Rapid Screening Alpha-Glucosidase Inhibitors from Polygoni Vivipari Rhizoma by Multi-Step Matrix Solid-Phase Dispersion,Ultrafiltration and HPLC

Polygoni Vivipari Rhizoma (PVR), the dried root of Polygonum viviparum, has been used as herbal medicine in China for a long time. In the present study, a new method based on multi-step matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD), ultrafiltration and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for screening alpha-glucosidase inhibitors (AGIs) from PVR was proposed. First, three different PVR extractions were prepared by multi-step MSPD with 15% methanol, 60% methanol and 100% methanol. Second, the alpha-glucosidase inhibition tests for the three extracts were carried out, and the 60% methanol extraction showed the best activity. Then, the AGIs screening experiment was performed with ultrafiltration and HPLC analysis using the 60% methanol extraction. Seven binding components (quercetin−3−O−vicianoside, quercetin 3−O−neohesperidoside, rutin, hyperoside, quercetin 3−O−glucuronide, luteolin−7−O−neohesperidoside, kaempferol 3−glucuronide) were found. These seven components were further validated as the AGIs by molecular docking analysis. The developed method was a rapid and efficient tool for screening AGIs from PVR, which provided scientific data for the bioactive components study of PVR.     

Determination of Chiral Impurity of Naproxen in Different Pharmaceutical Formulations Using Polysaccharide-Based Stationary Phases in Reversed-Phased Mode

A novel, validated, reversed-phase (RP), chiral high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was developed for the enantiopurity control analysis of naproxen, a frequently used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agent using polysaccharide-type chiral stationary phase (CSP). In the screening phase of method development, seven columns were tested in polar organic (PO) mode using mobile phases consisting of 0.1% acetic acid in methanol, ethanol, 2-propanol, and acetonitrile. Enantiorecognition was observed only in five cases. The best enantioseparation was observed on a Lux Amylose-1 column with 0.1% (v/v) acetic acid in ethanol with a resolution (R_s) of 1.24. The enantiomer elution order was unfavorable, as the distomer eluted after the eutomer. When the ethanolic mobile phase was supplemented with water, enantiomer elution order reversal was observed, indicating a difference in the enantiorecognition mechanism upon switching from PO to RP mode. Furthermore, by changing ethanol to methanol, not only lower backpressure, but also higher resolution was obtained. Subsequent method optimization was performed using a face-centered central composite design (FCCD) to achieve higher chiral resolution in a shorter analysis time. Optimized parameters offering baseline separation were as follows: Lux Amylose-1 stationary phase, thermostated at 40 °C, and a mobile phase consisting of methanol:water:acetic acid 85:15:0.1 (v/v/v), delivered with 0.65 mL/min flow rate. Using these optimized parameters, a R_s = 3.21 ± 0.03 was achieved within seven minutes. The optimized method was validated according to the ICH guidelines and successfully applied for the analysis of different pharmaceutical preparations, such as film-coated tablets and gel, as well as fixed-dose combination tablets, containing both naproxen and esomeprazole.     

LC and Principal Component Analysis in the Lipophilicity Study of Seven Angiotensin II-AT1 Receptor Antagonists (Sartans)

Seven sartans have been chromatographed with acetonitrile-buffer and methanol–buffer in different proportions as mobile phases. The retention values, log k or R _M were extrapolated to zero organic modifier content to obtain the log k _w or R _MW values. Calibration equations were obtained for standards of known lipophilicity. A simple method employing a gradient procedure of 10–100% acetonitrile or methanol in 60 min and standards of the extreme lipophilicity was also elaborated. Chromatographic log P values were compared to those calculated by use of different software products. Finally, principal component analysis was performed to explore and visualize similarities and differences among the drugs and among the methods.     

Determination of Rutin in Amaranthus spinosus Linn. Whole Plant Powder by HPTLC

A simple, precise and accurate high-performance thin-layer chromatographic method has been established for the determination of rutin in the whole plant powder of Amaranthus spinosus Linn. Rutin has been reported to have anti-diabetic, anti-thrombotic, anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic activity. A methanol extract of the whole plant powder was used for the experimental work. The concentration of rutin in the whole plant powder was found to be 0.15%. Separation was performed on silica gel 60 F₂₅₄ HPTLC plates with ethyl acetate:formic acid:methanol:distilled water in the proportion 10:0.9:1.1:1.7 (v/v), as mobile phase. The determination was carried out using the densitometric absorbance mode at 363 nm. Rutin response was linear over the range 10–60 μg mL^?1. The HPTLC method was evaluated in terms of sensitivity, accuracy, precision and reproducibility.     

Flow methodology for methanol determination in biodiesel exploiting membrane-based extraction

A methodology based in flow analysis and membrane-based extraction has been applied to the determination of methanol in biodiesel samples. A hydrophilic membrane was used to perform the liquid-liquid extraction in the system with the organic sample fed to the donor side of the membrane and the methanol transfer to an aqueous acceptor buffer solution. The quantification of the methanol was then achieved in aqueous solution by the combined use of immobilised alcohol oxidase (AOD), soluble peroxidase and 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS). The optimization of parameters such as the type of membrane, the groove volume and configuration of the membrane unit, the appropriate organic solvent, sample injection volume, as well as immobilised packed AOD reactor was performed. Two dynamic analytical working ranges were achieved, up to 0.015% and up to 0.200% (m/m) methanol concentrations, just by changing the volume of acceptor aqueous solution. Detection limits of 0.0002% (m/m) and 0.007% (m/m) methanol were estimated, respectively. The decision limit (CCα) and the detection capacity (CCβ) were 0.206 and 0.211% (m/m), respectively. The developed methodology showed good precision, with a relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) <5.0% (n = 10). Biodiesel samples from different sources were then directly analyzed without any sample pre-treatment. Statistical evaluation showed good compliance, for a 95% confidence level, between the results obtained with the flow system and those furnished by the gas chromatography reference method. The proposed methodology turns out to be more environmental friendly and cost-effective than the reference method.     

A comparative study of the separation of oleanolic acid and ursolic acid in Prunella vulgaris by high-performance liquid chromatography and cyclodextrin-modified micellar electrokinetic chromatography

A high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method and a cyclodextrin-modified micellar electrokinetic chromatographic (CD-MEKC) method were developed to separate and determine oleanolic acid (OA) and ursolic acid (UA) in Prunella vulgaris. HPLC separations were carried out on a Hedera ODS C18 column with methanol -H₂O- acetic acid (85:15:0.3, v/v/v) as mobile phase at a flow-rate of 0.8 ml min^?1. CD-MEKC analysis was performed on a CL1030 capillary electrophoresis system with a 6% (v/v) methanol solution (pH = 9.0) containing 10 mM disodium tetraborate, 10 mM sodium dihydrogen phosphate, 50 mM sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS), 15 mM 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (2-HP-β-CD) as background electrolyte. The analytical results of HPLC and CD-MEKC were compared with each other. CD-MEKC has better analytical efficiency for two components, and the analytical time (15 min) was shorter than that of HPLC (35 min).     

In vitro methylation by methanol: Proteomic screening and prevalence investigation

It is assumed that much more functional importance for protein activity than expected may be granted by methylation that occurs at the side-chain of aspartate or glutamate residue. In vitro methylation mainly comes from the use of methanol in sample preparation prior to MS analysis. In this study, we first performed the methylation site-directed proteomic screening of bovine serum albumin, ovalbumin and 20S proteasome for gel staining using a meaningfully indicative MS-pattern of peak tag (termed as 4P tag) and manual inspection for mass spectral data. As a result, there were 17 proteolytic peptides with 20 modified sites confirmed to be in vitro methylated. Subsequently, the prevalence investigation was performed, focusing on the reaction kinetic behavior of in vitro methylation. This study provided a simple and robust approach for confirmation of in vitro methylation by methanol, as well as the precautious guide for the use of methanol in proteomic study.     

HPTLC Method for Determination of 20-Hydroxyecdysone in Sida rhombifolia L. and Dietary Supplements

Naturally occurring 20-hydroxyecdysone is an important anabolic ecdysteroid. A simple thin-layer chromatography method to quantitate 20-hydroxyecdysone in methanolic extract of the whole plant material of Sida rhombifolia L. was developed. This method was successfully applied for quantitative evaluation of dietary supplements. The separation was achieved on glass TLC plates coated with silica gel 60F254, using chloroform: methanol (8:2 v/v) as developing solvent. Densitometric evaluation of 20-hydroxyecdysone was performed at 250 nm in reflectance/absorbance mode. The calibration was in the range of 200–1,000 ng spot^?1 and correlation coefficient for the calibration curve was >0.999. In addition, for six different Sida species unique fingerprints were obtained on the HPTLC plate.     

HPLC–MS Analysis of Isoniazid in Dog Plasma

A simple, rapid, and sensitive liquid chromatography–mass spectrometric (LC–MS) method was developed and validated for the determination of isoniazid in dog plasma. Plasma samples were deproteined with methanol and separated on a C₁₈ column interfaced with a single quadrupole mass spectrometer, using 0.1% formic acid–acetonitrile (91:9 v/v) as mobile phase. Detection was performed by positive electrospray ionization with selected ion monitoring at m/z 138 for isoniazid and 152 for entecavir maleate internal standard. Linearity was obtained over the range of 25–5,000 ng mL^?1, with a lower limit of quantification of 25 ng mL^?1. The intra- and inter-day precision was less than 2.7% in terms of relative standard deviation. Accuracy, expressed as relative error, ranged from ?2.0 to 8.0%. Plasma samples were analysed within 5 min. The method was successfully applied to the evaluation of the pharmacokinetics of isoniazid in dog plasma.     

Optimization of matrix solid-phase dispersion extraction method for the analysis of isoflavones in Trifolium pratense

A method based on matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD) has been developed for the determination of 12 isoflavones in Trifolium pratense L. Dried leaf samples were blended with C₁₈, placed in small columns and isoflavones extracted with dichloromethane–methanol. Analyses were performed by high performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection (HPLC-DAD) with 2-methoxyflavone as internal standard. Several dispersants, eluents and clean-up steps were tested during the optimization of the process in order to obtain the best selectivity and yields. Mean recoveries ranged from 70% to 119%, with relative standard deviations <18%. The limits of detection were between 0.006 mg/l for biochanin A and 0.108 mg/l for daidzin. The performance of the optimized method in real samples was compared with a conventional method based in solid–liquid extraction (SLE).     

Determination of four lignanoids in roots,stems and leaves of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Zanthoxylum armatum</Emphasis> DC by HPLC-DAD with HPLC-ESI–QTOF-MS confirmation

A rapid, effective method through an orthogonal design was developed, and four lignanoids were determined by HPLC and confirmed by HPLC coupled with electrospray ionization and quadrupole timeof-flight mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI–QTOF-MS). The roots, stems and leaves of Zanthoxylum armatum DC were extracted by methanol for 15 min under reflux. Separation was performed using an UPLC system to quantify four bioactive compounds, namely fargesin, asarinin, planispine A and planispine B, in 12 batches of samples of different origin from China. Furthermore, the samples were analyzed using HPLC-ESI–QTOF-MS to confirm the results. The calibration curves of all four analytes showed good linearity (R > 0.998). Accuracy, precision and repeatability were all within required limits. The mean recoveries measured at the three concentrations were higher than 99% with RSDs lower than 4.1%. The established HPLC-DAD method could serve as a rapid and effective method for quality evaluation of Zanthoxylum armatum DC.     

Simultaneous Determination of Nicotine and Its Nine Metabolites in Human Urine by LC–MS–MS

A method based on liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry was developed for the direct determination of nicotine, cotinine, trans-3′-hydroxycotinine, their corresponding glucuronide conjugates as well as nornicotine, norcotinine, cotinine-N-oxide and nicotine-N′-oxide in the urine of smokers. The assay only involves centrifugation and filtration of diluted urine. The analysis was performed on a C18 reversed-phase column using a gradient of 10 mM ammonium acetate, pH 6.8, and methanol as mobile phase at a flow rate of 1 mL min^?1. Nicotine-methyl-d₃, Cotinine-methyl-d₃ and trans-3′-hydroxycotinine-methyl-d₃ were used as internal standards. Precisions (RSD) for all the analytes at three levels were between 2.1 and 17.0%. Recoveries for nicotine and nine nicotine metabolites ranged from 78.4 to 115.6%. The described method was suitable for determining the nicotine dose in large-scale human biomonitoring studies.     

LC Determination of Podophyllum Lignans and Flavonoids in Podophyllum emodi Wall.var.chinesis Sprague

A high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the simultaneous separation and determination of nine podophyllum lignans and two flavonoids in Podophyllum emodi Wall.var.chinesis Sprague was established. The separation was performed with the following condition: column, Kromasil-C18, 5 μm, 15 × 0.46 cm; solvent A, 25 mM phosphate buffer, pH 2.5; solvent B, methanol; gradient, 50/50/70% B at 0/13/33 min; flow rate, 0.8 mL min^?1; detection, UV 270 nm. β-Apopicropodophyllin was used as the internal standard. The samples of P. emodi Wall.var.chinesis Sprague from different sources were examined by the developed method. In addition, three methods for sample preparation were discussed. It is shown from the results that refluxing in chloroform displays high extraction efficiency.     

Qualitative and quantitative determination of nucleosides, bases and their analogues in natural and cultured Cordyceps by pressurized liquid extraction and high performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS/MS)

A simple and rapid pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) and high performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS/MS) method was developed for qualitative and quantitative determination of nucleosides, bases and their analogues in natural and cultured Cordyceps. The samples were extracted using PLE. The separation was achieved on a ZORBAX Eclipse XDB-C₁₈ column with gradient elution of methanol and 5 mM aqueous ammonium acetate as mobile phase. Target compounds were identified by characterizing their product ions, precursor ions and retention times. Quantitative analysis of investigated compounds were performed using time programmed selective ion monitoring (SIM) or selective reaction monitoring (SRM) with 10 segments in positive (negative for uridine) ion mode. The results showed that 43 bases, nucleosides and their analogues were detected in Cordyceps, of these 16 compounds were identified. The simultaneous determination of seven nucleosides and six bases in Cordyceps was achieved using PLE and HPLC-ESI-MS/MS method described above, which afforded good linearity, selectivity, precision, recovery, short analysis time as well as LOD and LOQ in the ng/ml range.     

LC Separation and Determination of Five Diester-Diterpenoid Alkaloids in the Unprocessed and Processed Aconite Roots

A reliable liquid chromatographic method with photodiode array detector (DAD) was developed and validated for simultaneous separation and determination of five diester-diterpenoid alkaloids in the aconite roots. The separation was successfully performed on a Zorbax Extend-C₁₈ column with a mobile phase gradient prepared from methanol and ammonia solution at a flow rate of 1.0 mL min^?1. Good linearity (r > 0.999) was observed over the concentration ranges investigated, and intra-day and inter-day precision were high. The mean recoveries of five components ranged from 90.45 to 102.63% and relative standard deviations were always <5%. The validated method was successfully used for simultaneous determination of the five diester-diterpenoid alkaloids of unprocessed and processed aconite roots. The quantitative method provided a scientific basis for safety assurance and clinical application of aconite roots.     

LC Determination and Pharmacokinetic Study of Gemfibrozil in Human Plasma

A simple and sensitive LC method for the quantitative determination of gemfibrozil in human plasma samples is described. Mometasone furoate was used as the internal standard. Plasma samples were pretreated by protein precipitation using methanol. Separation was performed at 40 °C on a YMC^® ODS-A reverse phase column (5 μm particle size, 150 mm × 4.6 mm i.d.) using 0.2% (v/v) triethylamine in water (adjusting to pH 4.0 with phosphoric acid) and acetonitrile (45:55, v/v) as mobile phase which was delivered at 1.5 mL min^?1. Ultraviolet detection was performed at 230 nm. The linear concentration range for gemfibrozil was 0.25–50 μg mL^?1. The detection limit of this method was 0.1 μg mL^?1. Intra- and inter-assay RSD ranged from 0.63 to 2.04% and 1.37 to 4.27%, respectively. The method was sensitive, simple and repeatable enough to be used in pharmacokinetic studies.     

Determination of Memantine in Human Plasma by LC–MS–MS: Application to a Pharmacokinetic Study

A sensitive and selective liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method for the determination of memantine was developed and validated over the linearity range 0.1–25 ng mL^?1 with 0.5 mL of plasma using procainamide as the internal standard. This analysis was carried out on a Cosmosil 5C₁₈-MS column and the mobile phase was composed of methanol: 0.5% formic acid (50:50, v/v). Detection was performed on a triple–quadrupole tandem mass spectrometer using positive ion mode electrospray ionization and quantification was performed by multiple reaction monitoring mode. The MS–MS ion transitions monitored were m/z 180 → 107 and 236 → 163 for memantine and procainamide, respectively. The between- and within-day precision was less than 10.9% and accuracy was less than 2.5%. The lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) was 0.1 ng mL^?1. The method proved to be accurate and specific, and was applied to the pharmacokinetic study of memantine in healthy Chinese volunteers.     

GC Methods for the Determination of Methanol and Ethanol in Insulating Mineral Oils as Markers of Cellulose Degradation in Power Transformers

Methanol and ethanol in transformer oils have been recently proposed as new markers of thermal and mechanical degradation of cellulose (the solid insulation in power transformers). In this work, we optimized and compared the performance of two headspace gas chromatographic methods based on flame ionization (HS–GC–FID) and mass spectrometry detection (HS–GC–MS) to determine methanol and ethanol in insulating mineral oil. For methanol and ethanol, the detection limits were 12 and 27 μg kg^?1 (HS–GC–FID) and 1.3 and 3.1 μg kg^?1 (HS–GC–MS). Repeatability was evaluated in transformer oils for both the methods at different concentration levels of analytes and RSD values were found to lie between 1.8 and 16 %. The accuracy of the methods was assessed under a proficiency test (Cigré JWG A2/D1.46). The methods were compared by a F-test and a one-sided paired t test performed on 21 transformer oils in service. Correlations of methanol and ethanol content in sampled oils against their actual time of service are provided. For each sample, the content of traditional markers (furan-2-carbaldehyde and CO₂) was also measured, finding a correlation between light alcohols and CO₂ content. This indicates that methanol and ethanol determination may be helpful in providing further information on the thermal degradation conditions of transformers’ solid insulation. The method developed is currently routinely applied by the laboratories of Sea Marconi Technologies for the assessment of transformers’ conditions.     

Analysis of Arecoline in Rat Urine, and Identification of its Metabolites, by Liquid Chromatography–Tandem Mass Spectrometry

A simple and rapid high-performance liquid chromatographic–electrospray ionization (ESI) tandem mass spectrometric method has been developed for elucidation of the structures of the metabolites of arecoline in rat urine after administration of a single dose (20 mg kg^?1). The urine samples were purified on a C₁₈ solid-phase extraction cartridge and analysis was then performed on a reversed-phase C₁₈ column with 60:40 (v/v) methanol–0.01% triethylamine solution (2 mmol L^?1, adjusted to pH 3.5 with formic acid) as mobile phase and detection by on-line MS–MS. Identification of the metabolites and elucidation of their structures were performed by comparing molecular masses (ΔM), retention-times, and product ion spectra with those of the parent drug. The parent drug arecoline, four phase-I metabolites, and one phase-II metabolite were identified in rat urine.     

Stability Indicating Assay Method on Vitamins: Application to their Stability Study in Parenteral Nutrition Admixtures

Vitamins are an heterogenous family of drugs with very different molecular properties. A novel method for the simultaneous quantification by LC-tandem mass spectrometry of ten water- and fat-soluble vitamins (retinol, α-tocopherol, thiamin, riboflavin, nicotinamide, pantothenic acid, pyridoxine, biotin, folic acid and ascorbic acid) in parenteral admixture without sample pre-treatment is described in this paper. The separation was achieved by reversed phase LC with a Zorbax C18 column (length 150 mm, internal diameter 4.6 mm, particle size 2.5 μm). A gradient of mobile phase was set up starting at 100% ammonium acetate solution at 10 mM, pH = 4.5 reaching a step of ammonium acetate : methanol in 15 min (65:35 v/v). The detection system combined online photodiode array and tandem mass spectrometry. Degradation studies of vitamin admixtures were performed and the method proved to be stability indicating. The LC-UV-MS-MS method was validated in accordance with the ICH guidelines. Repeatability and intermediate precision were comprised between 1.0 and 10.2% and 0.7 and 11.8%, respectively. A stability study of the vitamins mixed within three different parenteral nutrition admixtures has been performed and has shown their stability within at least 48 h.