High-performance liquid chromatographic assay for the determination of Aloe Emodin in mouse plasma

An isocratic high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was developed and validated to determine Aloe Emodin (AE) in mouse plasma. The analysis required 0.3 ml of plasma and involves extraction with dichloromethane. The HPLC separation was carried out on Symmetry Shield RP18, a mobile phase of methanol-water-acetic acid (65:35:0.2) and fluorescence detection at lambda(ex)=410 nm and lambda(em)=510 nm. The retention time of AE was 11.7 min. The assay was linear from 10 to 1,000 ng/ml (r2 > or = 0.999), showed intra- and inter-day precision within 7.8 and 4.7%, and accuracy of 87.3-105.7%. Detection limit (LOD) and quantification limit (LOQ) were 4.5 and 5 ng/ml, respectively. The method was applied to determine for the first time the pharmacokinetic of AE in mice.     

A high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of polyphosphoinositides in brain

A simple high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of endogenous phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate (PIP) and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) in brain has been developed. PIP and PIP2 were derivatized with 9-anthryldiazomethane to yield (9-anthryl)PIP and di(9-anthryl)-PIP2. The derivatives were separated on a reversed-phase column using isocratic elution and detected with a uv detector. The detection limits of PIP and PIP2 were 0.25 micrograms. The method with uv detection was sufficiently sensitive to measure the concentrations of PIP and PIP2 in rat brain. The levels of PIP and PIP2 were increased in developing rat brain and were decreased after 10 min of ischemia.     

A reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography method for analysis of monoclonal antibody-maytansinoid immunoconjugates

A reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) method was developed for detection and quantification of free maytansinoid drug in disulfide-linked conjugates between monoclonal antibodies and the maytansinoid drug DM1 (MAb-DM1). Mobile phases and gradient conditions were optimized for separation of several DM1-related free drug species from MAb-DM1 conjugates. The selectivity, linearity, and reproducibility of the method are reported. Reduction of the disulfide-linked DM1 followed by RP-HPLC allowed estimation of purity of MAb-linked DM1 as well as recovery of L-DM1. The method was also used to estimate drug per MAb ratios, which were consistent with those determined by UV spectroscopy.     

A reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the simultaneous determination of serum concentrations of cyproterone acetate and 15 beta-hydroxycyproterone acetate

A reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the simultaneous determination of cyproterone acetate (CPA), 15 beta-hydroxycyproterone acetate (15 beta-OH-CPA) and cyproterone (CP) was reported. This method was specific, sensitive, precise, easy and rapid for determination of the serum concentrations of these steroids in patients receiving CPA. Although no peak corresponding to CP was observed for serum, peaks corresponding to CPA and 15 beta-OH-CPA were detected and well separated in all subjects undergoing long-term CPA therapy. In these patients, there seemed to be a dose-dependent relationship between the amount of CPA administered and the serum concentrations of these steroids, and the serum concentrations of CPA were either similar or low compared with those of 15 beta-OH-CPA. In conclusion, this simplified method is thought to be very valuable for studies on the pharmacokinetics of CPA and 15 beta-OH-CPA, and on the relationship between the CPA dosage and the therapeutic or side effects on adrenal and gonadal steroid production.     

A new high-performance liquid chromatographic method for determination of warfarin enantiomers

Warfarin is the most common agent used for control and prevention of venous as well as arterial thromboembolism. Although warfarin is administered as a racemic mixture of two stereoisomers (S and R), the S-form is mainly responsible for the anticoagulant effect. The anticoagulant effect of the drug is monitored by analysis of prothrombin complex (International Normalised Ratio,INR). In some cases, however, the measurements of plasma warfarin concentration are needed. Here, we present a new, rapid, sensitive and cost-effective HPLC-method for the determination of warfarin enantiomers in plasma. The chromatographic system consisted of Waters 616 gradient pump, Waters 996 photo diode array detector, Gilson 230 autoinjector and Pirkle (R,R) Whelk-O1 column (25 cmx4.6 mm I.D., 5 microm). An isocratic mobile phase of methanol/acetonitrile/water (50/10/40, v/v) with 0.1% glacial acetic acid was used. The follow rate was 1 mL/min. Data analysis was carried out with Waters Millennium32. The absorbance at 305 nm was measured with a total run-time of 15 min. Method linearity was studied by establishing regression data containing eight points over the range 0.08-10 microg/mL. In this range, warfarin showed to be linear (r2=0.9997 for S-warfarin and r2=0.9998 for R-warfarin). The limit of detection in plasma was 16 ng/mL for S-warfarin and 18 ng/mL for R-warfarin. Limit of quatitation was defined as 10xLOD. The extraction recovery was approximately 80%. Also the relation between INR and warfarin concentration was investigated. As expected, there was a low correlation between these two variables (r=0.23, y=0.3044x+0.9712). This method offers a rapid and cost-effective determination of warfarin enantiomers in human plasma.     

Identification of major metabolites in Aloe littoralis by high-performance liquid chromatography-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy

Examination of the leaf exudate of the South African species Aloe littoralis by reversed-phase HPLC revealed the presence of two major metabolites. The identification of the two compounds without isolation was attempted by HPLC-NMR based on separation using a C18 column eluting with a deuterium oxide:acetonitrile solvent gradient and an inverse HPLC-NMR probe. For each compound, one-dimensional proton spectra, and two-dimensional homonuclear COSY and TOCSY, and heteronuclear HSQC and HMBC, spectra were collected. On the basis of the data obtained, the metabolites were characterised as 10-hydroxyaloin B and deacetyllittoraloin.     

Solid-phase extraction and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic determination of sulphur mustard in blood

A reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method is reported for the analysis of sulphur mustard in blood with the aid of solid-phase extraction sample preparation. Sulphur mustard is extracted from blood samples (both in vitro and in vivo) of rats with a solution of 0.05 M sodium dodecyl sulphate and pre-concentrated over Sep-Pak C₁₈cartridges pre-coated with Tween-20. A Polygosil C₁₈ column is used with acetonitrile—water (52:48, v/v) as mobile phase for separation and sulphur mustard was detected at 200 nm.     

Sensitive high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of coumarin in plasma

A high-performance liquid chromatographic method was developed for the determination of coumarin in plasma at low concentrations. The method involves a single-step extraction of the alkalinized sample with hexane and subsequent evaporation of the organic phase in the presence of hydrochloric acid to collect and concentrate the coumarin. Analysis of the acidic phase was performed on a C₈ column and coumarin was detected by measuring the UV absorbance at 275 nm. The limit of detection was 0.3 μg l⁻¹. The assay was used to study the evolution of concentrations of coumarin in one volunteer after oral administration of a single 10-mg dose.     

Optimal extraction conditions for high-performance liquid chromatographic determination of nucleotides in yeast

Different extraction methods of nucleotides from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae were compared. A new extraction solution--formic acid saturated with 1-butanol--was found to be more effective than the commonly used solutions of trichloroacetic acid, perchloric acid, or formic acid alone. Using this solution the optimal extraction conditions were established. Nucleotide recovery was evaluated by adding standard nucleotides to the extraction medium and carrying them together with the cells through the whole extraction procedure. Nucleotides were separated and quantitated by high-performance liquid chromatography on an anion-exchange column.     

A method for determination of iododeoxyuridine substitution of thymidine using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography

An assay for thymidine substitution by iododeoxyuridine (IdUrd) using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) has been developed. Three principal steps in this procedure are: extraction of DNA from cell or tissues, hydrolysis of DNA into deoxynucleosides and separation using HPLC. Approximately 1 microgram of DNA was recovered from 10(5) cells by phenol extraction, and subjected to hydrolysis into deoxynucleosides which required a three-stage DNA digestion using enzymes DNAse I. phosphodiesterase I and alkaline phosphatase. The deoxynucleosides were separated on the Microsorb C18 column with isocratic elution; 90-100% of the DNA was recovered as deoxynucleosides on the column. The method was used to determine quantitatively the percent IdUrd substitution of thymidine in Chinese hamster lung cells in vitro and BA1112 rhabdomyosarcoma in WAG/Rij rats perfused with IdUrd. It was possible to determine the thymidine substitution by IdUrd as small as 1% using a few micrograms of DNA. The close correspondence between the percent substitutions determined by HPLC and those determined by radioactive assay using [125I]-labelled IdUrd, confirmed the accuracy of our HPLC method. The HPLC analysis is especially suitable for the determination of percent IdUrd substitution of thymidine in tissue biopsies from animals used in in vivo experiments or humans undergoing radiation treatment.     

A rapid high-performance liquid chromatographic procedure for the simultaneous determination of methionine, ethionine, S-adenosylmethionine, S-adenosylethionine, and the natural polyamines in rat tissues

A method for the analysis of S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM) and S-adenosyl-L-ethionine (SAE) and their major metabolites by high-performance liquid chromatography is described. The procedure allows the simultaneous analysis of the natural polyamines, putrescine, spermidine, and spermine, and some of the major amino acids, methionine, tyrosine, and tryptophan. The uv absorbance at 254 nm is used for the determination of the SAM and SAE analogs, whereas the polyamines and amino acids are analyzed by fluorescence detection after postcolumn derivatization with o-phthalaldehyde. The method allows SAM and polyamine determinations by direct injection of the tissue extracts without prepurification. The procedure is applied to study the effects of DL-ethionine treatment on the SAM, SAE, methionine, and polyamine levels in various tissues of rats.     

Simple high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of tocotrienols in human plasma

A simple high-performance liquid chromatographic method using fluorescence detection was developed for the determination of vitamin E especially δ-, γ- and α-tocotrienols in human plasma. The method entailed direct injection of plasma sample after deproteinization using a 3:2 mixture of acetonitrile–tetrahydrofuran. The mobile phase comprised 0.5% (v/v) of distilled water in methanol. Analyses were run at a flow-rate of 1.5 ml/min with the detector operating at an excitation wavelength of 296 nm and emission wavelength of 330 nm. This method is specific and sensitive, with a quantification limit of approximately 40, 34 and 16 ng/ml for α-, γ- and δ-tocotrienol, respectively. The mean absolute recovery values were about 98% while the within-day and between-day relative standard deviation and percent error values of the assay method were all less than 12.0% for α-, γ- and δ-tocotrienol. The calibration curve was linear over a concentration range of 40–2500, 30–4000 and 16–1000 ng/ml for α-, γ- and δ-tocotrienol, respectively. Application of the method in a bioavailability study for determination of the above compounds was also demonstrated.     

Simple high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of metformin in human plasma

A simple high-performance liquid chromatographic method using ultraviolet detection was developed for the determination of metformin in human plasma. The method entailed direct injection of the plasma sample after deproteination using perchloric acid. The mobile phase comprised 0.01 M potassium dihydrogen orthophosphate (pH 3.5) and acetonitrile (60:40, v/v). Analyses were run at a flow-rate of 1.0 ml/min with the detector operating at a detection wavelength of 234 nm. The method is specific and sensitive, with a quantification limit of approximately 60 ng/ml and a detection limit of 15 ng/ml at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3:1. The mean absolute recovery value was about 97%, while the within-day and between-day coefficient of variation and percent error values of the assay method were all less than 8%. The calibration curve was linear over a concentration range of 62.5–4000 ng/ml.     

Column-switching high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of zaltoprofen in rat plasma

A direct injection column-switching high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was developed and validated for quantification of zaltoprofen in rat plasma. Following dilution with mobile phase A, i.e. acetonitrile-10mM potassium phosphate buffer (pH 6.8) (12:88, v/v) samples were directly injected to the pre-column without sample pre-purification step. After endogenous plasma components were eluted to waste, the system was switched and the analyte was eluted to the trap column. Zaltoprofen was then back-flushed to the analytical column for separation with mobile phase B, i.e. acetonitrile-10mM potassium phosphate buffer (pH 6.8) (35:65, v/v) and quantification with an ultraviolet detector at 230 nm. The calibration curve was linear in the concentration range of 40-5000 ngmL(-1). This method has been fully validated and shown to be specific, accurate and precise. The method is simple, rapid and the sample preparation is minimal and appears to be useful for the pharmacokinetic study of zaltoprofen.     

Automated high-performance liquid chromatographic method for determination of furosemide in dog plasma

An automated high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of the diuretic drug furosemide has been established. Dog plasma was injected directly into a two-column system with a BSA—ODS (ODS column coated with bovine serum albumin) precolumn and a C₁₈ analytical column for the separation of furosemide. The two columns were automatically switched. Furosemide remained trapped on the precolumn while proteins were eluted to waste. After column switching, furosemide was washed onto the analytical column and analysed without interference. The greatest advantage of the method is its easy performance without manual sample preparation; it requires no extraction or deproteinization. The method allows determination of 0.1–10 μg/ml of furosemide with accuracy and precision comparable with previously reported values. The coefficients of variation obtained from replicate measurements of 1 μg/ml and 5 μg/ml samples were 1.65% and 2.40%, respectively. This method was used to measure the plasma levels of furosemide in beagle dogs to whom the drugs was administered, as a reference, in a toxicological study.     

Simple high-performance liquid chromatographic method for determination of ketoconazole in human plasma

A simple high-performance liquid chromatographic method using fluorescence detection was developed for the determination of ketoconazole in human plasma. The method entailed direct injection of the plasma sample after deproteinization using acetonitrile. The mobile phase comprised 0.05 M disodium hydrogen orthophosphate and acetonitrile (50:50, v/v) adjusted to pH 6. Analysis was run at a flow-rate of 1.5 ml/min with the detector operating at an excitation wavelength of 260 nm and an emission wavelength of 375 nm. The method is specific and sensitive with a quantification limit of approximately 60 ng/ml and a detection limit of 40 ng/ml at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3:1. Mean absolute recovery value was about 105%, while the within-day and between-day coefficient of variation and percent error values of the assay method were all less than 14%. The calibration curve was linear over a concentration range of 62.5–8000 ng/ml.