,相对标准偏差（RSD）小于15%。该方法灵敏、准确,检测范围广,分析速度快,适用于地表水、废水、饮用水源水及生活用水等不同水体中6种雌激素的同时检测。     

Simultaneous quantitative determination of 11 sesquiterpene lactones in Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.) leaves by ultra high performance liquid chromatography with quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry

A method of ultra high performance liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry was developed for the simultaneous quantification of 11 sesquiterpene lactones in 11 Jerusalem artichoke leaf samples harvested in a number of areas at different periods. The optimal chromatographic conditions were achieved on a ZORBAX Eclipse Plus C₁₈ column (3.0 × 150 mm, 1.8 μm) with linear gradient elution of methanol and water in 8 min. Quantitative analysis was carried out under selective ion monitoring mode. All of the sesquiterpene lactones showed good linearity (R ² ≥ 0.9949), repeatability (relative standard deviations < 4.66%), and intra‐ and interday precisions (relative standard deviations < 4.52%) with an accuracy of 95.24–104.84%. The recoveries measured at three concentration levels varied from 95.07 to 104.87% with relative standard deviations less than 4.9%. The limit of detection and limit of quantitation for this method were 0.89–5.05 and 1.12–44.33 ng/mL, respectively. The results showed that the contents of sesquiterpene lactones varied significantly in the Jerusalem artichoke leaf samples from different areas. Among them, the content of sesquiterpene lactones in the sample collected from Dalian, Liaoning province was the highest and the early flowering period was considered to be the optimal harvest time.     

Simultaneous quantification of five major constituents in stems of Dracaena plants and related medicinal preparations from China and Vietnam by HPLC–DAD

A high‐performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method was developed for the simultaneous quantification of five major bioactive constituents in the stems of resiniferous Dracaena plants from China and Vietnam, as well as those in the related traditional Chinese medicinal preparations. A diode array detector with the wavelength of 330 nm was used to monitor resveratrol, 7,4′‐dihydroxyflavone and pterostilbene, while loureirin A and loureirin B were monitored at 280 nm. The five constituents were separated on an Agela SB C₁₈ column by gradient elution using 0.008% (v/v) formic acid solution (A) and acetonitrile (B) as the mobile phase. The validation of the method included recovery, linearity, accuracy and precision (intra‐ and inter‐day variation). The range of recoveries of this method was 98.1–104.9%, with all the constituents showing good linearity (r² > 0.9999). The accuracy and precision were satisfactory, with the overall intra‐ and inter‐day variation being less than 4%. The present method has been successfully applied for the determination of all five constituents in 21 related herbal samples including 10 D. cochinchinensis stem samples, seven D. cambodiana stem samples and four purchased medicinal preparations. The contents of these constituents were analyzed using principal component analysis, which can efficiently identify raw herb of Dracaena from different sources. The study may be considered helpful to the quality control of Dracena plants and its medicinal preparations. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Pharmacokinetics and metabolism of olerciamide A from Portulaca oleracea L. in rats by UHPLC‐UV and UHPLC‐ESI‐Q‐TOF/MS

The aim of this study was to elucidate the pharmacokinetics of olerciamide A in rats after oral and intravenous administration of Portulaca oleracea L. extract by a simple and rapid ultra high‐performance liquid chromatography method with bergapten as internal standard. The pharmacokinetic results indicated that olerciamide A was rapidly distributed with a time to peak concentration of 30 min after oral administration and presented a low oral absolute bioavailability of 4.57%. The metabolism of olerciamide A in rats was also investigated using ultra‐high‐performance liquid chromatography electrospray coupled with quadrupole–time of flight mass spectrometry to elucidate the reason for the low absolute bioavailability of olerciamide A and seven metabolites of oleraciamide A were found in rat plasma and urine.     

Simultaneous determination of pyrametostrobin and its two metabolites in cucumber and soil using a quick,easy, cheap,effective, rugged,and safe method with HPLC–MS/MS

An easy, effective and sensitive analytical method for the simultaneous determination of a novel fungicide pyrametostrobin and its two metabolites pyrametostrobin‐M1 and pyrametostrobin‐M2 in cucumber and soil was developed using a quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe method with high‐performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry. The extraction solvent was acetonitrile, and cleanup sorbents were primary secondary amine and graphitized carbon black for cucumber samples and primary secondary amine for soil samples. The three target compounds were successfully separated between 3.2 and 3.9 min using a Waters CORTECS™ C₁₈ column connected to an electrospray ionization source. All the matrix‐matched samples at three fortified levels (10, 100 and 1000  μg/kg) provided satisfactory recoveries in the range of 78.8–93.8% with relative standard deviations below 6.9%. The limits of quantitation for the three compounds were below 0.183 μg/kg. The proposed method was validated by analyzing real samples.     

高效液相色谱法同时测定离体角膜灌流液中8个普萘洛尔衍生物

为了解促渗透剂对不同物质的促渗透能力,建立了采用高效液相色谱分离测定8个普萘洛尔衍生物的分析方法。采用盒式给药技术在离体角膜上皮侧给予普萘洛尔衍生物,内皮侧接收灌流液,用甲醇沉淀蛋白、高速离心后进样,采用Agilent Zorbax Extend色谱柱,以乙腈(A)-0.03%(v/v)磷酸水溶液(B)为流动相,在3%A～20%A间梯度洗脱,柱温30 ℃,检测波长205 nm。结果表明,该方法可在31 min内实现离体角膜灌流液中8个衍生物的完全分离和定量,线性范围为0.2(0.1)～40.0 μmol/L,线性关系良好,相关系数均不小于0.9970。其加样回收率为91.12%～105.73%,日内精密度(相对标准偏差(RSD))为1.00%～11.63%,日间精密度为1.18%～18.58%,样本冻存、冻融稳定性良好。该法适用于离体角膜灌流、细胞小室培养等跨膜吸收研究中普萘洛尔衍生物的检测。     

高效液相色谱法测定茶饮料中的黄酮类化合物

建立了茶饮料中六种黄酮类化合物的高效液相色谱检测方法。流动相采用梯度洗脱。结果表明芦丁、漆黄素、木犀草素、芹菜素在0.025~20 mg·L-1范围内呈现良好线性关系,桑色素、槲皮素在0.050~20 mg·L-1范围内呈现良好线性关系。加标回收率在84.5%~107.5%。该方法精密度良好(六种黄酮类化合物的相对标准偏差均不大于3.2%),检测限为6.2~34μg·L-1。该方法简便,灵敏、重现性好,可用于同时分析茶饮料中的黄酮化合物。     

In situ derivatization and hollow‐fiber liquid‐phase microextraction to determine sulfonamides in water using UHPLC with fluorescence detection

A sensitive method for determining sulfonamides in water was developed and validated through in situ derivatization and hollow‐fiber liquid‐phase microextraction with ultra‐high performance liquid chromatography and fluorescence detection. The target sulfonamides were sulfadiazine, sulfacetamide, sulfamerazine, sulfamethazine, sulfamethoxypyridazine, sulfachloropyridazine, sulfamethoxazole, and sulfisoxazole. Following in situ derivatization with fluorescamine, three‐phase hollow‐fiber liquid‐phase microextraction with an S 6/2 polypropylene hollow‐fiber membrane was applied automatically using a multipurpose autosampler. Experimental parameters including derivatization time, choice of organic phase, pH of donor and acceptor phase, stirring rate, extraction temperature and time were optimized. Under optimized conditions, the target sulfonamides achieved excellent linearity with correlation coefficients of 0.9924–0.9994 within the concentration range of 0.05–5 μg/L. The limits of detection of the eight sulfonamides were 3.1–11.2 ng/L, and the limits of quantification were 10.3–37.3 ng/L. Enrichment factors of 0.1 and 5 μg/L sulfonamides spiked in lake water were 14–60, and recoveries were 56–113% with relative standard derivations of 3–19%. Applied with the developed method, sulfamerazine and sulfamethoxazole were measurable in both influent and effluent water of the three sewage treatment plants in Guangzhou, China. The developed method was sensitive and provided an alternative method for simultaneously enriching and quantifying multiple sulfonamides in environmental water.     

Detection of 13 mycotoxins in feed using modified QuEChERS with dispersive magnetic materials and UHPLC–MS/MS

An analytical method for the simultaneous determination of 13 mycotoxins in feed by magnetic dispersive solid‐phase extraction combined with ultra‐high performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry was developed. The samples were extracted with acetonitrile/water (80:20, v/v, containing 3% acetic acid), and separated by centrifugation after salting‐out, and then treated with magnetic adsorbents to remove interferences. The separation of target mycotoxins was performed on an ACQUITY UPLC HSS T3 column using a mobile phase consisting of 1 mmol/L ammonium acetate with 0.1% formic acid and methanol by gradient elution. Good linearities for the 13 mycotoxins were achieved with correlation coefficients over 0.99, and the recoveries of mycotoxins were in the range of 89.3–112.6% at spiking at levels of 5, 20, and 100 μg/kg, with relative standard deviations of 0.9–10.4%. Based on the functional magnetic materials (MDN@Fe₃O₄, PSA@Fe₃O₄, ZrO_2@Fe₃O₄) applied in dispersive solid‐phase extraction, the pretreatment process is more convenient and it is beneficial to reduce the experimental cost by reusing the recycled magnetic materials. It is a simple, rapid, and environmentally friendly analytical method for the determination of mycotoxins in feed.     

A rapid,sensitive, and widely applicable method for quantitative analysis of underivatized amino acids in different biological matrices by UHPLC‐MS/MS

A rapid, sensitive, and widely applicable method for the simultaneous quantitative analysis of 20 underivatized amino acids in different biological matrices, including serum, plasma, and tissue homogenates, using ultra high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry was developed and validated. Only 4 µL of serum, plasma, or tissue homogenate was extracted with 996 µL of solution (1.7 mM ammonium formate in 85% acetonitrile containing 0.1% formic acid) containing 100 ng/mL phenylalanine‐d5 as an internal standard without any further derivatization step. In addition, the matrix effects were small because a large volume of extraction solution was used. The total run time including reequilibration was 13 min. The results of linearity, accuracy, repeatability, precision, limits of detection, limits of quantification, and sample stability were sufficient to allow the measurement of the amino acids in different biological matrices. We conclude that our method is rapid, sensitive, and widely applicable and represents an improvement over other currently available technologies.