External quality control of clinical chemistry laboratories in Belgium.

A description is given of one of the existing National External Quality Assessment Schemes as organised in Belgium. The results of the six surveys held in 1981 in the disciplines Clinical Chemistry and Hormonology are reported. A few general conclusions are drawn from experimental data.

Candidate definitive method for the determination of cortisol in human serum.

As a substantial part in the development of a reference material in clinical chemistry, a highly accurate and precise isotope dilution mass spectrometric method has been worked out for the determination of cortisol in human serum. The candidate definitive method consists of addition of 4-[14C]cortisol and, following equilibration, solvent extraction of cortisol and its internal standard from the serum matrix. After conversion into methoxime-trimethylsilyl derivatives, the extract is purified by gel chromatography. Measurements are made by combined capillary gas chromatography mass spectrometry. The ratio of peak heights at m/z 605 and 607 for each sample and calibration mixtures is used for quantification. To ensure maximum accuracy each set of calibration mixtures was composed from two stock solutions and closely bracketed the anticipated serum concentration. An analysis of variance, involving comparison of within-run and between-run variability, gave a total coefficient of variation (CV) of 0.38% for a serum pool containing 90.79 ng cortisol ml-1 serum.

Pentafluorobenzoyl derivatives of doping agents. I. Extractive benzoylation and gas chromatography with electron-capture detection of primary and secondary amines.

A sensitive and rapid method for the gas chromatographic (with electron-capture detection) confirmation of derivable sympathomimetic amines is described. Extractive derivatization with pentafluorobenzoyl chloride is performed on 2-ml urine or plasma samples. Especially for primary amines, the method appears to be very sensitive. Mass spectral data allowed confirmation of the monobenzoylation of all congeners.

Characterization of two metabolites of prethcamide by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry.

Crotethamide and cropropamide, both components of the respiratory stimulant prethcamide, are metabolized in humans by demethylation of the [(dimethylamino)-carbonyl]-propyl moiety. The resulting metabolites are characterized by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry of urinary extracts. The use of HCl to prevent losses by volatilization during the evaporation step, combined with methanol as solvent, complicates gas liquid chromatographic analysis of prethcamide. The resulting artifacts are identified.

Measurement of propericiazine in plasma by capillary gas chromatography and selected ion monitoring detection.

A new method, based upon a selective extraction and gas chromatographic/mass spectrometric analysis, was developed to monitor the effect of combined haemoperfusion-haemodialysis treatment in a case of propericiazine poisoning. The method relies on the selected ion monitoring of the acetate derivatives of propericiazine and its internal standard fluphenazine, after their extraction from 1 ml of alkalinized plasma with n-hexane:isopropanol (8:2, v/v), back-extraction into an acidified water phase, realkalinization and extraction with n-hexane: isopropanol, derivatization with acetic anhydride and gas chromatography on a short (12 m) OV-101 fused silica capillary column. The described procedure is specific and provides between-assay variability of 4.8% CV at 5 micrograms 1(-1) plasma concentration. The method enables quantification down to 1 microgram 1(-1) and hence demonstrates sufficient sensitivity to permit pharmacokinetic or drug monitoring studies.

Selected ion monitoring assay for bromhexine in biological fluids.

A method has been developed for quantification of bromhexine in plasma using gas chromatography mass spectrometry with selected ion monitoring. A deuterium labelled analogue was synthesized and used as the internal standard. To evaluate the gas chromatographic electron capture detection method described earlier, 23 plasma samples have been analysed by both techniques. Although a good correlation was shown, selected ion monitoring was superior to the electron capture detection method for levels below 3 ng ml-1. The mass spectrometric method has also been used to set up a pharmacokinetic study of bromhexine in horses. Urine extracts were subjected to gas chromatographic mass spectrometric analysis to identify the different metabolites of bromhexine. Three groups of metabolites were detected and identified.

Improved liquid chromatographic determination of serum cortisol with double internal standardization compared to radioimmunoassay and fluorometry, and evaluated by isotope dilution/mass spectrometry.

A sensitive and specific high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method for the determination of cortisol in only 200 microliters of serum is described. Cortisol and two internal standards, 19-nortestosterone (IS1) and 6 alpha-methylprednisolone (IS2) are extracted with dichloromethane and analyzed on a C18 reversed-phase column eluted with a mobile phase of methanol:water at a flow rate of 0.75 ml/min. Ultraviolet absorption at 254 nm is used for detection and quantitation is performed by peak height ratio measurement. Using 200 microliters of serum, the lower limit of detection for cortisol is 10 ng/ml, the analytical recovery is 104 +/- 3.6% (n = 8), and the day-to-day precision was 1.69% at a level of 90 ng/ml (n = 16). Cortisol values obtained by this method were generally lower than those obtained by radioimmunoassay or by fluorometry. A serum pool was analyzed both by HPLC and by isotope dilution/mass spectrometry (ID/MS). A mean value of 90.1 ng/ml was obtained by HPLC (n = 16, CV = 1.7%), whereas ID/MS yielded a mean of 90.8 ng/ml (n = 28, CV = 0.4%). These results clearly demonstrate the high specificity and the accuracy of the HPLC procedure. The use of two internal standards not only compensates for losses during the sample manipulation but also prevents erroneous results in case of medication by either of these two products.

cis-Canthaxanthins. Unusual carotenoids in the eggs and the reproductive system of female brine shrimp artemia.

The significance of carotenoid accumulation in crustacean eggs remains obscure, particularly because neither eggs nor female animals have been found to display specific pigment patterns in relation to reproduction. We report here the first example of carotenoids found exclusively in the ovaries, the eggs, and the hemolymph, but not in the carcass of a female, reproductively active crustacean, i.e. the brine shrimp Artemia. These pigments are virtually absent in males and in immature animals and disappear very rapidly in growing nauplii following hatching of encysted embryos. Within the cysts, they are preferably localized in the yolk platelets. We have identified them as mono-cis- canthaxanthins on the basis of their mass and absorption spectra and by comparison with synthetic components. Carotenoids with the unusual cis-configuration have never been isolated from animals, nor are there reports on the occurrence of carotenoid pigments at specific sites. Our findings may thus provide a clue to a precise function for carotenoids in Artemia and, possibly, related Crustacea.

Quantitative gas chromatographic mass spectrometric determination of pinaverium-bromide in human serum.

A method has been developed for quantitative determination of pinaverium-bromide, a quaternary ammonium derivative with papaverine-like activity, in human serum. The method involves a chloroform extraction of serum spiked with N-(6,6-dimethyl bicyclo[3.1.1]2-heptenyl-ethoxyethyl) perhydro-1,4-oxazine as internal standard. After evaporation of the solvent, and reduction of the residue with Raney-Nickel, the internal standard and the reduced pinaverium-bromide are re-extracted from the reaction mixture with toluene and analysed isothermally on a fused silica column coated with OV-101. Although chemical ionization with methane revealed intense protonated molecular ions for both pinaverium-bromide and the internal standard, selectivity and sensitivity were significantly lower in comparison with electron impact ionization at 70 e V. Therefore, quantification was performed in the electron impact mode by single ion monitoring of the common fragment ion at m/z 100.2. A linear detector response was observed up to 160 ng ml-1. A within-run assay precision better than 2% CV (n = 5) was found, and a detection limit of 1 ng pinaverium-bromide ml-1 of serum was attained.