Determination of L-Dopa and L-Dopamine in Aqueous Solutions Using In-Loop SPME Coupled with LC

A new in-loop solid-phase microextraction (in-loop-SPME) technique, based on an aluminum capillary tube coupled to HPLC, is described for on-line isolation, concentration, and analysis of analytes from aqueous samples. L-Dopa and L-dopamine, in aqueous solutions, were selected as model compounds. The main conditions affecting extraction of the analytes from aqueous samples, desorption, injection, and chromatographic separation were investigated. The method is simple and reproducible. Using the proposed method, reliable determination of L-dopa and L-dopamine at parts-per-billion concentrations was achieved. The calibration plots were linear in the range of 2.5–1500 ng mL⁻¹ with correlation coefficients of 0.999 and 0.998 for L-dopa and L-dopamine, respectively. The detection limits were 0.5–1 ng mL⁻¹ with a relative standard deviation less than 4.1%. Concentration factors more than 100-fold were obtained for these compounds.     

Simultaneous HPLC Determination of Five Flavonoids in Flos Inulae

A simple and accurate reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic (RP-HPLC) method has been developed for simultaneous determination of five flavonoids, spinacetin, quercetin, luteolin, 6-methoxyluteolin, and isorhamnetin, in an extract of the flowers of Inula britannica L., an important Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Samples were extracted with 80% ethanol. Optimum separation and detection were achieved on an ODS-3 column with a methanol–acetonitrile gradient containing 0.49% (v/v) citric acid as mobile phase. The flow rate was 1.0 mL min⁻¹ and detection was at 360 nm. All calibration plots revealed linearity was good (r ² = 0.999) within the concentration ranges tested. Repeatability was evaluated by performing intra-day and inter-day assays; relative standards deviations (RSD) were less than 2.8%. Recovery of the five flavonoids was between 91.5 and 103.6%, with RSD less than 6.5%. The method was successfully used for analysis of seven samples of Flos Inulae from different parts of China and was found to be simple and efficient.     

Comparison of on-line SPE-HPLC and SPME-GC for the analysis of microcontaminants in water

Summary Solid-phase preconcentration coupled on-line with liquid chromatography, and solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography have been applied to the determination of trace-level concentrations of benzene and sulfur compounds (tetrahydrothiophene (THT),t-butyl mercaptan (TBM), andn-butyl mercaptan (nBM)) in aqueous media. The first technique uses a microcolumn packed with a styrene-divinylbenzene copolymer. Retention values for THT, TBM, and benzene on this sorbent, expressed as the capacity factors, are 1100, 1600, and 4000, respectively. It is, therefore, possible to preconcentrate them efficiently and this method enables minimum concentrations of 0.05, 0.7, and 0.8 μg L⁻¹, respectively, to be reached. In microextraction, a fine silica fiber coated with a thin layer of polydimethylsiloxane is used. The partition coefficients of the analytes between the polymeric coating and water have been determined to be 40, 115, and 110 for THT, TBM, and benzene, respectively. When sampling is performed from the liquid phase, partition equilibrium is reached within 5 to 20 minutes, or more quickly when the solution is agitated. Using a flame ionization detector, detection limits for THT, TBM, and benzene were 3, 5, and 0.2 μg L⁻¹, respectively. Extraction of volatile or semi-volatile analytes can also be performed from the headspace with very similar detection limits. In addition, the extraction time is shorter since equilibrium is reached within 1 to 1.5 minute, which can again be reduced by agitation of the sample. The advantages and drawbacks of both techniques are gathered and discussed in this paper, which also underlines their complementarity.     

Comparison of on-line SPE-HPLC and SPME-GC for the analysis of microcontaminants in water

Summary Solid-phase preconcentration coupled on-line with liquid chromatography, and solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography have been applied to the determination of trace-level concentrations of benzene and sulfur compounds (tetrahydrothiophene (THT),t-butyl mercaptan (TBM), andn-butyl mercaptan (nBM)) in aqueous media. The first technique uses a microcolumn packed with a styrene-divinylbenzene copolymer. Retention values for THT, TBM, and benzene on this sorbent, expressed as the capacity factors, are 1100, 1600, and 4000, respectively. It is, therefore, possible to preconcentrate them efficiently and this method enables minimum concentrations of 0.05, 0.7, and 0.8 μg L⁻¹, respectively, to be reached. In microextraction, a fine silica fiber coated with a thin layer of polydimethylsiloxane is used. The partition coefficients of the analytes between the polymeric coating and water have been determined to be 40, 115, and 110 for THT, TBM, and benzene, respectively. When sampling is performed from the liquid phase, partition equilibrium is reached within 5 to 20 minutes, or more quickly when the solution is agitated. Using a flame ionization detector, detection limits for THT, TBM, and benzene were 3, 5, and 0.2 μg L⁻¹, respectively. Extraction of volatile or semi-volatile analytes can also be performed from the headspace with very similar detection limits. In addition, the extraction time is shorter since equilibrium is reached within 1 to 1.5 minute, which can again be reduced by agitation of the sample. The advantages and drawbacks of both techniques are gathered and discussed in this paper, which also underlines their complementarity.     

QuEChERS/HPLC/DAD法同时检测果蔬中多种植物激素残留

采用高效液相色谱法,建立了同时分析玉米素(Z)、赤霉酸(GA)、多效唑(PBZ)、4-氟苯氧乙酸(4-FPA)、4-氯苯氧乙酸(4-CPA)、吲哚-3-乙酸(IAA)、吲哚-3-丁酸(IBA)、6-苄氨基嘌呤(6-BA)、脱落酸(ABA)、萘乙酸(NAA)、氯吡脲(CPPU)、2,4-二氯苯氧乙酸(2,4-D)及2,4,5-三氯苯氧乙酸(2,4,5-T)13种植物激素含量的方法。采用含0.5%甲酸的80%乙腈进行提取,分散固相萃取吸附剂(C18和硅藻土)进行净化,选取Waters XBridge C_(18)色谱柱,以乙腈-水为流动相进行梯度洗脱,二极管阵列检测器200~400nm检测,外标法定量。结果表明,13种植物激素在50 min内可实现基线分离,在线性范围内的相关系数(r)为0.992 1~0.999 3;加标回收率为68.4%~95.1%;相对标准偏差(RSD)均小于5%;方法的检出限为0.005~0.020 mg/kg;定量下限为0.01~0.09 mg/kg。该方法前处理操作快速、简便,具有良好的灵敏度、精密度和回收率,适用于果蔬的质量监控。     

Determining the permeability of organic solvents through PVC pipes using a direct SPME model

The permeability of aromatic hydrocarbons, i.e. BTEX and styrene, through PVC pipes was investigated using a 6-cm pipe-bottle model with direct solid-phase microextraction (SPME) sampling. It was found that an aromatic hydrocarbon with a large molecular size or low polarity may be less permeable through PVC pipes. In addition, the diffusion coefficients of BTEX and styrene in PVC pipes ranged from 4.87 to 7.64 × 10⁻⁸ cm²/s. According to the simulation results of a one-dimensional diffusion model, it is speculated that diffusion transport of benzene and toluene in PVC pipes may have non-Fickian behavior. The advantage of using the innovated test model is that SPME provides a nondestructive analytical means to monitor the concentrations of organic compounds in pipe-water. Therefore, the pipe-bottle model developed herein has potential applications in determining the resistance of polymeric pipes to permeation by solvents in the aqueous solution.     

Simultaneous Determination of Olanzapine and Fluoxetine by HPLC

A rapid, specific reversed phase HPLC method has been developed for simultaneous determination of olanzapine and fluoxetine in their formulations. Chromatographic separation of these two pharmaceuticals was carried out on an Inertsil C₁₈ reversed phase column (150 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) with a 40:30:30 (v/v/v) mixture of 9.5 mM sodium dihydrogen phosphate (pH adjusted to 6.8 ± 0.1 with triethylamine), acetonitrile and methanol as mobile phase. The flow rate 1.2 mL min⁻¹ and the analytes are monitored at 225 nm. Paroxetine was used as internal standard. The assay results were linear from 25 to 75 μg mL⁻¹ for olanzapine (r ² ≥ 0.995) and 100–300 μg mL⁻¹ for fluoxetine (r ² ≥ 0.995), showed intra- and inter-day precision less than 1.0%, and accuracy of 97.7–99.1% and 97.9–99.0%. LOQ was 0.005 and 0.001 μg mL⁻¹ for olanzapine and fluoxetine, respectively. Separation was complete in less than 10 min. Validation of the method showed it to be robust, precise, accurate and linear over the range of analysis.     

Quantitative HPLC Determination and Stability Studies of Pyridostemin in Extracts and Water Dispersible Granule Formulations of Stemona curtisii

A reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method has been developed and validated for the determination of pyridostemin, the major pesticidal alkaloid found in Stemona curtisii. This methodology was applied to the investigation of plant extracts and water dispersible granule formulations. Stability indicating procedures have also been carried out. The chromatographic separation was on a C₁₈ column with a mixture of acetonitrile–water–triethylamine (30:70:0.12, v/v/v), using UV detection at 300 nm. Validation procedures showed that the method was specific, accurate and precise. The response was linear over a range of 5–25 μg mL⁻¹ with recoveries in the range of 98.28–102.85%. The RSD for intra- and inter-day precision were <0.72 and <1.29%, respectively. Extraction of plant material with dichloromethane gave a significantly higher pyridostemin content in the crude extracts when compared with extractions in methanol. Partial purification of the crude extracts by silica gel column chromatography was used to concentrate the mixture about fourfold. Degradation behavior of pyridostemin in the partially purified extracts followed first-order kinetics. The main pathways for its decomposition were base hydrolysis and oxidation.     

Detection of organophosphate pesticides in human body fluids by headspace solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and capillary gas chromatography with nitrogen-phosphorus detection

Summary Organosphosphate pesticides have been found extractable by headspace solid-phase microextraction (SPME), and the best conditions of their extraction from human whole blood and urine samples have been investigated. The body fluid samples containing nine pesticides (IBP, methyl parathion, fenitrothion, malathion, fenthion, isoxathion, ethion, EPN and phosalone) were heated at 100°C in a septum-capped vial in the presence of various combinations of acid and salts, and SPME fiber was exposed to the headspace of the vial to allow adsorption of the pesticides before capillary gas chromatography (GC) with nitrogen-phosphorus detection. The heating with distilled water/HCl/(NH₄)₂SO₄/NaCl and with distilled water/HCl gave the best results for urine and whole blood, respectively. Recoveries of the nine pesticides were 0.8–10.6% except for phosalone (0.03%) for whole blood, and 3.8–40.2% for urine. The calibration curves for the pesticides showed linearity in the range of 50–400 ng/0.5 mL for whole blood except for malathion (100–400 ng/0.5 mL whole blood) and 7.5–120 ng/0.5 mL for urine except for phosalone (15–120 ng/0.5 mL urine) with detection limits of 2.2–40 ng/0.5 mL for whole blood and 0.8–12 ng/0.5 mL for urine.     

Simultaneous Determination of Nine Flavonoids in Dalbergia odorifera by LC

A rapid and accurate HPLC method has been developed for the simultaneous determination of nine major flavonoids, namely 3-hydroxymelanettin, melanettin, stevenin, butein, isoliquiritigenin, dalbergin, 2,4-dihydroxy-5-methoxybenzophenone, pinocembrin, 4-methoxydalbergione in Dalbergia odorifera. The samples were separated on an Aglient Zorbax SB-C₁₈ column (250 × 4.6 mm, 5 m) with a gradient of acetonitrile and 1% aqueous acetic acid (/) at a flow rate of 1.0 mL min^–1 and detected at 350 nm. The complete separation was obtained within 30 min for the nine target flavonoids. All calibration curves showed good linearity (r² > 0.999) within test ranges. The repeatability was evaluated by intra- and inter-day assays and RSD values were less than 4.0%. The recoveries were between 92.0% and 104.5%. The developed method was successfully applied to the analysis of 32 commercial samples of D. odorifera.     

介孔涂层固相微萃取-高效液相色谱法测定水样中邻苯二羧酸酯化合物

以苯基官能化MCM-41介孔复合体作为固相微萃取(SPME)的吸附涂层, 与高效液相色谱(HPLC)联用测定了不同水样中邻苯二甲酸二甲酯(DMP)、邻苯二甲酸二乙酯(DEP)、邻苯二甲酸二丁酯(DBP)和邻苯二甲酸二辛酯(DOP)的含量, 对SPME的吸附和解吸时间、温度、搅拌速度进行了优化, 线性范围分别为1.19×10-4～119 μg/L、 1.12×10-4～112 μg/L、 1.05×10-4～105 μg/L和9.80×10-5～98 μg/L, 检出限依次为0.030、 0.027、 0.029和0.022 ng/L. 使用该方法测定了多种水样中邻苯二羧酸酯类化合物.     

Simultaneous Determination of Seven Active Compounds in Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae by Temperature-Controlled Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction and HPLC

A simple and effective high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method has been developed for simultaneous quantification of three phenolic acids (3,4-dihydroxyphenyllactic acid (Chinese name danshensu), protocatechuic aldehyde, and salvianolic acid B) and four diterpenes (dihydrotanshinone I, cryptotanshinone, tanshinone I, and tanshinone II_A) in radix salviae miltiorrhizae. Chromatography was performed on a 250 mm × 4.6 mm i.d., 5-μm particle size, C₁₈ column. The mobile phase was a linear gradient prepared from 0.1% (v/v) aqueous formic acid and acetonitrile at a flow-rate of 1.0 mL min⁻¹. All the target components were well separated with high resolution and without interference. Good linearity (R ² > 0.999) was observed over the concentration ranges investigated, and intra-day and inter-day precision were high. Temperature-controlled ultrasound-assisted extraction was used to prevent hydrolysis of thermally unstable components during the sample-extraction procedure, and the extraction conditions were carefully optimized. Recovery of the seven components was from 98.45 to 100.63% and relative standard deviations were always <1.5%. The validated method was successfully used for simultaneous quantification of the three phenolic acids and the four diterpenes in radix salviae miltiorrhizae of different geographic origins.     

超高效液相色谱-三重四级杆串联质谱法同时测定植物组织中多种激素

建立了同时测定植物组织中玉米素(ZT)、吲哚乙酸(IAA)、赤霉素类(GA1、GA3、GA4)、脱落酸(ABA)、茉莉酸(JA)7种植物激素的超高效液相色谱-三重四级杆串联质谱法(UHPLC-QqQ-MS/MS)。采用C18色谱柱(50×2.1mm,1.8μm)分离,以甲醇-0.1%甲酸水溶液为流动相,梯度洗脱,在多反应监测(MRM)模式下进行定性定量分析,外标法定量。7种植物激素的检出限为0.01~8.77ng·mL~(-1),定量限为0.02~29.23ng·mL~(-1),在实验所采用的浓度范围内线性相关系数(R2)在0.9870~0.9990之间。植物样本前处理采用C18-SPE小柱进行富集和纯化,极大地减少了基质干扰。在辣椒叶片基质中,7种植物激素在低、中、高3个加标水平下的平均回收率为65.8%~90.9%,相对标准偏差(RSDs,n=5)为2.1%~5.5%。该方法简单、快速,灵敏,准确,适用于对植物组织中多种激素的同时测定。     

HPLC Method for Determination of Rosiglitazone in Plasma

A fast and sensitive high performance liquid chromatography method for quantitative determination of rosiglitazone in human plasma has been developed. The extraction from plasma was performed using solid-phase extraction (SPE) on C4 silica (100 mg) disposable extraction cartridges (DEC). The separation of rosiglitazone and two metabolites was achieved on a Phenomenex® Synergi 4 µm MAX-RP (150 × 4.6 mm) column, protected by a guard column. The mobile phase was 0.01 M ammonium acetate, pH 7.0 - acetonitrile (65:35, v/v). (3S)-3-OH-quinidine was used as internal standard. The analytes were detected using fluorescence detection. The method was validated. The limit of quantitation was 1 ng mL⁻¹ and the detection limit was 0.25 ng mL⁻¹ for rosiglitazone in human plasma. The recovery was 90% for rosiglitazone. Linearity was observed over a range of 1-1000 ng mL⁻¹ (r²=0.9959). The intra- and inter-day precision (C.V.) did not exceed 8.7 %. Applicability of the method was demonstrated by a clinical pharmacokinetic study. A healthy volunteer received in two separate phases 4 mg and 8 mg rosiglitazone maleate as a single oral dose. Plasma concentrations were measured for 24 h in both phases.     

Preparation of ionic liquid based solid-phase microextraction fiber and its application to forensic determination of methamphetamine and amphetamine in human urine

A new solid-phase microextraction (SPME) procedure using an ionic liquid (IL) has been developed. Reusable IL-based SPME fiber was prepared for the first time by fixing IL through cross-linkage of IL impregnated silicone elastomer on the surface of a fused silica fiber. 1-Ethoxyethyl-3-methylimidazloium bis(trifluoromethane) sulfonylimide ([EeMim][NTf₂]) ionic liquid was employed as a demonstration and the prepared fiber was applied to the forensic headspace determination of methamphetamine (MAP) and amphetamine (AP) in human urine samples. Important extraction parameters including the concentration of salt and base in sample matrix, extraction temperature and extraction time were investigated and optimized. Combined with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) working in selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode, the new method showed good linearity in the range of 20–1500 μg L⁻¹, good repeatability (RSD < 7.5% for MAP, and <11.5% for AP, n = 6), and low detection limits (0.1 μg L⁻¹ for MAP and 0.5 μg L⁻¹ for AP). Feasibility of the method was evaluated by analyzing human urine samples. Although IL-based SPME is still at the beginning of its development stage, the results obtained by this work showed that it is a promising simple, fast and sensitive sample preparation method.     

Improved extraction of glycol ethers from water by solid-phase micro extraction by carboxen polydimethylsiloxane-coated fiber

Summary 15 glycol ethers can be extracted from water by solidphase microextraction with a carboxen-polydimethyl-siloxane and separated by GC a Carbowax column. Water containing 15 glycol ethers at concentrations 0.1–10 mg.L⁻¹ is saturated at ambient temperature with NaCl. A carboxen-polydimethylsiloxane-coated fiber is then exposed to the liquid for 20 min and then automatically injected into a capillary GC injection port. Calibration curves were linear for different glycol ethers in the rang 0.1–10 mg.L⁻¹ Detection limits of each component of the mixture of glycol ethers between 50–500 μg.L⁻¹. The SPME method with direct immersion in water results in better sensivity than methods based on liquid-liquid extraction.     

A Validated HPLC Method for Simultaneous Determination of 2-Hydroxy-4-methoxybenzaldehyde and 2-Hydroxy-4-methoxybenzoic Acid in Root Organs of Hemidesmus indicus

A reverse phase HPLC method was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of 2-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzaldehyde and 2-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzoic acid in the root extracts of Hemidesmus indicus. A comprehensive validation of the method including sensitivity, linearity, reproducibility, accuracy, limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) was conducted using the optimized chromatographic conditions. The method was found to be linear (r > 0.998) in the range of 5–350 μg mL⁻¹ for 2-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzaldehyde and for 2-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzoic acid (r > 0.999) in the range 10–300 μg mL⁻¹. The method was found to be precise with inter-day precision values (% RSD) in the ranges of 0.61–1.76% for 2-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzaldehyde and 1.3–2.8% for 2-hydroxy-4-ethoxybenzoic acid while intra-day precisions (% RSD) of two analytes were in the range of 0.41–1.07 and 0.95–2.5%. The limits of detection (LODs) for 2-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzaldehyde and 2-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzoic acid were 0.84 and 2.34 μg mL⁻¹. The described method was fast, sensitive and reproducible, and thus well suited for routine analysis of these two compounds from root extracts of H. indicus and other plants.     

Isolation and Simultaneous Determination of Coumarin Compounds in Radix Angelica dahurica

For the first time simple, rapid, and systematic methods have been established for preparative isolation and purification of coumarin compounds in an important traditional Chinese Medicine, Radix Angelica dahurica, and for simultaneous determination of several of the compounds in the medicine. Bergapten, imperatorin, and cnidilin, three of the biologically active coumarin compounds, were isolated from the chloroform-soluble fraction of the ethanol extract of Radix Angelica dahurica. After further purification by open column ODS chromatography the purified components were simultaneously determined, with two other coumarins (osthole and isoimperatorin), by reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) on a C₁₈ column, with methanol–water, 66:34 (v/v), as mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.8 mL min⁻¹. The compounds were detected by UV absorption at 310 nm. Calibration plots for all the coumarins had correlation coefficients close to unity. Limits of detection (S/N = 3) were <92 ng mL⁻¹ and limits of quantification (S/N = 10) were <259 ng mL⁻¹. Mean recovery of the coumarins was in the range 96.7–101.9% and the intra-day and inter-day precision, as relative standard deviation, was <2.3 and <2.9%, respectively. This simple, sensitive, and reproducible method can be used for quality control of Radix Angelica dahurica.     

Determination of sulbutiamine and its disulfide derivatives in human plasma by HPLC using on-line post-column reactors and fluorimetric detection

Summary A new direct HPLC procedure for the simultaneous determination of sulbutiamine (Arcalion) and other thiamine disulfides in human plasma has been developed. The method involves an automated solidphase extraction on octadecylsilyl (C18) cartridges and chromatographic separation of the compounds on an RP Select B column with gradient elution using methanol and phosphate buffer. Detection was by fluorescence of the resulting thiochromes obtained from two on-line post-column reactors. Optimization of post-column reaction parameters has been achieved. This method has been proved to be highly selective for the determination of the thiamine disulfide derivatives and quantitation limits of 5 ng·ml^–1 were obtained for each compound in human plasma. Linearity was in the range 5–200 ng·ml^–1. Precision and accuracy were also demonstrated by within-day and between-day assays, and showed the good reliability of the method.     

Solid-Phase Extraction and High-Performance Liquid Chromatography for Simultaneous Determination of Important Bioactive Ginsenosides in Pharmaceutical Preparations

A robust method based on high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with ultraviolet (UV) detection has been developed for simultaneous determination of six important ginsenosides (Rg1, Re, Rb1, Rc, Rb2, and Rd) in pharmaceutical preparations. For sample preparation, simple and efficient extraction by ultrasonication, combined with solid-phase extraction (SPE) for clean-up, was effective without consuming large amounts of solvent. Chromatographic separation was performed on an ODS column with optimized gradient elution by means of a dual-solvent-pumping system. The validated method results in excellent separation, and quantitative determination is highly precise and accurate. The problem of co-elution of ginsenosides Rg1 and Re is also solved, with good resolution (R_S approx. 1.5). Intraday variation was between 0.2 and 4.4% and interday variation was between 0.4 and 6.5% (n=5 for both). The accuracy was satisfactory—in the range 93.9 to 103.4% from replicate evaluation at three different spiking concentrations. Overall limits of detection based on a typical injection volume of 5 μL were from 1.16 to 1.58 ng μL⁻¹. The validated method enabled complete assessment for quality control of ginseng samples. The technique may be performed with less sample preparation and, consequently, reduced possibility of sample loss.