Single-step organic extraction of leukotrienes and related compounds and their simultaneous analysis by high-performance liquid chromatography

A method for the simultaneous single-step organic extraction from biological matrices of peptido- and dihydroxyleukotrienes as well as 5-hydroperoxy- and 5-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid followed by separation and quantitation in a single run on reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography was evaluated. Using an extraction system comprising 400/1200/4800 (v/v/v) aqueous phase/isopropanol/dichloromethane, pH 3.0, absolute recoveries of 82.3 +/- 2.0, 89.7 +/- 1.0, 93.7 +/- 1.4, 92.8 +/- 1.4, 90 +/- 4, and 90 +/- 4% for prostaglandin B1 (PGB1), leukotriene C4 (LTC4), leukotriene B4 (LTB4), leukotriene D4 (LTD4), 5-hydroperoxyeicosatetraenoic acid (5-HETE), respectively, were achieved. Separation and quantitation of products were performed on a Nucleosil 100 C18 column (5 microns, 4.6 X 250 mm) using, at pH 6.0, a gradient system comprising 72/28/0.02 (v/v/v) methanol/water/glacial acetic acid from 0 to 15 min, followed by a convex gradient to 76/24/0.02 (v/v/v) methanol/water/glacial acetic acid, followed by a 10-min hold at this methanol concentration. The method was used to investigate the profile of leukotrienes synthesized by rat hepatocyte homogenates from 5-HPETE or leukotriene A4 in absence or presence of glutathione (GSH). During a 5-min incubation with 100 microM 5-HPETE, 9.6 ng LTB4/mg protein and 2.2 micrograms 5-HETE/mg protein were formed in the absence of GSH. In the presence of 0.4 mM GSH, 3.7 ng LTB4/mg protein and 11.0 micrograms 5-HETE/mg protein were formed. Using 20 microM LTA4 as a substrate, 17.3 and 324.0 ng LTC4/mg protein X min and 14.3 and 19.3 ng LTB4/mg protein X min were formed in the presence of 0.4 and 10 mM GSH, respectively.     

Effect of acidity on the enantiomeric resolution of thyroxine and tocainide by HPLC on a (+)-(18-crown-6)-2,3,11,12-tetracarboxylic acid column

Enantiomeric resolution of thyroxine and tocainide was achieved on a (+)-(18-crown-6)-2,3,11,12-tetracarboxylic acid column. The mobile phases were methanol/water (4:1, v/v) and methanol/water containing 5 mM sulfuric acid (4:1, v/v) for tocainide and thyroxine respectively. The flow rate was 0.5 ml/min. The effect of the acidity on the chiral resolution of these drugs was studied. Detection was at 220 nm for both drugs. The values of alpha and Rs were 2.08-3.11 and 1.00-2.60, respectively, for thyroxine while the values of alpha and Rs were 1.13-1.26 and 0.10-1.30, respectively, for tocainide.     

High-performance liquid chromatographic mass spectrometric method for the determination of ursodeoxycholic acid and its glycine and taurine conjugates in human plasma

A novel sensitive high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray mass spectrometry method has been developed for the determination of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) and its glycine and taurine conjugates, glycoursodeoxycholic acid (GDCA) and tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TDCA). The procedure involved a solid phase extraction of UDCA, GDCA, TDCA and the internal standard, 23-nordeoxycholic acid from human plasma on a C18 Bond Elut cartridge. Chromatography was performed by isocratic reverse phase separation with methanol/25 mM ammonium acetate (40/60, v/v) containing 0.05% acetic acid on a C18 column with embedded polar functional group. Detection was achieved using an LC-MS/MS system. The standard curve was linear over a working range of 10-3000 ng/ml for all analytes and gave an average correlation coefficient of 0.9992 or better during validation. The absolute recovery for UDCA, GDCA, TDCA and the internal standard was 87.3, 83.7, 79.5 and 95.8%, respectively. This method is simple, sensitive and suitable for pharmacokinetics, bioequivalence or clinical studies.     

Comparison of the cerebroside sulphatase and the arylsulphatase activity of human sulphatase A in the absence of activators.

A cerebroside sulphatase (cerebroside-3-sulphate 3 sulphohydrolase, EC 3.1.6.8) assay based on radio thin-layer chromatography is described. The substrate was labelled by the catalytic addition of tritium to cerebroside sulphate. Using this assay the cerebroside sulphatase activity of sulphatase A (Aryl-sulphate sulphohydrolase, EC 3.1.6.1) from human liver and kidney in the absence of activators was investigated. The pH optimum of this reaction depends on the buffer concentration, being pH 4.5 at 50 mM and 5.3 at 10 mM sodium formate. With the latter concentration the apparent Km for cerebroside sulphate is 0.06 mM; SO2-4 and nitrocatechol sulphate inhibit noncompetitively with a Ki of 4.51 mM for Na2SO4 and 0.43 mM for nitrocatechol sulphate. The cerebroside sulphatase activity of sulphatase A is highly dependent on the ionic strength. The optimum sodium formate concentration is 10 mM, and the cerebroside suophatase activity decreases rapidly with increasing buffer concentration. The same concentration dependence is observed in the inhibitory effect of cerebroside sulphate on the arylsulphatase reaction. The inhibition decreases at increasing buffer concentrations, becoming an activation at 70 mM sodium formate. The progress curve of the cerebroside sulphatase reaction shows a deviation from linearity similar to that of the arylsulphatase reaction. Investigation of the effect of preincubation with cerebroside sulphate on the arylsulphatase activity of the enzyme shows that cerebroside sluphatase activity and inactivation of the enzyme by cerebroside sulphate occur simultaneously. These observations are interpreted as supporting the assumption that cerebroside suophate and arylsulphates are degraded at an identical active site on the same enzyme. Differences in the properties of the cerebroside sulphatase and the arylsulphatase reaction of the enzyme may be attributed to the differences in the physiocochemical state of the two substrates.     

Development of simultaneous gas chromatography-mass spectrometric and liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometric determination method for the new designer drugs, N-benzylpiperazine (BZP), 1-(3-trifluoromethylphenyl)piperazine (TFMPP) and their main metabolites in urine

To prove the intake of recently controlled designer drugs, N-benzylpiperazine (BZP) and 1-(3-trifluoromethylphenyl)piperazine (TFMPP), a simple, sensitive and reliable method which allows us to simultaneously detect BZP, TFMPP and their major metabolite in human urine has been established by coupling gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS). GC-MS accompanied by trifluoroacetyl (TFA) derivatization and LC-MS analyses were performed after the enzymatic hydrolysis and the solid phase extraction with OASIS HLB, and BZP, TFMPP and their major metabolites, 4'-hydroxy-BZP (p-OH-BZP), 3'-hydroxy-BZP (m-OH-BZP) and 4'-hydroxy-TFMPP (p-OH-TFMPP), have found to be satisfactorily separated on a semi-micro SCX column with acetonitrile-40 mM ammonium acetate buffer (pH 4) (75:25, v/v) as the eluent. The detection limits produced by GC-MS were estimated to be from 50 ng/ml to 1 microg/ml in the scan mode, and from 200 to 500 ng/ml in the selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode. Upon applying the LC-ESI-MS technique, the linear calibration curves were obtained by using the SIM mode for all analytes in the concentration range from 10 ng/ml to 10 microg/ml. The detection limits ranged from 5 to 40 ng/ml in the scan mode, and from 0.2 to 1 ng/ml in the SIM mode. These results indicate the high reliability and sensitivity of the present procedure, and this procedure will be applicable for proof of intake of BZP and TFMPP in forensic toxicology.     

Multidimensional on-line screening for ligands to the alpha3beta4 neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor using an immobilized nicotinic receptor liquid chromatographic stationary phase

The alpha3beta4 subtype of the neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) subtype was immobilized on a liquid chromatographic support and the resulting column used for the rapid and direct on-line screening for nAChR ligands. A multidimensional chromatographic system was developed consisting of the immobilized receptor column (NR column) connected via a switching valve to a C(18) column that was, in turn, connected to a single quadrupole mass spectrometer. A mixture of 18 compounds, containing alpha3beta4 nAChR (7) and compounds that are not alpha3beta4 nAChR ligands (11), was injected onto the NR column. The mobile phase consisted of ammonium acetate (10 mM, pH 7.4)-methanol (95:5, v/v) and the flow-rate was 0.2 ml/min. For the first 8 min the eluent was directed to waste. At t=8 min, the switching valve was rotated and the NR column connected to the C(18) column. The eluent from the NR column was directed to the C(18) column for 12 min. At t=20 min, the switching valve was rotated and the NR column was disconnected from the C(18) column. The compounds trapped on the C(18) column were separated and eluted onto the mass spectrometer using a mobile phase of ammonium acetate (10 mM, pH 7.4)-methanol (40:60, v/v) at a flow-rate of 1.0 ml/min. Detection was accomplished using total ion monitoring. The multidimensional system correctly isolated six of the seven alpha3beta4 nAChR ligands and only one of the 11 non-ligands was found with the alpha3beta4 nAChR ligands. The results indicate that the multidimensional liquid chromatographic system can be used for the on-line screening of chemical mixtures for alpha3beta4 nAChR ligands.     

Simultaneous liquid chromatographic determination of lamotrigine, oxcarbazepine monohydroxy derivative and felbamate in plasma of patients with epilepsy

A very simple and fast method has been developed and validated for simultaneous determination of the new generation antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) lamotrigine (LTG), oxcarbazepine's (OXC) main active metabolite monohydroxycarbamazepine and felbamate in plasma of patients with epilepsy using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with spectrophotometric detection. Plasma sample (500 microL) pre-treatment was based on simple deproteinization by acetonitrile. Liquid chromatographic analysis was carried out on a Synergi 4 microm Hydro-RP, 150 mm x 4 mm I.D. column, using a mixture of potassium dihydrogen phosphate buffer (50mM, pH 4.5) and acetonitrile/methanol (3/1) (65:35, v/v) as the mobile phase, at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. The UV detector was set at 210 nm. Calibration curves were linear (mean correlation coefficient >0.999 for all the three analytes) over a range of 1-20 mg/mL for lamotrigine, 2-40 microg/mL for monohydroxycarbamazepine and 10-120 microg/mL for felbamate. Both intra and interassay precision and accuracy were lower than 7.5% for all three analytes. Absolute recoveries ranged between 100 and 104%. The present procedure describes for the first time the simultaneous determination of these three new antiepileptic drugs. The simple sample pre-treatment, combined with the fast chromatographic run permit rapid processing of a large series of patient samples.     

Enantioselective analysis of atenolol in biologic fluids: comparison of liquid-liquid and solid-phase extraction methods

In this study we evaluated a liquid-liquid extraction procedure and a solid-phase extraction procedure for sample preparation for the enantioselective analysis of atenolol in plasma and urine by high-performance liquid chromatography. A Chiralcel OD-H column was used for the resolution of atenolol enantiomers with hexane-ethanol (85:15, v/v) plus 0.1% diethylamine as the mobile phase. In the liquid-liquid extraction procedure, atenolol was extracted from alkalinized body fluids with 5 ml chloroform-2-propanol (4:1, v/v). In the solid-phase extraction procedure, atenolol was isolated from plasma using a C8 column and methanol. Both extraction procedures were efficient in recovering atenolol and removing endogenous interferents. The RSDs and deviation from nominal values were lower than 10% for both within-day and between-day assays. The results show that there were no statistically significant differences in between-day variation. The t-test showed that there were no significant differences between the real concentrations and the determined concentrations. The limit of quantitation was 10 ng/ml and the linear range was 10-5,000 ng/ml for both methods. These methods can be used in pharmacokinetic studies.     

Determination of vertilmicin in rat serum by high-performance liquid chromatography using 1-fluoro-2,4-dinitrobenzene derivatization

A procedure for the high-performance liquid chromatographic determination of vertilmicin in rat serum was described using pre-column derivatization. The serum proteins were precipitated with acetonitrile and vertilmicin in the supernatant was derivatized with 1-fluoro-2,4-dinitrobenzene. Etimicin was selected as the internal standard. The mobile phase consisted of methanol--20mM ammonium acetate (80:20, v/v), and flow-rate was 0.9 ml/min. Ultraviolet detection was set at 365 nm. The reaction products were chromatographed on a C(18) column kept at 40 degrees C. A good linearity was found in the range of 0.5-250 microg/ml. Both intra- and inter-day precisions of vertilmicin, expressed as the relative standard deviation, were less than 7.4%. Accuracy, expressed as the relative error, ranged from -0.1 to 3.6%. The mean absolute recovery of vertilmicin at three different concentrations was 92.5%. Serum volumes of 50 microl were sufficient for the determination of vertilmicin. The method was proved suitable for the pharmacokinetic study of vertilmicin in rats.     

Determination of metformin in human plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography

A simple, selective and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatographic method with spectrophotometric detection was developed for the determination of antihyperglycemic agent metformin in human plasma using a novel sample extraction procedure. Liquid-liquid extraction of metformin and ranitidine (as internal standard) from plasma samples was performed with 1-butanol/n-hexane (50:50, v/v) in alkaline condition followed by back-extraction into diluted acetic acid. Chromatography was carried out using a silica column (250 mmx4.6 mm, 5 microm) under isocratic elution with acetonitrile-40 mM aqueous sodium dihydrogen phosphate (25:75, v/v), pH 6. The limit of quantification (LOQ) was 15.6 ng/ml and the calibration curves were linear up to 2000 ng/ml. The mean absolute recoveries for metformin and internal standard using the present extraction procedure were 98 and 95%, respectively. The intra- and inter-day coefficient of variation and percent error values of the assay method were all less than 8.3%.     

A new method for purification of anti-glycosphingolipid antibody. Avian anti-hematoside (NeuGc) antibody

A new method for purification of anti-glycosphingolipid antibodies had been developed. N-Glycolylneuraminyl(alpha 2-3)lactosylceramide [hematoside (NeuGc)] could be hydrophobically bound on octyl-Sepharose 4B in the presence of 0.1 M KCl. The Sepharose gel coated with hematoside (NeuGc) was used as immunoadsorbent for affinity column chromatography to purify avian anti-hematoside (NeuGc) antibody. The procedure is very simple, reproducible and applicable to purification of almost all anti-glycosphingolipid antibodies. The glycosphingolipid used for the affinity chromatography could be recovered without any destruction by successive extraction of the gel with methanol and methanol/chloroform (1:2, v/v).     

银杏内生菌Chaetomium globosum ZY-22次生代谢产物分离鉴定

采用柱层析方法从银杏叶内生真菌Chaetomium globosum ZY-22的培养菌丝体提取物中分离得到脑苷脂B(1)、脑苷脂C(2)、尿囊素(3)、9(11)-去氢麦角甾醇过氧化物(4)以及4,6,8,22-四烯-3-酮-麦角甾烷(5)和球毛壳甲素(6)共6个次生代谢物;经波谱分析确定了6个化合物的结构,其中脑苷脂B、脑苷脂C和尿囊素是首次从内生真菌中得到;海虾致死试验结果显示,化合物1～6在10 μg/mL浓度下对丰年虾的致死率分别为1.6%、4.2%、7.4%、16.9%、12.8%、83.6%、表明球毛壳甲素对海虾表现出很强的毒性作用.     

High-performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of insulin synthesis in biological systems

This paper reports a two-step high-performance liquid chromatographic procedure which permits the study of the incorporation of [³H]leucine into insulin in biological systems. The first step of the procedure was size exclusion chromatography, performed on a GPC-100 column, which was eluted with 0.1 M KH₂PO₄—methanol (9:1, v/v). By this step the bulk of both protein and radioactivity was separated from tritiated insulin. The second step, which employs reversed-phase chromatography on an octadecylsilyl column, permits the separation of insulin from other contaminants by means of a linear gradient of acetonitrile. This simple and reproducible method was employed to test insulin synthesis in cultured human retinoblastoma Y79 cells.     

Quantification of zolmitriptan in plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

A sensitive and specific liquid chromatography electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS) method has been developed and validated for the identification and quantification of zolmitriptan in human plasma. After the addition of the internal standard (IS) and 1.0 M sodium hydroxide solution, plasma samples were extracted with methylene chloride:ethyl acetate mixture (20:80, v/v). The organic layer was evaporated under a stream of nitrogen at 40 degrees C. The residue was reconstituted with 100 microl mobile phase. The compounds were separated on a prepacked Lichrospher CN (5 microm, 150 mm x 2.0 mm) column using a mixture of methanol:water (10 mM NH(4)AC, pH 4.0) = 78:22 as mobile phase. Detection was performed on a single quadrupole mass spectrometer by selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode via electrospray ionization (ESI) source. The method was proved to be sensitive and specific by testing six different plasma batches. Linearity was established for the range of concentrations 0.30-16.0 ng/ml with a coefficient of determination (r) of 0.9998 and good back-calculated accuracy and precision. The intra- and inter-day precision (R.S.D.%) were lower than 15% and accuracy ranged from 85 to 115%. The lower limit of quantification was identifiable and reproducible at 0.30 ng/ml. The proposed method enables the unambiguous identification and quantification of zolmitriptan for pharmacokinetic, bioavailability or bioequivalence studies.     

High-pressure liquid chromatographic separation of a mixture of corticosteroids, androgens, and progestins

Fifteen steroids including corticosteroids, androgens, progestins, and their derivatives were completely separated by reverse-phase high-pressure liquid chromatography on a ChemcoPak 7 ODS-H column in 50 min. The elution procedures were first with water:methanol:acetonitrile:isopropanol 55:32:6.5:7.5 (v/v) for 15 min and followed with a linear gradient elution for 35 min from 0 to 80% of water:methanol:n-butanol 40:40:20 (v/v). The applicability of this method was successfully demonstrated in the analyses of the biological samples of carp plasma, testis, and head kidney.     

The synthetic rate of dipeptide catalyzed by organic solvent-stable protease from Pseudomonas aeruginosa PST-01 in the presence of water-soluble organic solvents

The initial synthetic rates of peptide Cbz-Arg-Leu-NH(2) from Cbz-Arg and Leu-NH(2) using PST-01 protease in the presence and absence of organic solvents were investigated under various conditions. The synthetic rates of Cbz-Arg-Leu-NH(2) in the presence of 50% (v/v) methanol, 50% (v/v) N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) and 60% (v/v) dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) were 1.6-, 2.4-, and 5.1-times higher than that in the absence of organic solvent, respectively. The PST-01 protease was not only stable in the presence of organic solvents but also exhibited high reaction rates in the presence of methanol, DMF, and DMSO. When the Cbz-Arg concentration was lower than 60mM or the Leu-NH(2) concentration was lower than 400mM, the initial rates increased lineally with increase in their concentrations. However, the rates did not increase when the Leu-NH(2) concentration was more than 500mM. The optimum temperature and pH of the reaction were 40 degrees C and 7.0, respectively.     

A novel assay of glucuronidation of C- and N-hydroxylated metabolites of the carcinogen N-2-fluorenylacetamide

A method for the assay of glucuronidation of C- and N-hydroxylated metabolites of the carcinogen N-2-fluorenylacetamide is described. The method employs UDP-[U-14C ))glucuronic acid and Baker C18 extraction columns for separation of the glucuronides from their aglycones and from the glucuronic acid. The 14C-labeled glucuronides, generated by rat liver microsomes, are eluted from the columns with 30% (v/v) methanol after prewashing the columns and elution of the radioactivity of 14C-glucuronic acid with 1 mM ammonium acetate, pH 6.9. The radioactivity of the eluates is measured by scintillation counting. The method is modified for assays of glucuronidation of alpha-naphthol and p-nitrophenol in that 1 mM phosphoric acid is used instead of 1 mM ammonium acetate, and the method is potentially adaptable to other aglycones. By monitoring radioactivity or uv absorbance of the column eluates, it is shown that all aglycones, except p-nitrophenol, are retained on the columns during elution of their glucuronides with 30% (v/v) methanol and are eluted only when absolute methanol is used. The identity of the glucuronides is shown by their response to hydrolysis by beta-glucuronidase in the presence and absence of D-saccharic acid-1,4-lactone and, in some instances, by chromatographic and spectral analyses of the released aglycones.     

Optimization of methanol biosynthesis from methane using Methylosinus trichosporium OB3b

Methylosinus trichosporium OB3b oxidized methane to methanol in the presence of a high concentration of Cu2+. Further oxidation of methanol to formaldehyde was prevented by adding 200 mM NaCl which acted as a methanol dehydrogenase H inhibitor. The bacterium, 0.6 mg dry cell ml(-1), in methane/air (1:4, v/v) at 25 degrees C in 12.9 mM phosphate buffer (pH 7) containing 20 mM sodium formate and 200 mM NaCl accumulated 7.7 mM methanol over 36 h.     

Quantitative determination of the lipid peroxidation product 4-hydroxynonenal by high-performance liquid chromatography

4-Hydroxynonenal is a product formed in tissue and tissue fractions from polyunsaturated membrane lipids through a free radical-induced lipid peroxidation process. The biological properties of this aldehyde have been studied in many respects. This article describes for the first time a sensitive and reproducible method for quantitative analysis of 4-hydroxynonenal in biological samples as well as in lipid-containing foodstuffs. The method involves extraction of the aldehyde by dichloromethane from cells or microsomes trapped on an Extrelut column. Oils and foodstuffs are extracted with excess water. After additional sample cleanup by solid-phase extraction on a disposable octadecyl silica gel (ODS) extraction column, the sample is analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography using an ODS column and methanol/water 65/35 (v/v) or acetonitrile/water 40/60 (v/v) as eluant; the detection wavelength is 220 nm. The method developed has a high precision with coefficients of variation of 1.4% (microsomes) to 3.5% (olive oil). The recovery depends on the sample type and lies between 45% (control microsomes) and 96% (solution of hydroxynonenal in water). The method has been used for the determination of 4-hydroxynonenal in microsomes, platelets, and various foodstuffs.