Efficiency of four different techniques in coupled HPLC-UV/VIS to quantify overlapping peaks with known spectral features

Summary Four different techniques to quantify unresolved chromatographic peaks with known spectral features combined with photodiode array detection, are investigated as regards their efficiency for the accurate and precise determination of drugs in the low g-range. The comparison includes peak suppression utilising difference chromatograms, first-order derivative chromatograms, selective chromatograms, generated by the calculation of orthogonal polynomial shares, and the powerful least-squares multicomponent analysis approach. Each of these methods uses UV-spectra taken throughout, the peak. The results presented and conclusions reached should enable the chromatographer to come to a decision about the reasonable use of these options now provided by multichannel detection in HPLC.     

HPLC-coupled spectroscopic techniques (UV, MS, NMR) for the structure elucidation of phthalides in Ligusticum chuanxiong

Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort., a plant that is frequently used in traditional Chinese medicine, has been studied using HPLC-coupled spectroscopic techniques such as HPLC-UV, HPLC-MS as well as HPLC-NMR. With the aid of these modern spectroscopic techniques, the main constituents, namely senkyunolide A, butylphthalide, neocnidilide and Z-ligustilide, have been characterized and identified. Phthalide dimers, present in smaller amounts, have been identified by HPLC-UV and HPLC-MS analysis and compared with reference compounds. Stereochemical features of some phthalide monomers have been determined by detailed spectroscopic studies for the first time.     

High-performance liquid chromatographic-UV detection analysis of ceftiofur and its active metabolite desfuroylceftiofur in horse plasma and synovial fluid after regional intravenous perfusion and systemic intravenous injection of ceftiofur sodium

A method was optimalised for the quantitative determination of ceftiofur and its active metabolite desfuroylceftiofur in horse plasma and synovial fluid.The principle of the method was that bound desfuroylceftiofur is first released by dithioerythritol, a reducing agent, followed by the derivatization of the free sulfhydryl group with iodoacetamide. The stable derivative—desfuroylceftiofuracetamide—was then further purified using an Oasis HLB solid-phase extraction column. Chromatography was performed using a PLRP-S polymeric column (100 Å, d_p: 5 μm,  mm i.d.), with a mixture of 0.1% trifluoro acetic acid in water and acetonitrile as the mobile phase. Gradient elution was performed. The flow-rate was 0.4 ml/min and the UV detector was set at a wavelength of 266 nm. The method was validated in plasma and synovial fluid (linearity, precision, trueness, LOQ, LOD, specificity, susceptibility to interferences). Calibration graphs were prepared over a concentration range of 0-20 μg/ml and good linearity was achieved (r≥0.99, g≤10%). A limit of quantification of 0.5 μg/ml was obtained for ceftiofur in both matrices. Limits of detection were 0.36 and 0.27 μg/ml for ceftiofur in plasma and synovial fluid, respectively. The results of the within-run and between-run precision and the trueness fell within the ranges specified.The main advantage of our method, compared to previously reported methods, was that the sample preparation procedure was less time consuming, resulting in a higher sample throughput (up to 40 samples a day). In addition, the analysis cost was reduced due to the consumption of a lower amount of solvents and reagents and of only one solid-phase extraction column per sample. The method was successfully applied during a pharmacokinetic study in horses after the administration of ceftiofur sodium via regional intravenous perfusion and systemic intravenous injection.     

Simple quality assessment approach for herbal extracts using high performance liquid chromatography-UV based metabolomics platform

A lack of adequate or accepted research methodology has been a major obstacle to study herbal medicines. In this study, instead of the prevalent hyphenated chromatographies, common high performance liquid chromatography equipped with ultraviolet detector (HPLC-UV) and multivariate statistical analysis were utilized to assess the qualities of total flavones of sea buckthorn (TFS), an 85% ethanol extract of the sea buckthorn berries. Two complementary HPLC-UV methods were developed, validated and combined to comprehensively determine the ingredients in TFS. Principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least square-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) of the combined analytical data showed that the six batches of TFS could be well differentiated. Hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) using Ward's minimum variance method of the PLS-DA loading matrix demonstrated the known ingredients (quercetin, kaempferol, isorhamnetin, oleanolic acid and ursolic acid) and three unknown ingredients in TFS significantly contributed to the quality differences. A PLS regression model indicated that the results of the present method correlated well with the content of total flavones, which is now the quality control approach of TFS. Results from this study indicated that the proposed method is reliable for the quality reassessment of some widely used herbal extracts.     

A comparative study of HPLC-UV and UPLC-DAD methods for simultaneous estimation of aspirin and cilostazol in the presence of their related impurities in bulk and capsules

Aspirin (ASP) and cilostazol (CST) are used as a combination in pharmaceutical formulations for treatment of strokes. Salicylic acid (SAL) is considered to be one of the main synthesis impurities and a degradation product of ASP. On the other hand, the main related impurities of CST are CST related A, B, and C (CST-RA, CST-RB, and CST-RC), respectively. Furthermore, as high efficiency and less elution are the basic requirements of high-speed chromatographic separation, so, a comparative study of two simple, precise, and accurate reversed-phase HPLC and UPLC methods was developed and validated for simultaneous estimation of ASP and CST in bulk and capsules in the presence of SAL, CST-RA, CST-RB, and CST-RC. A Eurospher II C18 (250?×?4.6?mm², 5?µm) for HPLC method and an Agilent Zorbax Eclipse Plus C18 (50?×?2.1?mm², 1.8?µm) for UPLC method were used. A gradient mobile phase of 20?mM anhydrous KH₂PO₄ buffer solution (containing 0.2% triethylamine (TEA), v/v) with pH adjusted to 2.9 using orthophosphoric acid (solution A) and acetonitrile (solution B) mixed in different proportions for HPLC and UPLC methods was prepared. Flow rate was set to 1.0 and 0.3?mL min^?1 for HPLC and UPLC methods, respectively, and the detection was performed for both methods at 210?nm. It worth noting that the proposed UPLC-DAD assay exhibited relatively much more precision, sensitivity, specificity, and economic and chromatographic separation superiority than proposed HPLC-UV assay. Both developed methods were compared with reference methods to prove its applicability and are suitable for purity assessment of ASP and CST in bulk and capsules.     

Characterisation of ethoxylated fatty chains of anionic surfactants and determination of residual ethoxylated fatty alcohols

Bachus et al. [1] recently described a new derivatisation method using 2-furoyl chloride for the characterisation of mixtures of polyethoxylated alcohols and their corresponding sulfates. This paper deals with the control of the derivatisation steps; hydrolysis and extraction conditions were optimised. The method is extended to the characterisation of alkyl sulfosuccinates, alkyl sulfoacetates and alkyl phosphates and to the analysis of residual polyethoxylated alcohols in surfactants. Extraction of non-ionic compounds using solid-phase extraction cartridges was performed before derivatisation. Residual amounts of alcohol were determined in five commercial anionic surfactants. Moreover, direct derivatisation without preliminary SPE in the same anionic surfactants proved to be efficient for dry samples.     

A simple high‐performance liquid chromatography for the determination of linezolid in human plasma and saliva

Linezolid is an antimicrobial agent for the treatment of multiresistant Gram‐positive infections. A practical high‐performance liquid chromatography method was developed for the determination of linezolid in human plasma and saliva. Linezolid and an internal standard (o‐ethoxybenzamide) were extracted from plasma and saliva with ethyl acetate and analyzed on a Capcell Pak C₁₈ MG column with UV detection at 254 nm. The calibration curve was linear through the range 0.5–50 µg/mL using a 200 μL sample volume. The intra‐ and interday precisions were all <6.44% for plasma and 5.60% for saliva. The accuracies ranged from 98.8 to 110% for both matrices. The mean recoveries of linezolid were 80.8% for plasma and 79.0% for saliva. This method was used to determine the plasma and saliva concentrations of linezolid in healthy volunteers who were orally administered a 600 mg dose of linezolid. Our liquid–liquid extraction procedure is easy and requires a small volume of plasma or saliva (200 μL). This small volume can be advantageous in clinical pharmacokinetic studies, especially if children participate. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Hydroxymethylfurfural: an enemy or a friendly xenobiotic? A bioanalytical approach

Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), a well-known heterocyclic Maillard reaction product, has often been studied for its potential toxic, mutagenic, and carcinogenic effects. Recent clinical studies, however, have strongly suggested that HMF might have exciting antitumor potential. We report on the development and validation of a bioanalytical assay for HMF that could be suitable as a basis for pharmacokinetic models in cancer patients. Two strategies were tested, i.e., direct and indirect methodologies. A direct isocratic LC determination at 283 nm was designed. Two indirect attempts involved derivatization coupled to HPLC-UV. It was possible to resolve the stereoisomers of the HMF derivative, and factors influencing their equilibrium ratio are discussed. HMF was extracted from the biomatrix by solid-phase extraction using different cartridges. A comparative study was made of the implemented methods as well as the extraction protocols. Both indirect assays proved to be more sensitive and were used to assess HMF quantitatively in human plasma. However, the newly introduced derivatization conditions led to the highest sensitivity with a LOD (S/N ratio = 3) of at least 2 pmol analyte on column. The assay selectivity was satisfactory in pre- and post-dose real samples. The mean recoveries of the assays were 79% and 89%, with acceptable accuracies and reproducibilities. Figure Schematic representation of hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) in human plasma     

响应面法优化萃取条件用于高效液相色谱分析饮用水中痕量邻苯二甲酸二(2-乙基己基)酯及其迁移规律

应用响应面法辅助分析塑料瓶装饮用水中邻苯二甲酸二（2-乙基己基）酯（DEHP）的迁移,建立了一种快速、简便、环保的痕量塑化剂类污染物检测方法。在盐析作用下,使用正己烷涡旋萃取,经氮气浓缩后进行高效液相色谱-紫外检测。响应面最优分析法考察了盐量、涡旋时间和萃取液体积3个因素作为萃取条件对DEHP回收率的影响,得到最佳萃取条件：盐量为16 g/L、涡旋时间为90 s、萃取液体积为5.28 mL。在此实验条件下,DEHP的最大理论回收率为92.91%,实验验证值为92.97%,与理论值相差0.06%。本方法检出限为0.006 mg/L,满足中国国家标准规定的生活饮用水安全标准要求（0.008 mg/L）,在0.01~15 mg/L范围内线性关系良好（相关系数R=0.9996）。选取常见市售饮用水样品进行分析,研究了塑料包装饮用水中痕量DEHP迁移的规律。与传统的优化方法相比,响应面模型分析法综合考虑了各因素的影响,而且更加简便、低成本、对环境友好,是实现样品中微痕量污染物精准检测的重要辅助手段。