Highly Sensitive and Selective Detection of Creatinine by Combined Use of MISPE and a Complementary MIP-Sensor

Guanidinoacetate methyltransferase deficiency is a recently discovered inborn defect of creatine biosynthesis which reduces serum creatinine concentrations to as low as 0.58 μg mL⁻¹ (or 0.00058 μg mL⁻¹ after 1,000-fold dilution). To measure ultra trace levels of creatinine in diluted samples, molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction (MISPE) and molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) sensor techniques have been found to be inadequate. A combination of these techniques (i.e. MISPE hyphenated with use of an MIP-sensor), reported in this paper, has been found to be highly suitable for direct assay of creatinine in highly diluted human blood serum without complicated pretreatment of the sample. The proposed technique has the potential to enhance the sensitivity of creatinine measurement from μg mL⁻¹ to ng mL⁻¹ in highly dilute aqueous samples in which the concentrations of interfering constituents are reduced to negligible levels. In this work the sensitivity to creatinine was found to be improved compared with that of the MIP-sensor method alone (limit of detection, LOD, 0.00149 μg mL⁻¹). After preconcentration by MISPE and use of the sensor the detection limit for creatinine was as low as 0.00003 μg mL⁻¹ (RSD = 0.94%, S/N = 3; 50-fold preconcentration factor) in aqueous samples.     

Spectrofluorimetric determination of uric acid based on its activation of catalytic oxidation of pyronine Y

A novel kinetic spectrofluorimetric method for the determination of uric acid based on the activation effect of uric acid on the Cu(II) ion catalyzed oxidation of pyronine Y by hydrogen peroxide was developed. The influence of different buffer solutions was tested and the Britton-Robinson buffer solution with pH 2.2 was found to be the optimum. The detection limit and the linear range for uric acid are 0.09 μg mL⁻¹ and 0.3–3.0 μg mL⁻¹, respectively. The RSD for eleven determinations of 1.6 μg mL⁻¹ uric acid was 1.6 %. Satisfactory results were obtained when using this method of uric acid determination in human urine.     

Simultaneous Determination of Lidocaine, Proline and Lomefloxacin in Human Urine by CE with Electrochemiluminescence Detection

A new method was developed for the simultaneous determination of lidocaine, proline and lomefloxacin in human urine by capillary electrophoresis-electrochemiluminescence detection with Ru(bpy)₃ ²⁺. Conditions of the separation and detection were investigated and optimized. It was proved that 20 mM phosphate buffer at pH 6.7 could achieve the most favorable resolution, and the high sensitivity of detection was obtained by using the detection potential at 1.15 V and 5 mM Ru(bpy)₃ ²⁺–60 mM phosphate buffer at pH 7.6 in the detection reservoir. The detection limits were 0.02 μg mL⁻¹ for lidocaine, 0.03 μg mL⁻¹ for proline and 0.06 μg mL⁻¹ for lomefloxacin. Relative standard deviations of the ECL intensity and the migration time were 3.5 and 1.1% for 6 μg mL⁻¹ lidocaine, 3.2 and 1.0% for 6 μg mL⁻¹ proline and 3.7 and 1.2% for 6 μg mL⁻¹ lomefloxacin, respectively. A baseline separation for lidocaine, proline and lomefloxacin was achieved within 360 s. The developed method was successfully applied to determine the amounts of lidocaine, proline and lomefloxacin in human urine. The recovery and RSD were in the range of 93.3–97.2 and 3.8–4.9%, respectively.     

HPLC Determination of DCJW in Rat Plasma and Its Application to Pharmacokinetics Studies

A high-performance liquid chromatography–UV method for determining DCJW concentration in rat plasma was developed. The method described was applied to a pharmacokinetics study of intramuscular injection in rats. The plasma samples were deproteinized with acetonitrile in a one-step extraction. The HPLC assay was carried out using a VP-ODS column and the mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile–water (80:20, v/v) was used at a flow rate of 1.0 mL min⁻¹ for the effective eluting DCJW. The detection of the analyte peak area was achieved by setting a UV detector at 314 nm with no interfering plasma peak. The method was fully validated with the following validation parameters: linearity range 0.06–10 μg mL⁻¹ (r > 0.999); absolute recoveries of DCJW were 97.44–103.46% from rat plasma; limit of quantification, 0.06 μg mL⁻¹ and limit of detection, 0.02 μg mL⁻¹. The method was further used to determine the concentration–time profiles of DCJW in the rat plasma following intramuscular injection of DCJW solution at a dose of 1.2 mg kg⁻¹. Maximum plasma concentration (C _max) and area under the plasma concentration–time curve (AUC) for DCJW were 140.20 ng mL⁻¹ and 2405.28 ng h mL⁻¹.     

Simple and rapid determination of piperacillin and ceftazidime in human plasma samples by HPLC

Summary A simple and rapid liquid chromatographic method has been developed for the determination of therapeutic levels of piperacillin (I) and ceftazidime (II) in human plasma. Plasma and p-propionamidophenol (internal standard) were precipitated with methanol (I) or 20% trichloroacetic acid (II). The supernatant was analysed on a 5 μm Spherisorb ODS C₁₈ column with acetonitrile-0.05 M phosphate buffer pH 3.8 as mobile phase and ultraviolet detection at 254 nm. The calibration graph was linear from 10 to 250 μg mL⁻¹, for (I), and from 5 to 200 μg mL⁻¹ for (II). Intra and inter-day CV did no exceed 2.29% for (I), and were 10.76–11.13%–2.00–5.62 for (II) at concentrations of 10 μg mL⁻¹ and 250 μg mL⁻¹.     

HPLC Determination of Lovastatin in Rat Tissue

A simple HPLC method has been developed and validated for the determination of lovastatin in rat tissues. Samples were prepared by a simple protein precipitation. Separation was carried out on a C18 column with a mobile phase of acetonitrile:0.05 M ammonium acetate, a flow rate of 1.0 mL min⁻¹ and with detection at 238 nm. There was no interference from endogenous tissue compounds. The calibration curve was linear from 0.0175 to 7.0 μg mL⁻¹ with a limit of detection of 0.006 μg mL⁻¹. The method was used to measure the concentration of lovastatin in rat tissue after a single oral dose. The highest level was observed in the liver, then in kidney, heart and spleen; the lowest level was found in the brain. These results suggest that lovastatin distributes rapidly into all tissues and particularly the liver.     

Resolution of an intense sweetener mixture by use of a flow injection sensor with on-line solid-phase extraction

An integrated solid-phase spectrophotometry–FIA method is proposed for simultaneous determination of the mixture of saccharin (1,2-benzisothiazol-3(2H)-one-1,1-dioxide; E-954) (SA) and aspartame (N-l-α-aspartyl-l-phenylalanine-1-methyl ester; E-951) (AS). The procedure is based on on-line preconcentration of AS on a C₁₈ silica gel minicolumn and separation from SA, followed by measurement, at λ=210 nm, of the absorbance of SA which is transiently retained on the adsorbent Sephadex G-25 placed in the flow-through cell of a monochannel FIA setup using pH 3.0 orthophosphoric acid–dihydrogen phosphate buffer, 3.75×10^–3 mol L⁻¹, as carrier. Subsequent desorption of AS with methanol enables its determination at λ=205 nm. With a sampling frequency of 10 h⁻¹, the applicable concentration range, the detection limit, and the relative standard deviation were from 1.0 to 200.0 μg mL⁻¹, 0.30 μg mL⁻¹, and 1.0% (80 μg mL⁻¹, n=10), respectively, for SA and from 10.0 to 200.0 μg mL⁻¹, 1.4 μg mL⁻¹, and 1.6% (100 μg mL⁻¹, n=10) for AS. The method was used to determine the amounts of aspartame and saccharin in sweets and drinks. Recovery was always between 99 and 101%. The method enabled satisfactory determination of blends of SA and AS in low-calorie and dietary products and the results were compared with those from an HPLC reference method.     

Isocratic Reversed-Phase HPLC for Simultaneous Separation and Determination of Seven Antiepileptic Drugs and Two of their Active Metabolites in Human Plasma

A simple reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method has been developed for the simultaneous determination of the antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) zonisamide (ZNS), primidone (PRI), lamotrigine (LTG), phenobarbital (PB), phenytoin (PHT), oxcarbazepine (OXC), and carbamazepine (CBZ) and two of their active metabolites, monohydroxycarbamazepine (MHD) and carbamazepine 10,11-epoxide (CBZE) in human plasma. Plasma (100 μL) was pretreated by deproteinization with 300 μL methanol containing 20 μg mL⁻¹ propranolol hydrochloride as internal standard. HPLC was performed on a C₈ column (4.6 mm × 250 mm; particle size 5 μm) with methanol–acetonitrile–0.1% trifluoroacetic acid, 235:120:645 (v/v), as mobile phase at a flow rate of 1.5 mL min⁻¹. ZNS, OXC, and CBZ were monitored by UV detection at 235 nm, and PRI, LTG, MHD, PB, PHT, and CBZE by UV detection at 215 nm. Relationships between response and concentration were linear over the concentration ranges 1–80 μg mL⁻¹ for ZNS, 5–50 μg mL⁻¹ for PRI, 1–25 μg mL⁻¹ for LTG, 1–50 μg mL⁻¹ for MHD, 5–100 μg mL⁻¹ for PB, 1–10 μg mL⁻¹ for CBZE, 0.5–25 μg mL⁻¹ for OXC, 1–50 μg mL⁻¹ for PHT, and 1–25 μg mL⁻¹ for CBZ. Intra-day and inter-day reproducibility were adequate (coefficients of variation were ≤11.6%) and absolute recovery ranged from 95.2 ± 6.13 to 107.7 ± 7.76% for all the analytes; for the IS recovery was 98.69 ± 1.12%. The method was proved to be accurate, reproducible, convenient, and suitable for therapeutic monitoring of the nine analytes.     

A spectrophotometric method for quantitative determination of lactulose in pharmaceutical preparations

A simple spectrophotometric assay for the quantification of lactulose in pharmaceutical preparations was developed. The method is based on hydrolysis of lactulose under acidic conditions. The hydrolyzed product reacts with resorcinol, giving absorption peaks at 398 and 480 nm. Both absorption wavelengths can be used for the determination of lactulose. The limit of detection of lactulose at 398 nm and 480 nm was 0.075 μg mL⁻¹ and 0.65 μg mL⁻¹, respectively. The calibration was linear in the range of 5–25 μg mL⁻¹. Analytical conditions were optimized, and the method was validated for analysis of pharmaceutical preparations. The determined amount of lactulose was found to be in good agreement with labeled claims in commercial products. The proposed method is economical, convenient, and suitable for the quantification of lactulose in pharmaceutical preparations. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Separation ofN-carbamoyl aspartate andl-dihydroorotate from serum by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorimetric detection

Summary A high-performance liquid chromatographic method, with 9-anthryldiazomethane as derivatizing agent, has been developed for the simultaneous determination ofN-carbamoyl aspartate andl-dihydroorotate in serum. Sample preparation for 1 mL serum was by simple liquid-liquid extraction and then derivatization. The compounds were separated on a Luna C18(2) column by use of a gradient prepared from acetonitrile and 10 mM sodium acetate buffer, pH 6.0, and fluorimetric detection was performed at excitation and emission wavelengths of 365 nm and 412 nm, respectively. The response was found to be linearly dependent on concentration between 0.8 and 60 μg mL⁻¹ forl-dihydrooratate and between 0.9 and 90 μg mL⁻¹ forN-carbamoyl aspartate; the mean recovery rates were 50 and 51%, respectively. The limits of detection and quantification were 0.33 μg mL⁻¹ and 0.6 μg mL⁻¹, respectively, forl-dihydroorotate and 0.4 μg mL⁻¹ and 0.7 μg mL⁻¹ forN-carbamoyl aspartate. This method can be used to assess accumulation ofN-carbamoyl aspartate andl-dihydroorotate in body fluids in situations where cellular pyrimidine de novo synthesis is impaired.     

Simultaneous RP-LC Determination of Losartan Potassium, Ramipril, and Hydrochlorothiazide in Pharmaceutical Preparations

A simple, rapid, and precise reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method has been developed for simultaneous determination of losartan potassium, ramipril, and hydrochlorothiazide. The three drugs were separated on a 150 mm × 4.6 mm i.d., 5 μm particle, Cosmosil C₁₈ column. The mobile phase was 0.025 m sodium perchlorate–acetonitrile, 62:38 (v/v), containing 0.1% heptanesulphonic acid, pH adjusted to 2.85 with orthophosphoric acid, at a flow rate of 1.0 mL min⁻¹. UV detection was performed at 215 nm. The method was validated for linearity, accuracy, precision, and limit of quantitation. Linearity, accuracy, and precision were acceptable in the ranges 35–65 μg mL⁻¹ for losartan, 1.75–3.25 μg mL⁻¹ for ramipril, and 8.75–16.25 μg mL⁻¹ for hydrochlorothiazide.     

Studies on uranium recovery from inlet stream of Effluent Treatment Plant by novel “In-House” sorbent

A fast and simple multisyringe flow injection analysis (MSFIA) method for routine determination of thorium in water samples was developed. The methodology was based on the complexation reaction of thorium with arsenazo (III) at pH 2.0. Thorium concentrations were spectrophotometrically detected at 665 nm. Under optimal conditions, Beer’s law was obeyed over the range from 0.2 to 4.5 μg mL⁻¹ thorium, a 3σ detection limit of 0.05 μg mL⁻¹, and a 10σ quantification limit of 0.2 μg mL⁻¹ were obtained. The relative standard deviations (RSD, %) at 0.5, 2.5 and 4.5 μg mL⁻¹ was 2.8, 1.5 and 0.8%, respectively (n = 10). It was found that most of the common metal ions and anions did not interfere with the thorium determination. The proposed method was successfully applied to its analysis in various water samples.     

High-Performance Liquid Chromatographic Determination of Cefepime and Cefazolin in Human Plasma and Dialysate

A simple high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method was developed for the simultaneous determination of cefepime and cefazolin in human plasma and dialysate. For component separation, the method utilized a C₁₈ column with an aqueous mobile phase of dibasic potassium hydrogen phosphate (pH 7.0) and methanol gradient at a flow rate of 1 mL min⁻¹. The method demonstrated linearity from 2.0 to 100.0 μg mL⁻¹ (r > 0.999) with detection limit of 1 μg mL⁻¹ for both cefepime and cefazolin. The method was utilized for evaluation of plasma and dialysate samples in a clinical study evaluating the dialyzer clearance of cefepime and cefazolin using high-flux hemodialysis with varying blood flow rates in chronic kidney failure patients undergoing hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis treatment.     

Automatic determination of phylloquinone in vegetables and fruits using on-line photochemical reduction and fluorescence detection via solid phase extraction and flow injection

A very simple, rapid and highly sensitive flow injection fluorimetric method was developed for the determination of phylloquinone. The assay was based on the on-line reduction of phylloquinone in dodecylsulfate micelles after irradiation with UV light. The micellar medium enhanced the fluorescence and stability of the reduced phylloquinone. Under optimum experimental conditions, the range of application of the technique was between 0.09 and 45.0 μg mL⁻¹ and the detection limit was 0.05 μg mL⁻¹. The sample throughput was 90 injections per hour. The reliability of the method for the routine analysis of phylloquinone in vegetables and fruits is demonstrated. Extractions were made with hexane, and an automated solid phase extraction system was used to purify the sample extracts prior to injection into the flow injection manifold.     

Fluorescence enhancement of the protein–curcumin–sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate system and protein determination

Protein can greatly enhance the fluorescence of curcumin (CU) in the presence of sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS). Experiments indicate that under the optimum conditions, the enhanced intensity of fluorescence is proportional to the concentration of proteins in the range of 0.0050–20.0 μg mL⁻¹ for bovine serum albumin (BSA), 0.080–20.0 μg mL⁻¹ for human serum albumin (HSA), and 0.040–28.0 μg mL⁻¹ for egg albumin (EA). Their detection limits (S/N=3) are 1.4 ng mL⁻¹, 20 ng mL⁻¹, and 16 ng mL⁻¹, respectively. The method has been satisfactorily used for the determination of proteins in actual samples. In comparison with most of fluorimetric methods, this method is quick and simple, has high sensitivity and good stability. The interaction mechanism is also studied.     

MEKC Determination and Pharmacokinetic Study of Danshensu in Rabbits after Intragastric Administration of the Aqueous Extract from Danshen

A micelle eletrokinetic capillary chromatography (MEKC) method was used to determine Danshensu in rabbit blood plasma and tissues (liver, lung, kidney, brain, heart and spleen). The separation was achieved with a buffer consisting of 30 mmol L⁻¹ borax and 50 mmol L⁻¹ SDS (pH 9.0), and with an applied voltage of 7.0 kV. Validation of the method showed good sensitivity, reproducibility and precision. The calibration curve for Danshensu was linear over the concentration range of 0.4–400 μg mL⁻¹. The limit of detection (LOD) was 0.08 μg mL⁻¹ (S/N = 3). The validated method has been successfully applied for the pharmacokinetic and the tissue distribution studies of Danshensu after intragastric administration of the aqueous extract from traditional Chinese medicine Danshen.     

Resonance Rayleigh scattering spectra of tetracycline antibiotic–Cu(II)–titan yellow systems and their applications in analytical chemistry

Tetracycline antibiotics (TCs) such as doxycycline (DOTC), chlortetracycline (CTC), oxytetracycline (OTC), and tetracycline (TC) react with Cu(II) in pH 3.5 BR buffer medium to form 1:1 cationic chelates, which further react with titan yellow to form 2:1 ion association complexes. These result in great enhancement of resonance Rayleigh scattering (RRS) and the appearance of new RRS spectra. The ion association complexes of DOTC, CTC, OTC, and TC have similar spectral characteristics and their maximum RRS wavelengths are all located at 464 nm. The quantitative determination ranges and the detection limits (3σ) of the four TCs are 0.037–4.8 μg mL⁻¹ and 11.2 ng mL⁻¹ for DOTC, 0.041–5.2 μg mL⁻¹ and 12.4 ng mL⁻¹ for CTC, 0.050–4.8 μg mL⁻¹ and 15.1 ng mL⁻¹ for TC, and 0.088–5.0 μg mL⁻¹ and 26.3 ng mL⁻¹ for OTC, respectively. The optimum reaction conditions, the effects of foreign substances, the structure of ternary complexes, and the reaction mechanism are discussed. A sensitive, rapid, and simple RRS method for the determination of DOTC has been developed.     

A novel kinetic-spectrophotometric method for determination of nitrites in water

A simple, selective and sensitive kinetic method for the determination of nitrite in water was developed. The method is based on the catalytic effect of nitrite on the oxidation of methylene blue (MB) with bromate in a sulfuric acid medium. During the oxidation process, absorbance of the reaction mixture decreases with the increasing time, inversely proportional to the nitrite concentration. The reaction rate was monitored spectrophotometrically at λ = 666 nm within 30 s of mixing. Linear calibration graph was obtained in the range of 0.005–0.5 μg mL⁻¹ with a relative standard deviation of 2.09 % for six measurements at 0.5 μg mL⁻¹. The detection limit was found to be 0.0015 μg mL⁻¹. The effect of different factors such as acidity, time, bromate concentration, MB concentration, ionic strength, and order of reactants additions is reported. Interference of the most common foreign ions was also investigated. The optimum experimental conditions were: 0.38 mol L⁻¹ H₂SO₄, 5 × 10.4 mol L⁻¹ KBrO₃, 1.25 × 10.5 mol L⁻¹ MB, 0.3 mol L⁻¹ sodium nitrate, and 25°C. The proposed method was conveniently applied for the determination of nitrite in spiked drinking water samples.     

Multisyringe flow injection spectrophotometric determination of uranium in water samples

A multisyringe flow injection analysis method for the determination of uranium in water samples was developed. The methodology was based on the complexation reaction of uranium with arsenazo (III) at pH 2.0. Uranium concentrations were spectrophotometrically detected at 649 nm using a light emitting diode. Under the optimized conditions, a linear dynamic range from 0.1 to 4.0 μg mL⁻¹, a 3σ detection limit of 0.04 μg mL⁻¹, and a 10σ quantification limit of 0.10 μg mL⁻¹ were obtained. The reproducibility (%) at 0.5, 2.5, and 4.0 μg mL⁻¹ was 2.5, 0.9, and 0.6%, respectively (n = 10). The interference effect of some ions was tested. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of uranium in water samples.     

Simultaneous separation and determination of Cu(II), Fe(III), and Pb(II) by reversed-phase ion-pair chromatography withN,N,N′, N′-ethylene-diaminetetrakis(methylenephosphonic Acid)

Summary A reversed-phase ion-pair chromatographic (RPIPC) method withN,N,N′, N′-ethylenediaminetetrakis(methylenephosphonic acid) (EDTMP) as coordinating agent has been developed for simultaneous separation and detection of Cu(II), Fe(III), and Pb(II) ions. Response is linearly dependent on amount of sample over the range 9.52–50.8 μg mL⁻¹ for Cu(II), 8.31–41.8 μg mL⁻¹ for Fe(III), and 37.3–51.8 μg mL⁻¹ for Pb(II). The method has been applied successfully to an artificial mixed-ore sample.