Quantification of trimethylsilyl derivatives of amino acid disease biomarkers in neonatal blood samples by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

A novel analytical procedure was developed for the rapid determination of disease biomarkers of maple syrup urine disease (MSUD),L-valine,L-leucine,L-isoleucine, andL-phenylalanine in dried blood spots. Amino acids extracted from neonatal dried blood spots were rapidly derivatized with bis-(trimethylsilyl)trifluoroacetamide (BSTFA) and then analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Derivatization conditions and the method validation were studied: optimal derivatization conditions were acetonitrile as reaction solvent, a temperature of 100°C, and a reaction time of 30 min. The proposed method provided a detection limit lower than 2.0 μM, recovery between 92% and 106%, and relative standard deviation less than 8.0%. The method was further tested in screening for neonatal MSUD by determination ofL-valine,L-leucineL-isoleucine, andL-phenylalanine in blood samples. The experimental results show that GC-MS following BSTFA derivatization is a rapid, simple, and sensitive method for the determination of amino acid disease biomarkers in blood samples, and is a potential tool for fast screening of MSUD. Figure     

HPLC Laser Fluorometric Determination of Amines in Beer

Abstract

A method has been developed for the rapid and accurate determination of the predominant aliphatic amines in beer. Chromatography was performed on a reverse phase C₁₈ column using an acetonitrile-water solvent gradient. Chromatographic detection was facilitated by pre-column derivatization with 7-Chloro-4-nitrobenzo-2-oxa-1,3-diazole (NBD-Cl) which fluoresces under visible light (in this case an argon ion laser operating at 488 nm) after reaction with an amine. Response was linear over four decades of concentration with detection limits at approximately five picograms injected.     

Determination of the GABAergic antidepressant drug fengabine and some of its metabolites in plasma by capillary gas chromatography with electron-capture detection

A sensitive capillary gas chromatographic method was developed for the determination of fengabine (a GABAergic antidepressant drug) and some of its metabolites in plasma samples. The method involves a single and rapid liquid-liquid extraction of the parent drug and metabolites from plasma buffered at pH 5, evaporation of the organic phase under nitrogen, derivatization to tert.-butyldimethylsilyl ethers and esters and automatic gas chromatography on a fused-silica, silicone-bonded capillary column coupled to an electron-capture detector. The detection limit for fengabine and other compounds is lower than 1 ng/ml in plasma; the method was successfully applied to pharmacokinetic and drug monitoring clinical studies and tested on more than 2000 biological samples and was found not to suffer from endogenous or exogenous interferences.     

Determination of multiple drugs of abuse in human urine using capillary electrophoresis with fluorescence detection

Methods for separation and determination of multiple drugs of abuse in biological fluids using capillary electrophoresis (CE) with native fluorescence and laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) detection are described herein. Using native fluorescence, normorphine, morphine, 6-acetyl morphine (6-AM), and codeine were analyzed by CE without any derivatization procedure and detected at an excitation wavelength of 245 nm with a cut-off emission filter of 320 nm, providing a rapid and simple analysis. The detection limits were in the range of 200 ng/mL. For a highly sensitive analysis, LIF detection was also examined using a two-step precolumn derivatization procedure. In this case, drugs extracted from human urine were first subjected to an N-demethylation reaction involving the use of 1-chloroethyl chloroformate (ACE-Cl) and then derivatized using fluorescein isothiocyanate isomer I (FITC) and analyzed by CE coupled to a LIF detector. Variables affecting this derivatization: yield of demethylation reaction, FITC concentration, reaction time and temperature, were studied. The estimated instrumental detection limits of the FITC derivatives were in the range of 50-100 pg/mL, using LIF detection with excitation and emission wavelengths of 488 nm and 520 nm, respectively. The linearity, reproducibility and reliability of the methods were evaluated. In addition, a comparison of the characteristics for both native fluorescence and LIF detections was also discussed.     

Determination of metoprolol in rabbit blood using capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence detection

This work described a sensitive method for determination of metoprolol in rabbit plasma.The method involved purification by ultrafiltration,derivatization with fluorescein isothiocyanate,determination by capillary electrophoresis(CE) coupled with laser-induced fluorescence(LIF) detector.Other components in plasma including a variety of amino acids and proteins did not interfere with the determination of metoprolol in experimental condition.The assay had a wide range(2.0-500 ng/mL) of linearity and a detection limit of 0.8 ng/mL.The intra- and inter-day precisions were satisfactory with relative standard deviation(RSD) less than 10.0%and accuracy within 10.0%.This method was successfully applied to pharmacokinetic study of metoprolol in rabbit blood.     

Determination of ampicillin in biological fluids by coupled-column liquid chromatography and post-column derivatization

A rapid and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatographic method has been developed for the determination of ampicillin in plasma and urine. The method involves a simple deproteinization step and separation on a coupled-column chromatographic system followed by post-column derivatization and fluorescence detection. The method has been used for the determination of ampicillin in various clinical studies. The high sensitivity makes it especially useful for small sample volumes, e.g. samples from pediatric patients.     

Chemometrically Assisted Optimization of Pregabalin Fluorescent Derivatization Reaction with a Novel Xanthone Analogue and Validation of the Method for the Determination of Pregabalin in Bulk via a Plate Reader

Quantitation of chromophore-free analytes is always a challenge. To this purpose, derivatization of the analyte constitutes a common strategy, leading to a product with a strong signal. In the current study, a novel xanthone analogue was utilized for the first time for the derivatization of pregabalin, a model analyte with a primary amine moiety that lacks a chromophore. The fact that only the xanthene-based derivative, formed after the derivatization reaction fluoresces, enables avoiding its chromatographic separation from the reagent and thus reducing the analysis time of a series of samples in 1–2 min via a plate reader. The reaction conditions were optimized via a central composite design (CCD), with fluorescence signal as the measure of the yield. The following factors that affect the derivatization reaction were chosen: (a) temperature, (b) reaction time, and (c) triethylamine solution volume used to drive the reaction to completion. After the identification of the optimal conditions, the method was validated according to ICH guidelines, using a fluorescence plate reader for signal measurement (λ_ex = 540, λ_em = 615 nm). Finally, the newly developed high-throughput method was applied to the determination of drug content in pregabalin bulk.     

Rapid determination of vitellogenin in fish plasma by anion exchange high performance liquid chromatography using postcolumn fluorescence derivatization with o-phthalaldehyde.

An analytical method involving anion exchange high performance liquid chromatographic determination of vitellogenin (Vtg) in fish plasma after postcolumn fluorescence derivatization with o-phthalaldehyde (OPA) was developed. The retention time of Vtg was about 11 min. The reagent variables for derivatization were optimized. The fluorophore was excited at 335 nm and detected at 435 nm. A calibration curve was established ranging from 0.13 to 11.28 microg. The determination limit of Vtg was found to be as low as 0.13 microg. The spiked recovery was 93.6% and interassay variability was less than 4%. The method developed was used to determine Vtg in fish plasma obtained from red sea bream (Pagrosomus major), black porgy (Sparus macrocephalus) and skew band grunt (Hapalogenys nitens), without complicated sample pretreatment. The results confirmed that the method showed advantages of being simple, rapid, reproducible and sensitive.     

HPLC Determination of Chlorpropamide in Human Serum by Fluorogenic Derivatization Based on the Suzuki Coupling Reaction with Phenylboronic Acid

A fluorogenic derivatization method for the determination of chlorpropamide in human serum was developed by means of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence detection. The Suzuki coupling reaction with a non-fluorescent reagent, phenylboronic acid (PBA), was employed to convert chlorpropamide into highly fluorescent biphenyl derivative. Chlorpropamide was extracted from human serum by liquid–liquid extraction with toluene after addition of hydrochloric acid, and subsequently reacted with PBA. Because the fluorogenic derivatization was highly selective for aryl halide, the proposed method allowed sensitive and selective detection of chlorpropamide with a detection limit (at a signal to noise ratio of 3) of 0.5 ng mL⁻¹. The sensitivity of our method was from 4 to 100 times better than HPLC–UV, gas chromatography, and LC-mass spectrometry.

     

An HPLC Method for the Determination of Amines in Flotation Pulp Based on Derivatization

Alkyl amines are surfactants used as quartz collectors in the reverse flotation of phosphate ores. It is important in both research and industrial practice to quantify amine concentration in the solution and/or wastewater. A simple and rapid method using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was developed to quantitatively determine the concentration of amine collectors (including dodecylamine, tetradecylamine, hexadecylamine, and octadecylamine) in a mineral flotation system. The method involved a sample derivatization procedure with 9-fluorenyl methoxycarbonyl chloride (FMOC-Cl) and separation/determination by HPLC coupled with a fluorescence detector. The calibration curves showed good linearity (R²?>?0.9956) in the range of 0.20–5.00 µg/mL, and the recoveries of dodecylamine, tetradecylamine, hexadecylamine, and octadecylamine were in the ranges of 84.93–97.64%, 89.93–101.92%, 85.29–98.37%, and 93.57–103.26%, respectively. The method was successfully used to quantify amines in wastewater from flotation experiments and artificial flotation wastewater (amine solution after activated carbon adsorption). The results from the analysis of four amines in the solution demonstrated that the proposed method is suitable for the simultaneous determination of amines in flotation pulp and wastewater.

     

Microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography: an application for the simultaneous determination of suspected fragrance allergens in rinse-off products

The feasibility of microwave-accelerated derivatization for capillary electrophoresis (CE) with laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) detection was evaluated. The derivatization reaction was performed in a domestic microwave oven. Histidine (His), 1-methylhistidine (1-MH) and 3-methylhistidine (3-MH) were selected as test analytes and fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) was chosen as a fluorescent derivatizing reagent. Parameters that may affect the derivatization reaction and/or subsequent CE separation were systematically investigated. Under optimized conditions, the microwave-accelerated derivatization reaction was successfully completed within 150 s, compared to 4-24 h in a conventional water-bath derivatization process. This will remarkably reduce the overall analysis time and increase sample throughput of CE-LIF. The detection limits of this method were found to be 0.023 ng/mL for His, 0.023 ng/mL for 1-MH, and 0.034 ng/mL for 3-MH, respectively, comparable to those obtained using traditional derivatization protocols. The proposed method was characterized in terms of precision, linearity, accuracy and successfully applied for rapid and sensitive determination of these analytes in human urine.     

A New LC Method for Determination of Some Aminoglycoside Antibiotics in Dosage Forms and Human Plasma Using 7-Fluoro-4-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazole as a Fluorogenic Pre-Column Label

A validated, selective and sensitive pre-column derivatization chromatographic method for determination of some aminoglycoside antibiotics, namely, amikacin (AMK), gentamicin and neomycin sulphates, has been developed. Determination was obtained by pre-column reaction of the samples with 7-fluoro-4-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazole and separating the corresponding derivatives on a reversed phase LC column (ultrasphere C₁₈, 250 × 4.6 mm) and fluorescence detection (λ _ex 465 nm, λ _em 531 nm). Linear quantitative response curve was generated over a concentration range of 0.05–10 μg mL⁻¹ with a correlation coefficient of more than 0.999 with all studied compounds. The accuracy and precisions were satisfactory for determination of all drugs in dosage forms within- and between-run assay. Furthermore, the method was extended to the determination of AMK in spiked human plasma. The method is specific for the intact drugs, and can be adopted in the presence of co-formulated drugs.

     

Separation and determination of B vitamins and essential amino acids in health drinks by CE-LIF with simultaneous derivatization

An efficient and sensitive method for the separation and determination of three essential amino acids and three B vitamins by CE-LIF with a simultaneous derivatization procedure was developed. The conditions for derivatization and separation of these micronutrients were investigated. FITC was used as the reagent for fluorescence tagging of arginine (Arg), valine (Val), tryptophan (Trp), folic acid (FA), and niacinamide (NA). Riboflavin (RF) was detected without derivatization. Derivatization of analytes dissolved in borate solution was performed by successive introduction of fluorescence reagent and analytes followed by water bathing at 43°C. The molar ratio of sample/reagent (S/R), derivatization temperature, and incubation time significantly influenced the efficiency of derivatization. To maximize the fluorescence yield, a high S/R (≥20) was required. The nonderivatized RF and five derivatized analytes were separated in the optimized CE-LIF system with the application of 22 kV voltage and 25 mM borate buffer at pH 9.85. Validation of the method showed good linearity for the corrected peak areas versus standard concentrations for the six analytes. The RSDs (n = 3) of the migration time and the peak area obtained for the analytes ranged from 0.4 to 1.1% and from 1.9 to 4.4%, respectively. The developed method, with the lowest LOD of 0.5 nM, was successfully applied for the efficient derivatization and determination of B vitamins in four health drink samples.     

Immersed sol‐gel based amino‐functionalized SPME fiber and HPLC combined with post‐column photochemically induced fluorimetry derivatization and fluorescence detection of pyrethroid insecticides from water samples

A method based on direct immersion solid‐phase microextraction (DI‐SPME) coupled with high performance liquid chromatography combined with post‐column photochemically induced fluorimetry derivatization and fluorescence detection (HPLC‐PIF‐FD) was developed to extract three pyrethroid insecticides, i.e. cyfluthrin, cypermethrin, and flumethrin from water samples. A sol‐gel based coating fiber using 3‐(trimethoxysilyl propyl) amine as precursor was prepared and used for the extraction of the pyrethroids from groundwater samples. A post‐column photochemical reactor was designed and constructed for the derivatization of these environmentally important pollutants to increase their fluorescence sensitivity and determination in HPLC. The parameters affecting extraction process (extraction time and temperature, pH, salt addition, and co‐solvent) and desorption step (solvent, desorption time, and temperature) of the analytes from the sol‐gel‐based fiber, along with photochemical reaction conditions were investigated. The developed method proved to be relatively rapid, simple, and easy and offers high sensitivity and reproducibility. Linear dynamic ranges (LDR) for these insecticides were ranged between 0.25 to 50 μg/L. The regression coefficients were satisfactory (R² > 0.984) for these pyrethroids. The limits of detection and limits of quantification varied between 0.09 and 0.35 μg/L and 0.25 and 1.00 μg/L, respectively. Relative standard deviation RSDs values varied between 4.41% and 6.20%. Relative recoveries obtained from analysis of Jajroud river water sample ranged between 94% and 104%.     

Enantioselective analysis of bambuterol in human plasma using microwave‐assisted chiral derivatization coupled with ultra high performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry

In this study, an enantioselective analytical method based on microwave‐assisted chiral derivatization coupled with ultra high performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry was developed for the determination of bambuterol enantiomers in human plasma. The chiral derivatization reaction was greatly accelerated by microwave irradiation. Under the optimized conditions, both the derivatization time and separation time on column was only 3 min, and the lower limit of quantification was 2.5 pg/mL. The recoveries were in the range of 90.1–93.0% without significant matrix effect. Compared with the conventional heating chiral derivatization, microwave‐assisted chiral derivatization obtained higher chiral derivatization yields with much shorter time due to the effect of microwave irradiation. Furthermore, the racemization during the derivatization reaction was systematically investigated. The results showed the concentration of acetic acid and the reaction time had significant effects on the racemization, which could be well controlled during microwave‐assisted chiral derivatization for the short reaction time. Finally, this novel approach was demonstrated by determining bambuterol in human plasma of a clinical pharmacokinetic study in eight healthy volunteers. On the basis of the results, microwave‐assisted chiral derivatization coupled with ultra high performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry as a simple and effective enantioselective analysis technique for the determination of chiral drugs in complex biological samples showed great promise.     

Pre-column derivatization of sulfa drugs with fluorescamine and high-performance liquid chromatographic determination at their residual levels in meat and meat products.

A rapid, sensitive and selective high-performance liquid chromatographic method is described for simultaneous determination of eight sulfa drugs in meat and meat products using pre-column derivatization with fluorescamine. The drugs are sulfisomidine, sulfadiazine, sulfamerazine, sulfadimidine, sulfamonomethoxine, sulfamethoxazole, sulfadimethoxine and sulfaquinoxaline. The method includes blender extraction of 3-g samples with chloroform, partition with 3 M hydrochloric acid, derivatization with fluorescamine at pH 3.0 and subsequent high-performance liquid chromatographic analysis on a C18 column with fluorescence detection at an excitation wavelength of 405 nm and an emission wavelength of 495 nm. The drugs were separated with a mobile phase of acetonitrile-2% acetic acid (3:5) at 55 degrees C. The average recovery from samples fortified at 0.1 ng/g was 92.6% with a coefficient of variation of 6.2%. The detection limit was 0.01 ng/g for sulfaquinoxaline and 0.005 ng/g for the other seven drugs. The method was field-tested in a survey of 37 samples including beef (five), pork (seven), chicken (seven), ham (five), sausage (eight), bacon (two) and roast beef (three). Sulfadimidine was detected in one pork sample at the level of 0.295 ng/g and in ham at 0.178 ng/g.     

Derivatization of beta-dicarbonyl compound with 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine to enhance mass spectrometric detection: application in quantitative analysis of houttuynin in human plasma

Houttuynin (decanoyl acetaldehyde), a beta-dicarbonyl compound, is the major antibacterial constituent in the volatile oil of Houttuynina cordata Thunb. In the present work, detection of houttuynin in human plasma based on the chemical derivatization with 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH) coupled with liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry was described. The primary reaction products between the beta-dicarbonyl compound and DNPH in aqueous phase were identified as heterocyclic structures, of which the mass spectrometric ionization and fragmentation behavior were characterized with the aid of high-resolution multistage mass spectral analysis. For quantification, houttuynin and internal standard (IS, benzophenone) in plasma were firstly converted to their DNPH derivatives without sample purification, then extracted from human plasma with n-hexane and detected by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry performed in selected reaction monitoring (SRM) mode. This method allowed for a lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) of 1.0 ng/ml using 100-microl plasma. The validation results showed high accuracy (%bias < 2.1) and precision (%CV < 7.2) at broad linear dynamic range (1.0-5000 ng/ml). The simple and quantitative derivatization coupled with tandem mass spectrometric analysis facilitates a sensitive and robust method for the determination of plasma houttuynin in pharmacokinetic studies.     

Application of the TLC image analysis technique for the simultaneous quantitative determination of L-proline and L-lysine in dietary supplement

A simple and sensitive thin-layer chromatography (TLC) method coupled with an image analysis technique was developed for the simultaneous quantitative determination of L-proline and L-lysine in dietary supplement with good precision and accuracy. Separation was performed on silica gel plates using ethanol‒toluene (2:3, V/V) as the mobile phase. The visualization of chromatograms was based on iodine–azide reaction; therefore, pre-chromatographic derivatization reaction of amino acids with phenyl isothiocyanate was performed. Digital images of TLC plate chromatograms were converted into peak chromatograms, and quantitative analysis was conducted using TLSee software.

     

4-Carbomethoxybenzaldehyde as a highly sensitive pre-column fluorescence derivatization reagent for 9,10-phenanthrenequinone

9,10-Phenanthrenequinone (PQ) is harmful environmental pollutant that is detected in airborne particulates. The measurement of PQ in the air should be necessary to evaluate the potential adverse effects of PQ on human health. We have recently developed a determination method for PQ based on the fluorescence derivatization of PQ using benzaldehyde and ammonium acetate as a reagent. In this study, in order to obtain more sensitive and selective fluorescence derivatization reaction, we measured the fluorescence of the reaction mixture of PQ with 21 kinds of aromatic aldehydes in the presence of ammonium acetate. Among the tested aldehydes, 4-carbomethoxybenzaldehyde was found to be the best reagent in regard to fluorescence intensity and emission wavelength maximum. Based on the fluorescence derivatization with 4-carbomethoxybenzaldehyde, a highly sensitive chromatographic method was developed for the determination of PQ with the detection limit (S/N=3) of 1.2 fmol/injection.     

Screening method for organic aciduria by spectrofluorometric measurement of total dicarboxylic acids in human urine based on intramolecular excimer-forming fluorescence derivatization

A simple screening method of organic aciduria by spectrofluorometric measurement of total dicarboxylic acids in human urine is described. This method is based on an intramolecular excimer-forming fluorescence derivatization with a pyrene reagent, 4-(1-pyrene)butanoic acid hydrazide (PBH). Dicarboxylic acids in urine were converted to the corresponding dipyrene-labeled derivatives by reaction with PBH in the presence of 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide and pyridine, and the derivatives afforded intramolecular excimer fluorescence (420-540 nm) which can clearly be discriminated from the normal fluorescence (360-420 nm) emitted from reagent blanks. The technique is so selective that it permits spectrofluorometric measurement of total amount of dicarboxylic acids by the direct derivatization of diluted urine samples. The same reaction mixture has also served as a liquid chromatographic (LC) sample for the separative determination of individual dicarboxylic acids. The spectrofluorometric data did not contradict with the LC data. These methods were usefully applied to preliminary screening test of glutaric aciduria. In conclusion, the present derivatization method allows rapid and direct determination of total amount of dicarboxylic acids in human urine samples.