Simultaneous determination of five aristolochic acids and two aristololactams in Aristolochia plants by high-performance liquid chromatography

An HPLC method was developed for the simultaneous determination of five aristolochic acids (AAs) and two aristololactams (ALs) in the following six Chinese drugs derived from Aristolochia species. Samples were analyzed on a C(18) column with acetonitrile and 3.7 mm phosphoric acid buffer gradient elution, detected at 260 nm. Assay was linear over the range (microg/mL) 0.386-38.6 for aristolochic acid Va, 0.632-63.2 for aristolochic acid IVa, 0.200-20.0 for 9-hydroxy aristolochic acid I, 0.352-35.2 for aristololactam II, 0.296-29.6 for aristolochic acid II, 0.274-27.4 for aristololactam I and 3.12-312 for aristolochic acid I. Average recoveries (%) of samples were 102.0, 95.9, 99.2, 102.2, 97.2, 97.1 and 97.8 for these seven constituents, respectively. The detection limit and retention time for the seven constituents ranged from 10.0 to 15.8 ng/mL and from 12 to 21 min. As a result of drug determination, contents (in mg/g) were as follows: AA-I, 0.69-1.77; AA-II, 0.02-0.18; 9-OH AA-I, 0.04-0.12; AA-IVa, 0.76-3.36; AA-Va, 0.04-0.31; AL-I, 0.07-0.36; and AL-II, 0.01-0.09 in Madouling; AA-I, 0.03-0.41; AA-II, 0.01-0.11; 9-OH AA-I, 0.00-0.60; AA-IVa, 0.00-0.77; AA-Va, 0.00-0.14; and AL-I, 0.00-0.04 in Tianxianteng; AA-I, 1.19-4.71; and AA-II, 0.24-1.69 in Qingmuxiang; AA-I, 2.79-5.48; AA-II, 1.06-1.86; 9-OH AA-I, 0.01-0.09; AA-IVa, 0.38-0.69; AA-Va, 0.00-0.61; AL-I, 0.00-0.02; and AL-II, 0.00-0.02 in Bei-madouling-gen; AA-I, 0.64-4.23; AA-II, 0.06-0.40; and AA-IVa, 0.08-0.25; in Guangfangji; and AA-I, 1.88-9.72; AA-II, 0.26-1.88; and AA-IVa, 0.09-0.52 in Guanmutong. The other constituents were not detected in Tianxianteng, Qingmuxiang, Guangfangji and Guanmutong.     

Study on separation of aristolochic acid I and II by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography and competition mechanism between SDS and beta-cyclodextrin

In this study, a rapid MEKC method using 40 mM sodium borate buffer containing 50 mM SDS as surfactant was developed for the analysis of aristolochic acid (AA) in Aristolochia plants. Baseline separation of AA-I and AA-II was achieved within 3 min with high separation efficiency, satisfactory sensitivity, repeatability, and recovery. Resolution between AA-I and AA-II is above 5 and great performance with higher than 200,000 theoretical plate numbers was obtained. The detection limits (based on 3 S/N) were both 1.0 microg/mL. Two kinds of AA in 35 herbal samples of Aristolochia plants were successfully determined. The competition mechanism between beta-CD and SDS was also investigated by changing the content ratio of beta-CD and SDS.     

Rapid determination of aristolochic acid I and II in medicinal plants with high sensitivity by cucurbit[7]uril-modifier capillary zone electrophoresis

Aristolochic acids (AAs) are commonly found in medicinal plants such as Radix aristolochiae and have been reported to cause acute hepatitis and end-stage renal failure. Hence, quantitative analysis and quality control for the plants containing AAs is of great importance. In this study, a novel macrocylcic molecule, cucurbit[7]uril (CB[7]) was employed as a modifier in capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) for rapid determination of aristolochic acid I and II in medicinal plants. In similarity to other macrocyclic molecules, such as cyclodextrins (CDs), CB[7] can be used to manipulate selectivity in CE because it can form inclusion complexes with a variety of guest molecules. During the running process, CB[7] bears a positive charge in the pH range of 2.5-7.5 and can be adsorbed onto the inner wall of a fused-capillary, leading to a reversal of the electroosmotic flow (EOF). By applying a negative polarity, a rapid separation of AA-I and AA-II was achieved within 7min using 100mM phosphate buffer (pH 7.5) containing 3mM CB[7] and 10% acetonitrile (v/v) as modifiers, due to the same directions of the EOF and the electrophoretic mobilities of the analytes. By applying electrokinetic injection with field-enhanced sample stacking, two kinds of aristolochic acids in four medicinal plants were successfully determined with high sensitivity, high separation efficiency, repeatability and recovery. The proposed method was also used to determine AA-I and AA-II in two slimming pills with complex matrix.     

Determination of aristolochic acid in Chinese herbal medicine by capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence detection

We have demonstrated the analysis of aristolochic acids (AAs) that are naturally occurring nephrotoxin and carcinogen by capillary electrophoresis in conjunction with laser-induced fluorescence detection (CE-LIF). Owing to lack of intrinsic fluorescence characteristics of oxidized AAs (OAAs), reduction of the analytes by iron powder in 10.0 mM HCl is required prior to CE analysis. The reduced AAs (RAAs) exhibit fluorescence at 477 nm when excited at 405 nm using a solid-state blue laser. By using 50.0 mM sodium tetraborate (pH 9.0) containing 10.0 mM SDS, the determination of AA-I and AA-II by CE-LIF has been achieved within 12 min. The CE-LIF provides the LODs of 8.2 and 5.4 nM for AA-I and AA-II, respectively. The simple CE-LIF method has been validated by the analysis of 61 Chinese herbal samples. Prior to CE analysis, OAAs were extracted by using 5.0 mL MeOH, and then the extracts were subjected to centrifugation at 3,000 rpm for 5 min. After reduction, extraction, and centrifugation, the supernatants were collected and subjected to CE analysis. Of the 61 samples, 14 samples contain AA-I and AA-II, as well as 10 samples contain either AAI or AAII. The relative standard deviation (RSD) values of the migration times for AA-I and AA-II are less than 2.5% and 2.1% for three consecutive measurements of each sample. The RSD values for the peak heights corresponding to AA-I and AA-II in most samples are about 8.0% and 10.0%, respectively. The result shows that the present CE-LIF approach is sensitive, simple, efficient, and accurate for the determination of AAs in real samples.     

Online concentration of aristolochic acid I and II in Chinese medicine preparations by micellar electrokinetic chromatography

In this study, an online concentration method in micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) applying field-enhanced sample injection (FESI) mode was developed for the detection of aristolochic acids (AAs) in Chinese medicine preparations. AA-I and AA-II were baseline separated with high separation efficiency, and 100-fold enhancement of the detection sensitivity was achieved compared with those obtained from normal capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) or simple MEKC method. The proposed method was successfully applied for the determination of AAs in Chinese medicine preparations.     

Differentiation of herbs linked to "Chinese herb nephropathy" from the liquid chromatographic determination of aristolochic acids

A HPLC method was developed and applied to analyze aristolochic acids (AA-I and AA-II) in Chinese medicinal herbs. The herb samples were extracted by using ultrasonication with the extraction efficiency of better than 82%. Extracts were then filtered and injected onto a C18 column eluting under a gradient program using methanol and water-containing 0.5% acetic acid. The method with the detection limits of 1.33 ng for AA-I and 7.29 ng for AA-II per injection was successfully applied for the analysis of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and related products and differentiation of Chinese medicinal herbs that have previously been misused and caused toxicological effects. The developed protocol provided an example that analysis of selected component markers could serve for health security and quality control of TCM consumption.     

Determination of aristolochic acids in medicinal plant and herbal product by liquid chromatography-electrospray-ion trap mass spectrometry

This paper describes a liquid chromatography-electrospray-ion trap mass spectrometry (LC-ES-ITMS) method for the determination of aristolochic acid I and II (AA-I and AA-II) in medicinal plants and Chinese herbal remedies. A reversed phase C₁₈ column with gradient elution was utilized. The effects of mobile phase additives, acetic acid and ammonium acetate, on LC separation and ES ionization were investigated. For both AA-I and AA-II, the [M+NH₄]⁺ ion was found to be the precursor ion for target MS/MS analysis. The MS/MS product ion, [M+H−44]⁺, was used for the quantitative measurement of AA-I and AA-II. The linearity was good from 0.03 to 5 μg ml⁻¹ and good correlation (r²=0.999) over the range examined was determined for both AA. The detection limit based on a signal-to-noise ratio of three was 0.012 and 0.015 μg ml⁻¹ for AA-I and AA-II, respectively. Various Chinese herbal remedies obtained from renal failure patients and medicinal plants were examined by this newly developed method.     

Determination of hesperidin and synephrine in Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae by capillary electrophoresis with electrochemical detection

A method based on capillary electrophoresis with electrochemical detection (CE-ED) has been developed for the determination of hesperidin (HP) and synephrine (SP) in the Chinese traditional herbal drug, Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae, the dried rind of the ripe fruits of Citrus reticulata Blanco (mandarin orange). The effects of some important factors such as the acidity and concentration of running buffer, separation voltage, and detection potential were investigated to determine the optimum conditions. The working electrode was a 300 microm diameter carbon disc electrode positioned opposite the outlet of the capillary. Both analytes could be well separated within 5 min in a 40 cm long capillary at a separation voltage of 12 kV in 50 mmol L(-1) borate buffer (pH 9.0). Excellent linearity was observed for the dependence of peak current on analyte concentration in the range from 2.5 x 10(-6) to 1.0 x 10(-3) mol L(-1) for SP and from 5.0 x 10(-6) to 1.0 x 10(-3) mol L(-1) for HP. The detection limits (S/N=3) for SP and HP were 4.96 x 10(-7) mol L(-1) and 6.54 x 10(-7) mol L(-1), respectively. This method has been successfully applied for the analysis of real samples, with satisfactory results.     

A sensitivity enhanced high-performance liquid chromatography fluorescence method for the detection of nephrotoxic and carcinogenic aristolochic acid in herbal medicines

A new, sensitive and selective HPLC method with fluorescence detector (HPLC-FLD) for the determination of nephrotoxic and carcinogenic aristolochic acid (AA) in herbal medicines by using pre-column derivatization with zinc powder in acetic acid is presented. Variables governing the derivatization reaction, such as the amount of zinc powder and acetic acid, as well as the derivatization time were studied and optimized. An extended linear dynamic range over three orders of magnitude was observed for AA-I and AA-II (R(2)>0.9998). Method accuracy at low, medium and high spiked AA levels determined by the percentage mean deviation was below 4.4% and 7.2% for AA-I and AA-II, respectively. The detection limits of 0.39 ng/mL (AA-I) and 0.52 ng/mL (AA-II) were 2 orders of magnitude lower than those obtained from HPLC-MS or CE-ECD analyses, 3-4 orders of magnitude lower than those from HPLC-UV or CE-UV methods. The developed method has been applied for the determination of AA in herbal medicines. Among the tested samples, Guanmutong had the highest AA concentration (2607.0 microg/g AA-I, 711.2 microg/g AA-II). Comparison studies between HPLC-FLD and HPLC-MS/MS demonstrated that the two methods gave similar quantitative results for the selected herb samples.     

Fluorimetric study of the interaction between human serum albumin and quinolones-terbium complex and its application

A highly sensitive spectrofluorimetric method is proposed for determination of human serum albumin (HSA) and some quinolone drugs. Using quinolones-terbium (Tb3+) complex as a fluorescent probe, in the buffer solution of pH 7.8, HSA can remarkably enhance the fluorescence intensity of the quinolones-Tb3+ complex at 545 nm and the enhanced fluorescence intensity of Tb3+ ion is in proportion to the concentration of HSA and quinolone drugs. Optimum conditions for the determination of HSA were also investigated. The linear ranges and limits of detection are 8.0 x 10(-9) to 8.0 x 10(-8) mol L(-1), 4.20 x 10(-9) mol L(-1) (for HSA); 1.0 x 10(-6) to 4.0 x 10(-6) mol L(-1), 1.87 x 10(-8) mol L(-1) (for norfloxacin) and 1.0 x 10(-7) to 1.0 x 10(-6) mol L(-1), 4.82 x 10(-8) mol L(-1) (for enoxacine), respectively. This method is simple, practical and relatively free interference from coexisting substances, as well as much more sensitive than most of the existing assays.     

Quality Analysis of Herbal Medicine Products Prepared from Herba Sarcandrae by Capillary Electrophoresis with Electrochemical Detection

A capillary electrophoresis with electrochemical detection（CE-ED） method was developed for the quality analysis of herbal medicine products prepared from the same herb of Herba Sarcandrae： Fufang Caoshanhu tablets, Qingrexiaoyanning capsules, and Xuekang oral liquids. Under the optimal analysis conditions, the low detection limit[l.0×10^-7 mol/L（S/N=3）] and the wide linear range（1.0×10^-7-1.0×10^-4 mol/L） were obtained for quality standard compound of isofraxidin. The precisions of the peak current and the migration time（as RSDs） for the real sample analysis were 2.0%-2.6%, and 1.2%-1.8% for isofraxidin, respectively. The contents of isofraxidin detected were 15.77 μg/tablet, 0.48 mg/capsule, 1.2 mg/ampoule（Jiangxi）, and 0.44 mg/ampoule（Dalian） for Fufang Caoshanhu tablets, Qingrexiaoyanning capsules, and Xuekang oral liquids from different manufacturers, respectively. Quality estimate was conducted by comparing the contents of isofraxidin in the herbal medicine products with the demanded values of Chinese pharmacopeia. In addition, based on their own unique CE-ED profiles（namely, CE-ED electropherograms） the Xuekang oral liquids from the different manufacturers could be easily identified.     

Amperometric determination of glutathione and cysteine on a Pd-IrO(2) modified electrode with high performance liquid chromatography in rat brain microdialysate

A Pd/IrO(2) co-electrodeposited glassy carbon electrode was prepared and the electrochemical behavior of glutathione (GSH) at this chemically modified electrode (CME) has been studied by cyclic voltammetry (CV). The results indicated that the modified electrode efficiently exhibited electrocatalytic oxidation for GSH with relatively high sensitivity, stability, and long-life. Coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), the Pd/IrO(2) modified electrode was utilized for the electrochemical detection (ECD) of the thiocompounds, glutathione and cysteine (Cys). The peak currents were linear with the substance concentrations in the range of 1.0 x 10(-5) mol L(-1) to 8.0 x 10(-4) mol L(-1) for GSH and 4.0 x 10(-6) mol L(-1) to 2.0 x 10(-4) mol L(-1) for Cys. The detection limits were 2.0 x 10(-6) mol L(-1) for GSH and 5.0 x 10(-7) mol L(-1) for Cys with S/N of 3. The method has been successfully applied to assess the contents of GSH and Cys in rat brain microdialysates.     

Determination of hydroxyl radical by capillary electrophoresis and studies on hydroxyl radical scavenging activities of Chinese herbs

High-performance capillary electrophoresis (CE) with electrochemical detection (ED) was employed to determine hydroxyl radicals in the Fenton reaction. Hydroxyl radicals can react with salicylic acid to produce 2,3-dihydroxy benzoic acid and 2,5-dihydroxy benzoic acid, which can be analyzed by CE-ED. Based on this principle, hydroxyl radicals were determined indirectly. In a 20 mmol/L phosphate running buffer (pH 7.4), 2,3-dihydroxy benzoic acid and 2,5-dihydroxy benzoic acid would elute simultaneously from the capillary within 6 min. As the working electrode, a 300 m diameter carbon-disk electrode exhibits good responses at +0.60 V (vs. SCE) for the two analytes. Peak currents of the two analytes are additive. Excellent linearity was obtained in the concentration range from 1.0×10^-3 mol/L to 5.0×10^-6 mol/L for 2,3-dihydroxy benzoic acid. The detection limit (S/N=3) was 2.0×10^-6 mol/L. This method was successfully applied for studying hydroxyl radical scavenging activities of Chinese herbs. It is testified that Apocynum Venetum L., Jinkgo bibola L., Morus alba L. and Rhododendron dauricum L. have strong hydroxyl radical scavenging activities.     

Simultaneous determination of phytoestrogens in different medicinal parts of Sophora japonica L. by capillary electrophoresis with electrochemical detection

A high-performance capillary electrophoresis with electrochemical detection (CE-ED) method has been developed for the determination of phytoestrogens from the pericarps and seeds of Sophora japonica L. in this work. Genistin, genistein, rutin, kaempferol and quercetin are important bioactive constituents in these plants. The effects of several factors such as the acidity and concentration of running buffer, the separation voltage, the applied potential and the injection time on the CE-ED procedure were investigated. Under the optimum conditions, the five analytes could be well separated within 18 min in a 75 cm length capillary (i.d. 25 microm) at the separation voltage of 16 kV in a 50 mmol L(-1) borax running buffer (pH 9.0). A 300 microm diameter carbon disk electrode was used as the working electrode positioned carefully opposite the outlet of the capillary in a wall-jet configuration at the potential of +950 mV (vs SCE). Detection limits (S/N = 3) ranged from 1.1 x 10(-7) to 2.8 x 10(-7) g mL(-1) for all fi ve analytes. This method was successfully used to analyse dried Flos sophorae immaturus, pericarps and seeds of dried Fructus sophorae after a relatively simple extraction procedure, and the assay results were satisfactory.     

Determination of histamine by capillary zone electrophoresis with amperometric detection.

Capillary zone electrophoresis was employed for the determination of histamine using end-column amperometric detection with a carbon fiber microelectrode, at a constant potential. The optimum conditions of separation and detection were 10 mmol/L phosphate buffer, pH 5.6 for the buffer solution, 15 kV for the separation voltage, and 1.35 V (versus SCE) for the detection potential. The linear range was from 6.3 x 10(-7) to 1.5 x 1(-5) mol/L with the regression coefficient of 0.9997, and the detection limit was 4.0 x 10(-7) mol/L (S/N = 3). The proposed method was successfully applied to the direct determination of histamine in the beer samples without any sample clean-up procedures.     

Rapid hydrolysis and electrochemical detection of trace carbofuran at a disposable heated screen-printed carbon electrode

A disposable heated screen-printed carbon electrode (HSPCE) is successfully fabricated. It demonstrates rapid responses to electrical heating and is easily elevated above the water boiling point by a high frequency alternating current. The temperature rise at the HSPCE was found to be strongly dependent on the square of the heating current and the electrode width. Carbofuran (CAF) could be rapidly hydrolyzed to carbofuran phenol at the HSPCE with raised temperature, and then determined at the same electrode at room temperature by differential potential voltammetry (DPV). The factors influencing the detection were examined, including pH, hydrolytic temperature and heating time. Under the optimum conditions, the detection linear range of CAF was from 4.0 x 10(-7) to 4.0 x 10(-4) mol L(-1) and the detection limit was 5.0 x 10(-8) mol L(-1) (S/N = 3). This method was successfully applied to the analysis of CAF residues in real samples (spiked water, soil and vegetables), and satisfactory recoveries were obtained.     

Electrochemical parameters of ethamsylate at multi-walled carbon nanotube modified glassy carbon electrodes

In this paper, some electrochemical parameters of ethamsylate at a multi-walled carbon nanotube modified glassy carbon electrode, such as the charge number, exchange current density, standard heterogeneous rate constant and diffusion coefficient, were measured by cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry and chronocoulometry. The modified electrode exhibits good promotion of the electrochemical reaction of ethamsylate and increases the standard heterogeneous rate constant of ethamsylate greatly. The differential pulse voltammetry responses of ethamsylate were linearly dependent on its concentrations in a range from 2.0 x 10(-6) to 6.0 x 10(-5) mol L(-1), with a detection limit of 4.0 x 10(-7) mol L(-1).     

Determination of carbamazepine by chemiluminescence detection using chemically prepared tris(2,2'-bipyridine)ruthenium(III) as oxidant.

A new chemiluminescence method for the determination of carbamazepine (CBZ) has been developed. The method is based on the chemiluminescence produced in the reaction of tris(2,2'-bipyridine)ruthenium(III) and CBZ in an acidic medium. The chemiluminescence intensity was enhanced by organic solvents in the reaction system. Under the optimum experimental conditions, the calibration curve was linear over the range 4.0 x 10(-3)-8.6 x 10(-7) mol/L for CBZ. The detection limit (S/N = 3) was 2.5 x 10(-7) mol/L and the relative standard deviation of six replicate measurements was 2.6% for 4.0 x 10(-4) mol/L of CBZ. The possible reaction mechanism were also discussed. The chemiluminescence method was successfully applied to assay the CBZ contents in pharmaceutical tablets.     

Determination of idarubicin in human urine by capillary zone electrophoresis with amperometric detection

A simple, reliable and reproducible method, based on capillary zone electrophoresis with amperometric detection, has been developed for the determination of idarubicin in human urine. A carbon disk electrode was used as working electrode. The optimal conditions of separation and detection were pH 5.6 phosphate buffer (0.20 mol/L), 22 kV for the separation voltage and 1.00 V (vs. Ag/AgCl, 3 mol/L KCl) for the detection potential. The linear range was from 4.0 x 10(-7) to 2.0 x 10(-5) mol/L with a regression coefficient of 0.9986, and the detection limit was 8.0 x 10(-8) mol/L. The method was directly applied to the determination of idarubicin in spiked human urine without any other sample pretreatment except filtration, and the assay results were satisfactory.     

Selective response of dopamine in the presence of ascorbic acid at multi-walled carbon nanotube modified gold electrode

The acid-treated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs), which were modified on the surface of gold electrode, offers substantial improvements in voltammetric sensitivity and selectivity towards the determination of dopamine (DA). It can inhibit the voltammetric response of ascorbic acid (AA) while the redox reaction of dopamine is promoted. When a differential pulse voltammetric (DPV) technique was used, the peak separation between DAs and AAs was 244 mV. Based on this, a selective method could be constructed to detect DA in the presence of 1,000 times higher concentration of AA. The effect of various experimental parameters on the voltammetric response of dopamine was investigated. Under the chosen conditions, the peak currents are correspondent linearly to the concentrations of DA in the range of 5 x 10(-7) approximately 4 x 10(-4) mol L(-1) with a limit of detection of 2 x 10(-7) mol L(-1). The proposed method can be applied to detect DA in real samples.