Isolation of hydroxycinnamoyltartaric acids from grape pomace by high-speed counter-current chromatography

A method for the isolation of caftaric, coutaric and fertaric acids from grape pomace by high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) was developed. Using a system of hexane/ethyl acetate/methanol/water 3:7:3:7 (v/v/v/v) and 0.5% trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) in the head-to-tail elution mode, the target compounds were separated from co-extracted polyphenolics and subsequently isolated in a second run (tert-butyl-methyl ether/acetonitrile/n-butanol/water, 2:2:1:5 (v/v/v/v) and 0.5% TFA; tail-to-head elution mode). The concomitant flavonoid quercetin 3-glucuronide was also isolated with the present method. The compounds were characterized by 1H NMR spectroscopy, by LC/electrospray ionization (ESI)-MS/MS in the negative ionization mode, and by UV spectroscopy. A purity of 97.0% (2.0% Z-isomer) for caftaric acid, 97.2% (4.8% Z-isomer) for coutaric acid, and 90.4% (13% Z-isomer) for fertaric acid was obtained from 10 g of grape pomace with yields of 62, 48 and 23%, respectively. Caftaric and coutaric acids may be used for in vitro and in vivo studies and as reference substances for analytical purposes.     

Development and validation of a rapid reversed-phase HPLC method for the determination of insulin from nanoparticulate systems

A reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method has been developed and validated for the determination of insulin in nanoparticulate dosage forms. Its application for the development and characterization of insulin-loaded nanoparticulates composed of polyelectrolytes has also been carried out. A reversed-phase (RP) C18 column and gradient elution with a mobile phase composed of acetonitrile (ACN) and 0.1% aqueous trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) solution at a flow rate of 1 mL/min was used. Protein identification was made by UV detection at 214 nm. The gradient changed from 30:70 (ACN:TFA, v/v) to 40:60 (v/v) in 5 min followed by isocratic elution at 40:60 (v/v) for a further five minutes. The method was linear in the range of 1-100 microg/mL (R2 = 0.9996), specific with a good inter-day and intra-day precision based on relative standard deviation values (less than 3.80%). The recovery was between 98.86 and 100.88% and the detection and quantitation limits were 0.24 and 0.72 microg/mL, respectively. The method was further tested for the determination of the association efficiency of insulin to nanoparticulate carriers composed of alginate and chitosan, as well as its loading capacity for this protein. Encapsulant release under simulated gastrointestinal fluids was evaluated. The method can be used for development and characterization of insulin-loaded nanoparticles made from cross-linked chitosan-alginate.     

加压毛细管电色谱法测定肥胖大鼠尿液中内源性代谢物

利用氯甲酸乙酯作为衍生化试剂,建立了测定尿样中内源性代谢物的加压毛细管电色谱方法。采用毛细管色谱柱EP-150-30/50-5-C18,以0.01%TFA水溶液(A)与0.01%TFA的95%乙腈水溶液(B)组成流动相,加压13MPa;工作电压为2kV;流速0.08mL/min;检测波长214nm;室温;柱上检测;进样体积5μL,同时测定了正常大鼠尿液与肥胖大鼠尿液中几种代谢物的含量。在最佳条件下,6种内源性代谢物在1.2～500mg/L范围内线性良好,相关系数为0.9988～0.9999;日间和日内精密度小于5%;平均加样回收率在95.9%～103.2%之间。本方法用于大鼠尿液中内源性代谢物含量的测定,简单、灵敏、准确。     

Separation of open-cage fullerenes using nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis

In this study, nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis (NACE) was used to separate three open-cage fullerenes. Trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) was used as the nonaqueous background electrolyte to change the analytes’ mobilities. The selectivity and separation efficiency were critically affected by the nature of the buffer system, the choice of organic solvent, and the concentrations of TFA and sodium acetate (NaOAc) in the background electrolyte. The optimized separation occurred using 200 mM TFA/20 mM NaOAc in MeOH/acetonitrile (10:90, v/v), providing highly efficient baseline separation of the open-cage fullerenes within 5 min. The migration time repeatability for the three analytes was less than 1% (relative standard deviation). Thus, NACE is a rapid, useful alternative to high-performance liquid chromatography for the separation of open-cage fullerenes.     

A simple HPLC method for simultaneous determination of lopinavir,ritonavir and efavirenz

We developed a simple HPLC method for the simultaneous determination of lopinavir (LPV), ritonavir (RTV) and efavirenz (EFV) to evaluate the efficiency of co-administration of LPV/RTV and EFV in Japanese patients enrolled in a clinical study. The monitoring of LPV plasma concentration is important because co-administration of LPV/RTV with EFV sometimes decreases plasma concentrations of LPV caused by EFV activation of cytochrome P-450 3A. A solution of acetonitrile, methanol and tetramethylammonium perchlorate (TMAP) in dilute aqueous trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) has been used as the mobile phase in a HPLC method to elute LPV and RTV. We found that a solvent ratio of 45 : 5 : 50 (v/v/v) of acetonitrile/methanol/0.02 M TMAP in 0.2% TFA optimized separation of LPV, RTV and EFV. A column temperature of 30 degrees C was necessary for the reproducibility of the analyses. Standard curves were linear in the range 0.060 to 24.06 micro g/ml for LPV, 0.010 to 4.16 micro g/ml for RTV, and 0.047 to 37.44 micro g/ml for EFV. Coefficients of variation (CVs) of LPV, RTV and EFV in intraday and interday assays ranged from 1.5 to 4.0%, 2.5 to 16.8% and 1.0 to 7.7%, respectively. Accuracies ranged from 100 to 110%, 101 to 116% and 99 to 106% for LPV, RTV and EFV, respectively. The extraction recoveries were 77-87, 77-83 and 81-91% for LPV, RTV and EFV, respectively.     

On-line gradient liquid chromatography-Fourier transform infrared spectrometry determination of sugars in beverages using chemometric background correction

An on-line gradient reversed phase liquid chromatography-Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (LC-FTIR) method was developed for the determination of fructose, glucose, sucrose and maltose in beverages. Improved chromatographic resolution was obtained using a linear gradient from 75 to 55% (v/v) acetonitrile in water in 15 min. Changes in the background spectra were corrected employing “univariate background correction based on the use of a reference spectra matrix” (UBC-RSM) and using the ratio of absorbance (AR) at 2256 and 2253 cm⁻¹ for the identification of the eluent spectra within the RSM. The method provided limits of detection in the order of 0.75 mg ml⁻¹. The precision (as relative standard deviation) ranged between 3.3 and 4.1% for glucose and fructose, respectively at a concentration level of 3.0 mg ml⁻¹. Quantitative recovery values on spiked samples confirmed the accuracy of the method. A set of samples from the Spanish market were analysed to test the suitability of the procedure.     

Modeling of overloaded gradient elution of nociceptin/orphanin FQ in reversed-phase liquid chromatography

The Reversed-phase (RP) gradient elution chromatography of nociceptin/orphanin FQ (N/OFQ), a neuropeptide with many biological effects, has been modeled under linear and non-linear conditions. In order to do this, the chromatographic behavior has been studied under both linear and nonliner conditions under isocratic mode at different mobile phase compositions--ranging from 16 to 19% (v/v) acetonitrile (ACN) in aqueous trifluoracetic acid (TFA) 0.1% (v/v)-on a C-8 column. Although the range of mobile phase compositions investigated was quite narrow, the retention factor of this relatively small polypeptide (N/OFQ is a heptadecapeptide) has been found to change by more than 400%. In these conditions, gradient operation resulted thus to be the optimum approach for non-linear elution. As the available amount of N/OFQ was extremely reduced (only a few milligrams), the adsorption isotherms of the peptide, at the different mobile phase compositions examined, have been measured through the so-called inverse method (IM) on a 5 cm long column. The adsorption data at different mobile phase compositions have been fitted to several models of adsorption. The dependence of the isotherm parameters on the mobile phase composition was modeled by using the linear solvent strength (LSS) model and a generalized Langmuir isotherm that includes the mobile phase composition dependence. The overloaded gradient separation of N/OFQ has been modeled by numerically solving the equilibrium-dispersive (ED) model of chromatography under a selected gradient elution mode, on the basis of the previously determined generalized Langmuir isotherm. The agreement between theoretical calculations and experimental overloaded band profiles appeared reasonably accurate.     

Cubic smoothing splines background correction in on-line liquid chromatography–Fourier transform infrared spectrometry

A background correction method for the on-line coupling of gradient liquid chromatography and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (LC–FTIR) is proposed. The developed approach applies univariate background correction to each variable (i.e. each wave number) individually. Spectra measured in the region before and after each peak cluster are used as knots to model the variation of the eluent absorption intensity with time using cubic smoothing splines (CSS) functions. The new approach has been successfully tested on simulated as well as on real data sets obtained from injections of standard mixtures of polyethylene glycols with four different molecular weights in methanol:water, 2-propanol:water and ethanol:water gradients ranging from 30 to 90, 10 to 25 and from 10 to 40% (v/v) of organic modifier, respectively. Calibration lines showed high linearity with coefficients of determination higher than 0.98 and limits of detection between 0.4 and 1.4, 0.9 and 1.8, and 1.1 and 2.7 mg mL⁻¹ in methanol:water, 2-propanol:water and ethanol:water, respectively. Furthermore the method performance has been compared with a univariate background correction approach based on the use of a reference spectra matrix (UBC-RSM) to discuss the potential as well as pitfalls and drawbacks of the proposed approach. This method works without previous variable selection and provides minimal user-interaction, thus increasing drastically the feasibility of on-line coupling of gradient LC–FTIR.     

Determination of ephedrine and related compounds in pharmaceutical preparations by ion chromatography with direct conductivity detection

An ion chromatographic method with conductivity detection for the simultaneous determination of ephedrine, pseudoephedrine and norephedrine was developed. A mixture of 2.0 mmol/L HNO3 and 2% (v/v) acetonitrile was used as eluent. The three ephedrine-like compounds were separated and determined within 20 min. The linear ranges were 0.08-50 microg/mL for ephedrine, 0.08-40 microg/mL for pseudoephedrine and 0.06-40 microg/mL for norephedrine. The detection limits were 0.03 microg/mL for ephedrine and pseudoephedrine, and 0.02 microg/mL for norephedrine. The method has been applied successfully to the determination of these sympathomimetics in pharmaceutical preparations and in Ephedra herbs.     

Quantitative determination of acetylcholine in microdialysis samples using liquid chromatography/atmospheric pressure spray ionization mass spectrometry

A fast, simple and sensitive liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) method was developed for the determination of acetylcholine in rat brain microdialysis samples. The chromatographic separation was achieved in 3 min on a reversed-phase column with isocratic conditions using a mobile phase containing 2% (v/v) of acetonitrile and 0.05% (v/v) of trifluoroacetic acid (TFA). A stable isotope-labeled internal standard was included in the analysis and detection was carried out with a linear ion trap mass spectrometer using selected reaction monitoring (SRM). Analyte ionization was performed with an atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) source without applying discharge current (atmospheric pressure spray ionization). This special ionization technique offered significant advantages over electrospray ionization for the analysis of acetylcholine with reversed-phase ion-pairing chromatography. The lower limit of quantification was 0.15 nM (1.5 fmol on-column) and linearity was maintained over the range of 0.15-73 nM, providing a concentration range that is significantly wider than that of the existing LC/MS methods. Good accuracy and precision were obtained for concentrations within the standard curve range. The method was validated and has been used extensively for the determination of acetylcholine in rat brain microdialysis samples.     

Ultra-fast gradient LC method for omeprazole analysis using a monolithic column: assay development, validation, and application to the quality control of omeprazole enteric-coated pellets

A method was optimized for the analysis of omeprazole (OMZ) by ultra-high speed LC with diode array detection using a monolithic Chromolith Fast Gradient RP 18 endcapped column (50 x 2.0 mm id). The analyses were performed at 30 degrees C using a mobile phase consisting of 0.15% (v/v) trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) in water (solvent A) and 0.15% (v/v) TFA in acetonitrile (solvent B) under a linear gradient of 5 to 90% B in 1 min at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min and detection at 220 nm. Under these conditions, OMZ retention time was approximately 0.74 min. Validation parameters, such as selectivity, linearity, precision, accuracy, and robustness, showed results within the acceptable criteria. The method developed was successfully applied to OMZ enteric-coated pellets, showing that this assay can be used in the pharmaceutical industry for routine QC analysis. Moreover, the analytical conditions established allow for the simultaneous analysis of OMZ metabolites, 5-hydroxyomeprazole and omeprazole sulfone, in the same run, showing that this method can be extended to other matrixes with adequate procedures for sample preparation.     

New background correction approach based on polynomial regressions for on-line liquid chromatography–Fourier transform infrared spectrometry

In the present study a new approach for the chemometric background correction in on-line gradient LC–FTIR is introduced. For this purpose, the spectral changes of the elution mixture during gradient elution were analyzed applying 2D correlation spectroscopy. The fundamentals of the new background correction algorithm, based on polynomial fits calculated from a reference spectra matrix (Polyfit-RSM method) are explained. The Polyfit-RSM approach was applied on blank gradient runs as well as on LC–FTIR data obtained from the injection of a soft drink sample using acetonitrile:water as eluent. Results found were critically assessed and compared to those obtained by two previous background correction methods which are likewise based on the use of a reference spectra matrix (RSM). The Polyfit-RSM method provided lower noise levels throughout the whole spectral range than other alternative background correction methods, an excellent recovery of analyte spectra as well as chromatograms with a low noise level and also free from baseline shifts. A significant finding, which implies a major advantage for the practical applicability of the algorithm, is that the size of the RSMs can be reduced without affecting the accuracy of the correction method.     

Liquid chromatographic analysis of Hg(II) binding by thiol-rich peptides using both UV–vis and electrochemical detection

An existing method for HPLC determination of thiol-containing peptides has been successfully adapted to the analysis of mixtures of glutathione (GSH) and some related peptides with their Hg(II) complexes as a first approach to the study of phytochelatin extracts. The separation was achieved in a C18 column with a mobile phase of 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) and 0.1% TFA/acetonitrile. Non-derivative UV–vis detection at 202 nm used in the original method has been complemented with amperometric detection at 1.2 V on glassy carbon electrode. Two different Hg(II)–GSH complexes were observed by both detection modes and confirmed by mass spectrometry.     

Simultaneous Determination of 1,4‐Benzodiazepines and Tricyclic Antidepressants in Saliva after Sequential SPE Elution by the Same HPLC Conditions

A new method has been described to determine both benzodiazepines (six) and tricyclic antidepressants (four) simultaneously in saliva by HPLC with a UV detector set at 240 nm using cholchicine as the internal standard. A careful specific sequential solid‐phase elution was optimized and performed to elute benzodiazepines using a mixture of methanol‐acetonitrile (1:1 v/v) followed by the elution of tricyclic antidepressants with methanol. Separation of the compounds was performed on a Kromasil column (250 × 4 mm, 5 μm) by a gradient eluents consisting of 0.05 M CH₃COONH₄‐acetonitrile‐methanol (55:15:30 v/v/v). The results were linear for both benzodiazepines and tricyclic antidepressants up to 20 ng μL^‐1 with the correlation coefficients greater than 0.998. The sensitivity limits, LOD and LOQ were 0.08‐0.34 ng μL^‐1 and 0.28‐1.13 ng μL^‐1, respectively. The method is simple, fast and reliable with good specificity and sensitivity, will be suitable for use in a clinical setting, where there is a concomitant use of 1,4‐benzodiazepines and tricyclic antidepressants.     

HPLC‐DAD method for the simultaneous determination of zofenopril and hydrochlorothiazide in oral pharmaceutical formulations

An HPLC method with DAD detection was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of zofenopril and hydrochlorothiazide in tablets. The separation was carried out through a gradient elution using an Agilent LiChrospher C18 column (250×4.0 mm id, 5 μm) and a mobile phase consisting of (A) water–TFA (99.9:0.1 v/v) and (B) acetonitrile–TFA (99.1:0.1 v/v) delivered at a flow‐rate of 1.0 mL/min. 8‐Chlorotheophylline was used as internal standard. Calibration curves were found to be linear for the two drugs over the concentration ranges of 5.0–40 and 1.0–20 μg/mL for zofenopril and hydrochlorothiazide, respectively. Linearity, precision, accuracy, specificity and robustness were determined in order to validate the proposed method, which was further applied to the analysis of commercial tablets. The proposed method is simple and rapid, and gives accurate and precise results.     

液相色谱-四极杆/飞行时间高分辨质谱组合化学计量学方法快速筛查婴幼儿配方乳粉中化学危害物

采用液相色谱-四极杆/飞行时间(LC-Triple TOF^®)高分辨质谱组合化学计量学方法建立了婴幼儿配方乳粉中化学危害物的快速筛查模型。实验采用人工添加外源化学物质(沙丁胺醇、林可霉素、磺胺嘧啶、螺旋霉素、双氯西林和醋酸甲地孕酮)模拟婴幼儿配方乳粉中未知化学危害物污染,15种不同的乳粉等量混合后用水复溶,配制代表性乳粉溶液样品。依据添加与否将样品分为参照组(不含添加的化合物)和添加组。乳粉溶液试样加入乙腈进行提取,经Captiva ND^Lipids固相萃取柱净化,CORTECS^TM UPLC C₁₈₊柱液相色谱分离,以0.3%(v/v)甲酸-5%(v/v)水-乙腈溶液和0.3%(v/v)甲酸-5%(v/v)乙腈-水溶液为流动相梯度洗脱;飞行时间质谱全扫描(TOF MS)-信息依赖性采集(IDA)-子离子扫描(product ion scan)正离子模式采集样品数据。数据经MarkerView^TM软件预处理后导入SIMCA-P软件,对比分析参照组和添加组样品数据,拟合构建正交偏最小二乘法-判别分析(OPLS-DA)模型,并利用此模型进行样品组别区分和添加化合物识别。结果表明,实验构建的筛查模型拟合度和预测能力良好(R²X(cum)=0.742, R²Y(cum)=0.997, Q²Y(cum)=0.905),参照组和添加组样品被显著区分,6种添加的化合物(最低添加水平为50 μg/kg,以乳粉计)全部被可靠地识别。该研究建立的方法为婴幼儿配方乳粉质量安全主动分析监控体系提供了有益技术参考。     

Quantitative determination of DRF-1042 in human plasma by HPLC: validation and application in clinical pharmacokinetics

A simple and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method has been developed and validated for the determination of DRF-1042, a novel orally active camptothecin (CPT) analog, in human plasma. The sample preparation was a simple deproteinization with acidified methanol yielding almost 100% recovery of DRF-1042. An isocratic reverse-phase HPLC separation was developed on a Supelcosil-LC318 column (250 x 4.6 mm, 5 microm) with mobile phase consisting of 1% v/v triethylamine acetate, pH 5.5 and acetonitrile (80:20, v/v) at a fl ow rate of 1.0 mL/min. The eluate was monitored with a fluorescence detector set at excitation and emission wavelengths of 370 and 430 nm, respectively. The standard curves were linear (r(2) > 0.999) in the concentration ranges 5.0-2004 ng/mL. The lower limit of quantification (LLQ) of the assay was 5 ng/mL. The mean measured quality control (QC) concentrations (range 5 ng/mL to 40 microg/mL) deviated from the nominal concentrations in the range of -10.5-0.08 and -14.5-7.97%, inter- and intra-day, respectively. The inter- and intra-day precisions in the measurement of QC samples at four tested concentrations, were in the range 0.64-5.89% relative standard deviation (RSD) and 0.33-14.7% RSD, respectively. The method was found to be suitable for measurement of plasma concentrations above the calibration curve after serial dilutions. Stability of DRF-1042 was confirmed in a battery of studies, viz., on bench-top, in the auto-sampler, in the stock solutions, after four quick freeze-thaw cycles, up to one month at -20 degree C in human plasma and up to 2 months in the ex vivo samples. The method is simple, sensitive and reliable and has been successfully implemented to investigate the clinical pharmacokinetics of DRF-1042 in cancer patients in a phase I clinical trial.     

Chromatographic analysis of some alkylphosphonic acids using a conductimetric detection. Application to fosfomycin determination

Summary This paper describes an ion chromatographic technique with conductimetric detection for the rapid quantitative analysis of alkylphosphonic acids. The choice of the mixture of acetonitrile/borategluconate buffer (1288 v/v) as the mobile phase is discussed: acetonitrile was added to decrease the retention time of phenylphosphonic acid and fosfomycin. Simultaneously the background conductivity was smaller. Borate/gluconate buffer showed the good buffer capacity at pH=8.5 required for the injection of strong acids. The pH was set at 8.5 to obtain the fully dissociated species since their monoionic forms are poorly retained. No eluent suppression process was necessary since the mobile phase led to a low background conductivity. The validation of the method has been studied. Linearity was determined over a concentration range of from 10 to 80 g·ml^–1. Intra- and inter-day reproducibilities were satisfactory with relative standard deviations respectively less than 1.0 and 4.8%. The lowest detectable limits were from 0.2 to 1.0 g depending on the analysed compound. The method has been successfully applied to the determination of fosfomycin in biological samples.     

Analysis of Invertebrate Neuropeptides by RP-HPLC

Abstract

The application of reverse phase-high performance liquid chromatography to the analysis of four synthetic invertebrate neuropeptides is described. Proctolin (Arg-Try-Leu-Pro-Thr), locust adipokinetic hormone (p-Glu-Leu-Asn-Phe-Thr-Pro-Asn-Trp-Gly-Thr-NH₂), crustacean erythrophore concentrating hormone (p-Glu-Leu-Asn-Phe-Ser-Pro-Gly-Trp-NH₂) and mulluscan cardioexcitatory neuropeptide (Phe-Met-Arg-Phe-NH₂) were analyzed on several different reverse phase columns by means of gradient elution with 0.01M KH₂ PO₄, 0.1% H₃PO₄, 0.25N triethylammonium phosphate (TEAP), pH 2.20, or 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) versus acetonitrile. Column effluents were monitored at both 254 and 195 nm except in the case of TFA where 254 and 210 nm were monitored. At the lower wavelength computerized background correction was sometimes necessary to correct excessive baseline drift during the course of the gradient run. Best results were obtained on the Supelcosil LC-18DB column with a concave gradient of 90° 40%B over 1 hr at 1.1 ml/min where B[dbnd]0.25N TEAP, pH 2.20, A[dbnd]acetonitrile. With this system less than 5 ng of peptide was detectable. The use of the volatile TFA buffer permitted recovery of peptides from the column effluent by lyophilization.     

Micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography as an alternative method for the determination of ethinylestradiol and levo-norgestrel

A method for quantifying of ethinylestradiol (ETE) and levo-norgestrel (LEV) in pharmaceutical products by micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) is described. The separation was carried out at 25 degrees C and 25 kV, using a 20 mM borate buffer (pH 9.2), 15 mM sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS) in 30% acetonitrile/water (v/v). Under these conditions the analysis takes about 7 min. The method has been applied for quantifying both compounds in six different commercial contraceptives and the proposed method gave good results when compared with a reference liquid chromatographic (LC) method.