Development and validation of a sensitive solid phase extraction/hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry method for the accurate determination of glucosamine in dog plasma

A sensitive and accurate LC/MS method was developed for the monitoring of glucosamine (GLcN) dog plasmatic concentration. In this scope, relatively low plasmatic concentrations of GLcN were expected, ranging from 50 to 1000 ng/mL. Liquid chromatography coupled to simple quadrupole mass spectrometry detection (LC/MS) was selected bringing the selectivity and the sensitivity needed for this application. Additionally, a solid phase extraction (SPE) step was performed to reduce matrix and ion suppression effects. Due to the ionisable character of the compound of interest, a mixed-mode strong cation exchange (Plexa PCX) disposable extraction cartridge (DEC) was selected. The separation was carried out on a Zorbax SB-CN column (5 μm, 4.6 mm i.d. × 250 mm), considering hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC). Indeed, the mobile phase was made of methanol and 5 mM ammonium hydrogen carbonate buffer at pH 7.5 (95/5, v/v). The detection was led at m/z ratios of 180.0 and 417.0, for GLcN and IS, respectively. Reliability of the results was demonstrated through the validation of the method using an approach based on the accuracy profile allowing managing the risk associated to the use of these methods in routine analysis: it is thus guaranteed that each future result will fall in the ±30% acceptance limits with a probability of at least 90%. Successful application of the method to a preliminary pharmacokinetic study illustrated the usefulness of the method for pre-clinical studies.     

反相/亲水色谱法分析糖苷类化合物

根据皂苷、黄酮苷等糖苷类化合物的结构特点,采用亲水色谱模式分析该类化合物,以弥补反相色谱模式分离结构类似糖苷类化合物选择性的不足。首先选择14个糖苷类化合物,比较了反相色谱柱(XAqua C18)和亲水色谱柱(Click XIon)的分离效果,评价了反相/亲水色谱的正交性,并构建了反相/亲水二维体系用于西洋参样品的分离。结果表明,糖苷类化合物在反相及亲水色谱柱上均有很好的保留,但两者具有不同的分离选择性,14种物质在反相和亲水柱的出峰顺序有较大差异,在反相色谱中不易分离的人参皂苷Rg1和Re在亲水色谱柱可获得很好的分离,反相/亲水模式分离糖苷化合物具有很好的正交性。以构建的RPLC/HILIC二维色谱体系分离西洋参样品,有效地提高了分离能力及峰容量,有利于后续更多极性及微量化合物的制备、结构表征与活性研究,且该方法操作简便、流动相兼容性好,可作为糖苷分离分析、制备的有效手段,也可以为其他中药复杂体系的分析提供参考。     

一种聚合型弱阳离子交换/亲水相互作用色谱固定相的制备及色谱性能

通过亲核取代反应将聚乙烯马来酸酐键合到氨基硅胶表面,然后将残余的马来酸酐水解,制备了一种弱阳离子交换/亲水相互作用高效液相色谱固定相(Sil-PolyCOOH),通过固体核磁、ζ-电势及元素分析对固定相进行了表征。选取核苷和核酸碱为模型化合物,通过考察流动相组成,离子强度和pH等因素对溶质保留的影响,探讨了固定相的分离性能和保留机理,结果表明,该固定相的保留机理同时涉及亲水分配相互作用和多重主客体作用力。该固定相还对糖类、敌草快与百草枯等化合物具有良好的分离性能。上述研究结果表明该固定相在极性化合物的分离上具有良好的应用前景。     

奎宁功能化聚乙烯咪唑修饰硅胶亲水相互作用色谱固定相的制备及应用

通过表面自由基链转移聚合和亲核取代反应制备了一种新型奎宁功能化聚乙烯咪唑修饰硅胶亲水色谱固定相(Sil-PIm-Qn)。通过元素分析和红外光谱对该固定相进行表征,并在亲水相互作用色谱(HILIC)模式下对其进行了色谱性能评价。结果表明,该固定相对5种氨基酸、9种磺胺以及10种碱基核苷有较好的分离选择性。实验考察了流动相中有机相乙腈体积分数和水相中乙酸铵浓度对待分离物质保留行为的影响,并进一步对固定相分离的重复性进行了考察,其保留时间的相对标准偏差(RSD)为0.08%～2.30%(n=10)。该亲水色谱固定相制备方法简单,并且表现出了优异的亲水色谱分离性能,有望在磺胺类药物及生物样品中碱基核苷等亲水性物质的分离分析中有一定应用。     

UPLC-MS/MS method for the determination of acrylic acid in tap water

Abstract

A simple and rapid method employing ultra-high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry has been developed for the direct determination of acrylic acid in tap water for the first time. The method worked on a ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography system and utilized the direct injection of 10?μL volumes. Aqueous samples were filtered with 0.22?μm membrane after diluting with the acetonitrile without any further pretreatment. The separation was accomplished by using a HILIC column with a gradient elution program. Acetonitrile and ammonium acetate solution (pH = 7) were applied in the method as the mobile phase. Acrylic acid- d₃ was used as the internal standard in the quantification process. The method provided good recovery from 102.8% to 104.4%, good precision with intraday relative standard deviations in a range of 2.3% and 5.1%. The limit of quantification for the method was 45?μg/L. The possible structures of qualitative ion and quantitative ion of acrylic acid were proposed in this work with the help of the product ion spectra of acrylic acid and its corresponding isotopic standards. This study provided a reliable and quantitative method that could be used for daily monitoring of water quality.     

Evaluation of mobile phase, ion pairing, and temperature influence on an HILIC-MS/MS method for L-arginine and its dimethylated derivatives detection

Asymmetric N(G),-N(G)-dimethylarginine (ADMA) increases in diseases such as renal failure, diabetes mellitus, and hypercholesterolemia. The feasibility and utility of a hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) method for the separation of free L-arginine (Arg), ADMA, and symmetric N(G),-N(G')-dimethylarginine (SDMA) on a typical silica column were explored and the impact of some experimental parameters on the chromatographic behavior of these analytes was investigated. The effect of water and TFA content in mobile phase and of column temperature was investigated during the development of a fast and simple HILIC-MS/MS method that might be suitable for the quantification of free Arg, ADMA, and SDMA in plasma for routine analysis. Our results show that a good compromise between efficiency and peak shape with acceptable retention and total chromatographic run time is achieved using an ACN/water (90:10) mobile phase with TFA% as additive ranging from 0.015 to 0.025% and column temperature ranging from 25 to 30 degrees C.     

Hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) in proteomics

In proteomics, nanoflow multidimensional chromatography is now the gold standard for the separation of complex mixtures of peptides as generated by in-solution digestion of whole-cell lysates. Ideally, the different stationary phases used in multidimensional chromatography should provide orthogonal separation characteristics. For this reason, the combination of strong cation exchange chromatography (SCX) and reversed-phase (RP) chromatography is the most widely used combination for the separation of peptides. Here, we review the potential of hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) as a separation tool in the multidimensional separation of peptides in proteomics applications. Recent work has revealed that HILIC may provide an excellent alternative to SCX, possessing several advantages in the area of separation power and targeted analysis of protein post-translational modifications. Figure Artistic impression of the HILIC separation mechanism     

Development and evaluation of new zwitterionic hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography stationary phases based on 3-P,P-diphenylphosphonium-propylsulfonate

New zwitterionic stationary phases were synthesized by covalently bonding 3-P,P-diphenylphosphonium-propylsulfonate to silica gel. The resulting materials possess both a negatively charged sulfonate group and a positively charged quaternary phosphonium group, which means that there is no net charge over a wide pH range. The retention mechanism and chromatographic behavior of polar solutes under HILIC conditions were studied on these zwitterionic phases. Compared to the commercial ZIC-HILIC column and a bare silica gel stationary phase, the newly synthesized zwitterionic stationary phases provided greater retention, higher peak efficiency and better peak symmetry in the HILIC mode. The analytes examined included: β-blockers, nucleic acid bases and nucleosides, salicylic acid and its analogues, and water soluble vitamins. Factors, such as the type of organic modifiers, solvent composition, pH and the buffer concentration of the mobile phase, have been considered as potential variables for controlling the chromatographic retention of polar analytes.     

New zwitterionic polymethacrylate monolithic columns for one‐ and two‐dimensional microliquid chromatography

We prepared 0.53 and 0.32 mm id monolithic microcolumns by in situ copolymerization of a zwitterionic sulfobetaine functional monomer with bisphenol A glycerolate dimethacrylate (BIGDMA) and dioxyethylene dimetacrylate crosslinkers. The columns show a dual retention mechanism (hydrophilic‐interaction mode) in acetonitrile‐rich mobile phases and RP in highly aqueous mobile phases. The new 0.53 mm id columns provided excellent reproducibility, retention, and separation selectivity for phenolic acids and flavonoids. The new zwitterionic monolithic columns are highly orthogonal, with respect to alkyl silica stationary phases, not only in the hydrophilic‐interaction mode but also in the RP mode. The optimized monolithic zwitterionic microcolumn of 0.53 mm id was employed in the first dimension, either in the aqueous normal‐phase or in the RP mode, coupled with a short nonpolar core‐shell column in the second dimension, for comprehensive 2D LC separations of phenolic and flavonoid compounds. When the 2D setup with the sulfobetaine–BIGDMA column was used for repeated sample analysis, with alternating gradients of decreasing (hydrophilic‐interaction mode), and increasing (RP mode) concentration of acetonitrile on the sulfobetaine–BIGDMA column in the first dimension, useful complementary information on the sample could be obtained.     

Analysis of chlormequat and mepiquat by hydrophilic interaction chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry in food samples

In this work a LC–MS/MS method for the determination of two quaternary ammonium growth regulators (chlormequat and mepiquat) in food is reported. The separation was based on hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) without the use of ion-pair reagents. A gradient elution of acetonitrile and formic acid/ammonium formate buffer from 60 to 40% acetonitrile was enough to achieve a resolution >1.5 in less than 4.0 min. The HILIC system was coupled to a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer equipped with a heated electrospray probe (H-ESI) providing sub-pg LODs in SRM mode. A straightforward sample treatment (SPE C18 clean-up) was enough to provide MLODs at low ppb levels when analysing a range of food samples that covered different kinds of matrices such as fresh fruit, vegetables, fruit juices, baby food, bread, coffee and beer. Chlormequat was found in seven samples (0.8–126 ng/g) but mepiquat was only detected in bread and coffee samples (0.9–166 ng/g).