HPLC-UV Method for the Identification and Screening of Hydroquinone, Ethers of Hydroquinone and Corticosteroids Possibly Used as Skin-Whitening Agents in Illicit Cosmetic Products.

Corticosteroids, hydroquinone and its ethers are regulated in cosmetics by the Regulation 1223/2009. As corticosteroids are forbidden to be used in cosmetics and cannot be present as contaminants or impurities, an identification of one of these illicit compounds deliberately introduced in these types of cosmetics is enough for market survey control. In order to quickly identify skin-whitening agents present in illegal cosmetics, this article proposes an HPLC-UV method for the identification and screening of hydroquinone, 3 ethers of hydroquinone and 39 corticosteroids that may be found in skin-whitening products. Two elution gradients were developed to separate all compounds. The main solvent gradient (A) allows the separation of 39 compounds among the 43 compounds considered in 50 min. Limits of detection on skin-whitening cosmetics are given. For compounds not separated, a complementary gradient elution (B) using the same solvents is proposed. Between 2004 and 2009, a market survey on "skin-whitening cosmetic" was performed on 150 samples and highlights that more than half of the products tested do not comply with the Cosmetic Regulation 1223/2009 (amending the Council Directive 76/768/EEC).

Liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry for simultaneous determination of undeclared corticosteroids in cosmetic creams.

RATIONALE: Undeclared corticosteroids in creams intended for frequent use might cause serious side-effects, especially in children. In order to prevent this or find the cause, it was essential to develop a method for quick detection and quantification of low levels of corticosteroids. METHODS: Eleven corticosteroids were used in this study: prednisolone, methylprednisolone, prednisolone-21-acetate, fluocinolone acetonide, fluocinolone acetonide-21-acetate, hydrocortisone-21-acetate, dexamethasone, betamethasone, betamethasone dipropionate, clobetasol propionate and triamcinolone. Separation was achieved via liquid chromatography (LC), and mass spectrometric analysis was conducted by electrospray ionization triple-quadrupole mass spectrometry (MS/MS) in the multiple reaction monitoring mode using corticosterone as internal standard. RESULTS: Good separation by using a gradient-elution LC/MS/MS method with run time of 25 min enabled the use of a segmented detection method and consecutive decrease in detection limits. The proposed method has been validated in the linearity range of 10-1000 ng/mL with coefficients of determination higher than 0.990. The method has shown to have very low limits of quantification (0.75-3 ng/mL) with satisfactory precision and accuracy for each of the corticosteroids. CONCLUSIONS: An LC/MS/MS method for the rapid and simultaneous determination of low levels of eleven topical corticosteroids in creams was developed, optimized and validated. The proposed method can be used for testing of different products indicated for the treatment of atopic dermatitis, including "natural products", and "herbal creams" with "miraculous effects".

Bringing GC-MS profiling of steroids into clinical applications.

Abnormalities of steroid biosynthesis and excretion are responsible for the development and prevention of endocrine disorders, such as metabolic syndromes, cancers, and neurodegenerative diseases. Due to their biochemical roles in endocrine system, qualitative and quantitative analysis of steroid hormones in various biological specimens is needed to elucidate their altered expression. Mass spectrometry (MS)-based steroid profiling can reveal the states of metabolites in biological systems and provide comprehensive insights by allowing comparisons between metabolites present in cells, tissues, or organisms. In addition, the activities of many enzymes related to steroid metabolism often lead to hormonal imbalances that have serious consequences, and which are responsible for the progress of hormone-dependent diseases. In contrast to immunoaffinity-based enzyme assays, MS-based methods are more reproducible in quantification. In particular, high-resolution gas chromatographic (GC) separation of steroids with similar chemical structures can be achieved to provide rapid and reproducible results with excellent purification. GC-MS profiling therefore has been widely used for steroid analysis, and offers the basis for techniques that can be applied to large-scale clinical studies. Recent advances in analytical technologies combined with inter-disciplinary strategies, such as physiology and bioinformatics, will help in understanding the biochemical roles of steroid hormones. Therefore, comprehensive analytical protocols in steroid analysis for different research purposes may contribute to the elucidation of complex metabolic processes relevant to steroid function in many endocrine disorders, and in the identification of diagnostic biomarkers.

Vesicles formed by mixed catanionic surfactants as novel pseudostationary phase in electrokinetic chromatography.

In this paper, a novel pseudostationary phase (PSP), the vesicle formed from octyltriethylammonium bromide (C8NE3Br) and sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS), has been developed in electrokinetic chromatography (EKC). Physicochemical parameters of the mixture of catanionic surfactants such as ζ potential and size of the aggregates were characterized as the molar ratio of C8NE3Br to SDBS varied from 2:8 to 8:2 and total concentration of surfactants fixed at 20mM. At any ratio mentioned above, ζ potential of mixture of catanionic surfactants remained negative. The absolute values of ζ potential were even larger than in only SDBS system as the molar ratio of C8NE3Br to SDBS less than 4:6, and they decreased as increasing the ratio of cationic surfactants. The size of the aggregates became smaller as the ratio was close to 1. Unexpectedly, the size was smallest at ratio of 3:7 and 6:4, instead of at 5:5. Notably, coagulation did not occur in the catanionic system at any proportion of each other. TEM testified the formation of vesicles. The performance of the vesicle as PSP was evaluated by separating eight kinds of corticosteroids with EKC, these analytes were separated completely without any additives. Compared with SDS microemulsion modified with ionic liquid (IL) and polymeric micelle, the novel vesicle PSP had better separation performances.

Amphiphilic polymeric micelle as pseudostationary phase in electrokinetic chromatography for analysis of eight corticosteroids in cosmetics.

Amphiphilic polymeric micelle, as a novel pseudostationary phase in EKC was used to determine eight kinds of corticosteroids namely hydrocortisone, prednisolone, hydrocortisone acetate, prednisone, cortisone acetate, prednisolone acetate, dexamethasone, and triamcinolone acetonide in cosmetics. Amphiphilic random copolymer poly(methyl methacrylate-co-methacrylic acid) (P(MMA-co-MAA)) was micellizated via neutralization in alkaline aqueous solution. The influences of the molar ratio of monomer MMA to MAA, the concentration of polymer and pH on the polymeric micelle microstructure and EKC performances were investigated. As molar ratio of MMA to MAA in P(MMA-co-MAA) increased, both CMC and environmental polarity of the inner core in polymeric micelle decreased dramatically. With increasing monomer ratio, the size of polymeric micelles increased firstly, and then decreased, finally increased again. ζ potential of the micelle had a slight decline trend. As increment of polymer concentration, the size of the polymeric micelle increased steadily. By optimizing the monomer ratio, the polymer concentration, and pH of the running buffer, as well as operation conditions such as separation voltage and temperature, the eight analytes could be separated within 16.5 min using 7.5 mg/mL polymer with the monomer ratio of 7:3 dissolved in pH 9.2 borax buffer as the running buffer. The method has been used for analysis of corticosteroids in cosmetic samples with simple extraction; the recoveries for eight analytes were between 85.9 and 106%. This method was of accuracy, repeatability, pretreatment simplicity, and could be applied to the quality control of cosmetics.

Development and validation of a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for the simultaneous determination of nine corticosteroid residues in bovine liver samples.

A liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) confirmatory method for the simultaneous determination of nine corticosteroids in liver, including the four MRL compounds listed in Council Regulation 37/2010, was developed. After an enzymatic deconjugation and a solvent extraction of the liver tissue, the resulting solution was cleaned up through an SPE Oasis HLB cartridge. The analytes were then detected by liquid chromatography-negative-ion electrospray tandem mass spectrometry, using deuterium-labelled internal standards. The procedure was validated as a quantitative confirmatory method according to the Commission Decision 2002/657/EC criteria. The results showed that the method was suitable for statutory residue testing regarding the following performance characteristics: instrumental linearity, specificity, precision (repeatability and intra-laboratory reproducibility), recovery, decision limit (CCα), detection capability (CCß) and ruggedness. All the corticosteroids can be detected at a concentration around 1 µg kg(-1); the recoveries were above 62% for all the analytes. Repeatability and reproducibility (within-laboratory reproducibility) for all the analytes were below 7.65% and 15.5%, respectively.

Removal of physiologic corticosteroid doses results in HLA antibody appearance and allograft dysfunction in patients transplanted under a clonal deletion protocol.

Many transplant protocols now use high-intensity induction immunosuppression immediately post-transplant, followed by weaning from immunosuppressives. This chapter reports on the risks of post-transplant immunosuppression reduction/removal revealed by a close monitoring of HLA antibodies in 14 patients who recently received living-donor kidney grafts under clonal deletion at the IKDRC-ITS in Ahmedabad, India. While all 14 patients still have good function at a median follow-up of 13.5 months (7.3-20.1), only two had no dysfunction or antibody appearance. Antibodies appeared in 10 of the other 12, and serum creatinine rose in six of the 12. In light of the high rate of immune activation following immunosuppression reduction/withdrawal, it is clear that close monitoring is required to ensure safety in these patients. The tests that are most effective as early warning of immune activation in these kidney recipients were elevation of serum creatinine and antibodies monitoring, the latter being, perhaps, the more important for reasons discussed in this chapter.

Separation of corticosteroids by microemulsion EKC with diethyl L-tartrate as the oil phase.

A novel microemulsion based on a mixture of diethyl L-tartrate (DET) and SDS was developed for the microemulsion EKC (MEEKC) determination of structurally related steroids. The system consisted of 0.5% w/w DET, 1.7% w/w SDS, 1.2% w/w 1-butanol, 89.6% w/w phosphate buffer (40 mM, pH 7.0), and 7% w/w ACN. With an applied voltage of +10 kV, a baseline separation of aldosterone (A), cortisone acetate (CA), dexamethasone (D), hydrocortisone (H), hydrocortisone acetate (HA), prednisolone (P), prednisolone acetate (PA), prednisone (Ps), triamcinolone (T), and triamcinolone acetonide (TA) could be achieved. Under the optimized conditions, the reproducibility of the retention time (n = 4) for most of the compounds was less than +/-0.8% with the exception of A, Ps, and T. The average number of theoretical plates was 18 800 plates/m. The results were compared with those achieved by the modified micellar EKC (MEKC). MEEKC showed obvious advantages over MEKC for the separation of highly hydrophobic substances. To further evaluate the system, we tested the MEEKC method by analyzing corticosteroids in a spiked urine sample.

Microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography of corticosteroids. Effect of surfactants and cyclodextrins on the separation selectivity.

The separation of neutral hydrophobic corticosteroids (cortisone, cortisone acetate, hydrocortisone, hydrocortisone acetate, prednisolone and prednisolone acetate) by microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography (MEEKC) was studied. In the preparation of microemulsion, heptane was the solvent, n-butanol the co-surfactant and, as anionic surfactants, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) or taurodeoxycholic acid sodium salt (STDC) were employed. Using an acidic running buffer, (phosphate pH 2.5) a strong suppression of the electroosmotic flow (EOF) was observed; this resulted in a fast anodic migration of the analytes partitioned into the negatively charged microemulsion droplets. Under these conditions, STDC showed better separation of corticosteroids than the conventional SDS; however, the use of a single anionic surfactant did not provide the required selectivity. The addition of the neutral surfactant polyoxyethylene glycol octadecyl ether (Brij 76) significantly altered the migration of each analytes allowing a better tuning of separation; however, in order to obtain adequate resolution between couples of adjacent critical peaks, the addition of neutral cyclodextrins (CDs) was found to be essential. This apparently complex system (CD-MEEKC), was optimized by studying the effect of the most important parameters affecting separation: STDC concentration, Brij 76 concentration, nature and concentration of cyclodextrins. Following a rational step-by-step approach, the optimised conditions providing the complete separation of the analytes were found to be: 4.0% STDC, 2.5% Brij 76, 6.6% n-butanol, 1.36% heptane and 85.54% of a solution 5 mM beta-CD in 50 mM phosphate buffer (pH 2.5). The optimized system was preliminary applied to the detection of corticosteroids related substances at impurity level and it could be considered a useful orthogonal alternative to HPLC methods.

Optimizing the extraction and analysis of DHEA sulfate, corticosteroids and androgens in urine: application to a study of the influence of corticosteroid intake on urinary steroid profiles.

A method of detecting and quantifying dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) sulfate, corticosteroids, and androgens has been developed. All of the compounds were first extracted from urine using solid phase extraction (SPE), enzymatically hydrolyzed, and separated into three samples using a second SPE. A DHEA sulfate sample was acetylated and re-extracted using SPE for purification before analysis. Corticosteroid samples were oxidized and re-extracted using liquid/liquid extraction for analysis. Androgen samples were acetylated and re-extracted using SPE prior to analysis. The extraction and analysis methods were investigated and optimized. Analyses were performed with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and gas chromatography/flame ionization detection (GC/FID). The entire procedure was then applied to the study of urine profiles of healthy volunteers and patients treated with corticosteroids. The results showed that the quantities of androgens found in patient urines were lower than in those of healthy volunteers. In addition, other metabolites were detected in patient urines.

Spherical coordinate representations of solvent composition for liquid chromatography method development using experimental design.

One of the major techniques used for the method development of ternary and quaternary high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) systems has been to use mixture designs, often referred to as "Glajch's Triangle". This technique does not allow for the systematic and simultaneous optimization of other factors such as gradient time, pH and temperature that affect the quality of separations. An alternative approach is to use experimental designs. The condition, however, that the composition of all components of the mobile phase must total 100% presents a problem when trying to mathematically represent ranges of each mobile phase constituent of a ternary or quaternary system. A method is described here, based on spherical coordinate representations, that adheres to the constraints of the mobile phase composition and allows experimental designs, such as central composite and factorial designs, to be applied to the simultaneous optimization of the mobile phase composition. Other factors, in particular temperature and gradient time, can then be included in the design. As a result of applying these designs to the HPLC separation of phenols and corticosteroids, it was found necessary to include three-way interactions between experimental factors in the model. The significance of these interactions shows that they need to be considered in HPLC method development.

Two new C-nor/D-homo corticosteroids formed by dehydration rearrangement of a 12beta-hydroxy corticoid.

Two new C-nor/D-homo corticosteroids were isolated from the filtrate of the triene carbonate intermediate during the production of betamethasone. Their structures were elucidated based on NMR spectroscopic studies and mass spectral analyses. The mechanism of formation of each of these two steroids was postulated as a Wagner-Meerwein rearrangement of the corresponding 12beta-hydroxy steroid. The new 12beta-hydroxy corticosteroid was also isolated from the fermentation process of betamethasone synthesis. Its structure was identified via NMR and mass spectroscopic studies. Treatment of the new 12beta-hydroxy corticoid with PCl(5) at low temperature provided two C-nor/D-homo compounds in a ratio of 1:1. Conversion of 12beta-hydroxy corticoid into a corresponding 12beta-mesylate followed by heating in HOAc to 110 degrees C in the presence of NaOAc produced a mixture of the rearranged products in a 1:4 ratio.

Supercritical fluid extraction of steroids from biological samples and first experience with solid-phase microextraction-liquid chromatography.

Modern extraction techniques, supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) and solid-phase microextraction (SPME) were used for isolation of four corticosteroids from biological matrices. SFE was applied for extraction from solid matrices--hydromatrix and pig muscle. The effects of various extraction conditions were studied. Good recoveries of corticosteroids from hydromatrix were obtained under moderate extraction conditions and without modification of carbon dioxide. On the contrary, the best recoveries from spiked pig muscle were obtained with modified carbon dioxide. SPME was used for extraction from liquid samples--water and urine. The eventuality of the use of this fast solvent-free technique in steroid analysis is demonstrated. Several extraction conditions were optimized. Extracted steroids were analyzed by HPLC-UV and a special SPME-HPLC interface was used for combination with SPME.

Multi-residue extraction-purification procedure for corticosteroids in biological samples for efficient control of their misuse in livestock production.

A fast and efficient multi-residue extraction-purification procedure was developed for 12 corticosteroids in biological matrices (hair, urine and meat), in order to control their illegal use as growth promoters in cattle. Detection and identification of the analytes were achieved using a previously described LC-MS-MS method based on negative electrospray ionisation and a triple quadrupole analyser. The presented procedures included acid (hair) or enzymatic (urine and meat) hydrolysis, C18 reversed-phase SPE, Na2CO3 liquid-liquid clean-up and SiOH normal-phase SPE. The detection limits of the developed methods were between 2.9 and 9.3 pg/mg (ppb) for hair samples and in the 40 - 70 pg/g (ppt) range for the urine or meat samples. The acid hydrolysis used for corticosteroid extraction in hair was optimised using an experimental design and response surface methodology. Achieved performances were linked to a physico-chemical approach based on the corticosteroids specific C17 side-chain. This original multi-residue and multi-matrices analytical methodology will be used for further metabolism studies.

Liposomes as carriers in electrokinetic capillary chromatography.

Liposomes are small membrane-enclosed vesicles composed of either natural or synthetic lipids. Their size can be adjusted on a wide scale and they can be made with well-defined compositions. While liposomes have been extensively used as model biomembranes they have also gained a considerable degree of attention as carriers for drugs as well as for genetic material. The physical properties of liposomes are critically dependent on their chemical composition. In this study liposomes were applied as pseudostationary phases in electrokinetic capillary chromatography. Various negatively charged liposomes, consisting of mixtures of zwitterionic and anionic lipids, were investigated. Major emphasis was put on clarifying the effects of the total lipid concentration, the lipid molar ratio, the lipid head group, and the buffer on the capillary electrophoretic separation of neutral analytes. In addition, the influence of the physical state of the membrane, ie., gel vs. fluid, on the separation was investigated. Corticosteroids were applied as model analytes.

Biosynthesis and metabolism of steroid hormones by human adrenal carcinomas.

Over a 15-year period, our university-based laboratory obtained 125 adrenal tumors, of which 15 (12%) were adrenal cortical carcinomas. Of these, 6 (40% of the carcinomas) occurred in patients with clear clinical manifestations of steroid hormone excess. Adrenal cortical carcinoma cells derived from the surgically resected tumors in 4 of these patients were isolated and established in primary culture. Radiotracer steroid interconversion studies were carried out with these cultures and also on mitochondria isolated from homogenized tissues. Large tumors had the lowest steroidogenic activities per weight, whereas small tumors had more moderately depressed enzyme activities relative to cells from normal glands. In incubations with pregnenolone as substrate, 1 mM metyrapone blocked the synthesis of corticosterone and cortisol and also the formation of aldosterone. Metyrapone inhibition was associated with a concomitant increase in the formation of androgens (androstenedione and testosterone) from pregnenolone. Administration of metyrapone in vivo before surgery in one patient resulted in a similar increase in plasma androstenedione, though plasma testosterone levels were not significantly affected. In cultures of two of four tumors examined, dibutyryl cAMP stimulated 11ss-hydroxylase activity modestly; ACTH also had a significant stimulatory effect in one of these tumors. Unlike results obtained with normal or adenomatous adrenal cortical tissues, mitochondria from carcinomatous cells showed a lack of support of either cholesterol side-chain cleavage enzyme complex or steroid 11ss-hydroxylase activity by Krebs cycle intermediates (10 mM isocitrate, succinate or malate). This finding is consistent with the concept that these carcinomas may tend to function predominantly in an anaerobic manner, rather than through the oxidation of Krebs cycle intermediates.

Charged chelate-capillary electrophoresis of endogenous corticosteroids.

Separation of endogenous 17- or 18-hydroxylated corticosteroids (of the 21-hydroxylated 4-pregnen series) as charged chelates in capillary electrophoresis with borate as the ligand is demonstrated. Aldosterone, 18-hydroxycorticosterone, 18-hydroxy-11-deoxycorticosterone, cortisone, cortisol, and 11-deoxycortisol are separated and resolved by 400 mM borate buffer at pH 9.0. Separation characteristics of the corticosteroid charged chelates were examined by varying the separation buffer borate concentration, pH, ionic strength, and addition of organic modifiers. The borate ion [B(OH)4]- is identified as the critical buffer component. Corticosteroids chelate borate with proximal hydroxyls composed of either the 17- or 18-hydroxyl in combination with the 21-position hydroxyl. Corticosteroid/borate chelation as indicated by CE results is corroborated with 11B-nuclear magnetic resonance (11B-NMR) spectra. Chelation is a readily reversible process, with the strength of the resultant chelate, as opposed to the charge-to-mass ratio, predominantly determining analyte mobility in charged chelate - capillary electrophoresis (CC-CE).

Quantitative determination of several synthetic corticosteroids by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry after purification by immunoaffinity chromatography.

A study was conducted to test a multiresidue analytical procedure for detecting and quantifying several corticosteroids on which the European Union imposes maximum residue limits (MRLs). Primary extracts from different matrices (liver, milk, urine, faeces) were first purified on C18 cartridges. A new immunoaffinity clean-up step was included. The immunoaffinity gel was used to purify several corticosteroids simultaneously with enrichment of the corresponding fractions. The extracts were treated with an aqueous solution of pyridinium chlorochromate to fully oxidise all corticosteroids and to facilitate their extraction with dichloromethane. After evaporation, the final extract was reconstituted with toluene before injection into the GC-MS apparatus. The analysis was performed in the CI-negative ionisation mode using ammonia as the reactant gas. The estimated detection and quantification limits were, respectively, 0.25 and 0.5 ppb or lower. Overall, the method is reproducible to within 20%. Recovery is between 50 and 80% according to the corticosteroid.

Electrospray mass spectrometric characterization of a corticosteroid dimer.

18-Hydroxy-11-deoxycorticosterone forms a non-polar dimer under acidic conditions. The dimer was purified by high performance liquid chromatography and further analysed by electrospray mass spectrometry. The purified dimer has a molecular weight of 656 Da with two free ketone groups and no free hydroxyl functions. The mass spectrometric data suggest a 20,21,20',21'-anhydro dimer structure for the dimer. Microbore high performance liquid chromatography/electrospray mass spectrometry of rat adrenal extracts indicated that both 18-OH-B and 18-OH-DOC were present, although no 18-OH-DOC dimer was detected.

Optimization of selectivity and resolution in micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography with a mixed micellar system of sodium dodecyl sulfate and sodium cholate.

Selectivity and resolution were studied for the separation of seven corticosteroids by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MEKC) using a mixed micellar solution of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and sodium cholate (SC), buffered with 3-(N-morpholino)propanesulfonic acid (MOPS) or 3-[(1,1-dimethyl-2-hydroxyethyl)amino]-2-hydroxypropane sulfonic acid (AMPSO). The changes in selectivity were compared for the AMPSO-SDS-SC system by varying the pH and the concentrations of AMPSO, SDS and SC. The experimental design started with the central composite design and continued in a sequential manner. The optimum selectivity for the separation of the corticosteroids was calculated from the analyte migration times and the analyte velocities, by using empirical quadratic regression models. Satisfactory regression fits and coefficients of determination for prediction were obtained with cross-validated models. To optimize the resolution, the physical parameters of capillary length and analysis time were varied under the conditions optimal for the selectivity. In both the selectivity and the resolution, optimization the overall optimum was determined by using the desirability function technique. Analysis times were controlled by using 1,3-diaminopropane to influence the electroosmotic flow velocity (veo). The voltage was kept constant, which resulted in higher electric field strength in shorter capillaries. No changes in the selectivity were observed when 1,3-diaminopropane was used to control the electroosmotic flow velocity. Such an optimization technique, where the chemical and physical factors affecting the separation are treated independently, seemed to be effective for finding the best possible resolution for the corticosteroids.