New trends in fast and high-resolution liquid chromatography: a critical comparison of existing approaches

Enantioseparation and selective detection of D-amino acids by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry in analysis of complex biological samples

The growing scientific attention in the biological function of D-amino acids leads to an increasing analytical interest for enantiomeric amino acid separation, which is still very challenging due to the lack of sufficiently sensitive, high-throughput analytical methods that can cope with often occurring matrix interferences and very low D-amino acid concentrations. Here, enantioseparation can benefit from improved resolution and chromatographic speed offered by modern UHPLC techniques and the precision of MS detection. We developed a RP-UHPLC-QqToF-MS method using pre-column OPA/IBLC derivatization for very precise discrimination of amino acids enantiomers. The method shows a superb sensitivity with limits of detection in the range of several pmol/l. It has neither shown matrix inferences in the tested very complex biological matrices (serum, plasma, urine and gut) nor stability or racemization problems.

Detection and quantification of neurotransmitters in dialysates

Sensitive analytical methods are needed for the separation and quantification of neurotransmitters obtained in microdialysate studies. This unit describes methods that permit quantification of nanomolar concentrations of monoamines and their metabolites (high-performance liquid chromatography [HPLC] electrochemical detection), acetylcholine (HPLC-coupled to an enzyme reactor), and amino acids (HPLC-fluorescence detection, capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence detection).

Evaluation between ultrahigh pressure liquid chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography analytical methods for characterizing natural dyestuffs

An evaluation was undertaken of ultrahigh pressure liquid chromatography (UHPLC) in comparison to high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for characterizing natural dyes in cultural heritage objects. A new UHPLC method was optimized by testing several analytical parameters adapted from prior UHPLC studies developed in diverse fields of research. Different gradient elution programs were tested on seven UHPLC columns with different dimensions and stationary phase compositions by applying several mobile phases, flow rates, temperatures, and runtimes. The UHPLC method successfully provided more improved data than that achieved by the HPLC method. Indeed, even though carminic acid has shown circa 146% higher resolution with HPLC, UHPLC resulted in an increase of 41-61% resolution and a decrease of 91-422% limit of detection, depending on the dye compound. The optimized method was subsequently assigned to analyse 59 natural reference materials, in which 85 different components were ascribed with different physicochemical properties, in order to create a spectral database for future characterization of dyes in cultural heritage objects. The majority of these reference samples could be successfully distinguished with one single method through the examination of these compounds' retention times and their spectra acquired with a photodiode array detector. These results demonstrate that UHPLC analyses are extremely valuable for the acquisition of more precise chromatographic information concerning natural dyes with complex mixtures of different and/or closely related physicochemical properties, essential for distinguishing similar species of plants and animals used to colour cultural heritage objects.

UHPLC for the separation of proteins and peptides

There is increasing interest within the pharmaceutical industry in the development of proteins and peptides as drugs in addition to their use as biomarkers. Immunochemistry-based techniques have been traditionally used for the quantitation of proteins and peptides; however, LC-MS-based methodologies are being increasingly adopted as they offer several advantages. UHPLC is well established within the small-molecule community as a means to increase resolution and/or the speed of separations prior to MS detection; however, it is rarely applied to proteins or peptides separations. In this paper, current applications of UHPLC to such separations are reviewed, as well as considerations with regard to the effect of altering various chromatographic parameters.

Mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy: modern high-end detectors for high resolution separation techniques--state of the art in natural product HPLC-MS, HPLC-NMR, and CE-MS hyphenations

Current natural product research is unthinkable without the use of high resolution separation techniques as high performance liquid chromatography or capillary electrophoresis (HPLC or CE respectively) combined with mass spectrometers (MS) or nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometers. These hyphenated instrumental analysis platforms (CE-MS, HPLC-MS or HPLC-NMR) are valuable tools for natural product de novo identification, as well as the authentication, distribution, and quantification of constituents in biogenic raw materials, natural medicines and biological materials obtained from model organisms, animals and humans. Moreover, metabolic profiling and metabolic fingerprinting applications can be addressed as well as pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic issues. This review provides an overview of latest technological developments, discusses the assets and drawbacks of the available hyphenation techniques, and describes typical analytical workflows.

Analytical methodologies for the determination of endocrine disrupting compounds in biological and environmental samples

Endocrine-disruptor compounds (EDCs) can mimic natural hormones and produce adverse effects in the endocrine functions by interacting with estrogen receptors. EDCs include both natural and synthetic chemicals, such as hormones, personal care products, surfactants, and flame retardants, among others. EDCs are characterised by their ubiquitous presence at trace-level concentrations and their wide diversity. Since the discovery of the adverse effects of these pollutants on wildlife and human health, analytical methods have been developed for their qualitative and quantitative determination. In particular, mass-based analytical methods show excellent sensitivity and precision for their quantification. This paper reviews recently published analytical methodologies for the sample preparation and for the determination of these compounds in different environmental and biological matrices by liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. The various sample preparation techniques are compared and discussed. In addition, recent developments and advances in this field are presented.

Application of UHPLC for the determination of free amino acids in different cheese varieties

A rapid ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) protocol for the determination of amino acids as their respective 6-aminoquinolyl-N-hydroxysuccinimidyl carbamate (AQC) derivatives was successfully applied for assessing free amino acid levels in commercial cheese samples representing typical product groups (ripening protocols) in cheesemaking. Based on the Waters AccQ.Tag™ method as a high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) amino acid solution designed for hydrolyzate analyses, method adaptation onto UHPLC was performed, and detection of AQC derivatives was changed from former fluorescence (λ(Ex) 250 nm/λ(Em) 395 nm) to UV (254 nm). Compared to the original HPLC method, UHPLC proved to be superior by facilitating excellent separations of 18 amino acids within 12 min only, thus demonstrating significantly shortened runtimes (>35 min for HPLC) while retaining the original separation chemistry and amino acid elution pattern. Free amino acid levels of the analyzed cheese samples showed a high extent of variability depending on the cheese type, with highest total amounts found for original Italian extra-hard cheeses (up to 9,000 mg/100 g) and lowest for surface mold- or bacterial smear-ripened soft cheeses (200-600 mg/100 g). Despite the intrinsic variability in both total and specific concentrations, the established UHPLC method enabled reliable and interference-free amino acid profiling throughout all cheese types, thus demonstrating a valuable tool to generate high quality data for the characterization of cheese ripening.

LC-ESI-TOF MS method for the evaluation of the immunostimulating activity of soybeans via the determination of the functional peptide soymetide

Bioactive peptides content in foodstuffs can seriously vary with many factors such as crop variety, food processing, animal breeding, etc. Because of this variability, quantitative methodologies are required to evaluate the content of bioactive peptides in foodstuffs. Progress in liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry technologies offer a great opportunity for the quantitation of bioactive peptides. This study undertook the development of a liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry method using a fused-core technology column for the sensitive and unambiguous determination of the immunostimulating peptide soymetide in soybean varieties. Soymetide precursor protein (α' subunit of β-conglycinin) was extracted with a Tris-HCl buffer (pH 8.0) containing urea and digested with trypsin. Soymetide separation conditions by reversed phase liquid chromatography (ion-pairing reagent, organic modifier, separation column, and elution gradient) and detection by MS were optimized, and a study of soymetide stability was also conducted. The method selectivity having been demonstrated, the linearity, accuracy, precision, and limits of detection and quantitation were evaluated. The developed method enabled the detection and quantitation of soymetide concentrations in the ppb range (7.5 ng/mL and 25 ng/mL, respectively), and about 30 times lower than those detected and determined in a previous work by capillary liquid chromatography with UV detection. These values could allow the quantitation of only 17 μg of soymetide per gram of soybean. The developed methodology was applied to the quantitation of soymetide in different soybean varieties from Europe, Japan, and USA observing great differences in soymetide content that ranged from 40 to 600 μg per gram of soybean depending on the soybean variety.

Development and validation of a rapid ultra-high performance liquid chromatography diode array detector method for Vitex agnus-castus

A rapid ultra-high performance liquid chromatography diode array detector (UHPLC-DAD) method was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of all classes of non-volatile phytochemicals (iridoids, flavonoids and diterpenes) in Vitex agnus-castus (Lamiaceae) fruits, a traditional medicinal plant used against premenstrual symptoms (PMS) and other disorders. Seven marker compounds, 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, agnuside, 5-hydroxykaempferol-3,6,7,4'-tetramethylether, 1,2-dibenzoic acid glucose, methoxy-vitexilactone, and vitetrifolin D were isolated from the methanol extract of V. agnus-castus to be used as reference substances. Chromatographic separation was performed on a Zorbax Eclipse XDB-C18 (50mm×2.1mm) UHPLC column with 1.8μm particle size, within 20min. A solvent gradient from 0.5% acetic acid to acetonitrile at a flow rate of 0.6mL/min was used as mobile phase. Analyte detection and quantification was realized at 210nm and 260nm. The UHPLC-DAD assay was validated for the quantitative analysis of agnuside, isovitexin, casticin, 5-hydroxykaempferol-3,6,7,4'-tetramethylether and vitetrifolin D. It was found to be specific, accurate, precise, and reproducible for the quantification of these compound within a concentration range of 0.7-500.0μg/mL for casticin and 5-hydroxykaempferol-3,6,7,4'-tetramethylether, 1.4-1000.0μg/mL for isovitexin and agnuside, and 12.4-1000.0μg/mL for vitetrifolin D. Intra- and inter-day variations showed relative standard deviations (RSD) of less than 3.9% and 6.4%, respectively. Tentatively assignment of 62 chromatographic features found in the UHPLC-DAD assay was carried out by coupling the UHPLC instrument to a quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometer via an electrospray ionization interface (ESI-QTOF-MS) operated in positive and negative ion mode. By using the established quantitative UHPLC-DAD assay to asses agnuside, isovitexin, casticin, 5-hydroxykaempferol-3,6,7,4'-tetramethylether and vitetrifolin D in V. agnus-castus derived preparations as extracts, tinctures and tablets, the applicability of the developed assay to phytopharmaceuticals was successfully proven.

Simultaneous determination of opiates, methadone, buprenorphine and metabolites in human urine by superficially porous liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry

For monitoring compliance of methadone or buprenorphine maintenance patient, a method for the simultaneous determination of methadone, 2-ethylidene-1,5-dimethyl-3,3-diphenylpyrrolidine (EDDP), buprenorphine, norbuprenorphine, opiates (morphine, codeine, 6-monoacetylmorphine) in urine by superficially porous liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry was developed and validated. After enzyme digestion and liquid-liquid extraction, reverse-phase separation was achieved in 5.2 min and quantification was performed by multiple reaction monitoring. Chromatographic separation was performed at 40 °C on a reversed phase Poroshell column with gradient elution. The mobile phase consisted of water and methanol, each containing 0.1% formic acid, at a flow rate of 0.32 mL/min. Intra-day and inter-day precision were less than 12.1% and accuracy was between -9.8% and 13.7%. Extraction efficiencies were more than 68%. Although ion suppression was detected, deuterated internal standards compensated for these effects. Carryover was minimal, less than 0.20%. All analytes were stable at room temperature for 16 h, 4 °C for 72 h, and after three freeze-thaw cycles. The assay also fulfilled compound identification criteria in accordance with the European Commission Decision 2002/657/EC. We analyzed 62 urine samples from patients received maintenance therapy and found that 54.8% of the patient samples tested were detected for morphine, codeine, or 6-monoacetylmorphine. This method provides a reliable and simultaneous quantification of opiates, maintenance drugs, and their metabolites in urine samples. It facilitates the routine monitoring in individuals prescribed the drug to ensure compliance and help therapeutic process.

Application of core-shell technology for determination of retinol and alpha-tocopherol in breast milk

Breast milk is a main source of fat-soluble vitamins for newborns and it is needful to monitor the nutritional status prior to its application. In this work a novel, high-throughput and low-cost method for monitoring of retinol and alpha-tocopherol in breast milk was developed, validated and compared with reference method using monolithic column. For this purpose five various porous shell and monolithic columns were tested on the basis of relationship between HETP and linear mobile phase velocity, analysis time and consumption of solvents. Finally the core-shell analytical column Kinetex C18 (2.6 μm, 100 Å, 100×4.6 mm) was chosen as the best and optimal values of flow rate, injection volume and temperature of analysis were established. The detection of retinol and alpha-tocopherol was carried out at 325 and 295 nm, respectively by diode array detector. The LOD 0.004 μmol/L and 0.078 μmol/L, the LOQ 0.012 μmol/L and 0.182 μmol/L for retinol and alpha-tocopherol, respectively were calculated. The validation data showed good linearity, repeatability of retention time with RSD 0.22% and 0.12%, repeatability of peak area with RSD 6.94% and 1.75%, recovery 114.1-116.3% and 99.0-108.6% for retinol and alpha-tocopherol, respectively. Moreover, the newly developed method substantially decreased the solvent consumption by about 263 mL per 100 samples with the total time of analysis 1.75 min in comparison with analysis time 1.80 of the reference method.

Clinical applications of fast liquid chromatography: a review on the analysis of cardiovascular drugs and their metabolites

One of the major challenges facing the medicine today is developing new therapies that enhance human health. To help address these challenges the utilization of analytical technologies and high-throughput automated platforms has been employed; in order to perform more experiments in a shorter time frame with increased data quality. In the last decade various analytical strategies have been established to enhance separation speed and efficiency in liquid chromatography applications. Liquid chromatography is an increasingly important tool for monitoring drugs and their metabolites. Furthermore, liquid chromatography has played an important role in pharmacokinetics and metabolism studies at these drug development stages since its introduction. This paper provides an overview of current trends in fast chromatography for the analysis of cardiovascular drugs and their metabolites in clinical applications. Current trends in fast liquid chromatographic separations involve monolith technologies, fused-core columns, high-temperature liquid chromatography (HTLC) and ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC). The high specificity in combination with high sensitivity makes it an attractive complementary method to traditional methodology used for routine applications. The practical aspects of, recent developments in and the present status of fast chromatography for the analysis of biological fluids for therapeutic drug and metabolite monitoring, pharmacokinetic studies and bioequivalence studies are presented.

Accurate retention time determination of co-eluting proteins in analytical chromatography by means of spectral data

Chromatography is the method of choice for the separation of proteins, at both analytical and preparative scale. Orthogonal purification strategies for industrial use can easily be implemented by combining different modes of adsorption. Nevertheless, with flexibility comes the freedom of choice and optimal conditions for consecutive steps need to be identified in a robust and reproducible fashion. One way to address this issue is the use of mathematical models that allow for an in silico process optimization. Although this has been shown to work, model parameter estimation for complex feedstocks becomes the bottleneck in process development. An integral part of parameter assessment is the accurate measurement of retention times in a series of isocratic or gradient elution experiments. As high-resolution analytics that can differentiate between proteins are often not readily available, pure protein is mandatory for parameter determination. In this work, we present an approach that has the potential to solve this problem. Based on the uniqueness of UV absorption spectra of proteins, we were able to accurately measure retention times in systems of up to four co-eluting compounds. The presented approach is calibration-free, meaning that prior knowledge of pure component absorption spectra is not required. Actually, pure protein spectra can be determined from co-eluting proteins as part of the methodology. The approach was tested for size-exclusion chromatograms of 38 mixtures of co-eluting proteins. Retention times were determined with an average error of 0.6 s (1.6% of average peak width), approximated and measured pure component spectra showed an average coefficient of correlation of 0.992.

A rapid validated UHPLC-PDA method for anthocyanins quantification from Euterpe oleracea fruits

The aim of this work is to develop the first validated UHPLC-PDA method for major anthocyanins quantification in Euterpe oleracea fruits after fast extraction procedures and samples preparation. The separation was performed on HSS C18 column (1.8 μm) using a gradient elution with acetonitrile and 5% formic acid in a total run time of only 17 min. Total error and accuracy profiles were used as criteria for the validation process. Calibration in the matrix was found to be more accurate than calibration without matrix. Trueness (<6.76% relative bias), repeatability (<4.6% RSD), intermediate precision (<5.3% RSD), selectivity, response function and linearity for major anthocyanins, cyanidin-3-glucoside and cyanidin-3-rutinoside, were evaluated. The concentration range validated was 1-48 μg/mL for both compounds. In addition two cyanidin-di-O-glycosides were detected for the fist time in this fruit. We also showed that a first extraction of the fruits with ethyl acetate removes the lipophilic compounds and allows an easier extraction by methanol and quantification of anthocyanins in this extract.

Challenges in the development of bioanalytical liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry method with emphasis on fast analysis

The development of bioanalytical methods has become more and more challenging over the past years due to very demanding requirements in terms of method reliability, sensitivity, speed of analysis and sample throughput. LC-MS/MS has established itself as a method of choice for routine analysis of biological materials. A development of such method consists of several steps including sample preparation and clean-up step, efficient chromatographic separation, sensitive and selective detection of analytes in complex matrices, a choice of convenient data processing and calibration approach and finally method validation. Each of these steps has its own constraints and challenges, which are discussed in detail in this review. Novel and modern approaches in sample preparation, chromatography and detection are especially emphasized. Attention is paid to proper calibration approach and matrix effects that can seriously affect method accuracy and precision.

Strategies for the profiling, characterisation and detailed structural analysis of N-linked oligosaccharides

Many post-translational modifications, including glycosylation, are pivotal for the structural integrity, location and functional activity of glycoproteins. Sub-populations of proteins that are relocated or functionally changed by such modifications can change resting proteins into active ones, mediating specific effector functions, as in the case of monoclonal antibodies. To ensure safe and efficacious drugs it is essential to employ appropriate robust, quantitative analytical strategies that can (i) perform detailed glycan structural analysis, (ii) characterise specific subsets of glycans to assess known critical features of therapeutic activities (iii) rapidly profile glycan pools for at-line monitoring or high level batch to batch screening. Here we focus on these aspects of glycan analysis, showing how state-of-the-art technologies are required at all stages during the production of recombinant glycotherapeutics. These data can provide insights into processing pathways and suggest markers for intervention at critical control points in bioprocessing and also critical decision points in disease and drug monitoring in patients. Importantly, these tools are now enabling the first glycome/genome studies in large populations, allowing the integration of glycomics into other 'omics platforms in a systems biology context.