Enforcement of the ban on aristolochic acids in Chinese traditional herbal preparations on the Dutch market

In traditional chinese medicine several Aristolochia species are used. Aristolochia spp. contain a mixture of aristolochic acids (AAs), mainly AA I and AA II which are nephrotoxicants and carcinogens. After AA-related nephropathy (AAN) and urothelial cancer were described in female patients in Belgium following intake of AA-contaminated herbal preparations, herbs with AAs were prohibited worldwide. Confusing nomenclature can cause AA contamination of certain Chinese traditional herbal preparations (THPs). Here we report the results of investigations by the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (VWA) into the presence of AAs in THPs sampled on the Dutch market using a liquid-chromatography–-mass spectrometry method. Between 2002 and 2006 we sampled 190 Chinese THPs using recent information on Chinese THPs potentially containing AAs. AA I was found in 25 samples up to a concentration of 1,676 mg/kg. AA II was also found in 13 of these samples up to 444 mg/kg. All 25 positive samples including Mu Tong, Fang Ji, Tian Xian Teng and Xi Xin were part of a group of 68 THPs identified as possibly containing AAs. In a worst-case scenario, use of a sample of Mu Tong with the highest AA content over a 7-day period would result in the same intake levels of AAs which significantly raised the cancer risk in the Belgian AAN cases. Our results show that contaminated THPs still can be found on the market following worldwide publicity. Therefore, it can be concluded that testing of possibly AA-contaminated THPs is still essential. Figure Various Chinese Herbs     

Analysis of nephroloxic and carcinogenic aristolochic acids in Aristolochia plants by capillary electrophoresis with electrochemical detection at a carbon fiber microdisk electrode

Aristolochic acids (AAs) are the main bioactive ingredients in the most of Aristolochia plants, which are used to make dietary supplements, slimming pills and Traditional Chinese Medicines (TCMs). Excessive ingestion of AAs can lead to serious nephropathy. Therefore, quantitative analysis and quality control for the plants containing AAs is of great importance. In this paper, capillary electrophoresis (CE) with electrochemical detection (ED) at a 33 microm carbon fiber microdisk electrode (CFE) has been applied to detect AA-I and AA-II in Aristolochia plants. Under the optimum conditions: detection potential at 1.20 V, 2.0 x 10(-2) mol L(-1) phosphate buffer solution (PBS) (pH 10.0), injection time 25 s at a height of 17 cm and separation voltage at 12.5 kV, the AA-I and AA-II were baseline separated within 5 min. Low detection limits for AA-I and AA-II were 4.0 x 10(-8) mol L(-1) and 1.0 x 10(-7) mol L(-1), respectively. Wide linear ranges were from 4.0 x 10(-8) mol L(-1) to 1.9 x 10(-5) mol L(-1) and 1.0 x 10(-7) mol L(-1) to 5.0 x 10(-5) mol L(-1) for AA-I and AA-II, respectively. The proposed method has been successfully applied to analyze AAs contents in plant extracts. The results indicated that the contents of AAs in each part of Aristolochia debilis Sieb. Et Zucc. plant were different. Meanwhile, the CE-ED method was utilized for fingerprint analysis of medicine herbs. Six herbs (Radix aristolochiae, Fructus aristolochiae, Herba aristolochiae, Caulis aristolochiae manshuriensis, Caulis clematidis armandii, Caulis akebiae) were well distinguished by comparing their electropherograms obtained by CE-ED method.     

Determination of cobalamins using capillary electrophoresis inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

The determination of cobalamins using capillary electrophoresis inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (CE-ICP-MS) was investigated. Both capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) and micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) modes of operation were studied. The optimal separation of four cobalamin species (cyanocobalamin, hydroxocobalamin, methylcobalamin, and 5′-deoxyadenosylcobalamin) and a potentially harmful corrinoid analogue (cobinamide dicyanide) was obtained using CZE at a pH of 2.5. Both 20 mM phosphate and 20 mM formate buffers were used with success, although the formate buffer provided improved resolution. The CZE-ICP-MS method was used to quantify cyanocobalamin in a vitamin supplement and the analytical results were in good agreement (±5%) with values obtained by ICP-MS for total Co levels. The solution detection limits for cobalamins using CZE-ICP-MS were approximately 50 ng/ml. MEKC was found to be useful for the screening of vitamin preparations because it provided a rapid means of distinguishing cyanocobalamin (the form most commonly used in vitamin preparations) from free cobalt. The separation of free cobalt and cyanocobalamin using MEKC was achieved in less than 10 min.     

Simultaneous determination of cefepime and L-arginine by micellar electrokinetic chromatography and applications to commercial injections

A simple micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) with UV detection is described for simultaneous analysis of cefepime and L-arginine. The determination of cefepime and L-arginine in pharmaceutical preparations was performed at 25degreesC using a background electrolyte consisting of Tris buffer with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) as the electrolyte solution. Several parameters affecting the separation of the drugs were studied, including the pH and concentrations of the Tris buffer and SDS. Under optimal MEKC conditions, good separation with high efficiency and short analysis times is achieved. Using cefazolin as an internal standard, the linear ranges of the method for the determination of cefepime and L-arginine were over 5-100 microg/mL; the detection limits of cefepime (signal to noise ratio = 3; injection 3.45 kPa, 3 s) and L-arginine (signal to noise ratio = 3; injection 3.45 kPa, 3 s) were 2 microg/mL and 4 microg/ mL, respectively. Applicability of the proposed method for the determination of cefepime and L-arginine in commercial injections was demonstrated.     

Hydrophobic labeling of amino acids: transient trapping-capillary/microchip electrophoresis

Transient trapping (tr-trapping) was developed as one of the on-line sample preconcentration techniques to improve a low concentration-sensitivity in microchip electrophoresis (MCE), providing highly effective preconcentration and separation based on the trap-and-release mechanism. However, a poor performance to hydrophilic analytes limited the applicability of tr-trapping. To overcome this drawback, tr-trapping was combined with a sample labeling using a hydrophobic reagent in CE. Three commercially available fluorescent dyes, fluorescein isothiocyanate, succinimidyl esters of Alexa Fluor 488 and BODIPY FL-X, were tested as derivatization reagents to increase the hydrophobicity of amino acids (AAs) that were undetectable due to no fluorescence/UV-absorbance. As a result, it was confirmed that BODIPY labeling allowed various AAs to be analyzed in tr-trapping-micellar electrokinetic chromatography (tr-trapping-MEKC) by the increase in the hydrophobicity. In tr-trapping-MEKC, both the improvement of the resolution and 106-125-fold enhancements of the detectability of labeled AAs were achieved relative to the conventional capillary zone electrophoresis. The limit of detection of labeled phenylalanine was improved from 800 to 5 pM by applying tr-trapping-MEKC. In tr-trapping-microchip MEKC, furthermore, an 80-160-fold enhancement of the peak intensity and a baseline separation was also achieved within 30 s. These results clearly demonstrate that the tr-trapping technique with hydrophobic labeling will make CE/MCE more sensitive for various analytes.     

Simultaneous analysis of six aristolochic acids and five aristolactams in herbal plants and their preparations by high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection-fluorescence detection

Aristolochic acid analogues, including aristolochic acids (AAs) and aristolactams (ALs), are known to be nephrotoxic, carcinogenic and mutagenic. In this paper, a high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection-fluorescence detection (HPLC-DAD-FLD) method was developed for the simultaneous determination of six AAs together with five ALs. Baseline separation was obtained on an ODS C18 analytical column with 0.2% HAc/methanol gradient elution. The hyphenation of DAD and FLD allows the method to directly meet the analysis requirements of most herbal plants with high sensitivity and selectivity. For trace analysis, aristolochic acids were reduced to their corresponding aritstolactams in acidic solution containing iron powder, and then high sensitive detection and quantification were carried out. The method was successfully validated in the matrices of various Aristolochiaceae plants and their preparations. Linearities of around 3-4 orders of magnitude were obtained with correlation coefficients exceeding 0.9970. The detection limits were decreased to 0.2ng/ml. Satisfactory intra-day and inter-day precisions were achieved with RSDs less than 5.74%, and the average recovery factors were in the range of 94.5-99.2%.     

阴离子耗尽进样胶束扫集毛细管电动色谱法在线富集测定甘草黄酮类化合物

建立了一个毛细管胶束电动色谱(MEKC)在线富集阴离子耗尽进样(ASEI)联用扫集(sweeping)技术测定3种甘草黄酮化合物(异甘草素、甘草素和甘草苷)的方法。考察了MEKC的分离条件和富集体系的优化条件,其中样品基质、水塞进入时间、进样时间对目标化合物的富集效果有较大的影响。在优化实验条件下,异甘草素、甘草素和甘草苷的富集倍数分别提高了110、120、300倍,检出限分别为0.015、0.014、0.011mg/L。该方法用于中药制剂中甘草素、异甘草素和甘草苷含量的测定,回收率在90.6%～107%之间,相对标准偏差(RSD)均小于4.5%(n=3)。实验证明,该方法可成功地应用于实际样品中甘草素、异甘草素和甘草苷含量的测定     

毛细管电泳技术在药物分离分析中的研究与应用

综述了近5年毛细管电泳在手性药物拆分、药物制剂及中草药分析中的应用.在手性药物拆分的应用中主要探讨了手性选择剂的种类及毛细管分离方法;在药物制剂、中草药的应用中主要介绍该法对药效成分进行的分离及定量分析,总结方法的检出限、线性范围和检测方法;最后,探讨了毛细管电泳在求取药物水解常数上的应用.提出毛细管电泳在药物分析中将有广阔的应用前景.     

Target metabolic profiling analysis of free amino acids in plasma as EOC/TBDMS derivatives by GC-SIM-MS

Metabolic profiling analysis of free amino acids (AAs) in plasma (20 microL) was performed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry in selected ion monitoring mode after ethoxycarbonyl/tert-butyldimethylsilyl derivatives. Characteristic fragment ions, including [M - 57](+) ions, permitted sensitive and selective detection of most of the AAs in the presence of co-extracted carboxylic acids, including free fatty acids, at much higher levels. The overall method was linear (r > or = 0.9991), reproducible (relative standard deviation = 2.3-8.8%) and accurate (relative error = -7.3-7.7%) with detection limits of 0.01-1.9 ng/mL. A total of 18 AAs, 15 protein AAs and three nonprotein AAs were quantitatively screened in a normal human plasma sample. This selective and simple method using a minimal sample volume was effective for the quantitation of plasma free AAs.     

Separation of Compounds in Traditional Chinese Medicines Using Comprehensive Two Dimensional Chromatography

Traditional Chinese medicine is an invaluable treasure of the Chinese nationalities. Thousands of natural species that are of pharmaceutical importance have been accumulated. Most of them are plants. Traditional Chinese medicines generally are of unusual complexity. Even a single medicinal material may contain hundreds of compounds. Since these compounds play cooperative roles pharmacologically, it is essential to analyze all compounds as a whole. It is also important for quality controls in each step of productions, such as raw material collection, processing, and manufacturing. A comprehensive two-dimensional separation system coupling capillary high performance liquid chromatography with fast capillary electrophoresis (μ-HPLC-CE) is developed to provide a powerful means to separate such complex samples. In the first dimensional separation, a home-packed micro-HPLC column was used to reduce the consultation of sample injection and avoid sample dilution. The second dimensional analysis was carried out by micellar electrokinetic chromatography(MEKC) considering the fact that most compounds in Chinese medicine are neutrals. In order to achieve high-speed separation^ theory of fast MEKC was extensively studied. Models of the fast MEKC migration behaviors were established. Relationships of theoretical plates vs. electric field strength and column length were derived. It is concluded that maintaining certain column length and applying high-voltage at the ends of the capillary simultaneously are the key points to achieving fast MEKC separation. A pulse-contacting interface was developed for the 2-D μ-HPLC-CE system. CE sampling was carried out in an instant contact of HPLC and CE columns in an optimized timing program. During the short contact period, a certain fraction of HPLC effluent was introduced into the CE capillary. Injection efficiency for such an interface was up to 81%. Relative standard deviation (RSD) of migration times and peak heights for 100 consecutive MEKC. separation were 3.0% and 1.8%, respectively. With this novel 2-D μ-HPLC-CE system, some traditional Chinese medicines were analyzed and hundreds of peaks were observed. For liquorice, over 110 components were fairly resolved. More than 250 peaks were obtained for a compound mixture of Cheng-Qi-Tang. The peak capacity of this novel comprehensive 2-D HPLC-CE system was estimated to be about 2400 in 80 min.     

Analysis method of the angiotensin-I converting enzyme inhibitory activity based on micellar electrokinetic chromatography.

A micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) method was developed for estimating the angiotensin-I converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activity by separating the hippuric acid liberated in the ACE reaction mixture in the presence of an inhibitor, captopril. The hippuric acid was successfully separated and detected by MEKC with a 25 mM sodium dodecyl sulfate solution in a 25 mM phosphate-50 mM borate buffer at pH 7.0; the total analysis took about 5 min. A good linear relationship was observed between the inhibitor and the peak area of hippuric acid release. No significant difference in the ACE inhibitory activity (IC50) of captopril (an antihypertensive medicine) or autolyzed-mushrooms (functional foods) was observed between the conventional method and the MEKC method. The MEKC method was found to be a useful technique for a rapid assay of the ACE inhibitory activity.     

In-capillary derivatization and analysis of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine by micellar electrokinetic chromatography with laser-induced fluorescence detection

This paper describes an automatic rapid approach for in-capillary derivatization of ephedrine (E) and pseudoephedrine (PE) and subsequent sensitive determination of the derivatives by micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) with laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) detection using 4-fluoro-7-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole (NBD-F) as fluorescent reagent. The unique feature of this method is the capillary being used as a small reaction chamber, in which the sample, derivatization buffer and reagent solutions were injected directly into the capillary by tandem mode, followed by an electrokinetic step (5 kV, 15s) to enhance the mixing efficiency of analytes and reagent plugs. Standing a specified time of 1 min for reaction, the derivatives were then immediately separated and determined. Several parameters for in-capillary derivatization and subsequent MEKC separation were systematically investigated. Under these optimized conditions, a baseline separation of the two analytes was achieved within 10 min and the derivatization concentration limits of detection were found to be 4.8 ng mL(-1) for E and 1.6 ng mL(-1) for PE, respectively. The method was validated in terms of precision, linearity, accuracy and successfully applied for the determination of the two alkaloids in ephedra herb and its preparations.     

Concentration and determination of cotinine in serum by cation-selective exhaustive injection and sweeping micellar electrokinetic chromatography

Micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC), combined with on-line concentration techniques, cation-selective exhaustive injection (CSEI) and sweeping, was developed for the analysis of cotinine, the primary biomarker for exposure to secondhand smoke. Experimental parameters including sample matrix, surfactant concentration, injection length and concentration of high-conductivity buffer, and sample electrokinetic injection time were optimized for electrophoretic enrichment and separation processes. Under the optimal conditions, the detection sensitivity of cotinine was enhanced by about 5000-fold using CSEI-sweeping MEKC compared to normal MEKC. The limit of detection for cotinine was found to be 0.2 ng/mL using ultraviolet absorbance detection. Furthermore, the developed method was successfully applied to the detection of cotinine in mouse serum samples.     

Identification and determination of geniposide contained in Gardenia jasminoides and in two preparations of mixed traditional Chinese medicines

A high-performance liquid chromatographic method was applied to the determination of the geniposide concentration in Gardenia fruit and preparations of traditional Chinese medicine using a mobile phase of acetonitrile-methanol-5 mM monosodium phosphate (pH 4.6) (5:15:80, v/v/v). Intra-assay and inter-assay accuracy and precision of the analyses were < or = 10% in the range of 0.1 through 50 microg/ml. The presence of geniposide in the medicinal herb and its preparations was ascertained by retention time, spiking with an authentic standard, change of detection wavelength and change of the composition of the mobile phase. The concentration of geniposide in the fruit of Gardenia jasminoides Ellis var. grandiflora Nakai is higher than that in Gardenia jasminoides Ellis. The concentration of geniposide in the traditional Chinese herbal medicine preparations, Huang-Lian-Jiee-Dwu-Tang (66.27 +/- 1.98 mg/g) and In-Chern-Hau-Tang (68.54 +/- 2.62 mg/g) was less than in the herb Gardenia jasminoides Ellis (73.44 +/- 2.62 mg/g) itself.     

Determination of melatonin in commercial preparations by micellar electrokinetic chromatography and spectrofluorimetry

Melatonin was determined in pharmaceutical preparations by means of two simple and reliable analytical methods based on micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) and spectrofluorimetry. The fluorescence emission values were measured at λ=350 nm when exciting at λ=275 nm. The MEKC analysis was achieved using a system consisting of 40 mM SDS in phosphate buffer (20 mM, pH 7.5). The extraction of melatonin from the tablets was achieved by means of a simple one-step dissolution with methanol/water. Both methods were applied for the determination of melatonin in commercial formulations and galenic preparations. The MEKC procedure allows the quantitative determination of melatonin in all pharmaceutical preparations tested. On the contrary, the spectrofluorimetric method is not suitable for tablets which also contain tryptophan; this interference can be eliminated by a suitable liquid-liquid extraction procedure. The results obtained with the two methods are in good agreement and satisfactory in terms of precision and accuracy.     

Characterization and determination of six aristolochic acids and three aristololactams in medicinal plants and their preparations by high-performance liquid chromatography-photodiode array detection/electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

Aristolochic acid derivatives (AAs) and aristolactam derivatives (ALs) have been characterized by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, and their fragmentation pathways are proposed. ALs exhibit a single ionization product [M+H]+, whereas AAs show multiple ionization products. By optimizing the chromatographic separation and mass spectrometric parameters, the precursor ions of the derivatives with the best responses were found, and the sensitivities in the determination of the nine derivatives were improved. Based on the investigation of ionization behaviour, a HPLC-DAD/ESI-MS (high-performance liquid chromatography-photodiode array detection/electrospray ionization mass spectrometry) method has been developed for simultaneous analysis of nine derivatives, i.e., AA I, AA II, AA C, AA D, 7-OH AA I, aristolic acid I, AL AII, AL IIIa and AL IVa, in nine medicinal herbs and two preparations. The method appears to be suitable for safety assurance and quality control of commercially available samples with good selectivity and suitable sensitivity.     

Development of a micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography method for the determination of four naphthalenediols in cosmetics and a comparison with a HPLC method

A micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MEKC) method with ultraviolet visible (UV) detection was used for the determination of 1,7-naphthalenediol, 2,3-naphthalenediol, 1,5-naphthalenediol, and 2,7-naphthalenediol in cosmetics. The current method for their determination in various cosmetics is high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Separation conditions affecting the MEKC method were optimized as 20 mM Na₂B₄O₇–50mM SDS, pH 9.8, with 22 kV applied voltage and UV detection at 230 nm. Under optimal conditions, electrophoretic analysis was completed in less than 6 min, with limit of detection (LOD) of 0.070–0.19 μg/mL and limit of quantitation (LOQ) of 0.23–0.63 μg/mL. A good linear relationship (r² > 0.99) was obtained at the range of 0.75–20 μg/mL. Recoveries for the four naphthalenediols in lotion, loose powder, and sun cream are between 91.2–107.2% with relative standard deviation (RSD) less than 4.04%. The method has been successfully applied to the determination of the four naphthalenediols in different kinds of cosmetics. A comparison with HPLC-UV method was also carried out according to the National Standards of the People's Republic of China. The results obtained by MEKC and HPLC methods are comparable, but the proposed MEKC method can help us obtain a much shorter detection time and low cost.     

Separation of sympathomimetic amines of abuse and related compounds by micellar electrokinetic chromatography.

Separation of twelve sympathomimetic amines and related compounds by micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) with UV absorbance detection is described. These amines were well separated within 25 min using 50 mM sodium tetraborate solution containing 15 mM sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS) of pH 9.3 as a running solution and detected at 210 nm. MEKC was performed with an applied voltage of 13 kV at 25 degrees C using a fused-silica capillary (50 cm x 75 mm i.d.) with effective length of 37.5 cm. The detection limits of these compounds were in the range from 4 to 97 fmol/injection at a signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) of 3. The reproducibility of the method expressed as relative standard deviation (RSD) for within-day (n=6) and between-day (n=5) assays was less than 4.8 and 8.8%, respectively. The proposed method could be applied to the determination of an anorectic drug, phentermine, in Chinese tea with a detection limit of 99 microg/g (105 fmol/injection, S/N=3).     

Separation of Nile Blue-labelled fatty acids by CE with absorbance detection using a red light-emitting diode

The separation of fatty acids derivatised with Nile Blue (NB) by CE with detection using a red light-emitting diode (LED) was examined. NB was selected as the derivatisation agent due to its high molar absorption coefficient of 76,000 M(-1) cm(-1) at 633 nm, making it well suited for sensitive absorbance detection using a red 635 nm LED. NB-labelled fatty acids were separated by both MEKC using SDS micelles, i-PrOH and n-BuOH and by NACE in a number of solvents including MeOH, EtOH and ACN. The sensitivity of NACE was superior to MEKC, with detection limits of 5x10(-7)-7x10(-7) M obtained for each acid, approximately 20 times lower than the MEKC method. The NACE detection limits are approximately 100 times lower than previous reports on the separation of fatty acids by CE using indirect absorbance detection, ten times lower than using indirect fluorescence detection and are inferior only to those obtained using precapillary derivatisation and direct fluorescence detection. The efficiency of the NACE method was also superior to MEKC and allowed the separation of unsaturated fatty acids to be examined, although it was not possible to baseline-resolve linoleic (C18:2) and linolenic (C18:3) acids in a reasonable time. The method was used to analyse the fatty acid profile of two edible oils, namely sunflower and sesame oils, after alkali hydrolysis, where it was possible to identify both the saturated and unsaturated fatty acids in each sample.     

Determination of polyphenol components in herbal medicines by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography with Tween 20

A simple and convenient method of micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MEKC) using polyoxyethylene sorbitan monolaurate (Tween 20) to form single micelle and methanol as a buffer additive was introduced for the simultaneous determination of five polyphenols, including scopoletin, rutin, esculetin, chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid. A running buffer solution of pH 9.3, 20 mmol/L sodium tetraborate containing 64 mmol/L Tween 20 and 9% (v/v) methanol was adopted in the separation. Because rutin and esculetin were difficult to be separated by capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) and SDS-based MEKC, Tween 20-based MEKC was adopted and the polyphenols were separated satisfactorily. The proposed method was used to determine the polyphenol components in the herbal medicine of Cortex fraxini. The separation mechanism of Tween 20-based MEKC for the polyphenols was discussed preliminarily.