A method for the determination of histamine in wine by HPLC with precolumn derivatization with phenylisothiocyanate

Summary A method for determining histamine in wine by precolumn derivatization with PITC (phenylisothiocyanate) with reversed-phase HPLC and UV detection is reported. Histamine can be determined together with the 24 amino acids within 40 min, or separately in a shorter time (less than 4 min) if a prior solid phase extraction clean-up is used.     

Sensitive determination of melatonin by precolumn derivatization and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography

A sensitive determination method for melatonin was developed. Melatonin was derivatized under alkaline conditions in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. The resultant fluorophore was excited at 247 nm and the emission wavelength was 384 nm. The Stokes shift was 137 nm, which was longer than that of melatonin itself (lambda ex 280 nm, lambda em 330 nm). The melatonin derivative was separated by reversed-phase HPLC in about 15 min and the calibration curve was linear from 500 amol to 5 pmol (r > 0.999) with the detection limit of 500 amol (S/N = 5). The sensitivity of this method was about ten times higher than that of previous methods. Both the day-to-day precision and within-day precision were about 5%, and the derivative of melatonin in the aqueous solution was stable for more than 10 days. This method was successfully applied to the determination of melatonin in rat pineal gland.     

Methylcellulose-immobilized reversed-phase precolumn for direct analysis of drugs in plasma by HPLC.

We evaluated a new restricted access media (RAM) precolumn for direct analysis of drugs in plasma using a column switching HPLC system. The new RAM material was prepared by the modification of the external surface of porous silica with hydrophilic methylcellulose (MC), followed by modification of the internal surface with octadecylsilane (ODS). The external surface of the MC-immobilized ODS silica material (MC-ODS) suppressed the adsorption of proteins, while the internal surface of MC-ODS retained various types of drugs, such as ketoprofen, propranolol, caffeine and atenolol in plasma samples. In addition, MC-ODS allowed direct analysis of drugs in a 1000-microL plasma sample to monitor trace amounts of analytes contained. Reduced efficiency and clogging of the MC-ODS precolumn and/or the analytical column were not observed even after the repetitive injection of plasma sample up to 40 mL. Our results indicated that the MC-ODS precolumn could be used in pharmacodynamic and clinical studies.     

Evaluation of conditions for the HPLC determination of plasma amino acids using precolumn derivatization

For the determination of free amino acids in plasma, the conditions for precolumn derivatization of the amino acids and the chromatographic separation were examined. The isoindole products, formed by the reaction of the primary amino acids with orthophthalaldehyde (OPA), were readily separated by RPLC and detected spectrofluorometrically using an excitation wave-length of 300 nm and an emission cut-off filter of 440 nm. Since the sensitivity of this method permits determination of amino acids in the femtomole range, the analysis can be performed on samples as small as 10 μl of filtered plasma or serum. The separation is achieved in approximately 35 minutes with good precision for the majority of the amino acids.     

Simultaneous determination of diethylene glycol and propylene glycol in pharmaceutical products by HPLC after precolumn derivatization with p-toluenesulfonyl isocyanate

A simple and reliable HPLC method was developed for the simultaneous quantitative analysis of diethylene glycol (DEG) and propylene glycol (PG) in pharmaceutical products by precolumn derivatization. The derivatization reagent p-toluenesulfonyl isocyanate (TSIC, 10 microL, 20% in ACN v/v) was added to 100 microL of the sample, and then 10 muL of water was added. The resulting derivatives were separated using a C(18)analytical column and a mobile phase composed of 0.01 M KH(2)PO(4)buffer (adjusted to pH 2.5 with phosphoric acid) and ACN (47:53 v/v) at 1 mL/min and 25 degrees C. For detection, UV light at 227 nm was used. The derivatization conditions including reaction time, temperature, and concentration of TSIC were optimized. The calibration curves were linear from 0.062 to 18.6 microg/mL (r(2)= 0.9999) and from 0.071 to 21.3 microg/mL (r(2) = 0.9999) for DEG and PG, respectively. The RSD values of intra- and interday assays were all below 4% for DEG and PG. The proposed method was then successfully applied to analyze two Armillarisin A injection samples and two spiked syrup samples.     

Study on a new precolumn derivatization method in the determination of metformin hydrochloride

Metformin hydrochloride is successfully determined by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with a new precolumn derivatization method using 9,10-anthraquinone-2-sulfonyl chloride as the derivatization agent. Several derivatization systems are tried to optimize the derivatization conditions, and a new post-derivatization treatment method is established. The derivatization product is analyzed on a Lichrosper C18 column (6.0 mm x 150 mm, 5 microm) at 256 nm with methanol-water (70:30, v/v) as the mobile phase. The calibration curves of the derivatives for the UV detector (0.01-4 mg/L) are linear with respect to peak area. The detection limit (peak area) for the metformin hydrochloride is 0.01 mg/L for a signal-to-noise ratio of 3:1. In human plasma, the detection limit is 0.02 mg/L. This assay is rapid, sensitive, and highly reproducible.     

A rapid method for the determination of benzylpenicillin in serum by reversed-phase HPLC

A simple procedure for the determination of benzylpenicillin in serum is described. The assay involves the extraction of the drug and the internal standard (phenoxymethylpenicillinic acid) from the sample into dichloromethane, using tetrabutylammonium hydrogen sulfate neutralized with NaOH and buffered with citrate as an ion-pairing reagent. RP-HPLC was performed on a Spherisorb 5 ODS column, eluting the drugs isocratically with 14% acetonitrile in 10 mM ammonium acetate buffer. Monitoring was by UV detection at 208 nm. Our results show that the method is accurate and reproducible, permitting quantification of serum levels of benzylpenicillin without interference from other drugs commonly used in therapy. Analytical recovery was greater than 79.2%.     

Optimized determination of thiochrome derivatives of thiamine and thiamine phosphates in whole blood by reversed-phase liquid chromatography with precolumn derivatization

A liquid chromatographic method involving precolumn derivatization for determining thiamine and its phosphate esters in human blood has been optimized. Blood sample stored at - 20 degrees C were haemolysed and deproteinized by perchloric acid. The supernatants of the samples were oxidized by addition of potassium ferricyanide-sodium hydroxide, and phosphoric acid was added to obtain a neutral pH in order to extend the column life. The samples were stable after derivatization for at least 24 h, if protected from light and kept at room temperature. Gradient separation with 140 mmol phosphate buffer (pH 7.0), and methanol, tert-butylammonium hydroxide and dimethylformamide as modifiers, on a 3-microns Chromsphere octadecylsilica column gave an analysis time of 15 min. The method was found to be very suitable for the determination of thiamine components in whole blood. The minimal detectable amount is 0.5 nmol/l and the method is linear to at least 1000 nmol/l. The recovery (98 +/- 3%) and precision are very good.     

HPLC fluorescence determination of nitrites in water using precolumn derivatization with 4-methyl-7-aminocoumarin

Summary A rapid, simple, and sensitive method is described for determination of nitrites in water. Nitrite (NO₂–) ions react with coumarin 120^® (4-methyl-7-aminocoumarin) in sulfuric acid medium to give the corresponding 7-diazo compound. After hydrolysis, this latter yields (95%) the highly fluorescent 4-methyl-7-hydroxycoumarin (4-methylumbelliferone) which is fluorimetrically detected at 380 nm after excitation at 325 nm.In order to avoid interference from both excess coumarin 120^® and the trace amounts of 4-methylumbelliferone which occurs in coumarin 120^® as an impurity, use of HPLC is mandatory; a satisfactory separation is obtained on a cyano stationary phase with apolar hexane-isopropanol (955, v/v) as eluent. Under these conditions, linearity of response is obtained from 1 to 30 g.L^–1 of NO₂–; the limit of detection is 0.5 g.L^–1. The repeatability and reproducibility, expressed as RSD %, are 2.5 and 4.7 % respectively, for n=6 and 5 g.L^–, analytical characteristics which demonstrate the reliability of the proposed method.     

Development of a validated HPLC method for the determination of four penicillin antibiotics in pharmaceuticals and human biological fluids

A quantitative method for the determination of four penicillin antibiotics, amoxicillin (AMO), oxacillin (OXA), cloxacillin (CLO), and dicloxacillin (DICLO), has been developed. Separation was achieved on an Inertsil ODS-3 (250 x 4 mm, 5 microm) column after selective extraction of penicillin drugs from biological matrices by means of SPE. Gradient elution with a mobile phase consisting of 0.1% TFA (pH 1) and ACN, and PDA detection with monitoring at 240 nm was applied. Salicylic acid (5 ng/microL) was used as the internal standard. RP-8 Adsorbex Merck cartridges provided high absolute recoveries (98-101%). The developed method was fully validated in terms of selectivity, linearity, accuracy, precision, stability, and sensitivity. Repeatability (n = 8) and between-day precision (n = 8) revealed RSD <10%. Recoveries from biological samples ranged from 91 to 103%. The detection limits were estimated as 3.3 ng for AMO, OXA, and CLO, and 6.6 for DICLO in blood plasma. LOD in whole blood and urine was 6.6 ng. Injection volume was 20 microL. The method was applied to commercially available AMO containing pharmaceuticals and spiked biological matrices. The method was also applied to biological samples after AMO oral administration, where the drug was successfully identified and quantified.     

High-performance liquid chromatographic method for determination of amino acids by precolumn derivatization with 4-chloro-3,5-dinitrobenzotrifluoride

This work presents an high-performance liquid chromatography method for the determination of amino acids after precolumn derivatization with 4-chloro-3,5-dinitrobenzotrifluoride (CNBF) which can readily react with both primary and secondary amines. The precolumn derivatization conditions, including the CNBF concentration, reaction pH, temperature and reaction time were investigated for method optimization. In pH 9.0 borate buffer, the reaction of amino acids with CNBF was carried out at 60 °C for 30 min, the optimized concentration of CNBF was 70 mmol L⁻¹ and the molar ratio of amino acids to CNBF was 1:5.25. The chromatographic separation of 19 amino acids derivatives was performed on a Kromasil ODS C₁₈ column (250 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) with good reproducibility, and ultraviolet detection was applied at 260 nm. The mobile phase was a mixture of phase A (acetonitrile) and phase B (acetate buffer, acetonitrile, triethylamine; 82.8:17:0.2, pH 4.9), and the flow rate was 0.4 mL min⁻¹. The separation of all the labeled amino acids was achieved within 45 min at room temperature by gradient elution mode. The method linearity, calculated for each amino acid, had a correlation coefficient higher than 0.9979, in concentrations ranging from 9.60 to 3330.00 μmol L⁻¹. The detection limits of amino acids were 2.40-6.50 μmol L⁻¹, at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3. The proposed method was applied for the determination of amino acids in beer with recoveries of 97.0-103.9% and relative standard deviations of 2.62-4.22%, respectively. This method showed good accuracy and repeatability that can be used for the quantification of amino acids in real samples.     

An improved method for the determination of S-Carboxymethyl-L-cysteine in biological fluids with precolumn derivatization and on-line clean-up

Summary In order to follow levels of S-Carboxymethyl-L-cysteine in biological fluids for a period as long as three half-lives after drug administration during pharmacokinetic studies, an improved method for its determination had to be developed. Like the previous one, this method uses a protein precipitation step followed by an O-Phthalaldehyde derivatization step and then an HPLC on-line clean-up. This latter was obtained by means of a switching valve system, including a Nucleosil CN 5 m (3 cm × 4.6 mm i.d.) precolumn and a Spherisorb ODS 5 m (15 cm×4.6 mm i.d.) analytical column. The sensitivity limit was improved to 0.1 g/ml in plasma samples and 0.2 g/ml in urine samples.This method was applied in studies comparing single (0.75 g) and repeated (0.75 g tid) oral administration of the drug to 30 elderly patients and 20 healthy volunteers. Results showed that the half-life was 40% longer in elderly patients than in healthy volunteers, and that area under the plasma concentration versus time curve (AUC) values in elderly patients were twice those obtained with young subjects.     

Multiresidue chromatographic method for the determination of macrolide residues in muscle by high-performance liquid chromatography with UV detection.

A high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method for the simultaneous determination of tilmicosin, tylosin, spiramycin, and its major metabolite neospiramycin was developed that is suitable for porcine, bovine, and poultry muscles. Macrolide residues were extracted from muscle with acetonitrile, fat was removed by liquid-liquid extraction with isooctane, and the extract was then cleaned on Bond Elut C18 cartridges. The HPLC separation was performed on an Inertsil ODS3 C18 column (150 x 4 mm) with 0.05% trifluoroacetic acid-acetonitrile in a gradient mode. Two different chromatographic gradients were used for tilmicosin-tylosin and spiramycin-neospiramycin, and the detection wavelengths were 287 and 232 nm, respectively. The method was validated from 1/2 the maximum residue limit (MRL) to 4 times the MRL with pork muscle samples. Mean recoveries were 60, 63.5, 51, and 42% for tilmicosin, tylosin, spiramycin, and neospiramycin, respectively. The detection limits are 15 micrograms/kg for tilmicosin and tylosin, 30 micrograms/kg for spiramycin, and 25 micrograms/kg for neospiramycin. Linearity, precision, and accuracy of the method were also tested.     

Determination of benzylpenicillin, oxacillin, cloxacillin, and dicloxacillin in cows' milk by ion-pair high-performance liquid chromatography after precolumn derivatization

A high-performance liquid-chromatographic method has been developed for the determination of five penicillin compounds (benzylpenicillin, phenoxymethylpenicillin, oxacillin, cloxacillin, and dicloxacillin) at trace levels in commercially available milk samples. This method comprises extraction of the lipids with ethyl acetate, clean-up and concentration on a C-18 solid-phase extraction column, and derivatization with 1,2,4-triazole and mercury(II) chloride solution, pH 8, at 65 degrees C for 10 min. The derivatized compounds are eluted from a C-2 column with a mobile phase containing acetonitrile and phosphate buffer loaded with sodium thiosulfate and tetrabutylammonium hydrogen sulfate as ion-pairing reagent. The limit of determination was found to be 4 microg L(-1) milk for benzylpenicillin and 10 microg L(-1) for the others. This meets EU criteria according to decision No. 93/256/EEC.     

HPLC determination of colistin and aminoglycoside antibiotics in feeds by post-column derivatization and fluorescence detection

Summary Reversed-phase, HPLC methods employing post-column derivatization and fluorescence detection were developed for the determination of the peptide colistin and four aminoglycoside antibiotics in feeds. Extraction of the analytes was by sonication and shaking with dilute hydrochloric acid. Post-column derivatization was performed using orthophtaldialdehyde-2-mercaptoethanol chemistry. Assay of colistin was by using an acetonitrile-aqueous sodium sulphate-triethylammonium phosphate (pH 2.8) eluent. Aminoglycoside antibiotics:amikacin, kanamycin, gentamycin and neomycin were analyzed using a tetrahydrofuran-aqueous sodium sulphate-sodium pentanesulphonate-acetic acid mobile phase. The method was also applied to some pharmaceutical preparations. Preliminary results showed that the method can be adapted for the assay of the above antibiotics in meat and animal serum for residue and pharmacokinetic studies. Presented at: Balaton Symposium on High-Performance Separation Methods, Siófok, Hungary, September 3–5, 1997.     

Development of an ion-pair reversed-phase HPLC method with indirect UV detection for determination of phosphates and phosphites as impurities in sodium risedronate

A method based on RP-HPLC with indirect UV detection was developed for the determination of phosphates and phosphites as impurities in sodium risedronate. RP separation of the phosphates and phosphites was achieved by adding tetrabutylammonium hydroxide as an ion-pairing agent in the mobile phase. Potassium hydrogen phthalate was added to the mobile phase as an ionic chromophore in order to obtain high background absorption of the mobile phase. Separation was performed on a C18 column using a mixture of pH 8.2 buffer (containing 0.5 mM tetrabutylammonium hydroxide and 1 mM phthalate) and acetonitrile (95 + 5, v/v) as the mobile phase, with indirect UV detection at 248 nm. The validation of the method included determination of specificity/selectivity, linearity, LOD, LOQ, accuracy, precision, and robustness. The LOD was 0.86 microg/mL for phosphates and 0.76 microg/mL for phosphites. The LOQ was 2.60 microg/mL for phosphates and 2.29 microg/mL for phosphites. The developed method is suitable for quantitative determination of phosphates and phosphites as impurities in QC of sodium risedronate.