Simultaneous determination of urinary hippuric acid, o-, m- and p-methylhippuric acids, mandelic acid and phenylglyoxylic acid for biomonitoring of volatile organic compounds by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

A sensitive and precise method for the simultaneous determination of hippuric acid, o-, m- and p-methylhippuric acids, mandelic acid and phenylglyoxylic acid, which are major urinary metabolites of toluene, o-, m- and p-xylenes, styrene and ethylbenzene, respectively, was developed. These metabolites were converted into their methyl ester derivatives with methanol in hydrochloric acid, and then quantitated by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) with selected ion monitoring using a DB-1 capillary column. The injected compounds were quantitatively and reproducibly resolved within 19 min with a detection limit of 8-27 pg. The calibration curves were linear in the range of 0.05-25 μg for each compound, with correlation coefficients above 0.9999. This method was successfully used to analyze small amounts of both rat and human urine samples without any interference from coexisting substances. Overall recoveries of these compounds spiked in urine samples were 92-104%. The analytical results of the contents of these metabolites in the rat and human urine samples are presented.     

Stir bar sorptive extraction with in situ derivatization and thermal desorption-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for determination of chlorophenols in water and body fluid samples

A new method, stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) with in situ derivatization and thermal desorption (TD)-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), which is used for the determination of trace amounts of chlorophenols, such as 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP), 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (2,4,6-TrCP), 2,3,4,6-tetrachlorophenol (2,3,4,6-TeCP) and pentachlorophenol (PCP), in tap water, river water and human urine samples, is described. The derivatization conditions with acetic acid anhydride and the SBSE conditions such as extraction time are investigated. Then, the stir bar is subjected to TD followed by GC-MS. The detection limits of the chlorophenols in tap water, river water and human urine samples are 1-2, 1-2, and 10-20 pg ml⁻¹ (ppt), respectively. The calibration curves for the chlorophenols are linear and have correlation coefficients higher than 0.99. The average recoveries of the chlorophenols in all the samples are higher than 95% (R.S.D. < 10%) with correction using added surrogate standards, 2,4-dichlorophenol-d₅, 2,4,6-trichlorophenol-¹³C₆, 2,3,4,6-tetrachlorophenol-¹³C₆ and pentachlorophenol-¹³C₆. This simple, accurate, sensitive and selective analytical method may be applicable to the determination of trace amounts of chlorophenols in liquid samples.     

Determination of endogenous and synthetic glucocorticoids in human urine by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry following microwave-assisted derivatization

A complete screening and confirmation analytical method for the direct determination of six endogenous (cortisol, cortisone, deoxycorticosterone, tetrahydrocortisol, tetrahydrocortisone, tetrahydro-S) and 17 synthetic (amcinonide, betamethasone, desoximethasone, dexamethasone, fludrocortisone, flumethasone, flunisolide, flucinolone acetonide, flucinonide, fluprednisolone, flurandrenolide, fluorometholone, 6-methylprednisolone, prednisolone, prednisone, triamcinolone, triamcinolone acetonide) glucocorticoids in human urine by gas chromatography with mass spectrometric detection (GC-MS) is presented.The analytical technique comprises a pre-treatment procedure and the instrumental analysis of the trimethylsilyl (TMS) derivatives, performed by GC-MS (quadrupole) with electron impact (EI) ionization. The derivatization yields obtained by two different derivatizing mixtures, namely N-methyl-N(trimethylsilyl)trifluoroacetamide (MTSFA):NH₄I:dithioerythritol (DTE) 1000:2:4 (usually indicated as TMSiodine); and N-trimethylsilylimidazole (TMSim):N,O-bis(trimethylsilyl)acetamide (BSA):trimethylchlorosilane (TMCS) 3:3:2, both under direct thermal heating and with microwave (MW) irradiation, were evaluated, also as a function of the temperature, of the MW power and of the incubation time.The highest yields of the derivatization process were obtained, for most of the compounds here considered, by a two-step procedure: a microwave-assisted derivatization stage (40 min in a microwave oven at 900 W emitted power), followed by a traditional heat transfer derivatization (1.5 h in a thermostated bath at 70 °C) with the derivatization mixture TMSim:BSA:TMCS 3:3:2. In these operating conditions, diagnostic EI-MS spectra of all considered glucocorticoids were obtained. Limits of detection (LOD) of synthetic glucocorticoids in urine ranged from 3 to 25 μg/l. The effectiveness of the method for the determination of glucocorticoids in urine was evaluated on spiked urine samples and on real samples obtained from patients under pharmacological treatment with synthetic glucocorticoids.Apart from the clinical monitoring of glucocorticoids in urine, the method can be applied as a complete screening + confirmation analytical protocol in antidoping tests for the detection of illicit administration of glucocorticoids by the athletes.     

Digoxin and metabolites in urine and feces: a fluorescence derivatization--high-performance liquid chromatographic technique

A high-performance liquid chromatography method is described for the determination of digoxin and its metabolites digoxigenin, digoxigenin monodigitoxoside, digoxigenin bis-digitoxoside and dihydrodigoxin (20S and 20R) excreted in urine and feces. The urine sample or fecal supernatant is extracted with methylene chloride in the presence of digitoxigenin or digitoxin as internal standard. Pre-column derivatization is achieved using 1-naphthoyl chloride with subsequent separation of the derivatized compounds on either a normal- or reversed-phase system with fluorescence detection. Recoveries for digoxin and all metabolites from fecal samples were in the range 60-74%, which is comparable to that previously determined for urine samples. Standard curve data revealed linearity over a wide range of concentrations. Coefficients of variation for the analysis were less than 10% for all compounds over a range of 5-125 ng per ml urine and 10-250 ng per 200 mg feces. Peaks for digoxin and metabolites in urine and feces were obtained when human excreta were analyzed.     

On-Fiber Derivatization of SPME Extracts of Phenol, Hydroquinone and Catechol with GC-MS Detection

A gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method for the simultaneous determination of phenol (PHE), hydroquinone (HQ) and catechol (CAT) in urine was developed and validated. The method was based on the acidic hydrolysis of conjugated phenolic compounds and further extraction of analytes using solid-phase microextraction (SPME). Analytes were extracted by submersing the polar polyacrylate coated fiber (85 μm) into urine (adjusted to pH 3.0 with glacial acetic acid) for 20 min with magnetic stirring. The extracted compounds on the fiber were exposed to hexamethyldisilazane reagent in the vapor phase for 20 min to yield the corresponding trimethysililylated derivates. This on-fiber derivatization procedure allowed the formation of more amenable compounds for GC analysis, without adversely affecting the lifetime of the fiber. The MS was operated in the selected ion monitoring mode (SIM). The limits of detection were 0.3 μg mL⁻¹ for PHE, 0.15 μg mL⁻¹ for HQ and 0.02 μg mL⁻¹ for CAT. Inter and intra-assay precisions were also verified (coefficient of variation < 8%) with the use of deuterated internal standards. This method of GC-MS analysis can be readily utilized to monitor PHE and its metabolites (HQ and CAT) in urine samples.     

Headspace solid-phase micro-extraction gas chromatography-mass detection method for the determination of butyltin compounds in wines

Butyltin compounds are widespread contaminants which have also been found in some wines, determined by liquid-liquid extraction followed by alkylation with a Grignard reagent and gas chromatography-mass spectrometric (GC-MS) analysis. A promising alternative to this extraction/derivatization method is the one-step tetraethylborate in situ ethylation/solid-phase micro-extraction (SPME) method. In this work, a SPME-GC-MS method for the determination of butyltin compounds in wine was optimised. The optimised parameters concerned the pre-treatment with tetramethylammonium hydroxide, matrix modification with sodium chloride, tetraethylborate concentration, extraction time and temperature, and the GC separation program. The analytical figures of merit of the optimised method (range, limit of detection (LOD) and reproducibility) were evaluated. The sensitivity (range 20-1421 kcounts μg⁻¹ l⁻¹ as Sn) and LOD (range, 0.01-0.2 μg l⁻¹ as Sn) depended greatly on the butyltin species to be measured and on the type of wine. For the tested species (monobutyltin, dibutyltin and tributyltin) the highest sensitivities were achieved for Port wine samples, followed by red wine>white wine>white Verde wine. The method allowed acceptable repeatability (relative standard deviation (R.S.D.), 6-8%; n=4) and reproducibility (R.S.D., 8-9%; n=3).     

A novel headspace solid-phase microextraction method using in situ derivatization and a diethoxydiphenylsilane fibre for the gas chromatography–mass spectrometry determination of urinary hydroxy polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

An innovative and simple headspace solid-phase microextraction method using a novel diethoxydiphenylsilane fibre based on in situ derivatization with acetic anhydride was optimized and validated for the gas chromatography–mass spectrometry determination of some monohydroxy metabolites of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, namely 1-hydroxynaphthalene, 2-hydroxynaphtalene, 9-hydroxyfluorene, 2-hydroxyfluorene and 1-hydroxypyrene at trace levels in human urine. Enzymatic hydrolysis was applied before derivatization, whereas extraction conditions, i.e. the effects of time and temperature of extraction and salt addition were investigated by experimental design. Regression models and desirability functions were applied to find the experimental conditions providing the highest global extraction response. These conditions were found in correspondence of an extraction temperature of 90 °C, an extraction time of 90 min and 25% NaCl added to urine samples. The capabilities of the developed method were proved obtaining limit of quantitations in the 0.1–2 μg/l range, thus allowing the bio-monitoring of these compounds in human urine. A good precision was observed both in terms of intra-batch and inter-batch repeatability with RSD always lower than 14%. Recoveries ranging from 98(±3) to 121(±1)% and extraction yields higher than 72% were also obtained. Finally, the analysis of urine specimens of coke-oven workers revealed analytes’ concentrations in the 2.2–164 μg/l range, proving the exposure to PAHs of the involved workers.     

Analysis of hydroxylated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in urine using comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography with a flame ionization detector

The determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) metabolites in human urine is the method of choice for assessing exposure to carcinogenic compounds. The objective of this study was the development of a comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC × GC) method using a flame ionisation detector (FID) to simultaneously determine 10 hydroxylated PAH. The method was based on enzymatic deconjugation, liquid–liquid extraction, and trimethylsilyl (TMS) derivatization of the analytes by microwave heating. Satisfactory separation was achieved. The coefficient of variance was 3.8–12.8%. LOD was 0.03–0.18 μg/L, and LOQ was 0.1–0.5 μg/L. The mean recovery was 76%. The method was applied to the analysis of urine from smokers and non-smokers.     

Automated solid phase extraction, on-support derivatization and isotope dilution-GC/MS method for the detection of urinary dialkyl phosphates in humans

We developed an analytical method based on solid phase extraction, on-support derivatization and isotope dilution-GC/MS for the detection of dialkyl phosphate (DAP) metabolites, dimethyl thiophosphate, diethyl thiophosphate, dimethyl dithiophosphate, and diethyl dithiophosphate in human urine. The sample preparative procedure is simple and fully automated. In this method, the analytes were extracted from the urinary matrix onto a styrene-divinyl benzene polymer-based solid phase extraction cartridge and derivatized on-column with pentafluorobenzyl bromide. The ester conjugated analytes are eluted from the column with acetonitrile, concentrated and analyzed. Compared to extraction-post extraction derivatization methods for the analysis of DAP metabolites, this on-support derivatization is fast, efficient, and less labor-intensive. Furthermore, it has fewer steps in the sample preparation, uses less solvent and produces less interference. The method is highly sensitive with limits of detection for the analytes ranging from 0.1 to 0.3 ng/mL. The recoveries were high and comparable with those of our previous method. Relative standard deviation, indicative of the repeatability and precision of the method, was 1-17% for the metabolites.     

Gas chromatographic determination of 29 organic acids in foodstuffs after continuous solid-phase extraction

A simple and expeditious method based on continuous solid-phase extraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was reported for the direct determination of 29 organic acids in food and beverages. A sorbent column packed with 80 mg of LiChrolut EN-Supelclean ENVI-18 (1:1) was employed for extraction and clean-up purposes. After elution with 200 μL of methanol, the methanolic extract was directly injected into the GC-MS without prior derivatization. The method provided good linearity (0.5-1000 μg kg⁻¹) and fairly good precision for all compounds (RSD lower than 6.2%). The recoveries of the organic acids from diluted samples that were spiked at three different concentrations (10, 40 and 100 μg kg⁻¹) ranged from 93 to 98%. The applicability of the method was demonstrated by analyzing the target compounds in a wide variety of foodstuffs including beer, wine, fruit juice, soy sauce, soya milk and honey samples.     

N-isobutyloxycarbonylation for improved detection of 3'-hydroxystanozolol and its 17-epimer in doping control

An improved screening method was developed for 3'-hydroxystanozolol and its 17-epimer in human urine involving gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) with N-isobutyloxycarbonyl (isoBOC) and O-trimethylsilyl (TMS) derivatization. A procedure was reported previously for the pentane extraction of many steroids from urine in doping control, but it was not suitable for the detection of stanozolol metabolites. Compared with the n-pentane extraction method, which gave a poor recovery (< 10%), isoBOC extraction resulted in a good recovery (> 80%). The sensitivity and specificity of mixed N-isoBOC-O-TMS derivatization were adequate for the detection of 3'-hydroxystanozolol and its 17-epimer when 3 ml of urine was used with spiking at a level of 2 ng ml-1. When applied to a stanozolol-positive urine sample, the proposed method allowed rapid and sensitive screening for the detection of 3'-hydroxystanozolol and its 17-epimer.     

Simultaneous determination of tiopronin and d-penicillamine in human urine by liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection

d-Penicillamine and tiopronin are drugs widely used for the treatment of many diseases. Because of the relatively high frequency of side effects to these compounds, some of which are dose-related, drug monitoring in urine samples during treatment is advisable. In this paper, we describe a simple method for the determination of tiopronin and d-penicillamine in human urine. The method was based on derivatization with 2-chloro-1-methylquinolinium tetrafluoroborate followed by ion-pairing reversed-phase liquid chromatography separation and ultraviolet-absorbance detection. 2-S-quinolinium derivatives of thiols were detected at 355 nm. The derivatization was optimized in terms of pH and time of the reaction. Baseline separation was achieved on an analytical Zorbax SB C-18 (5 μm, 150 mm × 4.6 mm) column with a mobile phase consisting of pH 2.0 0.09 mol L⁻¹ trichloroacetic acid buffer (component A) and acetonitrile (component B) pumped at 1.0 mL min⁻¹. Gradient elution was used: 0-4 min, 12% B; 4-8 min, 12-40% B; 8-12 min, 40-12% B. The d-penicillamine and tiopronin standards added to the urine show that the response of the detector is linear within the range studied, from 1 to 200 μmol L⁻¹ urine. The imprecision ranges for tiopronin and d-penicillamine were within 1.61-8.24% and 2.92-10.60%, respectively. The analytical accuracy for determined compounds was from 97.24 to 109.39%. The lower limits of detection and quantitation were 0.5 μmol L⁻¹ and 1.0 μmol L⁻¹ urine, respectively. This method can be used for routine clinical monitoring of the title thiol-drugs. Cysteine can be measured concurrently, if needed.     

Liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometric method for the simultaneous determination of tobacco-specific nitrosamine NNK and its five metabolites

A sensitive and robust high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry method to analyze 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) and its five metabolites in one passage was developed and validated. The method achieved excellent reproducibility and accuracy. Linearity was observed for all six compounds (R² = 0.999) with detection limits (S/N ≥ 3) ranging from 0.2 to 2.4 pg on column and 0.01-0.12 ng ml⁻¹ in samples injected. Average intra-day and inter-day variations (% R.S.D.) were 1.2 and 3.5%, respectively. A sample preparation method involving C8 and C18 solid phase extraction provided satisfactory recovery of the analytes in mouse urine. Each NNK metabolite was identified by its chromatographic retention time and specific fragmentation pattern. Since the carcinogenicity of NNK is related to its metabolism, the method described in this report should facilitate toxicological investigations into the carcinogenesis due to NNK exposure in the environment.     

Determination of testosterone and its metabolites using liquid chromatography with elevated column temperature and flow-rate gradient

A rapid high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for determination of testosterone and its metabolites in biological samples is described. The method combines a flow-rate gradient with elevated column temperature to obtain a complete separation of testosterone and its metabolites. The flow-rate gradient method dramatically reduces the analysis time (17 min) compared with isocratic elution (35 min). This method is simple and reproducible with relative standard deviations (R.S.D.) of <0.1% for retention time and 1-4% for peak area. It provides limits of detection (LOD) in the range of 0.05-0.1 μM for testosterone and its five major metabolites. We applied the method to analyze rat liver microsome samples incubated with testosterone, demonstrating a testosterone metabolic profile due to enzymatic activities in the microsome. Analysis of testosterone and its metabolites is important because metabolism of testosterone is a surrogate measure for cytochrome P-450 (CYP) enzymatic activity.     

代谢组学GC-MS分析方法中样品衍生化技术的新进展

代谢组学是通过考察生物体系受刺激或扰动前后(如某个特定的基因变异或环境变化后)代谢产物的动态变化,研究生物体系代谢网络的一种技术,其研究对象主要是内源性小分子物质.这些物质大部分极性强,难挥发,在气相色谱-质谱分析前,需要进行适当的化学衍生处理.近几年来化学衍生技术发展迅速,本文主要从衍生试剂种类、衍生条件和衍生效果(包括衍生效率、重复性和产物稳定性等)出发,综述了已报道的衍生方法的特点,并展望了衍生技术的发展前景.     

Simultaneous quantitation of seven pyrethroid metabolites in human urine by capillary gas chromatography–mass spectrometry

Pyrethroid insecticides are applied in the residential environment, as well as in agricultural crops, for insect control purpose. We developed and validated an accurate, sensitive, and reproducible analytical method to simultaneously detect seven pyrethroid metabolites, namely, 3‐(2,2‐dichlorovinyl)‐2,2‐dimethyl‐(1‐cyclopropane) carboxylic acid, 3‐(2,2‐dibromovinyl)‐2,2‐dimethyl‐(1‐cyclopropane) carboxylic acid, 3‐phenoxybenzoic acid, 4‐fluoro‐3‐phenoxybenzoic acid, 2‐methyl‐3‐phenylbenzoic acid, 4‐chloro‐α‐isoproply benzeneacetic acid, and 3‐(2‐chloro‐3,3,3‐trifluoroprop‐1‐enyl)‐2,2‐dimethylcyclopropanecarboxylic acid, in human urine. This method employs deconjugation with enzyme, SPE using Agilent C18 cartridges on a RapidTrace SPE workstation, derivatization using hexafluoro isopropanol and N,N′‐diisopropylcarbodiimide, and compounds separation and identification on GC–MS. The detection limits of seven metabolites were 0.02–0.08 ng/mL in urine. The recoveries of seven metabolites were 81–104%, 85–99%, and 83–99% in urine specimens fortified at 0.1, 0.4, and 3.2 ng/mL concentrations, respectively. The overall coefficient of variation was 4.3–10.8% in two quality control specimens which were repeatedly measured during a period of 2 months. This method was applied to urine samples collected from children living in Boston, MA. The median concentrations of six detected pyrethroid metabolites ranged from 0.06 to 0.86 ng/mL in urine.     

加压毛细管电色谱法测定肥胖大鼠尿液中内源性代谢物

利用氯甲酸乙酯作为衍生化试剂,建立了测定尿样中内源性代谢物的加压毛细管电色谱方法。采用毛细管色谱柱EP-150-30/50-5-C18,以0.01%TFA水溶液(A)与0.01%TFA的95%乙腈水溶液(B)组成流动相,加压13MPa;工作电压为2kV;流速0.08mL/min;检测波长214nm;室温;柱上检测;进样体积5μL,同时测定了正常大鼠尿液与肥胖大鼠尿液中几种代谢物的含量。在最佳条件下,6种内源性代谢物在1.2～500mg/L范围内线性良好,相关系数为0.9988～0.9999;日间和日内精密度小于5%;平均加样回收率在95.9%～103.2%之间。本方法用于大鼠尿液中内源性代谢物含量的测定,简单、灵敏、准确。     

Ultrasound-assisted emulsification-microextraction of phenolic preservatives in water

Simultaneous ultrasound-assisted emulsification-microextraction (USAEME) and derivatization combined with gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) is proposed for the first time for the analysis of parabens, triclosan and related phenols in water samples. In situ acetylation was successfully applied for the derivatization of target compounds with high efficiency using non-expensive reagents. The proposed method exhibits many advantages such as simplicity, efficiency, low cost, and minimum solvent consumption. In addition, the whole analytical process, including sample preparation and determination, is performed in only 20 min.A multifactorial experimental design was employed to study and optimize the main variables potentially affecting the microextraction and derivatization processes (extraction solvent, phase ratio, sodium chloride concentration, extraction time, and acetic anhydride volume).The performance of the method was studied in terms of accuracy, linearity, precision, and enrichment factor. Quantitative recoveries (≥85%) were obtained for all target compounds, and method precision was also satisfactory (RSD ≤ 13%) even for complex samples. Enrichment factors ranging from 100 to 200 were obtained, allowing achieving limits of detection at the low picogram per millilitre for most of the target compounds.Several real samples, including wastewaters, river waters and swimming pool water, were analyzed. Since matrix effects were not observed, quantification can easily be performed using external calibration with acetylated standards, allowing a high sample throughput.     

Metabolomic profiling of human urine in hepatocellular carcinoma patients using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry

With the technique of metabolomics, gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), urine or serum metabolites can be assayed to explore disease biomarkers. In this work, we present a metabolomic method to investigate the urinary metabolic difference between hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC, n = 20) male patients and normal male subjects (n = 20). The urinary endogenous metabolome was assayed using chemical derivatization followed by GC/MS. After GC/MS analysis, 103 metabolites were detected, of which 66 were annotated as known compounds. By a two sample t-test statistics with p < 0.05, 18 metabolites were shown to be significantly different between the HCC and control groups. A diagnostic model was constructed with a combination of 18 marker metabolites or together with alphafetoprotein, using principal component analysis and receiver-operator characteristic curves. The multivariate statistics of the diagnostic model yielded a separation between the two groups with an area under the curve value of 0.9275. This non-invasive technique of identifying HCC biomarkers from urine may have clinical utility.     

Analysis of omeprazole and its main metabolites by liquid chromatography using hybrid micellar mobile phases

Omeprazole is a selective inhibitor of gastric acid secretion and is one of the most widely prescribed drugs internationally. A chromatographic procedure that uses micellar mobile phases of sodium dodecyl sulphate and propanol buffered at pH 7 and a C18 column is reported for the determination of omeprazole and its principal metabolites (omeprazole sulphone and hydroxyomeprazole) in urine and serum samples.In this work, direct injection and UV detection set at 305 nm was used. Omeprazole and its metabolites were eluted in less than 11 min with no interference by the protein band or endogenous compounds. Adequate resolution was obtained with a chemometric approach, in which the retention factor and shape of the chromatographic peaks were taken into account. The analytical parameters including linearity (r > 0.9998), intra- and inter-day precision (RSD, %: 0.6-7.9 and 0.14-4.7, respectively) and robustness were studied in the validation of the method for the three compounds. The limits of detection and quantification were less than 6 and 25 ng mL⁻¹, respectively. Recoveries in micellar medium, plasma and urine matrices were in the 98-102% range. Finally, the method was successfully applied to the determination of omeprazole and its metabolites in physiological samples. Omeprazole was also analysed in pharmaceutical formulations.