Liquid chromatographic determination of microcystins in water samples following pre-column excimer fluorescence derivatization with 4-(1-pyrene)butanoic acid hydrazide

A method to measure the concentrations of microcystins (MCs) in water samples has been developed by incorporating pre-column fluorescence derivatization and liquid chromatography (LC). A solid-phase extraction for pretreatment was used to extract the MCs in water samples. The MCs were derivatized with excimer-forming 4-(1-pyrene)butanoic acid hydrazide (PBH). The MCs could then be detected by fluorescence after separation with a pentafluorophenyl (PFP)-modified superficially porous (core shell) particle LC column. The derivatization reactions of MCs with PBH proceeded easily in the presence of 4,6-dimethoxy-1,3,5-triazin-2-yl-4-methylmorpholinium (DMT-MM) as a condensation reagent, and the resulting derivatives could be easily separated on the PFP column. The derivatives were selectively detected at excimer fluorescence wavelengths (440–540 nm). The instrument detection limit and the instrument quantification limit of the MCs standards were 0.4–1.2 μg L⁻¹ and 1.4–3.9 μg L⁻¹, respectively. The method was validated at 0.1 and 1.0 μg L⁻¹ levels in tap and pond water samples, and the recovery of MCs was between 67 and 101% with a relative standard deviation of 11%. The proposed method can be used to quantify trace amounts of MCs in water samples.     

Liquid chromatographic determination of dicarboxylic acids based on intramolecular excimer-forming fluorescence derivatization

A highly sensitive and selective fluorimetric determination method for dicarboxylic acids (C5-C12) has been developed. This method is based on an intramolecular excimer-forming fluorescence derivatization with a pyrene reagent, 4-(1-pyrene)butyric acid hydrazide (PBH), followed by reversed-phase liquid chromatography (LC). The carboxylic acids were converted to the corresponding dipyrene-labeled derivatives by reaction with PBH in the presence of 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide. The derivatives afforded intramolecular excimer fluorescence (450-550 nm) which can clearly be discriminated from the normal fluorescence (370-420 nm) emitted from PBH and monopyrene-labeled derivatives of monocarboxylic acids. The structures of the derivatives and the emission of excimer fluorescence were studied by LC with mass spectrometry and with spectrofluorimetry, respectively. The PBH derivatives of the carboxylic acids could be separated by reversed-phase LC on an ODS column with isocratic elution. The detection limits (signal-to-noise ratio = 3) were 1.3 fmol to undetectable for a 20-microl injection.     

Determination of methylmalonic acid in urine by HPLC with intramolecular excimer-forming fluorescence derivatization

We developed and validated an HPLC method with intramolecular excimer-forming fluorescence derivatization to determine methylmalonic acid, a unique biochemical marker for methylmalonic aciduria. Methylmalonic acid in urine and an internal standard were derivatized with pyrenebutyric hydrazide and separated on a C8 column. The derivatives were detected by monitoring the fluorescence at 475 nm (excitation wavelength 345 nm). At a signal-to-noise ratio of 3, the detection limit was 0.33 pmol on the column and the calibration curve was linear up to 1 mmol[sol ]L in urine. In a retrospective study on a relatively large number of known methylmalonic aciduria cases (n = 48), the method enabled us to differentiate methylmalonic aciduria cases from healthy controls (n = 52), regardless of age of patients at sampling or years of specimen storage. No interference was observed from isomeric or other dicarboxylic acids, or other urine constituents. As described, the method can be used retrospectively or prospectively for the diagnosis of methylmalonic aciduria and can be easily adopted by laboratories with no access to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.     

Liquid chromatographic determination of ethambutol in serum samples based on intramolecular excimer-forming fluorescence derivatization.

A selective liquid chromatographic method has been developed for the assay of ethambutol in serum samples. The assay involves intramolecular excimer-forming derivatization with 4-(1-pyrene)butanoyl chloride (PBC) and isocratic reversed-phase chromatography with fluorescence detection. After acetonitrile-deproteinization of the serum sample, the derivatization reaction of ethambutol with PBC was completed within 30 min at 50 degrees C. N,N'-Diethylethylenediamine was used as an internal standard. The detection limit of ethambutol was 23 ng/ml serum, corresponding to 180 fmol on column at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3. The present method was selective enough to analyze ethambutol in rabbit serum without any tedious sample clean-up procedure because biogenic monoamines gave no peak in the chromatogram. The method was applicable to drug monitoring in rabbit serum.     

Liquid chromatographic fluorescence determination of amino acids in plasma and urine after derivatization with phanquinone

Phanquinone (4,7-phenanthroline-5,6-dione) has been investigated as a pre-column derivatization fluorogenic reagent for liquid chromatographic determination of primary amino acids in biological samples. The derivatization reaction was carried out at 68 degrees C both in the presence of aqueous phosphate buffer (pH 8) for 30 min and without buffer for 60 min to allow the determination of basic amino acids (Orn, Lys, Arg). The resulting derivatives were separated under reversed-phase HPLC and detected at lambda(em) = 460 nm with lambda(ex) = 400 nm. The proposed method was validated and applied to the determination of a variety of amino acids directly in urine and after deproteinization with 5-sulfosalicylic acid in plasma samples. The detection and quantitation limits were found in the range 10-450 and 35-1400 fmol, respectively.     

Determination of polyamines in human urine by precolumn derivatization with benzoyl chloride and high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with Q-time-of-flight mass spectrometry

A simple and sensitive HPLC/Q-TOF MS method for simultaneous determination of 1,3-diaminopropane, putrescine, cadaverine, spermidine, spermine and acetyl-spermine in human urine was developed in electrospray-ionization source by positive ion mode. The samples were firstly pretreated by 10% HClO₄ and then derivatized by benzoyl chloride with 1,6-diaminohexane as internal standard. The derived polyamines were separated on a C₁₈ column by a gradient elution with methanol-water, and then sensitively detected with Q-TOF MS. The limits of detection for polyamines ranged from 0.02 to 1.0 ng ml⁻¹ with excellent linearity within the range from 1 to 1000 ng ml⁻¹ except acetyl-spermine from 5 to 1000 ng ml⁻¹. The intra- and inter-day R.S.D. for all polyamines were 2.0-14.7% and 3.9-12.9%, respectively. The method was applied to determine the polyamines in human urine from 10 cancer patients and 15 healthy volunteers. Results showed that the mean levels of polyamines in urine of patients were all higher than those in healthy volunteers. The cluster analysis was used to establish the distinction mode between cancer sufferers and healthy individuals.     

Sensitive determination of 4-(4-chlorophenyl)-4-hydroxypiperidine, a metabolite of haloperidol, in a rat biological sample by HPLC with fluorescence detection after pre-column derivatization using 4-fluoro-7-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole

4-(4-Chlorophenyl)-4-hydroxypiperidine (CPHP), one of the metabolites of haloperidol, is considered to exhibit brain toxicity. CPHP concentrations in plasma and tissue homogenates (each 200 microL) from rats were analyzed by HPLC fluorescence detection after pre-column derivatization with 4-fluoro-7-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole (NBD-F). After basic extraction of the samples with benzene, the derivatization with NBD-F was conducted in borate buffer (pH 8.0) at 60 degrees C for 3 min. Mexiletine was carried through the procedure as an internal standard. The regression equation for CPHP showed a good linearity in the range of 0.03-1 microg/mL with a detection limit of 0.008 microg/mL. The coefficient of variation was less than 11.6%. Plasma concentration-time courses of CPHP after intraperitoneal or per oral administration of CPHP, haloperidol or reduced haloperidol were examined, and the pharmacokinetic parameters were estimated. Additionally, CPHP levels in various tissues at 8 h after intraperitoneal administration of these compounds were compared. The method was simple and sensitive, useful for determination of CPHP in rat biological samples using as little as 200 microL of sample volume and could be applied for pharmacokinetic study.     

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.     

Selective liquid-chromatographic determination of native fluorescent biogenic amines in human urine based on fluorous derivatization

A liquid chromatographic (LC) derivatization method for simple and selective determination of catecholamines and indoleamines in human urine has been developed. This method uses "fluorous interaction" in which perfluoroalkyl compounds show affinity with each other. The amino groups of native fluorescent analytes are precolumn derivatized with a non-fluorescent fluorous isocyanate, 2-(perfluorooctyl)ethyl isocyanate, and the fluorous-labeled analytes are retained in the fluorous LC column, whereas underivatized substances are not. Only the retained fluorous-fluorescent analytes are detected fluorometrically at appropriate retention times, and retained amines without fluorophores are not detected. In this study, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine, dopamine, norepinephrine, epinephrine, and metanephrine were used as the representative of catecholamines. Tryptophan, 5-hydroxytryptophan, and 5-hydroxytryptamine were used as the representative indoleamines. This method was applied to determine eight biogenic amines in urine from healthy humans. The fluorous-labeled amines could be separated by fluorous LC column under conditions of isocratic elution within 35 min and simultaneously determined without interference from contaminants in biological samples. The detection limits for eight biogenic amines were 31-640 fmol on column. Calibration curves of them were linear over the range of at least 10-100 nmol/mL urine (r2 > 0.9989) with good repeatability.     

Screening method for organic aciduria by spectrofluorometric measurement of total dicarboxylic acids in human urine based on intramolecular excimer-forming fluorescence derivatization

A simple screening method of organic aciduria by spectrofluorometric measurement of total dicarboxylic acids in human urine is described. This method is based on an intramolecular excimer-forming fluorescence derivatization with a pyrene reagent, 4-(1-pyrene)butanoic acid hydrazide (PBH). Dicarboxylic acids in urine were converted to the corresponding dipyrene-labeled derivatives by reaction with PBH in the presence of 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide and pyridine, and the derivatives afforded intramolecular excimer fluorescence (420-540 nm) which can clearly be discriminated from the normal fluorescence (360-420 nm) emitted from reagent blanks. The technique is so selective that it permits spectrofluorometric measurement of total amount of dicarboxylic acids by the direct derivatization of diluted urine samples. The same reaction mixture has also served as a liquid chromatographic (LC) sample for the separative determination of individual dicarboxylic acids. The spectrofluorometric data did not contradict with the LC data. These methods were usefully applied to preliminary screening test of glutaric aciduria. In conclusion, the present derivatization method allows rapid and direct determination of total amount of dicarboxylic acids in human urine samples.     

Trace analysis of rimantadine in human urine after dispersive liquid liquid microextraction followed by liquid chromatography–post column derivatization

The first dispersive liquid liquid microextraction scheme followed by liquid chromatography‐post column derivatization for the determination of the antiviral drug rimantadine in urine samples is demonstrated. The effect of the type and volume of organic extraction solvent, type and volume of disperser solvent, sample pH, ionic strength, extraction time, and centrifugation speed on the extraction efficiency were studied. Rimantadine and the internal standard (amantadine) were chromatographed using a reversed phase monolithic stationary phase with a mixture of equal volumes of methanol and phosphate buffer (pH = 3) as mobile phase. On‐line post‐column derivatization of the analyte was performed using a “two‐stream” manifold with o‐phthalaldehyde and N‐acetyl‐cysteine at alkaline medium. Under the optimized extraction conditions, the enrichment factor of rimantadine was 58. The linear range was 5–100 µg/L with correlation coefficient r of 0.9984 while the limit of detection achieved was 0.5 µg/L. The within‐day and between‐day precision for the tested concentration levels were less than 14.3% and the mean recoveries obtained from the spiked samples were ranged between 87.5 and 113.9%. The main advantages of the proposed method are the simplicity of operation, rapidity, low cost, and low limit of detection of the analyte.     

荧光衍生化试剂2-(4-羧基苯基)-4,5-萘并咪唑的合成及在HPLC测定醇类中的应用

合成了一种用于醇类分析的高灵敏度的荧光衍生化试剂2(4羧基苯基)4,5萘并咪唑(CNI),将其在二氯甲烷中于80℃条件下与醇缩合成酯,并采用RPHPLC法进行分离检测,色谱柱为ZorbaxBpC8柱(250mm×4.6mmi.d.),流动相为V(乙腈)∶V(甲醇)=90∶10的溶液,荧光检测波长λex345nm,λem485nm。同时,测定了人血清中的胆固醇,其最低检出质量浓度为1.0μgL。     

High-performance liquid chromatographic resolution of 1-(1,4-benzodioxane-2-formyl)-piperazine enantiomers after chiral derivatization

Chiral separation of racemic mixtures is of the greatest importance to the pharmaceutical industry, as the isomers of a given racemate may exhibit substantially different pharmacological effects, not to mention possibly differing toxicity behaviour. A novel chiral separation method is developed for the determination of 1-(1,4-benzodioxane-2-formyl)piperazine (BFP) enantiomers. The indirect resolution is performed by applying precolumn derivatization with the chiral reagent 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-beta-D-glucopyranosyl isothiocyanate (GITC). The resulting diastereoisomers are separated on a reversed-phase ODS column with methanol-potassium dihydrogen phosphate (0.02mol/L, 50:50) as mobile phase. UV detection is at 250 nm. The effect of mobile phase composition upon resolution and analysis time is investigated. Two diastereoisomers show nearly base-line separation under optimal chromatographic conditions. The presented study provides a simple and accurate method for the enantiomeric quality control and the optical purity assay of BFP.     

Determination of biogenic amines in food by automated pre-column derivatization with 2-naphthyloxycarbonyl chloride (NOC-CI)

Summary The fluorogenic reagent 2-naphthyloxycarbonyl chloride (NOC-Cl) has been used for the automated precolumn derivatization of biogenic amines (BAs) at ambient followed by liquid-chromatographic separation of the derivatives formed. For optimized derivatization samples in 0.5 M borate buffer (pH 9.0) were derivatized with 5 mM NOC-Cl in acetonitrile (MeCN) for 3 minutes. Excess of reagent was scavenged by addition of 20 mM glycine in water. For HPLC a Superspher^? RP-18e column and gradient elution using 0.1 M sodium acetate buffer (pH 4.4) and MeCN were used. The NOC-derivatives were detected by fluorescence at an emission wavelength of 335 nm at an excitation wavelength of 274 nm. This method allows the detection of BAs (2-phenylethylamine, putrescine, histamine, cadaverine, tyramine, spermidine, spermine) found in food and beverages (fruit juices, wines, various vinegars, fermented cabbage juice, and salmon). Detection limit of BAs are approximately 49–113 μg kg⁻¹ with the exception of histamine (747 μg kg⁻¹) (injected amounts: 18–41 pg histamine 267 pg), at a signalto-noise ratio of 3:1. The limits of determination are approximately 82–189 μg kg⁻¹ (histamine 1245 μg kg⁻¹) at a signal-to-noise ratio of 5:1. The correlation coefficients of linearity are 0.9910–0.9976. Recoveries from different matrices range from 65 to 109%, depending on the sample investigated. Presented at the 21^st ISC held in Stuttgart, Germany, 15^th–20^th September, 1996.     

在线液相-气相二维色谱高灵敏测定卷烟主流烟气中的4-（N-甲基亚硝胺基）-1-（3-吡啶基）-1-丁酮

建立了在线液相-气相二维色谱测定卷烟主流烟气中4-(N-甲基亚硝胺基)-1-(3-吡啶基)-1-丁酮(NNK)的方法。 NNK 的分析在在线凝胶气质联用仪上进行,采用自行装填的微型碱性氧化铝柱,并把仪器上的凝胶柱换成氧化铝柱,用于 NNK 的分析。捕集有主流烟气总粒相物的剑桥滤片用二氯甲烷提取,以 D4-NNK 为内标,提取液经微型氧化铝柱分离,含 NNK 的部位切割进入气相色谱,排干溶剂后启动气相色谱升温经毛细管柱进行分离,用质谱检测。本方法将烟气国标方法 NNK 测定中的氧化铝柱色谱净化和气相色谱-质谱分析在线连接起来,可不经样品前处理净化直接进样分析;每次进样可达40μL,是常规气相色谱-质谱分析最大进样量(2.0μL)的20倍,显著提高了分析灵敏度。方法线性范围达1.2~120 ng/ mL,相关系数为r=0.9998,回收率为93.9%~96.0%;检出限和定量限分别为0.25 ng/ mL 和0.9 ng/ mL,样品分析结果与中国烟草总公司企业标准方法进行对比,结果相符合。     

Determination of trans-fatty acids in food samples based on the precolumn fluorescence derivatization by high performance liquid chromatography

Trans-fatty acids are unsaturated fatty acids that are considered to have health risks. 1,3,5,7-Tetramethyl-8-butyrethylenediamine-difluoroboradiaza-s-indacene is a highly sensitive fluorescent labeling reagent for carboxylic acids developed by our lab. In this study, using this precolumn fluorescent derivatization reagent, a rapid and accurate high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection method was developed for the determination of two trans-fatty acids in food samples. Under the optimized derivative conditions, two trans-fatty acids were tagged with the fluorescent labeling reagent in the presence of 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethyl-aminopropyl) carbodiimide at 25°C for 30 min. Then, the baseline separation of trans- and cis-fatty acids and their saturated fatty acid with similar structures was achieved with less interference using a reversed-phased C₁₈ column with isocratic elution in 14 min. With fluorescence detection at λ_ex/λ_em = 490 /510 nm, the linear range of the TFAs was 1.0-200 nM with low detection limits in the range of 0.1–0.2 nM (signal-to-noise ratio = 3). In addition, the proposed approach was successfully applied for the detection of trans-fatty acids in food samples, and the recoveries using this method ranged from 96.02 to 109.22% with low relative standard deviations of 1.2–4.3% (n = 6).     

Determination of thiazolidine-4-carboxylates in urine by chloroformate derivatization and gas chromatography-electron impact mass spectrometry

The derivatization method of thiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid (TZCA) and methyl-thiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid (Me-TZCA) in urine with alcohol/chloroformate was achieved. TZCA and Me-TZCA were derivatized in one step in urine with ethyl chloroformate in 1 min at room temperature. The derivatives of TZCA and Me-TZCA had very good chromatographic properties and offered very sensitive response for gas chromatography-electron impact ionization-mass spectrometry (GC-EI-MS). On the basis of derivatization, the method for simultaneous determination of TZCA and Me-TZCA in human urine was developed. Deuterated Me-TZCA (Me-TZCA-d(4)) was synthesized as the internal standard (IS) for the analysis of urine samples. TZCA and Me-TZCA were derivatized and extracted from urine at pH 9.5 with toluene, and then the dried extract was dissolved with 100 microl ethyl acetate and injected in GC/MS system. The recoveries of TZCA and Me-TZCA were about 102 and 103%, respectively, at the concentration of 0.05 mg/l. The method detection limits (MDL) were 1.0 and 0.5 microg/l, respectively, for TZCA and Me-TZCA in 1 ml human urine. The coefficients of variation of TZCA and Me-TZCA were less than 6% at the concentrations of 0.05 and 0.2 mg/l, respectively. To assess the formation of TZCA during inhalation with formaldehyde (FA) (about 3.1 and 38.1 ppm FA in air), urine samples from rats were taken during 3 days after initiation of treatment. The mean amount of TZCA determined was 0.07 mg/l in control group and 0.18 mg/l during treatment with 3.1 ppm. The TZCA levels increased up to about 1.01 mg/l during treatment with 38.1 ppm. It is planned to study whether urinary TZCA can be used as an indicator in the biological monitoring of exposure to FA.     

Precolumn derivatization of reducing carbohydrates with 4-(3-Methyl-5-oxo-2-pyrazolin-1-yl) benzoic acid. Study of reaction, high-performance liquid chromatographic separation and quantitative performance of method

Summary A simple method for quantitative determination of carbohydrates by reversed-phase, high-performance liquid chromatography after pre-column derivatization and UV detection has been developed. Reducing sugars are condensed with 4-(3-methyl-5-oxo-2-pyrazolin-l-yl) benzoic acid (PMPA) to yield UV adducts absorbing at 271 nm, which are resolved under typical reversed-phase conditions. After derivatization, excess PMPA is easily removed from the reaction mixture by precipitation with mineral acids at pH<4. The influence of experimental conditions on reaction yield, as well as chromatographic separation of derivatives, were investigated. The quantitative performance was evaluated by means of a protocol comprising replicate measurements at several analyte levels. The calibration curves obtained for 8 sugars showed excellent linearity over 10–5000 pmol. Limits of detection and quantification for several monosaccharides were ca. 10 and 50 picomoles, respectively. Optimized conditions were successfully used for quantitative determination of monosaccharides released after hydrolysis from fetuin, mucin, α₁-acid glycoprotein, ovalbumin and transferrin.     

Rapid determination of trace semicarbazide in flour products by high‐performance liquid chromatography based on a nucleophilic substitution reaction

Semicarbazide, a toxic food contaminant, widely exists in food products and it originates from the thermal degradation of a food additive of azodicarbonamide or a metabolite of nitrofurazone abused in meat specimens. Many previous methods for semicarbazide determination usually required expensive instruments, difficult‐to‐prepare monoclonal antibodies, and a long operation time. In this study, a high‐performance liquid chromatography method was developed for the rapid determination of trace semicarbazide coupling with a nucleophilic substitution reaction firstly using 4‐nitrobenzoyl chloride as derivatization reagent. The derivatization reaction was mild at room temperature for 1 min in neutral solution. Then, semicarbazide derivative was separated and quantified by high‐performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection under optimal separation conditions at λ _max = 261 nm. The proposed method offered the detection limit of 1.8 μg/L and was successfully applied for the rapid determination of trace semicarbazide in flour products. Semicarbazide in positive real samples could be actually found and quantified in the range of 0.47−7.53 mg/kg. The recoveries were 76.6−119% with relative standard deviations of 0.5–9.1% (n = 3). This developed method was rapid, reliable, and convenient for the determination of trace semicarbazide in food.     

Synthesis, Crystal Structure and Fluorescent Properties of 1-（4-（Dimethylamino）benzylidene）- 4-（naphthalen- 1-yl） Thiosemicarbazide

1 INTRODUCTION Recently, for the fluorescent properties, Schiff base has been more and more important and widely studied in density optical memories, nonlinear op- tics (NLO), organic light-emitting diodes (OLED), polymer LED and electrogenerated chemilumines- cence (ECL)[1~5]. Thiosemicarbazones are a kind of Schiff bases with thiourea and good ligands easily chelating with transition metal ions. Although they have been studied extensively for a long time due to their chemical and b…