Automated determination of verapamil and norverapamil in human plasma with on-line coupling of dialysis to high-performance liquid chromatography and fluorometric detection

A fully automated method for the simultaneous determination of verapamil and its main metabolite norverapamil in human plasma is described. This method is based on on-line sample preparation using dialysis followed by clean-up and enrichment of the dialysate on a precolumn and subsequent HPLC analysis with fluorometric detection. All sample handling operations were performed automatically by a sample processor equipped with a robotic arm (ASTED system). The plasma samples were dialysed on a cellulose acetate membrane (cut-off: 15 kD) and the dialysate was purified and enriched on a short pre-column filled with cyanopropyl silica. Before starting dialysis, this trace enrichment column (TEC) was first conditioned with the HPLC mobile phase and then with pH 3.0 acetate buffer. 370 μl of plasma sample spiked with the internal standard (gallopamil) were dialysed in the static-pulsed mode. The solution at the donor side was pH 3.0 acetate buffer containing Triton X-100 while the acceptor solution was made of the same acetate buffer. When dialysis was discontinued, the analytes were desorbed from the TEC by the HPLC mobile phase and transferred to the C₁₈ analytical column by means of a switching valve. This mobile phase consisted of a mixture of acetonitrile, pH 3.0 acetate buffer and 2-aminoheptane. The influence of different parameters of the dialysis process on the recovery of verapamil and norverapamil has been studied. The effect of the volume, the aspirating and dispensing flow-rates of the dialysis solution has been investigated. The recoveries of verapamil and norverapamil in plasma were close to 75% and the limits of quantification were 5 ng/ml for both analytes. The method was found to be linear in the concentration range from 5 to 500 ng/ml (r²: 0.9996 for both analytes). The intra-day and inter-day reproducibilities at a concentration of 100 ng/ml were 2.3% and 5.6% for verapamil and 1.7% and 5.1% for norverapamil, respectively.     

Quantitation of verapamil and norverapamil in postmortem and clinical samples using liquid-liquid extraction, solid phase extraction, and HPLC

Summary A sensitive micellar electrokinetic chromatography method for the determination of impurities in SB-209247, a novel LTB₄ antagonist, has been developed. Selectivity was optimised by systematic examination of the effects of the acetonitrile content in the separation buffer. Sensitivity and resolution was enhanced by focusing effects for both charged and neutral analytes achieved by a special sample buffer composition. Minor impurities well below 0.1% peak area ratio can be readily and reliably detected. The validity of the method has been successfully demonstrated with respect to reproducibility of peak area ratios and the linearity of a key impurity. A comparison with HPLC has shown the method has complementary selectivity and competitive sensitivity.     

Synthesis and characterization of ratiometric nanosensors for pH quantification: a mixed micelle approach

Optical nanoparticle pH sensors designed for ratiometric measurements have previously been synthesized using post-functionalization approaches to introduce sensor molecules and to modify nanoparticle surface chemistry. This strategy often results in low control of the nanoparticle surface chemistry and is prone to batch-to-batch variations, which is undesirable for succeeding sensor calibrations and cellular measurements. Here we provide a new synthetic approach for preparing nanoparticle pH sensors based on self-organization principles, which in comparison to earlier strategies offers a much higher design flexibility and high control of particle size, morphology and surface chemistry.     

Simultaneous quantification and qualification of synacthen in plasma

Tetracosactide (Synacthen), a synthetic analogue of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), can be used as a doping agent to increase the secretion of glucocorticoids by adrenal glands. The only published method for anti-doping control of this drug in plasma relies on purification by immunoaffinity chromatography and LC/MS/MS analysis. Its limit of detection is 300 pg/mL, which corresponds to the peak value observed 12 h after 1 mg Synacthen IM administration. We report here a more sensitive method based on preparation of plasma by cation exchange chromatography and solid-phase extraction and analysis by LC/MS/MS with positive-mode electrospray ionization using 7–38 ACTH as internal standard. Identification of Synacthen was performed using two product ions, m/z 671.5 and m/z 223.0, from the parent [M?+?5H]⁵⁺ ion, m/z 587.4. The recovery was estimated at 70%. A linear calibration curve was obtained from 25 to 600 pg/mL (R ²?>?0.99). The lower limit of detection was 8 pg/mL (S/N?>?3). The lower limit of quantification was 15 pg/mL (S/N?>?10; CV%?相似文献   

Rapid high-pressure liquid chromatographic analysis of verapamil in blood and plasma

A high-pressure liquid chromatographic assay procedure has been developed for verapamil in blood or plasma. A paired-ion solvent system with a reversed-phase column is employed. The procedure is specific for verapamil and the retention times of the major metabolites are identified. This procedure is sensitive to a lower blood concentration of 1 ng/ml and standard curves were found to be linear up to the highest concentration tested, 500 ng/ml. Several drugs were tested for interference with the assay, but none were found to cause any problems. The procedure is simple, rapid and permits the analysis of up to 25 samples per day.     

Pharmacokinetic measurements of IDN 5390 using electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry: structure characterization and quantification in dog plasma

In this report, electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS) for a pharmacokinetic study of IDN 5390, a novel C-seco taxane derivative, which is under preclinical evaluation, has been investigated. Our results showed that IDN 5390 and other taxanes including paclitaxel and IDN 5109 could ionize well in not only positive-, but also in negative-ion mode. Under collision-induced dissociation (CID) conditions, these compounds could fragment into similar M- (molecular), T- (taxane ring) and S- (side chain) series ions. In positive-ion ESI, the formation of both T- and S-series ions involved the breaking of the C-13 ester bond. In negative-ion ESI, however, while the formation mechanism of S-series ions remained the same, the breaking of the C-1' carboxylic ester bond resulted in T-series ions. At optimum collision energy (CE) values, M-, T- and S-series ions of IDN 5390 in both positive- and negative-ion ESI-MS/MS spectra had good intensity. This phenomenon makes both positive- and negative-ion ESI-MS/MS good methods for IDN 5390 metabolite structural characterization, i.e. to reveal the location of modification groups in IDN 5390 metabolites versus IDN 5390 either on the side chain or the taxane ring. A liquid chromatography (LC)/ESI-MS/MS method using the multiple-reaction monitoring (MRM) technique was thereafter developed to quantify IDN 5390 in dog plasma using paclitaxel as internal standard. The method was validated using a concentration range between 5 and 1000 ng/mL and had a limit of detection of 1 ng/mL. The inter-day %CV (%coefficient of variation) of the calibration standards ranged between 4.36 and 9.64%, the intra-day %CV of the calibration standards between 0.61 and 13.44%, and the mean % accuracy of the quality control samples at the low, middle and high end of the concentration curves were 12.5, 6.8 and 9.6%, respectively.     

Simultaneous quantification of multiple licorice flavonoids in rat plasma

Flavonoids are important naturally occurring polyphenols with antioxidant properties. In this study, we report the development of a liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS)-based method capable of simultaneously quantifying multiple active licorice flavonoids (including liquiritin apioside, liquiritin, liquiritigenin, isoliquiritin apioside, isoliquiritin, and isoliquiritigenin) in plasma. Electrospray ionization was used to efficiently generate precursor deprotonated molecules of all the analytes and the [M-H]- ions were used to produce characteristic product ions for MS/MS analysis. We found that inclusion of a very low concentration of HCOONH4 (0.01 per thousand) in the LC mobile phase dramatically improved the detection limit for the tested flavonoids and decreased the interference by matrix effects, which have been referred to as "LC-electrolyte effects." Liquid-liquid extraction with ethyl acetate was effective for isolation of all the analytes and resulted in the lowest matrix effects of several tested sample cleanup methods. This bioanalytical method showed good linearity between 0.32 ng/mL and 1 microg/mL analyte in 50-microL plasma samples. The accuracy and precision at different analyte concentrations varied from 85 to 110% and from 0.8 to 8.8%, respectively. Finally, we demonstrated the applicability of this method in a pilot pharmacokinetic study of rats receiving an oral dose of Xiaochaihu-tang, an important Chinese herbal remedy for chronic hepatitis. The use of a low concentration of HCOONH4 in the LC mobile phase could be used to improve LC-mass spectroscopy- or LC-MS/MS-based methods.     

Selective quantification of ambroxol in human plasma by HPLC

The bronchosecretolytic drug ambroxol can be reliably quantified in human plasma by high performance liquid chromatography. Plasma is buffered alkaline, extracted with ether, and the organic solvent back-extracted with diluted acid. An automatically sampled aliquot is separated by reversed phase HPLC; the analyte is well separated from two metabolites that interfered strongly in earlier methods. UV detection at 230 nm enables a lower limit of quantitation of 5 ng/ml. Internal standardization with propranolol allows accurate and precise quantification. Evaluation of the optimized combination of mobile and stationary phase is described, and application of the method to experimental and clinical pharmacokinetic studies is illustrated.     

Size characterization and quantification of silver nanoparticles by asymmetric flow field-flow fractionation coupled with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

A method for determining the size of silver nanoparticles and their quantification by asymmetric flow field-flow fractionation coupled with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) is proposed and was tested in consumer products. Experimental conditions were studied in detail to avoid aggregation processes or alteration of the original size distributions. Additionally, losses from sorption processes onto the channel membrane were minimized for correct quantification of the nanoparticles. Mobile phase composition, injection/focusing, and fractionation conditions were evaluated in terms of their influence on both separation resolution and recovery. The ionic strength, pH, and the presence of ionic and nonionic surfactants had a strong influence on both separation and recovery of the nanoparticles. In general, better results were obtained under those conditions that favored charge repulsions with the membrane. Recovery values of 83 ± 8% and 93 ± 4% with respect to the content of silver nanoparticles were achieved for the consumer products studied. Silver nanoparticle standards were used for size calibration of the channel. The results were compared with those obtained by photon correlation spectroscopy and images taken by transmission electron microscopy. The quantification of silver nanoparticles was performed by direct injection of ionic silver standard solutions into the ICP-MS system, integration of the corresponding peaks, and interpolation of the fractogram area. A limit of detection of 5.6 μg L^-1 silver, which corresponds to a number concentration of 1×10¹² L^-1 for nanoparticles of 10 nm, was achieved for an injection volume of 20 μL.     

Selective quantification of doxycycline in human plasma and urine with optimised chromatography

Summary A method for the selective quantification of doxycycline in human plasma and urine has been developed using HPLC with UV-detection at 350 nm. Analyte and internal standard were extracted from plasma by extraction columns filled with octadecylsilica. Urines were only mixed with diluted acid prio to injection. The influence of pH on peak shapes is discussed as well as comparative investigations on selectivity and peak symmetry on commerical octadecylsilica. The method was successfully applied to the samples of a clinical study with an oral single dose of 100 mg. Precision and accuracydata of the assay and calculated pharmacokinetic parameters are presented.     

Hyphenated techniques for the characterization and quantification of metallothionein isoforms

Recent developments in the coupling of highly selective separation techniques such as capillary electrophoresis (CE) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to element-specific and molecule-specific detectors, such as inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS) for the characterization and quantification of metallothioneins (MTs) are critically reviewed and discussed. This review gives an update based on the literature over the last five years. The coupling of CE to ICP-MS is especially highlighted. As a result of progress in new interface technologies for CE-ICP-MS, research topics presented in the literature are changing from "the characterization of interfaces by metallothioneins" to the "characterization of metallothioneins by CE-ICP-MS". New applications of CE-ICP-MS to the analysis of MTs in real samples are summarized. The potential of the on-line isotope dilution technique for the quantification of MTs and for the determination of the stoichiometric composition of metalloprotein complexes is discussed. Furthermore, a selection of relevant papers dealing with HPLC-ICP-MS for MT analysis are summarized and compared to those dealing with CE-ICP-MS. In particular, the use of size-exclusion (SE)-HPLC as a preliminary separation step for metallothioneins in real samples prior to further chromatographic or electrophoretic separations is considered. Additionally, the application of electrospray ionisation-tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS) for the identification of metallothionein isoforms following electrophoretic or chromatographic separation is discussed.     

Electrochemical methods for quantification and characterization of metallothioneins induced in Mytilus galloprovincialis

The quantification of the purified metallothionein (MT) component, isolated from the digestive gland of cadmium-exposed Mytilus galloprovincialis, is described based on the analysis of Cd(II) and SH-groups content, applying electrochemical methods. Advantages and disadvantages of the Brdicka procedure for the determination of the MT content is discussed. The saturation of binding positions of purified MT with Cd(2+) ions can be directly followed voltammetrically. Irrespective of the MT concentration, the saturation with Cd(2+) of in vivo induced mussel MT is achieved at a molar ratio of 5. Cd(2+) ions are rapidly displaced from the Cd-Th complex after the addition of Pb(2+) ions, which indicates the kinetically labile type of the complex.     

Synthesis and characterization of D-Alanyl-D-Alanine-Agarose

A new affinity adsorbent, using D-alanyl-D-alanine as ligand, has been prepared. The dipeptide immobilized on Activated CH-Sepharose 4B (D-Ala-D-Ala-AGA) bioselectively binds the glycopeptide antibiotics teicoplanin, vancomycin, ristocetin A (vancomycinlike group of antibiotics) while it does not bind other antibiotics equally active on cell wall biosynthesis but with different target sites, such as penicillin G, cephalosporin C, gardimycin, and bacitracin. Teicoplanin, vancomycin, and ristocetin A have similar binding characteristics for the immobilized dipeptide, as indicated by equilibrium binding experiments. The affinity constants of the three antibiotics for D-Ala-D-Ala-AGA is of the same order of magnitude (10⁵ L mol^-1) and the number of effective binding sites is similar for each antibiotic (6–7 μEq/mL of gel). The adsorption is biospecific as no binding has been observed to immobilized L-alanyl-L -alanine. D-Ala-D-Ala-AGA has been successfully used to purify teicoplanin from mixtures of different complexity and for concomitant extraction and purification from fermentation liquors by both batch adsorption and column chromatography. The antibiotic can be recovered from the resin in high yields by elution at pH 11.     

Synthesis and characterization of polyurethane-g-chitosan

The present work presents a study on the grafting of polyurethane onto chitosan. Prepolymers (polyurethanes) were obtained by condensation reactions between poly(ethylene glycol) of two different molar masses and isophorone diisocyanate. Characterization of graft copolymers was performed by infrared spectroscopy (IR) and ¹³C Nuclear Magnetic Resonance in the solid state (¹³C NMR). Evidences of grafting were obtained by IR from the absorbance increase of relative intensity of NH and CO bands, with respect to chitosan. The degree of NH₂ substitution by urea groups observed from 0.12 to 0.59 was estimated from NMR data. The graft copolymers exhibited different solubility behavior as a function of degree of substitution, such as partial solubility, gelation or swelling in diluted acetic acid, and swelling in water, dimethylsulfoxide and acetic acid/sodium acetate.     

Synthesis and characterization of newberyite

Phosphates belong to the extensive group of inorganic pigments that are very often used in industry of plastics and anticorrosive paints. Also, the powders of newberyite MgHPO₄·3H₂O and α-pyrophosphate Mg₂P₂O₇ can find the usage in this field. Thus, these compounds were the centre of our attention. Newberyite and α-pyrophosphate were synthesized by the method of gelling. Impact of various ways of synthesis, especially reaction conditions, on the structural, thermal, physical and optical properties was investigated. α-pyrophosphate was synthesized by the thermal decomposition of newberyite at temperature around 500°C. Both powders are white color, but the newberyite is the whitest one. The reaction pH particularly affected the particle size distribution and optical properties.     

Synthesis and characterization of zirconogermanates

Six new zirconogermanates have been prepared under hydrothermal conditions using amines as bases. There are four new structure types (ASU-n) with a common motif of ZrGe(5). ASU-23 is a layered structure: ZrGe(3)O(8)(OH)F.[C(10)H(26)N(4)].H(2)O, space group P2(1)/n, a = 6.7957(8) A, b = 12.700(1) A, c = 24.293(3) A, beta = 97.936(2) degrees, V = 2076.4(4) A(3). ASU-24 is a pillared layered structure: Zr(3)Ge(6)O(18)(OH(2),F)(4)F(2).[C(6)H(18)N(2)].[C(6)H(17)N(2)](2).2H(2)O, space group P2(1)/n, a = 7.4249(3) A, b = 25.198(1) A, c = 11.3483(5) A, beta = 90.995(1) degrees, V = 2122.9(2) A(3). This material has the lowest framework density (FD) of any oxide material that we are aware of (FD = 8.48 metal atoms/nm(3)). Two other materials form three-dimensional open-frameworks, ASU-25: ZrGe(3)O(9).[C(3)H(12)N(2)], space group P112(1)/a, a = 13.1994(4) A, b = 7.6828(2) A, c = 11.2373(3) A, gamma = 91.233(3) degrees, V = 1139.29(5) A(3). The other is ASU-26: ZrGe(3)O(9).[C(2)H(10)N(2)], space group Pn, a = 13.7611(3) A, b = 7.7294(2) A, c = 11.2331(3) A, beta = 104.793(1) degrees, V = 1155.21(4) A(3). ASU-25 is related to the mineral umbite K(2)ZrSi(3)O(9).H(2)O. The germanium equivalent has been prepared through the inorganic route: K(2)ZrGe(3)O(9).H(2)O, space group P2(1)2(1)2(1), a = 13.6432(6) A, b = 7.4256(3) A, c = 10.3973(4) A, V = 1053.33(8) A(3). The structural relationships between ASU-25 and its inorganic counterpart are described. The thermal decomposition of the germanium umbite generated the cyclic trigermanate K(2)ZrGe(3)O(9), analogue of the mineral wadeite, crystallizing in the orthorhombic system, a = 7.076 A, b = 12.123 A, c = 10.451 A, V = 904.5 A(3).     

Synthesis and characterization of meso-triarylsubporphyrins

The synthesis of several meso-triaryl-subporphyrins, based on utilizing tripyrrolylborane as a precursor in a reaction with arylaldehydes (where aryl = phenyl, 4- and 3-pyridyl, tolyl, 4-methoxyphenyl, and 4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl) under reflux in propionic acid, is reported. All of the compounds have been successfully characterized by 1H-, 13C-, and 13C-1H 2D NMR, electronic absorption, magnetic circular dichroism (MCD), IR, and fluorescence spectroscopy, together with cyclic (CV) and differential pulse (DPV) voltammetry. The X-ray structure of tris{(trifluoromethyl)phenyl}subporphyrin was found to be slightly domed and similar to that of the recently reported hexaethylsubtriazaporphyrin (Inorg. Chem. 2006, 45, 6148). The electronic absorption spectra of all of the subporphyrins contain intense Soret bands in the 370-380 nm region and weaker Q bands in the 420-550 nm region, which are at shorter wavelengths than those observed (at ca. 400-420 nm and ca. 450-650 nm, respectively) for tetrapyrrole porphyrins. The intensity of the Q00 band decreases as the meso-aryl groups become more electron withdrawing. These characteristics can be rationalized by using Gouterman's four-orbital model as a conceptual framework. The MCD bands observed in the Q band region of the subporphyrins (subPs) spectra consistently show a -ve/+ve intensity pattern in ascending energy, while, in contrast, the sign sequence of the bands observed in the Soret band region change dramatically depending on the nature of the aryl groups: from +ve/-ve in the case of the electron withdrawing 4-pyridyl, 4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl and 3-pyridyl groups to -ve only for phenyl and -ve/+ve for the electron donating 4-tolyl and 4-methoxyphenyl groups. S1 fluorescence emission was observed in the 490-620 nm region. The quantum yields (phiF) in benzene (phiF = 0.10-0.12) are similar to that of metal-free tetraphenylporphyrin (H2TPP) (phiF = 0.11) but are somewhat lower in the case of ethanol (phiF = 0.06-0.07) due to the higher polarity. The redox potential differences observed between the first oxidation and reduction steps are in the 2.52-2.64 V range, which is larger than that of normal porphyrins (ca. 2.25 V). Molecular orbital (MO) calculations of these compounds help to provide an enhanced understanding of the spectroscopic and electrochemical properties. A byproduct of the synthesis was characterized using X-ray crystallography and a range of spectroscopic techniques. A subporphyrin mu-oxo dimer was prepared and characterized.