GLC determination of caffeine in plasma using alkali flame detection

Determination of substituted purines in body fluids by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography with direct sample injection

Many substituted purines (theobromine, caffeine, paraxanthine, theophylline and uric acid, as well as other methylated xanthines and uric acids) can easily be separated and analysed in one run using micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography with a boratephosphate buffer containing 75 mM sodium dodecyl sulphate (pH approximately 9). Serum, saliva and urine samples collected after the self-administration of caffeine and serum samples from patients receiving theophylline or caffeine pharmacotherapy were screened for substituted purines. The data presented show the ease of using on-column multi-wavelength detection for investigating the feasibility of direct sample application, the characterization of sample pretreatment procedures and peak confirmation by comparing absorption spectra. It is shown that the determination of purines in serum and saliva samples, including therapeutic concentrations of caffeine and theophylline, can be accomplished without any sample pretreatment, whereas sample extraction is required for the determination of purines in urine. Quantitative data for the determination of micromolar amounts of theophylline (samples from adult patients) and caffeine (samples from infants born prematurely) in serum samples compared well with data obtained by non-isotopic immunoassays. Micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography with the direct injection of serum or saliva samples requires only microlitre volumes of sample and several different compounds can be determined within a few minutes.

Rapid and sensitive gas-chromatographic determination of caffeine in blood plasma, saliva, and xanthine beverages

A gas chromatographic procedure is reported for the determination of caffeine in plasma, saliva, and xanthine beverages. Using a 75 cm column packed with OV-17, nitrogen-sensitive detection, and 1 ml samples, a suitable limit of analysis (coefficient of variation (CV) = 10.2%) of 50 ng/ml was obtained in plasma. Within-day CVs at caffeine concentrations of 0.1-0.5-2.0-7.5-15.0 micrograms/ml in plasma were 7.7-5.6-4.8-3.8-3.4%, respectively. The limit of detection, defined as the injected quantity of caffeine giving rise to a signal to noise ratio of 2, is 40 pg, corresponding to a plasma concentration of 1 ng/ml. The procedure involves addition of the internal standard 7-pentyl theophylline and alkaline extraction of the sample with dichloromethane. The method described rivals any gaschromatographic assay published so far in rapidness and accuracy. Plasma and saliva caffeine concentrations were determined in a healthy male volunteer after swallowing 400 ml of coffee. The calculated pharmacokinetic parameters, assuming complete absorption of caffeine from the G.I. tract, agree well with previously published values.

The effect of caffeine on some mouse brain free amino acid levels

Changes in free amino acids were examined in the central nervous system of mice treated with caffeine for three weeks. Caffeine was administered in the drinking water, and at the end of three weeks the level of caffeine in the cerebral cortex was 113 +/- 19 micrograms/g. When amino acid levels in cerebral hemispheres, midbrain, pons and medulla, and cerebellum were measured a significant increase in glutamine levels was found in all four regions. Glycine, alanine, serine, threonine, and GABA were significantly reduced in some regions. Caffeine appears to alter some of the metabolic or transport processes regulating amino acid pools in the brain. The decrease of GABA found in pons and medulla may contribute to the observed increase in reflex excitability after caffeine.

Predicting caffeine plasma concentrations resulting from consumption of food or beverages: a simple method and its origin

Multiple dosage regimens for therapeutic agents are commonly comprised of a constant dosing interval and a constant dose size. This is not true for the ingestion of a pharmacologically active agent that is a component in a dietary source. Caffeine is contained in foods and beverages that are regular components of the diet for many people. Because daily intake is unsystematic, a computer program was written to simulate caffeine plasma concentration-time courses following ingestion of variable amounts on irregular schedules. Literature values for caffeine pharmacokinetics, for the caffeine content in various foods and beverages, and for consumer habits were employed to simulate various caffeine plasma concentration-time courses. By searching for predictable traits in a wide variety of plasma concentration-time courses representing normal adults, a simple noncomputer method was developed to allow individuals to estimate caffeine plasma concentrations based on personal intake habits. Changes in the time courses due to smoking, oral contraceptive use, and liver disease, all of which alter caffeine pharmacokinetics, were also examined.

A rapid HPLC method for monitoring plasma levels of caffeine and theophylline using solid phase extraction columns

A simple HPLC method for the determination of caffeine and theophylline in plasma is described. Separation of theobromine, paraxanthine, theophylline, beta-hydroxyethyltheophylline and caffeine is obtained using a mobile phase of 1% acetic acid/methanol (83:17, v/v) and a Waters Associates NOVA-PAK C18 column protected by a Guard-PAK precolumn module containing a Guard-PAK CN cartridge. Rapid sample preparation is achieved by solid-phase extraction columns (Bond-Elut C18, 1 mL capacity) which provide excellent recovery values for both drugs. The cost per sample using this approach can be minimised by column regeneration and re-use. Results obtained for theophylline are in good agreement with values determined by other techniques.

Activation of acetaminophen oxidation in rat liver microsomes by caffeine

Addition of caffeine in vitro stimulated the oxidative metabolism of acetaminophen by rat liver microsomes, resulting in increased formation of acetaminophen-glutathione (GSH) conjugates and increased covalent binding of acetaminophen to microsomal protein. This metabolic enhancement by caffeine was most prominent using liver microsomes from phenobarbital (PB)-treated rats. Liver microsomes obtained from rats treated with ethanol-oxidized acetaminophen at much faster rates than microsomes from control, PB-treated or 3-methylcholanthrene (3-MC)-treated animals. The stimulatory effect of caffeine was, however, minimal in liver microsomes obtained from ethanol-treated rats.

Rapid quantitative liquid chromatographic determination of caffeine levels in plasma after oral dosing

A simple method is described for the rapid, quantitative analysis of caffeine in human plasma. Caffeine levels present in plasma following drug administration were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography with UV detection at 273 nm after plasma protein precipitation. Caffeine was detectable at levels as low as 0.1 micrograms/mL. Mean recoveries of 98% with a coefficient of variation of 3% were obtained for plasma standards, in which concentrations ranged from 0.1 to 8 micrograms/mL. Interassay variability of the slope of the standard curve had a coefficient of variation of 3%. Application of this method during human bioavailability studies is described.

Determination of caffeine, theophylline and theobromine in serum and saliva using high-performance liquid chromatography

A method is described for the measurement of theobromine, theophylline and caffeine in serum and saliva by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). A chloroform/isopropanol extract (85:15, v/v) is evaporated to dryness and chromatographed on a 100 X 4.5 mm id Hypersil octadecylsilane column with UV detection at 280 nm. Theobromine, theophylline, caffeine and the internal standard proxyphylline are satisfactorily resolved with an elution system of acetonitrile/tetrahydrofuran/50 mM acetate buffer, pH 4.0, (4:1:95, v/v). No interference is observed from the presence of xanthine metabolites or any of a number of common drugs examined. A good correlation was observed between the concentrations of caffeine in serum and in saliva suggesting that salivary measurements may be useful for the study of caffeine pharmacokinetics in man. Caffeine levels determined by the HPLC procedure described here agreed well with those obtained by a radioimmunoassay method. The method is also suitable for determining the xanthine content of beverages by direct injection of diluted samples.

Caffeine: a model compound for measuring liver function

The effects of liver disease on caffeine plasma clearance (Cl) and on exhalation of 14CO2 following i.v. injection of 2 mu Ci of [3-methyl-14C]caffeine together with 125 mg of the unlabeled compound were measured in 15 patients with cirrhosis, 11 subjects with miscellaneous liver disease, and 10 normal volunteers. Compared to mean values for Cl (2.02 +/- S.D. 0.68 ml per min per kg) and t1/2 (3.8 +/- 0.9 hr) in normal volunteers, cirrhotics were characterized by highly significant reductions in Cl (to 0.76 +/- 0.40) and prolongation in t1/2 (to 13.7 +/- 13.0), whereas the volume of distribution (VD) remained relatively unchanged (0.57 +/- 0.16 vs. 0.64 +/- 0.13 liter per kg in normals). Cumulative 14CO2 production and specific activity of 14CO2 in breath decreased in parallel (r = 0.83) with Cl. Patients with miscellaneous liver disease exhibited only small changes in Cl and t1/2; however, 14CO2 parameters in breath appeared more sensitive in indicating the slight functional derangement. In view of the correlation (Rs = 0.83) of cumulative 14CO2 excretion with the initial disappearance constant for bromosulfophthalein, the caffeine breath test may be considered as a quantitative measure of hepatic microsomal activity; based on a surprisingly close, hyperbolic relationship between Cl and fasting caffeine plasma concentrations, the latter might serve as a simple guide to severity of liver disease.

Caffeine as an intensifier of stress-induced hormonal and pathophysiologic changes in mice

Psychosocially stressed male mice competing in a Henry-Stephens complex population cage develop hypertension, cardiovascular damage, and chronic interstitial nephritis. Their plasma renin, noradrenaline, corticosterone, and adrenal-catecholamine synthetic enzymes are increased and they die prematurely. Adding 3.3 mg of caffeine a day per kilogram of mouse body weight (the equivalent of 20 micrograms/ml decaffeinated coffee) to their drinking water significantly intensifies most of these changes. A dose of 90 mg/kg of caffeine (the equivalent of 560 micrograms/ml, i.e., brewed tea or coffee) further increases the effects. The drug-induced enhancement of competitive social stimulation of the neuroendocrine system resulted in a further increase of plasma renin and corticosterone levels as well as blood pressure and adrenal weight. These effects together with accelerated mortality and increased pathology indicate that chronic consumption of caffeinated liquids adds to the risks of psychosocial stress.

The simultaneous determination of theophylline, theobromine and caffeine in plasma by high performance liquid chromatography

A high performance liquid chromatographic procedure for the stimultaneous micro-scale determination of theophylline, theobromine and caffeine in plasma is described. After a single dichloromethane extraction of 0.5--0.2 ml of acidified plasma, the evaporated residue is chromatographed on a reverse-phase gC-18) column. With a mobile phase of acetate buffer (pH 4)--acetonitrile (88:12) at a flow-rate of 2.0 ml/min., the three methylxanthines are separated within six minutes. Detection at xanthines are separated within six minutes. Detection at 276-280 nm enables quantitation of 0.1 mg/1 of drug in a 0.1 ml sample. The method is reproducible, correlates well with EMIT for plasma theophylline, and is applicable to the routine monitoring of both paediatric and adult patients as well as to metabolic studies.