Simultaneous determination of the herbicides diquat and paraquat in water

A method based on solid-phase extraction (on silica cartridges) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) followed by diode array UV detection is presented as an analytical tool for screening diquat (DQ) and paraquat (PQ) in drinking waters. The method is useful for quality control laboratories of water companies and beverage industries. Absolute recoveries of DQ and PQ from drinking water (25 mL in all cases), spiked at levels between 0.1, 1.0, and 5.0 microg/L, range from 91% to 103%. Relative standard deviation percentages are between 3% and 11%. Quantitation and detection limits are 70 and 40 ng/L for DQ and 90 and 60 ng/L for PQ, respectively; therefore, these herbicides can be detected and quantitated at levels below the limits established by the European Union.     

Gas chromatographic determination of diquat and paraquat in crops

A sensitive and reproducible gas chromatographic procedure for the determination of diquat and paraquat in potatoes and rapeseed was developed. The volatilization of analytes was carried out via their hydrogenation with sodium borohydride-nickel(II) chloride. After their isolation from the reaction mixture, the derivatives of bipiperidine were separated on a column packed with Apiezon L plus potassium hydroxide. Comparable detection limits (0.005 mg/kg) were achieved with a nitrogen-phosphorus detector and by mass fragmentography, however, the latter method was preferred for analyses of rapeseed extracts owing to its higher selectivity.     

Rapid and sensitive HPLC method for the simultaneous determination of paraquat and diquat in human serum.

A rapid and sensitive HPLC method for the simultaneous determination of paraquat and diquat in human serum has been developed. After deproteinization of the serum with 10% trichloroacetic acid, the samples were separated on a reversed-phase column, and subsequently reduced to their radicals with alkaline sodium hydrosulfite solution. These radicals were monitored with a UV detector at 391 nm. This method permitted the reliable quantification of paraquat over linear ranges of 50 ng - 10 microg/ml and 100 ng - 10 microg/ml for diquat in human serum. The within- and between-day variations are lower than 2.3 and 2.2%, respectively. This technique was also utilized to determine the paraquat and diquat serum levels in a patient who had ingested herbicide (Prigrox L) containing paraquat and diquat.     

Development and validation of an HPLC method for the simultaneous determination of tocopherols, tocotrienols and carotenoids in cereals after solid-phase extraction

The increasing interest in antioxidant properties of cereal and cereal-based products has prompted the development of a simple and reliable HPLC method for the simultaneous determination of important phytochemicals like tocopherols (T), tocotrienols (T3) and carotenoids. Separation was carried out on a Nucleosil 100 C(18) column, 5 μm (250 mm × 4.6 mm) thermostated at 25 °C, using a linear gradient elution system starting with methanol and ending with a mixture of methanol-isopropanol-acetonitrile. All separated compounds including the internal standard (α-tocopherol acetate) were eluted within 16 min and detected by dual detection: fluorescence for tocopherols and tocotrienols at 290 nm excitation and 320 nm emission and UV-vis photodiode array detection for lutein and β-carotene at 450 nm. Detection limits ranged from 0.2 μg/g (β-carotene) to 1.60 μg/g (α-tocopherol). The intra- and inter-assay coefficients of variation were calculated by using cereals with different levels of lipophilic antioxidants. The extraction method involved sample saponification and clean-up by solid-phase extraction (SPE). The extraction recoveries obtained using OASIS HLB SPE cartridges and dichloromethane as eluent were in the range of 90.2-110.1%, with RSD lower than 10%. The method was successfully applied to cereals: durum wheat, bread wheat, rice, barley, oat, rye, corn and triticale.     

Simultaneous determination of paraquat and diquat in serum using capillary electrophoresis.

The use of capillary electrophoresis for simultaneous separation and detection of the two bipyridylium herbicides, paraquat and diquat, was investigated. Both herbicides were extracted from fortified sera with disposable ODS-silica cartridges. Separation was carried out using a capillary tube (50 microns i.d., 750 mm) of fused silica containing 10 mM glycine-HCl buffer (pH 3.0), 40 mM NaCl and 20% methanol as the carrier. Paraquat and diquat were completely separated in 10 min at an applied potential of 20 kV. On-column UV monitoring allowed detection of both herbicides simultaneously. The assay sensitivity was 0.05 micrograms/mL (signal-to-noise ratio, 2:1), which probably increases with increase in the sample volume of serum. Analytical recovery of both herbicides added to serum was about 97% at concentrations of 0.5-2.0 micrograms/mL.     

Development and validation of a simple and efficient HPLC method for the determination of zonisamide in pharmaceuticals and human plasma

A simple and efficient liquid chromatographic method has been developed and validated for the determination of zonisamide in pharmaceuticals and human plasma. Plasma samples are analyzed after one step protein precipitation with methanol, and chromatographic separation of zonisamide and chloramphenicol (internal standard) is carried out using a C₁₈ column and the optimum mobile phase of acetonitrile/methanol/distilled water (20: 10: 70, v/v/v). The method is validated in both mobile phase and human plasma, and the obtained limits of quantification values are 0.099 and 0.12 μg/mL in mobile phase and human plasma, respectively. Fully validated method is reproducible and selective for the determination of zonisamide in pharmaceuticals and human plasma.     

Sample stacking with matrix removal for the determination of paraquat, diquat and difenzoquat in water by capillary electrophoresis

Conditions for the simultaneous determination of paraquat, diquat and difenzoquat by capillary zone electrophoresis using a stacking technique in a chemically modified capillary have been established. To apply the stacking method with sample matrix removal for the analysis of cations, an anodic electroosmotic flow is mandatory. For quats, 50 mM acetic acid-ammonium acetate (pH 4.0) with 5% (v/v) methanol as electrophoretic buffer and the addition of 0.8 mM cetyltrimethylammonium bromide as wall capillary organic modifier was proposed. Field polarity reversal time was optimised for several sample matrices. Detection was carried out at 220 and 255 nm. Detection limits, based on a signal-to-noise ratio of 3:1, were lower than 15 microg l(-1) for standards in Milli-Q water and two to ten times higher for drinking water samples. Run-to-run and day-to-day reproducibility have been established. The method was successfully applied to the determination of the three herbicides in spiked drinking water.     

Rapid method for determination of protein content in cereals and oilseeds: validation, measurement uncertainty and comparison with the Kjeldahl method

The objective of this research was to test suitability of the Dumas combustion method to completely substitute the Kjeldahl method in routine laboratory determination of crude protein content in cereals and oilseeds. The validation of the method demonstrated that it is able to determine crude protein content in cereals and oilseeds in an efficient and accurate manner, with a detection limit w(N) = 0.006%, quantification limit w(N) = 0.019%, repeatability precision RSD _r = 0.41%, intra-laboratory reproducibility precision RSD _R = 0.74%, trueness, expressed in terms of bias b = 0.43%, and linear response between (2.36–19.2) mg N. Measurement uncertainty, expressed as relative expanded uncertainty (coverage factor k = 2, confidence level 95%), was calculated from validation data (U _rel = 2.24%). In order to examine the relationship between two methods, 15 cereal grain and oilseed samples were analyzed using Dumas and Kjeldahl procedure. The Kjeldahl procedure gave slightly lower w(N) values than the Dumas procedure: w _K(N) = 0.9905 w _D(N) = 0.0376 (R ²  = 0.9996). Relative standard deviations and results of homogeneity test obtained during analysis of complex cereal products (cereal breakfast and muesli bars) show that the Dumas combustion method may be less suitable for analysis of such samples compared to Kjeldahl method.     

Development and validation of a simple,sensitive and reproducible method for simultaneous determination of six polyphenolic bioactive markers in Dendrobium plants

Dendrobium is a large genus of orchid plants containing several bioactive polyphenols, including bibenzyls, phenanthrenes, and flavanones that have been used as antioxidants in nutraceutical and pharmaceutical products. Several polyphenols including (2S)-eriodictyol, (2S)-homoeriodictyol, moscatilin, gigantol, chrysotoxine and crepidatin are primarily found in Dendrobium species and can serve as bioactive markers of orchid plants. In the present study, a simple UPLC-UV method for the simultaneous determination of six polyphenols was developed for evaluating the distribution of bioactive phytochemicals in orchid plants and validated according to the ICH Q2 (R1) guidance. The sample was prepared by extracting dendrobium powder with methanol and the supernatant was analyzed using the Waters ACQUITY UPLC^TM H-Class system on an ACQUITY UPLC^TM BEH C18 column (2.1 × 50 mm, 1.7 μm) with gradient elution of water and acetonitrile, containing 1% v/v trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) each, at a flow rate of 0.2 mL/min and UV detection at 280 nm. The chromatographic condition provided good peak shape and resolution. The method was linear over the specific ranges with the coefficient of determination (r²) > 0.995. Accuracy of the method expressed as %recovery ranged from 80 to 110%. The precision of the method demonstrated as %CV was < 7.3%. The method is simple, accurate, precise and robust and is recommended for routine quality control analysis of orchid plants containing the six polyphenols as the main principles in the herb. The proposed method was successfully applied for simultaneous quantification of the 6 polyphenolic compounds in 11 samples from 3 Dendrobium species, suggesting that the method was suitable for quality assessment of orchid herbal raw materials.     

Development and validation of a simple and rapid HPLC method for the quantitative determination of voriconazole in rat and beagle dog plasma

A simple and rapid high-performance liquid chromatographic method with UV detection is developed and validated to determine the concentration of voriconazole in rat and beagle dog plasma. After protein precipitation using acetonitrile, the supernatant solution is chromatographed on a Diamonsil C(18) column (250 x 4.6-mm i.d., 5 microm). The mobile phase used is a combination of acetonitrile-water-acetic acid (55:45:0.25, v/v/v) with a pH of 4.0. Detection is achieved by a UV detector monitored at a wavelength of 256 nm. The matrix calibration curves are obtained both in the concentration range of 0.10-50.0 microg/mL in rat and beagle dog plasma, with the lower limit of quantitation of 0.10 microg/mL. The intra- and inter-assay precisions in terms of % relative standard deviation are lower than 8.6% and 6.0% in rat and beagle dog plasma, respectively. The accuracy in terms of % relative error ranged from -0.5% to 8.0% and -0.5% to 6.0% in rat and beagle dog plasma, respectively. This validated method is successfully applied to determine the concentration of voriconazole in plasma after intravenous administration of 36 mg/kg voriconazole to rats and 10 mg/kg voriconazole to beagle dogs, respectively.     

Development and validation of a simple stability-indicating high performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of miconazole nitrate in bulk and cream formulations

A simple and stability-indicating high performance liquid chromatographic method was developed and validated for the determination of miconazole nitrate in bulk and cream preparations. The extraction step for cream samples consisted in a warming, cooling and centrifugation procedure that assures the elimination of the lipophilic matrix component, in order to avoid further precipitation in the chromatographic system. Separation was achieved on a ZORBAX Eclipse XDB - C18 (4.6 mm × 150 mm, 5 μm particle size) column, using a mobile phase consisting of water, methanol and acetonitrile, in a flow and solvent gradient elution for 15 min. The column was maintained at 25 °C and 10 μL of solutions were injected. UV detection was performed at 232 nm, although employment of a diode array detector allowed selectivity confirmation by peak purity evaluation. The method was validated reaching satisfactory results for selectivity, precision and accuracy. Degradation products in naturally aged samples could be simultaneously evaluated, without interferences in the quantitative analysis.     

Development and validation of a UHPLC method for the determination of flavonoids in red wine

A simple and fast ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) method was developed for the identification and quantification of the following flavonoids in red wine: (+/-)-catechin, (-)-epicatechin, rutin, quercitrin, hesperidin, neohesperidin, (+/-)-naringenin, hesperetin, and chrysin. Chromatographic separation of the flavonoids was performed on a Chromolith Fast Gradient C18e column. A gradient elution was used with mobile phases consisting of 0.1% formic acid in water and acetonitrile. UV detection was performed at 280 nm. A complete separation of flavonoids was possible within 6 min. The calibration curves showed good linearity (R2 > or = 0.9990) in the selected range of each analyte; the LOD ranged between 0.06 and 0.19 microg/mL. An optimized sample preparation method utilized SPE. The Oasis HLB column with the highest recoveries was selected for the preconcentration step. This method was successfully applied to the determination of these flavonoids in the red wine samples with excellent results.     

Development and validation of a SPE-GC-MS method for the determination of pesticides in surface water

A method for analysis of 20 commonly used pesticides in surface water based on solid-phase extraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was proposed. During method development the key parameters that can affect SPE extraction and determination such as selection of efficient SPE sorbent, pH of water sample, type and volume of elution solvent, breakthrough volume and matrix effects were investigated. The method was validated using spring water spiked with appropriate concentration of pesticides. The obtained correlation coefficients were in range 0.9972–1.000, limits of detection (LOD) were 0.001–0.5?µg?L^?1 and the limits of quantification (LOQ) were 0.005–1?µg?L^?1 depending on a pesticide. Much higher LOD (20?µg?L^?1) and LOQ (50?µg?L^?1) values were obtained for bentazone. The influence of matrix was assessed using real water samples spiked with appropriate concentration of pesticide standards solution. Both signal enhancement and suppression were observed, depending on a pesticide, therefore standard addition method was used for pesticides determination. The developed method was applied on real water samples taken in close vicinity of agricultural fields. Many of the targeted pesticides were found in the samples and the results are presented in this article.     

Development and validation of a simple method for the extraction and quantification of crisaborole in skin layers

Crisaborole is a boron compound recently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration as a 2% ointment for the treatment of mild to moderate atopic dermatitis. This work describes a simple method for the quantification of the drug in the skin layers at the end of in‐vitro permeation experiments. Chromatographic separation was carried out on a reverse‐phase C₁₈ column using a mixture of trifluoroacetic acid 0.05%–acetonitrile (55:45, v/v) as mobile phase, pumped at 1 ml/min. Column temperature was 35°C and UV detection was performed at 250 nm. The method was linear in the range of concentration from 0.06 to 6 μg/ml (R² = 1) and was selective, precise and accurate. Depending on the solvent used, the LOQ ranged from 0.014 to 0.030 μg/ml and the LOD from 0.005 to 0.010 μg/ml. The extraction from all the skin layers was quantitative. The developed method was successfully tested in an in‐vitro permeation study, proving to be an effective tool in the development of new formulations containing crisaborole.     

离子色谱-三重四极杆质谱法同时测定血浆和尿液中百草枯和敌草快

百草枯和敌草快是广泛使用的非选择性触杀型除草剂,中毒后会造成急性肺损伤,病死率高,同时监测血浆和尿液中百草枯和敌草快的浓度,可以为临床早期诊断和预后提供有价值的信息。血浆和尿液中百草枯和敌草快的主要检测方法为液相色谱-质谱法。百草枯和敌草快为强极性水溶性化合物,在反相色谱柱上难以保留,多采用离子对色谱法或亲水色谱法进行分离。采用离子对色谱法时,加入的离子对试剂有离子抑制作用,降低了质谱检测的灵敏度,还给质谱系统增加了额外的污染;亲水色谱法易受基质成分影响,保留时间不稳定。考虑到百草枯和敌草快在水溶液中以双电荷联吡啶离子状态存在,更适合采用阳离子交换色谱法,建立了离子色谱-三重四极杆质谱测定血浆和尿液中百草枯和敌草快的检测方法。血浆和尿液样品经水稀释后,直接过混合型聚合物反相吸附和弱阳离子交换固相萃取柱（Oasis WCX）净化,经IonPac CS 18型阳离子色谱柱（250 mm×2.0 mm,6.0 μm）分离,以自动在线产生的甲磺酸进行梯度洗脱,色谱柱流出液经阳离子抑制器抑制后进入质谱系统,在ESI⁺ 、多反应监测（MRM）模式下检测,稳定同位素内标法定量。百草枯和敌草快分别在1.0~150 μg/L和0.5~75 μg/L范围内线性关系良好,血浆中的平均基质效应分别为84.2%~89.3%和84.7%~91.1%,尿液中平均基质效应分别为50.3%~58.4%和51.9%~59.4%;血浆中百草枯和敌草快的平均加标回收率分别为93.5%~117%和91.7%~112%,相对标准偏差（RSD）分别为3.4%~16.7%和2.8%~13.2%;尿液中百草枯和敌草快的平均加标回收率分别为90.0%~118%和99.2%~116%,RSD分别为5.6%~14.9%和2.4%~17.3%（n =6）;血浆和尿液中百草枯和敌草快的检出限分别0.3 μg/L和0.2 μg/L,定量限分别为1.0 μg/L和0.5 μg/L。该法灵敏度高,准确性好,可用于血浆和尿液中百草枯和敌草快的中毒检测。     

Development and validation of a capillary electrophoretic method for the determination of amiodarone and desethylamiodarone

Summary A simple, sensitive and rapid capillary electrophoretic method has been developed for the separation and quantification of amiodarone and its metabolite, desethylamiodarone. The compounds were separated in a capillary of 45 cm effective length and 75 μm i.d., by use of an applied voltage of 25 kV and an electrolyte containing 15mm ADA buffer (pH 7.5), 10mm SDS, and 70% (v/v) acetonitrile. The selectivity, precision, linearity, range, sensitivity, and robustness of the method were good. The applicability of the assay was demonstrated by analyzing these drugs in serum. Electrokinetic injection with field-amplified sample-stacking was used to increase sensitivity. The limit of detection of the serum assay was 6.46 ng mL⁻¹ and the precision 3.7%.     

Spectrophotometric method for the determination of paraquat in water, grain and plant materials

A sensitive spectrophotometric method for the determination of paraquat using ascorbic acid (an easily available reducing agent) is described. Paraquat is reduced with ascorbic acid in alkaline solution to give a blue radical ion with an absorbance maximum at 600 nm. Beer's law is obeyed in the range 12-96 micrograms of paraquat in 10 ml of the final solution (1.2-9.6 ppm). The important analytical parameters and the optimum reaction conditions were evaluated. The method was applied successfully to the determination of paraquat in water, grain and plant materials.