Analysis of phenoxyacetic acid herbicides as biomarkers in human urine using liquid chromatography/triple quadrupole mass spectrometry.

Phenoxyacetic acids are widely used herbicides. The toxicity of phenoxyacetic acids is debated, but high-level exposure has been shown to be hepatotoxic as well as nephrotoxic in animal studies. An inter-species difference in toxic effects has been found, with dogs particularly susceptible. In this study a method using liquid chromatography/triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) is described for the analysis of 4-chloro-2-methylphenoxyacetic acid (MCPA), and its metabolite 4-chloro-2-hydroxymethylphenoxyacetic acid (HMCPA), 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), and 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5-T) in human urine. The urine samples were treated by acid hydrolysis to degrade possible conjugations. The sample preparation was performed using solid-phase extraction. Analysis was carried out using selected reaction monitoring (SRM) in the negative ion mode. Quantification of the phenoxyacetic acids was performed using [(2)H(3)]-labeled MCPA and 2,4-D as internal standards. The method was linear in the range 0.05-310 ng/mL urine and has a within-run precision of 2-5%. The between-run precision in lower concentration ranges was between 6-15% and between 2-8% in higher concentration ranges. The limit of detection was determined to 0.05 ng/mL. The metabolites in urine were found to be stable during storage at -20 degrees C. To validate the phenoxyacetic acids as biomarkers of exposure, the method was applied in a human experimental oral exposure to MCPA, 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T. Two healthy volunteers received 200 microg of each phenoxyacetic acid in a single oral dose followed by urine sampling for 72 h post-exposure. After exposure, between 90 and 101% of the dose was recovered in the urine. In the female subject, 23%, and in the male subject 17%, of MCPA was excreted as HMCPA.

Analysis of 3,5-dichloroaniline as a biomarker of vinclozolin and iprodione in human urine using liquid chromatography/triple quadrupole mass spectrometry.

The fungicides vinclozolin and iprodione are widely used in agriculture. These pesticides are dicarboximide fungicides containing the common moiety 3,5-dichloroaniline (3,5-DCA). It has been suggested that low-level exposures to such compounds may be associated with adverse health effects such as endocrine disruption. In this study a method using liquid chromatography/triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) was developed for the analysis of 3,5-DCA as a biomarker of exposure to these fungicides in human urine. The urine samples were treated by basic hydrolysis to degrade the fungicides, their metabolites and conjugates to 3,5-DCA. The 3,5-DCA was then extracted using toluene and derivatized using pentafluoropropionic anhydride (PFPA). Analysis of the derivative was carried out using selected reaction monitoring (SRM) in the negative ion mode. Quantification of the derivative was performed using [(13)C(6)]-labeled 3,4-DCA as an internal standard with good precision and linearity in the range 0.1-200 ng/mL urine. The limit of detection was determined to be 0.1 ng/mL. The metabolites in urine were found to be stable during storage at -20 degrees C. To validate 3,5-DCA as a biomarker the method was applied in a human experimental exposure to iprodione and vinclozolin. Two healthy volunteers received 200 microg single oral doses of each pesticide followed by urine sampling during 72-120 h post-exposure. Between 78-107% of the dose was recovered as 3,5-DCA in the urine after exposure.

Determination of cortisol in human saliva using liquid chromatography-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry.

The aim of this work was to develop a method for determination of cortisol in saliva by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS). Saliva was sampled on Salivette tubes. These were centrifuged, deuterium-labeled cortisol was added as internal standard and the proteins precipitated by acetonitrile. The supernatant was evaporated, dissolved in methanol acidified with acetic acid and analyzed by LC-MS-MS. The with-in run precision, tested by pooling saliva samples from volunteers and then analyzing these in a single run, was found to be 7% at 0.7 microgram l(-1). The between-run precision was tested by analysis of the same samples at different days and found to be 11% at 2.5 microgram l(-1). The limit of quantification was 0.5 microgram l(-1). The method was applied for analysis of saliva samples from three volunteers during their last week before vacation and the first and second week on vacation. In addition, the method was compared to analysis by an immunological method. The values from the immunological method were 2.7 times higher than the LC-MS-MS results.