1,3,5,7-Tetramethyl-8-aminozide-difluoroboradiaza-s-indacene as a new fluorescent labeling reagent for the determination of aliphatic aldehydes in serum with high performance liquid chromatography

A BODIPY-based fluorescent derivatization reagent with a hydrazine moiety, 1,3,5,7-tetramethyl-8-aminozide-difluoroboradiaza-s-indacene (BODIPY-aminozide), has been designed for aldehyde labeling. An increased fluorescence quantum yield was observed from 0.38 to 0.94 in acetonitrile when it reacted with aldehydes. Twelve aliphatic aldehydes from formaldehyde to lauraldehyde were used to evaluate the analytical potential of this reagent by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) on C₁₈ column with fluorescence detection. The derivatization reaction of BODIPY-aminozide with aldehydes proceeded at 60 °C for 30 min to form stable corresponding BODIPY hydrazone derivatives in the presence of phosphoric acid as a catalyst. The maximum excitation (495 nm) and emission (505 nm) wavelengths were almost the same for all the aldehyde derivatives. A baseline separation of all the 12 aliphatic aldehydes (except formaldehyde and acetaldehyde) is achieved in 20 min with acetonitrile–tetrahydrofuran (THF)–water as mobile phase. The detection limits were obtained in the range from 0.43 to 0.69 nM (signal-to-noise = 3), which are better than or comparable with those obtained by the existing methods based on aldehyde labeling. This reagent has been applied to the precolumn derivatization followed with HPLC determination of trace aliphatic aldehydes in human serum samples without complex pretreatment or enrichment method.     

高效液相色谱-质谱分离鉴定荧光试剂标记的脂肪酸

以2-(2-(10-蒽基)-萘[2,3-d]咪唑)-乙基-对甲苯磺酸酯(ANITS)作为柱前衍生化试剂,在Eclipse XDB-C8色谱柱上,梯度洗脱实现了20种游离脂肪酸(FFA)衍生物的完全基线分离。90℃下在DMF溶剂中以K2CO3作催化剂,选取衍生试剂摩尔数为脂肪酸的7倍,衍生反应40min可获得稳定的荧光产物。激发和发射波长分别为250nm和512nm。采用大气压化学电离源(APCI)正离子模式,实现了油菜蜂花粉中游离脂肪酸的质谱鉴定。所有脂肪酸的线性相关系数均大于0.9999,检出限为24.76~98.79fmol。     

荧光衍生试剂1-［2-(对甲苯磺酸酯)乙基］-2-苯基咪唑［4,5-f］9,10-菲的合成及其在长链脂肪酸分析中的应用

合成了新的荧光衍生试剂1-［2-(对甲苯磺酸酯)乙基］-2-苯基咪唑［4,5-f］9,10-菲(TSEPIP),并将其作为柱前衍生化试剂,在Eclipse XDB-C8色谱柱上采用梯度洗脱实现了11种长链(C20~C30)游离脂肪酸(FFA)衍生物的基线分离。利用柱后在线的串联质谱并以大气压化学电离源（APCI）的正离子模式实现了各组分的质谱定性。对土壤及3种苔藓(东亚毛灰藓、锦丝藓、羽平藓)中FFA组分的定量结果表明,苔藓植物从土壤中富集了大量的长链游离脂肪酸。荧光检测的激发波长和发射波长分别为260 nm和380 nm。线性回归系数大于0.9996,检测限为26.19~76.67 fmol。所建立的方法具有良好的重现性,对实际样品的测定结果令人满意。     

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).     

胆汁酸的双敏感探针苯并[b]吖啶酮-5-乙基对甲苯磺酸酯: 荧光检测和APCI-MS鉴定

在Hypersil C₁₈色谱柱上, 利用新型荧光试剂苯并[b]吖啶酮-5-乙基对甲苯磺酸酯(BAETS)作柱前衍生化试剂, 采用梯度洗脱对10种胆汁酸衍生物进行了优化分离. 在二甲亚砜溶剂中, 以碳酸钾作催化剂, 95 ℃, 45 min后获得稳定的荧光产物. 衍生物在稳态荧光条件下, 在乙腈和甲醇水溶液中的百分离子化δ值在0%～88.83%和0%～89.15%范围内. 最大激发和发射波长为λ_ex/λ_em＝272/505 nm. 采用大气压化学电离源(APCI)正离子模式实现了胆汁中胆汁酸的定性定量测定. 线性回归系数均在0.9995以上, 线性范围宽, 检出限为0.76～1.62 ng/mL.     

Determination of 30 Free Fatty Acids in Two Famous Tibetan Medicines by HPLC with Fluorescence Detection and Mass Spectrometric Identification

A simple and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method with fluorescence detection and mass spectrometric identification has been developed for analysis of 30 long-chain and short-chain free fatty acids (FFAs). The fatty acids were derivatized to their esters with 1-[2-(p-toluenesulfonate)ethyl]-2-phenylimidazole-[4,5-f]-9,10-phenanthrene (TSPP) in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) at 90 °C with anhydrous K₂CO₃ as catalyst. A mixture of C₁–C₃₀ fatty acids was completely separated within 60 min by gradient elution on a reversed-phase C₈ column. Qualitative identification of the acids was performed by atmospheric-pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry (APCI–MS) in positive-ion mode. The fluorescence excitation and emission wavelengths were 260 and 380 nm, respectively. Quantitative determination of the 30 acids in two Tibetan medicines Gentiana straminea and G. dahurica was performed. The results indicated that the medicines contained many FFAs. Linear correlation coefficients for the FFA derivatives were >0.9991. Relative standard deviations (RSDs, n = 6) for the fatty acid derivatives were <3%. Detection limits (at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3:1) were 3.1–38 fmol. When the fatty acid derivatives were determined in the two real samples results were satisfactory and the sensitivity and reproducibility of the method were good.     

血清中游离脂肪酸的液相色谱荧光测定及质谱鉴定

利用新型荧光试剂1,2 苯并 3,4 二氢咔唑 9 乙基对甲苯磺酸酯(BDETS)对19种游离脂肪酸(FFAs)进行柱前衍生,在EclipseXDB C8反相色谱柱上,采用梯度洗脱优化分离.90℃下在DMF溶剂中以K2CO3作催化剂,衍生反应30min获得稳定的荧光产物.激发和发射波长分别为λex=333nm,λem=390nm,采用大气压化学电离源(APCI)正离子模式进行柱后在线质谱定性.多数脂肪酸的线性回归系数大于0.9989,检测限为24.80～80.37fmol.实现了人体血清中长链脂肪酸的定性及相应含量测定.     

2-(2-Phenyl-1H-phenanthro-[9,10-d]imidazole-1-yl)-acetic acid (PPIA) and its application for determination of amines by high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection and identification with mass spectroscopy/atmospheric pressure chemical ionization

A simple, sensitive, and mild method for the determination of amino compounds based on a condensation reaction with 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-carbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC·HCl) as the dehydrant with fluorescence detection has been developed. Amines were derivatized to their acidamides with labeling reagent 2-(2-phenyl-1H-phenanthro-[9,10-d]imidazole-1-yl)-acetic acid (PPIA). Studies on derivatization conditions indicated that the coupling reaction proceeded rapidly and smoothly in the presence of a base catalyst in acetonitrile to give the corresponding sensitively fluorescent derivatives with an excitation maximum at λ_ex 260 nm and an emission maximum at λ_em 380 nm. The labeled derivatives exhibited high stability and were enough to be efficiently analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography. Identification of derivatives was carried out by online post-column mass spectrometry (LC/APCI-MS/MS) and showed an intense protonated molecular ion corresponding m/z [MH]⁺ under APCI in positive-ion mode. At the same time, the fluorescence properties of derivatives in various solvents or at different temperature were investigated. The method, in conjunction with a gradient elution, offered a baseline resolution of the common amine derivatives on a reversed-phase Eclipse XDB-C₈ column. LC separation for the derivatized amines showed good reproducibility with acetonitrile-water as mobile phase. Detection limits calculated from 0.78 pmol injection, at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3, were 3.1-18.2 fmol. The mean intra- and inter-assay precision for all amine levels were <3.85% and 2.11%, respectively. Excellent linear responses were observed with coefficients of >0.9996. The established method for the determination of aliphatic amines from real wastewater and biological samples was satisfactory.     

Determination of Free Fatty Acids in Bryophyte Plants and Soil by HPLC with Fluorescence Detection and Identification by Online MS

A method for the determination of long and short chain free fatty acids (FFAs), using 1-[2-(p-toluenesulfonate)-ethyl]-2-phenylimidazole-[4,5-f]-9,10-phenanthrene (TSPP) as labeling reagent, has been developed. Identification of FFA derivatives was carried out by HPLC-MS with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) in positive ion mode. Gradient elution on an Agilent Eclipse XDB-C₈ column gave good separation of the derivatives. Excellent linear responses were observed and good compositional data could be obtained from as little as 200 mg of bryophyte plants and soil samples. Facile TSPP derivatization coupled with HPLC-APCI-MS analysis allowed the development of a highly sensitive method for the quantitative analysis of trace level of FFAs from biological and natural environmental samples.     

鼠类粪便中类固醇的荧光标记及质谱鉴定

利用新型荧光试剂1,2-苯并-3,4-二氢咔唑-9-乙基肼基甲酸酯(BCEC)作柱前衍生化试剂,在HypersilBDSC18(4.6mm×200mm,5μm)色谱柱上,采用梯度洗脱对皮质醇、皮质酮、睾酮、孕酮4种类固醇荧光衍生物进行了优化分离。65℃下在乙腈溶剂中以三氯乙酸作催化剂,衍生反应2h后获得稳定的荧光产物。激发和发射波长分别为333nm和390nm。采用大气压化学电离源(APCI)正离子模式,实现了黑线姬鼠粪便中4种类固醇化合物的定性及定量测定。线性回归系数均在0.9999以上,检出限为47.3~71.2fmol。     

3‐(2‐Bromoacetamido)‐N‐(9‐ethyl‐9H)‐carbazol fluorescent probe and its application for the determination of thiophenols in rubber products by HPLC with fluorescence detection and atmospheric chemical ionization mass spectrometry identification

A rapid, sensitive, and selective precolumn derivatization method for the simultaneous determination of eight thiophenols using 3‐(2‐bromoacetamido)‐N‐(9‐ethyl‐9H )‐carbazol as a labeling reagent by high‐performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection has been developed. The labeling reagent reacted with thiophenols at 50°C for 50 min in aqueous acetonitrile in the presence of borate buffer (0.10 mol/L, pH 11.2) to give high yields of thiophenol derivatives. The derivatives were identified by online postcolumn mass spectrometry. The collision‐induced dissociation spectra for thiophenol derivatives gave the corresponding specific fragment ions at m/z 251.3, 223.3, 210.9, 195.8, and 181.9. At the same time, derivatives exhibited intense fluorescence with an excitation maximum at λ_ex = 276 nm and an emission maximum at λ_em = 385 nm. Excellent linear responses were observed for all analytes over the range of 0.033–6.66 μmol/L with correlation coefficients of more than 0.9997. Detection limits were in the range of 0.94–5.77 μg/L with relative standard deviations of less than 4.54%. The feasibility of derivatization allowed the development of a rapid and highly sensitive method for the quantitative analysis of trace levels of thiophenols from some rubber products. The average recoveries (n = 3) were in the range of 87.21–101.12%.     

A fluorous tag-bound fluorescence derivatization reagent, F-trap pyrene, for reagent peak-free HPLC analysis of aliphatic amines

We have developed a novel pre-column fluorescence derivatization reagent for amines, F-trap pyrene. This reagent comprises a fluorescent pyrene moiety, an amine-reactive Marshall linker, and a fluorophilic perfluoroalkyl group known as fluorous tag. When the reagent reacts with aliphatic amines and amino acids to give fluorescent derivatives, the fluorous tag in the reagent is eliminated simultaneously. Therefore, excess unreacted reagents in the derivatization reaction solution still have the fluorous tag and could be removed by fluorous solid-phase extraction selectively before high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis. By using this reagent, 13 kinds of aliphatic amine (C₂–C₁₆) derivatives can be separated within 40 min by reversed-phase HPLC with gradient elution. In this chromatogram, unreacted reagents peak at around 28 min, greatly decrease after fluorous solid-phase extraction, and do not interfere with the quantification of each amine. The detection limits (S/N = 3) for examined aliphatic amines are 3.6–25 fmol per 20 μL injection. We have also applied this reagent successfully to the amino acid analysis.

Determination of thiol compounds by HPLC and fluorescence detection with 1,3,5,7‐tetramethyl‐8‐bromomethyl‐difluoroboradiaza‐s‐indacene

Altered levels of thiols in biological fluids are considered to be an important indicator for several diseases. In this article, 1,3,5,7‐tetramethyl‐8‐bromomethyl‐difluoroboradiaza‐s‐indacene is proposed as a fluorescent derivatization reagent for the determination of thiols including glutathione, cysteine, N‐acetylcysteine, and homocysteine by HPLC. Under the optimized derivatization and separation conditions, a baseline separation of all the four derivatives has been achieved using isocratic elution on an RP C₈ column within 26 min. With fluorescence detection at 505 and 525 nm for the excitation and emission, respectively, the LODs (S/N = 3) are from 0.2 nM (glutathione) to 0.8 nM (cysteine). The feasibility of this method in real samples has been evaluated by the determination of thiols in human plasma from the healthy persons and hypertensive patients with recoveries of 92–105.3%.     

A New LC Method for Determination of Some Aminoglycoside Antibiotics in Dosage Forms and Human Plasma Using 7-Fluoro-4-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazole as a Fluorogenic Pre-Column Label

A validated, selective and sensitive pre-column derivatization chromatographic method for determination of some aminoglycoside antibiotics, namely, amikacin (AMK), gentamicin and neomycin sulphates, has been developed. Determination was obtained by pre-column reaction of the samples with 7-fluoro-4-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazole and separating the corresponding derivatives on a reversed phase LC column (ultrasphere C₁₈, 250 × 4.6 mm) and fluorescence detection (λ _ex 465 nm, λ _em 531 nm). Linear quantitative response curve was generated over a concentration range of 0.05–10 μg mL⁻¹ with a correlation coefficient of more than 0.999 with all studied compounds. The accuracy and precisions were satisfactory for determination of all drugs in dosage forms within- and between-run assay. Furthermore, the method was extended to the determination of AMK in spiked human plasma. The method is specific for the intact drugs, and can be adopted in the presence of co-formulated drugs.

     

Separation of Amines as their 6-Methyl-2-phenyl-4-quinolinecarboxylic Acid N-Hydroxysuccinimide Ester Derivatives by High Performance Liquid Chromatography

6-Methyl-2-phenyl-4-quinolinecarboxylic acid N-hydroxysuccinimide ester (MPQC-OSu) has been developed for precolumn derivatization of aliphatic amines in HPLC. The great difference between the fluorescence quantum yield of MPQC-OSu derivative and that of MPQC-OSu hydrolysate, 6-methyl-2-phenyl-4-quinolinecarboxylic acid (MPQC) makes this reagent suitable for amine-labeling, followed by chromatographic separation. In pH8.5 borate buffer, MPQC-OSu reacted with amines at 60°C for 12 min to form highly fluorescent carboxamides and excess reagent hydrolysed to MPQC. The chromatographic behavior of amine derivatives with MPQC-OSu has been investigated using HPLC on C₁₈ and C₈ columns, respectively, with fluorescence detection at 340–402nm. A baseline separation of isopropanolamine, methylamine, ethylamine, n-propylamine, n-butylamine, n-amylamine and n-hexylamine was obtained in 25min using isocratic elution on a C₁₈ column using methanol-water (70:30, v/v) as eluent. Detection limits were in the range 0.13–1 nM.Acknowledgements This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Foundation of Education Ministry of China and Chengguang Project of Wuhan, China.     

Fluorometric Determination of Arsenic(III) with Fluorescein

A rapid, simple, and sensitive fluorometric method has been developed for the determination of arsenic(III) with fluorescein as fluorogenic reagent (λ_ex= 495 nm, λ_em= 516 nm) at pH 5.2–7.0. A linear calibration curve was obtained in the range 0.01–2.5 μg As(III)/25 ml. The detection limit is 0.01 μg As(III)/25 ml. The method was successfully applied to the determination of arsenic(III) in waste- and river water.     

A simple and mild derivatization method for hydroxyl compounds using condensation agent carbazole-9-N-(2-methyl)-acetyl-benzene-disulfonate and its application for the determination of volatile alcohols from plasma by HPLC with fluorescence detection

A simple and sensitive HPLC method for the determination of hydroxyl compounds including volatile alcohols from spiked plasma, using a fluorescent condensation agent, namely carbazole-9-N-(2-methyl)-acetyl-benzene-disulfonate (CMABS), has been developed. A mixture of alcohols and pyridine in dichloromethane was treated with CMABS to give a quantitative yield of esters. The maximum fluorescence emissions for the derivatized alcohols are at 365 nm (λ_ex 335 nm). Studies on derivatization conditions indicate that alcohols react very fast with CMABS in presence of pyridine in dichloromethane to give the corresponding fluorescent derivatives. The method, in conjunction with a multi-step gradient, offers a baseline resolution of the common alcohol derivatives on a reversed-phase C₁₈ column, which is more convenient and more efficient than previous methods which require the prior conversion of the carboxylic acids to the acyl chlorides. The application of this method to the analysis of volatile alcohols in plasma was also investigated. The LC separation shows good selectivity and reproducibility for alcohol derivatives. The relative standard deviations ¶(n = 5) for 100 pmol of each alcohol are < 4%. The detection limits are at the fmol level for C₁–C₃ alcohols and pmol level for C₄–C₉ alcohols.     

Fluorogenic derivatization of aryl halides based on the formation of biphenyl by Suzuki coupling reaction with phenylboronic acid

The fluorogenic derivatization method for aryl halide was developed for the first time. This method was based on the formation of fluorescent biphenyl structure by Suzuki coupling reaction between aryl halides and non-fluorescent phenylboronic acid (PBA). We measured the fluorescence spectra of the products obtained by the reaction of p-substituted aryl bromides (i.e., 4-bromobenzonitrile, 4-bromoanisole, 4-bromobenzoic acid ethyl ester and 4-bromotoluene) with PBA in the presence of palladium (II) acetate as a catalyst. The significant fluorescence at excitation maximum wavelength of 275–290 nm and emission maximum wavelength of 315–350 nm was detected in all the tested aryl bromides. This result demonstrated that non-fluorescent aryl bromides could be converted to the fluorescent biphenyl derivatives by the coupling reaction with non-fluorescent PBA. We tried to determine these aryl bromides by HPLC-fluorescence detection with pre-column derivatization. The aryl bromide derivatives were detected on the chromatogram within 30 min without any interfering peak derived from the reagent blank. The detection limits (S/N = 3) for aryl bromides were 13–157 fmol/injection.     

Pre-Column Derivatization of Amines with 1,2-Benzo-3,4-Dihydrocarbazole-9-Isopropyl Chloroformate Followed by LC-Fluorescence and LC-APCI-MS

A pre-column derivatization method for the sensitive determination of amines using the labeling reagent 1,2-benzo-3,4-dihydrocarbazole-9-isopropyl chloroformate (BCIC-Cl) followed by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection has been developed. Identification of derivatives is carried out by high performance liquid chromatography/atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (LC-APCI-MS-MS). The chromophore of 2-(9-carbazole)-ethyl chloroformate (CEOC) reagent is replaced by 1,2-benzo-3,4-dihydrocarbazole-9-isopropyl functional group, which results in a sensitive fluorescence derivatizing reagent BCIC-Cl. BCIC-Cl can easily and quickly label amines. Derivatives are stable enough to be efficiently analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography and show an intense protonated molecular ion corresponding m/z [MH]⁺ under APCI in positive-ion mode. The collision-induced dissociation of protonated molecular ion formed a product at m/z 260 corresponding to the cleavage of CH₂-OCO bond. Studies on derivatization demonstrate excellent derivative yields over the pH 9.0–10.0. Maximal yields close to 100% are observed with a 3 to 4-fold molar reagent excess. In addition, the detection responses for BCIC derivatives are compared with those obtained using CEOC and FMOC as derivatization reagents. The ratios of I_BCIC/I_CEOC and I_BCIC/I_FMOC are, respectively, 1.23–3.14 and 1.25–3.08 for fluorescent (FL) responses (here, I is relative fluorescence intensity). Separation of the derivatized amines had been optimized on reversed-phase Eclipse XDB-C₈ column. Detection limits are calculated from 1.0 pmol injection, at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3, are 10.6–37.8 fmol. The mean interday accuracy ranges from 94 to 105% for fluorescence detection with the largest mean %CV<7.5. The mean interday precision for all standards is < 6.0% of the expected concentration. Excellent linear responses are observed with coefficients of > 0.9997. Revised: 12 December 2005 and 13 Febrauary 2006     

A simple and mild derivatization method for hydroxyl compounds using condensation agent carbazole-9-N-(2-methyl)-acetyl-benzene-disulfonate and its application for the determination of volatile alcohols from plasma by HPLC with fluorescence detection

A simple and sensitive HPLC method for the determination of hydroxyl compounds including volatile alcohols from spiked plasma, using a fluorescent condensation agent, namely carbazole-9-N-(2-methyl)-acetyl-benzene-disulfonate (CMABS), has been developed. A mixture of alcohols and pyridine in dichloromethane was treated with CMABS to give a quantitative yield of esters. The maximum fluorescence emissions for the derivatized alcohols are at 365 nm (λ_ex 335 nm). Studies on derivatization conditions indicate that alcohols react very fast with CMABS in presence of pyridine in dichloromethane to give the corresponding fluorescent derivatives. The method, in conjunction with a multi-step gradient, offers a baseline resolution of the common alcohol derivatives on a reversed-phase C₁₈ column, which is more convenient and more efficient than previous methods which require the prior conversion of the carboxylic acids to the acyl chlorides. The application of this method to the analysis of volatile alcohols in plasma was also investigated. The LC separation shows good selectivity and reproducibility for alcohol derivatives. The relative standard deviations ?(n = 5) for 100 pmol of each alcohol are < 4%. The detection limits are at the fmol level for C₁–C₃ alcohols and pmol level for C₄–C₉ alcohols. Received: 9 November 1998 / Revised: 3 May 1999 / Accepted: 6 May 1999