Direct analysis of crude plasma samples by turbulent flow chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry

Summary Turbulent flow chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (TFC-MS-MS) has recently emerged as a potentially fast, sensitive and specific technique for the direct analysis of pharmaceutical compounds from crude plasma. TFC-MS-MS removes the need for time-consuming sample preparation procedures such as solid-phase extraction (SPE) or liquid-liquid extraction (LLE). A relatively high flow rate combined with the use, of an HPLC column with large porous particles allows the on-line clean up and quantification of compounds in plasma samples. Until, now, the amount of plasma directly injected into TFC systems has rarely exceeded 30 μL in order to prevent rapid column degradation. Increasing the injection volume also induces high carry-over levels, particularly for drugs with basic and/or lipophilic properties. This paper describes the first genetic TFC-MS-MS method developed in a 96-well format, which allows the direct injection of 200 μL of 1∶1 diluted plasma (equivalent to 100 μL neat plasma). An average, of 390 injections was carried out with each extraction column. More than 2000 dog plasma samples were injected into the system without any sign of carryover. The method was fully validated over a 5–500 ng mL⁻¹ range for three basic compounds: doxazosin, CP122,288 and dofetilide. The imprecision was 1.2 to 8.3% for doxazosin, 1.5 to 4% for CP122,288 and 1.6 to 9.2% for dofetilide. The inaccuracy ranged from 6% to 7.9%. This generic methodology was then used to assay two structurally unrelated development compounds, showing that the method accuracy and sensitivity were adequate for the early pharmacokinetic (PK) studies in animals.     

Determination of zearalenone by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry and application to a pharmacokinetic study

Zearalenone, a mycotoxin biosynthesized by various Fusarium fungi, is widely found as a contaminant in grains and animal feeds. This study describes a rapid and sensitive LC/MS/MS assay method for the quantification of zearalenone in rat serum. The assay was validated to demonstrate the specificity, linearity, recovery, lower limit of quantification (LLOQ), accuracy and precision. The multiple reaction monitoring was based on the transition of m/z 317.0 → 130.9 for zearalenone and 319.0 → 204.8 for zearalanone (internal standard). The assay utilized a single liquid–liquid extraction with t‐butyl methyl ether and isocratic elution, and the LLOQ was 0.5 ng/mL using 0.1 mL rat serum. The assay was linear over a concentration range from 0.5 to 200 ng/mL, with correlation coefficients >0.9996. The mean intra‐ and inter‐day assay accuracy was 101.2–112.9 and 96.3–108.0%, respectively. The mean intra‐ and inter‐day precision was between 1.3–7.6 and 3.6–10.6%, respectively. The developed assay was applied to a pharmacokinetic study after a bolus intravenous injection of zearalenone in rats. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Determination of the neuropharmacological drug nodakenin in rat plasma and brain tissues by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry: Application to pharmacokinetic studies

A rapid and sensitive liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry detection using selected reaction monitoring in positive ionization mode was developed and validated for the quantification of nodakenin in rat plasma and brain. Pareruptorin A was used as internal standard. A single step liquid–liquid extraction was used for plasma and brain sample preparation. The method was validated with respect to selectivity, precision, accuracy, linearity, limit of quantification, recovery, matrix effect and stability. Lower limit of quantification of nodakenin was 2.0 ng/mL in plasma and brain tissue homogenates. Linear calibration curves were obtained over concentration ranges of 2.0–1000 ng/mL in plasma and brain tissue homogenates for nodakenin. Intra‐day and inter‐day precisions (relative standard deviation, RSD) were <15% in both biological media. This assay was successfully applied to plasma and brain pharmacokinetic studies of nodakenin in rats after intravenous administration.     

Influence of column characteristics on retention and selectivity in RP-HPLC

Summary Eight commercially available reversed-phase (RP) columns of widely different characteristics were evaluated and compared using the linear solvation energy relationships (LSER). Retention factors of 32 solutes of different types were determined under isocratic conditions using an acetonitrile-water (30∶70) mobile phase. Stationary phase properties were compared by the fitting coefficients of the LSER-based regression equations which are characteristic of the individual stationary phases and represent the extent of various molecular interactions contributing to the retention process. The good agreement between the calculated and measured logk values for different type of compounds support the adequacy and applicability of the LSER model to describe chromatographic retention. Characterization of column performance for the separation of various type of compounds was established by the determination of the different selectivity factors representing hydrophobic selectivity, polar selectivity and specific selectivity.     

Liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection for determination of octylphenol and nonylphenol in municipal wastewater at trace levels

Summary Reversed-phase liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (RPLC-FD) and with electrospray ionization (ESI) tandem mass spectrometric detection (RPLC-ESI-MS-MS), both coupled with automated solid-phase sample extraction, have been used for trace enrichment and analysis of octylphenol and nonylphenol (NP) in municipal wastewater. Quality data calculated for the methods were detection limits (LOD), quantitation limits, linearity, precision, and accuracy. For LC-ESI-MS-MS theLOD were below 0.08 μg L⁻¹. Unequivocal detection of NP in wastewater samples was achieved by use of LC-ESI-MS and LC-ESI-MS-MS. In particular, application of the LC methods to wastewater samples revealed that the selectivity of LC-MS-MS was more than that of LC-FD for qualitative and quantitative analysis of complex matrices.     

The calculation of retention and selectivity in reversed-phase liquid chromatography II. Methanol-water eluents

Summary To calculate retention in reversed-phase, high-performance liquid chromatography a method based on the molecular structure of the analyte and the characteristics of sorbents and mobile phases has been employed. Characteristics of different ODS-columns in water-methanol eluents have been determined.     

Development and validation of a specific and sensitive liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method for determination of tetrodotoxin in human urine and its pharmacokinetic study

Tetrodotoxin (TTX) exhibits the therapeutic potential in blocking pain and in low doses can safely relieve severe pain. The urinary excretion profiles of TTX in humans have not been reported due to the extremely low lethal dose. In this study, a rapid and specific method based on protein precipitation coupled to liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry was developed to determine the level of TTX in human urine samples. 11-Deoxytetrodotoxin was used as an internal standard (IS). Multiple reaction monitoring mode was used for quantification using target fragment ions m/z 320.0 → 162.1 for TTX and m/z 304.0 → 176.0 for 11-deoxyTTX. The separation of analytes was achieved on a hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography column (250 × 4.6 mm, 5.0 μm). The mobile phase consisted of 5 mM ammonium formate in water (pH = 4.50) and 5 mM ammonium formate in acetonitrile (pH = 4.50). The flow rate was set at 0.80 mL/min in a gradient condition. Calibration plots were linear throughout the range 0.986–98.6 ng/mL of TTX in human urine. The intra-assay accuracies and precisions were within the acceptable range. The method was successfully applied to a urinary excretion study after intravenous administration of TTX to healthy volunteers. The developed method will be helpful for future pharmacological studies of TTX.     

Direct analysis of industrial oligoglycerols by liquid chromatography with evaporative light-scattering detection and mass spectrometry

Summary A liquid chromatographic method has been developed for analysis of industrial polyglycerols, precursors of polyglycerol fatty esters, which are non-ionic surfacetants. The method utilizes two complementary chromatographic systems: porous graphitic carbon and an aminopropyl polymer with an acetonitrile-water mixture as mobile phase. Detection of these non-UV absorbing compounds was effected by means of evaporative light-scattering detection. Their structures were determined by comparison of their retention with that of synthesized standards, and by mass spectrometry.     

Simultaneous determination of a new phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor DA-8159 and its active metabolite in human plasma by high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry

Summary An LC-MS-MS method for the simultaneous determination of DA-8159 and its active metabolite, DA-8164 in human plasma was developed. DA-8159, DA-8164 and the internal standard, sildenafil were extracted from human plasma with dichloromethane at basic pH. A reversephase HPLC separation was performed on Luna phenylhexyl column with the mixture of acetonitrile-ammonium formate (10 mM, pH 6.0) (60:40,v/v) as mobile phase. The detection of analytes was performed using an electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry in the multiple reaction monitoring mode. The method showed a satisfactory sensitivity (lower limits of quantification, 2.0 ng mL¹), precision, accuracy, recovery and selectivity. The successful determination of DA-8159 and DA-8164 in the plasma of a volunteer who ingested a single dose of 100 mg DA-8159 confirms that the present method can be used for plasma analysis for clinical trial.     

Determination of lansoprazole enantiomers in dog plasma by column‐switching liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry and its application to a preclinical pharmacokinetic study

Lansoprazole, a selective proton pump inhibitor, has a chiral benzimidazole sulfoxide structure and is used for the treatment of gastric acid hypersecretory related diseases. To investigate its stereoselective pharmacokinetics, a column‐switching liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry method was developed for the determination of lansoprazole enantiomers in dog plasma using (+)‐pantoprazole as an internal standard. After a simple protein precipitation procedure with acetonitrile, matrix components left behind after sample preparation were further eliminated from the sample by reversed‐phase chromatography on a C₁₈ column. The fluent was fed to a chiral column for the separation of lansoprazole enantiomers. Baseline separation of lansoprazole enantiomers was achieved on a Chiralcel OZ‐RH column using acetonitrile/0.1% formic acid in water (35:65, v/v) as the mobile phase at 40°C. The linearity of the calibration curves ranged from 3 to 800 ng/mL for each enantiomer. Intra‐ and inter‐day precisions ranged from 2.1 to 7.3% with an accuracy of ±1.7% for (+)‐lansoprazole, and from 1.6 to 6.9% with an accuracy of ±3.5% for (–)‐lansoprazole, respectively. The validated method was successfully applied for the stereoselective pharmacokinetic study of lansoprazole in beagle dog after intravenous infusion.     

Comparison of gas and liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry for the residue analysis of pesticides in organges

Summary Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI), and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) with electron impact ionization (EI), are compared for the determination of eight pesticides in oranges. Seven of the selected pesticides, chlorpyriphos, chlorpyriphos-methyl, imazalil, α and β-endosulfan, endosulfan sulphate and dicofol, are commonly determined by GC whereas one, thiabendazole, can only be directly determined by LC. Primary ions [M-H]⁻ or [M-Cl+O]⁻ are obtained using LC-APCI-MS in negative ionization (NI) mode. In contrast, a high degree of fragmentation is reported with GC-MS. Both techniques were applied to oranges, which had been previously extracted with ethyl acetate and anhydrous sodium sulphate. The data indicate equivalent detection limits that range from 0.01 to 0.1 mgkg⁻¹ and similar degree of specificity. Mean recoveries ranged from 82% for α-endosulfant to 96% for imazalil, with relative standard deviation ranging from 7 to 17%.     

多维离子交换色谱分离和串联质谱鉴定在小鼠肝脏膜蛋白质组分析中的应用

膜蛋白质在变性剂作用下能够较充分地溶解。根据这一特点,我们试图在变性剂溶液中采用串联离子交换色谱法分离小鼠肝脏膜蛋白质。将小鼠肝脏膜蛋白质溶解于含有4 mol/L尿素,20 mmol/L三羟甲基氨基甲烷(Tris)-盐酸缓冲液(pH 9.0)中,用Q-Sepharose FF和Sephacryl S-200HR树脂组成的色谱柱结合大部分溶解的膜蛋白质,然后采用氯化钠线性梯度洗脱蛋白质,分步收集后采用十二烷基硫酸钠-聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳(SDS-PAGE)进一步分离洗脱组分的蛋白质。利用胶内胰蛋白酶消化技术将SDS-PAGE胶内分离的蛋白质降解为相应的肽段,然后以反相高效液相色谱分离和离子阱质谱仪鉴定肽段。根据文献报道和蛋白质的功能分类,在所鉴定的392个蛋白质中有306个可能为膜蛋白质或膜结合蛋白质。蛋白质的疏水性计算表明,GRAVY(grand average of hydropathicity)得分大于或等于0.00的蛋白质有83个。综上所述,我们有理由认为本实验方法基本符合小鼠肝脏膜蛋白质组学研究的要求。     

Combination of liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry for the detection of 21 anabolic steroid residues in bovine urine

For the detection of anabolic steroid residues in bovine urine, a highly sensitive liquid chromatographic/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometric (LC/ESI-MS/MS) method was developed using both positive and negative ionization. For four compounds the ESI mode was not sensitive enough and gas chromatographic/mass spectrometric GC/MS detection was therefore still necessary as a complementary method. The sample clean-up consisted of solid-phase extraction (SPE) on a C(18) column followed by enzymatic hydrolysis and a second solid-phase extraction on a combination of a C(18) and a NH(2) column. After this last SPE clean-up, the eluate was split into two equal aliquots. One aliquot was further purified and after derivatization used for GC/MS analysis. The other aliquot was analyzed with LC/MS/MS in both ESI+ and ESI- modes. The method was validated according to the European Commission Decision 2002/657/EC. Decision limits (CCalpha) were between 0.16 and 1 ng ml(-1) for the compounds detected with the LC/MS/MS method. The developed method is used in routine analysis in our laboratory.     

液相色谱-串联质谱法检测贝类产品中的原多甲藻酸贝类毒素

建立了一种贝类组织中原多甲藻酸(azaspiracid, AZA)贝类毒素主要成分AZA1的高效液相色谱-串联质谱检测方法。本方法采用甲醇-水(80:20, v/v)溶液对贝类组织中AZA1进行提取,并用MAX阴离子交换固相萃取(SPE)柱富集净化,使用Atlantis dC18(150 mm×4.6 mm, 5.0 μm)色谱柱分离,以含有50 mmol/L甲酸和2 mmol/L甲酸铵的乙腈-水溶液(80:20, v/v)为流动相进行等度洗脱,质谱采用选择反应监测(SRM)模式。AZA1在5 min内获得完全分离,且在48.85～2 442 ng/L范围内线性良好,相关系数为0.998 1。该方法检出限(S/N=3)为11.00 pg/g,添加水平为36.64、73.27、146.54 pg/g时的平均回收率为75.8%～82.5%(n=6),相对标准偏差小于10%。利用该方法对采自大连、青岛、广州水产品市场上的112个贝类样品进行了分析,发现采自大连和广州的部分贝类样品中含有AZA1。结果表明,该方法具有简单、快速、灵敏度高等特点,能充分满足贝类中AZA1检测的要求。     

Separation and identification of ceramides in the human stratum corneum by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry and electrospray multiple-stage mass spectrometry profiling

Summary A sensitive, selective, and rapid method is described for analysis of ceramides in the human stratum coracum by direct coupling of HPLC with an electrospray ion-trap mass spectrometry. Nonaqueous reversed-phase chromatography stabilizes the electrospray ionization, resulting in sensitivity that enables direct measurement of skin lipid extracts with no special sample preparation. Assignment of individual signals to the corresponding ceramide species is based on interpretation of the fragment spectra from MS-MS experiments. This enables much finer differentiation between ceramdies than that achievable by thin-layer chromatography. Summary A sensitive, selective, and rapid method is described for analysis of ceramides in the human stratum corneum by direct coupling of HPLC with an electrospray ion-trap mass spectrometry. Nonaqueous reversed-phase chromatography stabilizes the electrospray ionization, resulting in sensitivity that enables direct measurement of skin lipid extracts with no special sample preparation. Assignment of individual signals to the corresponding ceramide species is based on interpretation of the fragment spectra from MS-MS experiments. This enables much finer differentiation between ceramides than that achievable by thin-layer chromatography.     

A new method for the determination of mobile phase volume in normal and reversed-phase liquid chromatography

Summary A new method for the determination of the mobile phase volume (V _m) in liquid chromatography is presented based on the model regarding the retention of ionic solutes in the presence of eluent electrolytes. TheV _m value can be determined by measuring the retention volumes of two ions that have the same charge in two eluent electrolyte systems. Compared with the methods using isotopically labelled eluent components or inorganic salts asV _m markers, the method presented is proved to give more reasonableV _m values for both normal and reversed-phase liquid chromatography. As well as in binary mixed solvent systems, theV _m values in single solvent systems can be determined by this method.     

Analysis of thyreostats in bovine feces using ultra high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry

A method based on ultra‐high performance liquid chromatography was developed and validated to detect six thyreostatic compounds: tapazole, thiouracil, methylthiouracil, dimethylthiouracil, propylthiouracil, and phenylthiouracil in faeces of bovine. Thyreostats were extracted from the matrix with a mixture of methanol and buffer (pH = 8). Next step was derivatization of analytes with 3‐iodobenzylbromide. The liquid chromatographic separation of derivatives was obtained on a SB‐C18 column (50 × 2.1 mm; 1.8 μm, Agilent) with gradient elution using a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile/0.1% acetic acid within 7.5 min. The analysis was performed on a Shimadzu NEXERA X2 ultra‐high performance liquid chromatograph with triple quadrupole MS 8050 instrument operating in positive electrospray ionization mode. Depending on the target compound, two or three diagnostic signals (selected reaction monitoring transitions) were monitored. The procedure was validated according to the Commission Decision 2002/657/EC. Recovery and repeatability met the performance criteria specified by this document for banned compounds. The recovery ranged from 97.5 to 110.5%, and repeatability did not exceed 14.1%. Decision limits and detection capabilities were below 10 μg/kg. The highest decision limits and detection capabilities concentrations were observed for phenylthiouracil of 3.48 and 6.96 μg/kg, respectively.     

Simultaneous quantification of N‐butylthiophosphoric triamide and dicyandiamide in urea formulation by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry

A new liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry method employing a mixed‐mode zwitterionic stationary phase was developed for simultaneous determination of urease inhibitor (N‐butylthiophosphoric triamide) and nitrification inhibitor (dicyandiamide) in urea fertilizer. Molecular modeling based on density functional theory calculations was employed to provide an insight into the interaction mechanism of urea, dicyandiamide, and N‐butylthiophosphoric triamide with zwitterionic stationary phase in chromatographic separation system. The detection of analytes was performed on a triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometer in multiple reaction monitoring mode using positive electrospray ionization. The ion transitions monitored were m/z 85→68 for dicyandiamide and m/z 168.2→74 for N‐butylthiophosphoric triamide, respectively. The standard calibration curves of dicyandiamide and N‐butylthiophosphoric triamide were linear over the range of 1.0 ? 15 ppm (coefficient of determination = 0.9984), 0.05 ? 1 ppm (coefficient of determination = 0.9995), with limit of detection of 25 and 5 ppb, respectively. The recoveries of low, middle, and high concentrations were from 96.7 to 105.8% for N‐butylthiophosphoric triamide and 94.4 to 105.8% for dicyandiamide with accuracy (relative error %) of ≤5.8% and ≤5.8%, the precision (coefficients of variation) was ≤2.0% and ≤2.9%, respectively. The validated method was successfully applied on real urea samples to determine N‐butylthiophosphoric triamide and dicyandiamide simultaneously.     

Potential of short-column liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometric detection for the rapid study of pesticide degradation

Summary The applicability of solid-phase extraction-LC using two short columns (SPE-LC) and/or single-short-column liquid chromatography (SSC) combined on-line with tandem mass spectrometry (MS) was demonstrated for the rapid study of pesticide degradation. A fast analytical procedure was developed to provide preliminary information concerning experimental conditions, approximate rates of degradation and identity of the degradation products. Surface water samples were spiked at relevant concentration levels with well-known microcontaminants and photolysis was used to transform parent compounds into their degradation products. In general, the strategy was as follows: at 30-min intervals 10-mL samples were on-line enriched, separated by short-column LC and recorded in full-scan MS to obtain information on the disappearance of the parent compound and the appearance of breakdown products. To obtain structural information, product-ion spectra of selected compounds appearing in the full-scan MS chromatogram were recorded; this enabled the identification of several degradation products. Total analysis time of enrichment/separation and detection was about 10–15 min.