Determination of the enantiomers of 3-tert.-butylamino-1,2-propanediol by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to evaporative light scattering detection

A method for the separation and quantitation of the enantiomers of 3-tert.-butylamino-1,2-propanediol by high-performance liquid chromatography and evaporative light scattering detection has been developed. Separation of the enantiomers was performed in normal-phase liquid chromatography on a Chiralpak AS chiral stationary phase. The influence of the gas nature, gas pressure and temperature of the drift tube of the evaporative light scattering detector on the detection sensitivity was investigated. The method was validated in terms of linearity, limit of quantitation, accuracy and precision. The enantiomeric excess of (S)-3-tert.-butylamino-1,2-propanediol, used for the industrial synthesis of (S)-timolol, was measured from 0 to 94%.     

Determination of the enantiomers of 3-tert.-butylamino-1,2-propanediol by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to evaporative light scattering detection

A method for the separation and quantitation of the enantiomers of 3-tert.-butylamino-1,2-propanediol by high-performance liquid chromatography and evaporative light scattering detection has been developed. Separation of the enantiomers was performed in normal-phase liquid chromatography on a Chiralpak AS chiral stationary phase. The influence of the gas nature, gas pressure and temperature of the drift tube of the evaporative light scattering detector on the detection sensitivity was investigated. The method was validated in terms of linearity, limit of quantitation, accuracy and precision. The enantiomeric excess of (S)-3-tert.-butylamino-1,2-propanediol, used for the industrial synthesis of (S)-timolol, was measured from 0 to 94%.     

Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry of the Alternaria mycotoxins alternariol and alternariol monomethyl ether in fruit juices and beverages

Alternariol (AOH) and alternariol monomethyl ether (AME) are among the main mycotoxins formed in apples and other fruits infected by Alternaria alternata. For determination of AOH and AME by LC, apple juice and other fruit beverages were cleaned up on C18 and aminopropyl solid-phase extraction columns. Positive and negative ion mass spectra of AOH and AME under electrospray (ESI) and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) conditions were obtained. Collision-induced dissociation of the [M+H]+ and [M-H]- ions for both compounds were also studied. The phenolic anions of both compounds are more stable with less fragmentation. In quantitative analysis, negative ion detection also offers lower background and better sensitivity. Sensitive LC-MS and LC-MS-MS confirmatory procedures based on APCI with negative ion detection were applied to confirm the natural occurrence of AOH in nine samples of apple juice and in single samples of some other clear fruit beverages--grape juice, cranberry nectar, raspberry juice, red wine, and prune nectar (which also contained 1.4 ng AME/ml)--at levels of up to 6 ng AOH/ml. Electrospray LC-MS-MS with negative ion detection and in multiple reaction monitoring mode offers higher sensitivity and specificity. Absolute detection was better than 4 pg per injection for both compounds.     

Chiral ligand exchange micellar electrokinetic chromatography using borate anion as a central ion

Three compounds having 1,2-diol structure (1-phenyl-1,2-ethanediol, 3-phenoxy-1,2-propanediol, and 3-benzyloxy-1,2-propanediol) were enantioseparated by ligand exchange MEKC using (5S)-pinanediol (SPD) as a chiral selector and borate anion as a central ion together with SDS. When (S)-1,2-propanediol, (S)-1,2,4-butanetriol, or (S)-3-tert-butylamino-1,2-propanediol were used as the chiral ligand instead of SPD, these three compounds were not enantioseparated. When borate was replaced with 2-aminoethane-1-sulfonate or N-cyclohexyl-3-aminopropanesulfonate, no chiral separation was achieved. Therefore, the hydrophobic interaction between the chiral selector and the chiral analytes within the transient diastereomeric complex may play an important role in the enantioseparation achieved by the proposed method.     

Determination of 3-chloro-1,2-propanediol in biological samples by quick-easy-cheap-effective-rugged-and-safe extraction coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and its biodistribution in rats

3-Chloro-1,2-propanediol is a common food contaminant, but reports on its determination in biological tissues are lacking. In the present study, a method was developed to detect 3-chloro-1,2-propanediol contents in rat tissues by quick-easy-cheap-effective-rugged-and-safe extraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis. Biological samples were extracted with ethyl acetate and purified with adsorbents. The optimized adsorbent for each sample was selected from 4–5 combinations of N-propylethylenediamine, octadecylsilane, graphitized carbon black, strong anion exchange, and florisil. Extracted 3-chloro-1,2-propanediol was derivatized with heptafluorobutyric anhydride and subjected to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. This method had good linearity (correlation coefficients >0.99) in the range of 2–2000 ng/g for blood, kidney, liver, testis, and brain samples. The limits of detection were under 0.8 ng/g; the limits of quantification were 2 ng/g; the recovery rates were 85%–102%; and the matrix effects were 1.98%–7.67%. This method also had good precision. The dynamic changes in 3-chloro-1,2-propanediol in rats gavaged with 20 mg/kg b.w. for 24 h were detected using this method. The 3-chloro-1,2-propanediol content in each tissue sharply increased to a peak, rapidly decreased within 2 h, and stabilized at 12 h. 3-Chloro-1,2-propanediol persisted in the kidney, testis, and liver 24 h after gavage.     

Rapid method for accurate analysis of melatonin, serotonin and auxin in plant samples using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

Currently, the information available on the physiological functions of melatonin in higher plants is rather limited and the role of plant melatonin in human health remains undetermined. Research in this area has been slow due to lack of efficient analytical methods for rapid identification and quantification of the melatonin and related compounds in complex plant matrices. In this communication, we report the development of a rapid, accurate method for extraction, detection and quantification of plant melatonin, serotonin and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) by Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) with electrospray ionization (ESI), atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI), and atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI), respectively. The limit of detection (LOD) of melatonin in the plant extraction was 5 pg/ml and the limit of quantification (LOQ) was 0.02 ng/ml, as well as LOD for serotonin was 100 pg/ml and the LOQ was 5 ng/ml, LOD for IAA was 50 pg/ml and the LOQ was 0.7 ng/ml. There was a linear relationship between melatonin, serotonin, and IAA concentration and peak area over a quantifiable range of 0.02 ng/ml to 0.1 mg/ml, 5 ng/ml to 0.1 mg/ml, and 0.7 ng/ml to 0.1 mg/ml, respectively, in the plant extract.     

Quantification of the xenoestrogens 4-tert.-octylphenol and bisphenol A in water and in fish tissue based on microwave assisted extraction, solid-phase extraction and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry

Extraction methods were developed for quantification of the xenoestrogens 4-tert.-octylphenol (tOP) and bisphenol A (BPA) in water and in liver and muscle tissue from the rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). The extraction of tOP and BPA from tissue samples was carried out using microwave-assisted solvent extraction (MASE) followed by solid-phase extraction (SPE). Water samples were extracted using only SPE. For the quantification of tOP and BPA, liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS) equipped with an atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation interface (APCI) was applied. The combined methods for tissue extraction allow the use of small sample amounts of liver or muscle (typically 1 g), low volumes of solvent (20 ml), and short extraction times (25 min). Limits of quantification of tOP in tissue samples were found to be approximately 10 ng/g in muscle and 50 ng/g in liver (both based on 1 g of fresh tissue). The corresponding values for BPA were approximately 50 ng/g in both muscle and liver tissue. In water, the limit of quantification for tOP and BPA was approximately 0.1 microg/l (based on 100 ml sample size).     

Direct simultaneous analysis of plasma samples for a drug discovery compound and its hydroxyl metabolite using mixed-function column liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

A polymer-coated mixed-function (PCMF) column was evaluated for direct plasma injection for the simultaneous determination of a drug candidate and its hydroxyl metabolite by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with tandem mass spectrometry (MS-MS) in support of pharmacokinetic studies. Each diluted monkey plasma sample containing internal standard was directly injected on to the PCMF column for sample clean-up, enrichment and chromatographic separation. The proteins and macromolecules were first eluted from the column while the drug molecules were retained on the bonded hydrophobic phase. The analytes retained on the column were then eluted with a strong mobile phase using a gradient separation technique at a constant flow rate of 1.0 ml min(-1). When not diverted, the column effluent was connected either to the atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) source or the electrospray ionization (ESI) source as part of the mass spectrometer system used for quantification. The calibration curve was linear over the range 5-2500 ng ml(-1) for both analytes. The retention times for the analytes and the internal standard were both consistent and no column deterioration was observed for at least 500 injections. The recovery through the column and reproducibility of the dosed compound and its hydroxyl metabolite in monkey plasma samples were > 90% (RSD < 6%). The total analysis time was < 8 min per sample. The analytical results obtained by the proposed direct plasma injection method were in good agreement with those obtained by the conventional LC-MS-MS method.     

Application of liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry combined with photodiode array detection and tandem mass spectrometry for monitoring pesticides in surface waters

Liquid chromatography with photodiode array detection (LC-DAD) and liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry (LC-MS) are two techniques that have been widely used in monitoring pesticides and their degradation products in the environment. However, the application of liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS) for such purposes, once considered too costly, is now gaining considerable ground. In this study, we compare these methods for the multi-residue analysis of pesticides in surface waters collected from the central and southeastern regions of France, and from the St. Lawrence River in Canada. Forty-eight pesticides belonging to eight different classes (triazine, amide, phenylurea, triazole, triazinone, benzimidazole, morpholine, phenoxyalkanoic), along with some of their degradation products, were monitored on a regular basis in the surface waters. For LC-MS, we used the electrospray ionization (ESI) interface in the negative ionization mode on acidic pesticides (phenoxyalkanoic, sulfonylurea), and the atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) interface in the positive ionization mode on the remaining chemicals. Different extraction techniques were employed, including liquid-liquid extraction with dichloromethane, and solid-phase extraction using C18-bonded silica and graphitized carbon black cartridges. Eleven of the target chemicals (desethylatrazine, desisopropylatrazine, atrazine, simazine, terbuthylazine, metolachlor, carbendazime, bentazone, penconazole, diuron and isoproturon) were detected by LC-MS at concentrations ranging from 20 to 900 ng/l in the surface waters from France, and six pesticides (atrazine, desethylatrazine, desisopropylatrazine, cyanazine, simazine and metolachlor) were detected by LC-MS and LC-MS-MS at concentrations ranging from 3 to 52 ng/l in the samples drawn from the St. Lawrence River. There was good correlation between the LC-DAD and LC-MS techniques for 60 samples. The slope of the curves expressing the relationship between the results obtained with LC-DAD versus those obtained by LC-MS was near 1, with a correlation coefficient (r) of over 0.93. The identification potential of the LC-MS technique, however, was greater than that of the LC-DAD; its mass spectra, mainly reflecting the pseudomolecular ion resulting from a protonation or a deprotonation of the molecule, was rich in information. The LC-MS-MS technique with ion trap detectors, tested against the LC-MS on 10 surface water samples, gave results that correlated well with the LC-MS results, albeit generating mass spectra that yielded far more information about the structure of unknown substances. The sensitivity of the LC-MS-MS was equivalent to the selected ion monitoring (SIM) acquisition mode in LC-MS. The detection limits of the target pesticides ranged from 20 to 100 ng/l for the LC-MS technique (under full scan acquisition), and from 2 to 6 ng/l for LC-MS-MS. These limits were improved by a factor of almost 10 by increasing the sample volume to 10 l.     

Quantitative analysis of hydrocortisone in human urine using a high-performance liquid chromatographic-tandem mass spectrometric-atmospheric-pressure chemical ionization method

In this study, the development and validation of a method of analysis for 11,17,21,-trihydroxypregn-4-ene-3,20-dione (hydrocortisone, cortisol, HC) using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-tandem mass spectrometry (MS) with atmospheric-pressure chemical ionization (APCI) is reported. This is the first report of the systematic development and validation of an HPLC-MS-MS method for the quantitation of HC in synthetic human urine with a deuterated internal standard. Prior to LC-MS-MS analysis, the only sample preparation used was the dilute-and-shoot technique prior to LC-MS-MS analysis. In this study, an analysis time of less than 3 min is achieved. The results show freedom of interference from other analytes such as analogous steroids. Validation parameters such as specificity/selectivity, limit of quantitation (LOQ), linearity, precision, accuracy, ruggedness, stability, and system suitability are evaluated for this method. The LOQ is 5 ng/mL with an 8% relative standard deviation (RSD). For calibration standard curves, an average linear response for a 3-day validation (R2 = 0.997) over the range of 5 to 500 ng/mL is obtained. The interday precision %RSDs are 7.2, 5.0, and 5.2 for 15, 75, and 300 ng/mL, respectively. Also, brief comparisons of the dilute-and-shoot and liquid-liquid extraction techniques for this analyte are discussed.     

A discharge adaptor interface for use in liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry

A discharge adaptor, composed of a metal casing and platinum (Pt) wire needle, was directly attached to an electrospray ionization (ESI) probe tip, to transform the ionization into atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI). Six generic drugs were analyzed with the developed discharge adaptor (DA) and two commercial interfaces. The DA interface produced more intense radical anions, [M]^.–, and less sodium adduct ions, [M + Na]⁺, than the ESI interface, whereas almost the same molecular ions were detected as the APCI interface. The effects of solvent and desolvation gas flow in the DA interface were similar to those in the ESI interface, but differed from those in the APCI interface. Better sensitivity of the tested drugs was obtained relative to the commercial APCI interface. For human plasma samples, the DA interface also demonstrated good tolerance to plasma matrices, linearity from 5 or 20 to 500 ng/mL (r² > 0.99) and ruggedness. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

On-line solid-phase extraction liquid chromatography-continuous flow frit fast atom bombardment mass spectrometric and tandem mass spectrometric determination of hydrolysis products of nerve agents alkyl methylphosphonic acids by p-bromophenacyl derivatization

For proof of the presence of chemical warfare agents sarin, soman and VX, a rapid, accurate and sensitive method which allows us to determine their hydrolysis products ethyl methylphosphonic acid, isopropyl methylphosphonic acid and pinacolyl methyl phosphonic acid was explored by using continuous flow frit fast atom bombardment (FAB) LC-MS and LC-MS-MS. After derivatization of analytes with p-bromophenacyl bromide, LC-MS-MS analyses for screening were performed by a flow injection method. The three alkyl methylphosphonic acids (AMPAs) were eluted within 5 min, and the detection limits for the three AMPAs ranged from 1 to 5 ng/ml. For confirmation of the screening results, LC-MS-MS analysis with chromatographic separation was conducted by using a narrow bore column. The three AMPAs were all eluted with excellent separation within 25 min, and the detection limits ranged from 1 to 20 ng/ml. Quantitative measurement was performed by LC-MS in selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode with chromatographic separation. Linear calibration curves were obtained for the three AMPAs and the detection limits ranged from 0.5 to 3 ng/ml. The relative standard deviation for peak area ranged from 3.4 to 6.0% at 50 ng/ml for the three AMPAs.     

Determination of ranolazine in human plasma by liquid chromatographic-tandem mass spectrometric assay

A highly sensitive liquid chromatographic-tandem mass spectrometric method (LC-MS-MS) is developed to quantitate ranolazine in human plasma. The analyte and internal standard tramadol are extracted from plasma by liquid-liquid extraction using diethyl ether-dichloromethane (60:40 v/v), and separated on a Zorbax extend C(18) column using methanol-10mM ammonium acetate (60:40 v/v, pH 4.0) at a flow of 1.0 mL/min. Detection is carried out by multiple reaction monitoring on a QtrapTM LC-MS-MS system with an electrospray ionization interface. The assay is linear over the range 10-5000 ng/mL with a limit of quantitation of 10 ng/mL and a lower limit of detection (S/N > 3) of 1 ng/mL. Intra- and inter-day precision are < 3.1% and < 2.8%, respectively, and the accuracy is in the range 96.7-101.6%. The validated method is successfully used to analyze the drug in samples of human plasma for pharmacokinetic studies.     

Chiral ligand exchange capillary electrophoresis using borate anion as a central ion

Native DL-pantothenic acid, having a 1,3-diol structure, was chirally resolved by ligand exchange capillary electrophoresis using (S)-3-amino-1,2-propanediol as a chiral selector and the borate anion as a central ion. The optimum conditions for both high resolution and short migration time of DL-pantothenic acid were found to be 200 mM (S)-3-amino-1,2-propanediol and 200 mM borate buffer (pH 9.2) containing 15% methanol with an applied voltage of +25 kV at 20 degrees C, using direct detection at 200 nm. With this system, the resolution (Rs) of racemic pantothenic acid was approximately 1.7. When (S)-1,2-propanediol, (S)-1,2,3-propanetriol, (S)-1,3-butanediol or (S)-1-amino-2-propanol were used as chiral ligand instead of (S)-3-amino-1,2-propanediol, DL-pantothenic acid was not enantioseparated. When borate was replaced with Tris or butylborate, no chiral separation was achieved. Therefore, the ionic interaction between the amino and carboxyl groups of the ternary complex may play an important role in the enantioseparation of DL-pantothenic acid by the proposed CE system.     

Rapid screening procedures for the hydrolysis products of chemical warfare agents using positive and negative ion liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry with atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation

Qualitative screening procedures have been developed for the rapid detection and identification of the hydrolysis products of chemical warfare agents in aqueous samples and extracts, using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry with positive and negative atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation (APCI). Previously reported screening procedures, which used positive APCI or electrospray ionisation (ESI), were modified by using LC conditions that allowed acquisition of positive and negative ion mass spectra. APCI was generally found to be more robust than ESI, probably due to variable adduct ion formation with ESI, depending on the condition of the sample and the system. Negative APCI provided selective detection of acidic analytes and allowed facile differentiation of alkyl alkylphosphonic acids from isomeric dialkyl alkylphosphonates. The combination of positive and negative APCI, using a C18 column and water-methanol mobile phase modified with ammonium formate, provides a rapid screening procedure for chemical warfare agent degradation products, with limits of detectability in the range 10-100 ng/ml. In the case of proficiency test samples, where analyte concentrations are in the range 1-10 ppm, introduction of the sample by infusion may provide an even faster preliminary screening procedure.     

Potential of fermentation profiling via rapid measurement of amino acid metabolism by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

Monitoring amino acid metabolism during fermentation has significant potential from the standpoint of strain selection, optimizing growth and production in host strains, and profiling microbial metabolism and growth state. A method has been developed based on rapid quantification of underivatized amino acids using liquid chromatography-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS) to monitor the metabolism of 20 amino acids during microbial fermentation. The use of a teicoplanin-based chiral stationary phase coupled with electrospray tandem mass spectrometry allows complete amino acid analyses in less than 4 min. Quantification is accomplished using five isotopically labeled amino acids as internal standards. Because comprehensive chromatographic separation and derivatization are not required, analysis time is significantly less than traditional reversed- or normal-phase LC-based amino acid assays. Intra-sample precisions for amino acid measurements in fermentation supernatants using this method average 4.9% (R.S.D.). Inter-day (inter-fermentation) precisions for individual amino acid measurements range from 4.2 to 129% (R.S.D.). Calibration curves are linear over the range 0-300 microg/ml, and detection limits are estimated at 50-450 ng/ml. Data visualization techniques for constructing semi-quantitative fermentation profiles of nitrogen source utilization have also been developed and implemented, and demonstrate that amino acid profiles generally correlate with observed growth profiles. Further, cellular growth events, such as lag-time and cell lysis can be detected using this methodology. Correlation coefficients for the time profiles of each amino acid measured illustrate that while several amino acids are differentially metabolized in similar fermentations, a select group of amino acids display strong correlations in these samples, indicating a sub-population of analytes that may be most useful for fermentation profiling.     

Quantitative analysis of imazamox herbicide in environmental water samples by capillary electrophoresis electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

Capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry (CE-MS) with an electrospray ionization interface was applied for the quantitative analysis of imazamox pesticide in well water, potable water, and pond water. The detector response for imazamox was determined to be linear over the concentration range of 50-1 ng/ml. The limits of quantitation and detection of the method were determined to be 200 and 20 ng/l for imazamox compound in each type of water sample, respectively. The total sample preparation and CE-MS analysis time was under 2 h.     

Determination of halogenated mono-alcohols and diols in water by gas chromatography with electron-capture detection

We have developed an analytical method for the detection of halogenated alcohols in water with particular focus on 3-chloro-1,2-propanediol and 3-bromo-1,2-propanediol. In this method the target analytes are extracted from water, derivatized with heptafluorobutyric anhydride, and then analyzed with gas chromatography with electron-capture detection. The effects of water, pH and seawater constituents on the method were investigated. Method detection limits for a 5 ml aqueous sample ranged from 0.14 microg l(-1) for 2-bromo-1,3-propanediol to 1.7 microg l(-1) for 1,3-dichloro-2-propanol (1,3DCP).     

HPLC/MS测定动物组织及尿样中的β-兴奋剂

采用微量化样品前处理技术，以固相萃取为净化方法．电喷雾正离子多反应监测方式建立了尿样及动物组织中β-兴奋剂残留量的液相色谱-串联质谱联用测定法。检测的定量限在0．15～0．6ng／g，线性范围均大于10^3，线性方程的相关系数大于0．999，组织样品和尿样的回收率大于70％．     

Determination of huperzine A in human plasma by liquid chromatography-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry: application to a bioequivalence study on Chinese volunteers

A simple, sensitive and selective LC-MS-MS method has been developed for the quantification of huperzine A in human plasma. Huperzine A and pseudoephedrine hydrochloride (internal standard) were isolated from human plasma by extraction with ethyl acetate, chromatographed on a C(18) column with a mobile phase consisting of 0.2% formic acid-methanol (15:85, v/v) and detected using a tandem mass spectrometer with an electrospray ionization interface. The lower limit of quantification was 0.0508 ng/mL, and the assay exhibited a linear range of 0.0508-5.08 ng/mL (r = 0.9998). The method was successfully applied to investigate the bioequivalence between two kinds of tablets (test vs reference product) in 18 healthy male Chinese volunteers. After a single 0.2 mg dose for the test and reference product, the resulting means of major pharmacokinetic parameters such as AUC(0-24), AUC(0-infinity), C(max), T(max) and t(1/2) of huperzine A were 16.35 +/- 3.42 vs 16.38 +/- 3.61 ng h/mL, 17.53 +/- 3.80 vs 17.70 +/- 3.97 ng h/mL, 2.47 +/- 0.49 vs 2.51 +/- 0.51 ng/mL, 1.3 +/- 0.4 vs 1.2 +/- 0.3 h and 5.92 +/- 0.75 vs 6.18 +/- 0.66 h, respectively, indicating that these two kinds of tablets were bioequivalent.