Liquid chromatographic determination of carotenoids and vitamins A and E in multivitamin tablets

Carotenoids and vitamins A and E in multivitamin tablets can be determined simultaneously by reversed-phased liquid chromatography (LC) with a programmable UV detector. Samples were dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide and then extracted with hexane. A portion was injected onto a Symmetry C18, 150 x 4.6 mm id, 5 microns column and chromatographed with a mobile phase of acetonitrile--0.25% ammonium acetate in methanol and 0.05% triethylamine in dichloromethane. A step gradient was used. The system was operated at 25 degrees C with a flow rate of 1.5 mL/min. UV detection was at 325 nm for retinols, 285 nm for tocopherols, and 450 nm for carotenoids. Detection limits were less than 0.3 ng for retinol and retinyl acetate; 2 ng for alpha-tocopherol acid succinate; 10 ng for alpha-tocopherol, gamma-tocopherol, and alpha-tocopherol acetate; and 0.4 ng for alpha-carotene and beta-carotene. Intraday and interday coefficients of variation ranged from 1.40 to 5.20%. The sample preparation method and LC assay are practical for quality control and routine analysis of multivitamin tablets.     

Determination of vitamins A and E in serum and plasma using a simplified clarification method and high-performance liquid chromatography

A method of sample clarification and high-performance liquid chromatography specifically developed to permit precise and rapid determination of vitamin A (retinol) and vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) in serum and plasma is reported. Serum proteins were denatured by the addition of acetonitrile containing alpha-tocopherol acetate, the internal standard; the vitamins were subsequently extracted into an organic matrix consisting of ethyl acetate-butanol (1:1); no solvent evaporation step was required. The three vitamins of interest were eluted from a reversed-phase C18 column with an isocratic mobile phase methanol-water (95:5); detection was accomplished by measuring ultraviolet absorption at 280 nm. Recoveries of retinol, alpha-tocopherol and alpha-tocopherol acetate from spiked aqueous samples averaged 100.0, 100.0 and 98.8%, respectively. Recoveries of retinol, alpha-tocopherol and alpha-tocopherol acetate from plasma and serum relative to water were 102.6, 96.9 and 96.5%, respectively. Retinol and alpha-tocopherol were stable in the extraction matrix for up to 3.5 h, and were stable in heparinized plasma stored at room temperature for two days. Oxalate, citrate and EDTA caused significant losses of retinol and alpha-tocopherol, while vitamin levels in serum and heparinized plasma were similar. Limits of detection for retinol and alpha-tocopherol were 60 ng/ml and 0.9 micrograms/ml, respectively. Each run required 12 min. Same-day coefficients of variation were 3.5 and 3.6% for retinol and alpha-tocopherol, respectively (n = 11). Between-day coefficients of variation for retinol and alpha-tocopherol were 4.8 and 5.5%, respectively (n = 5). This method permits simple, rapid, sensitive, selective and precise determination of retinol and alpha-tocopherol using 0.5 ml of serum or heparinized plasma.     

Determination of gamma- and alpha-tocopherols in human milk by a direct high-performance liquid chromatographic method with UV-vis detection and comparison with evaporative light scattering detection

A rapid direct method (Method I) for measuring gamma- and alpha-tocopherols in human milk was developed and validated using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet/visible (UV-vis) detection. Human milk, with an internal standard (alpha-tocopherol acetate) added, was diluted in hexane. The chromatographic system consisted of a short column (50 mm x 2.1mm I.D., 3 microm particle size) that allowed the separation of the gamma- and alpha-tocopherols in less than 6 min. The new direct method (Method I) was compared with other methods. Method II (saponification with ultraviolet/visible detection) determined 24% and 22% less gamma- and alpha-tocopherols, respectively. Method III (saponification with evaporative light scattering detection) gave the same values for alpha-tocopherol content as Method II. However, the amount of sample used in the application of Method III was higher than that used in Method II. Furthermore, Method I uses smaller amounts of solvents, and it is simpler and faster than Methods II or III. Only a small volume of sample is needed, which is an additional advantage for biological assays.     

Simultaneous analysis of Vitamins A and E in infant milk-based formulae by normal-phase high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection using a short narrow-bore column

A rapid, simple and reproducible normal-phase (NP) high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-diode array detection (DAD) method for simultaneous qualitative and quantitative determination of Vitamin A (retinol acetate and retinol palmitate) and Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol acetate, alpha-, gamma- and delta-tocopherols) in milk-based infant formulae was developed and validated. The preparation sample was based on protein precipitation and vitamin extraction with ethanol, followed by re-extraction with hexane, while the chromatographic method was based on the use of a short narrow-bore column (50 mm x 2.1 mm; 3 microm particle size), which afforded less solvent consumption and higher mass sensitivity. The method showed acceptable values for precision, recovery and sensitivity, and proved very simple for routine analysis work.     

Miniaturisation of solid phase extraction method for determination of retinol,alpha- and gamma-tocopherol in human serum using new technologies

The aim of this study was to develop rapid and simple solid phase extraction (SPE) and HPLC methods for simultaneous determination of retinol, gamma- and alpha-tocopherol in human serum using a special auto sampler with micro titration plates.

Separation of vitamins was performed at ambient temperature using monolithic column on a HPLC containing rack changer for micro titration plates. As the mobile phase methanol with flow rate 2.5 mL min^?1 was used. The injection volume was 20 µL. Retinol was detected at 325 nm, gamma- and alpha-tocopherol were carried out at 295 nm, respectively. The total time of analysis was 1.8 minutes. Extraction method was developed using Spe-ed 96 C18, 100 mg/2 mL micro titration plates and SPE vacuum manifold. The consumption of the sample was 50 µL. Time of the analysis for 96 samples on one micro titration plate was 1.5 hour. In order to validate the developed method, precision, accuracy, linearity, detection and quantitation limits were evaluated. This method is suitable for rapid automated large-batch analysis of retinol, alpha- and gamma-tocopherol in small sample volumes of human serum.     

Simultaneous determination of retinol, alpha-tocopherol and beta-carotene in serum by isocratic high-performance liquid chromatography.

A simultaneous determination of retinol, alpha-tocopherol and beta-carotene in serum by high-performance liquid chromatography is described. Total analysis time is 13 min. A reversed-phase (Ultrasphere ODS, 5 microns) column is used with a mobile phase of acetonitrile-methanol-dichloromethane (70:10:20, v/v/v) and a flow-rate of 1.2 ml/min. Retinol is monitored at 325 nm, alpha-tocopherol at 292 nm and beta-carotene at 450 nm. Serum is deproteinized with ethanol containing the internal standard (alpha-tocopherol acetate), then extracted with hexane. The evaporated organic layer is reconstituted with the mobile phase and injected. The choice of the eluent is discussed, as well as the choice of an internal standard and the need for an antioxidant during the extraction step. Sixteen different eluents are compared in terms of analysis time and selectivity. The linear concentration ranges (retinol 0.016-13.7 microM, alpha-tocopherol 0.18-91.8 microM, beta-carotene 0.05-5.75 microM), within-run coefficients of variation (retinol less than 7%; alpha-tocopherol less than 8%, beta-carotene less than 7%), between-run coefficients of variation (retinol less than 13%, alpha-tocopherol less than 9%, beta-carotene less than 8%) and recoveries (retinol greater than 95%, alpha-tocopherol greater than 91%, beta-carotene greater than 80%) are suitable for clinical investigations. Serum reference values were found to be 2.47 +/- 0.61 microM (retinol), 30.5 +/- 6.8 microM (alpha-tocopherol) and 0.91 +/- 0.55 microM (beta-carotene). A significant difference (p less than 0.001) between males and females was found for retinol.     

Comparison of reversed-phase liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry with electrospray and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization for analysis of dietary tocopherols

ESI and APCI ionization techniques in both negative and positive ion modes were evaluated for simultaneous LC-MS analysis of the four tocopherol homologues (alpha, beta, gamma and delta). The ESI and APCI ionization of tocopherols in positive ion mode was not efficient and proceeded via two competitive mechanisms, with the formation of protonated pseudo-molecular ions and molecular ions, which adversely influenced the repeatability of MS signal. Ionization in negative ion mode in both ESI and APCI was more efficient as it only produced target deprotonated pseudo-molecular ions. The APCI in negative ion mode showed larger linearity range, lower detection limits and was less sensitive to the differences in chemical structure of analytes and nature of applied solvents than negative ion ESI. Negative ion APCI was, therefore, chosen for the development of LC-MS method for simultaneous determination of the four tocopherols in foods. A baseline separation of the tocopherols was achieved on novel pentafluorophenyl silica-based column Fluophase PFP. The use of methanol-water (95:5, v/v) as a mobile phase was preferable to the use of acetonitrile-water due to considerable gain in MS signal. The limits of quantifications were 9 ng/mL for alpha-tocopherol, 8 ng/mL for beta- and gamma- and 7.5 ng/mL for delta-tocopherol when 2 microL was injected. This method was successfully applied to determination of tocopherols in sunflower oil and milk.     

Simple reversed-phase liquid chromatography method for determination of tocopherols in edible plant oils

A simple and rapid reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography method for determination of alpha-, (beta + gamma), and delta-tocopherols in edible plant oils has been developed. Oils are diluted in 2-propanol and injected directly onto Symmetry C18 column. Methanol and acetonitrile (1:1) are used as a mobile phase. Tocopherols are detected using fluorescence detector set at excitation and emission wavelength 295 nm and 325 nm, respectively. The method is precise (R.S.D. not higher than 2.24%) and sensitive-detection limits (DL) are 8 ng/ml for gamma- and delta-tocopherols and 28 ng/ml for alpha-tocopherol; quantification limits (QL) were calculated as three times higher than DL.     

Development of a simplified method for the simultaneous determination of retinol, α-tocopherol,and β-carotene in serum by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization

A new and simple method for the determination of fat-soluble vitamins (retinol, alpha-tocopherol, and beta-carotene) in human serum was developed and validated by using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (LC-APCI-MS-MS). Different solvent mixtures were tested to obtain deproteinization and extraction of the analytes from the matrix. As a result, a volume of 240 microL of a 1:1 (v/v) ethanol/ethyl acetate mixture added to 60 microL of serum was found to be suitable for both protein precipitation and antioxidants solubilization, giving the best recovery for all three analytes. Deproteinized samples (20 microL) were injected after dilution, without the need for concentration or evaporation to dryness and reconstruction of the sample. Vitamins were separated on a C-8 column using a 95:5 (v/v) methanol/dichloromethane mixture and ionized in the positive-ion mode; detection was performed in the selected-reaction monitoring mode. Linearity of the LC-APCI-MS-MS method was established over 5 orders of magnitude for retinol and alpha-tocopherol, whereas in the case of beta-carotene it was limited to 4 orders. Lower limits of quantitation were 1.7, 2.3, and 4.1 nM for retinol, alpha-tocopherol, and beta-carotene, respectively. Serum concentrations of retinol, alpha-tocopherol, and alpha+beta-carotene determined in a group of healthy volunteers were 2.48, 38.07, and 0.50 microM, respectively, in samples collected in winter ( n=122) and 2.69, 45.88, and 0.90 microM during summer ( n=66).     

液相色谱-质谱联用法测定牛奶中14种青霉素及相应青霉噻唑酸残留量

利用超高效液相色谱-串联质谱法(UPLC-MS/MS)同时测定牛奶中的7种青霉素类抗生素以及7种相应的青霉噻唑酸。样品经乙腈沉淀蛋白,上清液N2吹干后,用水溶解,加入正己烷萃取除去脂肪;提取液经ACQUITY UPLCBEH C18柱分离,乙腈-乙酸铵+甲酸水溶液洗脱。14种物质峰分离良好,定量限范围在5～20μg/kg。在10～50ng/mL质量浓度范围内线性良好,相关系数均大于等于0.999,牛奶中的加标回收率在90%～98%。     

Simultaneous determination of retinol and tocopherols by high-performance liquid chromatography.

A high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method to determine retinol and all four tocopherols (alpha-, beta-, gamma- and delta-) simultaneously was established using a reversed-phase column (YMC-PACK A-302 S-5 120A ODS). The HPLC conditions were mobile phase 65% isopropanol, sample solvent 99.5% methanol and temperature 30 degrees C. Retinol and tocopherols were measured in rat liver.     

Determination of liposoluble vitamins in cooked meals, milk and milk products by liquid chromatography

A method for the simultaneous determination of liposoluble vitamins in cooked meals was established. Saponification was performed with 50% (w/v) KOH at 80 degrees C, and ascorbic acid was added as antioxidant. The subsequent extraction was carried out with diethyl ether. This was followed by a liquid chromatographic separation on a reversed-phase C18 column with methanol-water (94:6, v/v as the mobile phase. Retinyl acetate was used as the internal standard. The analytical parameters linearity, detection limit (0.19 and 8.33 microg/100 g for retinol and alpha-tocopherol, respectively), precision of the method (RSD=5.24 and 6.99% for retinol and alpha-tocopherol, respectively) and recovery assays (95.6 and 96.5% for retinol and alpha-tocopherol, respectively) show that the method studied is useful for measuring these compounds in foods and cooked meals.     

Determination of several retinoids, carotenoids and E vitamers by high-performance liquid chromatography. Application to plasma and tissues of rats fed a diet rich in either beta-carotene or canthaxanthin.

A method, using two different systems, is described for the high-performance liquid chromatographic analysis of retinol, retinal, retinoic acid, retinyl acetate, retinyl palmitate, alpha-, beta- and gamma-carotene, beta-apo-6'-, beta-apo-8', beta-apo-10'- and beta-apo-12'-carotenal, ethyl beta-apo-8'-carotenoate, alpha-tocopherol and alpha-tocopheryl acetate. The first system consists of a laboratory-packed Hypersil-ODS 3-microns column and a mobile phase of acetonitrile-methylene chloride-methanol-water (70:10:15:5, v/v). The second system consists of a laboratory-packed Hypersil-ODS 3-microns column and a mobile phase of acetonitrile-methylene chloride-methanol-water (70:10:15:5, v/v). The second system consists of a laboratory-packed Nucleosil C18 3-microns column and a mobile phase of acetonitrile-0.1 M ammonium acetate (80:20, v/v). The detection limits in standard solutions were 10 ng/ml for retinoids and carotenoids and 60 ng/ml for the E vitamers. Analysis of the tissues and plasma of rats, after 2 weeks on a diet supplemented with either beta-carotene or canthaxanthin (both 2 mg/g), led to the conclusion that the rats were able both to transport and store beta-carotene and canthaxanthin and to convert beta-carotene to retinol. Incubation of cytosol preparations from the mucosa of the small intestine of rat with 1 microgram of beta-carotene resulted in the formation of 10-20 ng of retinal within 1 h.     

固相萃取-高效液相色谱法同时测定牛奶中22种磺胺类兽药残留

建立了一种基于固相萃取技术同时测定牛奶中22种磺胺类兽药残留的高效液相色谱分析方法.样品经乙腈-甲酸混合溶液提取,乙腈饱和的正己烷除酯后,HLB固相萃取柱净化,以甲醇-2 mmol/L乙酸铵(含0.2％乙酸)为流动相进行梯度洗脱,XBridge C18色谱柱进行分离,采用光电二极管阵列检测器检测,外标法定量.磺胺类化合...     

High-performance liquid chromatographic determination of tocopherols in infant formulas

A method for the simultaneous determination of alpha-tocopherol acetate and alpha-, delta-, and gamma-tocopherols by normal-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with a fluorescent detector in infant formula is proposed. The values obtained in the determination of the analytical parameters: linearity, precision, limit of detection and accuracy (analysis of a standard reference material, SRM 1846), confirm the quality of the method. The proposed method is useful for the determination of alpha-, delta-, and gamma-tocopherols and alpha-tocopherol acetate in infant formulas at a low cost and in a total time of 2 h.     

High-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection for the simultaneous determination of vitamin A, D3 and E in milk.

A high-performance liquid chromatographic electrochemical detection for the rapid and simultaneous determination of the vitamin A, D3 and E is described. The separation is carried out by using a C18 reversed-phase column and 0.1 M LiClO4 in methanol-water (99:1, v/v) as the mobile phase. The compounds are eluted with good resolution in the above order within about 15 min and are determined by amperometric detection with a glassy carbon electrode at +1050 mV (vs. Ag/AgCl). The method gave reproducible results and the detection limits were of the order of 0.07, 4 and 0.2 ng of vitamin A, D3 and E, respectively. The method was successfully applied to the determination of vitamin A, D3 and E in liquid cow milk and milk powder samples. After saponification, fat-soluble vitamins were extracted with hexane and a methanolic solution of the dried extract was injected directly into the chromatographic system, avoiding the clean-up step that is necessary for vitamin D3 when electrochemical detection is not used. Good recoveries were obtained.     

Simultaneous determination of pantothenic acid and hopantenic acid in biological samples and natural products by gas chromatography-mass fragmentography

A method for the simultaneous determination of pantothenic acid and hopantenic acid in plasma samples was developed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry with multiple ion detection. Plasma samples were directly purified without deproteinization on an ion-exchange resin, and the eluate was extracted with ethyl acetate under acidic conditions. The organic layer was evaporated to dryness under a stream of nitrogen, and the residue was dissolved in an internal standard solution. Pantothenic and hopantenic acids were converted into their trimethylsilyl derivatives by treating with bis(trimethylsilyl)trifluoroacetamide. Aliquots of this solution were injected into the gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer, which was equipped with a wide-bore fused-silica column (DB-17) and analysed by the multiple ion detection method. The detection limits for pantothenic acid and hopantenic acid in plasma were 1 ng/ml each at a signal-to-noise ratio of 5. This method was applied to a study of the assay of pantothenic acid and hopantenic acid in biological samples and natural products.     

An isocratic liquid chromatographic method with diode-array detection for the simultaneous determination of alpha-tocopherol, retinol, and five carotenoids in human serum

An isocratic high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for the simultaneous determination of alpha-tocopherol, retinol, and five carotenoids (lutein-zeaxanthin, beta-cryptoxanthin, lycopene, and alpha- and beta-carotene) in human serum is described. Serum samples are deproteinized with ethanol and extracted once with n-hexane. Resulting extracts are injected onto a C18 reversed-phase column eluted with methanol-acetonitrile-tetrahydrofuran (75:20:5, v/v/v), and full elution of all the analytes is realized isocratically within 20 min. The detection is operated using three channels of a diode-array spectrophotometer at 290, 325, and 450 nm for tocopherol, retinol, and the carotenoids, respectively. An internal standard is used for each channel, which improves precision. The choice of internal standards is discussed, as well as the extraction protocol and the need for adding an antioxidant during the extraction and chromatographic steps. The analytical recoveries for liposoluble vitamins and carotenoids are more than 85%. Intra-assay relative standard deviation (RSD) values (n = 20) for measured concentrations in serum range from 3.3% (retinol) to 9.5% (lycopene), and interassay RSDs (n = 5) range from 3.8% (alpha-tocopherol) to 13.7% (beta-cryptoxanthin). The present method is used to quantitate the cited vitamins in healthy subjects (n = 168) from ages 9 to 55 years old.     

Determination of serum and plasma concentrations of retinol using high-performance liquid chromatography

An isocratic high-performance liquid chromatographic method specifically developed to allow simple and rapid determination of retinol concentrations in serum and plasma is reported. Retinol and retinol acetate (the internal standard) are extracted into butanol-ethyl acetate, with no subsequent evaporation step. Separation is achieved on a reversed-phase C-18 column, with a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile-1% ammonium acetate (89:11), and UV detection at 313 nm. Recoveries of both retinol and the internal standard were 100%, and both compounds were stable in the extraction solvent for at least 2.5 h. Three anticoagulants (oxalate, citrate, EDTA) and perchloric acid (used in some methods to denature protein) all caused losses of retinol. Each run required 9 min; same-day coefficient of variation (C.V.) for identical samples averaged 2.5%; between-day C.V. was 6.4%; sensitivity was better than 10 ng/ml, while clinical concentrations were 400-1200 ng/ml. This method permits simple, rapid, sensitive, precise, and accurate determination of retinol using 0.5 ml serum or heparinized plasma.     

Low density miniaturized homogeneous liquid-liquid extraction: a new high throughput sample preparation technique for the determination of polar pesticides in cow milk

The application of miniaturized homogeneous liquid-liquid extraction (MHLLE) technique as a simple, inexpensive, quick and efficiency clean up method has been evaluated for determination of diazinon, alachlor, chlorpyrifos and butachlor in cow milk samples. Methanol was used as extraction solvent for the extraction of analytes from cow milk samples and then, methanol phase was extracted and cleaned up by MHLLE method. In this method, butyl acetate was added to methanol phase and after addition of water, butyl acetate was separated from methanol phase and injected to the GC/TSD instrument. The concentration ranges were from 1.0–1000.0 ng/mL for diazinon and chlorpyrifos and from 5.0–1000.0 ng/mL for alachlor and butachlor. The limits of detection were 0.4, 1.6, 0.3 and 1.4 ng/mL for diazinon, alachlor, chlorpyrifos and butachlor, respectively. Finally, the extraction method was successfully applied to the analysis of raw cow milk samples.