Qualitative evaluation of high pH mass spectrometry-compatible reversed phase liquid chromatography for altered selectivity in separations of intact proteins.

Intact proteins are increasingly being recognized as potential biomarkers and biotherapeutic agents for cancer and other serious diseases. Low pH reversed phase plays an important role in both single and multidimensional protein separations for resolving complex protein samples prior to mass spectrometric detection. In this work, we evaluated the use of high pH reversed phase liquid chromatography as an alternative chromatographic separation to gain different selectivity while maintaining the high resolving power and MS compatibility of reversed phase separations. The altered selectivity gained by high pH reversed phase liquid chromatography can further help to separate unresolved protein peaks or to increase peak capacity and resolving power of a multidimensional setup for complex biological samples. Hence, we evaluated the use of different MS-friendly buffers, ion pairing reagents, and stationary phases (silica- and polymer-based) at alkaline pH for intact protein separations. The best chromatographic separation, with complementary selectivity to low pH reversed phase, was achieved using triethylammonium bicarbonate at pH 10 and hybrid silica particles.

Stability-Indicating HPLC-UV Method for Vitamin D3 Determination in Solutions, Nutritional Supplements and Pharmaceuticals.

A simple and fast high-performance liquid chromatography method with UV detection for determination of vitamin D3 in stability studies as well as in solutions, nutritional supplements and pharmaceuticals was developed. Successful separation of vitamin D3 from its degradation products was achieved on a Gemini C18 100 × 3.0 mm column using a mixture of acetonitrile and water (99:1, v/v) as а mobile phase. The method was successfully validated according to the ICH guidelines. The described reversed-phase HPLC method is favorable compared with other published HPLC-UV methods because of its stability-indicating nature, short run time (3.3 min) and wide analytical range with outstanding linearity, accuracy and precision. The method was further applied for quantification of vitamin D3 in selected liquid and solid nutritional supplements and prescription medicines, confirming its suitability for routine analysis. Degradation products, formed under stress conditions (hydrolysis, oxidation, photolysis and thermal degradation), were additionally elucidated by suitable equipment (LC-DAD-MS) to confirm the stability-indicating nature of the developed method.

Validation of HPLC-UV Assay of Caffeic Acid in Emulsions.

An accurate, sensitive, precise and rapid reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method was successfully developed and validated for the determination of caffeic acid (CA) in emulsions. The best separation was achieved on a 250 × 4.6 mm, 5.0 µm particle size RP18 XDB Waters column using ethanol and purified water (40:60 v/v) adjusted to pH 2.5 with acetic acid as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.7 mL/min. Ultraviolet detection was performed at 325 nm at ambient column temperature (25°C). The method was linear over the concentration range of 10-60 µg/mL (r(2) = 0.9999) with limits of detection and quantification of 1.44 and 4.38 µg/mL, respectively. CA was subjected to oxidation, acid, base and neutral degradation, as well as photolysis and heat as stress conditions. There were no interfering peaks at or near the retention time of CA. The method was applied to the determination of CA in standard and pharmaceutical products with excellent recoveries. The method is applicable in the quality control of CA.

Ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry determination of hallucinogenic drugs in hair of psychedelic plants and mushrooms consumers.

A procedure based on ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry has been developed for the determination of mescaline, N,N-dimethyltryptamine, psilocin, psilocybin, salvinorin A in hair of consumers of psychedelic vegetal material such peyote or trichocereus cacti, psilocybe mushrooms, Salvia divinorum or psychedelic beverage ayahuasca. After hair washing with methyl alcohol and diethyl ether and subsequent addition of mescaline-d9 and 3,4-methylenedioxypropylamphetamine as internal standards, hair samples were treated with 250µl VMA-T M3 reagent for 1h at 100°C. After cooling, 100µl M3 extract were diluted with 400µl water and a volume of 10µl was injected into chromatographic system. Chromatographic separation was achieved at ambient temperature using a reverse-phase column and a linear gradient elution with two solvents: 0.3% formic acid in acetonitrile and 5mM ammonium formate pH 3. The mass spectrometer was operated in positive ion mode, using multiple reaction monitoring via positive electrospray ionization. The method was linear from the limit of quantification (0.03-0.05ng/mg depending on analyte under investigation) to 10ng/mg hair, with an intra- and inter-assay imprecision and inaccuracy always less than 15% and an analytical recovery between 79.6% and 97.4%, depending on the considered analyte. Using the validated method, mescaline was found in concentration range of 0.08-0.13ng/mg in hair of peyote smokers, 3.2ng salvinorin A per mg hair were determined in hair from a S. divinorum smoker, 5.6ng N,N-dimethyltryptamine per mg hair from an ayahuasca user and finally 0.8ng psilocybin per ng hair of a psilocybe consumer.

Chemical profiling and quantification of monacolins and citrinin in red yeast rice commercial raw materials and dietary supplements using liquid chromatography-accurate QToF mass spectrometry: Chemometrics application.

Red yeast rice (RYR) is prepared by fermenting rice with various strains of the yeast Monascus spp of the Aspergillaceae family. Depending on the Monascus strains and the fermentation conditions, the products may contain monacolins, pigments and citrinin as secondary metabolites. Authentic and commercial RYR samples were analyzed using UHPLC-DAD-QToF-MS for monacolins, pigments and citrinin. A separation by UHPLC was achieved using a reversed-phase column and a gradient of water/acetonitrile each containing formic acid as the mobile phase. Accurate mass QToF spectrometry was used to distinguish isobaric monacolins. Principle component analysis (PCA), a chemometric technique was used to discriminate between authentic RYR, commercial RYR raw materials and dietary supplements. Three authentic RYR samples, 31 commercial RYR raw materials and 14 RYR dietary supplements were analyzed. Monacolin K content in 600mg of authentic RYR samples ranged from 1.2mg to 1.38mg. Amounts of monacolin K in dietary supplements labeled as containing 600mg of RYR varied more than 40-fold from 0.03mg to 2.18mg. Monacolin K content of dietary supplements labeled as containing 1200mg RYR varied more than 20-fold from 0.22mg to 5.23mg. In addition to large variations in quantity of monacolin K found in dietary supplements, RYR dietary supplements contained ratios of monacolins that differed significantly from authentic samples. The results indicated that RYR commercial products are of variable quality and the analytical method is suitable for quality control testing of a variety of RYR products.

The advantage of mixed-mode separation in the first dimension of comprehensive two-dimensional liquid-chromatography.

Comprehensive two-dimension liquid chromatography (LC×LC) has exhibited its powerful ability to separate complex samples. However, the use of a single chromatographic mode in 1st dimension has been limited to the separation of components by their individual characteristics, such as hydrophobicity, ionic properties etc. The use of mixed-mode stationary phases has revealed opportunities to combine different retention mechanisms. In this respect, stationary phases featuring both RP-like hydrophobic and ion-exchange interactive sites promise great versatility in retaining both polar and more apolar ionic and non-ionic compounds. We have therefore developed an LC×LC system based on mixed-mode (strong anion exchange and reversed phase) in the first dimension and a C18 phase in the second dimension. The system has been evaluated with standard compounds and applied for the separation of white wine and Chinese Herbal Medicine (CHM). The mixed-mode system SAX-PFP×C18 results in a better separation than a single mode system such as SAX×C18 or PFP×C18. Although little improvement in orthogonality (0.91 instead 0.86) is achieved with SAX×C18, the mixed-mode SAX-PFP×C18 gives a much larger effective peak distribution area in the analysis of e. g. white wine. But the analysis of aqueous extracts of CHM (Hdyotis diffusa and Scutellaria barbata) with SAX-PFP×RP leads to a very long analysis time because of strong hydrophobic interactions with the PFP column. Thus, the system was changed by using a cyano phase instead of a PFP phase. The improved SAX-CN×C18 system shows a better peak distribution and more importantly a reasonable analysis time.

Determination of sterols using liquid chromatography with off-line surface-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry.

A new method, reversed phase liquid chromatography with off-line surface-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (RPLC-SALDI MS) for the determination of brassicasterol (BR), cholesterol (CH), stigmasterol (ST), campesterol (CA) and ß-sitosterol (SI) in oil samples has been developed. The sample preparation consisted of alkaline saponification followed by extraction of the unsaponificable fraction with diethyl ether. The recovery of the sterols ranged from 91 to 95% with RSD less than 4%. Separation of the five major sterols on a C18 column using methanol-water gradient was achieved in about 10min. An on-line UV detector was employed for the initial sterol detection prior to effluent deposition using a laboratory-built spotter with 1:73 splitter. Off-line SALDI MS was then applied for mass determination/identification and quantification of the separated sterols. Ionization of the nonpolar analytes was achieved by silver ion cationization with silver nanoparticles used as the SALDI matrix providing limits of detection 12, 6 and 11fmol for CH, ST and SI, respectively. Because of the incorporated splitter, the effective limits of detection of the RPLC-SALDI MS analysis were 4, 3 and 4pmol (or 0.08, 0.06 and 0.08µg/mL) for CH, ST and SI, respectively. For quantification, 6-ketocholestanol (KE) was used as the internal standard. The method has been applied for the identification and quantification of sterols in olive, linseed and sunflower oil samples. The described off-line coupling of RPLC to SALDI MS represents an alternative to GC-MS for analysis of nonpolar compounds.

Rapid profiling of intact glucosinolates in Arabidopsis leaves by UHPLC-QTOFMS using a charged surface hybrid column.

INTRODUCTION: The analysis of glucosinolates (GS) is traditionally performed by reverse-phase liquid chromatography coupled to ultraviolet detection after a time-consuming desulphation step, which is required for increased retention. Simpler and more efficient alternative methods that can shorten both sample preparation and analysis are much needed. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the feasibility of using ultrahigh-pressure liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QTOFMS) for the rapid profiling of intact GS. METHODOLOGY: A simple and short extraction of GS from Arabidopsis thaliana leaves was developed. Four sub-2 µm reverse-phase columns were tested for the rapid separation of these polar compounds using formic acid as the chromatographic additive. High-resolution QTOFMS was used to detect and identify GS. RESULTS: A novel charged surface hybrid (CSH) column was found to provide excellent retention and separation of GS within a total running time of 11 min. Twenty-one GS could be identified based on their accurate mass as well as isotopic and fragmentation patterns. The method was applied to determine the changes in GS content that occur after herbivory in Arabidopsis. In addition, we evaluated its applicability to the profiling of other Brassicaceae species. CONCLUSION: The method developed can profile the full range of GS, including the most polar ones, in a shorter time than previous methods, and is highly compatible with mass spectrometric detection.

Development and validation of a pre-column reversed phase liquid chromatographic method with fluorescence detection for the determination of primary phenethylamines in dietary supplements and phytoextracts.

A sensitive and selective reversed-phase liquid chromatographic (RP-LC) method was developed and validated to determine octopamine, tyramine and Tyrosine (Tyr) in complex matrices as formulations and phytoextracts (Citrus aurantium), after pre-column derivatization with o-phthaldialdehyde (OPA) reagent. The chromatographic separations were performed at room temperature on a Phenomenex Luna C18 column using methanol and sodium acetate buffer (pH 5.5) by varying composition gradient elution as mobile phase and detected flurometrically at λ(em)=455 nm with λ(ex)=340 nm. The results obtained by the proposed method were compared with those achieved by a validated direct RP-LC method with fluorescence detection at λ(em)=310 nm with λ(ex)=275 nm, as reference method, using a Phenomenex Gemini C18 column under isocratic elution conditions with acetonitrile and sodium 1-heptanesulphonate (pH 3), as mobile phase. The higher sensitivity of the derivatization method (detection limit about 0.06 pmol) allowed the sure determination of octopamine present in traces in the examined samples. The repeatability of method (RSD) was ≤1.90% and there was no significant difference between repeatability and intermediate precision data. Recovery studies showed good results 99.5-101.3% with RSD ranging from 0.8 to 1.2%. All analyses were performed by mild conditions in absence of preliminary difficult extraction methodologies or laborious step of sample pre-treatment.

Pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution of 2,3,5,4'-tetrahydroxystilbene-2-O-ß-D-glucoside from traditional Chinese medicine Polygonum multiflorum following oral administration to rats.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Polygonum multiflorum is an important traditional Chinese medicine used for health promotion and disease treatment. One major bioactive compound in P. multiflorum is a stilbene glycoside (2,3,5,4'-tetrahydroxystilbene-2-O-ß-d-glucoside, PM-SG), which possesses antioxidative, anti-inflammatory and endothelial-protective activities. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The purpose of the present study was to investigate in vivo pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution of PM-SG after oral administration of Polygonum multiflorum extract to rats by using a reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with liquid-liquid phase extraction. The pharmacokinetic parameters were determined using both compartmental and non-compartmental analyses. RESULTS: All calibration curves for PM-SG in rat plasma and tissues were linear (all r(2)>0.99) over the range of 0.27-185.00 µg/ml. The intra- and inter-day variations were less than 3% at concentration range of 8.7-131.2 µg/ml and good overall recoveries (97.7-101.5%) were obtained at the same range. The maximum concentration (C(max)) and the time to reach this concentration (T(max)) of PM-SG were 31.9 µg/ml and 40.0 min, respectively. The pharmacokinetic profiles estimated by fitting two-compartment and non-compartment models revealed that PM-SG was rapidly absorbed into the body fluids and widely distributed throughout the body, with great efficiency of utility, followed by quick elimination. The highest PM-SG levels were detected in liver and lungs (90.3 ± 20.8 µg/g and 86.8 ± 9.0 µg/g, respectively) whereas little in brain and testes, indicating PM-SG can hardly penetrate the blood-brain and blood-testicle barriers. CONCLUSIONS: This was the first report on the favorable pharmacokinetic profiles of PM-SG in rat plasma and tissues after oral administration. It may provide a meaningful basis for clinical application of such a bioactive compound of herbal medicines.

Ionic liquids improved reversed-phase HPLC on-line coupled with ICP-MS for selenium speciation.

Room-temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) improved reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) on-line combined with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was developed for selenium speciation. The different parameters affecting the retention behaviors of six target selenium species especially the effect of RTILs as mobile phase additives have been studied, it was found that the mobile phase consisting of 0.4% (v/v) 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([BMIM]Cl), 0.4% (v/v) 1-butyl-2,3-dimethylimidazolium tetrafluroborate ([BMMIM]BF(4)) and 99.2% (v/v) water has effectively improved the peak profile and six target selenium species including Na(2)SeO(3) (Se(IV)), Na(2)SeO(4) (Se(VI)), L-selenocystine (SeCys(2)), D,L-selenomethionine (SeMet), Se-methylseleno-l-cysteine (MeSeCys), seleno-D,L-ethionine (SeEt) were separated in 8 min. In order to validate the accuracy of the method, a Certified Reference Material of SELM-1 yeast sample was analyzed and the results obtained were in good agreement with the certified values. The developed method was also successfully applied to the speciation of selenium in Se-enriched yeasts and clover. For fresh Se-enriched yeast cells, it was found that the spiked SeCys(2) in living yeast cells could be transformed into SeMet. Compared with other ion-pair RP-HPLC-ICP-MS approaches for selenium speciation, the proposed method possessed the advantages including ability to regulate the retention time of the target selenium species by selecting the suitable RTILs and their concentration, simplicity, rapidness and low injection volume, thus providing wide potential applications for elemental speciation in biological systems.

Metal ion-mobilizing additives for comprehensive detection of femtomole amounts of phosphopeptides by reversed phase LC-MS.

It is hypothesized that metal ion-mediated adsorption of phosphorylated peptides on stationary phases of LC-columns is the major cause for their frequently observed poor detection efficiency in LC-MS. To study this phenomenon in more detail, sample solutions spiked with metal ion-mobilizing additives were analyzed by reversed phase µLC-ICP-MS or nanoLC-ESI-MS. Using µLC-ICP-MS, metal ions were analyzed directly as atomic ions. Using electrospray ionization, either metal ion chelates or phosphopeptide standard mixtures injected in subpicomole amounts were analyzed. Deferoxamine, imidazole, ascorbate, citrate, EDTA, and the tetrapeptide pSpSpSpS were tested as sample additives for the interlinked purposes of metal ion-mobilization and improvement of phosphopeptide recovery. Iron probably represents the major metal ion contamination of reversed phase columns. Based on the certified iron level in LC-grade solvents, a daily metal ion load of >10 pmol was estimated for typical nanoLC flow rates. In addition, phosphopeptide fractions from IMAC columns were identified as source for metal ion contamination of the LC column, as demonstrated for Ga(3+)-IMAC. The three metal ion-chelating additives, EDTA, citrate and pSpSpSpS, were found to perform best for improving the LC recovery of multiply phosphorylated peptides injected at subpicomole amounts. The benefits of metal ion-mobilizing LC (mimLC) characterized by metal ion complexing sample additives is demonstrated for three different instrumental setups comprising (a) a nanoUPLC-system with direct injection on the analytical column, (b) a nanoLC system with inclusion of a trapping column, and (c) the use of a HPLC-Chip system with integrated trapping and analytical column.

ICH guidance in practice: validated reversed-phase HPLC method for the determination of active mangiferin from extracts of Mangifera indica Linn.

This study presents the development and validation of a reversed-phase liquid chromatographic method for the determination of mangiferin (MGN) in alcoholic extracts of mangifera indica. A Lichrospher 100 C(18)-ODS (250 x 4.6 mm, 5 microm size) (Merck, Whitehouse Station, NJ) prepacked column and a mobile phase of potassium dihydrogen orthophosphate (0.01M) pH 2.7 +/- 0.2-acetonitrile (15:85, v/v) with the flow rate of 1 mL/min was used. MGN detection was achieved at a wavelength monitored at 254 nm with SPD-M 10A vp PDA detector or SPD 10AD vp UV detector in combination with class LC 10A software. The proposed method was validated as prescribed by International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) with respect to linearity, specificity, accuracy, precision, stability, and quantification. The method validation was realized using alcoholic extracts and raw materials of leaves and barks. All the validation parameters were within the acceptable limits, and the developed analytical method can successfully be applied for MGN determination.