Carbon nanotube disposable detectors in microchip capillary electrophoresis for water-soluble vitamin determination: analytical possibilities in pharmaceutical quality control

In this work, the synergy of one mature example from "lab-on-chip" domain, such as CE microchips with emerging miniaturized carbon nanotube detectors in analytical science, is presented. Two different carbon electrodes (glassy carbon electrode (GCE) 3 mm diameter, and screen-printed electrode (SPE) 0.3 mm x 2.5 mm) were modified with multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and their electrochemical behavior was evaluated as detectors in CE microchip using water-soluble vitamins (pyridoxine, ascorbic acid, and folic acid) in pharmaceutical preparations as representative examples. The SPE modified with MWCNT was the best electrode for the vitamin analysis in terms of analytical performance. In addition, accurate determination of the three vitamins in four different pharmaceuticals was obtained (systematic error less than 9%) in only 400 s using a protocol that combined the sample analysis and the methodological calibration.     

用反相离子对色谱分离和检测水溶性维生素——十二烷基磺酸钠作离子对试剂

本文使用十二烷基磺酸钠(SDS)作离子对试剂,研究了用反相离子对色谱法对混合水溶性维生素的检测和分离,确定了最佳实验条件,包括SDS浓度,pH值,甲醇与水的配比,三乙胺浓度及柱温等。用本方法对九种混合水溶性维生素〔B_1,B_2,B_5(烟酰胺和烟酸),B_6(吡哆醛和吡哆醇),B_(11),B_(12)和C〕的标样和西瓜汁的分离表明,在所选定的实验条件下,可于10min内一次分离。     

Electrochemical valveless flow microsystems for ultra fast and accurate analysis of total isoflavones with integrated calibration

A novel strategy integrating methodological calibration and analysis on board on a planar first-generation microfluidics system for the determination of total isoflavones in soy samples is proposed. The analytical strategy is conceptually proposed and successfully demonstrated on the basis of (i) the microchip design (with the possibility to use both reservoirs), (ii) the analytical characteristics of the developed method (statically zero intercept and excellent robustness between calibration slopes, RSDs < 5%), (iii) the irreversible electrochemical behaviour of isoflavone oxidation (no significant electrode fouling effect was observed between calibration and analysis runs) and (iv) the inherent versatility of the electrochemical end-channel configurations (possibility of use different pumping and detection media). Repeatability obtained in both standard (calibration) and real soy samples (analysis) with values of RSD less than 1% for the migration times indicated the stability of electroosmotic flow (EOF) during both integrated operations. The accuracy (an error of less than 6%) is demonstrated for the first time in these microsystems using a documented secondary standard from the Drug Master File (SW/1211/03) as reference material. Ultra fast calibration and analysis of total isoflavones in soy samples was integrated successfully employing 60 s each; enhancing notably the analytical performance of these microdevices with an important decrease in overall analysis times (less than 120 s) and with an increase in accuracy by a factor of 3.     

Fast and simultaneous detection of prominent natural antioxidants using analytical microsystems for capillary electrophoresis with a glassy carbon electrode: a new gateway to food environments

This paper examines for the first time the analytical possibilities of fast and simultaneous detection of prominent natural antioxidants including examples of flavonoids and vitamins using a CE microchip with electrochemical detection (ED). Unpinched injection conditions, zone electrophoretic separation and amperometric detection were carefully assayed and optimised. Analysis involved the zone electrophoretic separation of arbutin, (+)-catechin and ascorbic acid in less than 4 min using a borate buffer (pH 9.0, 50 mM), employing 2 kV as the separation voltage and +1.0 V as the detection potential. In addition, the separation of different 'couples' of natural antioxidants of food significance including (+)-catechin and ascorbic acid, (+)-catechin and rutin, as well as arbutin and phlorizdin is proposed. To demonstrate the potential and future role of CE microsystems, analytical possibilities and a new route in the raw sample analysis are presented. The preliminary results obtained allow the proposal of CE-ED microchips as a real gateway to microanalysis in foods.     

Glucose biosensor based on the layer-by-layer self-assembling of glucose oxidase and chitosan derivatives on a thiolated gold surface

This work examines in deep the analytical performance of an example of “first-generation” microdevices: capillary electrophoresis microchip (CE) with end-channel electrochemical detection (ED). A hydroquinone and arbutin separation strategically chosen as route involving pharmaceutical-clinical testing, public safety and food control scenes was carried out. The reproducibility of the unpinched electrokinetic protocol was carefully studied and the technical possibility of working indiscriminately and/or sequentially with both simple cross-injectors was also demonstrated using a real sample (R.S.D.'s less than 7%). The robustness of the injection protocol allowed checking the state of the microchip/detector coupling and following the extraction efficiency of the analyte from real sample. Separation variables such as pH, ionic strength and, separation voltage were also carefully assayed and optimized. Analyte screening was performed using borate buffer (pH 9, 60 mM) in less than 180 s in the samples studied improving dramatically the analysis times used for the same analytes on a conventional scale (15 min), with good precision (R.S.D.'s ranging 5-10%), accuracy (recoveries ranging 90-110%) and acceptable resolution (Rs ≥ 1.0).In addition, the excellent analytical performance of the overall analytical method indicated the quality of the whole analytical microsystem and allowed to introduce the definition of robustness for methodologies developed into the “lab-on-a-chip” scene.     

Simultaneous determination of water-soluble vitamins excreted in human urine after eating an overdose of vitamin pills by a HPLC method coupled with a solid phase extraction

We have applied a quick and convenient method for determining water-soluble vitamins excreted in human urine. We found that the Sep-Pak C(18) cartridge was useful for preconcentration and recovery of water-soluble vitamins in urine with minimized loss of vitamins. The recovery of vitamins was well over 90%. The separation was carried out by gradient elution with 90/10 (v/v%) methanol/water with 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) and water with 0.1% TFA on a muBondapak C(18) column. The separation was completed within 15 min. We measured concentrations of water-soluble vitamins excreted in urine after swallowing an overdose of vitamin pills on purpose, and found that the concentration of each vitamin increased rapidly to the maximum in 2-3 h and decreased swiftly.     

微乳液相色谱法同时分离7种水溶性维生素

采用微乳液相色谱法同时分离7种水溶性维生素(V_(B1)、V_(B2)、V_(B6)、VB_(12)、叶酸、烟酰胺和VC)。考察了微乳流动相体系中表面活性剂、油相、助表面活性剂的种类以及流动相的pH值、柱温等对水溶性维生素分离的影响。优化后微乳体系的组成为:十二烷基硫酸钠(SDS)/聚氧乙烯月桂醇醚(Brij35)/正丁醇/乙酸乙酯/水(质量比为2∶60∶66∶8∶864)。色谱柱为Agilent TC C18(250 mm×4.6 mm,5μm),柱温为30℃,检测波长为254 nm,流速为0.5mL/min。7种水溶性维生素在20 min内达到基线分离。在4~36 mg/L范围内,7种水溶性维生素的质量浓度与峰面积的相关系数均大于0.999 1。不同添加水平下,V_(B1)、V_(B2)、V_(B6)、VC和烟酰胺的平均回收率为93.9%~102.9%。该方法可用于食品和药品中的多种水溶性维生素的分离、鉴别及快速测定。     

Determination of eight water- and fat-soluble vitamins in multi-vitamin pharmaceutical formulations by high-performance liquid chromatography

In the present work, a reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic procedure has been developed for the determination of water-soluble vitamins (thiamine hydrochloride, pyridoxine hydrochloride, nicotinamide, riboflavin phosphoric ester and cyanocobalamine) and fat-soluble vitamins (retinol palmitate, cholecalciferol, -tocopherol acetate) in multi-vitamin pharmaceutical formulations. The sample treatment proposed consists of a solid-phase extraction with C₁₈ AR cartridges that allow the separation of fat-soluble vitamins, which were retained on the sorbent, from water-soluble vitamins. Afterwards, the water-soluble vitamins were analysed by HPLC on a Nova-Pack C₁₈ (150×3.9 mm, 4 μm) analytical column, using CH₃OH–0.05 M CH₃COONH₄ as mobile phase The chromatographic analysis of the fat-soluble vitamins was carried out after their sequential elution with methanol and chloroform from C₁₈ sorbent, on the above column. The mobile phase employed was MeOH–CH₃CN (95:5, v/v) working at a flow-rate of 2 ml min⁻¹ in isocratic mode. The solid-phase extraction for these vitamins had been previously optimised. The experimental variables studied were: application volume, elution solvents and cleaning solutions. The UV–Vis detection of vitamins was made at 270 nm for all the water-soluble vitamins (362 nm for B₁₂) and 285 nm for the water-soluble and fat-soluble vitamins present in real samples at different concentration levels. The accuracy of the method was tested obtaining an average recovery ranging between 78 and 116%.     

Miniaturized membrane-based reversed-phase chromatography and enzyme reactor for protein digestion,peptide separation,and protein identification using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

Separation and determination of water- and fat-soluble vitamins by micellar (MEKC) and microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography (MEEKC) are compared. MEKC is only useful in the quantitative analysis of water-soluble vitamins when sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS) is used as the surfactant. However, the separation of mixtures containing water- and fat-soluble vitamins is only achieved by MEEKC using a microemulsion prepared by mixing SDS as the surfactant, butanol as the co-surfactant, octane as the non-polar modifier and propanol as the second co-surfactant. The injection time and the solvent used for the dilution of samples have a significant effect on the analysis of lypophilic compounds. The most reproducible results in the analysis of fat-soluble vitamins are obtained by using the same microemulsion electrolyte as the solvent for samples and an injection time of 10 s.     

Simultaneous micellar liquid chromatographic analysis of seven water-soluble vitamins: optimization using super-modified simplex

A super-modified simplex (SMS) method has been used to optimize the mobile phase used for separation of seven water-soluble vitamins in multivitamin tablets by gradient micellar liquid chromatography (MLC) with ultraviolet (UV) detection at 254, 295, and 361 nm. Effect of column temperature and addition of organic modifier to the mobile phase on separation efficiency were investigated: the appropriate conditions used were a temperature of 35 degrees C and 1-butanol modifier. The sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) concentration, pH, and 1-butanol% in the mobile phase were chosen for simultaneous optimization using the SMS method. The optimum mobile phase was found to be 16 mmol L(-1) (mM) SDS, 0.02 M phosphate buffer, pH 3.6, and a gradient of 3.5-10% (v/v) butanol. The total analysis time for vitamins was 75 min. The analytical parameters including linearity ( r>0.9970), limit of detection (0.12-50 micro g mL(-1)), precision of method (relative standard deviation (RSD) <8.90%), and accuracy obtained by the recovery assay (88-103%) support the usefulness of the proposed method for the determination of the water-soluble vitamins.     

Separation of three water-soluble vitamins by poly(dimethylsiloxane) microchannel electrophoresis with electrochemical detection

A method for rapid separation and sensitive determination of three water-soluble vitamins, pyridoxine, ascorbic acid (VC), and p-aminobenzoic acid (PABA) has been developed by PDMS microchannel electrophoresis integrated with amperometric detection. After treatment of the microchip with oxygen plasma, the peak shapes of the three analytes were essentially improved. Pyridoxine, VC, and PABA were well separated within only 80 s in a running buffer of 20 mM borate solution (pH 8.5). Good linearity was obtained within the concentration range of 2-200 microM for the three water-soluble vitamins. The detection limits were 1.0 microM for pyridoxine and VC, and 1.5 microM for PABA. The proposed method has been successfully applied to real human urine sample, without solid phase extraction, with recoveries of 80-122% for the three water-soluble vitamins.     

Analysis of water soluble vitamins by high pressure liquid chromatography.

Resolution of the water-soluble vitamins--pyridoxin, riboflavin, niacinamide, vitamin B12, thiamin, ascorbic acid, niacin and folic acid--by high pressure liquid chromatography was examined on two bonded-phase columns, muBondapak C18 and muBondapak NH2. The effect on the retention times of individual vitamins and the separation of a multivitamin sample was determined using varying proportions of water/methanol as the eluting solvent and by addition of various salts, buffer solutions and PIC reagents to the water/methanol. Each vitamin was able to be eluted satisfactorily from muBondapak C18. It was found that seven vitamins could be resolved from a multivitamin mixture in a single analysis in several solvent systems with the total time for the analyses being always less than 40 min. With muBondapak NH2, all the vitamins except folic acid were eluted and six vitamins could be resolved from a mixture in a single analysis. The speed of analysis was greater with muBondapak NH2 with all compounds eluted in 15 min and the peaks were sharper. The order of elution was essentially the reverse of that obtained with muBondapak C18.     

Determination of water-soluble vitamins in vitamin premixes,bioacitve dietary supplements,and pharmaceutical preparations using high-efficiency liquid chromatography with gradient elution

The influence of the pH and temperature of the mobile phase on the retention and separation of 14 vitamins and vitameric forms has been studied for four different stationary phases. The chromatographic conditions allowing the separation of 12 water-soluble vitamins and vitameric forms have been proposed. It has been established that the best separation of water-soluble vitamins can be achieved by employing gradient elution. The mobile phase A, (0.6% phosphoric acid) pH 1.5–1.8; mobile phase B, acetonitrile. For the separation of nicotinic and ascorbic acid it is preferable to use stationary phases Luna C18(2) and Gemini C18, while for the separation of riboflavin and riboflavin-5-phosphate the Synergy Hydro RP and Zorbaz SB-C18 stationary phases should be used. The selected conditions have been used for the determination of vitamins in commercial samples of vitamin preparations. The results are in good accordance with the producer data.     

Rapid determination of water- and fat-soluble vitamins with microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography

A rapid, reliable and reproducible method based on microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography (MEEKC) for simultaneous determination of 13 kinds of water- and fat-soluble vitamins has been developed in this work. A novel microemulsion system consisting of 1.2% (w/w) sodium lauryl sulphate (SDS), 21% (v/v) 1-butanol, 18% (v/v) acetonitrile, 0.8% (w/w) n-hexane, 20mM borax buffer (pH 8.7) was applied to improve selectivity and efficiency, as well as shorten analysis time. The composition of microemulsion used as the MEEKC running buffer was investigated thoroughly to obtain stable separation medium, as well as the optimum determination conditions. Acetonitrile as the organic solvent modifier, pH of the running buffer and 1-butanol as the co-surfactant played the most important roles for the separation of the fat-soluble vitamins, water-soluble vitamins and stabilization of system, respectively. The 13 water- and fat-soluble vitamins were baseline separated within 30 min. The system was applied to determine water- and fat-soluble vitamins in commercial multivitamin pharmaceutical formulation, good accuracy and precision were obtained with recoveries between 97% and 105%, relative standard derivations (RSDs) less than 1.8% except vitamin C, and acceptable quantitative results corresponding to label claim.     

Simultaneous separation and analysis of water- and fat-soluble vitamins on multi-modal reversed-phase weak anion exchange material by HPLC-UV

Several methods for the separation of vitamins on HPLC columns were already validated in the last 20 years. However, most of the techniques focus on separating either fat- or water-soluble vitamins and only few methods are intended to separate lipophilic and hydrophilic vitamins simultaneously. A mixed-mode reversed-phase weak anion exchange (RP-WAX) stationary phase was developed in our laboratory in order to address such mixture of analytes with different chemical characteristics, which are difficult to separate on standard columns. The high versatility in usage of the RP-WAX chromatographic material allowed a baseline separation of ten vitamins within a single run, seven water-soluble and three fat-soluble, using three different chromatographic modes: some positively charged vitamins are eluted in ion exclusion and ion repulsion modes whereas the negatively charged molecules are eluted in the ion exchange mechanism. The non-charged molecules are eluted in a classical reversed-phase mode, regarding their polarities. The method was validated for the vitamin analysis in tablets, evaluating selectivity, robustness, linearity, accuracy, and precision. The validated method was finally employed for the analysis of the vitamin content of some commercially available supplement tablets.     

毛细管电泳法高压快速分离分析菠菜中的水溶性维生素

在毛细管电泳法中,通过双模对接高压电源可以获得0～40 kV甚至40 kV以上的超高电压。本研究在40 kV的超高电压下,以纯电解质水溶液为缓冲液,实现了蔬菜中通常含有的8种水溶性维生素(VB1、VB2、VB6、VC、D-泛酸钙、D-生物素、烟酸和叶酸)的快速分离及菠菜样品的定量分析。通过考察电压、缓冲溶液浓度、pH值等因素对分离的影响,确定了优化的实验条件。结果表明,在40 kV高压下,采用25 mmol/L硼砂-硼酸溶液缓冲液(pH 8.8),菠菜中上述8种水溶性维生素在2.2 min内获得了较好的基线分离。用此方法对菠菜中的水溶性维生素进行定量分析,得到了令人满意的结果。水溶性维生素的线性相关系数范围为0.9981～0.9999,检出限为0.2～0.3 mg/L,在菠菜中的平均加标回收率为88.0%～100.6%,峰面积的相对标准偏差(RSD)为1.15%～4.13%。     

In Process Citation

The separation, identification and determination of the fat- and water-soluble vitamins are realized by partition chromatography with a reversed-phase system made by bonding a C(18) group to silica. The water-soluble vitamins are directly separated with the mobile phase 1% acetic acid/acetonitrile (89:11 v/v) and are revealed by an ultraviolet detector, except for pantothenic acid. The separation efficiency and precision of determination of the fat-soluble vitamins depend on the operational conditions. The composition of the excipients and all the constituents of pharmaceuticals (aqueous and oil solutions, injections, dispersions, emulsions) determine the choice of the extraction solvents and the preparation of the solution to be injected; the polarity of the mobile phase (acetonitrile/water 95:5 v/v) can be changed, and the choice depends on the components to be separated. The experimental conditions are specified and some examples are given of application of HPLC to determination of water-soluble vitamins (B1, B2, C, PP, B6) and fat-soluble vitamins (non-saponifiable oils, vitamin A and its esters, cholecalciferol, ergocalciferol, and tocopherol and its acetate) in multivitamin formulations (solutions, suspensions, syrups, fatty excipients etc.).     

Determination of gambogic acid in dog plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography for a pharmacokinetic study

A rapid, simple and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatography method for the quantification of gambogic acid in dog plasma was developed and validated. After acidification with hydrochloric acid, dog plasma was extracted with ethyl acetate and determined by HPLC. The analysis was carried out on a reversed-phase C(18) analytical column. The mobile phase consisted of a mixture of methanol-0.05% phosphoric acid (94:6, v/v), and the column temperature was maintained at 35 degrees C. A constant mobile phase flow rate of 1.0 mL/min was employed throughout the analyses. The ultraviolet detector was set at 360 nm. Chromatographic separation was achieved in less than 10 min and the calibration curve was linear over a concentration range of 0.156-20 microg/mL. The intra-assay and inter-assay variability values were less than 10.0%. The accuracy ranged from 93.0 to 104.2%. The established method has been successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study of gambogic acid in dogs.     

Pressurized capillary electrochromatographic analysis of water-soluble vitamins by combining with on-line concentration technique

A pressurized capillary electrochromatography (pCEC) system was developed for the separation of water-soluble vitamins, in which UV absorbance was used as the detection method and a monolithic silica-ODS column as the separation column. The parameters (type and content of organic solvent in the mobile phase, type and concentration of electrolyte, pH of the electrolyte buffer, applied voltage and flow rate) affecting the separation resolution were evaluated. The combination of two on-line concentration techniques, namely, solvent gradient zone sharpening effect and field-enhanced sample stacking, was utilized to improve detection sensitivity, which proved to be beneficial to enhance the detection sensitivity by enabling the injection of large volumes of samples. Coupling electrokinetic injection with the on-line concentration techniques was much more beneficial for the concentration of positively charged vitamins. Comparing with the conventional injection mode, the enhancement in the detection sensitivities of water-soluble vitamins using the on-line concentration technique is in the range of 3 to 35-fold. The developed pCEC method was applied to evaluate water-soluble vitamins in corns.     

Rapid Determination of Water-Soluble and Fat-Soluble Vitamins in Commercial Formulations by MEEKC

Microemulsion electrokinetic capillary chromatography has been successfully applied to the separation and determination of water-soluble vitamins (thiamine hydrochloride, riboflavin, niacin, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, cobalamin, ascorbic acid) and a fat-soluble vitamin (α-tocopherol acetate). The optimal microemulsion buffer contained sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS) as surfactant, butan-1-ol as the co-surfactant, ethyl acetate as the oil and pH 9.2 tetraborate buffer, modified with 15% (v/v) 2-propanol. UV detection at 214 nm gave adequate sensitivity without interference from sample excipients. Under the optimized conditions, the vitamins were baseline separated in less than 7 min. Analytical curves of peak area versus concentration presented coefficients of determination (R ² ) > 0.99, acceptable limits of quantification between 8.40 and 16.23 μg mL^?1 were obtained. Vitamin levels in liquid formulation were quantified with intra-day precision better than 0.99% RSD for migration time and 1.19% RSD for peak area ratio. Recoveries ranged between 98.7 and 101.7%. The method was considered appropriate for rapid and routine analysis.