Abnormal levels of seven amino neurotransmitters in depressed rat brain and determination by HPLC‐FLD

The determination of amino acids with actions like neurotransmitters or modulators has been increasingly important for diagnosis in many neuropsychiatric diseases. A rapid and simple high‐performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection method was developed for simultaneous determination of seven amino acids: aspartate (Asp), glutamate (Glu), serine (Ser), glutamine (Gln), glycine (Gly), taurine (Tau) and γ‐aminobutyric` acid (GABA). Homoserine was used as an internal standard. The analysis was performed on a BDS column with methanol and 50 mm sodium acetate solution (pH 6.5) using a simple gradient elution. Several parameters of the developed method were validated including linearity, accuracy, precision, extraction recovery and stability, which were within the acceptable range. The method was successfully applied to determination of real samples: hippocampus and cortex in depressed rats exposed to chronically unpredictable stress in order to study if there existed differences in the seven amino acids levels between depressed rats and control. The results showed that Asp, Gly, Tau and GABA significantly decreased with increasing Gln in the hippocampus of depressed rats, compared with that of the control group, among which obviously lower level of Asp and higher level of Gln in cortex were observed. The analytical method and the results could be useful for clinical diagnosis and further insight into pathophysiological mechanism of depression.     

A fully automated amino acid analyzer using NBD-F as a fluorescent derivatization reagent

A fully automated amino acid analyzer using NBD-F (4- fluoro-7-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole) as a fluorescent derivatization reagent was developed. The whole analytical process was fully automated from derivatization, injection to HPLC separation and quantitation. The derivatization reaction conditions were re-evaluated and optimized. Amino acids were derivatized by NBD-F for 40 min at room temperature in the borate buffer (pH 9.5). The derivatives were separated within 100 min and fluorometrically detected at 540 nm with excitation at 470 nm. The detection limits for amino acids were in the range of 2.8-20 fmol. The calibration curves were linear over the range of 20 fmol to 20 pmol on column with the correlation coefficients of 0.999. The coefficients of variation were less than 5% at 3 pmol injection for all amino acids. Amino acids in rat plasma were determined by the proposed HPLC method.     

Revisitation of the phenylisothiocyanate‐derivatives procedure for amino acid determination by HPLC‐UV

A revisitation of the well known chromatographic procedure for the determination of amino acids as phenylthiocarbamyl derivatives (PTC) is performed. The method was developed for a microbore column that it is more appropriate to our later aims, the characterization of proteinaceous binders present in microsamples coming from the Cultural Heritage field. Several variables relating to chromatographic aspects were studied such as the pH and temperature of the mobile phase, buffer and modifier (triethylamine) concentrations in mobile phase and the stability of PTC‐derivatives in solution. The calibration function was studied in depth. To prevent the heteroscedastic behaviour that it is observed, we used the weighed least squares fitting as the best strategy among other normalizing transformations, such as square root and logarithmic functions. Finally, the proposed method showed results similar to the traditional method in terms of efficiency, runtime, LODs and other characteristics, but with two additional advantages: a lower mobile phase consumption and the possibility of working with a lower sample volume. The usefulness of proposed method is checked against easel painting samples of Pictorial Heritage.     

Spectrofluorimetric Determination and Validation of Biotin in Pure and Dosage Form via Derivatization with 4-Fluoro-7-nitrobenzofurazan

A simple and highly sensitive spectrofluorimetric method was developed for the determination of biotin in pure and dosage form. The method is based on the derivatization of biotin with 4‐fluoro‐7‐nitrobenzofurazan in borate buffer of pH 9.0 to yield a yellow, fluorescent product. The various chemical conditions that affected the reaction were studied. The method was validated for specificity, linearity, precision, accuracy, recovery and robustness. At optimized experimental conditions, a linear relationship between the fluorescence intensity of the concentration of biotin is observed in the range 45–450 ng/mL. Limit of detection and quantification were 0.038 and 0.114 ng/mL, respectively. The percentage mean recovery was 99.96. The proposed procedure was successfully applied to the determination of biotin in its dosage form with mean recovery of 101.23±1.22 for biotin tablets. The results obtained were in good agreement with those obtained by the reference method.     

柱前衍生-高效液相色谱法同时测定血清中氨基酸类及单胺类神经递质

以邻苯二甲醛（o-phthalaldehyde，OPA）为衍生试剂，建立了柱前衍生-高效液相色谱（HPLC）同时测定血清中氨基酸类神经递质牛磺酸（Tau）、谷氨酸（Glu）、甘氨酸（Gly）、γ-氨基丁酸（γ-GABA）和单胺类神经递质多巴胺（DA）含量的分析方法。血清与乙醇以1：2的体积比混合，进行蛋白质沉淀后离心，取其上清液，氮吹至近干。前处理后的样品与OPA进行柱前衍生，衍生化产物采用Luna 5u C18色谱柱（250 mm×4.6 mm，5 μm）分离，以柠檬酸-乙酸钠缓冲溶液（pH 3.73）为流动相A、乙腈为流动相B进行梯度洗脱，流速为1.0 mL/min，柱温为30℃，检测波长为338 nm。5种神经递质在各自范围内线性关系良好（r²≥0.9866），检出限为0.10~0.40 μmol/L，不同加标水平下目标物的加标回收率为87.57%~115.31%，相对标准偏差均低于7.80%。方法操作简单，灵敏度高，精密度、线性关系和回收率等方法学指标较好，可实现血清中氨基酸类及单胺类神经递质的同时检测。     

Uric acid quantification in fingernail of gout patients and healthy volunteers using HPLC‐UV

The presence of elevated uric acid (UA) levels is a sign of gout, that is, hyperuricemia. In this study the monitoring of the UA levels in less‐invasive biological samples, such as the human fingernail, is suggested for the diagnosis and therapy of gout. Twenty‐six healthy volunteers (HV) and 22 gout patients (GP) were studied. The UA was extracted from human fingernail samples, then separated on an Inertsil ODS‐3 column (250 × 4.6 mm i.d., 4.0 μm, GL Sciences) by isocratic elution using methanol–74 mm phosphate buffer (pH 2.2) 2:98 (v/v). A UV detector was used to monitor the samples at 284 nm. Using the developed method, different UA concentrations were found in the GP and HV. When comparing the concentrations from GP with those from HV, a statistically significant correlation was observed between the UA (p < 0.01). In this study, the UA was confirmed as a potential biomarker for the diagnosis and therapy of gout. We have developed a novel sensitive, and simple method for the determination of UA in the fingernails of GP and HV. The human fingernail may serve as a noninvasive biosample for the diagnosis of gout. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Development of HPLC with fluorescent detection using NBD‐F for the quantification of colistin sulfate in rat plasma and its pharmacokinetic applications

Colistin sulfate, composed of a mixture of colistin A sulfate (CLA) and colistin B sulfate (CLB), is available for treating life‐threatening infections caused by multidrug‐resistant Gram‐negative bacteria. In this study, the CLA and CLB were quantified separately. Colistin sulfate was extracted from rat plasma with a solid‐phase extraction C₁₈ cartridge and reacted with 4‐fluoro‐7‐nitro‐2,1,3‐benzoxadiazole (NBD‐F), and the fluorescent derivatives were subjected to reversed‐phase high‐performance liquid chromatography analysis and used to investigate the pharmacokinetics of CLA and CLB in rat plasma. The recovery rates of CLA and CLB were 41.2 ± 4.4 and 45.5 ± 3.1%, respectively. The recovery rate calculated from the total area of CLA and CLB was 43.9 ± 3.6%. When 2 mm NBD‐F and 10 mm boric acid buffer (pH 9.5) were added to colistin sulfate, the highest recovery rate was obtained. The best heating time was 5 min at 60°C. The lower limits of quantification for CLA, CLB and the total area of CLA and CLB were 0.05, 0.05 and 0.1 μg/mL; the coefficients of variations were 13.5, 14.5 and 14.1%, respectively. This method was found to have acceptable linearity, precision and accuracy, and has been successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study in rat plasma.     

HPLC‐FLD determination of NBD‐cholesterol,its ester and other metabolites in cellular lipid extracts

22‐[N(?7‐Nitrobenz‐2‐oxa‐1,3‐diazol‐4‐yl)amino]‐23,24‐bisnor‐5‐cholen‐3β‐ol (NBD‐cholesterol), a fluorescent cholesterol analog, was an extragenous cholesterol tracer used to study cholesterol absorption and metabolism in cultured cells. In order to measure free intracellular cholesterol and its esters, a precise and sensitive method employing high‐performance liquid chromatography/fluorescence detection (HPLC‐FLD) was developed for the first time. Method validation showed a limit of detection at 30 ng/mL. The calibration curve was linear within the range of 0.0625–10.0 µg/mL (r² = 0.999). Accuracy and precision were highlighted by good recovery and low variations. Apart from NBD‐cholesteryl oleate, two additional cellular metabolites of NBD‐cholesterol, probably an isomer and an oxidation product, were determined in the lipid extracts of Caco‐2 human colon adenocarcinoma cells according to mass spectrometry. In AC29 mouse malignant mesothelioma cells overexpressing acyl‐CoA:cholesterol acyltransferase‐1 (ACAT1) or ACAT2, only the oxidized metabolite was detected. Using the newly developed method, YIC‐C8‐434, a known ACAT inhibitor, was shown to inhibit ACAT activity in Caco‐2 cells, as well as in AC29/ACAT1 or AC29/ACAT2 cells. In conclusion, the sensitive and specific HPLC‐FLD method is a powerful tool for simultaneous quantification of intracellular NBD‐cholesterol and its oleoyl‐ester. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Simultaneous determination of homocysteine,methionine and cysteine in maternal plasma after delivery by HPLC‐fluorescence detection with DBD‐F as a label

An HPLC‐fluorescence (FL) method for determination of sulfur‐containing amino acids such as homocysteine (Hcy), methionine (Met) and cysteine (Cys) in human plasma was developed. The sulfur‐containing amino acids were labeled with 4‐(N,N‐dimethylaminosulfonyl)‐7‐fluoro‐2,1,3‐benzoxadiazole (DBD‐F). Calibration curves in the range of 1–100 µm (Hcy and Met) and 5–500 µm (Cys) indicated good linearities (r ≥ 0.998). The limits of detection at a signal‐to‐noise ratio of 3 were 0.13 (Hcy), 0.02 (Met) and 0.11 µm (Cys), respectively. Acceptable results for accuracy and precision of intra‐ and inter‐day measurements were obtained. The results of Hcy and Cys obtained by the proposed method indicated good correlations with the conventional method (r > 0.911, n = 20). Furthermore, the method was applied to determination of the sulfur‐containing amino acids in maternal plasma (n = 200) after delivery. The concentrations of Hcy, Met and Cys as a median (inter quartile range, Q₁ and Q₃) were 5.37 (3.32–7.79) μm , 25.20 (20.10–31.06) μm and 147.25 (102.81–189.31) μm , respectively. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Determination of pterostilbene in rat plasma by a simple HPLC‐UV method and its application in pre‐clinical pharmacokinetic study

A simple HPLC‐UV method was developed and validated for the quantification of pterostilbene (3,5‐dimethoxy‐4'‐hydroxy‐trans‐stilbene), a pharmacologically active phytoalexin in rat plasma. The assay was carried out by measuring the UV absorbance at 320 nm. Pterostilbene and the internal standard, 3,5,4'‐trimethoxy‐trans‐stilbene eluted at 5.7 and 9.2 min, respectively. The calibration curve (20–2000 ng/mL) was linear (R² > 0.997). The lower limits of detection and of quantification were 6.7 and 20 ng/mL, respectively. The intra‐ and inter‐day precisions in terms of RSD were all lower than 6%. The analytical recovery ranged from 95.5 ± 3.7 to 103.2 ± 0.7% while the absolute recovery ranged from 101.9 ± 1.1 to 104.9 ± 4.4%. This simple HPLC method was subsequently applied in a pharmacokinetic study carried out in Sprague–Dawley rats. The terminal elimination half‐life and clearance of pterostilbene were 96.6 ± 23.7 min and 37.0 ± 2.5 mL/min/kg, respectively, while its absolute oral bioavailability was 12.5 ± 4.7%. Pterostilbene appeared to have better pharmacokinetic characteristics than its natural occurring analog, resveratrol. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An electromembrane extraction–HPLC‐UV analysis for the determination of valproic acid in human plasma

In this study, an electromembrane extraction (EME) method combined with a simple HPLC‐UV analysis was developed and validated for the determination of valproic acid in human plasma samples. The major parameters influencing EME procedure, namely the solvent composition, voltage, pH of acceptor and donor solutions, salt effect, and time of extraction, were evaluated and optimized. The drug was extracted from the donor aqueous sample solution (pH 5) to the acceptor aqueous solution (pH 13). The donor and acceptor phases were separated by a hollow fiber dipped in 1‐octanol as a supported liquid membrane. A voltage of 60 V during 25 min was applied as the driving force. The drug concentration enrichment factor obtained was >125, which enhanced the sensitivity of the method. The limit of detection and the limit of quantitation were 0.2 and 0.5 μg/mL, respectively. The proposed method was successfully applied to a human plasma sample, with a relative recovery of 75%. The method was linear over the range 0.5–10 μg/mL for valproic acid (R² > 0.9996) with a repeatability (%RSD) between 0.9 and 3.3% (n = 3). Valproic acid is an anticonvulsant drug with poor UV absorption, and EME can improve the sensitivity of HPLC‐UV for the determination of valproic acid in plasma samples.     

Effect of realgar on extracellular amino acid neurotransmitters in hippocampal CA1 region determined by online microdialysis–dansyl chloride derivatization–high‐performance liquid chromatography and fluorescence detection

An online microdialysis (MD)–dansyl chloride (Dns) derivatization–high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and fluorescence detection (FD) system was developed for simultaneous determination of eight extracellular amino acid neurotransmitters in hippocampus. The MD probe was implanted in hippocampal CA1 region. Dialysate and Dns were online mixed and derivatized. The derivatives were separated on an ODS column and detected by FD. The developed online system showed good linearity, precision, accuracy and recovery. This online MD‐HPLC system was applied to monitor amino acid neurotransmitters levels in rats exposed to realgar (0.3, 0.9 and 2.7 g/kg body weight). The result shows that glutamate concentrations were significantly increased (p < 0.05) in hippocampal CA1 region of rats exposed to three doses of realgar. A decrease in γ‐aminobutyric acid concentrations was found in rats exposed to medium and high doses of realgar (p < 0.05). Elevation of excitotoxic index (EI) values in hippocampal CA1 region of realgar‐exposed rats was observed (p < 0.05). Positive correlation was found between EI values and arsenic contents in hippocampus of realgar‐exposed rats, which indicates that the change in extracellular EI values is associated with arsenic accumulation in hippocampus. The developed online MD–Dns derivatization–HPLC–FD system provides a new experimental method for studying the effect of toxic Chinese medicines on amino acid neurotransmitters. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Determination of Ciprofloxacin in Human Plasma and Urine by Precolumn Derivatization High Performance Liquid Chromatography with Fluorescence Detection

A sensitive, simple and selective high‐performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method was developed for the determination of ciprofloxacin in biological fluids. The method is based on the reaction between the drug and 4‐chloro‐7‐nitrobenzofurazan (NBD‐Cl) in borate buffer of pH 9.0 to yield a highly fluorescent derivative that is measured at 535 nm after excitation at 464 nm. The calibration curves were linear over the concentration ranges of 25–3000 and 50–3000 ng·mL^?1 for plasma and urine, respectively. The mean recovery of ciprofloxacin from plasma and urine was 98.37% and 98.40%, respectively. The method was found to be sensitive, precise, accurate, and reproducible. All of the validation parameters were within the acceptance range.     

A simple and sensitive HPLC‐UV determination of 7‐O‐succinyl macrolactin A in rat plasma and urine and its application to a pharmacokinetic study

A simple, sensitive and reproducible isocratic reversed‐phase (C₁₈) high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was developed to determine 7‐O‐succinyl macrolactin A (SMA) in rat plasma and urine samples using UV detector set at 230 nm. Lamotrigine was used as internal standards (IS) to ensure the precision and accuracy of the method. The retention times of SMA and IS for the plasma sample were 9.2 and 4.4 min, respectively, and those for the urine samples were 7.9 and 4.3 min, respectively. The intra‐ and inter‐day variations of the analytical responses, expressed in terms of relative standard deviation, were less than 14.9%. The accuracy, in terms of average analytical recovery, ranged from 90.4 to 119%. The lower limits of quantification of SMA in rat plasma and urine samples were 0.02 and 0.1 µg/mL, respectively. This method is applicable for the pharmacokinetic studies of SMA in rats. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Analysis of amino acid neurotransmitters by capillary electrophoresis and laser-induced fluorescence using a new fluorescein-derived label

A capillary electrophoresis laser-induced fluorescence detection method (CE-LIF) was developed for the separation of eight neurotransmitters tagged on their amino function with 6-oxy-(N-succinimidyl acetate)-9-(2′-methoxycarbonyl) fluorescein (SAMF), a new fluorescent reagent synthesized in our lab. Derivatization was performed in boric acid buffer (pH = 7.75) at 37 °C over 15 min. The pH-independent fluorescence of SAMF (pH 4–9) permits background buffers over a wide range of pH. It was demonstrated that an acidic running buffer offers a better resolution compared to basic medium in terms of resolution and peak shapes. Employing Cu²⁺ as the additive, the molecules were baseline-separated using a running buffer consisting of 40 mM sodium acetate and 2 mM Cu²⁺ (pH 6.0). The detection limits ranged from 1 to 2 × 10⁻¹⁰ M. The method has been validated for the characterization of lymphocyte samples. The results obtained illustrate the advantages of combining SAMF derivatization with CE-LIF for determining neurotransmitters.     

Spectrofluorimetric and Spectrophotometric Determination of Oxamniquine in Pharmaceuticals and Biological Fluids via Derivatization with 4‐Chloro‐7‐Nitrobenzo‐2‐oxa‐1,3‐Diazole (NBD‐Cl)

Spectrophotometric and spectrofluorimetric methods were developed for the determination of oxamniquine (OXM). Both methods are based on coupling with 4‐chloro‐7‐nitrobenzo‐2‐oxa‐1,3‐diazole (NBD‐Cl) in borate buffer of pH 7.6, and the reaction product was measured at 400 nm (Method I). The same product was measured by spectrofluorimetry at 480 nm upon excitation at 400 nm (Method II). The absorbance and the fluorescence intensity were enhanced by addition of sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS). The absorbance‐concentration plot is rectilinear over the range of 5–25 μg/mL with an LOD of 0.31 μg/mL. The fluorescence‐concentration plot is linear over the range of 0.2–1.2 μg/mL with an LOD of 0.03 μg/mL. Both methods were applied to the analysis of capsules, and the results were in good agreement with those obtained using the official method. The method was applied to spiked human plasma; the mean % recovery (n = 5) is 101.05 ± 1.65. A proposal of the reaction pathway is presented.     

Determination of fluvoxamine in rat plasma by HPLC with pre-column derivatization and fluorescence detection using 4-fluoro-7-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole

A sensitive, simple and reliable method using high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) assay of fluvoxamine (FLU), a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), in rat plasma after pre-column derivatization with 4-fluoro-7-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole (NBD-F) was developed in this study. Extracted plasma samples were mixed with NBD-F at 60 degrees C for 5 min and injected into HPLC. Retention times of FLU and an internal standard (propafenone) derivative were 15.5 and 13.5 min, respectively. The calibration curve was linear over the range 0.015-1.5 microg/mL (r2 = 0.9985) and the lower limits of detection and quantification of FLU were 0.008 and 0.015 microg/mL, respectively, in 100 microL of plasma. The derivative sample was stable at 4 degrees C for 1 day. The coefficients of variation for intra-day and inter-day assay of FLU were less than 8.3 and 9.6%, respectively. Other SSRIs and centrally acting drugs did not interfere with the peak of the FLU derivative. The method was applied for analysis of the plasma samples from rats treated with FLU. These results indicate that the method presented is useful to determine the FLU levels in rat plasma of volumes as small as 100 microL and can be applied to pharmacokinetic studies.     

Reversed‐Phase High‐Performance Liquid Chromatographic Separation and Determination of 4‐Amino‐azobenzene‐4′,5‐disulfonic Acid and Related Products in Industrial Wastewater Effluents

A simple and rapid reversed‐phase high‐performance liquid chromatographic method for the separation and determination of 4‐amino‐azobenzene‐4′,5‐disulfonic acid (AABDS) and its process‐related impurities was developed. The separation was achieved on a μ‐Bondapak C₁₈ column using 0.15 M ammonium sulfate‐acetonitrile (55:45) (v/v) as eluent. A UV‐visible spectrophotometric detector fixed at 386 nm was used both for detection and quantitation. The method was used not only for quality assurance but also for process development and wastewater management of AABDS.     

Analysis of free amino acids in islets of Langerhans by high-performance liquid chromatography using pre-column derivatization with 4-chloro-7-nitrobenzo-2-oxa-1,3-diazole

A simple high-performance liquid chromatographic method with pre-column derivatization and fluorescence detection was developed and used for the analysis of free amino acids in islets of Langerhans; 4-chloro-7-nitrobenzo-2-oxa-1,3-diazole (NBD-Cl) served as pre-column derivatization reagent. Islets of Langerhans were separated from the pancreas of normal and obese rats, treated with pre-cooling methanol-water (80:20, v/v), and ultrasonicated to fragmentize the islets and effect deproteination. Several parameters influencing the derivatization reaction and chromatographic separation were optimized. Amino acid derivatives obtained under optimal conditions were separated on a C18 column with acetonitrile-acetate buffer as mobile phase and detected at 470 nm/540 nm (Ex/Em). Matrix effects were investigated and good linearities with correlation coefficients better than 0.9972 were obtained over a wide range of 0.42-42.11 microM for most of the amino acids. The detection limits (S/N = 3) were within the range of 6.1-51 nM. The precision of the method and recoveries were in the ranges of 1.43-10.76% (RSD%) and 85.07-108.82%, respectively. The analytical results showed that the serine content was markedly higher in normal rats than in obese rats, whereas methionine was of relatively lower content in both normal and obese rats.     

柱前衍生化-HPLC法测定恩施3种富硒蔬菜中硒氨基酸

采用HPLC与ICP-MS间隙联用的方法,以柱前衍生化-HPLC法进行定性定量分析,使用ICP-MS鉴定,建立一种富硒蔬菜中硒氨基酸的分离检测方法。结果表明:所测定的硒代氨基酸在其线性范围内呈现良好的线性关系(R2>0.999)。该方法中硒代蛋氨酸和硒代胱氨酸的检出限分别为0.204 mg/L和0.680 mg/L,加标回收率分别为97.4%和94.0%,RSD分别为2.1%和0.69%。检测恩施富硒蔬菜样品,白菜、萝卜叶和苋菜含有硒代蛋氨酸和硒代胱氨酸。此方法可用于富硒蔬菜中硒代氨基酸的含量检测。