Fully automated analysis of estrogens in environmental waters by in-tube solid-phase microextraction coupled with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

A simple, rapid and sensitive method for the determination of five estrogens, estrone, 17beta-estradiol, estriol, ethynyl estradiol, and diethylstilbestrol, was developed using a fully automated method consisting of in-tube solid-phase microextraction (SPME) coupled with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). These estrogens were separated within 8 min by HPLC using an XDB-C8 column and 0.01% ammonia/acetonitrile (60/40, v/v) at a flow rate of 0.2 mL/min. Electrospray ionization conditions in the negative ion mode were optimized for MS/MS detection of the estrogens. The optimum in-tube SPME conditions were 20 draw/eject cycles of 40 microL of sample using a Supel-Q PLOT capillary column as an extraction device. The extracted compounds were easily desorbed from the capillary by passage of the mobile phase, and no carryover was observed. Using the in-tube SPME LC/MS/MS method, good linearity of the calibration curve (r > or = 0.9996) was obtained in the concentration range from 10 to 200 pg/mL for all compounds examined. The limits of detection (S/N= 3) of the five estrogens examined ranged from 2.7 to 11.7 pg/mL. The in-tube SPME method showed 34-90-fold higher sensitivity than the direct injection method (5 microL injection). This method was applied successfully to the analysis of environmental water samples without any other pretreatment and interference peaks. Several surface water and wastewater samples were collected from the area around Asahi River, and estriol was detected at 35.7 pg/mL in the effluent of a sewage treatment plant. The recoveries of estrogens spiked into river waters were above 86%, except for estriol, and the relative standard deviations were below 0.9-8.8%.     

Determination of polar organophosphorus pesticides in water samples by hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry

A method combining hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) with tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) was developed for the determination of polar organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs; acephate, methamidophos, monocrotophos, omethoate, oxydemeton-methyl, and vamidothion) in water samples. To extract the polar OPPs and minimize matrix effects from the water sample, an activated carbon cartridge was used for pretreatment. After pretreatment of the water sample, the eluate from the activated carbon cartridge was directly injected into the HILIC/MS/MS system. The OPPs were separated on an Atlantis HILIC silica column by isocratic elution with a mixture of acetonitrile, isopropanol, and ammonium formate buffer as a mobile phase, and they were detected by positive electrospray ionization MS/MS in the selected reaction monitoring mode. The method was validated at 0.05, 0.5, and 5 microg/L levels in water samples, and the recoveries of polar OPPs were between 76.4 and 98.6%. The limits of detection were between 0.13 and 1.0 pg on-column, and the limits of quantification were between 0.43 and 3.4 pg on-column. The method can be applied to the determination of trace amounts of OPPs in environmental water samples.     

婴幼儿奶瓶中迁移双酚A的高效液相色谱-电喷雾串联质谱检测方法研究

建立了婴幼儿奶瓶中双酚A(BPA)迁移量的高效液相色谱-电喷雾串联质谱(HPLC-ESI-MS/MS)测定方法。奶瓶食品模拟浸泡液经过弗罗里硅土玻璃层析柱净化,高效液相色谱分离,采用选择反应性监测模式(SRM)检测。以一级质谱得到的准分子离子m/z 227作为母离子,进行二级质谱(MS2)分析。选择MS2的碎片离子m/z 212、133、93定性确证,m/z 212作为定量离子定量。实验优化了质谱条件,并对二级质谱碎裂机理和特征离子进行了研究。测定结果的相对标准偏差不大于8.2%(n=7),回收率在87.7%～105%之间;检出限为2μg/L,能够满足欧盟、美国等对奶瓶中双酚A的限制要求。该法已成功应用于婴幼儿奶瓶中BPA迁移量的测定。     

Highly sensitive determination of tetrabromobisphenol A and bisphenol A in environmental water samples by solid‐phase extraction and liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry

Using bamboo‐activated charcoal as SPE adsorbent, a novel SPE method was developed for the sensitive determination of tetrabromobisphenol A and bisphenol A in environmental water samples by rapid‐resolution LC‐ESI‐MS/MS. Important parameters influencing extraction efficiency, including type of eluent, eluent volume, sample pH, volume and flow rate, were investigated and optimized. Under the optimal extraction conditions (eluent: 8 mL methanol, pH: 7; flow rate: 4 mL/min; sample volume: 100 mL), low LODs (0.01–0.02 ng/mL), good repeatability (6.2–8.3%) and wide linearity range (0.10–10 ng/mL) were obtained. Satisfied results were achieved when the proposed method was applied to determine the two target compounds in real‐world environmental water samples with spiked recoveries over the range of 80.5–119.8%. All these facts indicate that trace determination of tetrabromobisphenol A and bisphenol A in real‐world environmental water samples can be realized by bamboo‐activated charcoal SPE‐rapid resolution‐LC‐ESI‐MS/MS.     

On-line solid phase extraction fast liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry for the analysis of bisphenol A and its chlorinated derivatives in water samples

In this study an on-line column-switching fast LC–MS/MS method was developed to analyze bisphenol A (BPA) and its chlorinated derivatives in water. Fast liquid chromatographic separation was performed on a C18 reversed phase column based on fused-core particle technology (2.7 μm particle size) providing analysis times shorter than 3 min and high peak efficiencies. The main benefit of this LC system is that it can easily be hyphenated to a conventional on-line preconcentration device allowing the direct analysis of water samples without any pretreatment at concentrations levels down to 60 ng L⁻¹ and preventing contaminations frequently reported in the analysis of BPA. This on-line SPE fast LC system was coupled to a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer operating in enhanced mass resolution mode (Q1 FWHM = 0.7 Th, Q3 FWHM = 0.1 Th) in order to minimize interferences and chemical noise. This highly sensitive and selective method was successfully employed to analyze BPA and its chlorinated derivatives in water samples.     

Liquid chromatography/multi-stage mass spectrometry of bisphenol A and its halogenated derivatives

We report a liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) method for analyzing bisphenol A (BPA) and its halogenated derivatives. Since only tetrachlorobisphenol A and tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) are commercially available, mono-, di- and trichlorobisphenol A were synthesized and purified in order to be used as analytical standards. This family of compounds was studied using electrospray ionization and an ion trap mass analyzer in order to characterize the new compounds and to propose fragmentation pathways. Multi-stage mass spectrometry was used to confirm the genealogical relationship between the ions. Some product ions were traced from MS/MS to MS(4) and the labelled compounds BPA-d(16) and TBBPA-(13)C(12) were used to assign some product ion structures. In general, the deprotonated molecule [M--H](-) loses a methyl and/or a halogen group during both MS/MS and MS(3), while the neutral loss of CO was also observed in MS(3) spectra. We selected the most intense and characteristic MS/MS transitions for LC/MS/MS analysis. LC separation was performed in a reversed-phase column; methanol/water (no additives) was used as the mobile phase in gradient elution mode; and BPA-d(16) was chosen as the internal standard. Solid-phase extraction (SPE) was used to pre-concentrate and to clean up water samples. The SPE LC/MS/MS method allows BPA and its halogenated derivatives to be detected at a few parts-per-billion (ppb) in surface water.     

高效液相色谱-串联质谱法检测婴幼儿血清中4种双酚类环境激素残留

目前,双酚类化合物是重要的工业原料,常用来制造塑料(奶)瓶、幼儿用吸口杯、食品和饮料(奶粉)罐内侧涂层,其具有类似雌激素的作用,摄入低剂量的双酚类物质便会引起机体尤其婴幼儿体内激素水平的调节。建立了一种同时测定婴幼儿血清中双酚A(BPA)、双酚B(BPB)、双酚F(BPF)、双酚S (BPS)4种双酚类环境激素的高效液相色谱-串联质谱法(HPLC-MS/MS)。以甲基叔丁基醚(MTBE)为提取溶剂,采用液液萃取的方法进行样品处理,同时对影响4种双酚类环境激素提取效率的提取溶剂、提取时间、提取溶剂体积等影响因素进行了优化。100 μL血清样本在40 ℃下经400 μL MTBE提取15 min后,采用Waters ACQUITY UPLC BEH C18柱(50 mm×2.1 mm, 1.7 μm)进行分离,以超纯水和含0.5 mmol/L乙酸铵的甲醇溶液为流动相进行梯度洗脱,流速为0.2 mL/min,采用电喷雾电离、负离子模式扫描,在多反应监测(MRM)模式下测定。BPA、BPB、BPS在0.25~100 μg/L范围内线性关系良好,BPF在1~00 μg/L范围内线性关系良好,相关系数为0.9929~0.9959;方法的检出限分别为0.05、0.05、0.05、0.5 μg/L;在3个添加水平(5、20、100 μg/L)下,4种目标化合物的回收率为84.56%~104.43%,相对标准偏差小于10%。应用该方法对150例婴幼儿血清样品进行检测,结果表明:BPA、BPF、BPS在男童和女童血清中的检出率分别为90.67%和89.33%、6.67%和1.33%、5.33%和16.00%, BPB未被检出。该方法操作简单,回收率好,精密度高,适用于婴幼儿血清中4种双酚类环境激素的同时测定。     

Trace analysis of diethylstilbestrol, dienestrol and hexestrol in environmental water by Nylon 6 nanofibers mat-based solid-phase extraction coupled with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry

A simple, rapid and sensitive method for the determination of diethylstilbestrol (DES), dienestrol (DE) and hexestrol (HEX) was developed by using the Nylon 6 nanofibers mat-based solid-phase extraction (SPE) coupled with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS). These estrogens were separated within 8 min by LC using an ODS column and methanol/water (80/20, v/v) at a flow rate of 1.0 mL min(-1). Electrospray ionization conditions in the negative ion mode were optimized for MS detection of the estrogens. Under the optimum SPE conditions, all target analytes in 50 mL environmental water samples can be completely extracted by 1.5 mg Nylon 6 nanofibers mat at flow rate of 3.0 mL min(-1) and easily eluted by passage of 500 μL mobile phase. By using the novel SPE-LC/MS method, good linearity of the calibration curve (r(2) ≥ 0.9992) was obtained in the concentration range from 0.10 ng L(-1) to 1.0 mg L(-1) (except for DE which was 0.20 ng L(-1) to 1.0 mg L(-1)) for all analytes examined. The limits of detection (S/N = 3) of the three estrogens ranged from 0.05 ng L(-1) to 0.10 ng L(-1). This method was applied successfully to the analysis of environmental water samples without any other pretreatment and interference peaks. Several water samples were collected from Jinchuan River and Xuanwu Lake, and in Jinchuan River water DES was detected at 0.13 ng L(-1). The recoveries of estrogens spiked into tap water were above 98.2%, and the relative standard deviations were below 4.78%.     

盘式固相萃取–超高效液相色谱–串联质谱法快速测定环境水样中3种微囊藻毒素

建立盘式固相萃取–超高效液相色谱–串联质谱(UPLC–MS–MS)快速测定环境水样中3种微囊藻毒素(MCs)的方法。环境水样经过盘式固相萃取柱净化,采用Waters BEH C_(18)色谱小柱,以乙腈–0.2%甲酸水溶液为流动相,梯度洗脱分离后,UPLC–MS–MS多级监测正离子模式下外标法进行定性定量分析。3种微囊藻毒素在0.05~10.0μg/L范围内呈现良好线性关系,相关系数均大于0.999 4,方法检出限为0.02 ng/L。对同一环境样品进行0.1,1.0,5.0μg/L 3种浓度的加标回收试验,平均回收率为82.8%~108.8%,测定结果的相对标准偏差为2.1%~10.1%(n=6)。该方法快速、灵敏、准确,可有效应用于环境水样中微囊藻毒素的监测。     

Quantitative analysis of the P-glycoprotein inhibitor Elacridar (GF120918) in human and dog plasma using liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometric detection

A liquid chromatographic/tandem mass spectrometric (LC/MS/MS) method for the determination of the P-glycoprotein and breast cancer resistance protein inhibitor Elacridar in human and dog plasma is described. The internal standard was stable isotopically labelled Elacridar. Sample pretreatment involved liquid-liquid extraction with tert-butyl methyl ether. Analysis of Elacridar and internal standard was performed by reversed-phase LC on a basic stable minibore analytical column with an eluent consisting of acetonitrile and aqueous ammonia. An API-2000 triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer with an electrospray ion source was used in the positive-ion multiple reaction monitoring mode. The run time per sample was only 6 min. The method is sensitive and specific, with a dynamic range from 1 to 500 ng ml(-1) from 100 microl of human or dog plasma. The accuracy of the method was within 15% bias and the precision was lower than 15% for all tested concentration levels and in both matrices. The method is simple and the liquid-liquid extraction produces clean samples. This method was successfully applied to support the pharmacokinetics of a clinical trial in which orally applied Elacridar was used as a bioavailability enhancer.     

Determination of triazine pesticides and related compounds in environmental water by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.

A method for the determination of 5 triazine herbicides and 12 degradation products in environmental water samples using liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC/ESI/MS) has been developed. The pesticides in water were extracted with two types of solid phase: a styrene-divinylbenzene copolymer and a graphitized carbon black. Desorption solvents for the extracted compounds were acetone for the styrene-divinylbenzene copolymer and methanol for the graphitized carbon black. Overall recoveries from ground water and river water ranged from 73% to 111%. The limits of detection (LODs) were 0.2 to 28 ng l(-1). This method was applied to several ground water samples.     

Determination of bisphenol A in environmental water at ultra-low level by high-performance liquid chromatography with an effective on-line pretreatment device

We have developed a simple HPLC method for the microanalysis of bisphenol A (BPA), which is often contained in environmental water and is known as an endocrine disrupter. HPLC coupled with electrochemical detection requires a simpler procedure of pretreatment compared to GC-MS. In this study, we analyzed BPA using molecularly imprinted polymer as an on-line pretreatment device. This polymer has molecular recognition sites and provides specific selectivity in extraction process. Due to this effect, the detection limit obtained with this HPLC was 0.36 ng/l. This method applied to environmental water and purified water samples containing 2-70 ng/l of BPA successfully. Furthermore, UV detection was performed in some actual analyses.     

Development and characterization of an immunoaffinity monolith for selective on-line extraction of bisphenol A from environmental water samples

Matrix interference and contamination from analytical procedures are two major issues in the detection of trace level of bisphenol A (BPA) in environmental water. In this paper, we report a highly selective and efficient method for on-line extraction of BPA from water samples followed by quantification with liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC–ESI/MS/MS). Poly(ethylene dimethacrylate-glycidyl methacrylate) monolith was synthesized in 50 mm × 4.6 mm i.d. stainless steel cartridges and the epoxy-groups on the surface of the monolith were hydrolyzed and oxidized to aldehyde functions. Antibodies against BPA were covalently immobilized onto the monolithic column via Schiff base reaction. The optimum application buffer and elution buffer were found to be pH 5.5 phosphate buffered saline (PBS) and methanol–water (70:30, v/v), respectively. The obtained immunoaffinity monolithic columns were on-line coupled to LC–MS/MS using column-switching valves and the system was applied to analyze BPA in real environmental water samples. The method achieved a detection limit of 0.3 ng L⁻¹ using a sample volume of 100 mL. The linear calibration range was 1.0–160 ng L⁻¹. Samples including tap water, lake water and effluent from municipal sewage treatment plant were all measured with satisfactory results.     

Improved detectability with a polymer-based trapping device in rapid HPLC analysis for ultra-low levels of bisphenol A (BPA) in environmental samples.

A new high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method has been developed to detect ultra-low concentrations of bisphenol-A (BPA) (below 1 ng/L (ppt)) using column switching electrochemical detection (ECD). The results were superior to those obtained from manual pretreatment procedure with membrane stationary phase. BPA is inherently ubiquitous in the environment, including tools and solvents used for its analysis; to obtain meaningful results, therefore, the concentration of the overall BPA contamination must be below the detection limit for BPA using the analytical system. Therefore, purified water for preparing the standard BPA solution must be filtered with a hydrophobic membrane to suppress BPA background levels of contamination. In addition, we investigated methods for effectively preserving environmental water containing BPA. The addition of a small amount of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) provided good recovery even after overnight storage. By employing these precautionary measures and procedures to reduce BPA contamination from the analytical procedure, we could accurately determine l(-10) ppt of BPA in environmental water samples using a column switching HPLC system.     

Determination of fluoroquinolones in environmental waters by in-tube solid-phase microextraction coupled with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

We developed a sensitive and useful method for the determination of five fluoroquinolones (FQs), enoxacin, ofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin, and lomefloxacin in environmental waters, using a fully automated method consisting of in-tube solid-phase microextraction (SPME) coupled with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). These compounds were analysed within 7 min by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) using a CAPCELL PAK C8 column and aqueous ammonium formate (pH 3.0, 5 mM)/acetonitrile (85/15, v/v) at a flow rate of 0.2 mL/min. Electrospray ionization conditions in the positive ion mode were optimized for MS/MS detection. In order to optimize the extraction of FQs, several in-tube SPME parameters were examined. The optimum in-tube SPME conditions were 20 draw/eject cycles of 40 μL of sample at a flow-rate of 150 μL/min, using a Carboxen 1010 PLOT capillary column as an extraction device. The extracted compounds were easily desorbed from the capillary by passage of the mobile phase. Using the in-tube SPME LC/MS/MS method, good linearity of the calibration curve (r ≥ 0.997) was obtained in the concentration range from 0.1 to 10 ng/mL for all compounds examined. The limits of detection (S/N = 3) of the five FQs ranged from 7 to 29 pg/mL. The in-tube SPME method showed 60-94-fold higher sensitivity than the direct injection method (5 μL injection). This method was applied successfully to the analysis of environmental water samples without any other pretreatment and interference peaks. Several surface waters and wastewaters were collected from the area around Asahi River, and ofloxacin was detected in wastewater samples of a sewage treatment plant and other two hospitals at 17.5-186.2 pg/mL. The recoveries of FQs spiked into river water were above 81% for a 0.1 or 0.2 ng/mL spiking concentration, and the relative standard deviations were below 1.9-8.6%.     

高效液相色谱法测定环境水中超痕量双酚A

合成单分散双酚A(BPA)分子印迹微球并以其为高效液相色谱柱填充材料,建立了一种大体积直接进样HPLC法测定环境水中超痕量BPA的方法。方法的检出限(LOD)和测定限(LOQ)分别为0.03nmol/L和0.1nmol/L;在0.1~100nmol/L范围内具有良好的线性(r2=0.9983)。本方法用于表层湖水中BPA的检测,实际样品的加标回收率在99%~101.4%间;相对标准偏差(RSD%)低于8.1%(n=5)。     

Application of counter-current chromatography as a new pretreatment method for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in environmental water

Counter‐current chromatography (CCC) was investigated as a new sample pretreatment method for the determination of trace polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in water environmental samples. The experiment was performed with a non‐aqueous binary two‐phase solvent system composed of n‐heptane and acetonitrile. The CCC column was first filled with the upper stationary phase, and then a large volume of water sample was pumped into the column while the CCC column was rotated at 1600 rpm. Finally, the trace amounts of PAHs extracted and enriched in the stationary phase were eluted out by the lower mobile phase and determined by gas chromatography–flame ionization detector (GC‐FID) or gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC‐MS). The enrichment and cleanup of PAHs can be fulfilled online by this method with high recoveries (84.1–103.2%) and good reproducibility (RSDs: 4.9–12.2%) for 16 EPA PAHs under the optimized CCC pretreatment conditions. This method has been successfully applied to determine PAHs in lake water where 8 PAHs were detected in the concentration of 40.9–89.9 ng/L. The present method is extremely suitable for the preparation of large volume of environmental water sample for the determination of trace amounts of organic pollutants including PAHs as studied in this paper.     

Simultaneous determination of saflufenacil and its two metabolites in soil samples by ultra‐performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry

Saflufenacil is a new protoporphyrinogen‐IX‐oxidase inhibitor herbicide. When used, it can enter the soil and has a high risk to reach and contaminate groundwater and aquatic systems. A rapid and sensitive method of ultra‐performance LC with MS/MS was developed for the simultaneous determination of saflufenacil and its two metabolites in soil samples. A modified quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe method was applied as the pretreatment procedure. The method was validated by five types of soil samples collected from several regions of China, which all showed good linearity (R² ≥ 0.9914) and precision (RSD ≤ 26.2%). The average recoveries of the three analytes ranged between 74.1 and 118.9% at spiking levels of 3–300 μg/kg. The method limits of detection (S/N 3:1) and method limits of quantification (S/N 10:1) achieved are in the ranges of 0.25–2.75 and 0.83–9.16 μg/kg, respectively. This indicated that the developed ultra‐performance LC with MS/MS method is a promising analytical tool for monitoring the environmental risks posed by saflufenacil.     

A high selective and sensitive liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method for quantization of BPA urinary levels in children

A selective and highly sensitive liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method has been developed and validated for determination of Bisphenol A (BPA) in human urine using labeled d₆-BPA as internal standard. BPA was purified from human urine by affinity chromatography on solid extraction AFFINIMIP® Bisphenol A cartridges, based on molecularly imprinted polymers. After purification, the samples were analyzed on a Phenomenex Kinetex 100?×?4.6 mm, 2.6 μm particle PFP reversed-phase HPLC column, coupled to a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer by an electrospray ion source. Analyses were performed in the multiple reaction monitoring mode and negative ionization; the product ions at 133.2 and 212.1?m/z for BPA and at 138.2 and 215.0?m/z for d₆-BPA were monitored to assess unambiguous identification. The linearity of the detector response was verified in human urine over the concentration range 0.100–200 ng/mL. The detection limit was calculated as 0.03 ng/mL and the limit of quantification of the method is 0.10 ng/mL. This LC/ESI-MS/MS method was in-house validated evaluating specificity, trueness, within-day and between-days precision. The mean recoveries of BPA from spiked urine samples were higher than 94 % and good reproducibility (relative standard deviations?≤?8.1 %) was observed. The developed method was applied to a pilot study involving 105 children, aged from 6 to 14 years (16 normal weight and 89 obese children), from the Regione Campania (Southern Italy). The aim of this study was to determine the concentrations of BPA in urine of children and possible correlations with childhood obesity.     

液相色谱-串联质谱法同时测定婴幼儿配方乳粉中全氟辛酸、全氟辛烷磺酸、双酚A和壬基酚残留

建立了婴幼儿配方乳粉中全氟辛酸、全氟辛烷磺酸、双酚A和壬基酚多残留的高效液相色谱-串联四极杆质谱联用测定方法。样品用水超声溶解,乙腈沉淀蛋白质,液相色谱-串联质谱测定,基质内标法定量。以Hypersil GOLD C₁₈色谱柱（50 mm×4.6 mm,1.9 μm）分离,流动相为30 mmol/L乙酸铵水溶液和甲醇,流速0.30 mL/min。在该优化条件下,全氟辛酸、全氟辛烷磺酸、双酚A和壬基酚的定量限分别为0.5、1.0、10.0和5.0 μg/kg,方法回收率为86.1%~106.8%,相对标准偏差为2.87%~9.53%。测定了多种市售婴幼儿配方奶粉,表明该方法操作简单、测定结果准确,可用于婴幼儿配方奶粉中全氟辛酸、全氟辛烷磺酸、双酚A和壬基酚多残留的同时快速测定。