Electrokinetic migration across artificial liquid membranes Tuning the membrane chemistry to different types of drug substances

Twenty different basic drugs were electrokinetically extracted across a thin artificial organic liquid membrane with a 300 V d.c. electrical potential difference as the driving force. From a 300 microl aqueous sample (acidified corresponding to 10mM HCl), the drugs were extracted for 5 min through a 200 microm artificial liquid membrane of a water immiscible organic solvent immobilized in the pores of a polypropylene hollow fiber, and into a 30 microl aqueous acceptor solution of 10mM HCl inside the lumen of the hollow fiber. Hydrophobic basic drugs (logP>1.7) were effectively isolated utilizing 2-nitrophenyl octyl ether (NPOE) as the artificial liquid membrane, with recoveries up to 83%. For more hydrophilic basic drugs (logP<1.0), a mixture of NPOE and 25% (w/w) di-(2-ethylhexyl) phosphate (DEHP) was required to ensure efficient extraction, resulting in recoveries up to 75%. DEHP was expected to act as an ion-pair reagent ion-pairing the protonated hydrophilic drugs at the interface between the sample and the membrane, resulting in permeation of the interface.     

Electrokinetic injection across supported liquid membranes: New sample pretreatment technique for online coupling to capillary electrophoresis. Direct analysis of perchlorate in biological samples

A simple and sensitive method for quantifying perchlorate in biological samples using CE and capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection was developed. An online combination of a supported liquid membrane, an inert polypropylene membrane impregnated with 1-hexanol, and electrokinetic injection of perchlorate across the supported liquid membrane directly into the separation capillary reduced the need for laborious sample pretreatment procedures, resulting in a cheap and rapid method with low LODs capability. Baseline separation of perchlorate and other anions in biological samples was achieved in background electrolyte solution consisting of 15 mM nicotinic acid and 1 mM 3-(N,N-dimethylmyristylammonio)propanesulfonate at pH 3.3. The analytical method showed excellent parameters in terms of reproducibility; RSD values for peak areas and corrected migration times at a spiked concentration of 100 μg/L of perchlorate were below 10 and 0.4%, respectively. Linear calibration curves were obtained for perchlorate in the concentration range 10-1000 μg/L (r(2) >0.999) with LODs between 2 and 5 μg/L for human urine, breast milk, serum, cow's milk, and red wine. Recoveries at 25 μg/L of perchlorate were between 97 and 106% for all biological samples. The low LODs rivaling those of presently used analytical methods support the use of this method for quantification of perchlorate in biological samples in the future.     

Electrokinetic migration of acidic drugs across a supported liquid membrane

Electrokinetic cross membrane extraction of acidic drugs was demonstrated for the first time. The acidic drugs were extracted from an alkaline aqueous donor solution (300 microl), through a thin supported liquid membrane of 1-heptanol sustained in the pores of the wall of a porous hollow fiber, and into an aqueous alkaline acceptor solution (30 microl) present inside the lumen of the hollow fiber by the application of a d.c. electrical potential. The negative electrode was placed in the donor solution, and the positive electrode was placed in the acceptor solution. Optimal extractions were accomplished with 1-heptanol as the supported liquid membrane, with 50 V as the driving force, and with pH 12.0 in both the donor and acceptor solutions, respectively (NaOH). Equilibrium extraction conditions were obtained after 5 min of operation with the whole assembly agitated at 1200 rpm. Eleven different acidic drugs were extracted with recovery values between 8 and 100%, and initial data supported that electrokinetic cross membrane extraction provided repeatable data and linear response between original donor concentration and final acceptor concentration of the acidic model compounds.     

Alkyl diol silica: restricted access pre-column packings for fast liquid chromatography-integrated sample preparation of biological fluids

A silica-based pre-column packed with a 'restricted access material' was used for fully automated solid-phase extraction of drugs and metabolites from untreated biological fluids via a simple valve-switching method. The bifunctional sorbent employed, alkyl diol silica, is characterised by a different chemical modification of the outer surface (diol groups) and the pore surface of the particles (alkyl chains: C4, C8 or C18). This allows for a fast and efficient clean-up of complex biological samples, such as blood, serum, urine or milk, with exclusion of the macromolecular matrix (proteins, nucleic acids) in less than 1.5 min.     

Automated sample preparation using supported liquid membranes for liquid chromatographic determination of sulfonylurea herbicides

Summary Sample preparation for determination of sulfonylurea herbicides in aqueous samples is investigated. The technique studied utilizes extraction and back extraction in an automated flow system and is coupled on-line to a liquid chromatographic system. The extraction unit consists of an immobilized liquid membrane, separating two aqueous phases. From the acidified donor phase the analytes are extracted into the organic solvent of the membrane. After traversing the membrane they are back extracted into an alkaline/neutral aqueous acceptor phase. They are trapped in the acceptor by dissociation, making them insoluble in the membrane.Studies of the sample preparation system concern factors like channel length of separators, distribution coefficients of analytes and use of a precolumn instead of loop for chromatographic injections. Effects of the internal diameter of the analytical column as well as the detection of the sulfonylurcas are investigated.     

A rapid and specific high-performance liquid chromatographic assay for theophylline in biological fluids

A rapid, specific high-performance liquid chromatographic analysis of theophylline in plasma, serum, and saliva is described. Proteins present in the biological samples are precipitated with 6% perchloric acid and the clear supernatant is chromatographed on a reversed-phase column. Only 100 microL of serum is required and concentrations as low as 0.07 micrograms/mL can be measured accurately. Other xanthines do not interfere in the assay. Within- and between-day variation is less than or equal to 2.2%. The method shows less bias and greater precision than the TDx (Abbott Diagnostics) procedure commonly used in clinical laboratories.     

Electrokinetic extraction on artificial liquid membranes of amphetamine-type stimulants from urine samples followed by high performance liquid chromatography analysis

Electromembrane extraction (EME) coupled with high performance liquid chromatography and ultraviolet detection was developed for determination of amphetamine-type stimulants in human urine samples. Amphetamines migrated from 3 mL of different human urine matrices, through a thin layer of 2-nitrophenyl octyl ether (NPOE) containing 15% tris-(2-ethylhexyl) phosphate (TEHP) immobilized in the pores of a porous hollow fiber, and into a 15 μL acidic aqueous acceptor solution present inside the lumen of the fiber. Equilibrium extraction conditions were obtained after 7 min of operation. Experimental design and response surface methodology (RSM) were used for optimization of EME parameters. Under optimal conditions, amphetamines were effectively extracted with recoveries in the range of 54-70%, which corresponded to preconcentration factors in the range of 108-140. The calibration curves were investigated in the range of 0-7 μg mL(-1) and good linearity was achieved with a coefficient of estimation better than 0.991. Detection limits and inter-day precision (n=3) were less than 0.01 μg mL(-1) and 11.2%, respectively.     

Electrokinetic parameters of ion transport across isolated pepper cuticular membranes

The transport of NaCl and CaCl₂ solutions across isolated pepper cuticular membranes was studied by means of conductivity, membrane potential and diffusion experiments. Some characteristic membrane parameters such as the electrical resistance, ionic and salt permeabilities were obtained as a function of the electrolyte concentrations. Cuticle morphological asymmetry accounts for differences in membrane potential values under external reverse gradients. The influence of temperature on the membrane structure was also considered, but only small changes in the electrokinetic parameters were obtained. From the NaCl diffusion experiments two activation energies were determined (54.8 kJ/mol for temperature ranging between 15 and 35°C, and 20.6 kJ/mol for the interval of temperature between 40 and 60°C), which could be associated to thermal transitions in the molecular structure of the cuticle for the interval 30–40°C.     

Sample preparation for organic acids in biological fluids

A review of sample preparation methods for organic acids in biological fluids, in particular serum and urine, is presented. It covers techniques on organic acid determination without sample preparation, release of organic acids from binding locations, removal of proteins by protein precipitation and ultrafiltration, isolation of the organic acids by liquid-liquid and liquid-solid extraction, purification of the extract, derivatization and pre-fractionation. The various alternative sample preparation steps are compared and critically discussed. Examples of applications including profile analysis of organic acids by gas chromatography (GC), determination of particular organic acids by GC or liquid chromatography and determination of fatty acids as a distinct chemical class of acids demonstrate that the kind of sample preparation chosen depends strongly on the analytical aims.     

Use of compressed fluids for sample preparation: food applications

This review attempts to provide an updated overview (including works published till June 2006) on the latest applications of compressed fluids as sample preparation techniques for food analysis. After a general review of the principles of supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) and pressurized liquid extraction (PLE; also called accelerated solvent extraction, ASE or subcritical water extraction, SWE, when water is employed as extraction solvent), the principal applications of such techniques in the mentioned fields of food and natural products are described, discussing their main advantages and drawbacks.     

Simplified sample preparation for fluoride determination in biological material

A simple and rapid preparation method for the determination of fluoride in biological materials (blood and food) of various origins, is described. A homogenized sample was placed in a plastic diffusion cell and calcium phosphate added, it was then dried at 55 degrees C and treated with 70% HClO4 and 40% AgClO4. After digestion for 24 h at 55 degrees C, the fluorides released were fixed on the upper part of a diffusion cell containing a thin layer of NaOH. The analyses of the diffused fluoride were carried out with an ion-selective electrode. The proposed microdiffusion method, without mineralization, enables quantitative separation of the fluoride from the biological samples.     

Determination of luxabendazole in biological fluids by high-performance liquid chromatography.

Luxabendazole, a new benzimidazole, is a highly potent broad-spectrum anthelmintic. A high-performance liquid chromatographic method has been developed for its determination in serum and urine samples. In order to optimize the clean-up of samples we compared two procedures: C18 Sep-Pak cartridges and ultrafiltration through a cellulose membrane with a 30,000 relative molecular mass cut-off. In order to obtain the most suitable mobile phase, we studied the influence of pH and acetonitrile content on the capacity factor (k'). Chromatographic separation and quantification were performed on a reversed-phase column packed with 5-microns Nucleosil C18. The mobile phase was acetonitrile-0.05 M phosphate buffer (pH 7.0), (40:60, v/v). The column effluent was monitored by ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry at 290 nm. The method shows good recovery, precision and accuracy. The lower limit of detection for luxabendazole is 15 ng/ml in serum samples and 25 ng/ml in urine samples.     

Simple high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of captopril in biological fluids.

A rapid, simple and sensitive column-switching high-performance liquid chromatographic procedure for the determination of captopril in plasma and urine had been developed. p-Bromophenacyl bromide was used as a derivatizing reagent to react with captopril to form a product that showed ultraviolet-absorbing properties. For plasma samples the protein was removed with 6% perchloric acid before injection. The urine samples were directly injected into the chromatograph. The column-switching system was equipped with a pre-column (5 cm x 0.5 cm I.D.) packed with muBondapak C18 (37-50 microns) and an analytical column (15 cm x 0.5 cm I.D.) packed with YWG-C18, 10 microns. Impurities were washed from the pre-column with 0.2% acetic acid and the retained substances were eluted into the analytical column with acetonitrile-water-acetic acid (35:65:0.4, v/v). Captopril was detected at 260 nm. The calibration curve was linear in the range 20-1000 ng/ml for plasma and 10-200 micrograms/ml for urine. The recoveries averaged 103.2 and 99.5% for plasma and urine, respectively. The coefficients of variation were all less than 10%.     

High-performance liquid chromatographic method for determination of ciprofloxacin in biological fluids

A simple and precise high-performance liquid chromatographic procedure has been developed for the determination in biological fluids of ciprofloxacin, a new, with extended antibacterial spectrum, quinoline carboxylic acid. The work-up procedure involves a chemical extraction step followed by isocratic chromatography on a reversed-phase analytical column, with ultraviolet detection. The detection limit for blood levels is 10 ng/ml. The calibration curve is linear from this detection limit to 10 microgram/ml. The statistical analysis of the correlation made between this assay and an agar diffusion procedure during a pharmacokinetic study suggests the existence of one or more active metabolites which could be mainly excreted in the bile.     

Determination of tertatolol enantiomers in biological fluids by high-performance liquid chromatography.

A stereospecific high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the quantification of (-)- and (+)-tertatolol in plasma and urine is described. The method involves solid-phase extraction followed by derivatization with S(+)-naphthylethylisocyanate to form the urea derivative, which is more sensitive to fluorescence detection. The separation of the diastereomeric derivatives was performed by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. Fluorimetric detection (lambda excitation = 220 nm, lambda emission = 320 nm) allows the quantification of tertatolol enantiomers down to 6 ng/ml. The assay was used to study the pharmacokinetic profile of tertatolol enantiomers following oral administration of racemic tertatolol; preliminary results suggest enantioselective absorption and/or disposition of tertatolol.     

A rapid sample preparation method for mass spectrometric characterization of N-linked glycans

A rapid method for analysis of glycans of glycoproteins is presented. This method comprised deglycosylation, sample cleanup and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) analysis of glycans. The enzymatic deglycosylation of N-linked glycoproteins was enhanced in terms of speed and reproducibility using an enzyme-friendly surfactant. The released glycans were desalted using a micro-scale solid phase extraction (SPE) device packed with a hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) sorbent. Hydrophilic glycans were well retained by SPE, while salts and surfactants were removed from the sample. The glycans were eluted using 25-50 microL of solvent and analyzed directly without derivatization using MALDI-MS. MALDI quadrupole time-of-flight (Q-Tof) instrumentation was utilized for glycan profiling and structure characterization by tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). The presented method allows sensitive analysis of glycans benefiting from optimized deglycosylation reactions and efficient sample cleanup.