Electron Capture vs Transfer Dissociation for Site Determination of Tryptic Peptide Tyrosine Sulfation: Direct Detection of Fibrinogen Sulfation Sites and Identification of Novel Isobaric Interferences.

Tyrosine sulfation, an understudied but crucial post-translational modification, cannot be directly detected in conventional nanoflow liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (nanoLC-MS/MS) due to the extreme sulfate lability. Here, we report the detection of sulfate-retaining fragments from LC-electron capture dissociation (ECD) and nanoLC-electron transfer higher energy collision dissociation (EThcD). Sulfopeptide candidates were identified by Proteome Discoverer and MSFragger analysis of nanoLC-HCD MS/MS data and added to inclusion lists for LC-ECD or nanoLC-EThcD MS/MS. When this approach failed, targeted LC-ECD with fixed m/z isolation windows was performed. For the plasma protein fibrinogen, the known pyroglutamylated sulfopeptide QFPTDYDEGQDDRPK from the beta chain N-terminus was identified despite a complete lack of sulfate-containing fragment ions. The peptide QVGVEHHVEIEYD from the gamma-B chain C-terminus was also identified as sulfated or phosphorylated. This sulfopeptide is not annotated in Uniprot but was previously reported. MSFragger further identified a cysteine-containing peptide from the middle of the gamma chain as sulfated and deamidated. NanoLC-EThcD and LC-ECD MS/MS confirmed the two former sulfopeptides via sulfate-retaining fragment ions, whereas an unexpected fragmentation pattern was observed for the third sulfopeptide candidate. Manual interpretation of the LC-ECD spectrum revealed two additional isobaric identifications: a trisulfide-linked cysteinyl-glycine or a carbamidomethyl-dithiothreiotol covalent adduct. Synthesis of such adducts confirmed the latter identity.

New and validated RP-HPLC Method for Quantification of Safinamide Mesylate in Presence of Its Basic Degradate, Levodopa and Ondansetron: Application to Human Plasma.

A simple, precise, rapid and accurate reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) method was developed and validated for analysis of safinamide mesylate (SAF) in presence of its basic degradate, and co-administered drugs levodopa and ondansetron. The mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile and 20 mM potassium dihyrogen orthophosphate buffer having pH = 5 (40: 60 v/v). Quantification was achieved with ultraviolet detector at 226 nm. The linear range was 0.5-10 µg/mL with mean recovery ± SD of 99.72 ± 1.59. The peak purity of SAF in pharmaceutical preparation spiked with its degradate and co-administered drugs revealed symmetry factor (999.8) within the calculated threshold (>998.1). The suggested method was validated in compliance with the International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) guidelines and statistically compared with the manufacturer HPLC method with no significant difference in terms of accuracy and precision. The assay method was successfully used to estimate SAF in tablets with good percentage recoveries. The high sensitivity (lower than Cmax of the drug 0.65 µg/mL) of the proposed HPLC method enabled the determination of SAF in presence of its basic degradate and co-administered drug, ondansetron in human plasma with acceptable accuracy. The suggested HPLC method could be used in Quality Control (QC) lab for analysis of the studied drug in pharmaceutical preparation.

Validated RP-HPLC Method for Simultaneous Determination of Ribavirin, Sofosbuvir and Daclatasvir in Human Plasma: A Treatment Protocol Administered to HCV Patients in Egypt.

Egypt has the highest prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the world thus it launched a national program for eliminating HCV aiming to treat 300,000 HCV patients per year. Three anti-HCV co-administered drugs; ribavirin (RBV), sofosbuvir (SF) daclatasvir (DAC) were simultaneously determined in human plasma by a validated, simple and sensitive RP-HPLC method using propyl paraben as an internal standard. Liquid-liquid extraction using ethyl acetate was used for samples extraction. Chromatographic separation was achieved on Scharlau® C18 column (250 × 4.6 mm2, 5 µm). Gradient elution was employed with a mobile phase mixture of water and acetonitrile at a flow rate 1 mL/min. UV detection using photodiode array detector was carried out at 207, 260 and 312 nm for RBV, SF and DAC, respectively. Method validation was performed according to the FDA guidelines for bioanalytical method validation. The calibration curves were linear over the ranges (0.5-80, 0.1-40 and 0.5-80 µg/mL) with average recoveries (100.64-108.28%, 98.48-105.91% and 97.68-101.38%) for RBV, SF and DAC, respectively. The intra-day and inter-day precision and accuracy results were within the acceptable limits. Stability assays revealed that the three studied analytes were stable during sample storage, preparation and injection. The method can be successfully applied in routine analysis of plasma of HCV patients treated with this combination therapy which aids in therapeutic drug monitoring and patients' follow-up especially in Egypt and other developing countries fighting HCV.

Stability-Indicating RP-UPLC Method for Simultaneous Determination of Azilsartan Medoxomil and Chlorthalidone in Tablets in the Presence of Its Degradation Products.

Azilsartan Medoxomil (AZL) angiotensin II receptor blocker and chlorthalidone (CLT) were determined by ultraperformance liquid chromatography (UPLC) method in their combined dosage form, they were both subjected to forced degradation studies under extensive stress conditions. The method is a stability indicating by resolving the investigated drugs from their degradation products. Moreover, the degradation products for both drugs obtained from forced degradation were subjected to LC-MS for structure elucidation. The UPLC technique depends on the measurement of spectra for AZL and CLT at 254 nm. Linearity, accuracy and intermediate precision were acceptable over the concentration range of 67.2-268.8 and 40-160 µg/mL for AZL and CLT, respectively. The method was applied for the determination of the studied drugs in their dosage forms. The UPLC method is inexpensive, simple and considered as green chemistry method for the routine analysis and quality control of both drugs in their combined dosage form.

Precise simultaneous quantification of methadone and cocaine in rat serum and brain tissue samples following their successive i.p. administration.

A sensitive high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) assay with dual UV detection has been developed and validated for the simultaneous quantification of methadone and cocaine in rat serum and brain tissue samples. Liquid-liquid extraction using hexanes was applied for samples extraction with Levo-Tetrahydropalmatine (L-THP) as the internal standard. Chromatographic separation of the analytes was achieved on a reversed-phase Waters Symmetry® C18 column (150mm×4.6mm, 5µm). A gradient elution was employed with a mobile phase consisting of 5mM potassium phosphate containing 0.1% triethylamine (pH=6.5) (A) and acetonitrile (B) with a flow rate of 1mL/min. UV detection was employed at 215nm and 235nm for the determination of methadone and cocaine, respectively. The calibration curves were linear over the range of 0.05-10µg/mL for both methadone and cocaine. The assay was validated according to FDA guidelines for bioanalytical method validation and results were satisfactory and met FDA criteria. Inter-day accuracy values of serum and brain samples ranged from 96.97 to 105.59% while intra-day accuracy values ranged from 91.49 to 111.92%. Stability assays showed that both methadone and cocaine were stable during sample storage, preparation, and analytical procedures. The method was successfully used to analyze biological samples obtained from a drug- drug interaction pharmacokinetics (PK) study conducted in rats to investigate the effect of methadone on cocaine PK. Our method not only can be used for bioanalysis of samples obtained from rats but also can potentially be applied to human biological serum samples to monitor compliance to methadone maintenance therapy (MMT) and to detect possible cocaine-methadone co-abuse.

Novel potentiometric sensors for the determination of the dinotefuran insecticide residue levels in cucumber and soil samples.

Five new potentiometric membrane sensors for the determination of the dinotefuran levels in cucumber and soil samples have been developed. Four of these sensors were based on a newly designed molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) material consisting of acrylamide or methacrylic acid as a functional monomer in a plasticized PVC (polyvinyl chloride) membrane before and after elution of the template. A fifth sensor, a carboxylated PVC-based sensor plasticized with dioctyl phthalate, was also prepared and tested. Sensor 1 (acrylamide washed) and sensor 3 (methacrylic acid washed) exhibited significantly enhanced responses towards dinotefuran over the concentration range of 10-7-10-2molL-1. The limit of detection (LOD) for both sensors was 0.35µgL-1. The response was near-Nernstian, with average slopes of 66.3 and 50.8mV/decade for sensors 1 and 3 respectively. Sensors 2 (acrylamide non-washed), 4 (methacrylic acid non-washed) and 5 (carboxylated-PVC) exhibited non-Nernstian responses over the concentration range of 10-7-10-3molL-1, with LODs of 10.07, 6.90, and 4.30µgL-1, respectively, as well as average slopes of 39.1, 27.2 and 33mV/decade, respectively. The application of the proposed sensors to the determination of the dinotefuran levels in spiked soil and cucumber samples was demonstrated. The average recoveries from the cucumber samples were from 7.93% to 106.43%, with a standard deviation of less than 13.73%, and recoveries from soil samples were from 97.46% to 108.71%, with a standard deviation of less than 10.66%. The sensors were applied successfully to the determination of the dinotefuran residue, its rate of disappearance and its half-life in cucumbers in soil in which a safety pre-harvest interval for dinotefuran was suggested.

Investigation of different spectrophotometric and chemometric methods for determination of entacapone, levodopa and carbidopa in ternary mixture.

New, simple, accurate and sensitive UV spectrophotometric and chemometric methods have been developed and validated for determination of Entacapone (ENT), Levodopa (LD) and Carbidopa (CD) in ternary mixture. Method A is a derivative ratio spectra zero-crossing spectrophotometric method which allows the determination of ENT in the presence of both LD and CD by measuring the peak amplitude at 249.9nm in the range of 1-20µgmL-1. Method B is a double divisor-first derivative of ratio spectra method, used for determination of ENT, LD and CD at 245, 239 and 293nm, respectively. Method C is a mean centering of ratio spectra which allows their determination at 241, 241.6 and 257.1nm, respectively. Methods B and C could successfully determine the studied drugs in concentration ranges of 1-20µgmL-1 for ENT and 10-90µgmL-1 for both LD and CD. Methods D and E are principal component regression and partial least-squares, respectively, used for the simultaneous determination of the studied drugs by using seventeen mixtures as calibration set and eight mixtures as validation set. The developed methods have the advantage of simultaneous determination of the cited components without any pre-treatment. All the results were statistically compared with the reported methods, where no significant difference was observed. The developed methods were satisfactorily applied to the analysis of the investigated drugs in their pure form and in pharmaceutical dosage forms.

Multiresidue Analysis of Five Neonicotinoid Insecticides and Their Primary Metabolite in Cucumbers and Soil Using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography with Diode-Array Detection.

A sensitive, selective, and validated HPLC-diode-array detection method was developed for the simultaneous determination of five neonicotinoid insecticides-acetamiprid, imidacloprid, nitenpyram, flonicamid, and thiacloprid-and their primary metabolite, 6-chloronicotinic acid, in cucumbers and soil based on the quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) technique as a pretreatment procedure. In the QuEChERS procedure, cucumber samples were extracted with acetonitrile and cleaned using C18, whereas soil samples were extracted with an acetonitrile-dichloromethane mixture (1 + 2). The HPLC conditions were optimized by separating neonicotinoids using an acetonitrile-water mixture (25 + 75) and a Synergi Hydro RP C18 column. Matrix-matched calibration standards were prepared in cucumber and soil to eliminate any matrix interference. RSDs were ≤9% in all recovery tests. LODs and LOQs for the five neonicotinoids were in the ranges of 0.006-0.122 and 0.018-0.366 µg/g, respectively. This method was successfully applied to determine residues, the rate of disappearance of the five neonicotinoids from cucumber and soil, and the half-lives of the neonicotinoids.

Simultaneous determination of eight neonicotinoid insecticide residues and two primary metabolites in cucumbers and soil by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry coupled with QuEChERS.

A new, rapid, sensitive, precise and validated high performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) method was developed for the simultaneous determination of eight neonicotinoid insecticides with their two primary metabolites in cucumbers and soil based on QuEChERS as a pretreatment procedure. In QuEChERS procedure, cucumber samples were extracted with acetonitrile and cleaned using (C18 sorbent material), while soil samples were extracted with a mixture of acetonitrile:dichloromethane (8.3:16.7v:v). The LC-MS/MS conditions were optimized to provide good selectivity and specificity of the developed method where neonicotinoids were separated using gradient elution of water and acetonitrile both containing 0.1% formic acid with Gemini C18 column where the last compound was eluted at 9.5min. Average recoveries of the eight neonicotinoids and their metabolites ranged between 81.6% and 95.7% in fortified cucumber samples with relative standard deviations (RSDs) lower than 13.18% and between 80.3% and 104% in fortified soil samples with relative standard deviations (RSDs) lower than 8.44%. The limits of detection (LODs) and quantification (LOQs) for the ten compounds were in the ranges of (0.08-6.06ng/g) and (0.26-20ng/g), respectively. The method was applied successfully to determine residues and rate of disappearance of the eight neonicotinoids from cucumber and soil and their half-lives where a safety pre-harvest interval of 5days for acetampirid, 12days for imidacloprid, 15days for nitenpyram, 12days for thiamethoxam, 5days for flonicamid, 8days for clothianidin, 2days for Dinotefuran, and 1day for thiacloprid were suggested.

Simultaneous spectrophotometric determination of indacaterol and glycopyrronium in a newly approved pharmaceutical formulation using different signal processing techniques of ratio spectra.

Three spectrophotometric methods have been developed and validated for determination of indacaterol (IND) and glycopyrronium (GLY) in their binary mixtures and novel pharmaceutical dosage form. The proposed methods are considered to be the first methods to determine the investigated drugs simultaneously. The developed methods are based on different signal processing techniques of ratio spectra namely; Numerical Differentiation (ND), Savitsky-Golay (SG) and Fourier Transform (FT). The developed methods showed linearity over concentration range 1-30 and 10-35 (µg/mL) for IND and GLY, respectively. The accuracy calculated as percentage recoveries were in the range of 99.00%-100.49% with low value of RSD% (<1.5%) demonstrating an excellent accuracy of the proposed methods. The developed methods were proved to be specific, sensitive and precise for quality control of the investigated drugs in their pharmaceutical dosage form without the need for any separation process.

Micelle enhanced and native spectrofluorimetric methods for determination of sertindole using sodium dodecyl sulfate as sensitizing agent.

Two stability indicating spectrofluorimetric methods were developed and validated for the determination of sertindole (SER) in the presence of its acid and oxidative degradates at λ(ex) 257 nm and λ(em) 335 nm. Method A was based on measuring the native fluorescence of SER using isopropanol as solvent. Method B was based on the enhancement of native fluorescence of SER quenched in aqueous media by using micellar microenvironment created by sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) anionic micelles using Britton Robinson Buffer (BRB) pH3.29 as solvent. Different factors affecting fluorescence intensity; both native and enhanced, were carefully studied to reach the optimum conditions of measurements. The proposed spectrofluorimetric methods were validated in accordance with ICH guidelines and were successfully applied for the determination of SER in bulk powder and pharmaceutical preparation with high sensitivity and stability indicating power. They were also statistically compared to the manufacturer methods with no significant difference in performance.

Sensitive spectrofluorimetric methods for determination of ethopabate and amprolium hydrochloride in chicken plasma and their residues in food samples.

Two sensitive and selective spectrofluorimetric methods are proposed to determine ethopabate (ETH) and amprolium hydrochloride (AMP). First derivative synchronous spectrofluorimetry determines the natively fluorescent ethopabate at 288 nm in presence of amprolium hydrochloride which is a non fluorescent quaternary compound with average recovery 100.54±0.721 over a concentration range of 0.01-0.8 µg/mL. Limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) are 0.002 and 0.007 µg/mL, respectively. The second method is direct synchronous spectrofluorimetry for determining amprolium hydrochloride at 362 nm after a reaction with 5% NaOH and 0.08% potassium ferricyanide that is optimized by a two-level factorial design. This method is linear over a concentration range of 0.01-0.65 µg/mL with average recovery 99.4±1.28. Limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) are 0.002 and 0.006 µg/mL, respectively. The proposed methods are found to be valid and applicable for the analysis of ETH and AMP in their veterinary formulation. They are successfully applied to determine the studied drugs in chicken plasma and their residues in chicken muscle, liver, egg and chicken-based baby food product with recoveries in the ranges of 95.71-108.73% and 97.36-111.89% and for ETH and AMP, respectively.

Five different spectrophotometric methods for determination of Amprolium hydrochloride and Ethopabate binary mixture.

Five simple, specific, accurate and precise UV-spectrophotometric methods are adopted for the simultaneous determination of Amprolium hydrochloride (AMP) and Ethopabate (ETH), a binary mixture with overlapping spectra, without preliminary separation. The first method is first derivative of the ratio spectra ((1)DD) for determination of AMP and ETH at 234.7nm and 306.8nm respectively with mean percentage recoveries 99.76±0.907 and 100.29±0.842 respectively. The second method is the mean centering of the ratio spectra for determination of AMP and ETH at 238.8nm and 313nm respectively with mean percentage recoveries 100.26±1.018 and 99.94±1.286 respectively. The third method is based on dual wavelength selection for determination of AMP and ETH at 235.3nm & 308nm and 244nm & 268.4nm respectively with mean percentage recoveries 99.30±1.097 and 100.03±1.065 respectively. The fourth method is ratio difference method for determination of AMP and ETH at 239nm & 310nm and 239nm & 313nm respectively with mean percentage recoveries 99.27±0.892 and 100.40±1.814 respectively. The fifth one is area under the curve (AUC) method where the areas between 235.6-243nm and 268.3-275nm are selected for determination of AMP and ETH with mean percentage recoveries 100.35±1.031 and 100.39±0.956 respectively. These methods are tested by analyzing synthetic mixtures of the two drugs and they are applied to their pharmaceutical veterinary preparation. Methods are validated according to the ICH guidelines and accuracy, precision and repeatability are found to be within the acceptable limit.

New HPLC and fluorometric methods for the determination of pyriproxyfen and pyridalyl insecticide residues in tomatoes.

Two sensitive, selective, and precise methods for the determination of pyriproxyfen and pyridalyl insecticide residues in tomatoes have been developed. The first method is HPLC with UV detection in which pyriproxyfen and pyridalyl were extracted with ethyl acetate and acetone, respectively, followed by cleanup using column chromatography. The recoveries ranged from 86.03 to 94.55 for pyriproxyfen and 95.08 to 99.38% for pyridalyl in tomato samples. The LOD of the method was 0.217 ppm for pyriproxyfen and 0.1866 ppm for pyridalyl. The second method depends on direct fluorometric determination of pyriproxyfen and pyridalyl in acetic and sulfuric acid at excitation and emission wavelengths of 320 and 646 nm, respectively. The recoveries of pyriproxyfen and pyridalyl in tomato samples ranged from 88 to 98% and 86 to 93%, respectively. The LOD of the method was 0.146 ppm for pyriproxyfen and 0.078 ppm for pyridalyl. Both methods were applied successfully to determine residues and rate of disappearance of pyriproxyfen and pyridalyl from tomatoes.