Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic separation and electrochemical detection of retinol and its isomers

Baseline separation of the isomers of retinol using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) in less than 30 min is presented. A new approach to the detection of retinol using electrochemical detection is developed. The oxidative electrochemistry of retinol is studied at a glassy-carbon electrode using coulometry, ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry and HPLC. Amperometric detection in HPLC for retinol provided a linear response from 0 to 1.5 micrograms/ml and a detection limit of 4.1 ng/ml. Electrochemical detection was compared to ultraviolet-visible absorbance detection for the determination of retinol in human serum extracts. Good agreement is found for the results obtained with the two detectors.     

Neurochemical studies on catecholamines and indoleamines by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection

Summary This communication reports the HPLC separation and quantitative ECD assay of dopamine (DA) and its metabolites DOPAC and HVA, 5-HT and its metabolite 5-HIAA and the noradrenaline metabolites MHPG and VMA, in samples of rat brain extracts and human CSF. The separation is carried out by reversed-phase with a methanolic phosphate/citrate buffer as mobile phase. Response is linear within 10pg-20 ng. Rat brain homogenates of cortex plus striatum were centrifuged and 10–20 l aliquots injected in the column. CSF samples were directly injected without any further manipulation. The method has been applied to the study of the possible neuromodulating role of T on the catecholaminergic and serotonergic transmission. For this purpose rats are injected intraperitoneally (ip) with T (150 mg/kg) and killed after 30 min. Relative to control rats, the results show that for n=12, T does not affect the basal level of DA and DOPAC whereas HVA increases a 99.3% and 5HT and 5HIAA show variations of 23% and — 4.1%, respectively. Aside from the fall of 5HIAA, it is interesting to note that the turnover rate of 5HT decreases, which might prove of functional significance.Presented at the 14th International Symposium on Chromatography London, September, 1982     

Routine determination of urinary free catecholamines by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection

A simple and reliable high-performance liquid chromatographic method is described for the routine determination of the free catecholamines (norepinephrine, epinephrine and dopamine) in urine. The catecholamines are isolated from urine samples using small affinity chromatography columns prepacked with immobilised m-aminophenylboronic acid, separated by ion-pair reversed-phase liquid chromatography and quantified by electrochemical detection. Total analysis, including sample preparation time, is achieved in less than 30 min with analytical recoveries of 92-96% for all three catecholamines. Long-term stability and reproducibility of the liquid chromatographic system is attained by selection of optimised conditions for chromatographic separation with a formate mobile phase and produces detection limits of 1.4, 1.8 and 2.2 nmol/l for norepinephrine, epinephrine and dopamine, respectively, in urine samples and day-to-day coefficients of variation of less than 6%. Furthermore, the affinity isolation gels can be reused a minimum of ten times providing a rapid and cost-effective means of sample preparation.     

Column-switching high-performance liquid chromatographic detection of pholcodine and its metabolites in urine with fluorescence and electrochemical detection.

A sensitive and selective method for the detection of pholcodine and its metabolite morphine in urine using high-performance liquid chromatography is described. It involves on-line clean-up of urine on a trace enrichment column packed with a polymeric strong cation-exchange material. Pholcodine and its metabolites were separated on two analytical columns with different selectivities. Pholcodine was detected by a fluorescence detector and morphine was detected electrochemically. One system, based on reversed-phase chromatography, applied a polystyrene-divinylbenzene column and gradient elution. The other system was based on normal-phase chromatography with a silica column and isocratic elution. Morphine was confirmed to be a metabolite of pholcodine by reversed-phase chromatography and electrochemical detection. Two unidentified metabolites of pholcodine were separated from pholcodine by normal-phase chromatography and detected by fluorescence detection.     

Study of high-performance liquid chromatographic separation of selected herbicides by hydro-methanolic and micellar liquid chromatography using Genapol X-080 non-ionic surfactant as mobile phase constituent

Chromatographic behaviour of six selected herbicides (chlortoluron, metoxuron, chloridazon, simazine, propazine and atrazine) was studied by reversed-phase (RP) high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) containing Genapol X-080 non-ionic surfactant as methanol/water mobile phase constituent. The concentration of methanol was changed from 50 to 0% (v/v) for constant 2% (v/v) concentration of the surfactant. The surfactant concentration in purely aqueous micellar mobile phase varied from 1 to 5% (v/v) what is approximately 360-1800 times above the CMC. Within this concentration range Genapol X-080 proves concentration dependent selectivity changes for chlortoluron/atrazine critical pair not occurred in hydro-methanolic mobile phases. Further studies revealed that this chromatographic system offers high compatibility with cloud-point extraction environmental sample pretreatment approaches using Genapol X-080 for the purpose, too.     

Determination of serotonin, melatonin and metabolites in gastrointestinal tissue using high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection

In this paper we show a simple isocratic chromatographic method for the detection of serotonin and its precursors and metabolites from various types of gastrointestinal tissue. The paper measures for the first time basal measurements of melatonin in the gastrointestinal tract, which has recently been shown to be released from the musosal lining of the gut. Tissue samples were stable following sample preparation in either 0.1 m perchloric acid or mobile phase. Analysis was carried out using a mobile phase consisting of 10% acetonitrile-90% acetate acid buffer pH 4.0 with 2 mm decane-sulfonic acid sodium salt at a column temperature of 50 degrees C. Electrochemical detection was utilized at a potential of +850 mV vs Ag/AgCl reference electrode at 10 microA full-scale deflection. The detection limit of 5-HT and melatonin was 241 and 308 nm respectively for a 10 microL injection. As a result of the method optimization, total analysis was reduced to 30 min. Accurate responses of the tissue samples following sample preparation could be obtained following a week after storage at -80 degrees C. This method is capable of preparing and analysing of samples from all regions of the gastrointestinal tract.     

Determination of vinclozolin metabolites in human urine by high-performance liquid chromatography and electrochemical detection

A sensitive and reliable method to assess occupational exposure to vinclozolin based on biomonitoring principles has been elaborated. The conditions for pretreating the human urinary samples were chosen in such a way that vinclozolin metabolites containing the intact 3,5-dichloroaniline (3,5-DCA) moiety are completely degraded into this amine by means of basic hydrolysis. After addition of 3,4-DCA as an internal standard, steam distillation and extraction, the analysis is carried out by high-performance liquid chromatography and electrochemical detection. The determination limit is 5 g 3,5-DCA/l urine. The method turned out to be sensitive enough to quantify not only occupational but also nutritional excretions of 3,5-DCA containing metabolites to some extent. Interpreting these results, which are verified by an independent method, it must be considered that in addition to vinclozolin some further crop protection agents are also based on the 3,5-DCA moiety.     

Determination of vinclozolin metabolites in human urine by high-performance liquid chromatography and electrochemical detection

A sensitive and reliable method to assess occupational exposure to vinclozolin based on biomonitoring principles has been elaborated. The conditions for pretreating the human urinary samples were chosen in such a way that vinclozolin metabolites containing the intact 3,5-dichloroaniline (3,5-DCA) moiety are completely degraded into this amine by means of basic hydrolysis. After addition of 3,4-DCA as an internal standard, steam distillation and extraction, the analysis is carried out by high-performance liquid chromatography and electrochemical detection. The determination limit is 5 microg 3,5-DCA/l urine. The method turned out to be sensitive enough to quantify not only occupational but also nutritional excretions of 3,5-DCA containing metabolites to some extent. Interpreting these results, which are verified by an independent method, it must be considered that in addition to vinclozolin some further crop protection agents are also based on the 3,5-DCA moiety.     

Routine measurement of plasma catecholamines in clinical pharmacology by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection

A method for the simultaneous determination of epinephrine, norepinephrine and dopamine in human plasma is described, which combines the advantages of liquid-liquid extraction sample preparation, high-performance liquid chromatography on weak cation-exchange stationary phases and dual-electrode coulometric detection. The limits of quantification are less than 5 pg/ml (at a signal-to-noise ratio greater than 5) for each analyte. The influence of various experimental parameters (e.g., composition of the mobile phase, pretreatment of the assay buffer, components of the re-extraction system) on the performance of the assay is reported in detail. A number of applications are presented, which demonstrate the quality of the data obtained in terms of sensitivity, reproducibility and significance.     

Electrochemical detection of tryptophan metabolites following high-performance liquid chromatography.

Electrochemical detection of tryptophan metabolites following separation on a reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography column was compared with other means of detection. Of 29 compounds studied, 26 could be detected at a sensitivity comparable to that of fluorescence derivatisation procedures. Response was linear over a wide range of concentrations and selectivity was shown to be superior to ultraviolet detection when analysing urine. Additionally, it was possible to control selectivity so that only those tryptophan metabolites from the tryptophan hydroxylase pathway were detected. This is of particular value in the study of distrubances of serotonin metabolism and is unique to this type of detector.