High-performance liquid chromatographic determination of 3 alpha,5 beta-tetrahydroaldosterone in human urine with chemiluminescence detection.

A sensitive method for the determination of 3 alpha,5 beta-tetrahydroaldosterone (THALD) in human urine is described. The method uses high-performance liquid chromatography with chemiluminescence detection. Urinary THALD, released by enzyme hydrolysis, is isolated and concentrated using a Sephadex G-25M column and Bond-Elut C1 cartridges, and then oxidized by copper(II) acetate to form the corresponding glyoxal derivative. The glyoxal derivative is converted into the chemiluminescent quinoxaline by reaction with 4,5-diaminophthalhydrazide. The chemiluminescent quinoxaline is separated within 50 min on a reversed-phase column (TSKgel ODS-120T) with isocratic elution, followed by chemiluminescence detection; the chemiluminescence is produced by the reaction of the quinoxaline with hydrogen peroxide in the presence of potassium hexacyanoferrate(III) in alkaline solution. The detection limit for THALD is 0.6 pmol (220 pg) ml-1 in urine [1.5 fmol (0.53 pg) per 20 microliters injection] at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3. This method permits the sensitive and precise determination of THALD in human urine (50 microliters) from normal subjects and a patient with primary aldosteronism.     

High performance liquid chromatographic determination of mazindol in human plasma.

A simple and convenient high performance liquid chromatographic method with UV detection is described for the determination of mazindol [5-(p-chlorophenyl)-2,5-dihydro-3H-imidazo[2,1-a]isoindol-5-ol] and its major metabolite, 2-(2-aminoethyl)-3-(p-chlorophenyl)-3-hydroxyphthalimidine (Met), in human plasma. The analytes were extracted with ethyl acetate from plasma samples and separated on a C18 column using acetonitrile-0.067 mol dm(-3) phosphate buffer (pH 3.5) (24 + 76 v/v) as a mobile phase. The eluates were monitored at 220 nm. Following complete validation and stability studies, the proposed method proved to be sensitive and precise. The limits of detection were 0.07 and 0.08 ng ml(-1) of plasma for mazindol and Met, respectively. The accuracy and recovery were in the ranges 94-102% and 91-102%, respectively, for both compounds. The intra- and inter-assay precisions were less than 7.6 and 9.2%, respectively, for both compounds. The stability of mazindol under different storage conditions, i.e., at room temperature (rt) and 4 degrees C and with freeze-thaw cycles, was also examined. Mazindol was unstable in plasma samples left at rt and 4 degrees C. The method was applied to the determination of mazindol and Met in the plasma of a patient treated for obesity with mazindol.     

High performance liquid chromatographic assay of Amicar, epsilon-aminocaproic acid, in plasma and urine after pre-column derivatization with o-phthalaldehyde for fluorescence detection

A simple, reliable and highly sensitive procedure was devised for measuring the levels of Amicar in blood and urine. 100 microL of serum or urine sample was added to 10 microL of a 10% w/v zinc sulfate solution and 100 microL of methanol, as previously described (Lam et al., 1980) for the removal of proteins by precipitation. 50 microL of the supernatant was then mixed with 300 microL of 1 M borate buffer containing D-valine as the internal standard before derivatization with o-phthalaldehyde. The amino acids were then separated by a stereoselective reversed-phase system using a mobile phase containing 10% of acetonitrile in 2.5 mM Cu(II) complexes of L-proline. The chromatography is highly selective, resolving Amicar from L-valine which in turn is resolved from its unnatural D-antipode, the internal standard. The procedure including sample preparation and separation required a total of 15 min. As little as 50 ng/mL of Amicar in body fluids could be detected as the o-phthalaldehyde derivative by fluorescence.     

High performance liquid chromatographic determination of fluvoxamine in human plasma

A method has been developed for the separation and measurement of fluvoxamine in human plasma by high performance liquid chromatography. The method uses metapramine as an internal standard and provides a limit of detection of about 1.5 ng/mL for fluvoxamine. At a concentration of 25 ng/mL, fluvoxamine could be measured within a coefficient of variation of +/- 5.82 of the mean and at 100 ng/mL within a CV of +/- 2.78 of the mean. The method has been applied to the analysis of plasma from patients undergoing fluvoxamine therapy.     

High-performance liquid chromatographic determination of nafazatrom in human plasma using fluorescence detection

A rapid, sensitive, and selective high-performance liquid chromatographic assay was developed for determination of the pyrazole derivative nafazatrom (Bay g 6575, NFZ) in human plasma. Separation was obtained using a normal-phase Si-60 column and a mobile phase of methylene chloride--methanol (90:10, v/v) containing 0.25% water. The fluorescence of NFZ was monitored at excitation and emission wavelengths of 232 and 362 nm, respectively. The recovery of NFZ extracted from plasma with methylene chloride was 109 +/- 5% (mean +/- S.D.) in the concentration range from 5.0 to 500 ng/ml. The assay was applied to the determination of plasma concentrations of NFZ following administration of the compound to patients in a Phase I clinical trial.     

High performance liquid chromatographic determination of N-nitrosoamines by pre-column fluorescence derivatization with acridone-N-acetyl chloride

A sensitive high performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of N-nitrosoamines with pre-column fluorescence derivatization has been developed. N-nitrosoamines are first changed into secondary amines using denitrosation reagent, then react with acridone-N-acetyl chloride (ARC-Cl) to produce corresponding secondary amine derivatives, which exhibit a strong fluorescence. Maximum emission for ARC derivatives is 430 nm (lambda(ex) 404 nm). The labelled derivatives are very stable, less than 4% decomposition occurs after heating at 40 degrees C for 24 h. Fluorescence intensities of derivatives are higher in neutral and alkaline than in acidic solutions. This method, in conjunction with a multi-gradient program, offers a baseline resolution of the ARC derivatives from a linear acetonitrile gradient. Separation is carried out on a reverse phase C(18) column. Derivatization and chromatographic conditions are optimized. The relative standard deviation (n=6) at an analytical concentration of 10 pmol of each N-nitroamine is less than 4.5%. The detection limits at the fmol level. The method described is also suitable for analysis of other amino compounds in different biological samples.     

Automated liquid chromatographic determination of the 20-dihydro isomers of cortisol and cortisone in human urine

A fully automated method for the simultaneous assessment of cortisol, cortisone and their 20-dihydro isomers in human urine is described. On-line sample enrichment, prepurification, focusing and injection are combined with automated high-performance liquid chromatographic separation and quantification. Losses of steroids throughout the total procedure are negligible. Thus, external calibration is feasible for quantification. Coefficients of variation range between 8.7 and 17.0% for inter-assay variability and between 1.3 and 5.2% for intra-assay variability. Assay sensitivity is 15 nmol/l. In normal students, the medians of the relative excretion rates of free 20 alpha-dihydrocortisol, 20 alpha-dihydrocortisone, 20 beta-dihydrocortisol and 20 beta-dihydrocortisone were 10.9, 6.1, 7.7 and 4.4 mumol/mol creatinine. The fully automated feature renders the present method well suited for routine diagnosis of hypercorticoidism.     

Quantitative liquid chromatographic determination of cefatrizine in serum and urine by fluorescence detection after post-column derivatization

A fast, specific and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatographic procedure for the determination of cefatrizine, an orally active cephalosporin, in serum and urine is proposed. The drug is determined by the internal standard method, using cephradine as the internal standard. The separation is carried out on a reversed-phase column, filled with octadecylsilane chemically bonded microparticles. The eluent is a mixture of acetonitrile with 0.025 M sodium phosphate buffer (pH 7). Quantitation is effected by fluorescence detection of the fluorophores formed after post-column derivatization with fluorescamine in a packed-bed reactor. The chromatographic conditions and the conditions for the post-column derivatization are discussed. The method has been applied to serum and urine samples, which were analysed after deproteinization with trichloroacetic acid and injection of the clear supernatant. The accuracy and reproducibility of the procedure were investigated by the determination of the cefatrizine content in spiked serum and urine samples.     

High performance liquid chromatography determination of cyanide in urine by pre-column fluorescence derivatization

A method for the determination of cyanide in human urine has been developed. The method is based on the reaction of cyanide with 2,3-naphthalenedialdehyde and taurine to give a fluorescent product for reversed-phase HPLC separation and fluorometric detection. After centrifugation followed by dilution of urine samples, the specimens could be analysed directly by this method. The recovery of cyanide added to urine at concentration levels of 50-1000 pmol/mL was 85-96%. The detection limit of cyanide was 30 pmol/mL in urine. The method was successfully applied to the analysis of urine from smokers and nonsmokers. The mean concentrations of cyanide were found to be 215 pmol/mL for the former and 84 pmol/mL for the latter.     

Column-switching high-performance liquid chromatographic detection of pholcodine and its metabolites in urine with fluorescence and electrochemical detection.

A sensitive and selective method for the detection of pholcodine and its metabolite morphine in urine using high-performance liquid chromatography is described. It involves on-line clean-up of urine on a trace enrichment column packed with a polymeric strong cation-exchange material. Pholcodine and its metabolites were separated on two analytical columns with different selectivities. Pholcodine was detected by a fluorescence detector and morphine was detected electrochemically. One system, based on reversed-phase chromatography, applied a polystyrene-divinylbenzene column and gradient elution. The other system was based on normal-phase chromatography with a silica column and isocratic elution. Morphine was confirmed to be a metabolite of pholcodine by reversed-phase chromatography and electrochemical detection. Two unidentified metabolites of pholcodine were separated from pholcodine by normal-phase chromatography and detected by fluorescence detection.     

High performance liquid chromatographic determination of theophylline metabolites in human liver microsomes

A high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) technique for the determination of three metabolites of theophylline, 3-methylxanthine (3-MX), 1-methylxanthine (1-MX) and 1,3-dimethyluric acid (1,3-DMU) in human liver microsomes is described. The analytes were extracted from human liver microsomes with methylene chloride/isopropanol and stepwise gradient elution was employed for the resolution of peaks. The limits of quantitation were 15 ng/mL for 3-MX, 20 ng/mL for 1-MX and 20 ng/mL for 1,3-DMU. The calibration range was linear for the three metabolites and the calibration ranges were 15-250 ng/mL for 3-MX, 20-250 ng/mL for 1-MX and 250-4000 ng/mL for 1,3-DMU. The absolute recovery ranged from 63-84% for 3-MX, 65-79% for 1-MX and 77-89% for 1,3-DMU over the calibration curve range. Accuracy for all three metabolites was within +/- 10% and adequate selectivity was demonstrated by the lack of interfering peaks in blank chromatograms. The within-run and interday precision were within 10% RSD for all three metabolites tested at two concentrations. The advantage of this method over previous methods is that the use of quaternary ammonium ion pair reagents in the mobile phase has been obviated. Also, unlike a previous radiometric HPLC method, the need for radiolabelled theophylline has also been eliminated. The method was used to characterize theophylline metabolism in human liver microsomes for immunoinhibition studies and to investigate the interaction of theophylline with selected quinolone antibiotics.     

Simultaneous determination of serotonin and 5-hydroxyindole-3-acetic acid in human urine by automated precolumn derivatization and semi-microbore column liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection.

An improved high-performance liquid-chromatographic (HPLC) assay for the simultaneous determination of serotonin (5-HT) and 5-hydroxyindole-3-acetic acid (5-HIAA) in human urine is reported. Following the automated precolumn derivatization of urinary 5-HT and 5-HIAA with benzylamine, the derivatives are separated by isocratic elution on a reversed-phase C18 semi-microbore column, and are fluorometrically detected at an excitation wavelength of 345 nm and an emission wavelength of 480 nm. The detection limits of 5-HT and 5-HIAA are 7 and 5 nmol/l in urine (0.7 and 0.5 fmol/20-microl injection). The proposed automatic method permits a highly selective and sensitive determination of 5-HT and 5-HIAA in human urine without any sample purification.     

High-performance liquid chromatographic determination of hippuric acid in human urine

A method is described for the determination of urinary hippuric acid by high-performance liquid chromatography. The method used ethyl acetate extraction for partial clean up of the urine. The separation was carried out on a reversed-phase column using 20% methanol in 0.01 M aqueous potassium phosphate containing 0.5% acetic acid as a mobile phase. The column effluent was monitored with a UV detector at 254 nm. Hippuric acid was separated from other normal urine constituents in less than 10 min. Metabolites of xylene and styrene did not interfere with the assay. Analytical recoveries from urine were excellent and peak height and concentration were linearly related.     

High-performance liquid chromatographic determination of 4,4'-methylenedianiline in human urine

A method is described for the determination of urinary 4,4'-methylenedianiline (MDA) by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). MDA was extracted from hydrolyzed urine using C18 solid-phase extraction columns. The extract was analyzed by reversed-phase HPLC with electrochemical detection at a cell potential of 0.8 V. The method was very sensitive (detection limit 2.5 micrograms/l) and quantitation using 4,4'-ethylenedianiline as an internal standard correlated well with results by gas chromatography-mas spectrometry. Run-to-run precision (n = 25) averaged 8.9%. In analysis of more than 160 potentially exposed workers, MDA was detected in less than 20% of the urines and concentrations ranged up to 210 micrograms MDA per g of creatinine.     

High-performance liquid chromatographic determination of iothalamic acid in human plasma and urine.

A simple, rapid and sensitive method for the determination of iothalamic acid (IA) in both plasma and urine is reported. After extraction with ethyl acetate, IA was determined by strong anion-exchange high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection at 254 nm. The lower limit of detection was 0.5 micrograms/ml. The average recovery was 73 and 57% from plasma and urine, respectively. Linearity was found over the investigated concentration range (up to 500 micrograms/ml for plasma and up to 10.0 mg/ml for urine). The reproducibility of the technique was good (coefficient of variation less than 6%) as was the precision and accuracy (coefficient of variation less than 2.5%). No interference from endogenous substances or any of the common drugs tested was found.     

High-performance liquid chromatographic determination of glibenclamide in human plasma and urine

A selective and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatographic method for determination of intact glibenclamide in human plasma or urine has been developed. With glibornuride as internal standard, acid-buffered plasma or urine was extracted with benzene. The organic layer was evaporated and the residue was dissolved in equilibrated mobile phase (acetonitrile-phosphate buffer 0.01 M pH 3.5, 50:50). An aliquot of 20 microliters was chromatographed on a Spherisorb ODS reversed-phase column, and quantitation was achieved by monitoring the ultraviolet absorbance at 225 nm. The response was linear (0-1000 ng/ml) and the detection limit was 5-10 ng/ml in plasma or urine. The within-assay variation was less than or equal to 10%. No interferences from metabolites or endogenous constituents could be noted. The utility of the method was demonstrated by analysing glibenclamide in samples from diabetic subjects on therapeutic doses of the drug.