Analysis of creatine and creatinine in urine by capillary electrophoresis

Creatine is found in the urine of subjects ingesting creatine monohydrate as an ergogenic aid. Creatinine, the catabolic breakdown product of creatine, is a major constituent of normal urine. It is of interest to follow the excretion of creatine and creatinine in urine as a function of time after creatine ingestion. In this study, creatine and creatinine were analyzed in urine by capillary electrophoresis. The optimization of the method was discussed, with the best results being obtained using a 30 mM phosphate–150 mM sodium dodecyl sulfate buffer at pH 6, with the detector set at 214 nm and an applied voltage of 15 kV across a 45 cm capillary. Verification of the method was provided by HPLC analysis and spiking. The application of the method was demonstrated by analysis of creatine and creatinine in urine samples collected in a 24-h period following creatine ingestion.     

An approach for the development and selection of chromatographic methods for high-throughput metabolomic screening of urine by ultra pressure LC-ESI-ToF-MS

Since the components of a sample for open metabolomic analysis are unknown a priori a pragmatic approach to method development has been taken in order to develop and select a chromatographic method suitable for high-throughput open metabolomic screening of urine by Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (UPLC-MS). A total of 848 injections of diluted rat urine were made onto a UPLC-ESI-ToF-MS system using several different gradient profiles and run times to determine a suitable method for analysis of urine from male and female rats. Peak integral and multivariate data analysis were performed to investigate the quality of separation and information obtained from these multiple analyses. A suitable 8 min method was selected and is now used routinely for open profiling metabolomic analyses of urine. The use of a sample-relevant QC mix is also discussed. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Use of Pyromark Q96 ID pyrosequencing system in identifying bacterial pathogen directly with urine specimens for diagnosis of urinary tract infections

Detection and identification of bacterial etiology in urine is critical for accurate diagnosis and subsequent rational treatment of urinary tract infections (UTIs). Urine culture followed by a series of biochemical reactions is currently the standard method for detecting and distinguishing microorganisms associated with UTIs. The whole procedure commonly takes more than 24 h. Here we developed a new system combining 16S rRNA gene broad-range PCR with pyrosequencing technology that allows for bacteria detection and identification in urine in 5 h. To evaluate this system for rapid diagnosis of bacteriuria, 768 urine specimens were collected from patients with suspected UTIs and were tested side-by-side using standard urine culture-based identification method and the pyrosequencing method. The results from pyrosequencing correlated well with those from traditional culture-based identification method. The overall agreement between these two methods reached 98.0% (753/768). In addition, we tested the sensitivity of pyrosequencing method and determined that urine bacterial numbers as low as 10⁴ cfu/ml could be accurately detected and identified. In conclusion, compared with traditional biochemical method, the PCR-pyrosequencing system significantly improved the detection and identification of bacteriuria with shorter time, higher accuracy, and higher throughput, thus allowing earlier pathogen-adapted antibiotic therapy for patients.     

Time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay for equol in plasma and urine

We present a method for the determination of the isoflavan equol in plasma and urine. This estrogenic isoflavan, which is formed by the action of the intestinal microflora, may have higher biological activity than its precursor daidzein. High urinary excretion of equol has been suggested to be associated with a reduction in breast cancer risk. The method is based on time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay, using a europium chelate as a label. After synthesis of 4′-O-carboxymethylequol the compound is coupled to bovine serum albumin (BSA), then used as antigen to immunize rabbits. The tracer with the europium chelate is synthesized using the same 4′-O-derivative of equol. After enzymatic hydrolysis (urine) or enzymatic hydrolysis and ether extraction (plasma) the immunoassay is carried out. The antiserum cross-reacted to variable extent with some isoflavonoids. For the plasma method the cross-reactivity does not seem to influence the results, which were highly specific. The overestimation of the values using the urine method (164%) compared to the results obtained by a gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) method is probably due to some influence of the matrix on the signal, and interference of structurally related compounds. It is suggested that plasma assays are used but if urine samples are measured a formula has to be used to correct the values making them comparable to the GC–MS results. The correlation coefficients between the time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay (TR-FIA) methods and GC–MS methods were high; r-values for the plasma and urine method, were 0.98 and 0.91, respectively. The intra-assay coefficient of variation (CV%) for the TR-FIA plasma and urine results at three different concentrations vary between 5.5–6.5 and 3.4–6.9, respectively. The inter-assay CV% varies between 5.4–9.7 and 7.4–7.7, respectively. The working ranges of the plasma and urine assay are 1.27–512 and 1.9–512 nmol/l, respectively.     

A computational method for prediction of excretory proteins and application to identification of gastric cancer markers in urine

A novel computational method for prediction of proteins excreted into urine is presented. The method is based on the identification of a list of distinguishing features between proteins found in the urine of healthy people and proteins deemed not to be urine excretory. These features are used to train a classifier to distinguish the two classes of proteins. When used in conjunction with information of which proteins are differentially expressed in diseased tissues of a specific type versus control tissues, this method can be used to predict potential urine markers for the disease. Here we report the detailed algorithm of this method and an application to identification of urine markers for gastric cancer. The performance of the trained classifier on 163 proteins was experimentally validated using antibody arrays, achieving >80% true positive rate. By applying the classifier on differentially expressed genes in gastric cancer vs normal gastric tissues, it was found that endothelial lipase (EL) was substantially suppressed in the urine samples of 21 gastric cancer patients versus 21 healthy individuals. Overall, we have demonstrated that our predictor for urine excretory proteins is highly effective and could potentially serve as a powerful tool in searches for disease biomarkers in urine in general.     

Quantitative analysis of 6,11-dihydro-11-oxo-dibenz[b,e] oxepin-2-acetic acid (isoxepac) in plasma and urine by gas-liquid chromatography

A method is described for the quantitative analysis of 6,11-dihydro-11-oxo-dibenz[b,e] - oxepin-2-acetic acid (isoxepac) in plasma and urine. Isoxepac and internal standard are extracted from acidified plasma and urine, converted to the corresponding methyl esters and analysed by gas—liquid chromatography using a flame ionization detector. The method is accurate and precise over the range 0.1–30 μg/ml. The method has been applied to the analysis of plasma and urine from both healthy volunteers and patients receiving therapeutic oral doses of isoxepac.     

Determination of pilocarpine, isopilocarpine, pilocarpic acid and isopilocarpic acid in human plasma and urine by high-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometric detection

A method is described for the determination of pilocarpine and its degradation products isopilocarpine, pilocarpic acid and isopilocarpic acid in human plasma and urine. The method is based on a simple sample preparation step – ultrafiltration for plasma and dilution for urine samples – followed by a reversed-phase liquid chromatographic separation of the analytes and detection by means of tandem mass spectrometry. Parameters affecting the performance of these steps are discussed. The high sensitivity and selectivity of the method allow low ng/ml concentrations to be determined for all compounds in plasma and undiluted urine, which enables the investigation of the metabolic fate and elimination of pilocarpine after oral administration to humans.     

Automated column-switching high-performance liquid chromatography for the determination of aflatoxin M1

An extractionless method for determining aflatoxin M1 (AFM1), a major metabolite of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), in human urine was developed. The biological fluid is injected directly into the chromatographic system after simple dilution and centrifugation. A pre-column, packed with a cation-exchange phase and coupled on-line to a column-switching liquid chromatography (LC) system, is used for sample pre-treatment and concentration. The analytes are non-selectively desorbed with the LC eluent and cleaned by means of a column-switching procedure. Pre-treatment and analysis were performed within 40 min. Average AFM1 recovery reached 97% in the 10–100 ng/l range of urine. The detection limit of AFM1 in urine and milk was 2.5 ng/l for 1 ml of injected sample. A comparison with an immunoaffinity column clean-up and LC method was performed. The method was applied to determine AFM1 in the urine of AFB1 gavaged rats, and in the urine of both potentially exposed and supposedly unexposed workers. The method was also extended to milk.     

Routine analysis of amphetamine class drugs as their naphthaquinone derivatives in human urine by high-performance liquid chromatography

We describe a simple HPLC method which is suitable for the routine confirmation of immunoassay positive amphetamine urine samples. The precolumn derivisation method employing sodium naphthaquinone-4-sulphonate was found to have adequate sensitivity, selectivity and precision for the measurement of amphetamine, methamphetamine, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), and 3,4-methylenedioxyethylamphetamine (MDEA) at 500 μg/l cutoff level for confirmatory analysis of amphetamines in urine. The specificity of the method is enhanced by detecting the peaks at two different wavelengths. The ratios of the peak heights measured at the two wavelengths were different for each of the 5 amphetamines analysed. There was no interference from other phenylethylamine analogues that are commonly found in “over the counter” preparations. The HPLC method is compared to a commercial TLC system for detecting amphetamines in urine of drug abusers attending drug rehabilitation programmes. The HPLC confirmatory method described is a viable alternative to GC or to the more complex and costly GC–MS techniques for confirming amphetamine, methamphetamine, MDMA, MDA and MDEA in urine of drug abusers especially when used in a clinical care setting     

Determination of pramipexole (U-98,528) in human plasma and urine by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical and ultraviolet detection

A sensitive and selective high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method was developed for the determination of pramipexole in human plasma and urine. Plasma/urine is made alkaline before pramipexole and BHT-920 (internal standard) are extracted by ethyl ether and back-extracted with a solution that contains heptanesulfonic acid. Separation is achieved by ion-pair chromatography on a Zorbax Rx C₈ column with electrochemical detection at 0.6 V for plasma and ultraviolet detection at 286 nm for urine. The retention times of pramipexole and internal standard are approximately 14.4 and 10.7 min, respectively. The assay is linear in concentration ranges of 50 to 15 000 pg/ml (plasma) and 10 to 10 000 ng/ml (urine). The correlation coefficients are greater than 0.9992 for all curves. For the plasma method, the analysis of pooled quality controls (300, 3000, and 10 000 pg/ml) demonstrates excellent precision with relative standard deviations (R.S.D.) (n=18) of 1.1%, 2.3%, and 6.8%, respectively. For the urine method, quality control pools prepared at 30, 300, and 3000 ng/ml had R.S.D. values (n=18) of 2.9%, 1.7%, and 3.0%, respectively. The plasma and urine controls were stable for more than nine and three months, respectively. The mean recoveries for pramipexole and internal standard from plasma were 97.7% and 98.2%, respectively. The mean recoveries for pramipexole and internal standard from urine were 89.8% and 95.1%, respectively. The method is accurate with all intra-day (n=6) and overall (n=18) mean values for the quality control samples being less than 6.4 and 5.8% from theoretical for plasma and urine, respectively.     

High-performance liquid chromatographic method for the quantitative analysis of a synthetic copolymer with antitumor activity (copovithane) and methylamine in human blood plasma and urine

A method for the determination of a synthetic polymeric compound with antitumor activity (copovithane) and methylamine in blood plasma and urine is described. Copovithane is prepared by radical polymerisation of a diurethane with N-vinylpyrrolidone.The method is based on high-performance liquid chromatography of the methylamine hydrochloride which arises during the hydrochloric acid hydrolysis of the parent substance. The methylamine hydrochloride is converted to the trinitrobenzenesulphonyl derivative for the purpose of chromatographic detection.The limit of determination for copovithane in blood plasma is 1.2 mg/l and in urine 1.5 mg/day. The determination limit for methylamine in blood plasma is 0.2 mg/1 and in urine 0.3 mg/day. The imprecision is dependent on the sample, and amounts to ± 6.8% for blood plasma and ± 6.4% for urine.     

Solid-phase extraction and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry determination of kaempferol and quercetin in human urine after consumption of Ginkgo biloba tablets

A method was developed for the quantification of the flavonoids quercetin and kaempferol in human urine using a solid-phase extraction procedure followed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Deuterated internal standards of the analytes were spiked into the samples prior to extraction. The limit of detection of the method was ca. 10 pg on column and precision of the method for quantification in a sample of urine was ±9.40% for kaempferol and ±7.34% for quercetin (n=6). The levels of quercetin and kaempferol found in urine samples were only a small fraction of the amount ingested. The treatment of urine samples with β-glucuronidase markedly increased the levels of flavonoids detected, supporting the view that kaempferol and quercetin are eliminated in the urine as glucuronides.     

Survival of enteric bacteria and coliphage MS2 in pure human urine

Aims:  The survival of Escherichia coli , Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, Enterococcus faecalis and coliphage MS2 was studied in stored, fresh and diluted (1 : 1) human urine at 15 and 30°C.
Methods and Results:  Survival rate was studied by the plate count method. All the organisms showed rapid inactivation in stored urine, but they survived better in diluted and fresh urine. The high pH level and temperature were the major factors found to influence the survival of the micro-organisms with the survival rate being higher at 15°C than at 30°C.
Conclusions:  The destruction of all micro-organisms in stored urine required <1 week at 30°C. Thus, the storage of urine is a useful way to reduce the risk of contamination while using urine as a fertilizer.
Significance and Impact of the Study:  The urine fertilization is aimed for the developing countries and the high temperatures in these countries may hasten the destruction of micro-organisms in urine. On the contrary, a higher survival rate of these organisms in fresh and diluted urine is a public health concern because the dilution of urine with water is likely to happen during flushing.     

Determination of a guanosine—malonaldehyde adduct in urine by high-performance liquid chromatography with a thiobarbituric acid reaction detector

A new method for the determination of a guanosine—malonaldehyde adduct, β- -ribofuranosylpyrimido[1,2-a]purin-10(3H)-one (GMA), in rat and human urine is described. The method involves rapid pretreatment using, in sequence, polyamide, ion-exchange and reversed-phase cartridges; determination is by means of high-performance liquid chromatography with a thiobarbituric acid reactor in series with a fluorescence detector. This device can quantitatively determine the adduct at the sub-picomole level. This rapid, selective and sensitive method is suitable for the determination of guanine—malonaldehyde adducts in biological samples, such as human and rat urine. A semi-preparative method for the extraction and purification of these adducts from rat urine and for their identification by mass spectrometry and high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection is also reported.     

Direct determination of estriol 3- and 16-glucuronides in pregnancy urine by column-switching high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection

An HPLC method for the direct and simultaneous determination of estriol 3- and 16-glucuronides in pregnancy urine is described. The method is based on direct derivatization of the glucuronic acid moiety in estriol glucuronides in urine with 6,7-dimethoxy-1-methyl-2(1H)-quinoxalinone-3-propionylcarboxylic acid hydrazide. The derivatization reaction proceeds in aqueous solution (or urine sample) in the presence of pyridine and 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide at 37°C. The resulting fluorescent derivatives were separated by column-switching chromatography using a first column (YMC-Pack C₄) for clean-up of the derivatives and a second column (YMC Pack Ph) for the complete separation of the derivatives. The derivatives were detected spectrofluorimetrically at 445 nm with excitation at 367 nm. The detection limits (signal-to-noise ratio=3) for estriol 3- and 16-glucuronides were 150 and 180 fmol in a 5 μl of urine (14 and 17 ng ml⁻¹ urine), respectively. The present method is highly sensitive and simple without any clean-up such as conventional solid-phase extraction.     

Simultaneous detection of methylphenidate and its main metabolite, ritalinic acid, in doping control

Two analytical methods for the simultaneous detection in urine of methylphenidate and its main metabolite, ritalinic acid, are described. Both procedures are based on solid-phase extraction of urine samples on Bond Elut Certify columns, and capillary gas chromatographic—mass spectrometric detection of O-trimethylsilyl, N-trifluoroacetyl derivatives. The former method is used as a general screening procedure for the detection of basic polar nitrogen-containing compounds in urine such as stimulants, narcotic and adrenergic drugs. The latter procedure is proposed as a specific method to confirm methylphenidate ingestion. The two methods are sensitive enough to detect methylphenidate and ritalinic acid in urine at least for 24 h after administration of a therapeutic dose (20 mg oral dose) of methylphenidate.     

Qualitative and quantitative analysis of some synthetic, chemically acting laxatives in urine by gas chromatography—mass spectrometry

A method for the qualitative and quantitative simultaneous analysis of dioxyanthraquinone, desacetyl-Bisacodyl, phenolphthalein and Oxyphenisatin in human urine using gas chromatography—mass spectrometry (GC—MS) has been developed. The compounds were extracted from urine at pH 7.5 with diethyl ether using Extrelut extraction columns, followed by evaporation and trimethylsilylation.The method used electron beam ionization GC—MS employing a computer-controlled multiple-ion detector (mass fragmentography). The recovery from urine for the various compounds was between 80% and 100%. The detection limit for these compounds was in the range 0.01–0.05 μg/ml of urine.The method proved to be suitable for measuring urine concentrations for at least four days after administration of a single oral low therapeutic dose of the laxatives to sixteen healthy volunteers.     

Quantification of 8-oxo-guanine and guanine as the nucleobase, nucleoside and deoxynucleoside forms in human urine by high-performance liquid chromatography–electrospray tandem mass spectrometry

Oxidative DNA damage, linked pathogenically to a variety of diseases such as cancer and ageing, can be investigated by measuring specific DNA repair products in urine. Within the last decade, since it was established that such products were excreted into urine, progress in their analysis in urine has been limited. Guanine is the DNA base most prone to oxidation. We present a method for determination of the urinary 8-hydroxylated species of guanine, based on direct injection of urine onto a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)–tandem mass spectrometry system. The analysis covers the 8-hydroxylated base, ribonucleoside and deoxynucleoside, and the corresponding non-oxidised species. Without pre-treatment of urine the detection limits for the nucleobases are ~2 nM (50 fmol injected) and for the nucleosides ~0.5 nM (12.5 fmol injected). Previously, liquid chromatography of the nucleobases has been problematic but is made possible by low-temperature reverse-phase C18 chromatography, a method that increases retention on the column. In the case of the nucleosides, retention was almost total and provides a means for on-column concentration of larger urine samples and controlled high peak gradient elution. The total excretion of 8-hydroylated guanine species was 212 nmol/24 h. The oxidised base accounted for 64%, the ribonucleoside for 23% and the deoxynucleoside for 13%, indicating substantial oxidation of RNA in humans. In rat urine, excretion of the oxidised base was more dominant, the percentages of the oxidised base, ribonucleoside and deoxynucleosides being 89, 8 and 3%. This finding is at odds with previous reports using immunoaffinity pre-purification and HPLC–electrochemical detection analysis. The developed method now makes it possible to measure oxidative nucleic acid stress to both RNA and DNA in epidemiological and intervention settings, and our findings indicate a substantial RNA oxidation in addition to DNA oxidation. The small volume needed also makes the method applicable to small experimental animals.     

Simultaneous quantitation of ephedrines in urine by gas chromatography–nitrogen–phosphorus detection for doping control purposes

A gas chromatographic method for the simultaneous quantitation of ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, norephedrine (phenylpropanolamine), norpseudoephedrine (cathine) and methylephedrine in urine is described. The method consists of a liquid–liquid extraction with tert.-butyl methyl ether at pH 14. The extracts are analysed on a GC system equipped with an Rtx-5 Amine column and a nitrogen–phosphorus detector. Method validation shows excellent separation, linearity, specificity, accuracy, precision, intra-laboratory repeatability and reproducibility, making the method especially suitable for quantitation of ephedrines in urine samples for doping control purposes. A statistical analysis on the abuse of the different ephedrines in urine from athletes controlled in the Flemish doping control laboratory during the period 1993–2000 is included.     

Determination of opiates in urine by capillary electrophoresis

A method for the separation of a mixture of opiates comprising pholcodine, 6-monoacetylmorphine, morphine, heroin, codeine and dihydrocodeine by capillary electrophoresis using a running buffer of 100 mM disodium hydrogenphosphate at pH 6 is described. The characteristics of an analytical method based on this separation for the determination of these drugs following extraction from urine and using levallorphan as internal standard are reported. Detection limits in the region of 10 ng cm⁻³ are achieved when using electrokinetic injection. A comparison is made of the sensitivity and reproducibility of electrokinetic and hydrodynamic injection for these drugs. Data are presented to show the results obtained when the proposed method is applied to urine spiked with all the above opiates and also to urine from a subject following consumption of dihydrocodeine and pholcodine. The concentrations found are compared with those obtained by LC.