Solid-phase extraction and determination of dansyl derivatives of unconjugated and acetylated polyamines by reversed-phase liquid chromatography: improved separation systems for polyamines in cerebrospinal fluid, urine and tissue

A sensitive and simple liquid chromatographic assay with fluorometric detection for unconjugated and acetylated polyamines in biological fluids is described. After precolumn derivatization with dansyl chloride, unconjugated polyamines and acetylated polyamines were extracted by elution from a Bond-Elut C18 column and then separated on a reversed-phase column with gradient elution. The complete analysis of unconjugated putrescine, spermidine, and spermine in either hydrolyzed urine, cerebrospinal fluid or tissue could be accomplished within 20-26 min, while the simultaneous analysis of unconjugated polyamines and monoacetylpolyamines could be completed within 40 min. Unhydrolyzed urine and cerebrospinal fluid required a Bond-Elut cation-exchange clean-up before dansylation. Standard curves for the assay were linear up to 20 nmol/ml, and the within-day and day-to-day coefficients of variation were between 1.1 and 4.6% and between 1.6 and 11.8%, respectively. Results obtained with the method were compared with results obtained with a well established modified amino acid analyzer method for urine, tissue and cerebrospinal fluid samples. The correlation coefficients between these two methods were in the range 0.933-0.996. Detection limits between 50 and 150 fmol were achieved for unconjugated and acetylated polyamines. Of more than twenty drugs and amines tested for possible interference with the assay, only normetanephrine was found to have the same retention time as the internal standard 1,6-diaminohexane.     

HPLC determination of polyamines in the femtomole range

A new method for the chromatographic determination of polyamines is presented. The procedure consists of the reaction of 9-fluorenylmethyl chloroformate (FMOC-Cl) with polyamines at 50 +/- 1 degrees C for 10 min, followed by stepwise elution chromatography. The reaction is simple and the derivatives are stable. All the polyamine-FMOC derivatives can be separated within 13 min. The linearity of this method is satisfactory in the range of 0.5-100 pmol. The detection limits for putrescine, cadaverine, spermidine and spermine are 83.3 fmol, 109 fmol, 25.5 fmol and 22.7 fmol respectively.     

Simultaneous determination of polyamines and catecholamines in PC-12 tumor cell extracts by capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence detection

A method to detect polyamines and catecholamines in PC-12 tumor cell extracts by capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence detection (CE-LIF) is described for the first time. Both derivatization conditions and buffer concentrations and pH were optimized. Under optimized conditions the polyamines (putresine, spermine, spermidine) and catecholamines (dopamine, norepinephrine, epinephrine, serotonin) were derivatized with fluorescein isothiocyanate and separated at 25 kV in a fused-silica capillary (50 microm ID x 40 cm) with 0.1 M borate, pH 9.0, in less than 18 min. The influence of running buffer conditions, such as buffer pH and concentrations, were also investigated. Linearity of the analytes ranged from 0.05 to 1.0 micromol/L, and the detection limit (S/N = 3 ) ranged from 0.03 to 2.50 nmol/L. The concentrations of polyamines and catecholamines in PC-12 tumor cell extracts were determined with this method.     

Reversed-phase liquid chromatographic separation and simultaneous fluorimetric detection of polyamines and their monoacetyl derivatives in human and animal urine, serum and tissue samples: an improved, rapid and sensitive method for routine application

A highly sensitive and precise method for the determination of the polyamines putrescine, cadaverine, spermidine and spermine and all their monoacetyl derivatives in a single analysis in human and animal urine, serum and tissue samples is described. For polyamine separation, an ion-pairing reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method is used, followed by post-column derivatization with o-phthalaldehyde and consecutive fluorescence detection. Urine and serum samples are purified with a Bond Elut silica cartridge. The detection limit for polyamines is 0.5-1.0 pmol and excellent linearity is achieved in the range from 3 pmol up to more than 10 nmol. The influence of some modifications of different analytical steps such as the temperature of the HPLC column and the derivatization reaction coil and the o-phthalaldehyde flow-rate is described. Quality control data and measurements of the reproducibility of the method are presented. In order to establish a rapid analytical method for easy routine use, all steps for preparation and quantitative analysis are minimized. This method was applied to the determination of total polyamines in human urine and serum hydrolysate and of free and acetylated polyamines in human urine and pancreatic tissue of the rat. Values for normal polyamine concentrations in the urine and serum of fifteen male and fifteen female healthy volunteers and in the pancreas of ten normal rats are presented.     

Isoform-specific quantification of endothelins in HUVEC culture supernatants by on-line high-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray mass spectrometry

A method for the quantitative analysis of endothelin peptides in human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) culture supernatants is reported. The analysis is isoform-specific and employs solid-phase extraction and subsequent HPLC fractionation followed by HPLC-ESIMS analysis. The peptide vasoactive-intestinal-contractor (VIC) was used as internal standard for the HPLC-ESIMS analysis. Linearity of calibration curves was from 50 fmol to 25 pmol. The limit of detection of the HPLC-ESIMS step using a buffer matrix was estimated at 50 fmol (S/N > 3). The overall limit of detection for supernatants of HUVEC was 500 fmol/mL. In HUVEC culture supernatants only ions of endothelin-1 (ET1) were observed. Basal levels were determined to be 1.8 +/- 0.3 pmol/mL. Quantitative results obtained for ET1 were in agreement with those obtained by using a standard addition method and by an ELISA method.     

A quantitative analysis of the polyamine in lung cancer patient fingernails by LC‐ESI‐MS/MS

A quantitative analysis of polyamines in lung cancer patient fingernails by the combination of 4‐(N,N‐dimethylaminosulfonyl)‐7‐fluoro‐2,1,3‐benzoxadiazole derivatives and liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry is described. The reaction of the reagent with eight kinds of polyamines, that is, N¹‐acetylputrescine (N¹‐actPUT), N⁸‐acetylspermidine, N¹‐acetylspermine, 1,3‐diaminopropane, putrescine (PUT), cadaverine, spermidine and spermine (SPM) effectively occurs at 60 °C for 30 min. The detection limits (signal‐to‐noise ratio 5) were 5–100 fmol. A good linearity was achieved from the calibration curves, which was obtained by plotting the peak area ratios of the analytes relative to the internal standard (IS), that is, 1,6‐diaminohexane, vs the injected amounts of polyamines (r² > 0.996), and the intra‐day and inter‐day assay precisions were <9.84%. Furthermore, the recoveries (%) of the polyamines spiked in the human fingernails were 89.14–110.64. The present method was applied to human fingernail samples from 17 lung cancer patients and 39 healthy volunteers. The polyamine concentration was different based on the gender, that is, the N¹‐actPUT and PUT contents were 3.10 times and 2.56 times higher in healthy men than in women, respectively. Additionally, in the lung cancer patient group, as compared with the healthy volunteers, the concentrations of SPM had a statistically significant (p < 0.05) correlation. Therefore, because the proposed method provides a good mass accuracy and the trace detection of the polyamines in human fingernails, this analytical technique could be a noninvasive technique to assist in the diagnosis and assessment of disease activity in lung cancer patients. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Molecularly imprinted polymer prepared with bonded beta-cyclodextrin and acrylamide on functionalized silica gel for selective recognition of tryptophan in aqueous media

The rapid, sensitive and simultaneous determination of six polyamines, i.e., ornithine (ORN), 1,3-diaminopropane (DAP), putrescine (PUT), cadaverine (CAD), spermidine (SPD) and spermine (SPM), in human hairs was performed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) with fluorescence (FL) detection and electrospray-ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (ESI-TOF-MS). The primary (-NH(2)) and secondary (-NH) amines in the polyamine structures were first labeled with 4-(N,N-dimethylaminosulfonyl)-7-fluoro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole (DBD-F) at 60 degrees C for 30min in the mixture of 0.1M borax (pH 9.3) and acetonitrile (CH(3)CN). The resulting derivatives were perfectly separated using an ACQUITY UPLCtrade mark BEH C(18) column (1.7mum, 100mmx2.1mm i.d.) by a gradient elution with a mixture of water-acetonitrile containing 0.1% formic acid (HCOOH). The separated polyamine derivatives were sensitively detected with both FL and TOF-MS. The detection limits in FL and TOF-MS were 11-86 and 2-5fmol, respectively. However, the determination of several polyamines by FL detection was interfered with by endogenous substances in the hair. Therefore, the simultaneous determination in hair was carried out by the combination of UPLC separation and the ESI-TOF-MS detection. The structures of the polyamines were identified from the protonated-molecular ions [M+H](+) obtained from the TOF-MS measurement. A good linearity was achieved from the calibration curves, that was obtained by plotting the peak area ratios of the analytes relative to the internal standard (IS), i.e., 1,6-diaminohexane (DAH), against the injected amounts of each polyamine (0.05-50pmol, r(2)>0.999). The proposed method was applied to the determination in the hairs of healthy volunteers. The mean concentrations of ORN, DAP, PUT, CAD, SPD and SPM in 1mg of human hairs (n=20) were 1.46, 0.18, 1.18, 0.11, 1.97 and 0.98pmol, respectively. Because the proposed method provides a good mass accuracy and the trace detection of the polyamines in hair, this analytical technique seems to be applicable for the determination of various biological compounds in hair.     

Micellar electrokinetic chromatography of polyamines and monoacetylpolyamines

A selective procedure for qualitative and quantitative analysis of ten polyamines by micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) was developed. Benzoylated polyamines and acetylpolyamines in micellar phase of SDS (10 mM) were separated at 25 degrees C by 20 mM borate buffer pH 8.5, containing 8% ethanol, with an applied voltage of 25 kV (5 microA) and then detected at 198 nm. The experimental factors and operational parameters were optimized by performing analysis at different surfactant concentrations, pH, voltage and temperature with and without ethanol. The repeatibility of migration times and peak heights is a peculiarity of the method here described.     

Direct tris(2,2'-bipyridyl)ruthenium (II) electrochemiluminescence detection of polyamines separated by capillary electrophoresis

Capillary electrophoresis (CE) with tris(2,2'-bipyridyl) ruthenium (II) (Ru(bpy)3(2+)) electrochemiluminescence (ECL) detection technique was developed for the analysis of four polyamines (putrescine (Put), cadaverine (Cad), spermidine (Spd), and spermine (Spm)) analysis. The four polyamines contain different amine groups, which have different ECL activity. There are several parameters which influence the resolution and ECL peak intensities, including the buffer pH and concentrations, separation voltage, sample injection, electrode materials, and Ru(bpy)3(2+) concentrations. Polyamines are separated by capillary zone electrophoresis in an uncoated fused-silica capillary (50 cmx25 micro m (ID) filled with acidic phosphate buffer (200 mmol/L phosphate, pH 2.0) - 1mol/L phosphoric acid (9:1 v/v) and a separation voltage of 5 kV (25 micro A), with end-column Ru(bpy)3(2+) ECL detection. A 5 mmol/L Ru(bpy)3(2+) solution plus 200 mmol/L phosphate buffer (pH 11.0) is added into the reagent reservoir. The calibration curve is linear over a concentration range of two or three orders of magnitude for the polyamines. The analysis time is less than 25 min. Detection limits for Put and Cad are 1.9x10(-7) mol/L and 7.6x10(-9) mol/L for Spd and Spm, respectively. Intraday and interday relative standard deviations of ECL peak intensities are less than 8%. The main advantages of this CE-ECL detection technique for polyamines analysis presented herein are the omission of chemical derivatization of the analytes and the high selectivity.     

Use of 4-(N,N-dimethylaminosulphonyl)-7-fluoro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole as a labelling reagent for peroxyoxalate chemiluminescence detection and its application to the determination of the beta-blocker metoprolol in serum by high-performance liquid chromatography.

Fluorogenic reagents having a benzofurazan moiety, viz., 4-(N,N-dimethylaminosulphonyl)-7-fluoro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole (DBD-F), 7-fluoro-4-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole and 4-(aminosulphonyl)-7-fluoro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole, were compared for the sensitive analysis of their derivatives by high-performance liquid chromatography with peroxyoxalate chemiluminescence detection. Of the proline derivatives, DBD-proline was the most sensitive with a detection limit of 2 fmol. The optimum concentrations of bis[4-nitro-2-(3,6,9-trioxadecyloxycarbonyl)phenyl] oxalate and H2O2 for the post-column reaction were 0.5 and 75 mmol dm-3 respectively and amino acids and beta-blockers derivatized with DBD-F were detected in the range 0.2-40 fmol (signal-to-noise ratio = 3) using the proposed method. The lower detection limit of metoprolol (a beta-blocker having an isopropylamino group) spiked in serum was 0.8 ng ml-1 using 20 microl of serum (signal-to-noise ratio = 5).     

High-speed biomarker identification utilizing porous silicon nanovial arrays and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry

Speed and accuracy are crucial prerequisites in the application of proteomic methods to clinical medicine. We describe a microfluidic-based nanovial array for rapid proteolytic processing linked to MALDI-TOF MS. This microscale format consumes only minute amounts of sample, and it is compatible with rapid bioanalytical protocols and high-sensitivity readouts. Arrays of vials (300 microm in diameter and 25 microm deep), isotropically etched in silicon wafers were electrochemically porosified. Automated picoliter microdispensing was employed for precise fluid handling in the microarray format. Vials were prefilled with trypsin solution, which was allowed to dry. Porosified and nonporosified nanovials were compared for trypsin digestion and subsequent MS identification of three model proteins: lysozyme, alcohol dehydrogenase, and serum albumin at levels of 100 and 20 fmol. In an effort to assess the rapid digestion platform in a context of putative clinical applications, two prostate cancer biomarkers, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and human glandular kallikrein 2 (hK2), were digested at levels of 100 fmol (PSA), 20 fmol (PSA) and 8 fmol (hK2). All biomarker digestions were completed in less than 30 s, with successful MS identification in the porous nanovial setting.     

Highly sensitive and simple determination of cholesterol and cholestanol in human serum by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection

A simple and highly sensitive high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of cholesterol and cholestanol in human serum is described. After extraction of serum with n-hexane, these compounds and 1-eicosanol (internal standard) are converted into the corresponding fluorescent carbamic esters by treatment with 3,4-dihydro-6,7-dimethoxy-4-methyl-3-oxo-quinoxaline-2-carbonyl azide in benzene. The derivatives are separated within 32 min on a reversed-phase column (YMC Pack C8) with acetonitrile-methanol-water (81:9:10, v/v/v) as eluent and detected fluorimetrically. The detection limits are 2 pg (5 fmol) and 3 pg (7 fmol) for cholesterol and cholestanol, respectively, at a signal-to-noise ratio of 2 in a 20-microliters injection volume. This sensitivity permits precise determination of cholesterol and cholestanol in 1-5 microliters of normal human serum.     

Miniaturization of batch- and flow-type chemiluminescence detectors in capillary electrophoresis

Glass and PTFE tubes as detection cells were put in small light-tight boxes to achieve miniaturization of batch-and flow-type chemiluminescence detectors for capillary electrophoresis. These light-tight boxes which included a detection cell and a photosensor module were successfully designed. In the batch-type detector using a glass tube as a detection cell, the influences of a repeated injection of sample and a reagent volume of the detection cell on chemiluminescence intensity were examined in detail. By using 3.8 mm I.D. glass tube including 400 microl chemiluminescence reagent solution, the chemiluminescence peaks were reproducibly observed for the repeated injection experiment up to the eight injection with each run time of 3.0 min. Dansyl-Trp was determined over the range 3 x 10(-8)-1 x 10(-5) M with the detection limit of 0.43 fmol (S/N=3). In the flow-type detector using a PTFE tube as a detection cell, both ends of the PTFE tube were connected to three-way joints; a chemiluminescence reagent solution was delivered into the cell and a capillary was inserted through one of the joints while an electrode was inserted through the other one. Dansyl-Trp was determined over the range 1 x 10(-7)-1 x 10(-5) M with the detection limit of 1.3 fmol (S/N=3). By using the compact flow-type detector, a mixture of dansyl-amino acids was separated and detected in micellar electrokinetic chromatography mode.     

乙酰胆碱和胆碱化学发光生物传感器的研究

将具有分子识别功能的乙酰胆碱酯酶和胆碱氧化酶及进行换能反应的luminol和Cu^2^+分别固定在多孔玻璃和离子交换剂的柱中,组成流动注射式胆碱和乙酰胆碱化学发光传感器,让传感器分子识别反应和换能反应在各自最佳pH值下进行。这一新型生物传感器优化了发光量子产率,避免了在传感元件上直接发光所产生的散射干扰。测定乙酰胆碱和胆碱的线性范围达到1～1000pmol,检测限为500fmol,每次测定时间为2min,寿命为6个月,已用于鼠脑及人血清中乙酰胆碱和胆碱的测定。     

Atmospheric pressure chemical ionization and atmospheric pressure photoionization for simultaneous mass spectrometric analysis of microbial respiratory ubiquinones and menaquinones

An atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI) source and an atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) source were compared for the selective detection of microbial respiratory ubiquinone and menaquinone isoprenologues using tandem mass spectrometry. Ionization source- and compound mass-dependent parameters were optimized individually for both sources, using the available quinone standards. Detection levels for the two ion sources were determined with ubiquinone-6 (UQ6) and menaquinone-4 (MK4, vitamin K2) standards using flow injection analysis and selected reaction monitoring (SRM). With APPI the calculated lower limit of detection (LLOD) was 1.7 fmol microl(-1) for UQ6 and 2.2 fmol microl(-1) for MK4 at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3. These LLODs were at least three times lower than with APCI. The selectivity of detection afforded by SRM detection reduced complex mixture analysis to 3 min per sample by eliminating the need for chromatographic separations. The detection method was successfully applied to quinone quantification in a variety of environmental samples and cell cultures. Adequate amounts of respiratory quinones can be extracted and quantified from samples containing as low as 2 x 10(7) cells.     

Analysis of polyamines as carbamoyl derivatives in urine and serum by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

A quantitative analysis of polyamines in urine and serum by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) is described. The polyamines were carbamylated with isobutyl chloroformate, extracted with diethyl ether under pH 9.0, and analyzed by LC-MS/MS with single reaction monitoring mode. The limit of quantification was 1 ng/mL based on a signal-to-noise ratio>3, and the correlation coefficient (r2) for the calibration curves was >0.99 for both urine and serum samples. The present method was applied to urine and serum samples from 30 breast cancer patients and 30 normal female controls. There was no significant difference in the urinary polyamine levels between breast cancer patients and controls. However, 1,3-diaminopropane, putrescine, spermine and N-acetylspermidine levels in serum increased in breast cancer patients. These four serum polyamines may be a good index to study both production and metabolism of polyamines, and a useful tool in assessment of the polyamine status of breast cancer patients.     

Simultaneous determination of gliquidone, pioglitazone hydrochloride, and verapamil in formulation and human serum by RP-HPLC

In the present study, a reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography method was developed, validated and applied for the simultaneous determination of gliquidone, pioglitazone hydrochloride and verapamil in tablets and human serum. Chromatographic separation was achieved on a C18 column (5 μm, 25 × 0.46 cm) with a mobile phase consisting of methanol-water-acetonitrile (80:10:10 v/v/v) with a flow rate of 0.7 mL/min and pH adjusted to 3.50 with phosphoric acid at 230 nm. Glibenclamide was used as internal standard. The experimentally derived limit of detection and limit of quantitation were determined to be 0.24, 0.93, 0.40, and 0.80, 3.11, 1.36 μg/mL for gliquidone, pioglitazone, and verapamil, respectively. There were no interfering peaks due to the excipients present in the pharmaceutical tablets. Thus, the proposed method is simple and suitable for the simultaneous analysis of active ingredients in dosage forms and human serum.     

Determination of some benzodiazepines and metabolites in serum, urine and saliva by high-performance liquid chromatography

The performance of a number of liquid--solid systems, consisting of mixtures of buffers (0.05 M) and methanol as mobile phase and methyl-silica as stationary phase, were investigated with respect to their use in the separation of 1,4-benzodiazepines by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with UV detection at 254 nm. Phase system selectivities and column efficiencies were determined. A nomogram is presented from which the chromatographic parameters can be calculated. A complete separation of nine benzodiazepines within 12 min has been achieved, using methyl-silica as the stationary phase and 50% methanol as the eluent. The results were applied to the development of a method for the determination of therapeutic levels of diazepam and its metabolites in human serum, urine and saliva. The first step in the analysis, the extraction of diazepam and its metabolites from serum and urine, was also investigated and good recoveries were achieved. A low detection limit (0.2 ng) and high precision were obtained. The concentrations of diazepam and its metabolites in human serum, urine and saliva were determined after both single and multiple oral doses of diazepam (and oxazepam).     

Determination of theophylline binding to human serum proteins by isotachophoresis

Free theophylline was isolated from human serum by ultrafiltration and analysed in a leading electrolyte of 7.5 mM morpholinoethanesulphonic acid with ammediol as a counter ion at pH 8.90 and alpha-alanine as a terminator. The UV (280 nm) absorbance of the theophylline spike between serine and bicine as spacers was integrated. Binding percentages to human pool serum, human albumin and alpha 1-acid glycoprotein (orosomucoid) were determined at physiological concentrations, and found to be 55, 44 and 12%, respectively. The calibration lines were straight from 0 to 30 mg/l, with a standard deviation of 0.2 mg/l. The detection limit was 1 mg/l. The time of analysis was 12 min at 40 microA in a 0.2 mm I.D. capillary.     

High-performance liquid chromatographic analysis of serum long-chain fatty acids by direct derivatization method

A new visible-ultraviolet labelling method for the high-performance liquid chromatographic analysis in serum of individual free fatty acids, including polyunsaturated fatty acids, is described. Without commonly used isolation steps, fatty acids in serum were directly derivatized by treatment with acidic 2-nitrophenylhydrazine hydrochloride. The derivatized fatty acids were extracted into n-hexane and separated isocratically on a reversed-phase C8 column within 15 min. The detection limits ranged from 400 fmol to 1 pmol and from 100 to 200 fmol per injection with visible and ultraviolet detection, respectively. Visible detection had better selectivity, and free fatty acid levels were determined in sera obtained from healthy controls and patients with diabetes mellitus. In all the subjects studied, the precise quantitation could be performed with 25 microliters of serum. Analytical recoveries ranged from 98.3 to 103.4%. The intra- and inter-assay coefficients of variation were less than 2.7 and 3.5%, respectively. The present method is superior to the previously published methods for routine analyses: it is cheaper, the procedure is simpler, the analysis time is shorter and both resolution and sensitivity are better.