Determination of dosulepin and its metabolite: application of high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection

Dosulepin, 11-(3-dimethylaminopropylidene)-6,11-dihydrodibenzo [b,e]thiepin hydrochloride, is a thio analogue of amitriptyline and is used for the treatment of anxiety and affective disorders. The present study developed a simple and sensitive procedure for the determination of this compound and its metabolite, northiaden, by a combination of high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection. Hydrodynamic voltammograms demonstrated an optimal applied potential at 1300 mV for both dosulepin and northiaden. A mobile phase consisting of 0.1 M acetate buffer-acetonitrile-perchloric acid-trichloroacetic acid (50:50:2:1.5) provided the best separation of the drugs. The extraction procedure, which used a heptane-isoamyl alcohol (99:1) mixture, was successfully applied with a recovery of over 90%. A preliminary pharmacokinetic study was performed by the proposed method.     

Determination of triazine pesticides by high-performance liquid chromatography with swept-potential electrochemical detection

A swept-potential electrochemical detector, operating in the square-wave voltammetric mode, is used to detect a mixture of five triazine pesticides separated on a reverse-phase resin column. Limits of detection are below 1 ng injected. Two compounds, not completely separated by the column, are resolved on the potential axis.     

Determination of diclofenac in plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection

A reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method with electrochemical detection for the quantitative determination of diclofenac potassium in plasma was developed. Naproxen was used as the internal standard. The drug and internal standard were isolated from plasma by extraction with dichloromethane and 2 M hydrochloric acid. Chromatographic separation was performed on a C18 column with methanol-water (68:32, v/v) adjusted to pH 3.2 with phosphoric acid as mobile phase. The oxidation potential for detection was established by constructing a voltammogram for diclofenac. The quantification limit for diclofenac in plasma was 5 ng mL(-1). Linearity of the method was confirmed in the range 5-2000 ng mL(-1), correlation coefficient 0.9998. Within-day relative standard deviations (RSDs) ranged from 0.66 to 14.00% and between-day RSDs from 0.59 to 15.78%. The method was successfully applied for the determination of pharmacokinetic parameters after ingestion of a 50 mg dose of diclofenac. Studies were performed on 18 healthy volunteers of both sexes.     

Determination of urinary 5-S-cysteinyldopamine by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection

Summary 5-S-Cysteinyldopamine, a new metabolite of dopamine, was determined in urine by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection. The catechol was detected in 14 of 21 melanoma patients and 7 of 21 normal subjects; the highest values were 657 μg/day for melanoma patients and 44 μg/day for normal subjects. These results suggest that the cysteine conjugate may arise from autoxidation of dopamine but tyrosinase may also participate in the oxidation.     

Determination of thiamazole in serum by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection

A simple and sensitive method for the determination of thiamazole in serum by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection is described. Thiamazole in serum was quantified without an extraction procedure at concentrations down to 10 ng/ml. This method was applied to determine the serum concentration of the drug in two healthy volunteers given a single oral dose of 10 mg of thiamazole. The concentration of the drug reached a maximum at 3-4 h after the oral dose and two elimination phases were observed.     

Determination of glutathione in biological material by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection

Glutathione in biological samples is extracted by perchloric acid and separated by ion-paier chromatography on a RP-18 phase. In a post-column reaction, glutathione is converted to an isoindole derivative by reaction with o-phthalaldehyde and detected at a galssy carbon electrode at 800 mV v. Ag/AgCl/3 M KCl. The detection limit is 40 pmol of glutathione injected.     

Determination of deoxynivalenol (vomitoxin) by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection

A rapid method for the analysis of deoxynivalenol (DON) was developed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with reductive electrochemical detection (ED). Deoxynivalenol produced by Fusarium roseum growing on solid cornmeal and rice substrates and from naturally contaminated wheat was extracted and quantitated via ED. DON levels in wheat were verified by gas chromatography and structurally confirmed by mass spectrometry. DON was optimally resolved by HPLC employing a radially compressed octadecylsilane column and a mobile phase of deoxygenated methanol-40 mM borate buffer (35:65) at a flow-rate of 1.0 ml/min. Under these conditions DON exhibited an average retention time of 3.6 min. Reductive ED (-1.4 V) allowed a 12-fold increase in sensitivity and greater selectivity than classical UV absorption at 224 nm. A detection limit for DON of 25 pg/microliter was achieved under these conditions. The determination of DON in crude grain extracts was hindered by extractable interfering substances, whereas ED was more functional-group selective (i.e. reduction of the carbonyl moiety). ED permits a direct quantitation of DON from crude grain extracts and may facilitate the determination of this agent and associated metabolites in biological samples.     

Determination of bisphenol A in air by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection

An air-sampling method for bisphenol A utilizing 13-mm glass fibre filters was developed. The collection efficiency and desorption characteristics were determined. Liquid chromatographic conditions were optimized for the electrochemical detection of bisphenol A. Detection under acidic and alkaline conditions is discussed. The detection minimum is 25 ng/m3 for a 60-1 sample.     

Determination of total cholesterol in serum by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection

A simple and sensitive HPLC method that does not require derivatization for determining cholesterol has been developed. Investigation of voltammetric behavior of cholesterol showed that cholesterol could be oxidized on a glassy carbon electrode in non-aqueous solvents. This was applied to the development of a method by HPLC with electrochemical detection (HPLC-ED). The HPLC-ED was optimized using the separation of cholesterol and oxysterols including 26-hydroxycholesterol and 24S-hydroxycholesterol. The separation was carried out with a Develosil C30-UG-3 column; acetonitrile-2-propanol (9:1, v/v) containing 50mM LiClO(4) as a mobile phase; and an applied potential at 1.9V versus Ag/AgCl. The current peak height was linearly related to the amount of cholesterol injected from 0.5-100 microM (r>0.999). The detection limit (S/N=3) of cholesterol was 0.36 microM (1.8 pmol). Cholesterol at 100 microM was directly detected with a relative standard deviation (RSD) of less than 1.0% (n=8). Total cholesterol and free cholesterol in control human serum were determined by the present method with the recovery of more than 90% and the RSD (n=6) of less than 3.0%.     

Determination of 5-methoxyindoles in pineal gland and plasma samples by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection.

A liquid chromatographic analysis with electrochemical detection of 5-methoxytryptamine, 5-methoxytryptophol, 5-methoxyindoleacetic acid and melatonin is described. Optimal elution conditions were determined by studying several variables: pH, buffer salt, counter ion and organic modifier. Measurement of 5-methoxyindoles in the pineal gland and plasma of hamsters has been performed after extraction. This method is specific and sensitive, and enables detection of 5-methoxyindoles in a pool of two hamster pineal glands. This is also the first time that these three 5-methoxyindoles have been measured simultaneously in plasma.     

Determination of sulphite and ascorbic acid by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection

A rapid HPLC method with electrochemical detection for the determination of free and total sulphite and ascorbic acid in beer and other beverages is presented. Interferences of these compounds are discussed, in addition to the behaviour in buffer solutions of different pH. Only a dilution step is required before injecting the sample into the chromatographic system. To obtain better specificity for these compounds, two different working electrodes (platinum for sulphite and carbon glass for ascorbic acid) with distinct potentials are used.     

Determination of triazines in water samples by high-performance liquid chromatography with diode-array detection

Triazines are widely used herbicides that can be detected in the environment at trace level. A preconcentration step is necessary to determinate them before analysis. In this study, carbonaceous and polymeric adsorbents are compared with C18 for the solid-phase extraction of simazine, atrazine, and propazine in water samples in order to quantitate their levels by high-performance liquid chromatography using photodiode-array detection.