Determination of ephedra alkaloids by high-performance liquid chromatography

Summary Two simple methods were developed for the simultaneous determination of six alkaloids (ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, norephedrine, norpseudoephedrine, methylephedrine and methyl-pseudoephedrine) inEphedrae Herba by high-performance liquid chromatography. The first method was carried out by using a Cosmosil 5C₁₈-MS column with a gradient solvent system consisting of a phosphate buffer and acetonitrile, and detection at 210 nm. The contents of alkaloids in non-pretreated ephedra herb extracts could be determined easily in 50 min. Alternatively, the alkaloids could be determined within 35 minutes by using a Cosmosil 5C₁₈-MS column with an isocratic solvent system of a sodium dodecyl sulfate-acetonitrile solution. The two methods are compared and discussed.     

Assay for urinary estriol during the menstrual cycle based on extraction by a graphitized carbon black cartridge followed by high-performance liquid chromatography

Summary A high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) assay for estriol in nonpregnancy urine is described. After Enzymic hydrolysis, the estriol is extracted from urine by the sorbent trap technique utilizing graphitized carbon black (Carbopack B). After some washing steps, estriol is desorbed by a suitable solvent system. After solvent removal, the sample is injected into an HPLC column for estriol quantification. Analytical recovery of estriol was 96.1%. The precision of the method was 2.6 and 4.9% respectively at 145 and 10.6ng/ml of urine. The limit of sensitivity was set at 0.8 ng/ml of urine. The mean contents of estriol in the follicular and luteal phases were respectively 11.3 and 38.8 ng/ml of urine.Dedicated to Prof. Dr. A. Liberti on the occasion of his 70th birthday.     

Identification and quantitation of phenolics from green beans by high-performance liquid chromatography

Summary High-performance liquid chromatography with diode-array detection has been used for the separation and quantitation of phenolics from fresh and processed green beans. Whole beans, pods and seeds of green beans were studied separately. Chromatographic profiles from pods were more complex than those found in seeds. Flavonol glycosides were confined to quercetin and kaempferol classes and they were typical of external parts of the fruit. Flavan-3-ols monomers ((+) catechin and (−) epicatechin) as well as procyanidins structures were identified in pods and seeds. Chromatographic profiles from processed beans revealed a polyphenolic composition similar to those found in pod fresh green beans. The chromatographic method was carefully validated in regard to precision and accuracy. High reproducibility of peak area (RSD<3%) and calibration slopes (RSD<4%) was obtained. Recoveries between 94–104% revealed good accuracy for the overall method. Application to quantitative determination in a representative number of samples allowed good knowledge of the phenolic composition of green beans (Phaseolus vulgaris v.vulgaris).     

Modelling and prediction of retention in high-performance liquid chromatography by using neural networks

Summary Multi-layer feed-forward neural networks trained with an error back-propagation algorithm have been used to model retention behaviour of liquid chromatography as a function of the composition of the mobile phases. Conventional hydro-organic and micellar mobile phases were considered. Accurate retention modelling and prediction have been achieved using mobile phases defined by two, three and four parameters. With micellar mobile phases, the parameters involved included the concentrations of surfactant and organic modifier, pH and temperature. It is shown that neural networks provide a competitive tool to model varied inherent nonlinear relationships of retention behaviour with respect to the mobile phase parameters. The soft models defined by the weights of the networks are capable of accommodating all types of linear and nonlinear relationships, neural networks being specially useful when the relationships between retention behaviour and the mobile phase parameters are unknown. However, to train neural networks more experimental points than with hard-modelling methods are required, hence the use of the networks is recommended only for those cases where adequate theoretical or empirical models do not exist.     

Analysis of ofloxacin in plasma samples by high-performance liquid chromatography

Summary A sensitive HPLC method has been developed for determination of ofloxacin (OFL) in biological fluids. Sample preparation was performed by adding phosphate buffer (pH 7.4, 0.1m) then extraction with trichloromethane. OFL and the internal standard, sarafloxacin (SAR), were separated on a reversed-phase column with aqueous phosphate solution-acetonitrile, 80∶20, as mobile phase. The fluorescence of the column effluent was monitored at λ_ex 338 and λ_em 425 nm. The retention times were 2.66 and 4.24 min for OFL and SAR, respectively, and the detection and quantitation limits were 8 and 15 ng mL⁻¹, respectively. Plots of response against ofloxacin concentration were linear in the range 8 to 2000 ng mL⁻¹. Recovery was 92.9% for OFL.     

Determination of thiopental in human serum and plasma by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography

Summary A high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the analysis of thiopental in 100l of human serum or plasma is described. The procedure involves protein precipitation with acetonitrile. The supernatant is directly injected into a chromatograph containing a reversed-phase CLC-ODS (Shimadzu) column. A 5050 (v/v) mixture of water-acetonitrile, at a flow-rate of 1.0ml/min is used as the mobile phase. Detection is carried out ata wavelength of 280nm. Total analysis time per sample is 10min. The assay was found to be linear in the range of 0.1 to 120g/ml. Reproducibility was good, with intra-assay coefficients of variation from 1.780 to 3.208% and inter-assay coefficients of variation from 3.241 to 4.860%. The absolute recoveries were 97.4 to 101,4%. Other drugs were tested for potential interference with the assay, but none was found.     

Isolation of novel azadirachtins H and I by high-performance liquid chromatography

Summary A high-performance liquid chromatographic procedure for the isolation of azadirachtins A, B, D, H and I is described. While azadirachtins A, B, and D are already known, azadirachtins H and I have been isolated for the first time from neem kernels.     

Rapid determination of ranitidine in human plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography

Summary An HPLC method has been developed for the quantification of rantidine in plasma for pharmacokinetic studies. Metoclopramide was used as internal standard. The method uses a simple and rapid sample clean-up procedure involving single-step extraction with organic solvent to extract ranitidine from plasma. After evaporation and reconstitution the samples are chromatographed on a 250 mm×4 mm base-stable reversed-phase column with 0.05 M ammonium acetate-acetonitrile, 75∶25 (v/v) as mobile phase and UV detection at 313 nm. The calibration graph was linear for quantities of ranitidine between 10 and 2000 ng mL⁻¹. Intra- and inter-dayCV did not exceed 11.64%. The quantitation limit was 10 ng mL⁻¹ for human plasma. The applicability of this method for pharmacokinetic studies of ranitidine after oral administration are described. Approximately 90 samples can be processed in 24 h.     

Fast determination of tetracycline antibiotics in different media by high-performance liquid chromatography

Summary The use of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for the identification and determination of tetracycline antibiotics is reviewed. HPLC chromatograms provide fast identification by retention time, t_R, and precise quantitation by measurement of peak height or peak area. For separation of tetracycline compounds, most HPLC methods use reversed-phase C₁₈ or C₈ columns and UV detection. The HPLC solvent system should have a pH of about 6 to prevent steric changes in the tetracycline molecule. For accurate quantitation it is necessary to avoid tailing and this is accomplished by adding a zwitter ion to the solvent system. Methanol and acetonitrile are frequently used as organic modifiers in these solvent systems. In a single analysis, HPLC methods can be used to separate as many as nine or ten commercially used tetracycline compounds and to determine four to five tetracyclines in commercial tetracycline preparations or in biological fluids.     

Temperature effect in separation of fullerene by high-performance liquid chromatography

Summary The effect of column temperature, especially at low temperatures, on the separation of fullerenes on monomeric and polymeric octadecyl silica (ODS) bonded phases has been studied. Decreasing the column temperature induces an increase in selectivity. The best temperature for the separation of fullerenes was determined for both types of ODS phase with n-hexane eluent. The selectivity for higher fullerenes on monomeric phases becomes similar to that on polymeric phases to low temperature. It has been found that as the carbon content of monomeric phases is increased, the selectivity also becomes similar to polymeric phases.     

Determination of cortisol in guinea pig urine by high performance thin-layer chromatography, high performance liquid chromatography, and thin-layer chromatography/radioimmunoassay

Summary In order to collect urinary samples from unrestrained guinea pigs, animals were kept in their familiar home cages with wood shavings for bedding. Cortisol was removed from shavings by a simple washing step, and an attempt was made to measure its concentrations by high performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC), high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), or thin layer chromatography/radioimmunoassay (TLC-RIA). After intramuscular administration of 25 mg cortisol, cortisol excretion increased from about 20–30 μg/day to 400–500 μg/day (HPTLC: 531 μg/day, HPLC: 493 μg/day; TLC-RIA: 394 μg/day). Similarly, the treatment of the animals with 20 IU ACTH resulted in an augmented cortisol excretion, with mean values of 294 μg/day (HPTLC), 256 μg/day (HPLC) and 143 μg/day (TLC-RIA), respectively. The present study shows, for the first time, that cortisol excretion in unrestrained laboratory animals can be determined. Whilst the cortisol values measured by HPTLC and HPLC agree, the amounts measured by TLC-RIA were significantly lower. These differences are probably due to the presence of substances in urine or shavings which interfere with the radioimmunological determination. Hence, cortisol should be determined either by HPTLC or HPLC. Beside having a desirable specificity, these methods are more suited than TLC/RIA for steroid analysis since they confer the possibility of measuring additional steroids (e.g. precursors and/or metabolites of cortisol) in a single urine extract. This is especially the case for the HPTLC method since substances can be transformed into fluorescent derivatives.     

Monitoring the preparation of NAD analogs by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography

Summary Pig brain NAD glycohydrolase immobilized on Affi-Gel 10 or nylon 6 was used for the conversion of NAD into 3-acetylpyridine adenine dinucleotide (APAD) or 3-aminopyridine adenine dinucleotide (AAD). A reversed-phase chromatographic system consisting of a C₁₈ Resolve column and phosphate buffer (pH 6.2)-methanol as the mobile phase was used to monitor the production of APAD and AAD.     

Separation of polypeptide antibiotics by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography

Summary The influence of different reversed-phase packings and the addition of acidic modifiers to the mobile phase was observed on the separation of basic and neutral polypeptide antibiotics by gradient elution. A dependence of pore size, coverage, reaction type and endcapping of the packings was not observed. Nevertheless, not all reversed-phase packings were suitable for the separation of polypeptides, especially of basic molecules. The addition of phosphoric or perchloric acid to the mobile phase prevented adsorption of the basic polypeptide antibiotics on the stationary phase.     

Determination of drug-protein interactions by combined microdialysis and high-performance liquid chromatography

Summary A simple and rapid method for determination of the parameters of the interaction between drugs and protein, including the association constant and the number of binding sites, has been developed by use of a microdialysis sampling technique combined with high-performance liquid chromatography. The drug and protein (carbamazepine (5H-dibenz[b,f]flazepine-5-carboxamide, CBZ) and human serum albumin (HSA) were used as examples) were mixed in different molar ratios in 0.067 M potassium phosphate buffer, pH 7.4, and incubated at 37°C in a water-bath. The microdialysis probe was the used to sample the mixed CBZ-HSA solution at a perfusion rate of 1 μL min⁻¹. The concentration of CBZ in the microdialysate was determined by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. Relative recovery (R), determined in vitro under similar conditions, was approximately 42.7%; theRSD ofR was approximately 1.85%. The estimated association constant (K) and the number of the binding sites,n, on one molecule of HSA were 1.06×10⁴ M⁻¹ and 0.880, respectively, which is in good agreement with the literature values determined by high-performance frontal analysis. The potential use of microdialysis is also discussed.     

Simultaneous quantitative determination of resorcinol and 1-Naphthol in haircolor products by high-performance liquid chromatography

Summary A high-performance liquid chromatographic method has been developed for the simultaneous quantitative determination of resorcinol and 1-naphthol in hair tonic and haircolor products. The two compounds could be separated on a μBondapak C₁₈ column by elution with 50∶50 (v/v) methanol-water as mobile phase. The retention times of resorcinol and 1-naphthol were 2.5 and 7.0 min, respectively. Seven dye intermediates could be analyzed within 12 min without any interference with the peaks of resorcinol and 1-naphthol from other cosmetic ingredients present in the haircolor liquid or cream. The results obtained were in good agreement with those obtained by a spectrophotometric method.     

Determination of trichlormethiazide in human plasma and urine by high-performance liquid chromatography

Summary This paper describes a high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) assay method for the determination of trichlormethiazide (TCM) in human plasma and urine. After extraction and separation on an ODS column TCM from plasma was detected by oxidation in an electrochemical detector (ECD) by a porous graphite electrode. The sensitivity was better than HPLC with UV detection, enabling the determination of 2 ng ml^–1 TCM in human plasma. This method also allows determination of TCM at higher concentrations by exchanging the UV for the electrochemical detector. To study the pharmacokinetics, TCM in plasma and urine was assayed with coefficients of variation in the range 2–3%. The method has the advantages of high sensitivity for plasma assay and high precision with a simple procedure for both plasma and urine samples. Small samples of 0.5 ml plasma per assay also reduced the total volume of plasma needed.     

Size-exclusion and high-performance liquid chromatography separation of peptides from peptic haemoglobin hydrolysate obtained by ultrafiltration

Summary Gel filtration (size-exclusion) and high-performance liquid chromatography have been used to separate peptic peptides from haemoglobin hydrolysate. Elution profiles on Sephadex G-25 displayed nine fractions with molecular weights lower than 6500 daltons. Each fraction was analysed for total amino acid content and showed less than 1% free amino acids. Reversed phase HPLC, using ammonium acetate buffer and acetonitrile as solvent, was applied to each fraction in order to obtain pure peptide peaks. The importance of acquiring a better knowledge of such an hydrolysate is discussed. Various potential applications of this type of hydrolysate, some of them already being undertaken, are envisaged.     

Simultaneous determination of twelve water- and fat-soluble vitamins by high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection

Summary A novel method for the simultaneous determination of twelve water- and fat-soluble vitamins has been established by high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection. The vitamins were analyzed on a μBondapak C₁₈ column (300 × 3.9 mm, 10 μm) with methanol-KH₂PO₄ buffer (0.1 M, pH 7.0)-water as mobile phase in a gradient. The linearity of calibration graphs was compound-dependent and the detection limits ranged from 0.02 μg mL⁻¹ to 0.5 μg mL⁻¹. The method was successfully applied to determine vitamins in pharmaceutical preparations. The recoveries were from 95.1% to 103% and the relative standard deviations were in the range of 0.9% to 4.5%.     

Quantitative determination of miconzole in human serum by high-performance liquid chromatography

Summary A high-performance liqid chromatographic method is reported for the measurement of miconazole in systemic, fungal infectious patients. Pharmacokinetic data are presented for a single patient receiving miconazole therapy. Sample preparation involves protein precipitation by acetonitrile (1:1, vol/vol). Analyses are carried out on a reversed-phae chromatographic system using octadecylsilane stationary phase: a mobile phase consisting of 0.05 M acetate buffer (pH 7.4)acetonitrile (20:80, vol/vol) is used to elaute miconazole is quantified on the basis of ultraviolet absorption at 220 nm. The precision of the method ranged from 3.21% at 0.5 mg/L to 0.85% at 2.0 mg/L. The limit of quantification was established as 0.1 mg/L. Interference from other drugs that are co-adimistered such as amphotericin B, 5-fluorocytosine of ketoconazole and most other comonly encountered drugs was not observed.     

Determination of metoprolol in human plasma by column switching high-performance liquid chromatography

Summary Retention characteristics of metoprolol have been studied in reversed phase mode on RP2, RP8 and CN columns. The plots of retention time as a function of the acetonitrile content and of the ionic strength of the mobile phase permitted the choice of the best conditions to separate metoprolol from plasma components by switching of these three types of columns.Human plasma (0.5–1 ml) diluted with water is first injected on a RP2 column (25–40 m particle diameter, prepared by dry packing) and rinsed with water. The sample is then back eluted with acetonitrile-0.022 M acetate buffer (7525, v:v) and switched to a CN column (10 cm long, 5 m particle diameter). The heart cut of the eluate is selected and loaded on a RP8 analytical column (25 cm long, 5 m particle diameter) with acetonitrile-0.088 M acetate buffer (7525, v:v) as mobile phase.Auto-sampler and switching valves are actuated automatically by a computing integrator based on a fixed time schedule. The duration of one cycle is about 30 min, but the last analytical step is about 15 min and represents the time interval between two injections. Metoprolol, its alpha-hydroxy metabolite and the internal standard are detected by fluorescence (_ex= 225 nm; _em > 320 nm).Presented at the 14th International Symposium on Chromatography London, September, 1982