Development of a high-performance liquid chromatography retention index scale for toxicological drug screening

An efficient and practical analytical method for correcting HPLC retention data has been produced using an HPLC diode-array UV detector system. The system is based on retention indices (RI) and is to be used primarily for the identification of toxicologically relevant drugs involved in clinical and forensic toxicology. The RI correction method was chosen as it provided a slightly greater degree of reproducibility than using relative retention time (RRT), particularly for acidic and neutral drugs. Development of the system involved the establishment of the optimal chromatographic conditions and extensive studies of the stability of the system. An acetonitrile gradient elution was used with RI values determined by interpolation from a series of specifically chosen basic and acidic/neutral marker drugs which eluted at regular intervals to produce a linear RI scale. It was found that two separate RI scales were required for basic and acidic/neutral drugs. The use of multiple drug markers as primary retention index standards had not been previously applied to HPLC general drug screening and comparison with a recently published database suggests that the system may also provide improved selectivity.     

Quantitative analysis of cocaine and its metabolites in whole blood and urine by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry

AIM: In forensic toxicology it is important to have specific and sensitive analysis for quantification of illicit drugs in biological matrices. This paper describes a quantitative method for determination of cocaine and its major metabolites (ecgonine methyl ester, benzoylecgonine, norcocaine and ethylene cocaine) in whole blood and urine by liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry LC/MS/MS. METHOD: The sample pre-treatment (0.20 g) consisted of acid precipitation, followed by centrifugation and solid phase extraction of supernatant using mixed mode sorbent columns (SPEC MP1 Ansys Diag. Inc.). Chromatographic separation was performed at 30 degrees C on a reverse phase Zorbax C18 column with a gradient system consisting of formic acid, water and acetonitrile. The analysis was performed by positive electrospray ionisation with a triple quadropole mass spectrometer operating in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. Two MRM transitions of each analyte were established and identification criteria were set up based on the retention time and the ion ratio. The quantification was performed using deuterated internal analytes of cocaine, benzoylecgonine and ecgonine methyl ester. The calibration curves of extracted standards were linear over a working range of 0.001-2.00 mg/kg whole blood for all analytes. The limit of quantification was 0.008 mg/kg; the interday precision (measured by relative standard deviation-%RSD) was less than 10% and the accuracy (BIAS) less than 12% for all analytes in whole blood. Urine samples were estimated semi-quantitatively at a cut-off level of 0.15 mg/kg with an interday precision of 15%. CONCLUSION: A liquid chromatography mass spectrometric (LC/MS/MS) method has been developed for confirmation and quantification of cocaine and its metabolites (ecgonine methyl ester, benzoylecgonine, norcocaine and ethylene cocaine) in whole blood and semi-quantitative in urine. The method is specific and sensitive and offers thereby an excellent alternative to other methods such as GC-MS that involves derivatisation.     

High-throughput screening of corticosteroids and basic drugs in horse urine by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

This paper describes two high-throughput liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS) methods for the screening of two important classes of drugs in equine sports, namely corticosteroids and basic drugs, at low ppb levels in horse urine. The method utilized a high efficiency reversed-phase LC column (3.3 cm L x 2.1 mm i.d. with 3 microm particles) to provide fast turnaround times. The overall turnaround time for the corticosteroid screen was 5 min and that for the basic drug screen was 8 min, inclusive of post-run and equilibration times. Method specificity was assessed by analysing a total of 35 negative post-race horse urine samples. No interference from the matrices at the expected retention times of the targeted masses was observed. Inter-day precision for the screening of 19 corticosteroids and 48 basic drugs were evaluated by replicate analyses (n = 10) of a spiked sample on 4 consecutive days. The results demonstrated that both methods have acceptable precision to be used on a routine basis. The performance of these two methods on real samples was demonstrated by their applications to drug administration and positive post-race urine samples.     

Simultaneous determination of 13 amphetamine related drugs in human whole blood using an enhanced polymer column and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

Metamphetamine (MA) is one of the most frequently encountered abused drugs in Japan and the Triage immunoassay kit is often used to screen for this drug. However, immunoassay screening also gives positive results with other structurally related compounds, such as 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), p-methoxyamphetamine (PMA), an ephedrine metabolite and beta-phenethylamine (PEA). Therefore, it is important to develop a simple and reliable method which can determine these drugs simultaneously. This paper describes a simple method for simultaneous identification and quantification of 13 amphetamine related drugs in human whole blood. The method consists of a solid phase extraction using a new polar-enhanced Focus column followed by acetylation and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry in the scan mode. Tetradeuterated MA and trideuterated methylephedrine (ME) were used as internal standards. As the Focus column required only simple extraction steps and provided a clean extract, identification of each drug was feasible even at low concentrations. The calibration curves were linear over the concentration range from 50 to 5000 ng/ml for all drugs with correlation coefficients that exceeded 0.99. The lower limits of detection of the drugs were 5-50 ng/ml. The absolute recoveries for the drugs were 65-95% and 64-89% at concentrations of 100 and 1000 ng/ml, respectively. Accuracy and precision data were satisfactory when using 2 internal standards. The applicability of the assay was proven by the analysis of blood samples in forensic cases. This method should be most useful for confirmation of positive immunoassay results for amphetamines and related drugs.     

Some Possible Evidences for an Alteration in the Actin-Myosin Interaction in Stored Muscle

A two-dimensional mapping analysis was performed by HPLC for 4 kinds of standard galactosyllactoses (GLs, trisaccharide) which were assumed to be produced from lactose (galactopyranosylβ1→4 glucopyranose) in yogurt during the fermentation of lactic acid bacteria. After the pyridylamination of GLs, they were analyzed by HPLC in the reverse-phase (RP) and anion-exchange (AE) modes. The retention times of each peak obtained were converted to glucose units (GU) in RP mode for the pyridylaminated isomaltooligosaccharides (G1-3) and to relative retention time (RRT) in AE mode against pyridylaminated-isomaltotriose, and then the address data [GU, RRT] were plotted on a graph. This two-dimensional mapping method was found useful for a rapid qualitative evaluation of the chemical structure of trisaccharides formed in yogurt.     

Simultaneous analysis of THC and its metabolites in blood using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

Cannabis is considered to be the most widely abused illicit drug in Europe. Consequently, sensitive and specific analytical methods are needed for forensic purposes and for cannabinoid pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies. A simple, rapid and highly sensitive and specific method for the extraction and quantification of Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), 11-hydroxy- Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (11-OH-THC) and 11-nor-9-carboxy- Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC-COOH) in blood is presented. The method was fully validated according to international guidelines and comprises simultaneous liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) of the three analytes with hexane:ethyl acetate (90:10, v/v) into a single eluant followed by separation and quantification using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Chromatographic separation was achieved using a XBridge C(18) column eluted isocratically with methanol:0.1% formic acid (80:20, v/v). Selectivity of the method was achieved by a combination of retention time, and two precursor-product ion transitions. The use of the LLE was demonstrated to be highly effective and led to significant decreases in the interferences present in the matrix. Validation of the method was performed using 250 microL of blood. The method was linear over the range investigated (0.5-40 microg/L for THC, 1-40 microg/L for 11-OH-THC, and 2-160 microg/L for THC-COOH) with excellent intra-assay and inter-assay precision; relative standard deviations (RSDs) were <12% for THC and 11-OH-THC and <8% for THC-COOH for certified quality control samples. The lower limit of quantification was fixed at the lowest calibrator in the linearity experiments. No instability was observed after repeated freezing and thawing or in processed samples. The method was subsequently applied to 63 authentic blood samples obtained from toxicology cases. The validation and actual sample analysis results show that this method is rugged, precise, accurate, and well suited for routine analysis.     

Simultaneous determination of amphetamine and its analogs in human whole blood by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

A sensitive and specific gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method for the determination of amphetamine (AM), methamphetamine (MA), methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and methylenedioxyethylamphetamine (MDEA) in whole blood was designed, using the respective pentadeuterated analogs of the analytes as internal standards (I.S.). After alkalinisation of blood samples, the amphetamines were extracted using diethyl ether, derivatized with heptafluorobutyric anhydride, then purified by successive washings with deionized water and 4% NH₄OH. Extraction recoveries were 85.2% for AM, 90.9% for MA, 76.5% for MDA, 84.1% for MDMA and 63.6% for MDEA. Chromatographic separation was performed on a non-polar 30 m×0.32 mm HP 5 MS capillary column using a temperature program. Detection was carried out in the electron-impact, selected ion-monitoring mode, using three mass-to-charge ratios for each analyte and one for each I.S. Limits of detection ranged from 0.5 to 8 ng/ml and limits of quantification were 10 ng/ml for AM, MDMA and MDEA; 20 ng/ml for MA; and 50 ng/ml for MDA. The method was linear from this limit up to 1000 ng/ml for all analytes, with good intra-assay precision and good intermediate precision and accuracy over these ranges. There was no interferences from other sympathomimetic drugs such as ephedrine, norephedrine or methoxyphenamine. This method is thus suitable for clinical and forensic toxicology, as well as for doping control.     

Simultaneous screening for 238 drugs in blood by liquid chromatography-ion spray tandem mass spectrometry with multiple-reaction monitoring

A liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS) method is presented for the qualitative screening for 238 drugs in blood samples, which is considerably more than in previous methods. After a two-step liquid-liquid extraction and C(18) chromatography, the compounds were introduced into a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer equipped with a turbo ion spray ion source operating in the positive ionization mode. Identification was based on the compound's absolute retention time, protonated molecular ion, and one representative fragment ion obtained by multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) at an individually selected collision energy of 20, 35, or 50 eV. The limit of detection (LOD) for the majority of the compounds (80%) was < or = 0.05 mg/l, ranging from 0.002 mg/l (e.g., antihistamines) to 5 mg/l (acidic compounds), and for malathion it was 10 mg/l. The LOD values were sufficiently low to allow the majority of compounds to be detected at therapeutic concentrations in the blood.     

Development and validation of RP-HPLC and ultraviolet spectrophotometric methods of analysis for the quantitative estimation of antiretroviral drugs in pharmaceutical dosage forms

A high-performance liquid chromatographic and an UV spectrophotometric method were developed and validated for the quantitative determination of three antiretroviral drugs viz. Lamivudine, Stavudine and Nevirapine that constitute one of the first line regimens in antiretroviral therapy. The different analytical performance parameters such as linearity, precision, accuracy, specificity, limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) were determined according to International Conference on Harmonization ICH Q2B guidelines. Chromatography was carried out by isocratic technique on a reversed-phase C-18 SYMMETRY column with mobile phase based and optimized depending on the polarity of the molecules. The UV spectrophotometric determinations were performed at 270, 265 and 313 nm for Lamivudine, Stavudine and Nevirapine, respectively. The linearity of the calibration curves for each analyte in the desired concentration range is good (r(2)>0.999) by both the HPLC and UV methods. Both the methods were accurate and precise with recoveries in the range of 97 and 103% for all the three drugs and relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) <5%. Moreover, the accuracy and precision obtained with HPLC correlated well with the UV method which implied that UV spectroscopy can be a cheap, reliable and less time consuming alternative for chromatographic analysis. The proposed methods are highly sensitive, precise and accurate and hence were successfully applied for the reliable quantification of API content in the commercial formulations of Lamivudine, Stavudine and Nevirapine.     

Differences in mean retention time of sheep and goats under controlled feeding practices

The objective of this study was to compare the mean retention time (MRT): (a) between sheep and goats when they fed in groups with the same diet, the same amount of food and forage to concentrate (F/C) ratio and (b) between group and individual feeding in each animal specie (the same diet, the same amount of food and F/C ratio). Twelve, 3-4 years old, Friesian crossed dairy ewes and twelve, 3-5 years old, Alpine crossed dairy goats were used for the experiment. The animals were fed with a diet, consisted of alfalfa hay, wheat straw and concentrate, in two treatments. In Treatment A the animals fed on a group basis as it is traditionally used in practise, while in Treatment B the diet was offered individually toin each animal, in order to have fully comparable feeding level among animals and between treatments. Each Treatment (A and B) lasted 3 weeks. The results of this study have shown that: sheep had significantly longer rumen retention time (RRT) (30.03 vs. 14.43) and mean retention time (MRT) (40.80 vs. 27.81), and shorter transit time (TT) (8.86 vs. 11.49) than goats, while the caecum retention time (CRT) did not differ between the two species in Treatment A (group feeding). The comparison between group (Treatment A) and individual feeding (Treatment B) in goats or in sheep has shown that there were no significant differences as RRT, CRT, TT and MRT concerns. In conclusion, animal species (sheep vs. goat) was the main factor which affected the MRT, RRT and TT when the animals were fed in groups with the same diet, amount of food and F/C ratio, while the feeding technique (group vs. individual) had no effect on those parameters in both animal species.     

Dynamic cation-exchange systems for the separation of drugs derived from butyrophenone and diphenylpiperidine by high-performance liquid chromatography and applied in the determination of halopemide in plasma

Dynamic (solvent generated) cation-exchange systems for the separation of drugs and main metabolites derived from butyrophenone and diphenylpiperidine (haloperidol, pimozide, halopemide) were investigated.The effect of organic modifier, detergent, counter-ion concentration and of the pH on the retention has been determined. The results show that variation of these parameters permits adjustment of the retention of these drugs over a wide range.The dynamic cation-exchange system developed was applied to the determination of halopemide and its main metabolite in plasma. The precision and detection limit of the method and the extraction efficiency were established. The time course of halopemide and plasma levels of patients chronically receiving halopemide are reported.     

A rapid and accurate UPLC/MS/MS method for the determination of benzodiazepines in human urine

A rapid, sensitive, and specific ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC/MS/MS) assay method for simultaneous determination of 13 benzodiazepine compounds in human urine was developed and validated. Aliquots of 0.5 mL of urine specimens were used for the analysis and the benzodiazepines were extracted by single step methanol (containing 0.2% formic acid) precipitation and then separated on a BEH C18 (50 mm × 2.1 mm, 1.7 μm) analytical column with the temperature maintained at 45°C. The mobile phases consisted of methanol and water (both containing 0.2% formic acid) and the flow rate was 0.4 mL/min. The TQ detector, equipped with an electrospray ionization ion source, was set up with a positive mode. The acquisitions were performed in multiple-reaction monitoring (MRM) and the limit of quantification was 20 ng/mL for all of the 13 compounds. The low limits of detections (LODs) of the benzodiazepines in this method were between 0.5 and 2 ng/mL. The chromatographic separation time was 4 min and calibration curves in human urine were generated over the range of 20-2000 ng/mL. The method validation parameters such as accuracy, precision, carryover, recovery, stability, and specificity for all of the 13 compounds were within the acceptable range. This method is suitable for the high throughput screening of benzodiazepines in clinical laboratories.     

Capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence and pre-column derivatization for the analysis of illicit drugs

In the current paper, we report the development of a new capillary electrophoresis method using pre-column derivatization and laser-induced fluorescence detection for the determination of ephedrine and amphetamine drugs. Our new method allows for the identification and quantification of six commonly used illicit drugs namely pseudoephedrine, ephedrine, amphetamine, methamphetamine, 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine, and 3,4-methylenedioxymethylamphetamine, respectively, as well as propafenone (internal standard). Following derivatization with fluorescein isothiocyanate, a total of six amphetamine drugs and the internal standard could readily be separated using a fused-silica 75 micromID x 60 cm length (effective length: 50.2 cm) capillary column. The mobile phase consisted of buffer containing 20mM borate (pH 12, adjusted with sodium hydroxide). Samples were injected in pressure mode with the capillary being operated at 25kV/25 degrees C, and the detection of the derivatized compounds was sought using a laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) detector (lambda(ex)=488 nm and lambda(em)=520 nm), with a run-time of 20 min. The current method was validated with regard to precision (relative standard deviation, RSD), accuracy, sensitivity, linear range, limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ). In human blood and urine samples, detection limits were 0.2 ngmL(-1), and the linear range of the calibration curves was 0.5-100 ngmL(-1). The intra-day and inter-day precisions were both less than 13.22%.     

Simultaneous determination of cytosine arabinoside,daunorubicin and etoposide in human plasma

A method for simultaneous bioanalysis of the three cytotoxic drugs cytosine arabinoside, daunorubicin and etoposide in human plasma was developed and validated. A HPLC method with ultra-violet and fluorescence detection, preceded by mixed-mode cation-exchange solid phase extraction sample preparation, was used for the quantification of the analytes. The assay was used for the simultaneous measurement of cytosine arabinoside, daunorubicin and etoposide with linearity in the ranges of 13–1500 ng/mL, 15–1000 ng/mL and 52.5–3500 ng/mL, respectively. The chromatographic run-time was 15.5 min. The overall precision (% relative standard deviation) was within 0.2–13.5% and the recovery ranged between 86.1% and 110.1% for the three drugs at all concentrations tested. Plasma samples were stable for at least two months when stored at −20 °C. The method was successfully applied to quantification of the three drugs in blood samples from patients undergoing induction treatment for acute myeloid leukaemia, thus demonstrating its suitability for clinical studies.     

Simultaneous detection of residues of β-adrenergic receptor blockers and sedatives in animal tissues by high-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry

A method using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC–MS/MS) was developed to screen and confirm residues of multi-class veterinary drugs in animal tissues (porcine kidney, liver, muscle; bovine muscle). Thirty target drugs (19 β-blockers, 11 sedatives) were determined simultaneously in a single run. Homogenized tissue samples were extracted with acetonitrile and purified using a NH₂ solid-phase extraction cartridge. An Acquity UPLC? BEH C18 column was used to separate the analytes, followed by tandem mass spectrometry using an electrospray ionization source in positive mode. Recovery studies were done at three fortification levels. Overall average recoveries in pig muscle, kidney, and liver fortified at three levels from 76.4% to 118.6% based on matrix-fortified calibration with coefficients of variation from 2.2% to 19.9% (n = 6). The limit of quantification of these compounds in different matrices was 0.5–2.0 μg/kg. This method was successfully applied in screening and confirming target drugs in >200 samples.     

Simple, sensitive and rapid LC-MS method for the quantitation of indapamide in human plasma--application to pharmacokinetic studies

A sensitive and specific method using liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS) has been developed and validated for the identification and quantification of indapamide in human plasma. A simple liquid-liquid extraction procedure was followed by injection of the extracts on to a C18 column with gradient elution and detection using a single quadrupole mass spectrometer in selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode. The method was tested using six different plasma batches. Linearity was established for the concentration range 0.5-100.0 ng/ml, with a coefficient of determination (r) of 0.9998 and good back-calculated accuracy and precision. The intra- and inter-day precision (RSD%) was lower than 10%, and accuracy ranged from 85 to 115%. The lower limit of quantification was reproducible at 0.2 ng/ml with 0.2 ml plasma. The proposed method enables the unambiguous identification and quantification of indapamide for pre-clinical and clinical studies.     

Direct detection and quantification of 19-norandrosterone sulfate in human urine by liquid chromatography-linear ion trap mass spectrometry

19-Norandrosterone sulfate (19-NAS) is the sulfoconjugated form of 19-norandrosterone (19-NA), the major metabolite of the steroid nandrolone. A sensitive and accurate liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) assay was developed for the direct measurement of 19-NAS in human urine samples. The method involved a quaternary amine SPE protocol and subsequently injection of the extract onto an analytical column (Uptisphere ODB, 150 mm x 3.0 mm, 5 microm) for chromatographic separation and mass spectrometry detection in negative electrospray ionisation mode. The sulfoconjugate of 19-NA was identified in urine by comparison of mass spectra and retention time with a reference substance. The limit of detection (LOD) and lowest limit of quantification (LLOQ) of 19-NAS were of 40 pg/mL and 200 pg/mL, respectively. For a nominal concentration of 2 ng/mL, recovery (94%), intra-day precision (2.7%), intra-assay precision (6.6%) and inter-assay precision (14.3%) were determined. Finally, this analytical method was applied for quantifying the concentration of 19-NAS in doping samples, using calibration curves (0.2-20 ng/mL) and the standard-addition method. The results show the feasibility of applying this LC-MS/MS assay as a complementary tool to detect misuse of nandrolone or nandrolone precursors.     

Quantitative analysis of melphalan and its major hydrolysate in patients and animals by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography

The detection of 4-bis-(2-hydroxyethyl)amino-1-phenylalanine (l-DOH) in blood samples taken from patients after treatment with melphalan [4-bis-(2-chloroethyl)amino-1-phenylalanine, l-PAM] suggests that the quantification of this major hydrolysate of l-PAM can be of considerable importance in l-PAM chemotherapy. A reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic procedure has been developed for the quantitative analysis of both l-PAM and l-DOH in biological samples, with a detection sensitivity of 0.1 ppm. This method provides a distinct separation of l-PAM (retention time 12 min) and l-DOH (retention time 6.5 min), with no interference from the biological background (retention time 1.4–3 min).     

Rapid and sensitive static headspace gas chromatography-mass spectrometry method for the analysis of ethanol and abused inhalants in blood

A sensitive and specific method using static headspace gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/MS) has been developed for the quantitative determination of ethanol in biological fluids using n-propanol as internal standard. Gas chromatography was performed in isothermal mode with a GC run time of 2.6 min. The quantification was performed using scan mode abstracting a quantitative ion and a qualifier ion for ethanol and for the internal standard. The method was linear (r(2), 0.999, in the concentration range of 5-200 mg/dl), specific (no interference from methanol acetaldehyde, acetone or from endogenous materials), sensitive (limit of quantification and limit of detection of 0.2 and 0.02 mg/dl, respectively) and robust (less than 5% inter- and intra-assay coefficient of variation). A slightly modified method was also developed for the quantification of five commonly abused inhalants (dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, benzene, toluene and xylene) in blood. The method used a gradient GC program with a run time of 8 min. The quantification was performed using scan mode and integrating the area under the peak using trichloroethane as an internal standard. Without optimization, the method was linear (from 5 to 100 mg/l) and sensitive.     

Simultaneous determination and quantification of seven major phospholipid classes in human blood using normal-phase liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray mass spectrometry and the application in diabetes nephropathy

A rapid and specific analytical method for simultaneous determination and quantification of seven major phospholipid classes in human blood was developed by normal-phase high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. The optimal separation was achieved by using mobile phase hexane (A) and 2-propanol with water, formic acid and ammonia as modifiers (B) using an HPLC diol column. Isocratic elution method was used for better repeatability and no balance time. The seven major phospholipid classes in human blood that were detected including phosphatidylserine (PS), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidylglycerol (PG), phosphatidylinositol (PI) phosphatidylcholine (PC), lysophosphatidylcholine (Lyso-PC), and sphingomyelin (SM). That can be separated in this condition. Every phospholipid class contains many molecular species which have similar structure. The structure of phospholipids molecular species was identified by ion-trap MS(n) which produced ion fragments. And the qualification was completed by TOF-MS which shows good accuracy. Through the accurate quantification of one representative phospholipids molecule in each class, a method for simultaneous estimation hundreds of molecular species in seven major classes was established. The intra-day and inter-day precision and recovery had been investigated in detail. The RSD of precision for most compound is below 8% and RE is below 10%. Recovery is almost over 80%. This method was applied to phospholipids disorder related with diabetes nephropathy successfully. The concentrations of most phospholipids for normal people are higher than that for diabetic nephropathy (DN) patients in three phases. For most of phospholipids, with the development of DN the concentration was decreasing.