Improved separation of palladium species in biological matrices by using a combination of gel permeation chromatography and isotachophoresis

The binding of palladium to high-molecular-mass compounds in palladium-treated lettuce is investigated as an example for a biological matrix. The total palladium concentration in lettuce leaves is 10.3 ng/g wet weight. After homogenization, high-molecular-mass compounds (> 10 kDa) are isolated by ultrafiltration. For separation of these palladium species a combination of preparative gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and preparative isotachophoresis (ITP) is used. Palladium is determined in separated fractions by using a highly sensitive total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF) method after preconcentration. After GPC separation, four main fractions of palladium species are collected, each containing palladium in ng quantities (3-10 ng). Two of these fractions are further separated by ITP, yielding at least three main peaks per GPC fraction, each containing palladium in the range of 0.3-3 ng. These palladium containing peaks are characterized by high-performance size exclusion chromatography (HPSEC) and capillary isotachophoresis (cITP) in parallel. HPSEC enables the estimation of the molecular mass of six main palladium peaks, covering a molecular mass range of 69-200 kDa. It is also shown that the estimation of molecular mass after separation is more reliable than the respective estimation directly in the first GPC run. However, cITP reveals that each of the separated peaks is still a mixture of at least five different compounds.     

Screening, library-assisted identification and validated quantification of 23 benzodiazepines, flumazenil, zaleplone, zolpidem and zopiclone in plasma by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization

A liquid chromatographic/mass spectrometric assay with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (LC/APCI-MS) is presented for fast and reliable screening and identification and also for precise and sensitive quantification in plasma of the 23 benzodiazepines alprazolam, bromazepam, brotizolam, camazepam, chlordiazepoxide, clobazam, clonazepam, diazepam, flunitrazepam, flurazepam, desalkylflurazepam, lorazepam, lormetazepam, medazepam, metaclazepam, midazolam, nitrazepam, nordazepam, oxazepam, prazepam, temazepam and tetrazepam, triazolam, their antagonist flumazenil and the benzodiazepine BZ1 (omega 1) receptor agonists zaleplone, zolpidem and zopiclone. It allows confirmation of the diagnosis of an overdose situation and monitoring of psychiatric patients' compliance. The analytes were isolated from plasma using liquid-liquid extraction and were separated on a Merck LiChroCART column with Superspher 60 RP Select B as the stationary phase. Gradient elution was performed using aqueous ammonium formate and acetonitrile. After screening and identification in the scan mode using the authors' LC/MS library, the analytes were quantified in the selected-ion monitoring mode. The quantification assay was fully validated. It was found to be selective proved to be linear from sub-therapeutic to over therapeutic concentrations for all analytes, except bromazepam. The corresponding reference levels the assay's accuracy and precision data for all studied substances are listed. The accuracy and precision data were within the required limits with the exception of those for bromazepam. The analytes were stable in frozen plasma for at least 1 month. The validated assay was successfully applied to several authentic plasma samples from patients treated or intoxicated with various benzodiazepines or with zaleplone, zolpidem or zopiclone. It has proven to be appropriate for the isolation, separation, screening, identification and quantification of the drugs mentioned above in plasma for clinical toxicology, e.g. in cases of poisoning, and forensic toxicology, e.g. in cases of driving under the influence of drugs.