液相色谱-串联质谱法测定鸡肌肉组织中的四环素类药物残留

建立了一种专属、灵敏的方法,用于同时检测鸡肌肉组织中土霉素、四环素和金霉素的残留。首先对鸡肌肉组织中的四环素类药物进行提取,再经C18固相萃取柱净化,采用电喷雾离子源,以正离子检测方式进行质谱分析。实验结果表明,在25～500 μg/L这一质量浓度范围内上述3种四环素类药物均呈线性,其相关系数r＞0.99。在低、中、高3个质量浓度添加水平,3种四环素类药物的平均回收率为72.4%～94.9%,相对标准偏差小于11%。3种四环素类药物的检测限均可达到10 μg/kg。其方法学考察符合农牧发［2003］1号文件的有关规定。     

Development and validation method for the determination of selected tetracyclines in animal medicated feedingstuffs with the use of micellar liquid chromatography

A chromatographic procedure for the determination of oxytetracycline (OTC), tetracycline (TC), chlorotetracycline (CTC), and doxycycline (DC) in medicated feedingstuffs was developed. Samples were extracted with 0.01 M citric buffer/acetonitrile (pH 3.0) and further purified with 0.45 μm syringe filters. The purified extract was separated on Thermo column C₁₈, 150?×?4 mm, 5 μm and detection was carried out at 360 nm for OTC, and TC, 370 nm for CTC, and 350 nm for DC. TCs were eluted with a mobile phase of 0.03 M SDS/7 % 1-butanol/0.02 M oxalic acid/NaOH at pH 2.5. This method provided average recoveries of 80.4 % to 100.2 %, with CVs of 0.5 % to 6.6 % in the range of 50 to 1500 mg/kg OTC, TC, CTC, and DC in feeds. The linearity for the four TCs was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector (HPLC-DAD) in the range 10–300 μg/mL (50–1500 mg/kg), with a linear correlation coefficient (R)?>?0.99. The LOD and LOQ for TCs in pig and poultry feeds ranged from 4.0 to 10.7 and 4.7 to 12.6 mg/kg, respectively. The methodology was applied to the analysis of animal feedingstuffs collected from poultry and pig farms.

Thioglycolic Acid Capped CdS Quantum Dots as Fluorescence Probe for Ultrasensitive Determination of Tetracycline and Oxytetracycline

Water soluble CdS quantum dots (QDs) have been synthesized using thioglycolic acid (TGA) as surface modifying agent through a one step process by using safe and low cost materials. These TGA capped CdS QDs are highly stable in aqueous solution and applied for ultrasensitive tetracycline (TC) and oxytetracycline (OTC) sensing. The approach was based on the fluorescence of the QDs selectively quenched in the presence of TC and OTC, respectively. Under optimal conditions, the relative fluorescence intensities of CdS QDs were decreased linearly with increasing TC and OTC in the range of 0.05 to 10.0 μM and 0.1 to 10.0 μM, respectively. The limit of detection (S/N = 3) was 5.0 nM for TC and 10.0 nM for OTC, respectively. The RSD for eleven determinations of 5.0 μM TC was 1.26% and 5.0 μM OTC was 0.8%, respectively. There was no significant wavelength shift on the fluorescence‐quenched signals in the presence of the drugs. The effect of common foreign substances on the fluorescence of the QDs was examined to evaluate the selectivity and the results showed a high selectivity of the TGA capped CdS QDs towards TC and OTC. The method presented here is simple, rapid, inexpensive, sensitive and suitable for practical application.     

Improved nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis for tetracyclines at subparts per billion level

A NACE method with laser-induced fluorescence detection was modified for sensitive detection of 4 tetracyclines (TCs) in biological samples and feeds. The changes in injection mode, injection times, id of capillary, excitation wavelength, and the use of surfactant and sample stacking technique all contributed to improved LODs of TCs to sub-ng/mL level. With the optimized conditions, the instrumental LODs could reach 1.33 ng/mL for chlorotetracycline (CTC) and 13.3 ng/mL for TC, oxytetracycline (OTC), and doxycycline (DC), an improvement of 10-100-fold over past studies. A simple SPE procedure was further developed for the extraction and concentration of TCs in plasma, urine, feed, and milk. Taken together, the instrumental LOD and feasible SPE concentration factors the overall LODs for CTC could reach 65 pg/mL in feed and milk and 260 pg/mL in plasma and urine. Detection limits for TC, OTC, and DC at sub-ng/mL level were also achieved. The modified CE-LIF method was found to be less complicated and more sensitive than the best current methods using UV or LIF detection, and has been applied successfully to assess oral absorption of DC in swine and chickens and to confirm suspected TC-positive bovine serum samples.     

Determination of tetracyclines in ovine milk by high-performance liquid chromatography with a coulometric electrode array system

A method has been developed to analyze residual tetracyclines (TCs) (oxytetracycline (OTC), tetracycline (TC), chlortetracycline (CTC), methacycline (MTC), doxycycline (DC)) in ovine milk, using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with a coulometric electrode array system. The samples were pretreated, using liquid-liquid extraction based on hexane. The chromatography was performed, using a C18 column (150 mm x 4 mm i.d. and 5 microm) with a mobile phase: sodium phosphate monobasic dihydrate (pH 2.2, 0.05 M)-acetonitrile (78:22, v/v). The flow rate of mobile phase was kept constantly at 1ml/min. The residues were monitored by an ESA electrochemical detector. Potentials of four electrodes in series were set at 400, 660, 680 and 700 mV, respectively. The first electrode was set to remove those interfering substances that may co-elute with TCs and the other three electrodes were used for quantification. The maximal potential of our detection was 700 mV. Calibration curve showed good linearity and the detection limit of TCs was 12.5, 20, 25, 10 and 25 ng/ml, respectively. Optimization of the pH of the mobile phase, the proportion of acetonitrile and the pH of the pretreatment were also performed. Recoveries of TCs from spiked samples were more than 88% and the relative standard deviations were less than 4.3%. This method was reliable, sensitive, economical and suited for routine monitoring of TC residues in ovine dairy milk.     

A pulsed potential waveform displaying enhanced detection capabilities towards sulfur-containing compounds at a gold working electrode

Pulsed electrochemical detection of sulfur-containing compounds was successfully investigated by applying a four-step potential waveform at a gold working electrode. This potential waveform called APAD, which stands for activated pulsed amperometric detection, is composed of an activation potential step added to a conventional three-step potential waveform. A key advantage of the APAD at the Au electrode is the ability to enhance sensitivity through the use of a short potential pulse (E(ACT) = +750 mV versus Ag/AgCl and tACT approximately 90 ms) during which the formation of redox active species (presumably OH*) are able to efficiently oxidize organosulfur compounds. The APAD waveform parameters were optimized to maximize the signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) and successfully applied for the sensitive detection of lipoic acid, biotin, iminobiotin, methionine, cystine, cysteine, homocysteine, homocystine, N-acetylcysteine and glutathione, following their separations by high-performance anion-exchange chromatography (HPAEC) using alkaline mobile phases. The detection limits (S/N = 3, 10 microL injected) ranged from 0.3 for cysteine (400 pg) to 0.02 micromol/L for biotin (50 pg) and methionine (30 pg). The response of sulfur-, amine- and alcohol-based compounds was compared by using four selected pulsed potential waveforms. It was found that the APAD exhibits excellent sensitivity for thiocompounds outperforming all other pulsed potential waveforms. Ratios of the peak areas for APAD and the six-step potential integrated waveform increased from 3.2 +/- 0.4 to 13.5 +/- 0.6 for lipoic acid and biotin, respectively.     

Ion chromatographic analysis of tetracyclines using polymeric column and acidic eluent

High-performance ion chromatography (HPIC) is first successfully used to analyze tetracycline antibiotics (TCs) in this work. The TCs are well separated on a solvent compatible polymeric cation-exchange column within 12 min. Isocratic elution with acetonitrile-hydrochloride is very advantageous for routine analysis. HPIC may be seen as a specific variant of the more common high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for water-soluble and polar pharmaceuticals with low hydrophobicity. The detection limits (signal-to-noise ratio=3:1) of oxytetracycline (OTC), tetracycline (TC), chlortetracycline (CTC), doxycycline (DC) are 10, 10, 20 and 20 microg l(-1), respectively. Samples are prepared by vortex mixing with an ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid disodium salt (Na2EDTA)-McIlvaine buffer (pH 4.0) solution and the mixture filtrates through a molecular weight cut-off filter. The method has been successfully applied to monitor the OTC removal rate through every reactor in the process of OTC manufacturing wastewater treatment by bio-chemical technology. It is also applicable to determine the TCs residues in milk and milk powder with satisfying results.     

Development and validation of a liquid chromatographic/ tandem mass spectrometric method for determination of chlortetracycline, oxytetracycline, tetracycline, and doxycycline in animal feeds

A selective and accurate LC/MS/MS method for the simultaneous determination of chlortetracycline (CTC), oxytetracycline (OTC), tetracycline (TC), and doxycycline (DC) in animal feeds was developed. Samples were extracted with Na2EDTA-McIlvaine buffer and further purified with Oasis HLB SPE columns. The purified extract was separated on an Xbridge C18 column and detected by LC/MS/MS with positive electrospray ionization in the multiple reaction monitoring mode. This method provided average recoveries of 80.9 to 119.5%, with CVs of 1.7 to 9.8% in the range of 0.5 to 50 mg/kg CTC, OTC, TC, and DC in feeds, except the average recovery of CTC was 76.0%, with a CV of 14.6% in pig feed spiked with 0.5 mg/kg CTC. The linear ranges for the four TCs determined by LC/MS/MS ranged from 0.005 to 2.5 microg/mL with a linear correlation coefficient (R2) >0.99. The LOD and LOQ for CTC, OTC, TC, and DC in pig and poultry feeds ranged from 0.003 to 0.02 and 0.01 to 0.05 microg/g, respectively. The method was successfully applied for the analysis of 30 real feed samples, and no illegal use was detected.     

Improvement of chemical analysis of antibiotics. VIII. Application of prepacked C18 cartridge for the analysis of tetracycline residues in animal liver

A simple, rapid and precise analytical method for tetracycline (TC) residues in the liver of slaughtered animals has been established. The recoveries of oxytetracycline (OTC), TC, chlortetracycline (CTC) and doxycycline (DC) from beef liver spiked at the level of 1.0 ppm were 87.7, 87.5, 79.6 and 67.5% with coefficients of variations of 1.01-2.87%. Detection limits in beef liver were 0.05 and 0.1 ppm for OTC and TC and for CTC and DC, respectively. It is also possible to apply this method to the analysis of residual TCs in various foods with the same recovery, accuracy and detection limits as in the case of beef liver.     

Molecularly imprinted on-line solid-phase extraction combined with flow-injection chemiluminescence for the determination of tetracycline

A molecularly imprinted polymer solid phase extraction (MISPE) method combined with flow-injection chemiluminescence (FI-CL) for the determination of residual tetracycline (TC) in fish samples is presented. The molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) of TC was synthesized and particles of this MIP were packed into a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) tube, which was connected into the sampling loop of an eight-way injection valve and served as the MISPE column for on-line selective adsorption of TC. The eluent (CH3CN : HNO3 (0.01 mol L(-1)) = 4 ratio 1, v ratio v) was used for extracting the adsorbed TC, which could be detected by its good enhancing effect on the CL reaction between Ce(iv) and rhodamine B. The CL intensity is linear to TC concentration in the range from 4 x 10(-9) to 4 x 10(-7) g mL(-1). The detection limit is 1 x 10(-9) g mL(-1) (3 sigma) and the relative standard deviation is 2.4% (n = 9). The conditions of preconcentration, extraction and CL reaction were carefully studied. The selectivity experiment shows that the selectivity and sensitivity of the CL method could be improved greatly when MIP was used as a recognition material in SPE. However, the MISPE column interacted indiscriminately with oxytetracycline (OTC) with a 49 +/- 2% binding. An intermediate differential pulsed elution (DPE) step using 3% acetic acid as eluent was employed to remove OTC and other interfering substances. The proposed MISPE-CL method has been applied successfully to the determination of TC in fish samples. At the same time, the binding characteristics of the polymer to tetracycline were evaluated by batch and dynamic methods.     

Determination of tetracyclines residues in honey by on-line solid-phase extraction high-performance liquid chromatography

An automated system using on-line solid-phase extraction (SPE) high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with ultraviolet (UV) detection was developed for the determination of tetracyclines (TCs), such as tetracycline (TC), oxytetracycline (OTC), chlortetracycline (CTC), metacycline (MC), and doxycycline (DC) in honey. One milliliter diluted honey sample was injected into a conditioned C18 SPE column and the matrix was washed out with water for 3 min. By rotation of the switching valve, TCs were eluted and transferred to the analytical column by the chromatographic mobile phase. Chromatographic conditions were optimized. TCs were separated in less than 8 min with a gradient elution using a mixture of 0.8% formic acid and acetonitrile. The UV detection was performed at 365 nm. The conditions for on-line SPE, including solvent and total time for loading sample and washing matrix were also optimized. Time for extraction and separation decreased greatly. For the five kinds of TCs, the limits of detection (LODs) at a signal-to-noise of 3 ranged from 5 to 12 ng g⁻¹. The relative standard deviations (R.S.D.) for the determination of TCs ranged from 3.4 to 7.1% within a day and ranged from 3.2 to 8.9% in 3 days, respectively.     

Development and validation of an HPLC confirmatory method for the determination of seven tetracycline antibiotics residues in milk according to the European Union Decision 2002/657/EC

An HPLC method with diode-array detection, at 355 nm, was developed and validated for the determination of seven tetracyclines (TCs) in milk: minocycline (MNC), TC, oxytetracycline (OTC), methacycline (MTC), demeclocycline (DMC), chlortetracycline (CTC), and doxycycline (DC). Oxalate buffer (pH 4) was used with 20% TCA as a deproteinization agent for the extraction of analytes from milk followed by SPE. The separation was achieved on an Inertsil ODS-3, 5 microm, 250 x 4 mm(2 )analytical column at ambient temperature. The mobile phase, a mixture of A: 0.01 M oxalic acid and B: CH(3)CN, was delivered using a gradient program. The procedure was validated according to the European Union decision 2002/657/EC determining selectivity, stability, decision limit, detection capability, accuracy, and precision. Mean recoveries of TCs from spiked milk samples (50, 100, and 200 ng/g) were 93.8-100.9% for MNC, 96.8-103.7% for OTC, 96.3-101.8% for TC, 99.4-107.2% for DMC, 99.4-102.9% for CTC, 96.3-102.7% for MTC, and 94.6-102.1% for DC. All RSD values were lower than 8.5%. The decision limits CC(a) calculated by spiking 20 blank milk samples at MRL (100 microg/kg) ranged from 101.25 to 105.84 microg/kg, while detection capability CC(b )from 103.94 to 108.88 microg/kg.     

Simultaneous extraction and analysis of 11 tetracycline and sulfonamide antibiotics in influent and effluent domestic wastewater by solid-phase extraction and liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in which antibiotic compounds are not totally eliminated are considered to be point sources of antibiotic contamination in surface and ground waters. Therefore, there is a need for sensitive and reliable analytical methods for measuring these compounds in WWTP water matrices. This paper describes a simultaneous method for the determination of six tetracyclines (TCs) (oxytetracycline (OTC), tetracycline (TC), demeclocycline (DMC), chlortetracycline (CTC), doxycycline (DXC), meclocycline (MCC)) and five sulfonamides (SAs) (sulfathiazole (STZ), sulfamethazine (SMT), sulfachloropyridazine (SCP), sulfamethoxazole (SMX) and sulfadimethoxine (SDM)) using solid-phase extraction followed by liquid chromatography-ion trap tandem mass spectrometry. The average recovery of 11 antibiotics for simultaneous extraction was 83.3+/-12.6 and 89.8+/-11.5% for six TCs, and 95.2+/-11.4 and 97.7+/-10.6% for five SAs in the influent and effluent water, respectively. Matrix effects were found to be significant when measuring TCs but not SAs. The accuracy and day-to-day variation of the method fell within an acceptable range of 15% absolute. Method detection limits in wastewater matrices were between 0.03 and 0.07 microg/L. For the investigated 11 antibiotic compounds TC, DMC, CTC, DXC, SMT, SMX and SDM were found in the influents with a concentration range of 0.05-1.09 microg/L. CTC, DXC and SMX were also detected in the effluents with a concentration range of 0.06-0.21 microg/L. These results were compared with those in WWTP effluents of Canada, Germany and Switzerland.     

Development and validation of an HPLC confirmatory method for the determination of tetracycline antibiotics residues in bovine muscle according to the European Union regulation 2002/657/EC

A high-performance liquid chromatographic method with diode-array detection, at 351 nm, was developed and validated for the determination of five tetracyclines (TCs): minocycline, tetracycline, oxytetracycline, chlortetracycline, and doxycycline in bovine muscle. Samples were macerated with a buffer solution, centrifuged, and purified using Abselut Nexus SPE cartridges. The separation of the examined TCs was achieved on an Inertsil ODS-3 5 microm, 250 x 4 mm analytical column, at ambient temperature. A multistep gradient elution was followed using 0.05 M oxalic acid and CH3CN, at a flow rate of 1.65 mL/min. The procedure was validated according to the European Union regulation 2002/657/EC determining selectivity, stability, decision limit, detection capability, accuracy, and precision. The results of the validation process demonstrate that the method can be readily applied to European Union statutory veterinary drug residue surveillance programmes. Mean recoveries of TCs from bovine muscle samples spiked at three concentrations (100, 250, and 400 ng/g) were in the range of 98.7-103.3%. Method's LOQ values achieved were 40 microg/kg for MNC, CTC, and DC and 25 microg/kg for OTC and TC. The decision limits (CCalpha) were in the range of 104.7-109.8 microg/kg, while the detection capability (CCbeta) was in the range of 108.4-116.7 microg/kg for all compounds.     

Development of an ultrasensitive electrochemiluminescence inhibition method for the determination of tetracyclines

An electrochemiluminescence (ECL) inhibition method is developed for quantitative determination of four tetracyclines (TCs) in honey samples, including tetracycline (TC), oxytetracycline (OTC), chlortetracycline (CTC) and doxycycline (DC). It was found that the four TCs strongly inhibited the ECL signal of the Ru(bpy)₃²⁺/DBAE system. Based on the ECL signal changes, a simple and ultrasensitive detection method for TCs was thus established. The optimum experimental conditions including the scan mode and scan rate of the applied potential, the type of the buffer solution and its pH, and the concentration of Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ and DBAE for the ECL inhibition method, were investigated in detail. Under the optimized conditions, the quenched ECL intensity versus the logarithm of the concentration of TCs is in good linear relationship over a concentration range from 4.0 × 10⁻¹¹ to 4.0 × 10⁻⁹ g mL⁻¹. The detection limits were found to be 2.0 × 10⁻¹² g mL⁻¹. The results obtained by the proposed ECL system, in terms of sensitivity, were much better than those of previously reported methods. In addition, the method was applied successfully to determine the total residuals of the four TCs in honey samples. The relative standard deviations were found in a range of 4.9–14.3%, and the recoveries were obtained from 87.5% to 115.0%. A possible mechanism for the quenching effects of Ru(bpy)₃²⁺/DBAE system was also proposed.     

毛细管电泳法检测蜂蜜中残留的抗生素

 用毛细管电泳法对 5种常用的抗生素四环素 (TC) ,土霉素 (OTC) ,多西环素 (DOC) ,金霉素 (CTC)和氯霉素 (CP)进行了分离。研究了电泳缓冲液的 pH、不同有机试剂添加剂、温度等因素对抗生素分离的影响。实验结果表明 ,体积分数为 4%的N 甲基吗啡啉的加入可大大改善分离效果。在各自相应的浓度范围内 ,峰面积和样品浓度之间呈现良好的线性关系 ,重现性好。氯霉素的检测极限为 10 μg/L ,四环素、土霉素、多西环素为 2 0 μg/L ,金霉素为 40 μg/L(信噪比 >5 )。该方法成功地应用于蜂蜜中残留抗生素的测定 ,具有操作简单、快速方便、灵敏度及自动化程度高。     

Separation and determination of seven fluoroquinolones by pressurized capillary electrochromatography

In this paper, pressurized CEC was used for the separation and determination of seven fluoroquinolones (FQs). The effect of different experimental conditions, such as the concentration and pH of the buffer, the organic modifier concentration, the surfactant and ion-paring agents added to the electrolyte, and applied voltage were studied. All the seven FQs were baseline separated using mobile phase containing 27% v/v ACN, 5 mmol/L Na2HPO4 buffer (pH 4.0 adjusted using citric acid), 11 mmol/L SDS, and 0.01% TEA v/v at detection wavelength of 287 nm and at an applied voltage of -10 kV. The calibration curves were linear (r>0.9991) over a concentration range of 1.0-50.0 mg/L for norfloxacin (NFLX); 2.5-50.0 mg/L for fleroxacin (FLX), ciprofloxacin (CPFX), and lomefloxacin (LMX); and 5.0-50.0 mg/L for enoxacin (ENX), ofloxacin (OFLX), and gatifloxacin (GFLX). The detection limits (S/N = 3) for ENX, OFLX, FLX, NFLX, CPFX, LMX, and GFLX were 0.5, 0.8, 0.4, 0.2, 0.4, 0.5, and 1.0 mg/L, respectively. The method is simple, rapid, and reproducible. It was successfully applied to the analysis of fish muscle samples spiked with FQs. Mean recoveries ranged from 81.6 to 97.6%.     

反相高效液相法测定四环素类抗生素

 利用高效液相法 ,在C18柱上以甲醇 乙腈 0 0 1mol/L草酸溶液 (pH 2 0 ) (体积比为 11∶2 2∶6 7)为流动相 ,采用 2 6 7nm紫外光进行检测 ,在 2 2min内将 7种四环素类抗生素全部洗脱并达到基线分离。探讨了流动相的pH值、草酸的浓度、流动相中有机相的比例以及检测波长等因素对分离度和灵敏度的影响。采用标准加入法定量 ,对两种实际样品进行了分析。结果表明 :该方法操作简单、灵敏度高、定量准确。     

固相萃取-高效液相色谱-蒸发光散射检测法同时检测食品中5种人工合成甜味剂

建立了高效液相色谱-蒸发光散射检测仪(HPLC-ELSD)同时检测食品中安赛蜜、糖精钠、甜蜜素、三氯蔗糖和阿斯巴甜5种甜味剂的方法。甜味剂经0.1%(v/v)甲酸缓冲液提取后,利用C18固相萃取小柱净化浓缩,以3 μm C18柱为分离柱,0.1%(v/v)甲酸(氨水调节pH=3.5)-甲醇(61:39, v/v)为流动相,经高效液相色谱法分离,蒸发光散射检测器进行检测。结果表明,5种甜味剂在30～1000 mg/L的范围内,具有良好的线性关系(相关系数大于0.997);在3个添加水平下,样品的平均回收率为85.6%～109.0%,相对标准偏差小于4.0%;方法检出限(LOD,信噪比(S/N)=3)分别为安赛蜜2.5 mg/L、糖精钠3 mg/L、甜蜜素10 mg/L、三氯蔗糖2.5 mg/L及阿斯巴甜5 mg/L。该方法简单、灵敏、操作成本低,可用于不同形态食品中多种甜味剂的同时检测。     

Normal silica gel and reversed phase thin-layer chromatography coupled with UV spectroscopy and IR-MALDI-o-TOF-MS for the detection of tetracycline antibiotics

Tetracyclines (TCs) form a group of bacteriostatic antibiotics with closely related structures and similar chemical and physicochemical properties. They are widely employed as therapeutics in human and veterinary medicine. Here, we introduce the combination of UV spectroscopic detection of high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC)-separated TCs with direct analysis on solid phase using infrared matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization orthogonal time-of-flight mass spectrometry (IR-MALDI-o-TOF-MS). Normal silica gel phase- and water-wettable hybrid C₁₈ reversed phase layers (RP-18W) both allowed HPTLC separation and sensitive UV spectroscopic detection followed by MS analysis of distinct TCs bands using the liquid matrix glycerol. The novel approach of direct IR-MALDI-o-TOF-MS analysis resulted in the unequivocal identification of four structurally different TCs employed in this study, and linear calibration curves were produced for analyte amounts from 20 ng to 1 μg. MS analysis of TCs from RP-18W HPTLC plates was found to be superior when compared to the spectra acquired from the silica gel layer. Ionic analytes obtained from the RP-18W surface are mainly detected as protonated species of high abundance accompanied by a reduced formation of adducts as well as background ions arising from the matrix or the stationary phase. This results in decreased complexity of the spectra and enhanced sensitivity of the combinatorial method. An approximate detection limit of 5 ng of individual TCs in mixtures by combining RP-18W HPTLC with IR-MALDI-o-TOF-MS offers a novel timely and cost-efficient method for tracing TCs.