Determination of the heroin metabolite 6-acetylmorphine by high-performance liquid chromatography using automated pre-column derivatization and fluorescence detection

An improved method for the determination of 6-acetylmorphine in the urine of drug addicts receiving morphine was developed. A newly introduced reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic system proved to be more sensitive than a normal-phase system used previously. By replacing the earlier manual derivatization procedure with an automated on-line pre-column method, both the reproducibility and efficiency were considerably improved. Coefficients of variation for repeated analyses typically ranged from 6 to 10% in the 1-100 micrograms/l concentration range. The detection limit was 1 microgram/l and the correction for recovery by calibration with blank urine samples spiked with 6-acetylmorphine was satisfactory. The analytical improvements achieved, however, did not increase the chance of detecting heroin use by drug addicts.     

Determination of morphine and 6-acetylmorphine in plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection

A method is described for the simultaneous determination of morphine and 6-acetylmorphine in small volumes of human plasma by normal-phase high-performance liquid chromatography using solid-phase extraction, dansyl derivatisation and fluorescence detection. The lower limits of quantitation in a 0.1-ml plasma sample are 10 ng/ml for morphine and 25 ng/ml for 6-acetylmorphine. The method has been applied to determine concentrations of morphine and 6-acetylmorphine in plasma samples from premature babies administered an intravenous infusion of diamorphine.     

Simultaneous Quantification of Opioids in Blood and Urine by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometer with Modified Dispersive Solid-Phase Extraction Technique

Common methodologies such as liquid-liquid extraction and solid-phase extraction are applied for the extraction of opioids from biological specimens i.e., blood and urine. Techniques including LC-MS/LC-MSMS, GC-MS, etc. are used for qualitative or quantitative determination of opioids. The goal of the present work is to design a green, economic, rugged, and simple extraction technique for famous opioids in human blood and urine and their simultaneous quantification by GC-MS equipped with an inert plus electron impact (EI) ionization source at SIM mode to produce reproducible and efficient results. Morphine, codeine, 6-acetylmorphine, nalbuphine, tramadol and dextromethorphan were selected as target opioids. Anhydrous Epsom salt was applied for dSPE of opioids from blood and urine into acetonitrile extraction solvent with the addition of sodium phosphate buffer (pH 6) and n-hexane was added to remove non-polar interfering species from samples. BSTFA was used as a derivatizing agent for GC-MS. Following method validation, the LOD/LLOQ and ULOQ were determined for morphine, codeine, nal-buphine, tramadol, and dextromethorphan at 10 ng/mL and 1500 ng/mL, respectively, while the LOD/LLOQ and ULOQ were determined for 6-acetylmorphine at 5 ng/mL and 150 ng/mL, respectively. This method was applied to real blood and urine samples of opioid abusers and the results were found to be reproducible with true quantification.     

固相萃取-衍生化-气相色谱-质谱联用法同时测定尿液中4种阿片类物质

公安机关用胶体金尿检法对海洛因滥用者的检测常常受到阿片类镇咳药的干扰,使用传统液-液提取法进行实验室检验,操作效率低,灵敏度不高,无法满足公安机关打击涉毒案件的需要。为此,该研究建立了尿液中吗啡、O⁶-单乙酰吗啡、可待因和乙酰可待因4种阿片类物质的固相萃取和衍生化技术结合气相色谱-质谱联用(GC-MS)同时检测方法。尿样用磷酸盐缓冲液调节至pH=6后,经MCX固相萃取柱净化,用N-甲基-N-(三甲基硅烷基)三氟乙酰胺(MSTFA)对吗啡、O⁶-单乙酰吗啡、可待因进行衍生化,供GC-MS检测。考察了上样和洗脱流速、淋洗液中甲酸体积分数、洗脱液中氨水体积分数、3%(v/v)甲酸甲醇淋洗液体积和固相萃取柱吹干时间对萃取效果的影响。确定上样和洗脱流速1.0 mL/min,淋洗液中甲酸体积分数3%,洗脱液中氨水体积分数5%, 3%(v/v)甲酸甲醇淋洗液体积1 mL,吹干时间1 min为最佳条件。在此条件下,4种阿片类物质在0.02～0.8μg/mL范围内线性关系良好(r²≥0.998),检出限(LOD)为0.001 6～0.00...     

Determination of femtogram quantities of 239Pu and 240Pu in bioassay samples by thermal ionization mass spectrometry

Summary A thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS) method is described for the determination of ultra-trace levels of plutonium isotopes in human urine samples. The method has been validated through the analysis of artificial urine samples spiked with known amounts of ²³⁹Pu ranging from 2.5 fg to 50 fg (6-115mBq). A slight positive bias of 1.7%-2.7% was determined, with a relative precision of 2.2% at 50 fg, increasing to 2.7% for 5-25 fg ²³⁹Pu. The detection limit of the method was 0.53 fg (1.2mBq) ²³⁹Pu, and the instrumental detection limit was at least 0.1 fg. The determination of the isotopic signature of the sample with ²³⁹Pu, ²⁴⁰Pu, and ²⁴¹Pu amounts of several femtograms is possible, and was demonstrated with the determination of the 240 to 239 ratio in an inter-laboratory sample comparison. The method is relatively free from interferences, 95% of sample preparations were acceptable both in terms of chemical recovery and lack of isobaric interference. The isotopic abundance of the ²⁴²Pu SRM 4334E of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) was also determined by TIMS and was found to be 99.99967 atom% ²⁴²Pu.     

Separation and determination of homovanillic acid and vanillylmandelic acid by capillary electrophoresis with electrochemical detection

A method of separation and determination of homovanillic acid (HVA) and vanillylmandelic acid (VMA) was developed based on capillary zone electrophoresis/amperometric detection with high sensitivity, good resolution and selectivity. In order to achieve complete separation and good response, several factors including pH, buffer concentration, separation voltage, detection potential and the length of separation capillary, were studied in detail. The method has been used to determine both HVA and VMA in human urine. Uric acid (UA) in human urine did not interference with their determination. The limit of detection of the method was 1.3×10⁻⁶ mol/l (1.4 fmol) for HVA and 7.9×10⁻⁷ mol/l (0.87 fmol) for VMA at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3.     

In-line solid-phase extraction–capillary electrophoresis coupled with mass spectrometry for determination of drugs of abuse in human urine

In-line solid-phase extraction–capillary electrophoresis coupled with mass spectrometric detection (SPE–CE–MS) has been used for determination of 2-ethylidene-1,5-dimethyl-3,3-diphenylpyrrolidine (EDDP), codeine (COD), hydrocodeine (HCOD), and 6-acetylmorphine (6AM) in urine. The preconcentration system consists of a small capillary filled with Oasis HLB sorbent and inserted into the inlet section of the electrophoresis capillary. The SPE–CE–MS experimental conditions were optimized as follows: the sample (adjusted to pH 6.0) was loaded at 930 mbar for 60 min, elution was performed with methanol at 50 mbar for 35 s, 60 mmol L⁻¹ ammonium acetate at pH 3.8 was used as running buffer, the separation voltage was 30 kV, and the sheath liquid at a flow rate of 5.0 μL min⁻¹ was isopropanol–water 50:50 (v/v) containing 0.5% acetic acid. Analysis of urine samples spiked with the four drugs and diluted 1:1 (v/v) was studied in the linear range 0.08–10 ng mL⁻¹. Detection limits (LODs) (S/N = 3) were between 0.013 and 0.210 ng mL⁻¹. Repeatability (expressed as relative standard deviation) was below 7.2%. The method developed enables simple and effective determination of these drugs of abuse in urine samples at the levels encountered in toxicology and doping.     

Determination of 4-Hydroxyphenyllactic Acid in Human Urine by Magnetic Solid-Phase Extraction and High-Performance Anion-Exchange Chromatography with Fluorescence Detection

A novel, simple, rapid, and accurate method is reported for the determination of 4-hydroxyphenyllactic acid in human urine by high-performance anion-exchange chromatography with fluorescence detection and magnetic solid-phase extraction. The separation and pretreatment conditions for urine were optimized. The isolation of 4-hydroxyphenyllactic acid was performed with isocratic elution with 4?mmol?L^?1 sodium hydroxide at 0.45?mL min^?1. Fluorescence detection was performed at an excitation wavelength of 277?nm and an emission wavelength of 340?nm. Under the optimized conditions, the linear dynamic range and the limit of detection for 4-hydroxyphenyllactic acid were 0.05–10 and 0.020?mg?L^?1, respectively. The recovery for the analyte was from 86.5 to 105.5%, with relative standard derivations less than 4.12%. The method was used for the determination of 4-hydroxyphenyllactic acid in human urine. Statistically significant differences in the 4-hydroxyphenyllactic acid concentration in urine were obtained between healthy control and individuals with breast cancer.     

Use of gas chromatography/mass spectrometry with positive chemical ionization for the determination of opiates in human oral fluid

An analytical method for the simultaneous determination of codeine, morphine and 6-acetylmorphine (6AM) in human oral fluid was developed. The method involves liquid-liquid extraction in Toxitubes A, derivatization with 99:1 (v/v) N,O-bis(trimethylsilyl)trifluoroacetamide (BSTFA)/trimethylchlorosilane (TMCS), and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry with positive chemical ionization (GC/PCI-MS) determination. The detector response was linear over the concentration range 30-500 ng/mL with coefficients of correlation higher than 0.99. The precision was acceptable with coefficients of variation less than 7.5%. The limits of detection achieved were 0.7 ng/mL for codeine, 2.0 ng/mL for morphine, and 0.6 ng/mL for 6AM. The method proposed was applied to 80 oral fluid samples from opiates users, 98% of which were positive for the three analytes. Human oral fluid is a suitable biological fluid for the determination of opiates by GC/PCI-MS.     

Validation of direct injection electrospray LC-MS/MS for confirmation of opiates in urine drug testing

A method based on the direct injection of diluted urine for the identification and quantification of morphine, morphine-3-glucuronide, morphine-6-glucuronide, codeine, codeine-6-glucuronide, ethylmorphine, ethylmorphine-6-glucuronide and 6-acetylmorphine (6AM) in human urine by electrospray ionisation liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was validated for use as a confirmation procedure in urine drug testing. Four deuterium labelled analogues were used as internal standards: morphine-3-glucuronide-D3, morphine-D3, codeine-D3 and 6AM-D3. Twenty microlitre aliquots of urine were mixed with 80 mul of the internal standard solution in autosampler vials and 10 mul was injected. The chromatographic system consisted of a 2.0 x 100 mm C18 column and the gradient elution buffers used acetonitrile and 25 mmol/l formic acid. Two product ions produced from the protonated molecular ions were monitored in the selected reaction monitoring mode. The intra- and inter-assay variability (coefficient of variation) was below 10% at higher levels for all analytes, but at the reporting limits the variation was above 20% for 6AM, morphine-3-glucuronide and codeine-6-glucuronide. Ion suppression occurred early after injection but did not affect the identification and quantification of the analytes in authentic samples. The method was further validated by comparison with a reference gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric method using authentic urine samples. The two methods agreed almost completely (99%) regarding the identified analytes, but for the quantitative results there were slightly lower levels when measuring glucuronides directly as compared to total determination after hydrolysis by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.We conclude that the presented liquid chromatographic-tandem mass spectrometric method is robust and reliable, and suitable for use as a confirmation method in urine drug testing for opiates     

Determination of gatifloxacin in drug formulations,human urine,and serum samples using energy transfer chemiluminescence coupled with flow-injection analysis

A simple and sensitive method for the determination of gatifloxacin (GFLX) is developed by using flow injection analysis with potassium permanganate-sodium sulfite chemiluminescence (CL) detection based on the energy transfer from GFLX to terbium(III). Intense signal instead of the weak CL produced by potassium permanganate-sulfite-GFLX system can be observed when Tb(III) is added to the system. A narrow and intense emission band at 545 nm arising from the excited-state Tb(III) was obtained. Under the optimum conditions, a linear range was 5.0 × 10^?8 to 8.0 × 10^?6 M and the detection limit was 3.2 × 10^?9 M. The method has been successfully applied to the determination of gatifloxacin in drug formulations, urine and serum samples. There was no interference from some common excipients used in pharmaceutical preparations. The possible energy transfer mechanisms in the lanthanide complexes were discussed.     

Electrochemical Behavior and Application of Pirarubicin at Gold Nanoparticles–Modified Indium Tin Oxide Electrode

Abstract

A new type of gold nanoparticles–attached indium tin oxide electrode was made. By SEM and EDS, the as‐prepared gold nanoparticles–modified ITO electrode was characterized. This modified electrode has been used for the determination of pirarubicin (THP) in urine by cyclic voltammetry. Compared to a bare ITO electrode, the modified electrode exhibited a marked enhancement in the current response. Liner calibration curves are obtained in the range 5×10^?9mol/L～1.5×10^?6 mol/L with a detection limit of 1×10^?9 mol/L. The percentage of the recoveries ranged from 99.3% to 106.3%. The practical analytic utility of the method is illustrated by quantitative determination of THP in urine.     

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 × 10^–7 to 2.0 × 10^–5 mol/L with a regression coefficient of 0.9986, and the detection limit was 8.0 × 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.     

Simultaneous quantitation of morphine, 6-acetylmorphine, codeine, 6-acetylcodeine and tramadol in hair using mixed-mode solid-phase extraction and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry

A simple procedure has been developed and validated for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of several opiates (morphine, 6-acetylmorphine, codeine, 6-acetylcodeine) and tramadol in hair. The analytes were extracted from within the matrix via an overnight incubation with methanol at 65 °C, and afterwards the samples were cleaned up by mixed-mode solid-phase extraction. The extracts were derivatized with N-methyl-N-(trimethylsilyl) trifluoroacetamide with 5% trimethylchlorosilane and analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry in the selected ion monitoring mode. The method was linear from 0.05 (lower limit of quantitation) to 50 ng/mg (40 ng/mg for tramadol), with correlation coefficients higher than 0.99 for all compounds, accomplishing the cut-off values proposed by the Society of Hair Testing for the detection of these substances in hair (0.2 ng/mg). Intra- and interday precision and trueness were in conformity with the criteria normally accepted in bioanalytical method validation, and the sample cleanup step presented a mean efficiency higher than 90% for all analytes. Furthermore, using these incubation conditions, 6-acetylmorphine did not significantly hydrolyze to morphine. For these reasons, and because of its simplicity, the proposed method can be successfully applied in the determination of these compounds in hair samples, and is suitable for application in routine analysis with forensic purposes.     

LC–MS/MS Determination of Catecholamines in Urine Using FMOC-Cl Derivatization on Solid-Phase Extraction Cartridge

A method for the determination of catecholamine derivatives in human urine is proposed that includes the derivatization of target compounds on a solid-phase extraction cartridge and determination of the analytes by a UHPLC method with tandem mass-spectrometric detection. 9-Fluorenyl-methoxycarbonyl chloride was used as the derivatization agent. The limits of detection for the analytes were 2.5 ng mL^?1 for 9-fluorenyl-methoxycarbonyl-adrenaline, 5 ng mL^?1 for 9-fluorenyl-methoxycarbonyl-octopamine, and 25 ng mL^?1 for 9-fluorenyl-methoxycarbonyl-dopamine. The proposed procedure was tested on real samples obtained from volunteers.     

Selective Voltammetric and Flow-Injection Determination of Guanosine and Adenosine at a Glassy Carbon Electrode Modified with a Ruthenium Hexachlororuthenate Film

An inorganic film of ruthenium hexachlororuthenate (RuRuCl₆), deposited on the surface of a glassy carbon electrode, exhibits electrocatalytic activity in the oxidation of purine nucleosides, such as guanosine and adenosine. Appropriate operating conditions are found for fabricating a polymer film on the surface of glassy carbon and for recording the maximum electrocatalytic current for the modified electrode. A method for the selective voltammetric determination of guanosine and adenosine in their simultaneous presence at an electrode modified by a RuRuCl₆ film is developed. A procedure is proposed for the amperometric detection of purine nucleosides with this modified electrode under the conditions of flow-injection analysis. The linear dependence of the analytical signal on the concentration of guanosine and adenosine is observed up to 5 × 10^–6 M in the stationary mode and up to 5 × 10^–7 M in the flow system. The proposed method for the selective determination of guanosine and adenosine was tested in the analysis of human urine.     

Voltammetric Determination of Chlorpheniramine Maleate Based on the Enhancement Effect of Sodium‐dodecyl Sulfate at Carbon Paste Electrode

The voltammetric oxidation and determination of chlorpheniramine maleate (CPM) was studied at a carbon paste electrode (CPE) in the presence of sodium‐dodecyl sulfate (SDS) by cyclic and differential pulse voltammetry. The results indicated that the voltammetric response of chlorpheniramine maleate was markedly increased in the low concentration of SDS, suggesting that SDS exhibits observable enhancement effect to the determination of chlorpheniramine maleate. Under the optimal conditions the peak current was proportional to chlorpheniramine maleate concentration in the range of 8.0×10⁻⁶ to 1.0×10⁻⁴ M with detection limit of 1.7×10⁻⁶ M by differential pulse voltammetry. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of chlorpheniramine in pharmaceutical and urine samples.     

Headspace single-drop microextraction coupled with gas chromatography electron capture detection of butanone derivative for determination of iodine in milk powder and urine

A new detection method using headspace single-drop microextraction (HS-SDME) coupled to gas chromatography (GC) was established to determine the iodine in milk powder and urine. The derivative from the reaction between iodine and butanone in the acidic media was extracted into a micro-drop then determined by GC-ECD. With the optimisation of HS-SDME and derivatisation, the calibration curve showed good linearity within the range of 0.004–0.1 μg mL^?1 (0.004–0.1 μg g^?1) (R ² = 0.9991), and the limits of detection for milk powder and urine were 0.0018 μg g^?1 and 0.36 μg L^?1, respectively. The mean recoveries of milk powder and urine were 90.0–107 % and 89.4–101 % with mean RSD of 1.7–3.4 % and 2.7–3.3 %, respectively. This detection method affords a number of advantages, such as being simple, rapid, and inexpensive, with low organic solvent consumption, and is remarkably free from interference effects, rendering it an efficient method for the determination of iodine in milk powder and urine samples.     

Determination of 6-N-trimethyllysine in urine by high-performance liquid chromatography

A method for determination of 6-N-trimethyllysine in urine is described. Trimethyllysine and the chemically analogous 6-N-triethyllysine internal standard were isolated from aqueous samples by microcolumn ion-exclusion chromatography. The specimens were derivatized by reaction with 1-fluoro-2,4-dinitrobenzene and reaction byproducts extracted by organic solvents. The trimethyllysine and internal standard derivatives were separated easily from other sample constituents by reversed-phase paired-ion high-performance liquid chromatography with spectrophotometric detection at 405 nm. Standard curves were linear over a sample concentration range of 10-150 nmol/ml; the detection limit corresponded with 0.1 nmol trimethyllysine injected into the chromatograph. The procedure was used for determination of trimethyllysine in human urine.     

Determination of fosfomycin in human urine by capillary gas chromatography: Application to clinical pharmacokinetic studies

Summary A capillary gas chromatographic method for the determination of fosfomycin in human urine is described. After dilution of the sample and derivatization, analysis was on a HP-1 capillary column and a flame ionization detector was used to determine the bistrimethylsilyl derivative of fosfomycin. Response was linear in the range 50–5000 g mL^–1. The detection limit was about 10 g mL^–1. The within and between day coefficients of variation did not exceed 6%. The method was applied to the determination of fosfomycin in urine samples collected during clinical pharmacokinetic studies.