Concurrent quantification of oleanolic acid, β-sitosterol and lupeol by a validated high-performance thin-layer chromatography method in Urginea indica Kunth bulb

A validated high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) method was developed for the simultaneous quantification of oleanolic acid, β-sitosterol and lupeol in the bulb of Urginea indica Kunth. Separation of metabolites was done in mobile phase using toluene‒ethyl acetate‒methanol‒acetone (7:2:0.2:0.2, V/V) and quantification was done after derivatization by dipping in aninsaldehyde‒sulphuric acid; densitometric scan was performed at 530 nm. The proposed method for quantification was linearly calibrated in the range of 200‒1000 ng/spot for oleanolic acid and β-sitosterol; 100‒500 ng/spot for lupeol, and it was found specific and repeatable. The R_F values were found at 0.44 ± 0.03, 0.55 ± 0.05 and 0.68 ± 0.08, limit of detection and limit of quantification were 1.045, 0.524, 0.525 µg/spot and 3.167, 1.588, 1.592 µg/spot for oleanolic acid, β-sitosterol and lupeol, respectively. Precision and recovery study for sample and standards were within the limit of the International Council for Harmonization guidelines. Oleanolic acid, β-sitosterol and lupeol were found to be 0.113%, 0.105% and 0.036%, respectively, in methanolic extract of plant on dry weight basis. This study will help in checking routine quality control of herbal drugs as well as herbal formulations containing U. indica.

     

Simultaneous quantification of brexpiprazole and sertraline HCl in synthetic mixture by thin-layer chromatography method

According to the International Council for Harmonisation (ICH) Q2 (R1) guideline, a sensitive, precise, accurate and robust high-performance thin-layer chromatographic (HPTLC) method was developed and validated for the simultaneous quantification of a newer combination of brexpiprazole (BREX) and sertraline HCl (SERT) in bulk and synthetic mixture. Stationary phase selected was pre-coated silica gel aluminum plate 60 F_254, and n-propanol‒hexane‒toluene‒triethylamine (7:2:1:0.1, V/V) was used as developing mobile phase. An appreciable absorbance shows at 254 nm, therefore the common detection wavelength was selected for the simultaneous quantification of BREX and SERT. The method was validated for different parameters: linearity, precision, accuracy, robustness, limit of detection and limit of quantification as per ICH guideline. The correlation coefficients (r²) for BREX and SERT were found to be 0.9940 and 0.9911, respectively. The mean of percentage recoveries for BREX and SERT were found to be 99.40–102.10% and 99.52–101.05%, respectively. The proposed HPTLC method has potential application for the quantification of BREX and SERT simultaneously in bulk and synthetic mixture both qualitatively and quantitatively.

     

Densitometric high-performance thin-layer chromatography methods for the quantification of oleuropein in Olea europaea leaves and pharmaceutical preparation utilizing normal- and reversed-phase silica gel plates

Two validated, simple and precise densitometric high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) quantification methods were proposed for both qualitative and quantitative estimation of oleuropein in Olea europaea leaves and a pharmaceutical product utilizing normal-phase and reversed-phase silica gel TLC plates. In method I, 10 × 20 cm glass plates coated with 0.2 mm thin layers of normal-phase silica gel 60 containing F₂₅₄ (E-Merck, Germany) and a mixture of ethyl acetate‒methanol‒water (8:1:0.5, V/V) were used as the stationary and the mobile phase, respectively. Method II utilized 10 × 20 cm glass-backed plates supporting 0.2 mm layers of RP-18 silica gel 60 containing F₂₅₄ (E-Merck, Germany) as the stationary phase and green solvents mixture composed of ethanol‒water (5.5:4.5, V/V) as the mobile phase. The two methods resulted in sharp, symmetrical, well-resolved peaks at R_F values of 0.47 ± 0.02 and 0.78 ± 0.03 with linearity ranges 200‒1400 ng/spot (r² = 0.9994) and 200‒1400 ng/spot (r² = 0.9996) for method I and method II, respectively. Spots corresponding to oleuropein were scanned at 200 nm. The two methods complied with the ICH guidelines for validation. Due to simplicity, low cost and short analysis time, the methods can be good alternatives for the quality control of different products containing olive leaves extract or pure oleuropein.

     

Stability-indicating high-performance thin-layer chromatography method for the simultaneous estimation of emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide fumarate

A simple, precise, rapid and accurate high-performance thin-layer chromatographic method was developed and validated for the simultaneous estimation of emtricitabine (EMT) and tenofovir alafenamide fumarate (TAF) in combined dosage forms and forced degradation studies were carried out as per the International Council for Harmonisation (ICH) guidelines. The stationary phase used was Merck TLC silica gel 60 F₂₅₄ aluminum plates. The mobile phase used was ethyl acetate‒n-hexane‒methanol‒ammonia solution (4:4:2:0.2, V/V). Densitometric evaluation was carried out at 260 nm, EMT and TAF. The concentration ranges used for the study are 400–2000 ng/band for EMT, 50–250 ng/band for TAF. EMT and TAF gave well defined and sharp peaks at retardation factor 0.43 and 0.56, respectively. The stability study showed that samples degraded with acid, base, hydrogen peroxide and light gave well separated peaks of EMT and TAF as well as some additional peaks at different retardation factor values. The proposed method is simple, suitable, accurate and stable in accordance with the ICH guidelines.

     

Development and validation of a high-performance thin-layer chromatography method for the estimation of bromfenac in ophthalmic solution

A novel, simple, precise, specific, accurate high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) method was developed and validated for the estimation of bromfenac in ophthalmic solution. Diclofenac sodium was used as an internal standard (IS) because of its structural resemblance with bromfenac to develop a more accurate and precise method. Silica gel 60 F₂₅₄ HPTLC plates were used to separate bromfenac from the formulation with a mobile phase consisting of toluene-ethyl acetate-glacial acetic acid (65:35:0.2, V/V). Densitometric scanning was performed at 274 nm after the HPTLC plates were air-dried. Well-resolved bands and good peak shapes were obtained for both bromfenac and diclofenac sodium, with retention factor (R_F) values of 0.28 and 0.44, respectively. The proposed method was validated as per International Council for Harmonisation Q2 (R1) guidelines for specificity, precision, robustness, accuracy, and recovery. The drug shows linearity in the concentration range of 60‒270 ng/band and the correlation coefficient was found to be 0.999. The mean percent recovery of bromfenac was found to be 100.7%. The limit of detection and limit of quantification values for bromfenac were found to be 7.4 ng/band and 22.5 ng/band, respectively. The method was found to be novel since no HPTLC methods have yet been reported for the estimation of bromfenac. The developed method was successfully applied for the quantitative analysis of the drug in the ophthalmic formulation.

     

High-performance thin-layer chromatography method for the quantification of quetiapine fumarate and its related genotoxic impurities using green solvents

A novel high-performance thin-layer chromatographic (HPTLC) analytical method has been developed and optimized for the quantification of quetiapine fumarate (QF) and its two genotoxic impurities in drug substance and drug product. The desired separation was achieved on 60F₂₅₄ pre-coated HPTLC plates using combination of green solvents, ethyl acetate‒ethanol‒n-heptane (5:1:4, V/V) as developing solvents. The detection wavelength used for quantification was 229 nm. QF and its two related genotoxic impurities, namely, 2-chloroaniline and 2-aminodiphenylsulfide, were well resolved from one another with retention factor values of 0.13 ± 0.02, 0.57 ± 0.02 and 0.76 ± 0.02, respectively. The optimized method was validated according to the guidelines laid down by the International Council for Harmonisation. The linearity was determined in the range of 100–600 ng/spot for QF and 10‒60 ng/spot for its two related genotoxic impurities; R² ≥ 0.993. The method exhibited precision along with good accuracy, where 0.51, 0.86 and 1.86. The percentage recoveries obtained for 2-chloroaniline and 2-aminodiphenylsulfide were 99.04‒101.04%. The developed method can be successfully used for the analysis of drug samples.

     

Development and validation of a simple HPTLC method for the determination of new hepatitis C subtype 4 antiviral agents in their tablet dosage form

A new, simple, precise, accurate and selective high-performance thin-layer chromatographic (HPTLC) method has been developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of ledipasvir and sofosbuvir in their tablet dosage form. Chromatographic separation was carried out on Merck TLC aluminum sheets of silica gel 60 F₂₅₄ using ethyl acetate:hexane:methanol in the ratio of 8:1.25:0.75 (% v/v) as the mobile phase followed by densitometric measurement at 256 nm. The method was validated in terms of linearity, accuracy, precision, limit of detection, limit of quantification and specificity in accordance with the International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) guidelines. The calibration curve was found to be linear between 60 to 1980 and 45 to 3600 ng/band for ledipasvir and sofosbuvir, respectively, with significantly high value of regression coefficient (r² > 0.9999) with linear and homoscedastic residuals. The limits of detection and quantification were found to be 16.5 and 50 ng/band, respectively, for ledipasvir and 13 and 39.5 ng/band, respectively, for sofosbuvir. Comparative study was performed between the developed HPTLC method and the reported high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method. The quantitative results of the two analytical methods did not show statistically significant difference, whereas the developed HPTLC method is both time- and cost-effective.

     

A rapid and highly sensitive stability-indicating high-performance thin-layer chromatography technique for the determination of tedizolid phosphate with a classical univariate calibration

No high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) techniques have been established for the determination of tedizolid phosphate (TDZP) in pharmaceutical products or physiological fluids. Therefore, a rapid and highly sensitive stability-indicating HPTLC technique has been developed for the determination of TDZP in commercial formulations with a classical univariate calibration. The HPTLC‒densitometry analysis of TDZP was carried out via chloroform‒methanol (90:10, V/V) mobile phase. The determination of TDZP was performed at the wavelength of 300 nm. The proposed HPTLC technique was linear in the range of 10‒2000 ng band^‒1. In addition, the method was found to be highly accurate (% recovery = 98.53‒101.74%), precise (%CV = 0.67‒0.91%), robust (%CV = 0.83‒0.86%), highly sensitive (LOD = 3.41 ng band^‒1, LOQ = 10.23 ng band^‒1) for the determination of TDZP. The proposed technique was also able to detect TDZP in the presence of its degradation products under various stress conditions and it can be considered as a stability-indicating method. The proposed HPTLC technique was applied for the analysis of TDZP in its commercial formulations. The TDZP contents of commercial tablets and injection were determined as 98.41% and 101.23%, respectively. These results suggested that the proposed HPTLC technique can be applied for the routine analysis of TDZP in its commercial products and newly established formulations.

     

Validated high-performance thin-layer chromatographic method for quantification of gallic acid and ellagic acid in fruits of Terminalia chebula,Phyllanthus emblica,and Quercus infectoria

A simple and rapid high-performance thin-layer chromatographic method for quantification of gallic acid and ellagic acid in dried fruits of Terminalia chebula, Phyllanthus emblica, and Quercus infectoria has been developed. The chromatographic development was carried out on precoated silica gel 60 F₂₅₄ plates in a mixture of toluene:ethyl acetate:chloroform:formic acid (4:8:1:3 v/v/v/v). The plate was scanned densitometrically at a wavelength of 280 nm. The retention factor value of gallic acid and ellagic acid was found to be 0.63 ± 0.2 and 0.53 ± 0.1, respectively. The developed method was validated in terms of linearity, precision, accuracy, sensitivity, robustness, specificity and stability as per the international conference of harmonization guidelines. The method showed good linear relationship over a range of 100–600 ng/band (gallic acid) and 100–500 ng/band (ellagic acid) with a regression coefficient (r²) of 0.997 (gallic acid) and 0.996 (ellagic acid). The method showed high accuracy (99.65%–100.85%). The percentage relative standard deviation of intra-day and inter-day precision studies was not more than 2%. The method is highly robust and has displayed high specificity. The developed method is new, simple, and accurate and can be successfully employed in routine analysis of raw materials and formulations containing gallic acid and ellagic acid.     

Quantitative estimation of riluzole in human plasma by LC-ESI-MS/MS and its application to a bioequivalence study

A novel simple, sensitive, selective, and rapid high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and validated for quantification of riluzole in human plasma. The chromatography was performed by using a Zorbax-SB-C18 (4.6 × 75 mm, 3.5 μm) column , isocratic mobile phase 0.1% formic acid/acetonitrile (10:90 v/v), and an isotope-labeled internal standard (IS), [¹³C,¹⁵N₂]riluzole. The extraction of drug and internal standard was performed by liquid–liquid extraction and analyzed by MS in the multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode using the respective [M+H]⁺ ions, m/z 235.0/165.9 for riluzole and m/z 238.1/169.0 for the IS. The calibration curve was linear over the concentration range 0.5–500.0 ng/ml for riluzole in human plasma. The limit of quantification (LOQ) was demonstrated at 0.5 ng/ml. The within-batch and between-batch precision were 0.6–2.3% and 1.4–5.7%, and accuracy was 97.1–101.1% and 98.8–101.2% for riluzole respectively. Drug and IS were eluted within 3.0 min. The validated method was successfully applied in a bioequivalence study of riluzole in human plasma.     

Simultaneous analysis of ten low‐molecular‐mass organic acids in the tricarboxylic acid cycle and photorespiration pathway in Thalassiosira pseudonana at different growth stages

A method using high‐performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry was developed for the simultaneous determination of organic acids in microalgae. o‐Benzylhydroxylamine was used to derivatize the analytes, and stable isotope‐labeled compounds were used as internal standards for precise quantification. The proposed method was evaluated in terms of linearity, recovery, matrix effect, sensitivity, and precision. Linear calibration curves with correlation coefficients >0.99 were obtained over the concentration range of 0.4–40 ng/mL for glycolic acid, 0.1–10 ng/mL for malic acid and oxaloacetic acid, 0.02–2 ng/mL for succinic acid and glyoxylic acid, 4–400 ng/mL for fumaric acid, 20–2000 ng/mL for isocitric acid, 2–200 ng mL⁻¹ for citric acid, 100–10000 ng mL⁻¹ for cis‐aconitic acid, and 1–100 ng mL⁻¹ for α‐ketoglutaric acid. Analyte recoveries were between 80.2 and 115.1%, and the matrix effect was minimal. Low limits of detection (0.003–1 ng/mL) and limits of quantification (0.01–5 ng/mL) were obtained except cis‐aconitic acid. Variations in reproducibility for standard solution at three different concentrations levels were <9%. This is the first report of the simultaneous analysis of ten organic acids in microalgae, which promotes better understanding of their growth state and provides reference value for high‐yield microalgae cultures.     

Development of a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry method for the determination of ursolic acid in rat plasma and tissue: application to the pharmacokinetic and tissue distribution study

A fast and sensitive liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry method was developed for the determination of ursolic acid (UA) in rat plasma and tissues. Glycyrrhetinic acid was used as the internal standard (IS). Chromatographic separation was performed on a 3.5 μm Zorbax SB-C18 column (30 mm × 2.1 mm) with a mobile phase consisting of methanol and aqueous 10 mM ammonium acetate using gradient elution. Quantification was performed by selected ion monitoring with (m/z)⁻ 455 for UA and (m/z)⁻ 469 for the IS. The method was validated in the concentration range of 2.5 − 1470 ng mL⁻¹ for plasma samples and 20 − 11760 ng g⁻¹ for tissue homogenates. The intra- and inter-day assay of precision in plasma and tissues ranged from 1.6% to 7.1% and 3.7% to 9.0%, respectively, and the intra- and inter-day assay accuracy was 84.2 − 106.9% and 82.1 − 108.1%, respectively. Recoveries in plasma and tissues ranged from 83.2% to 106.2%. The limits of detections were 0.5 ng mL⁻¹ or 4.0 ng g⁻¹. The recoveries for all samples were >90%, except for liver, which indicated that ursolic acid may metabolize in liver. The main pharmacokinetic parameters obtained were T _max = 0.42 ± 0.11 h, C _max = 1.10 ± 0.31 μg mL⁻¹, AUC = 1.45 ± 0.21 μg h mL⁻¹ and K _a = 5.64 ± 1.89 h⁻¹. The concentrations of UA in rat lung, spleen, liver, heart, and cerebellum were studied for the first time. This method is validated and could be applicable to the investigation of the pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution of UA in rats.     

Simultaneous quantification of berberine and lysergol by HPLC-UV: evidence that lysergol enhances the oral bioavailability of berberine in rats

A sensitive and simple HPLC method was developed for the simultaneous quantification of berberine and lysergol in rat plasma. The chromatographic separation was achieved on a C₁₈ column using isocratic elution with methanol–acetonitrile–0.1% ortho‐phosphoric acid (25:20:55, v/v/v), pH adjusted to 6.5 with triethylamine and detected at a UV wavelength of 230 nm. The extraction of the berberine and lysergol from the rat plasma with methylene chloride resulted in their high recoveries (82.62 and 90.17%). HPLC calibration curves for both berberine and lysergol based on the extracts from the rat plasma were linear over a broad concentration range of 50–1000 ng/mL. The limit of quantification was 50 ng/mL. Intra‐ and inter‐day precisions were <15% and accuracy was 87.12–92.55% for berberine and 87.01–92.26% for lysergol. Stability studies showed that berberine and lysergol were stable in rat plasma for short‐ and long‐term period for sample preparation and analysis. The described method was successfully applied to study the pharmacokinetics of berberine as well as lysergol following oral administration in Sprague–Dawley rats. The results of the study inferred that lysergol improved the oral bioavailability of berberine. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

HPLC quantification of 5‐hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid in human lung cancer tissues

A simple and cost‐effective HPLC method was established for quantification of 5‐hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (5‐HETE) in human lung cancer tissues. 5‐HETE from 27 patients' lung cancer tissues were extracted by solid‐phase extraction and analyzed on a Waters Symmetry C₁₈ column (4.6 × 250 mm, 5 µm) with a mobile phase consisting of methanol, 10 mm ammonium acetate, and 1 m acetic acid (70:30:0.1, v:v:v) at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. The UV detection wavelength was set at 240 nm. The calibration curve was linear within the concentration range from 10 to 1000 ng/mL (r² > 0.999, n = 7), the limit of detection was 1.0 ng/mL and the limit of quantitation was 10.0 ng/mL for a 100 µL injection. The relative error (%) for intra‐day accuracy was from 93.14 to 112.50% and the RSD (%) for intra‐day precision was from 0.21 to 2.60% over the concentration range 10–1000 ng/mL. By applying this method, amounts of 5‐HETE were quantitated in human lung cancer tissues from 27 human subjects. The established HPLC method was validated to be a simple, reliable and cost‐effective procedure that can be applied to conduct translational characterization of 5‐HETE in human lung cancer tissues. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Folate analysis in foods by UPLC-MS/MS: development and validation of a novel, high throughput quantitative assay; folate levels determined in Australian fortified breads

An ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method was developed, optimised and validated for the quantification of synthetic folic acid (FA), also called pteroyl-l-glutamic acid or vitamin B9 and naturally occurring 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5-MTHF) found in folate-fortified breads. Optimised sample preparation prior to analysis involved addition of ¹³C₅ labelled internal standards, treatments with α-amylase and rat serum, solid-phase extraction using aromatic-selective cartridges and ultra-filtration. Analytes were separated on a Waters ACQUITY HSS T3 column during a 6-min run and analysed by positive ion electrospray selected reaction monitoring MS/MS. Standard calibration curves for the two analytes were linear over the range of 0.018–14 μg FA/g of fresh bread (r ² = 0.997) and 9.3–900 ng 5-MTHF/g of fresh bread (r ² = 0.999). The absolute recoveries were 90% and 76% for FA and 5-MTHF, respectively. Intra-day coefficients of variation were 3% for FA and 18% for 5-MTHF. The limit of detection was 9.0 ng/g for FA and 4.3 ng/g for 5-MTHF, determined using pre-extracted tapioca starch as the blank matrix. The assay is rugged, fast, accurate and sensitive, applicable to a variety of food matrices and is capable of the detection and quantification of the naturally occurring low levels of 5-MTHF in wheat breads. The findings of this study revealed that the FA range in Australian fortified breads was 79–110 μg/100 g of fresh bread and suggest that the flour may not have the mandated FA fortification level (200–300 μg/100 g of flour), though this cannot be determined conclusively from experimental bread data alone, as variable baking losses have been documented by other authors.     

Single robust RP-HPLC analytical method for quantification of curcuminoids in commercial turmeric products,Ayurvedic medicines,and nanovesicular systems

A single robust reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) method was developed and validated as per International Conference on Harmonization guidelines for the accurate quantification of curcuminoids in commercial turmeric products, Ayurvedic medicines, and nanovesicular systems. The proposed chromatographic method was found to be specific, linear (r²?≥?0.999), precise at intra- and inter-day levels (percentage relative standard deviation <2.0%), accurate (percentage recovery 99.14–102.29%), and robust. The limits of detection and quantification were found to be 7.40 and 24.70?ng?mL^?1 for curcumin, 9.24 and 30.80?ng?mL^?1 for demethoxycurcumin, and 6.48 and 21.61?ng?mL^?1 for bisdemethoxycurcumin, respectively. Among different commercial turmeric products and Ayurvedic medicines tested, the contents of curcumin (3.54?±?0.06–25.8?±?0.08?mg?g^?1), demethoxycurcumin (1.28?±?0.02–9.97?±?0.03?mg?g^?1), and bisdemethoxycurcumin (0.50?±?0.01–5.97?±?0.01?mg?g^?1) varied significantly. The developed method was effectively applied to the determination of encapsulation efficiency of curcuminoids (ranged between 84.33?±?3.50 and 96.59?±?2.53%) in the nanovesicular systems. In conclusion, the reported method is suitable for the analysis of curcuminoids in a wide variety of turmeric products and used for the quality control of products that contain curcuminoids.     

Rapid and sensitive LC‐MS method for pharmacokinetic study of vinorelbine in rats

A rapid and sensitive LC‐electrospray ionization‐MS method was developed for determining vinorelbine in rat plasma. A 100 µL plasma sample was treated using a protein precipitation procedure and was chromatographed within 4 min using an Inertsil ODS‐3 C₁₈ (2.1 × 50 mm, 5 µm) column. The selected ion monitoring ions [M + H]⁺ were m/z 779 and m/z 811 for vinorelbine and vinblastine (internal standard), respectively. The method validation showed that the calibration curve for vinorelbine was linear over a concentration range of 1–1000 ng/mL with lower limit of quantification at 1 ng/mL. The method has been successfully applied to pharmacokinetics in rat plasma. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

LC–MS–MS Quantitative Determination of Ursolic Acid in Human Plasma and Its Application to Pharmacokinetic Studies

A sensitive and specific liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry method has been developed and validated for the identification and quantification of ursolic acid in human plasma using glycyrrhetic acid as an internal standard. The method involves extraction with methyl tert-butyl ether. The analyte was separated on a C₁₈ column and analyzed in multiple reaction monitoring mode with a negative electrospray ionization interface using the [M–H]? ions, m/z 455.4 for ursolic acid and m/z 469.5 → m/z 425.5 for glycyrrhetic acid. The method was validated over the concentration range of 0.86–110.0 μg L^?1. The intra- and inter-day precisions were less than 13.53% relative standard deviation (RSD) and the accuracy was within ?4.76% in terms of relative error (RE). The lower limit of quantification was 0.86 μg L^?1 with acceptable precision and accuracy. There were almost no matrix effects. Recovery of ursolic acid from spiked drug-free plasma was higher than 68%. The method was used to study the pharmacokinetic profile of ursolic acid in human plasma after oral administration of Jieyu capsules.     

A simple liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry approach for the simultaneous quantification of thirteen compounds in rats following oral administration of raw and processed Fructus Xanthii: Application in a comparative pharmacokinetic study

A simple and sensitive analysis using ultra high performance liquid chromatography with a tandem mass spectrometric system operated in selected reaction monitoring mode was developed for the determination of 11 phenolic acids, atractyloside, and carboxyatractyloside in rat plasma. The two classes of analytes were then separated on a Waters ACQUITY? UPLC HSS T3 column (50 mm × 2.1 mm, 1.8 µm) using gradient elution with a mobile phase of 0.2% formic acid in water containing 10 mM ammonium acetate and methanol. Detection was accomplished by selected reaction monitoring scanning via an electrospray source operating in negative ionization mode. The calibration curve was linear (R² = 0.990) over a concentration range of 1.20–3500 ng/mL, while the validated lower limit of quantification was 1.20 ng/mL. The precision varied from 0.84 to 4.62%, and the accuracy varied within ±5%. The method proved robust with sample freezing and thawing and with short‐ and long‐term sample storage. The established method was used for simultaneous quantification and was successfully used for the first time for the pharmacokinetic evaluation of 13 compounds after the intragastric administration of raw and processed Fructus Xanthii in rats. The results indicated that processing affects the absorption and metabolism of Fructus Xanthii extract. Importantly, the results also indicated the importance of processing for the clinical application of traditional Chinese medicine.     

Liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry method for the determination of nicotine and minor tobacco alkaloids in electronic cigarette refill liquids and second‐hand generated aerosol

A liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry method for the simultaneous quantification of nicotine and seven minor tobacco alkaloids in both refill liquids for electronic cigarettes and their generated aerosol was developed and validated. The limit of detection and limit of quantification values were 0.3–20.0 and 1.0–31.8 ng/mL, respectively. Within‐laboratory reproducibility was 8.2–14.2% at limit of quantification values and 4.8–12.7% at other concentration levels. Interday recovery was 75.8–116.4%. The method was applied to evaluate the compliance of commercial liquids (n = 95) with their labels and to assess levels of minor alkaloids. Levels of nicotine and its corresponding compounds were also evaluated in generated aerosol. About 47% of samples showed differences above ±10 % of the stated nicotine concentration. About 78% of the “zero nicotine” liquids showed traces in the range of 1.3 ± 0.1–254.0 ± 14.6 μg/mL. Nicotine‐N ′‐oxides, myosmine, and anatabine were the most common minor alkaloids in liquids containing nicotine. Nicotine and N ′‐oxides were detected in all air samples when aerosol was generated from liquids containing nicotine. Nicotine average emissions from electronic cigarette (2.7 ± 0.9 μg/m³) were significantly lower (p < 0.01, t‐test) with respect to conventional cigarette (30.2 ± 1.5 μg/m³).