Simultaneous determination of amino acids and carbohydrates by anion-exchange chromatography with integrated pulsed amperometric detection

A direct, sensitive, simple and practical method for simultaneous determination of amino acids and carbohydrates by anion-exchange chromatography with integrated pulsed amperometric detection was developed. The retention behavior of amino acids and carbohydrates on the anion-exchange column and the detection of amino acids and carbohydrates at different integrated pulsed amperometric detection waveforms were investigated. The optimized gradient eluent conditions for analysis of 17 amino acids and nine carbohydrates were obtained. Separation time was 100 min. Detection limits for amino acids and carbohydrates were 5.2-207.1 nM under injection volume of 25 microl. The RSDs of peak area were 1.2-3.3%. The calibration graphs of peak area for the analytes were linear over about three orders of magnitude with a correlation coefficient of 0.9950-0.9999. The method was applied to determine amino acids and carbohydrates in a liquid condiment with satisfactory results.     

Coupling of sequential injection with liquid chromatography for the automated derivatization and on-line determination of amino acids

The principle of sequential injection (SI) was exploited to develop a fully automated pre-column derivatization procedure combined on-line to liquid chromatography (LC). Using SI-LC derivatization 14 amino acids were determined fluorimetrically in pharmaceuticals with o-phthaldialdehyde (OPA) as the derivatization reagent. The SI system was used for the handling of samples and reagents, on-line mixing and introduction to the LC injection system. Chemical (pH and reagents concentrations) and instrumental variables (sample and reagent volumes, reaction time and flow rate) were optimized to attain the highest reaction yield and detector signal. Reversed phase chromatographic resolution of 14 amino acids was achieved within 35 min using gradient elution. The automated operation of the coupled SI-LC system resulted in very satisfactory performance. The method was applied for the simultaneous determination of amino acids in pharmaceutical formulations.     

离子色谱-积分脉冲安培检测法同时测定酱油中20种氨基酸和6种糖

建立了梯度淋洗-离子色谱-积分脉冲安培检测法同时测定酱油中20种氨基酸和6种糖的方法，通过对色谱柱温度、pH值、放置时间等实验影响因素的考察，探索出了适合26种组分测定的多级梯度淋洗条件。结果表明，当流速为0.25 mL/min，pH值在5.2~6.7，柱温在35℃时，26种组分在各自的浓度范围内具有良好的线性关系（r² ≥ 0.995）。除了谷氨酰胺、亮氨酸、异亮氨酸、蛋氨酸外，其他22种组分的检出限均小于0.03 mg/L；在0.20、0.50、2.00 mg/L 3个添加水平下，回收率为84.2%~109%，RSD为2.7%~7.8%。该方法高效、简便、灵敏、准确，可用于酱油中多种氨基酸和糖的同时测定以及掺假辨别技术研究。     

Simultaneous Determination of Carbohydrates and Amino Acids by Capillary Zone Electrophoresis with Constant Potential Amperometric Detection at a Copper Electrode

Capillary zone electrophoresis with end-column amperometric detection at a copper microdisk electrode (100 μm in diameter) was successfully applied for simultaneous determination of carbohydrates and amino acids. Under the separation voltage of 27 kV and the separation electrolyte of 80 mM NaOH in a 75 cm fused silica capillary (10 μm i.d. × 375 μmU o.d.), complete separation of a standard mixture containing 9 carbohydrates and 12 amino acids was achieved in less than 25 min. With the electrokinetical injection of 5.4 s at 27 kV and the detection potential of 0.62 V vs. Ag/AgCl, the detection limits (S/N = 3) were 0.22–0.65 ppm (1.2–1.9 μM) for carbohydrates and 0.31–6.5 ppm (2.3–39 μM) for amino acids, respectively. The calculated numbers of theoretical plates were between 41,000 and 190,000. The use of this method for analysis of carbohydrates and amino acids in a urine sample was demonstrated.     

Development of high throughput 96-blade solid phase microextraction-liquid chromatrography-mass spectrometry protocol for metabolomics

In metabolomics, the workflow for quantitative and comprehensive metabolic mapping of cellular metabolites can be a very challenging undertaking. Sampling and sample preparation play a significant role in untargeted analysis, as they may affect the composition of the analyzed metabolome. In the current work, different solid phase microextraction (SPME) coating chemistries were developed and applied to provide simultaneous extraction of a wide range of both hydrophobic and hydrophilic cellular metabolites produced by a model organism, Escherichia coli. Three different LC-MS methods were also evaluated for analysis of extracted metabolites. Finally, over 200 cellular metabolites were separated and detected with widely varying hydrophobicities ranging within −7 < log P < 15, including amino acids, peptides, nucleotides, carbohydrates, polycarboxylic acids, vitamins, phosphorylated compounds, and lipids such as hydrophobic phospholipids, prenol lipids, and fatty acids at the stationary phase of the E. coli life cycle using the developed 96-blade SPME-LC-MS method.     

Identification of plant and animal glues in museum objects by GC-MS, after catalytic hydrolysis of the proteins by the use of a cation exchanger, with simultaneous separation from the carbohydrates

A method is described which enables the group-separation of proteinaceous binding media from vegetable glues (carbohydrates), and simultaneous hydrolysis of the proteins in mixtures of both. The mixtures of the binders are suspended in aqueous-ethanolic solvent with the H+ form of a strong cation exchanger and treated at elevated temperature in sealed vials. The polypeptides are cleaved by H+-catalysed hydrolysis. On abstraction the amino acids are transformed into the ammonium ions by the protons, and the cations are adsorbed by the exchanger resin. The amino acids are removed from solution in this way, thus suppressing interfering reactions with other binders, e.g. humin formation with carbohydrates. Clear and colourless solutions were obtained with all mixtures of vegetable and animal glues. Two fractions can be obtained after separation of the solid resin from the liquid supernatant - the resin fraction with the adsorbed amino acids, and the aqueous-ethanolic solution with the carbohydrates. In each of these fractions the two classes of binder can be identified separately by GC-MS; this avoids the occurrence of unresolved GC peaks and superimposed mass spectra. The method has been used to identify the binder found between fabric layers of a Burgundian liturgical vestment of the Order of the Golden Fleece from the first half of the 15th century, the Cope of the Virgin Mary. With the aid of the GC pattern obtained, and the mass spectra of the main peaks, which were identified as glucopyranose anomers, the binding medium was identified as starch.     

Capillary electrophoresis for the monitoring of carboxylic acid production by Gluconobacter oxydans

Determination of carboxylic acids in Gluconobacter oxydans fermentations of wheat straw hydrolyzate was carried out. This matrix is of complex composition containing carbohydrates, organic compounds (e.g., amino acids, toxins), and inorganic salts making the analysis challenging even with separation techniques. A method based on capillary electrophoresis with indirect UV detection was developed for the simultaneous quantification of 18 carboxylic acids. The background electrolyte solution of ammonia, 2,3-pyridinedicarboxylic acid, and Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ salts, containing myristyltrimethylammonium hydroxide as a dynamic capillary coating reagent, was validated for the robust and repeatable separation of the carboxylic acids. Intraday relative standard deviations in the optimized method were less than 1.6% for migration times and between 1.0% and 5.9% for peak area. Interday relative standard deviations were less than 5.0% for migration times and between 5.7% and 9.3% for peak area. With 11 nl injected, detection limits for the analytes were between 10 and 43 μmol/l. Detection limits ranged from 0.1 to 0.5 pmol at signal-to-noise ratio of 3. The results demonstrated that wheat straw hydrolyzate was a suitable substrate for G. oxydans with a product yield of 45% for the formation of xylonic acid from xylose and 96% for the formation of gluconic acid from glucose.     

HPLC-FLD for the simultaneous determination of primary and secondary amino acids from complex biological sample by pre-column derivatization

A rapid, sensitive, and reproducible pre-column derivatisation procedure has been established for the simultaneous determination of 20 amino acids by high-performance liquid chromatography using fluorescence detection. The amino acids were derivatized using o-phthalaldehyde and 9-fluorenylmethyl-chloroformate reagents. The optimal conditions for simultaneous separation and detection of both primary and secondary amino acids were investigated. The developed method has several advantages, namely automated pre-column derivatization, short analysis time with optimal separation, a simple and economical mobile phase, high level of precision for peak area and retention time, and higher sensitivity with more reliability of peak identification. The biological media development is the key parameter for macromolecule drug discovery. Biological media amino acids in three consecutive discovery batches were determined and the results showed a good agreement with hypothetical value. The method appears suitable for application to measure biological media amino acids at various stages of macromolecule drug discovery.     

烟叶和烟草料液中氨基酸的直接检测及碳水化合物的去除

建立了高效阴离子交换色谱-积分脉冲安培法(HPAEC-IPAD)直接检测烟叶和烟草料液中氨基酸的方法。利用离线除糖的方法,去除烟叶和烟草料液中大量干扰糖类,包括葡萄糖、果糖和蔗糖及麦芽低聚糖等。采用AminoPac PA10阴离子交换柱,以NaOH和NaAc的强碱性溶液为淋洗液,采用梯度洗脱,流速为0.25 mL/min;积分脉冲安培法对氨基酸进行检测,回收率可达76%~105%。此方法可以有效的解决烟叶、烟草料液等含糖量高的样品中糖类化合物的干扰,对氨基酸实现灵敏、准确的定量分析。     

Capillary electrophoresis method for the analysis of inorganic anions, organic acids, amino acids, nucleotides, carbohydrates and other anionic compounds.

A previously developed capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) method with indirect UV detection for the simultaneous determination of inorganic and organic anions, amino acids and carbohydrates using 20 mM 2,6-pyridinedicarboxylic acid (PDC) as the background electrolyte was extended to allow determination of 206 anions including those above--mentioned and physiological amino acids, nucleotides, aromatic acids, haloacetic acids, alcohols, phosphorylated saccharides, oxyhalides, metal oxoacids, metal-ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) complexes, forensic anions, Good's buffers and herbicides. Every compound could be analyzed and their electrophoretic mobility determined simply by selecting detection wavelength. This method is simple and universal for anion analysis, and could be readily applied to the simultaneous determination of anionic compounds. In this work, it was used to identify and quantify important anions in sea urchin and sake.     

Synthesis of carborane analogues of γ-aminobutanoic acid

General method for preparation of high yields of novel N-protected carborane amino acid derivatives, 3-acylamino-1-carboxymethyl-2-R-o-carboranes (R = H, Me, Ph), is reported. The synthesis starts from readily available 3-amino-o-carboranes and includes the protection of amino group, introduction of carboxymethyl function to the carbon atom of polyhedron via the metallation of carborane CH bond with sodium amide in liquid ammonia, and treatment of corresponding sodium carboranes with sodium bromoacetate. Deprotection of N-acylated carborane amino acids is studied in acidic media. Depending on the procedure employed, closo- or nido-carborane amino acids were obtained.     

Simultaneous analysis of carbohydrates,polyols and amines in urine samples using chemical ionization gas chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry

A simple method for the simultaneous derivatization of carbohydrates, polyols, amines and amino acids using hexamethyldisilazane and N,O‐bis(trimethylsilyl)trifluoroacetamide was developed. This method allows the direct derivatization of urine samples without sample pretreatment before derivatization. The method was successfully used for analysis of the selected metabolites in urine samples of healthy individuals and neonates suffering from galactosemia. The limits of detection by positive chemical ionization gas chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry analysis were in the range of 1.0 mgL^‐1 for mannitol to 4.7 mg/L for glucose.     

Selective determination of amino acids using flow injection analysis coupled with chemiluminescence detection

The determination of the amino acids proline, histidine, tyrosine, arginine, phenylalanine and tryptophan using flow injection analysis (FIA) with chemiluminescence detection is described. Proline was the only amino acid to exhibit chemiluminescence with the tris(2,2-bipyridyl)ruthenium(III) reaction at pH 10. While, histidine was found to selectively enhance the reaction of luminol with Mn(II) salts in a basic medium. Acidic potassium permanganate chemiluminescence was able to selectively determine tyrosine at pH 6.75. Low pressure separations using a C18 guard column allowed the simultaneous determination of tyrosine and tryptophan or phenylalanine and tryptophan with acidic potassium permanganate and copper(II)-amino acid-hydrogen peroxide chemiluminescence, respectively. Precision for each method was less than 3.9% (R.S.D.) for five replicates of a standard (1×10⁻⁵ M) and the detection limits ranged between 4×10⁻⁹ and 7×10⁻⁶ M. Preliminary investigations revealed that the methodology developed was able to selectively determine the individual amino acids in an equimolar mixture of the 20 naturally occurring amino acids.     

1,2-bis(4-methoxyphenyl)ethylenediamine as a fluorogenic reagent for reducing carbohydrates

Eight 1,2-diarylethylenediamines in the meso- or DL-form produce fluorescence when heated with reducing carbohydrates in an alkaline medium. Of the diamines, meso-1,2-bis(4-methoxyphenyl)ethylenediamine is the most favourable reagent for reducing carbohydrates, including 2- deoxy sugars, amino sugars and sialic acids. The reagent permits the fluorimetric determination of reducing carbohydrates at concentrations as low as 0.2–0.9 nmol ml^?1.     

Identification and quantification of the main organic components of vinegars by high resolution 1H NMR spectroscopy

A detailed analysis of the proton high-field NMR spectra of vinegars (in particular of Italian balsamic vinegars) is reported. A large number of organic substances belonging to different classes, such as carbohydrates, alcohols, organic acids, volatile compounds and amino acids, were assigned. The possibility of quantification of the substances identified in the whole vinegar sample, without extraction or pre-concentration steps, was also tested. The data validity was demonstrated in terms of precision, accuracy, repeatability and inter-day reproducibility. The effects of the most critical experimental parameters (sample concentration, water suppression and relaxation time) on the analysis response were also discussed. ¹H NMR results were compared with those obtained by traditional techniques (GC-MS, titrations), and good correlations were obtained. The results showed that ¹H NMR with water suppression allows a rapid, simultaneous determination of carbohydrates (glucose and fructose), organic acids (acetic, formic, lactic, malic, citric, succinic and tartaric acids), alcohols and polyols (ethanol, acetoin, 2,3-butanediol, hydroxymethylfurfural), and volatile substances (ethyl acetate) in vinegar samples. On the contrary, the amino acid determination without sample pre-concentration was critical. The ¹H NMR method proposed was applied to different samples of vinegars, allowing, in particular, the discrimination of vinegars and balsamic vinegars.     

Determination of amino acids in apple extracts by high performance liquid chromatography

Summary A rapid and sensitive method for the simultaneous determination of primary amino acids in apple is described. After sample preparation, amino acids were derivatized with o-phthaldialdehyde/2-mercaptoethanol and separated on a reversed phase column with a gradient of phosphate buffer-tetrahydrofuran-methanol as the mobile phase. Detection was carried out with a fluorescence detector at excitation and emission wavelengths of 340 nm and 425 nm respectively. Recovery studies showed good results for all substances (91–109%) (with coefficients of variation ranging, from 0.1 to 9.0%). This method was applied to the monitoring of amino acids during the ripening of apples.     

A quantitative liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method for metabolomic analysis of Plasmodium falciparum lipid related metabolites

Plasmodium falciparum is the causative agent of malaria, a deadly infectious disease for which treatments are scarce and drug-resistant parasites are now increasingly found. A comprehensive method of identifying and quantifying metabolites of this intracellular parasite could expand the arsenal of tools to understand its biology, and be used to develop new treatments against the disease. Here, we present two methods based on liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry for reliable measurement of water-soluble metabolites involved in phospholipid biosynthesis, as well as several other metabolites that reflect the metabolic status of the parasite including amino acids, carboxylic acids, energy-related carbohydrates, and nucleotides. A total of 35 compounds was quantified. In the first method, polar compounds were retained by hydrophilic interaction chromatography (amino column) and detected in negative mode using succinic acid-¹³C₄ and fluorovaline as internal standards. In the second method, separations were carried out using reverse phase (C18) ion-pair liquid chromatography, with heptafluorobutyric acid as a volatile ion pairing reagent in positive detection mode, using d₉-choline and 4-aminobutanol as internal standards. Standard curves were performed in P. falciparum-infected and uninfected red blood cells using standard addition method (r² > 0.99). The intra- and inter-day accuracy and precision as well as the extraction recovery of each compound were determined. The lower limit of quantitation varied from 50 pmol to 100 fmol/3 × 10⁷ cells. These methods were validated and successfully applied to determine intracellular concentrations of metabolites from uninfected host RBCs and isolated Plasmodium parasites.     

Simultaneous Determination of Imidazole Amino Acids, Aromatic Amino Acids, and Creatinine by Dual-Mode Gradient HPLC Using a Low-Capacity Sulfo-Functionalized Poly(Ethylstyrene-Divinylbenzene) Resin Column

This paper presents a low-capacity cation-exchange chromatography method for the analysis of UV-absorbing dipeptides and amino acids. A newly marketed low-capacity cation-exchange column packed with sulfo-functionalized highly cross-linked macroreticular poly(ethylstyrene-divinylbenzene) copolymer was used for the simultaneous determination of imidazole amino acids, aromatic amino acids, and creatinine in urine samples. A dual-mode binary gradient chromatography method was established using two solvents, A: 15 mM H₃PO₄/5 mM ethylenediamine and B: 15 mM H₃PO₄/5 mM ethylenediamine/40 (v/v) % CH₃CN at 40 °C, with an optimized time program for changing the delivery ratio of A/B and the flow rate. Good chromatograms were obtained within an acceptable cycle time of 25 min. The quantification data were satisfactory for all analytes, showing the relative standard deviations (RSD) of retention times between 0.08 and 1.68 %; RSDs of area intensities between 0.23 and 2.60 %; and linear regression lines with r ² more than 0.9994. The method could determine the creatinine ratios of the diagnostic markers on the single chromatographic run, which enabled to discriminate disease from health. For example, the creatinine ratios for phenylketonuria were significantly higher than those for controls. The method can provide highly cost-efficient information or useful knowledge for clinical and pharmaceutical studies.     

A novel quantification method for analysis of twenty natural amino acids in human serum based on N-phosphorylation labeling using reversed-phase liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

A novel method based on the strategy of N-phosphorylation labeling is described for quantification of twenty natural amino acids in human serum by reversed-phase liquid chromatography–electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (RP-LC/ESI-MS). The derivatization reaction was easily performed in one-pot reaction under mild conditions within 30 min. The reaction mixture was then evaporated to dryness, redissolved, desalted by C18 SPE. The twenty N-phosphoryl amino acids were separated on an RP-C18 column within 20 min by isocratic elution (0.1% formic acid–acetonitrile, v/v 7:3). At the same time, multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) MS enabled quantitation of twenty natural amino with the LOD of 0.0005–0.15 μM and LOQ of 0.0020–0.5 μM in human serum. The linear range was from 0.025 to 25 μM (except Cys and Trp) with R > 0.99. The recovery range was determined to be 85.5–117.4% with the relative standard deviation (RSD) in the range of 1.3–13.9%. All twenty amino acids were successfully detected in human serum samples with the concentration from 5.7 to 577.9 μM, which indicates potential of the developed method for determination of amino acids in complex biological samples, hence for screening of amino acid metabolite related diseases.     

Parallel and serial dual electrode detectors for capillary electrophoresis

Application of parallel and serial dual electrode detectors for capillary electrophoresis was first described. In parallel dual electrode approach, two 100 μm-diameter Cu disks arranged side by side were used as the dual working electrode for the simultaneous determination of a mixture of carbohydrates and amino acids. In serial dual electrode approach, two working electrodes were arranged in a disk-ring manner for the simultaneous determination of both cysteine and cystine; the disk electrode was Hg/Au serving as the upstream electrode, the ring electrode was 5% CoPC carbon paste serving as the downstream electrode.