Separation of nitroimidazoles by reversed-phase high-pressure liquid chromatography

A mixture of eight N-substituted and unsubstituted nitroimidazoles has been separated by high-pressure liquid chromatography with 5% ethanol as the eluent. Compounds with the same capacity ratios were selectively detected electrochemically by differential pulse polarography with a hanging mercury drop electrode. The HMDE detector had higher detection limits than the photometric detector set at 315 nm.     

Determination of purine and pyrimidine bases in DNA by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography with electrochemical detection

A method based on micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography with electrochemical detection was developed for the determination of cytosine, 5-methylcytosine (5-MC), thymine, adenine, and guanine in the hydrolysates of DNA. The working electrode was fabricated in a novel self-positioning carbon disc electrode system that can align the capillary outlet with the working electrode without a three-dimensional micromanipulator. The five analytes could be well separated within 10 min in a 40 cm length capillary at a separation voltage of 9 kV in a 40 mmol/l borate buffer (pH 10.0) containing 100 mmol/l sodium dodecyl sulfate. Good linearity was observed between peak current and concentration of bases over three orders of magnitude with the detection limits (SIN=3) ranging from 1.28 x 10(-6) to 5.02 x 10(-6) mol/l. This proposed method demonstrated long-term stability and reproducibility with relative standard deviations of less than 5% for both migration time and peak current (n=7). It has been successfully applied to determine bases including 5-MC in the hydrolysates of fish sperm DNA, calf thymus DNA, and DNA isolated from spleen cells of female mice.     

Separation of pyrimidine derivatives by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography

Chromatographic behavior and separation conditions of pyrimidine derivatives were studied by high-performance liquid chromatography using a reversed-phase column and a multiwave UV detector.     

Simultaneous detection of purine and pyrimidine at highly boron-doped diamond electrodes by using liquid chromatography

Highly boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrode, have been examined for simultaneous detection of purine and pyrimidine bases in mild acidic media by using HPLC with amperometric detection. Cyclic voltammetry at as-deposited (AD) and anodically oxidized (AO) BDD were used to study the electrochemistry and to optimize the condition for HPLC applications. At AO BDD electrode, due to its higher overpotential of oxygen evolution reaction, well-defined anodic peaks were observed for the oxidation of purine and pyrimidine bases in acid medium, whereas at AD BDD the oxidation peak of thymine was overlapped with the anodic current of oxygen evolution. The chromatograms of adenine, guanine, cytosine, thymine and 5-methylcytosine mixture were well resolved by using a silica-based column and a solution of 5% acetonitrile in 100 mM ammonium acetate buffer (pH 4.25) as the mobile phase. The detection was carried out at AO BDD electrode at an applied potential of 1.6 V versus Ag/AgCl. Linear calibration curves were obtained within the concentration range from 0.1 to 10 μM with the limits of detection (S/N = 3) ranging from 26.3 to 162.1 nM, resulting in an order of magnitude higher sensitivities than those at conventional electrodes. HPLC analysis with diamond amperometric detector was successfully applied for determination of 5-methylcytosine in real DNA samples with high reproducibility. No deactivation of the electrode was found during cyclic voltammetric and HPLC measurements, indicating the high stability for analysis of biological samples.     

Determination of phenyltin compounds by reversed-phase liquid chromatography

An analytical procedure for the determination of phenyltin compounds in environmental sample waters was studied. Chromatography of mono-, di- tri-phenyltin (MPT, DPT and TPT) was performed on a reversed-phase C₁₈ column with the mobile phase comprising methanol/10⁻² M H₃PO₄ (80:20 v/v) at pH 3 and UV detection at 214 nm. To enhance the sensitivity of the detection system, the post-column reaction between morin or 3-hydroxyflavone and phenyltin compounds was formed before fluorescence detection. Several parameters affecting the fluorescence intensity were studied systematically, including the optimum condition for the post-column reagent that was also compatible with the eluent. The parameters concerned in this study were the pH, the percentage of Triton X-100, the ratio of fluorigenic reagent to phenyltin compounds and the amount of methanol in the eluent. Detection limits before the preconcentration process were in the region of 1.5 ppb for TPT and 150–250 ppb for MPT and DPT, respectively. Utilizing solid-phase extraction on a C₁₈ cartridge for sample clean-up as well as preconcentration successfully reduced the detection limit of TPT to the level of ng dm⁻³ and can be applied to seawater analysis. Recovery in the range 95.0–98.0% was obtained by developing the optimum elution profile in the preconcentration step. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Quantitation of melphalan in plasma of patients by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection

An analytical procedure for the separation and determination of melphalan in human plasma was carried out. A simple high-performance liquid chromatographic method with electrochemical detection was developed taking advantage of the high sensitivity of the electrode redox reaction. The sample pretreatment consisted of a direct extraction of the interferents rather than of melphalan, owing to the difficulty of extraction of the drug, and was very simple, rapid and reproducible.     

Amniotic fluid uric acid levels determined by reversed-phase liquid chromatography with spectrophotometric and electrochemical detection

A rapid and precise, reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography method for amniotic fluid uric acid is described. Detection of uric acid and other naturally occurring constitutents is based on UV absorption at a wavelength of 280 nm and direct electrochemical oxidation at a potential of +0.800 V. The total analysis time is short (20 min) and the assay requires only filtration of the samples. Uric acid levels were determined in 14 samples of amniotic fluid obtained during the 15th to 24th week of gestation. Results ranged from 0.897 to 4.39 mg per 100 ml of amniotic fluid.     

Analysis of amino acids in human serum by isocratic reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection

A simple, sensitive and reproducible isocratic high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method has been developed for the determination of amino acids in human serum. The method involves precipitation of the serum proteins with methanol followed by pre-column derivatization of amino acids with o-phthalaldehyde-2-mercaptoethanol or o-phthalaldehyde-sodium sulfite. HPLC separation of the derivatives was performed using an ODS column with an isocratic mobile phase system and electrochemical detection (+0.75 V). The response was linear over the range 5-300 microM for all amino acids. The method allows quantitative determination of glutamic acid, asparagine, serine, glutamine, histidine, taurine, alanine, arginine, methionine, isoleucine, ornithine, leucine, phenylalanine, lysine and tryptophan at concentrations as low as 0.5-5.0 pmol (signal-to-noise ratio=2). Using this method, the levels of amino acids in serum from healthy donors and patients with ischemic stroke were determined.     

Sensitive derivatization reagents for thiol compounds in high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection

Three N-substituted maleimides were tested as derivatizing reagents; N-(4-anilinophenyl) maleimide (APM) was the most favorable in terms of sensitivity and reactivity. N-Acetyl-l-cysrteine, glutathione, l-cysteine and d-penicillamine were readily converted into the adducts with APM. Picogram levels of these thiol compounds were separated and quantified.     

An improved method to detect ethyl glucuronide in urine using reversed-phase liquid chromatography and pulsed electrochemical detection

Pulsed electrochemical detection (PED) following reversed-phase liquid chromatography (LC) has been applied recently to the detection of ethyl glucuronide (EtG) in the urine of live and deceased individuals. In this paper, several key improvements to the method are made to enhance sensitivity, reproducibility, and accuracy. These improvements include (i) further optimization of the sample preparation procedure that has increased the recovery from ca. 50% to 84 ± 3% in synthetic urine matrix; (ii) changing the internal standard from methyl glucuronide (MetG) to propyl glucuronide (ProG), which does not elute within the interference of the matrix; and (iii) altering the mobile phase of the separation from acetonitrile to t-butanol to virtually eliminate signal suppression in PED. As a consequence, detection limits have been reduced to 0.01 μg mL⁻¹, reproducibility has been improved by a factor of two, and sample size has been reduced five-fold. Blind studies in synthetic urine showed no significant difference between the amount recovered and the true value determined at the 95% confidence level for all samples. Importantly, PED requires no derivatization, and it can detect virtually all glucuronides.     

Determination of tryptophan and several of its metabolites in physiological samples by reversed-phase liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection

A new method for the concurrent assay of three tryptophan metabolites at the picomole level is described. The method has been developed for blood, urine, cerebrospinal fluid, and tissue samples such as whole brain, brain parts, and endocrine glands. Tryptophan itself, serotonin, and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid are isolated initially on extraction columns, eluted with a suitable solvent, and injected onto a liquid chromatograph with an amperometric detector. This general approach may be applicable to a variety of other tryptophan metabolites and should be useful in both research and clinical investigations.     

Excretion of iodide in 24-h urine as determined by ion-pair reversed-phase liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection

A simple method is presented for the routine analysis of iodide in urine. After a one-step sample clean-up, iodide was separated by ion-pair reversed-phase liquid chromatography and detected electrochemically with a silver electrode. The coefficient of variation of a single analysis of iodide in a pooled urine sample (530 nmol/l) was 7.6%. The detection limit, derived from a signal-to-noise ratio of 3, was 3 pmol, corresponding to 0.06 mumol/l. The recovery of iodide added to urine was 96 +/- 7%. The accuracy of the method was assessed by analysing ten different samples with neutron activation analysis. The data obtained with the two methods showed a high correlation (r = 0.991) and did not differ significantly. Excretion of iodide in samples of 24-h urine from a free-living population was shown to have a log-normal distribution and to be higher in men than in women. The iodide/creatinine ratio was independent of sex and increased with age.     

Simultaneous determination of four 5-hydroxy polymethoxyflavones by reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection

Accumulating evidence has suggested the potential health-promoting effects of 5-hydroxy polymethoxyflavones (5-OH-PMFs) naturally existing in citrus genus. However, research efforts are hampered by the lack of reliable and sensitive methods for their determination in plant materials and biological samples. Using reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) equipped with electrochemical (EC) detection, we have developed a fast and highly sensitive method for quantification of four 5-OH-PMFs, namely 5-hydroxy-6,7,8,3′,4′-pentamethoxyflavone, 5-hydroxy-3,6,7,8,3′,4′-hexamethoxyflavone, 5-hydroxy-6,7,4′-trimethoxyflavone, and 5-hydroxy-6,7,8,4′-tetramethoxyflavone. The method was fully validated in terms of linearity, accuracy and precision. The limit of detection (LOD) was determined as being between 0.65 and 1.8 ng/mL (ppb), demonstrating an over 160 times higher sensitivity in comparison with the previously reported method using UV detection. The recovery rate of the method was between 96.17% and 110.82%, and the precision for the retention times and peak areas was all below 13%. The method was successfully used to quantify 5-OH-PMFs with a wide range of abundance in the citrus products and preparations, such as orange juice, citrus peel, and dried tangerine peel. The quantification method for 5-OH-PMFs developed herein could be useful for the nutritional and pharmacological studies of these compounds in future.     

Pulsed amperometric detection of sulfur-containing pesticides in reversed-phase liquid chromatography

Pulsed amperometric detection at a gold electrode is demonstrated for the separation of eight sulphur-containing pesticides on a C-18 reversed-phase column with 50% (v/v) acetonitrile in acetate buffer (pH 5.0) as the mobile phase. Detection was based on a two-step potential waveform with adsorption of the analyte during cathodic polarization and subsequent amperometric detection catalyzed by oxide formation following anodic polarization. The mechanism of the anodic detection involves prior adsorption of the sulfur compounds. Hence, the shape of the calibration curve is strongly influenced by the adsorption isotherm of the analyte and, therefore, deviates from linearity at high concentrations. Detection limits below 100 ng ml^?1 in 20-μl samples (e.g., 0.8 ng of dimethoate) were obtained by using preconcentration from a larger sample onto a C-18 fore column prior to injection into the separation column.     

Separation of purine and pyrimidine bases by ion chromatography with direct conductivity detection

A simple, rapid and accurate method for the simultaneous determination of four purine and pyrimidine bases (cytosine, 5-methylcytosine, adenine and N6-methyladenine) has been developed. The quantitative determination of these bases was accomplished by ion chromatography (IC) with direct conductivity detection (CD) based on their ionization in acidic medium without chemical suppression. The recovery of cytosine, 5-methylcytosine, and adenine in calf thymus DNA was more than 98% (n=3) and the relative standard deviation (RSD, n=5) less than 2.4%. In a single chromatographic run, the four bases could be separated and determined in less than 10 min. The detection limits were found to be 0.05 microg/mL for cytosine, 0.08 microg/mL for 5-methylcytosine, 0.07 microg/mL for adenine, and 0.07 microg/mL for N6-methyladenine. Linear ranges were 0.2-95.1 microg/mL for cytosine (r2=0.9996), 0.3-196.6 microg/mL for 5-methylcytosine (r2=0.9994), 0.3-105.5 microg/mL for adenine (r2=0.9998), and 0.3-159.1 microg/mL for N6-methyladenine (r2=0.9999). With the proposed method, purine and pyrimidine bases could be successfully detected in calf thymus DNA. We also determined these bases in calf thymus DNA using RP-HPLC. Compared to RP-HPLC, the IC method offers advantages such as high selectivity and simple mobile phase.