Quantification and pharmacokinetics of Taiwanin E methyl ether in rats by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

This study firstly describes the development of an accurate and sensitive high‐performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC‐MS/MS) assay for the quantification of Taiwanin E methyl ether (TEME) in rat plasma. The assay involved a simple liquid–liquid extraction step with ethyl acetate and a gradient elution using a mobile phase consisting of water containing 0.1% formic acid and acetonitrile containing 0.1% formic acid. Chromatographic separation was successfully achieved on an Agilent Zorbax‐C₁₈ column (2.1 × 50 mm, 3.5 µm) with a flow rate of 0.40 mL/min. The multiple reaction monitoring was based on the transitions of m/z = 379.1 → 320.1 for TEME and 386.1 → 122.0 for buspirone (internal standard). The assay was validated to demonstrate the specificity, linearity, recovery, accuracy, precision and stability. The lower limit of quantification was 0.50 ng/mL in 50 μL of rat plasma. The developed and validated method was successfully applied to the quantification and pharmacokinetic study of TEME in rats after intravenous and oral administration of 1.45 mg/kg TEME. The oral absolute bioavailability of TEME was estimated to be 5.85 ± 1.41% with an elimination half‐life value of 2.61 ± 0.55 h, suggesting its poor absorption and/or strong metabolism in vivo. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Validated UPLC‐MS/MS method for determination of moclobemide in human brain cell supernatant and its application to bidirectional transport study

A simple and sensitive analytical method based on ultraperformance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC‐MS/MS) has been developed for determination of moclobemide in human brain cell monolayer as an in vitro model of blood–brain barrier. Brucine was employed as the internal standard. Moclobemide and internal standard were extracted from cell supernatant by ethyl acetate after alkalinizing with sodium hydroxide. The UPLC separation was performed on an Acquity UPLC^TM BEH C₁₈ column (50 × 2.1 mm, 1.7 µm, Waters, USA) with a mobile phase consisting of methanol–water (29.5:70.5, v/v); the water in the mobile phase contained 0.05% ammonium acetate and 0.1% formic acid. Detection of the analytes was achieved using positive ion electrospray via multiple reaction monitoring mode. The mass transitions were m/z 269.16 → 182.01 for moclobemide and m/z 395.24 → 324.15 for brucine. The extraction recovery was 83.0–83.4% and the lower limit of quantitation (LLOQ) was 1.0 ng/mL for moclobemide. The method was validated from LLOQ to 1980 ng/mL with a coefficient of determination greater than 0.999. Intra‐ and inter‐day accuracies of the method at three concentrations ranged from 89.1 to 100.9% for moclobemide with precision of 1.1–9.6%. This validated method was successfully applied to bidirectional transport study of moclobemide blood–brain barrier permeability. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Validated LC‐MS method for simultaneous quantitation of catalpol and harpagide in rat plasma: application to a comparative pharmacokinetic study in normal and diabetic rats after oral administration of Zeng‐Ye‐Decoction

A simple and efficient liquid chromatography‐mass spectrometry (LC‐MS) method was developed and validated for simultaneous quantitation of catalpol and harpagide in normal and diabetic rat plasma. Protein precipitation extraction with acetonitrile was carried out using salidroside as the internal standard (IS). The LC separation was performed on an Elite C₁₈ column (150 × 4.6 mm, 5 µm) with the mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile and water within a runtime of 12.0 min. The analytes were detected without endogenous interference in the selected ion monitoring mode with positive electrospray ionization. Calibration curves offered satisfactory linearity (r > 0.99) at linear range of 0.05–50.0 µg/mL for catalpol and 0.025–5.0 µg/mL for harpagide with the lower limits of quantitation of 0.05 and 0.025 µg/mL, respectively. Intra‐ and inter‐day precisions (RSD) were <9.4%, and accuracy (RE) was in the ?6.6 to 4.9% range. The extraction efficiencies of catalpol, harpagide and IS were all >76.5% and the matrix effects of the analytes ranged from 86.5 to 106.0%. The method was successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic study of catalpol and harpagide after oral administration of Zeng‐Ye‐Decoction to normal and diabetic rats, respectively. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Ferroelectric liquid crystals with axially chiral 2,2′-spirobiindan-1,1′-dione cores

The axially chiral mesogens 5-alkoxy-5′-[(4-alkoxybenzoyl)oxy]-2,2′-spirobiindan-1,1′-dione (QL7-n) were synthesised as racemic mixtures and resolved as single enantiomers by preparative chiral phase HPLC. The shorter homologues (R)-QL7-8 and QL7-9 form enantiotropic N* and SmC* phases, whereas the longer homologues (R)-QL7-10 and QL7-12 form an enantiotropic SmC* phase only. Texture analysis showed that the helical pitch of the N* phase is below the wavelength range of visible light; a helical pitch of 187 nm was measured at T – T_NI = –5 K by selective reflection using enantiomerically enriched mixtures of (R)- and (S)-QL7-8 (0.35 ≤ ee ≤ 0.80). Spontaneous polarisations were measured as a function of temperature in the SmC* phase by the triangular wave method. P_S values at saturation range from 102 nC cm^–2 for (R)-QL7-8 to 120 nC cm^?2 for (R)-QL7-9, which are up to three times greater than the highest polarisation previously reported for an axially chiral SmC* mesogen. Optical tilt angles θ were measured as a function of temperature and showed a sharp rise consistent with first-order N*–SmC* or I–SmC* transitions, with values at saturation ranging from 42 to 44°.     

A scalable synthesis of 1-amino-5-cyanonaphthalene,a precursor for a nitric oxide probe(NO550) designed via the "dye assembly" principle

A convenient and scalable synthesis of l-amino-5-cyanonaphthalene was described.     

呼出气体酒精含量探测器检定的注意事项

介绍呼出气体酒精含量探测器的工作原理和国家标准对使用探测器的要求,为确保探测器有效准确的量值溯源,采用呼出气体酒精含量探测器自动检测系统进行检定。该系统能够解决标准气体不易保存和定值容易发生改变的难题,同时控制吹气压力,保证探测器采样的一致性,并列举了检定操作时应注意的问题和细节。     

Thermo-induced structural transformation with synergistic optical and magnetic changes in ytterbium and erbium complexes

Dinuclear ytterbium and erbium based bifunction complexes Ln₂L₂(depma₂)Cl₂ (1-Ln, Ln = Yb and Er, H₂L = N¹,N³-bis(salicylideneimino)diethylenetriamine, depma₂ = dimerized 9-diethyl-phosphonomethylanthracene) are reported. They undergo thermo-induced consecutive phase transitions, first the dissociation of depma₂ ligand forming LnL(depma)Cl (2-Ln) and then the release of chloroethane forming LnL(epma) (3-Ln, epma = 9-ethylphosphonomethylanthrancene). The structural transformations are accompanied with synergetic switch of the luminescence in visible and NIR regions and also magnetic dynamics.