UPLC‐MS/MS method for the determination of tobacco‐specific biomarker NNAL,tamoxifen and its main metabolites in rat plasma

Cigarette smoke is known to interact with tamoxifen‐metabolizing enzymes and transporters and potentially affect its treatment outcome. 4‐(N‐ nitrosomethylamino)‐1‐(3‐pyridyl)‐1‐butanol (NNAL) is an important metabolite of 4‐(methylnitro‐samino)‐1‐(3‐pyridyl)‐1‐butanone (NNK) because it is frequently used as a biomarker to assess human smoke exposure. In order to study the potential pharmacokinetic interaction between cigarette smoke and tamoxifen in rats a UPLC‐MS/MS method for the simultaneous determination of NNAL and tamoxifen along with its metabolites in rat plasma has been developed and validated. Analytes were extracted with methanol and separated on a HSS T3 column by a gradient elution with the mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile and water. The lower limits of quantitation ranged from 0.05 to 0.62 ng/mL. Precisions showed RSD <15.8% and accuracy in the range 80.6–116.0%. Mean analyte recoveries ranged from 76.9 to 108.4%. The method was successfully applied to study the effects of cigarette smoke condensate (CSC), NNK and benzo(a)pyrene pre‐treatment on the pharmacokinetics of tamoxifen and its metabolites in rats. Significant effects of CSC, NNK, benzo(a)pyrene were observed on pharmacokinetics of tamoxifen and its metabolites. We also found that plasma NNAL levels are statistically significant correlated with plasma 4‐hydroxy‐tamoxifen and endoxifen.     

pH‐responsive polymer core–shell nanospheres for drug delivery

Stimuli‐responsive polymer nanoparticles are playing an increasingly more important role in drug delivery applications. However, limited knowledge has been accumulated about processes which use stimuli‐responsive polymer nanospheres (matrix nanoparticles whose entire mass is solid) to carry and deliver hydrophobic therapeutics in aqueous solution. In this research, pyrene was selected as a model hydrophobic drug and a pyrene‐loaded core‐shell structured nanosphere named poly(DEAEMA)‐poly(PEGMA) was designed as a drug carrier where DEAEMA and PEGMA represent 2‐(diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate and poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate, respectively. The pyrene‐loaded core‐shell nanospheres were prepared via an in situ two‐step semibatch emulsion polymerization method. The particle size of the core‐shell nanosphere can be well controlled through adjusting the level of surfactant used in the polymerization where an average particle diameter of below 100 nm was readily achieved. The surfactant was removed via a dialysis operation after polymerization. Egg lecithin vesicles (liposome) were prepared to mimic the membrane of a cell and to receive the released pyrene from the nanosphere carriers. The in vitro release profiles of pyrene toward different pH liposome vesicles were recorded as a function of time at 37 °C. It was found that release of pyrene from the core‐shell polymer matrix can be triggered by a change in the environmental pH. In particular the pyrene‐loaded nanospheres are capable of responding to a narrow window of pH change from pH = 5, 6, to 7 and can achieve a significant pyrene release of above 80% within 90 h. The rate of release increased with a decrease in pH. A first‐order kinetic model was proposed to describe the rate of release with respect to the concentration of pyrene in the polymer matrix. The first‐order rate constant of release k was thus determined as 0.049 h^?1 for pH = 5; 0.043 h^?1 for pH = 6; and 0.035 h^?1 for pH = 7 at 37 °C. The release of pyrene was considered to follow a diffusion‐controlled mechanism. The synthesis and encapsulation process developed herein provides a new approach to prepare smart nanoparticles for efficient delivery of hydrophobic drugs. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013, 51, 4440–4450     

Monitoring of hydroxylated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in human tissues: Targeted and untargeted approaches using liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry

Hydroxylated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are metabolites of persistent organic pollutants which are formed during the bioactivation process of biological matrices and whose toxicity is being studied. The aim of this work was the development of a novel analytical method for the determination of these metabolites in human tissues, known to have bioaccumulated their parent compounds. Samples were treated by salting-out assisted liquid-liquid extraction and the extracts were analyzed by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry with a hybrid quadrupole-time-of-flight analyzer. The proposed method achieved limits of detection in the 0.15–9.0 ng/g range for the five target analytes (1-hydroxynaphthalene, 1-hydroxypyrene, 2-hydroxynaphthalene, 7-hydroxybenzo[a]pyrene, and 9-hydroxyphenanthrene). The quantification was achieved by matrix-matched calibration using 2,2´-biphenol as internal standard. For all compounds, relative standard deviation, calculated for six successive analyses, was below 12.1%, demonstrating good precision for the developed method. None of the target compounds was detected in the 34 studied samples. Moreover, an untargeted approach was applied to study the presence of other metabolites in the samples, as well as their conjugated forms and related compounds. For this objective, a homemade mass spectrometry database covering 81 compounds was created and none of them was detected in the samples.     

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

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

Identification and quantification of urinary benzo[a]pyrene and its metabolites from asphalt fume exposed mice by microflow LC coupled to hybrid quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Prolonged, extensive exposure to asphalt fume has been associated with several adverse health effects. Inhaled polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from asphalt fume exposure have been suspected of inducing such effects. In this study, a bioanalytical method was proposed and evaluated to identify and quantify benzo[a]pyrene and its hydroxy-metabolites. This method is based on coupling a microflow liquid chromatography (LC) to a hybrid quadrupole orthogonal acceleration time-of-flight mass spectrometry (Q-TOFMS). In the experiment, thirty-two B6C3FI mice were exposed to asphalt fume in a whole body inhalation chamber for 10 days (4 h day(-1)) and twelve other mice were used as controls. The asphalt fume was generated at 180 degrees C and the concentrations in the animal exposure chamber ranged 175-182 mg m(-3). Benzo[a]pyrene and its metabolites of 3-hydroxybenzo[a]pyrene, benzo[a]pyrene-7,8-dihydrodiol(+/-), benzo[a]pyrene-7,8-dihydrodiol-9,10-epoxide(+/-), and benzo[a]pyrene-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrotetrol(+/-) in the urine of asphalt fume exposed mice were identified and found at 3.18 ng 100 mL(-1), 31.36 ng 100 mL(-1), 11.56 ng 100 mL(-1), 54.92 ng 100 mL(-1), and 45.23 ng 100 mL(-1) respectively. The results revealed that the urinary benzo[a]pyrene and its hydroxy-metabolites from exposed mice were at significantly higher levels (p < 0.001) than those from the control groups. Compared with several other technologies such as HPLC-UV and HPLC-fluorescence, the new method is more sensitive and selective, and it can also provide additional useful information on the structures of the metabolites. Hence, this method can be used to perform the assessment and to study the mechanisms of the adverse health effects. The fragmentation patterns established in this study can also be used to identify and quantify PAH metabolites in other biological fluids.     

Quantitative analysis of 3‐OHB[a]P and (+)‐anti‐BPDE as biomarkers of B[a]P exposure in rats

The aim of this study was to develop an analytical method for the determination the levels of metabolites of benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P), 3‐hydroxybenzo(a)pyrene (3‐OHB[a]P) and (+)‐anti‐benzo(a)pyrene diol‐epoxide [(+)‐anti‐BPDE, combined with DNA to form adducts], in rat blood and tissues exposed to B[a]P exposure by high‐performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (HPLC/FD), and to investigate the usefulness of 3‐OHB[a]P and (+)‐anti‐BPDE as markers of intragastrical exposure to B[a]P in rats. The levels of 3‐OH‐B[a]P and B[a]P‐tetrol I‐1 released after acid hydrolysis of (+)‐anti‐BPDE in the samples were measured by HPLC/FD. The calibration curves were linear (r² > 0.9904), and the lower limit of quantification ranged from 0.34 to 0.45 ng/mL for 3‐OHB[a]P and from 0.43 to 0.58 ng/mL for (+)‐anti‐BPDE. The intra‐ and inter‐day stability assay data suggested that the method is accurate and precise. The recoveries of 3‐OHB[a]P and (+)‐anti‐BPDE were in the ranges of 73.6 ± 5.0 to 116.5 ± 6.3% and 73.3 ± 8.5 to 141.2 ± 13.8%, respectively. A positive correlation was found between the concentration of intragastrical B[a]P and the concentrations of 3‐OH‐B[a]P and (+)‐anti‐BPDE in the blood and in most of the tissues studied, except for the brain and kidney, which showed no correlation between B[a]P and 3‐OHB[a]P and between B[a]P and (+)‐anti‐BPDE, respectively. A sensitive, reliable and rapid HPLC/FD was developed and validated for analysis of 3‐OHB[a]P and (+)‐anti‐BPDE in rat blood and tissues. There was a positive correlation between the concentration of 3‐OHB[a]P or (+)‐anti‐BPDE in the blood and the concentration of 3‐OHB[a]P or (+)‐anti‐BPDE in the most other tissues examined. The concentration of 3‐OHB[a]P or (+)‐anti‐BPDE in the blood could be used as an indicator of the concentration of 3‐OHB[a]P or (+)‐anti‐BPDE in the other tissues in response to B[a]P exposure. These results demonstrate that 3‐OHB[a]P and (+)‐anti‐BPDE are potential biomarkers of B[a]P exposure, which would also be useful to assess the carcinogenic risks from B[a]P exposure. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Acrylamide‐functionalized graphene micro‐solid‐phase extraction coupled to high‐performance liquid chromatography for the online analysis of trace monoamine acidic metabolites in biological samples

Monoamine acidic metabolites in biological samples are essential biomarkers for the diagnosis of neurological disorders. In this work, acrylamide‐functionalized graphene adsorbent was successfully synthesized by a chemical functionalization method and was packed in a homemade polyether ether ketone micro column as a micro‐solid‐phase extraction unit. This micro‐solid‐phase extraction unit was directly coupled to high‐performance liquid chromatography to form an online system for the separation and analysis of three monoamine acidic metabolites including homovanillic acid, 5‐hydroxyindole‐3‐acetic acid, and 3,4‐dihydroxyphenylacetic acid in human urine and plasma. The online system showed high stability, permeability, and adsorption capacity toward target metabolites. The saturated extraction amount of this online system was 213.1, 107.0, and 153.4 ng for homovanillic acid, 5‐hydroxyindole‐3‐acetic acid, and 3,4‐dihydroxyphenylacetic acid, respectively. Excellent detection limits were achieved in the range of 0.08–0.25 μg/L with good linearity and reproducibility. It was interesting that three targets in urine and plasma could be actually quantified to be 0.94–3.93 μg/L in plasma and 7.15–19.38 μg/L in urine. Good recoveries were achieved as 84.8–101.4% for urine and 77.8–95.1% for plasma with the intra‐ and interday relative standard deviations less than 9.3 and 10.3%, respectively. This method shows great potential for online analysis of trace monoamine acidic metabolites in biological samples.     

Synthesis,characterization, and fluorescence of pyrene‐containing eight‐arm star‐shaped dendrimer‐like copolymer with pentaerythritol core

Novel and well‐defined pyrene‐containing eight‐arm star‐shaped dendrimer‐like copolymers were successfully achieved by combination of esterification, atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP), divergent reaction, ring‐opening polymerization (ROP), and coupling reaction on the basis of pentaerythritol. The reaction of pentaerythritol with 2‐bromopropionyl bromide permitted ATRP of styrene (St) to form four‐arm star‐shaped polymer (PSt‐Br)₄. The molecular weights of these polymers could be adjusted by the variation of monomer conversion. Eight‐hydroxyl star‐shaped polymer (PSt‐(OH)₂)₄ was produced by the divergent reaction of (PSt‐Br)₄ with diethanolamine. (PSt‐(OH)₂)₄ was used as the initiator for ROP of ε‐caprolactone (CL) to produce eight‐arm star‐shaped dendrimer‐like copolymer (PSt‐b‐(PCL)₂)₄. The molecular weights of (PSt‐b‐(PCL)₂)₄ increased linearly with the increase of monomer. After the coupling reaction of hydroxyl‐terminated (PSt‐b‐(PCL)₂)₄ with 1‐pyrenebutyric acid, pyrene‐containing eight‐arm star‐shaped dendrimer‐like copolymer (PSt‐b‐(PCL‐pyrene)₂)₄ was obtained. The eight‐arm star‐shaped dendrimer‐like copolymers presented unique thermal properties and crystalline morphologies, which were different from those of linear poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PCL). Fluorescence analysis indicated that (PSt‐b‐(PCL‐pyrene)₂)₄ presented slightly stronger fluorescence intensity than 1‐pyrenebutyric acid when the pyrene concentration of them was the same. The obtained pyrene‐containing eight‐arm star‐shaped dendrimer‐like copolymer has potential applications in biological fluorescent probe, photodynamic therapy, and optoelectronic devices. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 2788–2798, 2008     

Pyrene‐cored covalent organic polymers by thiophene‐based isomers,their gas adsorption,and photophysical properties

Two new pyrene‐cored covalent organic polymers (COPs), CK‐COP‐1 and CK‐COP‐2 , were synthesized via the one‐step polymerization of two thiophene‐based isomers, 1,3,6,8‐tetra(thiophene‐2‐yl) pyrene ( L₁ ) and 1,3,6,8‐tetra(thiophene‐3‐yl) pyrene ( L₂ ). The resulting pyrene‐cored COPs exhibit rather different surface areas of 54 m² g^?1 and 615 m²g^?1 for CK‐COP‐1 and CK‐COP‐2 , respectively. The CO₂ uptake capacities of CK‐COP‐1 and CK‐COP‐2 also show different values of 2.85 and 9.73 wt % at 273 K, respectively. Furthermore, CK‐COP‐2 offers not only a larger CO₂ adsorption capacity but also a better CO₂/CH₄ selectivity at 273 K compared with CK‐COP‐1 . CK‐COP‐1 and CK‐COP‐2 also exhibit considerable differences in their photophysical property. The different structure and properties of CK‐COPs could be attributed to the isomer effect of their corresponding thiophene‐based monomers. © 2017 Authors. Journal of Polymer Science Part A: Polymer Chemistry Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2017 , 55 , 2383–2389     

Delayed Fluorescent Emission from Pyrene Doped Phenanthrene Nanoparticles Based on Triplet-triplet Energy Transfer

Doped nanoparticles were prepared from pyrene and phenanthrene using a facile reprecipitation method. The doped nanoparticles presented unique delayed fluorescent emissions of pyrene under the unprotected condition. The ratio of the intensity of delayed fluorescence (I_DF) to that of phosphorescence (I_P) is about 4:1, which almost keeps unchanged with the decrease of pyrene content at room temperature. The intensity of the delayed fluorescence emissions is dependent on the relative content of pyrene, as well as the aggregation degree of nanoparticles. The delayed emissions are contributed to efficient triplet‐triplet energy transfer from phenanthrene (donor) to pyrene (acceptor). Steady fluorescence measurement have proved that the singlet‐singlet energy transfer process was also existent dominated by the radiation energy transfer mechanism.     

A Pyrene Derivative for Hg2+‐Selective Fluorescent Sensing and Its Application in In Vivo Imaging

An Hg²⁺‐selective fluorescent sensor ( 1 ) bearing pyrene as a fluorophore was synthesized. A sandwich‐stacking binding mode was formed during the binding process, which increased the excimer fluorescence 22‐fold at 490 nm. Compound 1 was successfully applied in in vivo imaging to trace the enrichment and distribution of mercury in the nervous system, digestive system, and reproductive system of Caenorhabditis elegans, as well as the organs of zebrafish.     

An HPLC‐UV method for the simultaneous quantification of curcumin and its metabolites in plasma and lung tissue: Potential for preclinical applications

Curcumin, derived from turmeric, has been extensively investigated for its broad spectrum of biological activities. Previously reported HPLC‐UV methods have focussed on analysis of the parent compound. Here, a sensitive HPLC‐UV method was developed and partially validated, then used for the simultaneous determination of curcumin and its glucuronide and sulfate metabolites in plasma and lung tissue from mice. The assay was applied to an in vivo pharmacokinetic study comparing formulated curcumin (Meriva™) with standard curcumin. Plasma levels of glucuronide and sulfate metabolites were 5‐ and 2‐fold higher after Meriva™ administration compared with standard curcumin. In lung tissue, free curcumin was 4‐fold higher following Meriva™ administration vs standard curcumin. This assay represents a rapid, cheap method for simultaneous detection of curcumin and its major metabolites that has applicability in pre‐clinical settings.     

The profiling and identification of the metabolites of (+)‐catechin and study on their distribution in rats by HPLC‐DAD‐ESI‐IT‐TOF‐MSn technique

(+)‐Catechin, a potential beneficial compound to human health, is widely distributed in plants and foods. A high‐performance liquid chromatography with diode array detector and combined with electrospray ionization ion trap time‐of‐flight multistage mass spectrometry method was applied to profile and identify the metabolites of (+)‐catechin in rats and to study the distribution of these metabolites in rat organs for the first time. In total, 51 phase II metabolites (44 new) and three phase I metabolites were tentatively identified, comprising 16 (+)‐catechin conjugates, 14 diarylpropan‐2‐ol metabolites, 6 phenyl valerolactone metabolites and 18 aromatic acid metabolites. Further, 19 phase II metabolites were new compounds. The in vivo metabolic reactions of (+)‐catechin in rats were found to be ring‐cleavage, sulfation, glucuronidation, methylation, dehydroxylation and dehydrogenation. The numbers of detected metabolites in urine, plasma, small intestine, kidney, liver, lung, heart, brain and spleen were 53, 23, 27, 9, 7, 5, 3, 2 and 1, respectively. This indicated that small intestine, kidney and liver were the major organs for the distribution of (+)‐catechin metabolites. In addition, eight metabolites were found to possess bioactivities according to literature. These results are very helpful for better comprehension of the in vivo metabolism of (+)‐catechin and its pharmacological actions, and also can give strong indications on the effective forms of (+)‐catechin in vivo. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Ring‐opening metathesis polymerization of new norbornene‐based monomers containing various chromophores

Pure exo‐functional norbornene monomers containing various chromophores such as fluorene, pyrene, and carbazole were successfully prepared via the Diels–Alder reaction and condensation reaction. The living ring‐opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) of a fluorene‐containing monomer, exo‐2‐(fluorene‐9‐ylcarboxymethyl)norborn‐5‐ene (exo‐1), was observed and confirmed by the formation of a diblock copolymer and a linear relationship between the number‐average molecular weight and [M]/[I] ratios ([M] = monomer concentration; [I] = initiator concentration). The synthesis and characteristics of novel fluorene‐containing polymers based on pure exo‐1 are reported with Grubbs catalyst I {RuCl₂(CHPh)[P(C₆H₁₁)₃]₂} with a high molecular weight of 3.18 × 10⁴ in 90 s ([M]/[I] = 100). However, the ROMP of pyrene‐ and carbazole‐containing monomers [exo‐5‐(pyrene methoxy carbonyl)bicyclo[2.2.1]hept‐2‐ene and exo‐5‐(carbazole ethoxy carbonyl)bicyclo[2.2.1]hept‐2‐ene, respectively] were carried out in a nonliving fashion. All the chromophore‐containing polymers showed excellent solubility in various organic solvents, particularly in chloroform, N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidinone, and 1,2‐dichlorobenzene. The glass transition temperatures of polynorbornenes containing various chromophores were determined to be 80–109 °C (by differential scanning calorimetry) higher than that of ring‐opened polynorbornene (glass transition temperature = 35 °C), indicating that the incorporation of the pendant aromatic moieties (e.g., fluorene, pyrene, and carbazole) could enhance the transition temperature for segmental motions of polymer chains. The photoluminescence spectra of all polymer solutions showed a strong emission in the blue region of the visible spectra. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 3022–3031, 2007     

Bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide‐based frozen ionic liquid for the hollow‐fiber solid‐phase microextraction of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane and its main metabolites

1‐Hexadecyl‐3‐methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide is a solid‐phase ionic organic material under ambient temperature and is considered as a kind of “frozen” ionic liquid. Because of their solid‐state and ultra‐hydrophobicity, “frozen” ionic liquids are able to be confined in the pores of hollow fiber, based on which a simple method was developed for the hollow‐fiber solid‐phase microextraction of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane and its main metabolites. Under optimized conditions, the proposed method results in good linearity (R ² > 0.9965) over the range of 0.5−50 μg/L, with low limits of detection and quantification in the range of 0.33−0.38 and 1.00−1.25 μg/L, respectively. Intra‐ and interday precisions evaluated by relative standard deviation were 3−6 and 1−6%, respectively. The spiked recoveries of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane and its main metabolites from real water samples were in the range of 64−113 and 79−112%, respectively, at two different concentration levels. The results suggest that “frozen” ionic liquids are promising for use as a class of novel sorbents.     

Quantification of 1‐(propan‐2‐ylamino)‐4‐propoxy‐9H‐thioxanthen‐9‐one (TX5), a newly synthetized P‐glycoprotein inducer/activator,in biological samples: method development and validation

A simple, rapid and economical method was developed and validated for the analysis and quantification of 1‐(propan‐2‐ylamino)‐4‐propoxy‐9H ‐thioxanthen‐9‐one (TX5), a P‐glycoprotein inducer/activator, in biological samples, using reverse‐phase high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). A C₁₈ column and a mobile phase composed of methanol–water (90/10, v /v) with 1% (v/v) triethylamine, at a flow rate of 1 mL/min, were used for chromatographic separation. TX5 standards (0.5–150 μm ) were prepared in human serum. Methanol was used for TX5 extraction and serum protein precipitation. After filtration, samples were injected into the HPLC apparatus and TX5 was quantified by a conventional UV detector at 255 nm. The TX5 retention time was 13 min in this isocratic system. The method was validated according to ICH guidelines for specificity/selectivity, linearity, accuracy, precision, limits of detection and quantification (LOD and LOQ) and recovery. The method was proved to be selective, as there were no interferences of endogenous compounds with the same retention time of TX5. Also, the developed method was linear (r ² ≥ 0.99) for TX5 concentrations between 0.5 and 150 μm and the LOD and LOQ were 0.08 and 0.23 μm , respectively. The results indicated that the reported method could meet the requirements for TX5 analysis in the trace amounts expected to be present in biological samples.     

Simultaneous determination of the novel thiosemicarbazone anti‐cancer agent,Bp4eT,and its main phase I metabolites in plasma: Application to a pilot pharmacokinetic study in rats

Novel thiosemicarbazone metal chelators are extensively studied anti‐cancer agents with marked and selective activity against a wide variety of cancer cells, as well as human tumor xenografts in mice. This study describes the first validated LC‐MS/MS method for the simultaneous quantification of 2‐benzoylpyridine 4‐ethyl‐3‐thiosemicarbazone (Bp4eT) and its main metabolites (E/Z isomers of the semicarbazone structure, M1‐E and M1‐Z, and the amidrazone metabolite, M2) in plasma. Separation was achieved using a C₁₈ column with ammonium formate/acetonitrile mixture as the mobile phase. Plasma samples were treated using solid‐phase extraction on 96‐well plates. This method was validated over the concentration range of 0.18–2.80 μM for Bp4eT, 0.02–0.37 μM for both M1‐E and M1‐Z, and 0.10–1.60 μM for M2. This methodology was applied to the analysis of samples from in vivo experiments, allowing for the concentration–time profile to be simultaneously assessed for the parent drug and its metabolites. The current study addresses the lack of knowledge regarding the quantitative analysis of thiosemicarbazone anti‐cancer drugs and their metabolites in plasma and provides the first pharmacokinetic data on a lead compound of this class. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Solid-phase extraction and purification for the quantification of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon metabolites in fish bile

An analytical protocol including solid-phase extraction and purification is described for the individual quantification of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon metabolites (hydroxylated PAHs) in liquid biological matrices such as plasma and bile. The method consists in an enzymatic deconjugation followed by a solid-phase extraction on a C₁₈ cartridge and by a cleanup on an NH₂ cartridge. Extracts are then submitted to a derivatization step before gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis. The quantification of PAH metabolites is ensured by adding an internal standard, 1-hydroxypyrene deuterated, at the beginning of the protocol. Recoveries obtained for the entire protocol were for the major part of the compounds between 96 and 70%. However, recoveries were not so satisfying concerning 2-hydroxybiphenyl and especially 3-hydroxybenzo(a)pyrene, with 62 and 36% respectively. Finally, the protocol was applied to different fish bile samples and showed its good applicability to fish bile samples. The NH₂ cleanup step has been proved to be a very selective purification step, necessary to remove most of the bile pigments before GC/MS injection. Different PAH metabolites could be detected in those natural samples and their quantification allowed us to distinguish different levels of fish exposure.     

Characterization of forsythoside A metabolites in rats by a combination of UHPLC‐LTQ‐Orbitrap mass spectrometer with multiple data processing techniques

Forsythoside A (FTA), the main active constituent isolated from Fructus Forsythiae, has various biological functions including anti‐oxidant, anti‐viral and anti‐microbial activities. However, while research on FTA has been mainly focused on the treatment of diseases on a material basis, FTA metabolites in vivo have not been comprehensively evaluated. Here, a rapid and sensitive method using a UHPLC‐LTQ‐Orbitrap mass spectrometer with multiple data processing techniques including high‐resolution extracted ion chromatograms, multiple mass defect filters and diagnostic product ions was developed for the screening and identification of FTA metabolites in rats. As the result, a total of 43 metabolites were identified in biological samples including 42 metabolites in urine, 22 metabolites in plasma and 15 metabolites in feces. These results demonstrated that FTA underwent a series of in vivo metabolic reactions including methylation, dimethylation, sulfation, glucuronidation, diglucuronidation, cysteine conjugation and their composite reactions. The research enhanced our understanding of FTA metabolism and built a foundation for further toxicity and safety studies.     

New Dual Fluorescent Probe for Simultaneous Biothiol and Phosphate Bioimaging

The simultaneous detection of relevant metabolites in living organisms by using one molecule introduces an approach to understanding the relationships between these metabolites in healthy and deregulated cells. Fluorescent probes of low toxicity are remarkable tools for this type of analysis of biological systems in vivo. As a proof of concept, different naturally occurring compounds, such as biothiols and phosphate anions, were the focus for this work. The 2,4‐dinitrobenzenesulfinate (DNBS) derivative of 9‐[1‐(4‐tert‐butyl‐2‐methoxyphenyl)]‐6‐hydroxy‐3H‐xanthen‐3‐one (Granada Green; GG) were designed and synthesized. This new sulfinyl xanthene derivative can act as a dual sensor for the aforementioned analytes simultaneously. The mechanism of action of this derivative implies thiolysis of the sulfinyl group of the weakly fluorescent DNBS‐GG by biological thiols at near‐neutral pH values, thus releasing the fluorescent GG moiety, which simultaneously responds to phosphate anions through its fluorescence‐decay time. The new dual probe was tested in solution by using steady‐state and time‐resolved fluorescence and intracellularly by using fluorescence‐lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) in human epithelioid cervix carcinoma (HeLa) cells.