Ultra-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry for the simultaneous analysis of aflatoxins B1, G1, B2, G2 and ochratoxin A in beer

The simultaneous analysis of aflatoxins B1, G1, B2, G2 and ochratoxin A in beer was carried out by ultra-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC/MS/MS). Mycotoxins were extracted, purified and concentrated from the beer sample in one step using a solid-phase extraction (SPE) cartridge that contained a polymeric sorbent. Optimization of different parameters, such as type of SPE sorbent, type and amount of wash solvent and pH of the sample, was carried out. The mobile phase consisted of a gradient of methanol + water (0.1% HCOOH) and a reversed-phase C18 column was used for the separation. The mass spectrometer used an electrospray ionization source operated in the positive mode to detect aflatoxins and in the negative mode to detect ochratoxin. UPLC/MS/MS is a rapid and sensitive technique that allows the separation of the five toxins in only 3.2 min. The limit of detection is 1 pg.     

Application of High Temperature LC to the Separation of AZD5438 (4-(1-Isopropyl-2-methyl-1H-imidazol-5-yl)-N-[4-(methylsulfonyl)phenyl]pyrimidin-2-amine) and Its Metabolites: Comparison of LC, UPLC and HTLC

A comparison is made of the separation and analysis of a test probe, AZD5438 (4-(1-isopropyl-2-methyl-1H-imidazol-5-yl)-N-[4-(methylsulfonyl)phenyl]pyrimidin-2-amine), and its metabolites using conventional LC, UPLC and high temperature liquid chromatography (HTLC). LC and UPLC separations were performed using reversed-phase water:acetonitrile solvent systems whilst HTLC was performed with an entirely aqueous mobile phase, using both isothermal and temperature gradient chromatography. Substantial reductions in run times were observed with both UPLC and HTLC compared to the conventional LC approach without loss in chromatographic resolution for the major metabolites. At temperatures in excess of 100 °C, thermal degradation of some of the metabolites was observed in an isothermal separation, however, the application of a thermal gradient proved successful in maintaining the structural integrity of the analytes and simultaneously separating the parent compound and its major metabolites.     

Comparison of UPLC and HPLC for Analysis of 12 Phthalates

Recent technological advances have resulted in the availability of reversed-phase chromatographic media of particle size 1.7 μm and a liquid-handling system that can be used to operate columns packed with these materials at much higher pressures. This technology, UPLC, has significant theoretical advantages in speed, resolution, and sensitivity of analysis, especially time saving and solvent consumption. The work discussed in this paper with new analytical method used for separation of 12 phthalates and the results were compared with those obtained by use of HPLC. Differences between the techniques, system suitability test data, and advantages and disadvantages of UPLC are discussed.     

The utility of ultra-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry for multi-residue determination of pesticides in strawberry

The utility of ultra-performance liquid chromatography/orthogonal-acceleration time-of flight mass spectrometry (UPLC/TOFMS) for the rapid qualitative and quantitative analysis of 100 pesticides targeted in strawberry was assessed by comparing results with those obtained using a validated in-house UPLC tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) multi-residue method. Crude extracts from retail strawberry samples received as part of the 2007 annual UK pesticide residues in food surveillance programme were screened for the presence of pesticide residues using UPLC/TOFMS. Accurate mass measurement of positive and negative ions allowed their extraction following 'full mass range data acquisition' with negligible interference from background or co-eluting species observed during UPLC gradient separation (in a cycle time of just 6.5 min per run). Extracted ion data was used to construct calibration curves and to detect and identify any incurred residues (i.e. pesticides incorporated in or on the test material following application during cultivation, harvest and storage). Calibration using matrix-matched standards was performed over a narrow concentration range of 0.005-0.04 mg kg(-1) with determination coefficients (r2) > or =0.99 for all analytes with the exception of malathion/fenarimol/fludioxanil (r2 = 0.98), quassia/pymetrazine (r2 = 0.97) and fenthion sulfone (r2 = 0.95). Residues found in selected samples ranged from 0.025-0.28 mg kg(-1) and were in excellent agreement with results obtained using UPLC/MS/MS. Mass measurement accuracies of < or =5 ppm were achieved consistently throughout the separation, mass range and concentration range of interest thus providing the opportunity to obtain discrete elemental compositions of target ions.     

Development and validation of a reversed-phase liquid chromatographic method for separation and simultaneous determination of COX-2 inhibitors in pharmaceuticals and its application to biological fluids

An isocratic reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method has been developed for separation and simultaneous determination of COX-2 inhibitors, viz., celecoxib, rofecoxib, valdecoxib, nimesulide and nabumetone, using 4-chloro-2-nitroaniline as internal standard. Good chromatographic separation was achieved using a reversed-phase Inertsil C(18) column with mobile phase consisting of methanol and 0.05% aqueous glacial acetic acid (68:32 v/v) using photodiode array (PDA) detector at 230 nm. It was validated with respect to accuracy, precision, linearity, limit of detection and quantification. The linearity range was found to be 1.0--20 microg/mL and the percentage recoveries were between 97.55 and 100.14. The method is suitable not only for the estimation of active ingredients in pharmaceutical dosage forms but also in vitro estimations in human plasma. It is simple, rapid, selective and capable of detecting and determining COX-2 inhibitors with a detection limit of 0.127--1.040 microg/mL simultaneously.     

A comparative study of HPLC-UV and UPLC-DAD methods for simultaneous estimation of aspirin and cilostazol in the presence of their related impurities in bulk and capsules

Aspirin (ASP) and cilostazol (CST) are used as a combination in pharmaceutical formulations for treatment of strokes. Salicylic acid (SAL) is considered to be one of the main synthesis impurities and a degradation product of ASP. On the other hand, the main related impurities of CST are CST related A, B, and C (CST-RA, CST-RB, and CST-RC), respectively. Furthermore, as high efficiency and less elution are the basic requirements of high-speed chromatographic separation, so, a comparative study of two simple, precise, and accurate reversed-phase HPLC and UPLC methods was developed and validated for simultaneous estimation of ASP and CST in bulk and capsules in the presence of SAL, CST-RA, CST-RB, and CST-RC. A Eurospher II C18 (250?×?4.6?mm², 5?µm) for HPLC method and an Agilent Zorbax Eclipse Plus C18 (50?×?2.1?mm², 1.8?µm) for UPLC method were used. A gradient mobile phase of 20?mM anhydrous KH₂PO₄ buffer solution (containing 0.2% triethylamine (TEA), v/v) with pH adjusted to 2.9 using orthophosphoric acid (solution A) and acetonitrile (solution B) mixed in different proportions for HPLC and UPLC methods was prepared. Flow rate was set to 1.0 and 0.3?mL min^?1 for HPLC and UPLC methods, respectively, and the detection was performed for both methods at 210?nm. It worth noting that the proposed UPLC-DAD assay exhibited relatively much more precision, sensitivity, specificity, and economic and chromatographic separation superiority than proposed HPLC-UV assay. Both developed methods were compared with reference methods to prove its applicability and are suitable for purity assessment of ASP and CST in bulk and capsules.     

Ultra rapid liquid chromatography as second dimension in a comprehensive two-dimensional method for the screening of pharmaceutical samples in stability and stress studies

Separation orthogonality has been explored with respect to comprehensive two-dimensional liquid chromatography (2D-LC) for different reversed-phase stationary phases. The outcome of this study points out an SB-CN x BEH-C18 combination, used in the first and the second dimension, respectively, as the most orthogonal chromatographic system for the samples assayed. The present investigation reports the employment of an ultra high pressure liquid chromatography system (UPLC) as the second chromatographic dimension, increasing the sensitivity and the speed, completing the whole chromatographic separation in a reasonable time frame. Finally, an off-line 2D-LC method with diode array detection based on the UPLC has been optimized, allowing the separation and minimizing the run time. SB-CN and BEH-C18 were employed as first and second dimension, respectively, with gradient elution applied in each dimension. Alprazolam degraded tablets were studied as a proof of concept of the utility of this type of setups for impurity profiling of complex samples.     

Liquid-chromatographic separation and determination of process-related impurities, including a regio-specific isomer of celecoxib on reversed-phase C18 column dynamically coated with hexamethyldisilazane.

A simple and rapid reversed-phase high-performance liquid-chromatographic method for the separation and determination of process-related impurities of celecoxib (CXB) in bulk drugs and pharmaceuticals was developed. The separation of impurities viz., 4-methylacetophenone (I), 1-(4-methylphenyl)-4,4,4-trifluorobutane-1,3-dione (II), 4-hydrazinobenzene sulfonamide (III) and a regio-specific isomer [3-(4-methylphenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-1H-pyrazole-1-yl]-benzenesulfonamide (IV), was accomplished on an Inertsil ODS-3 column dynamically coated with 0.1% hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS) in acetonitrile:water (55:45 v/v) as a mobile phase and detection at 242 nm using PDA at ambient temperature. The chromatographic conditions were optimized by studying the effects of HMDS, an organic modifier, time of silanization and column temperature. The method was validated and found to be suitable not only for monitoring the synthetic reactions, but also to evaluate the quality of CXB.     

Reaction of o-phthalaldehyde with amino acids and glutathione. Application to high-performance liquid chromatography determination

Experimental conditions were found for the preparation of stable fluorescent adducts of o-phthalaldehyde with glutathione and its metabolites: glutamine, glutamic and aspartic acids, gamma-glutamylglutamine and gamma-glutamylglutamylglutamine. The structure of the glutathione isoindole derivative obtained was confirmed by NMR studies. The procedure was applied to reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic separation of the previous compounds. The method was extended to glutathione and "total glutathione" determinations.     

Comprehensive Two-Dimensional Separation of Hydroxylated Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers by Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography Coupled with Ion Mobility-Mass Spectrometry

A comprehensive two-dimensional system coupling ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) and ion mobility-mass spectrometry (IM-MS) has been applied for the separation and analysis of hydroxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers (OH-PBDEs). A complex mixture containing 23 OH-PBDE congeners ranging from hydroxylated monobromodiphenyl ether (OH-monoBDE) to hydroxylated octabromodiphenyl ether (OH-octaBDE) was satisfactorily separated within 16 min of analysis time. The first-dimensional reversed-phase UPLC was performed on a sub-2 μm BEH C₁₈ chromatographic column using acetonitrile-water gradient elution program with a flow rate ramp. It enabled excellent chromatographic separation for both between-class and within-class OH-PBDEs based on their differences in hydrophobicity. Following the pre-ionization resolution in the first dimension, the second-dimensional IM-MS employed a hybrid electrospray quadrupole ion mobility time-of-flight mass spectrometer and added an extra post-ionization separation for between-class OH-PBDE congeners on account of their relative mobility disparity during a very short period of 8.80 ms. The orthogonality of the developed two-dimensional system was evaluated with the correlation coefficient of 0.9665 and peak spreading angle of 14.87°. The peak capacity of the system was calculated to be approximately 2 and 15 times higher than that of the two dimensions used alone, respectively. The two-dimensional separation plane also contributed to the removal of background interference ions and the enhanced confidence in the characterization of OH-PBDEs of interest.     

乳制品中那他霉素的超高效液相色谱-串联质谱法快速测定

建立了超高效液相色谱-电喷雾串联质谱(UPLC-MS/MS)快速检测乳制品中那他霉素的方法。样品用甲醇提取,以甲醇-水为流动相经反相色谱柱分离后,采用多反应监测(MRM)负离子模式检测,定性离子对为m/z663.6/421.1和m/z663.6/439.1,其中m/z663.6/421.1用于外标法定量。空白样品及其加标实验结果表明:特征离子相对强度比值稳定,无基质干扰,结合保留时间可实现准确的定性定量;方法定量下限为50.0μg/kg;乳制品加标量为50~500μg/kg时,平均回收率为80%~91%,相对标准偏差(n=6)为2.7%~5.2%。方法简单、灵敏、稳定,可满足乳制品中那他霉素的快速检测与确证需要。     

UPLC‐MS/MS determination of voriconazole in human plasma and its application to a pharmacokinetic study

A sensitive and rapid ultra performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC‐MS/MS) method was developed to determine voriconazole in human plasma. Sample preparation was accomplished through a simple one‐step protein precipitation with methanol. Chromatographic separation was carried out on an Acquity UPLC BEH C₁₈ column using an isocratic mobile phase system composed of acetonitrile and water containing 1% formic acid (45:55, v/v) at a flow rate of 0.50 mL/min. Mass spectrometric analysis was performed using a QTrap5500 mass spectrometer coupled with an electrospray ionization source in the positive ion mode. The multiple reaction monitoring transitions of m/z 351.0 → 281.5 and m/z 237.1 → 194.2 were used to quantify voriconazole and carbamazepine (internal standard), respectively. The linearity of this method was found to be within the concentration range of 2.0–1000 ng/mL with a lower limit of quantification of 2.0 ng/mL. Only 1.0 min was needed for an analytical run. This fully validated method was successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic study after oral administration of 200 mg voriconazole to 20 Chinese healthy male volunteers. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Product ion mass spectra of amphetamine-type substances, designer analogues, and ketamine using ultra-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry

This paper describes the application of ultra-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC/MS/MS) technology to separate and identify amphetamine-type substances (amphetamine, methamphetamine), common and novel designer analogues (MDA, MDMA, PMA, 4-MTA, MBDB), and ketamine using Acquity UPLC/Micromass Quattro Micro API mass spectrometer instrumentation (Waters Corporation, USA). From injection of drug reference standards, it was demonstrated that these compounds can be identified by product ion mass spectra in less than 4 min total analysis time, indicating that the technological advancements associated with UPLC/MS/MS allow it to serve as a powerful analytical tool for high-throughput testing. In addition to demonstrating the separation and response of these drug compounds under the stated UPLC/MS/MS conditions, we believe the acquired product ion spectra will be a beneficial reference to laboratories interested in incorporating the use of this technology in the routine analysis of drugs of abuse.     

Rapid, low pressure, and simultaneous ion chromatography of common inorganic anions and cations on short permanently coated monolithic columns

Short permanently coated reversed-phase silica based monolithic columns have been investigated for the rapid separation of inorganic anions and cations. One 2.5 x 0.46 cm column was permanently coated with didodecyldimethylammonium (DDAB), for anion analysis; and a second 5.0 x 0.46 cm column was coated with dioctylsulphosuccinnate (DOSS), for cation analysis. The use of a single combined eluent of 2.5 mM phthalate/1.5 mM ethylenediamine, at flow rates of between 4.0 and 8.0 mL/min, resulted in the rapid separation of 8 anions (in under 100 s) and 5 cations (in under 100 s) on the above columns when used individually, with detection limits for common anions ranging from approximately 0.25 to 5 mg/L, and between 2.5 and 50 mg/L for alkaline earth metals, by direct and indirect conductivity detection, respectively. However, with both columns subsequently connected in parallel, with the eluent delivered using a flow splitter from a single isocratic pump, the simultaneous analysis of anions and cations was also possible, based on a single conductivity detector. The potential of this system for the rapid, complete screening of water samples for multiple common anions and cations is shown.     

Fractional-continuous wavelet transforms and ultra-performance liquid chromatography for the multicomponent analysis of a ternary mixture containing thiamine, pyridoxine, and lidocaine in ampules

New chemometric approaches based on the application of partial least squares (PLS) and principal component regression (PCR) algorithms with fractional wavelet transform (FWT) and continuous wavelet transform (CWT) are proposed for the spectrophotometric multicomponent determination of thiamine hydrochloride (B1), pyridoxine hydrochloride (B6), and lidocaine hydrochloride (LID) in ampules without any separation step. In this study PLS and PCR techniques were applied to the raw spectral data, FWT-coefficients, and FWT-CWT-coefficients. These calibration models were labeled as Raw-PLS and Raw-PCR, FWT-PLS and FWT-PCR, and FWT-CWT-PLS and FWT-CWT-PCR, respectively. A new ultra-performance liquid chromatographic (UPLC) method was developed for the comparison of the results obtained by applying the chemometric calibration methods. Chromatographic separation and determination of B1, B6, and LID in ampules were performed on an Acquity UPLC BEH C18 column (50x2.1 mm id, 1.7 pm particle size) using gradient elution with a mobile phase consisting of methanol and 0.01 M HCI at a constant flow rate of 0.6 mL/min. These combined chemometric calibrations and UPLC were validated by analyzing various ternary mixtures, B1, B6, and LID. The proposed chemometric approaches (signal processing-multivariate calibrations) and UPLC method were applied to the quantitative multicomponent analysis of marketed ampules containing the vitamins B1 and B6 with LID.     

Identification of chemical constituents in Rhizoma Paridis Saponins and their oral administration in rat plasma by UPLC/Q‐TOF/MS

On‐line ultra‐performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) coupled with diode‐array detection (UPLC/DAD) and electrospray ionization quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (ESI‐Q‐TOF‐MS) were used for separation, identification and structural analyses of saponins in Rhizoma Paridis saponins (RPS) and rat plasma after oral administration of RPS. Thirty steroidal saponins in RPS were identified by comparing their retention time, accurate mass measurement and positive and negative mass spectrometry data with that of reference compounds. The UPLC/Q‐TOF‐MS method was proved to be rapid and efficient in that 30 steroidal saponins, including three kinds of saponins (prototype, pennogenyl and diosgenyl saponins) were tentatively characterized within 6 min. After oral administration of RPS, 21 original saponins were absorbed in RPS‐treated rat plasma. Our results indicated that UPLC/Q‐TOF‐MS is a rapid and effective tool for identification of a series of saponins at trace level. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

At-line coupling of UPLC to chip-electrospray-FTICR-MS

Since highly sensitive on-line coupling of UPLC with FTICR-MS is technically infeasible due to their different scan rates, at-line coupling of these techniques was developed for rapid analysis. To enable cutting of one peak of the chromatogram into one fraction, several conditions and relationships were investigated, e.g. the optimum volume of the inserted delay loop, the relationship between retention time, loop outlet drop speed, individual drop volume versus mobile phase composition under constant speed, and linear solvent strength gradient elution modes. Good and reproducible results were achieved applying UPLC as an efficient separation and fast fractionation tool before the FTICR-MS measurements. A chip-based nanoelectrospray ionization system was employed which was perfectly suited to handling the small-volume fractions and was thus chosen for the at-line coupling. The method was initially applied to spiked extracts of cell-free bacterial culture supernatants in which bacterial signalling compounds, namely N-acyl homoserine lactones (AHL), were detected. Good reproducibility and high recovery was observed. Afterwards, a culture supernatant of Erwinia sp. JX3.2, a putative AHL producer, was investigated and N-hexanoyl-homoserine lactone was determined as a possible signalling molecule. More reliable assignments were achieved by use of at-line coupling of UPLC and FTICR-MS compared with off-line measurements. Xiaojing Li and Agnes Fekete have contributed equally to this publication.     

Preparative Purification and Isolation of Pyranoanthocyanins from Red Wine and Evaluation of Their Antioxidant Activity

Untreated silica gel was used as the stationary phase for a simple and cost-effective prepurification of 5-carboxypyranoanthocyanins from red wine enriched by the addition of pyruvic acid. The composition of the fractions obtained was analyzed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC/MS²) and the results enabled the changes in 5-carboxypyranoanthocyanin profile during preparative separation to be described and explained. Repeated purification on silica gel followed by reversed-phase separation enabled the isolation of 5-carboxypyranomalvidin-3-glucoside in high purity and represents a cheap and robust alternative to the commonly used procedures. Reversed-phase preparative chromatography with an isocratic elution [15 % acetonitrile in water (v/v)] provided sufficient resolution, showing that the addition of an acid is not necessary in anthocyanin separation. The antioxidant capacity of 5-carboxypyranomalvidin-3-glucoside was compared with malvidin-3-glucoside and a group of common polyphenols (e.g., gallic acid, quercetin, rutin, and catechin).     

"Orthogonal" separations for reversed-phase liquid chromatography

A general procedure is proposed for the rapid development of a reversed-phase liquid chromatographic (RP-LC) separation that is "orthogonal" to a pre-existing ("primary") method for the RP-LC separation of a given sample. The procedure involves a change of the mobile-phase organic solvent (B-solvent), the replacement of the primary column by one of very different selectivity, and (only if necessary) a change in mobile phase pH or the use of a third column. Following the selection of the "orthogonal" B-solvent, column and mobile phase pH, further optimization of peak spacing and resolution can be achieved by varying separation temperature and either isocratic %B or gradient time. The relative "orthogonality" of the primary and "orthogonal" RP-LC methods is then evaluated from plots of retention for one method versus the other. The present procedure was used to develop "orthogonal" methods for nine routine RP-LC methods from six pharmaceutical analysis laboratories. The relative success of this approach can be judged from the results reported here.