Separation of L-DOPA and four metabolites in plasma using a porous graphitic carbon column in capillary liquid chromatography

Summary A sensitive HPLC method with marbofloxacin (MAR) as internal standard and fluorescence detection is described for the analysis of ofloxacin (OFL) enantiomers in plasma samples. Plasma samples were prepared by adding phosphate buffer (pH 7.4, 0.1m), then extracted with trichloromethane.S-OFL,R-OFL, and the internal standard were separated on a reversed-phase column with water-methanol, 85.5∶14.5, as mobile phase. The concentrations ofS-OFL andR-OFL eluting from the column (retention times 7.5 and 8.7 min, respectively) were monitored by fluorescence detection withλ _ex = 331 andλ _em = 488 nm. The detection and quantitation limits were 10 and 20 ng mL⁻¹, respectively, forS-OFL and 11 and 21 ng mL⁻¹ forR-OFL. Response was linearly related to concentration in the range 10 to 2500 ng mL⁻¹. Recovery was close to 93% for both compounds. The method was applied to determination of the enantiomers of OFL in plasma samples collected during pharmacokinetic studies.     

Simultaneous determination of enrofloxacin and its primary metabolite, ciprofloxacin, in chicken tissues

Summary An HPLC method with fluorescence detection is presented for the analysis of enrofloxcin (ENR) and ciprofloxacin (CIP) in chicken tissue using sarafloxacin (SAR) as internal standard. Tissue sample preparations were carried out by adding a phosphate buffer (pH 7.4, 0.1 M), followed by extraction with trichloromethane. Fluoroquinolones were separated on a reversed-phase column with a mobile phase of aqueous phosphate buffer-acetonitrile (80:20). The concentrations of CIP, ENR and SAR eluted off the column, with retention times of 2.28, 3.30 and 4.40, respectively, were monitored by fluorescence detection atλ _ex 338 andλ _em 425 nm. The detection limit was 32 ng g⁻¹ for CIP and 10 ng g⁻¹ for ENR. The standard curves were linearly related to concentration in the range of 1 to 2000 ng g⁻¹. Recovery was determinated as 91.3% and 78.3% for ENR and CIP, respectively. The measurement of the tissue levels of ENR and CIP in the chicken after oral administration confirmed the utility of the proposed analytical methodology.     

Analysis of ofloxacin in plasma samples by high-performance liquid chromatography

Summary A sensitive HPLC method has been developed for determination of ofloxacin (OFL) in biological fluids. Sample preparation was performed by adding phosphate buffer (pH 7.4, 0.1m) then extraction with trichloromethane. OFL and the internal standard, sarafloxacin (SAR), were separated on a reversed-phase column with aqueous phosphate solution-acetonitrile, 80∶20, as mobile phase. The fluorescence of the column effluent was monitored at λ_ex 338 and λ_em 425 nm. The retention times were 2.66 and 4.24 min for OFL and SAR, respectively, and the detection and quantitation limits were 8 and 15 ng mL⁻¹, respectively. Plots of response against ofloxacin concentration were linear in the range 8 to 2000 ng mL⁻¹. Recovery was 92.9% for OFL.     

Simultaneous determination of difloxacin and its primary metabolite sarafloxacin in rabbit plasma

Summary An HPLC method with fluorescence detection is presented for the analysis of difloxacin (DIF) and sarafloxacin (SAR) in rabbit plasma using norfloxacin (NOR) as internal standard (Figure 1). Plasma sample preparations were carried out by adding phosphate buffer (pH 7.4, 0.1 M), followed by extraction with trichloromethane. Fluoroquinolones were separated on a reversed-phase column using an aqueous phosphate solution-acetonitrile (82:18) mobile phase. The concentrations of NOR, SAR and DIF eluting off the column, with retention times of 2.16, 5.60 and 6.20, respectively, were monitored by fluorescence detection atλ _ex 338 andλ _em 425 nm. The quantitation limit was 12 ng mL⁻¹ for SAR and DIF. Standard curves were linearly related to concentration in the range from 1 to 1500 ng mL⁻¹. Recovery was determined as 76% and 70% for SAR and DIF, respectively. Inter-and intraassay coefficients of variation were less than 6% for all compounds.     

Determination of sub-ppb reserpine by an optosensing device based on photochemically induced fluorescence

A flow injection–solid-phase spectroscopy (FI-SPS) system implemented with photochemically induced fluorescence (PIF) is described for the rapid and very sensitive determination of reserpine in biological fluids and pharmaceutical formulations. An intensively fluorescent photoproduct is in-line generated, retained on C₁₈ silica gel in the detection area and monitored at 394/489 nm (λ _ex/λ _em). After the establishment of the appropriate working variables, the system is calibrated at two different injection volumes, 100 and 800 μL, achieving detection limits of 0.33 and 0.05 ng mL⁻¹, respectively. The RSD for reserpine at 2 ng mL⁻¹ (800 μL) was 1.5% (n = 10). The sampling rates were 46 and 43 h⁻¹ for each injection volume, respectively. The potential interference of some common species coexisting with reserpine in the analysed samples was also studied. The procedure was successfully applied to commercial formulations, urine and serum without any previous treatment of samples. Recoveries ranged from 94.9 to 100.2%.     

Direct analysis of clomipramine in human plasma by microbore high performance liquid chromatography with column-switching

Summary An automated microbore, liquid chromatographic method with column-switching was developed for the determination of clomipramine from human plasma samples. After direct injection of samples (60 μL), plasma proteins and clomipramine were separated in size-exclusion mode using 20% acetonitrile in 20 mM phosphate buffer (pH 7.0) on Capcell Pak MF Ph-1 precolumn (10×4 mm I.D.). By valve switching, a fraction containing clomipramine was directed to an intermediate column for subsequent main separation on a microbore C₁₈ column (250×1.5 mm I.D.) using 50% acetonitrile in 20 mM phosphate buffer (pH 2.5) at 0.1 mL min⁻¹. The method was advantageous for rapidity (total analysis time: 15 min), reproducibility (C.V.<4.8%), and increased sensitivity (1 ng mL⁻¹). The linearity of response was good (r ²≥0.999) over the concentration range 1–250 ng mL⁻¹.     

Resolution of an intense sweetener mixture by use of a flow injection sensor with on-line solid-phase extraction

An integrated solid-phase spectrophotometry–FIA method is proposed for simultaneous determination of the mixture of saccharin (1,2-benzisothiazol-3(2H)-one-1,1-dioxide; E-954) (SA) and aspartame (N-l-α-aspartyl-l-phenylalanine-1-methyl ester; E-951) (AS). The procedure is based on on-line preconcentration of AS on a C₁₈ silica gel minicolumn and separation from SA, followed by measurement, at λ=210 nm, of the absorbance of SA which is transiently retained on the adsorbent Sephadex G-25 placed in the flow-through cell of a monochannel FIA setup using pH 3.0 orthophosphoric acid–dihydrogen phosphate buffer, 3.75×10^–3 mol L⁻¹, as carrier. Subsequent desorption of AS with methanol enables its determination at λ=205 nm. With a sampling frequency of 10 h⁻¹, the applicable concentration range, the detection limit, and the relative standard deviation were from 1.0 to 200.0 μg mL⁻¹, 0.30 μg mL⁻¹, and 1.0% (80 μg mL⁻¹, n=10), respectively, for SA and from 10.0 to 200.0 μg mL⁻¹, 1.4 μg mL⁻¹, and 1.6% (100 μg mL⁻¹, n=10) for AS. The method was used to determine the amounts of aspartame and saccharin in sweets and drinks. Recovery was always between 99 and 101%. The method enabled satisfactory determination of blends of SA and AS in low-calorie and dietary products and the results were compared with those from an HPLC reference method.     

Direct GC determination of methylmercury chloride on HBr-methanol-treated capillary columns

Summary Gas chromatography with electron capture detection (GC-ECD) for the analysis of methylmercury choloride (MMC) using a packed column and a capillary column has been investigated. The columns were 2% silicone OV-227 Uniport HP glass column and a DB-17 capillary column, each pretreated by about ten injections of HBr-methanol solution. MMC was separated as a sharp peak by the HBr-teated column and determined directly by ECD without derivatisation. The mass spectrum of MMC indicated that halide exchange from chloride to bromide proceeded during separation. The minimum detectable concentrations were approximately 5 ng mL⁻¹ on the packed column, and 2 ng mL⁻¹ on the capillary. Calibration curves showed good linearity between 5–200 ng mL⁻¹ for the packed column, and between 2–200 ng mL⁻¹ for the capillary. Relative standard deviations of peak areas were 0.95% for the packed column and 0.43% for the capillary at the level of 100 ng mL⁻¹ in both cases. The column treatment technique was applicable to determination of methylmercury in fish samples.     

Sensitive determination of 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG) in human plasma by HPLC with electrochemical detection

Summary This study deals with the development of a new HPLC method for the determination of 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG), the main noradrenaline metabolite in human plasma. A Varian reversed-phase column (C₈; 250 mm×4.6 mm i.d.; 5 μm particles) was used as the stationary phase and an aqueous solution of citric acid, 1-octanesulfonic acid, EDTA, and methanol was used as the mobile phase. Coulometric electrochemical detection (ED) was used to obtain the highest sensitivity. Isolation of MHPG from plasma was accomplished by means of a new solid-phase extraction procedure after a protein precipitation step. The extraction yield of MHPG from plasma was very high (>97%). Linearity was observed in the 0.5–25 ng mL⁻¹ concentration range; the limit of detection was 0.2 ng mL⁻¹ and the limit of quantitation was 0.5 ng mL⁻¹. Repeatability (RSD,%) for plasma samples was found to be <3.2% and intermediate precision was <4.3%. The method was applied to the determination of MHPG in the plasma of healthy subjects under experimentally-induced psychological stress.     

Automated high-performance liquid chromatographic determination of amphetamine in biological fluids using column-switching and on-column derivatization

Summary A rapid and simple liquid-chromatographic method has been developed for on-line quantification of amphetamine in biological fluids. Untreated samples (20 μL) are injected directly into the chromatographic system and purified on a 20 mm×2.1 mm i.d. pre-column packed with 30 μm Hypersil C₁₈ stationary phase. After clean-up the analyte is transferred to the analytical column (125 mm×4 mm i.d., 5 μm LiChrospher 100 RP₁₈) for derivatization and separation using a mixture of acetonitrile and the derivatization reagent (o-phthaldialdehyde andN-acetyl-L-cysteine) as the mobile phase. The experimental conditions for on-line derivatization and resolution of the amphetamine have been optimized, and the results have been compared with those obtained by derivatizing the analyte in pre-column mode. The method described has been applied to the determination of amphetamine in plasma and urine. Good linearity and reproducibility were obtained in the 0.1–10.0 μg mL⁻¹ concentration range, and limits of detection were 25 ng mL⁻¹ and 10 ng mL⁻¹ with UV and fluorescence detection, respectively. The procedure described is very simple and rapid, because no off-line manipulation of the sample is required; the total analysis time is approximately 8 min.     

Enantioselectivity of 6-O-alkyldimethylsilyl-2,3-di-O-methyl-β-cyclodextrins as chiral stationary phases in capillary GC

Summary Clenbuterol has been determined in urine by solidphase extraction on a C₁₈ cartridge, diazotization of the eluate with nitrite, coupling of the diazonium ion with 1-(naphthyl)ethylenediamine, and separation of the azo dye formed by HPLC with a C₁₈ column and a micellar mobile phase containing 0.1 M sodium dodecyl sulphate, 12%n-butanol and 0.05 M citrate buffer, pH 3. Recoveries higher than 90% were obtained by mixing the samples with a 20% 0.2 M NaOH before extraction. Limits of detection of 51 and 6.7 ng L⁻¹ were obtained with spectrophotometric and thermal lens spectrometric detection, respectively; respective repeatabilities were 3.1% (5 μg mL⁻¹) and 5.6% (0.16 μg mL⁻¹).     

Simple LC Method with Chemiluminescence Detection for Simultaneous Determination of Arbutin and l-Ascorbic Acid in Whitening Cosmetics

Simultaneous determination of arbutin (ART) and l-ascorbic acid (AA) by HPLC with chemiluminescence detection is proposed for the first time. This method is based on the CL reaction of acidic potassium permanganate with ART and AA in the presence of formaldehyde as enhancer. The separation was performed on a C₁₈ column with a 90:10 (v/v) mixture of 0.02 M phosphate buffer and methanol as mobile phase. The effects of several conditions on HPLC resolution and CL emission were studied systematically. The linear ranges were 0.5–50 and 1–200 μg mL⁻¹ for ART and AA, respectively. The detection limits were 0.2 and 0.3 μg mL⁻¹, respectively. The method was successfully applied to the determination of ART and AA in whitening cosmetics.     

Determination of olanzapine and desmethylolanzapine in the plasma of schizophrenic patients by means of an improved HPLC method with amperometric detection

Summary An improved HPLC method with electrochemical detection has been developed for the determination of olanzapine and its main metabolite, desmethylolanzapine, in human plasma. Chromatographic separation and analysis were performed on a C₈ reversed-phase column with a mixture of methanol, acetonitrile, and pH 3.7 phosphate buffer as mobile phase; 2-methylolanzapine was used as internal standard. Careful pretreatment of the plasma samples was implemented by means of solid phase extraction (SPE). Response was linearly dependent on concentration and precision was satisfactory over the concentration range 0.5–75.0 ng mL⁻¹ for both analytes. The limit of detection was 0.2 ng mL⁻¹ for both analytes. Application to plasma samples of patients treated with Zyprexa tablets gave good results. Because of its sensitivity and selectivity, and the need for small plasma samples, this method seems to be a useful tool for clinical monitoring.     

Development of a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry method for the determination of ursolic acid in rat plasma and tissue: application to the pharmacokinetic and tissue distribution study

A fast and sensitive liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry method was developed for the determination of ursolic acid (UA) in rat plasma and tissues. Glycyrrhetinic acid was used as the internal standard (IS). Chromatographic separation was performed on a 3.5 μm Zorbax SB-C18 column (30 mm × 2.1 mm) with a mobile phase consisting of methanol and aqueous 10 mM ammonium acetate using gradient elution. Quantification was performed by selected ion monitoring with (m/z)⁻ 455 for UA and (m/z)⁻ 469 for the IS. The method was validated in the concentration range of 2.5 − 1470 ng mL⁻¹ for plasma samples and 20 − 11760 ng g⁻¹ for tissue homogenates. The intra- and inter-day assay of precision in plasma and tissues ranged from 1.6% to 7.1% and 3.7% to 9.0%, respectively, and the intra- and inter-day assay accuracy was 84.2 − 106.9% and 82.1 − 108.1%, respectively. Recoveries in plasma and tissues ranged from 83.2% to 106.2%. The limits of detections were 0.5 ng mL⁻¹ or 4.0 ng g⁻¹. The recoveries for all samples were >90%, except for liver, which indicated that ursolic acid may metabolize in liver. The main pharmacokinetic parameters obtained were T _max = 0.42 ± 0.11 h, C _max = 1.10 ± 0.31 μg mL⁻¹, AUC = 1.45 ± 0.21 μg h mL⁻¹ and K _a = 5.64 ± 1.89 h⁻¹. The concentrations of UA in rat lung, spleen, liver, heart, and cerebellum were studied for the first time. This method is validated and could be applicable to the investigation of the pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution of UA in rats.     

Analysis of Benzidine and Dichlorobenzidine at Trace Levels in Water by Silylation and Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry

Conditions for silylation of benzidine (BZ) and 3,3′-dichlorobenzidine (DCBZ) have been optimized. Reactivity, repeatability, and derivative stability were compared for the silylating reagents N-Methyl-N-(trimethylsilyl)trifluoroacetamide (MSTFA) and N-Methyl-N-(tert-butyldimethylsilyl)trifluoroacetamide (MTBDMSTFA) and the catalysts 3% trimethylsilylimidazole (TMS-I) and 0.3% NH₄-I–dithioerythritol. The results showed that derivatization with MTBDMSTFA/NH₄-I containing 0.1 mg dithioerythritol was superior to other methods. The silylation conditions selected were reaction with (MTBDMSTFA)–NH₄I, 1000:3, with catalysis by dithioerythritol, at 80 °C for 80 min. The TBDMS derivatives of BZ and DCBZ had very good chromatographic properties and very sensitive detection was achieved by gas chromatography with electron-impact ionization mass spectrometry (GC-EIMS). Simultaneous determination of BZ and DCBZ in water was developed on the basis of the TBDMS derivatives. Deuterated BZ (d8-BZ) was chosen as internal standard (IS) for analysis of water samples. BZ and DCBZ were extracted from water at pH 8.5 with dichloromethane and the extract was then dried and silylated. Recoveries of BZ and DCBZ were approximately 102 and 103% at a concentration of 2.0 ng mL⁻¹. The coefficients of variation for BZ and DCBZ were less than 9 and 4% at concentrations of 0.2 and 0.5 ng mL⁻¹, respectively. The method detection limits for 200 mL water were 0.004 ng mL⁻¹ for BZ and 0.02 ng mL⁻¹ for DCBZ.     

Determination of Aldehydes and Ketones in Fuel Ethanol by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography with Electrochemical Detection

A new methodology was developed for analysis of aldehydes and ketones in fuel ethanol by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled to electrochemical detection. The electrochemical oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, 2-furfuraldehyde, butyraldehyde, acetone and methyl ethyl ketone derivatized with 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH) at glassy carbon electrode present a well defined wave at +0.94 V; +0.99 V; +1.29 V; +1.15 V and +1.18 V, respectively which are the basis for its determination on electrochemical detector. The carbonyl compounds derivatized were separated by a reverse-phase column under isocratic conditions with a mobile phase containing a binary mixture of methanol / LiClO_4(aq) at a concentration of 1.0 × 10⁻³ mol L⁻¹ (80:20 v/v) and a flow-rate of 1.1mL min⁻¹ . The optimum potential for the electrochemical detection of aldehydes-DNPH and ketones-DNPH was +1.0 V vs. Ag/AgCl. The analytical curve of aldehydes-DNPH and ketones-DNPH presented linearity over the range 5.0 to 400.0 ng mL⁻¹, with detection limits of 1.7 to 2.0 ng mL⁻¹ and quantification limits from 5.0 to 6.2 ng mL⁻¹, using injection volume of 20 μL. The proposed methodology was simple, low time-consuming (15 min/analysis) and presented analytical recovery higher than 95%.     

LC–ESI–MS for Rapid and Sensitive Determination of Aripiprazole in Human Plasma

A rapid, sensitive, and accurate high-performance liquid-chromatographic–mass spectrometric (HPLC–MS) method, with estazolam as internal standard, has been developed and validated for determination of aripiprazole in human plasma. After liquid–liquid extraction the compound was analyzed by HPLC on a C₁₈ column, with acetonitrile—30 mm ammonium acetate containing 0.1% formic acid, 58:42 (v/v), as mobile phase, coupled with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). The protonated analyte was quantified by selected-ion recording (SIR) with a quadrupole mass spectrometer in positive-ion mode. Calibration plots were linear over the concentration range 19.9–1119.6 ng mL⁻¹. Intra-day and inter-day precision (CV%) and accuracy (RE%) for quality-control samples (37.3, 124.4, and 622.0 ng mL⁻¹) ranged between 2.5 and 9.0% and between 1.3 and 3.5%, respectively. Extraction recovery of aripiprazole from plasma was in the range 75.8–84.1%. The method enables rapid, sensitive, precise, and accurate measurement of the concentration of aripiprazole in human plasma.     

Quantitative Determination of Acyclovir in Aqueous Humor by LC-MS

A specific, sensitive and precise liquid chromatographic assay method was established using LC-MS for the determination of acyclovir (ACV) in aqueous humor (AH), which was directly injected onto an Inertsil ODS-3 C₁₈ column without any pretreatment. The Agilent 1100 series LC–MS system was operated under the electrospray ionization mode (ESI). The analyte was separated from endogenous substances with a mobile phase of methanol: water: acetic acid (5:95:0.1, v/v) at a flow-rate of 0.3mL min⁻¹. A linear response was observed over the concentration range from 5 to 50ng mL⁻¹ (r=0.9993). Intra- and inter-day coefficients of variation were in the ranges 5.2–9.0% and 5.8–8.2%, respectively. The recovery was > 91.0%, and the limit of detection was approximate 1ng mL⁻¹. The pharmacokinetics of topically applied eye-drop and thermosetting gel were compared in rabbits utilizing the present method, the results demonstrated that LC-MS was a powerful tool for the detection of ACV in AH.     

High-Performance Liquid Chromatographic Determination of Cefepime and Cefazolin in Human Plasma and Dialysate

A simple high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method was developed for the simultaneous determination of cefepime and cefazolin in human plasma and dialysate. For component separation, the method utilized a C₁₈ column with an aqueous mobile phase of dibasic potassium hydrogen phosphate (pH 7.0) and methanol gradient at a flow rate of 1 mL min⁻¹. The method demonstrated linearity from 2.0 to 100.0 μg mL⁻¹ (r > 0.999) with detection limit of 1 μg mL⁻¹ for both cefepime and cefazolin. The method was utilized for evaluation of plasma and dialysate samples in a clinical study evaluating the dialyzer clearance of cefepime and cefazolin using high-flux hemodialysis with varying blood flow rates in chronic kidney failure patients undergoing hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis treatment.     

Simultaneous Determination of Cyanazine, Chlorotoluron and Chlorbenzuron in Environmental Water Samples with SPE Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes and LC

In this paper, a new method based on solid-phase extraction with multiwalled carbon nanotubes as the packed materials for sensitive determination of cyanazine, chlorotoluron and chlorbenzuron in environmental water samples was demonstrated. Related parameters that may influence the enrichment efficiency of multiwalled carbon nanotubes such as the kind and volume of elute, sample flow rate, sample pH, and volume of the water samples were investigated. Under the optimum conditions, the detection limits of cyanazine, chlorbenzuron and chlorotoluron were 0.015, 0.012, 0.034 ng mL⁻¹, respectively. The experimental results indicated a good linearity (R ² > 0.9947) over the concentration range of 0.4–40 ng mL⁻¹ for cyanazine and chlorotoluron, and 0.8–80 ng mL⁻¹ for chlorbenzuron. The relative standard deviations of the three analytes were 3.54, 1.55 and 1.38%, respectively. The established method also was applied to the analysis of the real-world water samples and excellent achievements were obtained with average spiked recoveries from 87.8 to 110.1%. All the results indicated that this procedure could allow the simultaneous determination of these three compounds in environmental water samples at trace levels.