Determination of marker residue of Olaquindox in fish tissue by ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

Determination of marker residues of quinoxaline-1,4-di-N-oxides and its prototype identification by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry

Quinoxaline-1,4-di-N-oxides (QdNOs), such as carbadox, olaquindox, mequindox, quinocetone, etc. are a class of antibacterial drugs. Prototype drugs residues can not be detected due to their rapid metabolism in animals. Quinoxaline-2-carboxylic acid (QCA) and 3-methyl-QCA (MQCA) are their common marker residues, so it has been always a challenge to trace the specific QdNOs drug used in food animal production. Herein, a liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method was developed to determine QCA and MQCA, and meanwhile, the prototype drugs were identified by analyzing bis-desoxy QdNOs metabolites in single ion-pair monitoring mode. The method indicated that the average recoveries for QCA and MQCA were from 90 % to 105 % with relative standard deviations below 10 %, and the limits of quantification were 1.0 μg/kg. The limits of detection of five bis-desoxy QdNOs (qualitative markers) reached 0.5 μg/kg. This new analytical strategy can effectively solve the identification problem of QdNOs drugs in animal-derived food.

Advances in Metabolism and Metabolic Toxicology of Quinoxaline 1,4-Di-N-oxides

Quinoxaline 1,4-di-N-Oxides (QdNOs) have been used as synthetic antimicrobial agents in animal husbandry and aquaculture. The metabolism and potential toxicity have been also concerns in recently years. The metabolism investigations showed that there were 8 metabolites of Carbadox (CBX), 34 metabolites of Cyadox (CYA), 33 metabolites of Mequindox (MEQ), 35 metabolites of Olaquindox (OLA), and 56 metabolites of Quinocetone (QCT) in different animals. Among them, Cb3 and Cb8, M6, and O9 are metabolic residual markers of CBX, MEQ and OLA, which are associated with N → O reduction. Toxicity studies revealed that QdNOs exhibited severe tumorigenicity, cytotoxicity, and adrenal toxicity. Metabolic toxicology showed that toxicity of QdNOs metabolites might be related to the N → O group reduction, and some metabolites exhibited higher toxic effects than the precursor, which could provide guidance for further research on the metabolic toxicology of QdNOs and provide a wealth of information for food safety evaluation.

Production of high-affinity monoclonal antibody and development of immunoassay for 3-methyl-quinoxaline-2-carboxylic acid detection in swine muscle and liver

Production of high-affinity and specific antibodies to small molecules with molecular weight (MW) lower than 200 Da is challenging. Here, we designed a novel hapten, named hapten H6, for the detection of 3-methyl-quinoxaline-2-carboxylic acid (MQCA, MW of 189 Da), a residual marker of olaquindox, one of important veterinary antibiotics. The hapten H6 maintained all structural features of MQCA, especially in mulliken atomic charge distribution. Then, a monoclonal antibody (mAb) named 8C9 was obtained with an IC₅₀ value of 0.2 µg/L, yielding a 15.5- to 88.5-fold improvement compared to previously prepared specific antibodies against MQCA. In addition, mAb 8C9 exhibited ignorable cross-reactivity with other structural analogs. Finally, a highly sensitive and specific indirect competitive ELISA based on mAb 8C9 was developed for the detection of MQCA in swine muscle and liver samples with limit of detection values of 0.04 µg/kg and 0.09 µg/kg, respectively.

Reduction and Hydroxylation Metabolites of Mequindox in Holothurian Analysis by Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry

This research proposed and validated an LC-MSMS method for five reduction and hydroxylation metabolites of Mequindox (MEQ) as well as the precursor in holothurian samples. Specially, three hydroxylation metabolites (2-isoethanol-mequindox, M3, 2-isoethanol-1-desoxymequindox, M4 and 2-isoethanol-4-desoxymequindox, M5) are novel for analysis. Target compounds were extracted with methanol and ethyl acetate in turn without any complicated acidolysis, alkaline hydrolysis or enzymolysis steps. Samples were further purified with C18 solid-phase extraction cartridges for LC-MSMS analysis. Mean recoveries in spiked samples ranged from 81 to 107% with intra-day relative standard deviation (RSD) and inter-day RSD <11.2 and 9.9%, respectively. Limit of detection was determined based on signal-to-noise ratio ≥3 ranged from 0.16 to 2.11 μg kg-1 for each target. The validated protocol was successfully applied for commercial holothurian samples with a positive rate at 13.3%. And concentrations of hydroxylation metabolites were higher than reduction metabolites and precursor MEQ in positive samples.

Simultaneous determination of olaquindox, oxytetracycline and chlorotetracycline in feeds by high performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet and fluorescence detection adopting online synchronous derivation and separation

Olaquindox, oxytetracycline and chlorotetracycline were widely used in feed as antibiotics and growth promoter to improve feed conversion efficiency and increase the rate of weight gain for animals. However, the use of these antibiotics in feed was gradually prohibited because of concerns about contamination and resistance in animals. A quantitative and confirmatory method for determining the presence of olaquindox, oxytetracycline and chlorotetracycline in feed by high performance liquid chromatography equipped with ultraviolet detector in series with fluorescence detector (HPLC-UVD-FLD) was developed, optimized, and validated in three different matrices (compound, concentrated and premix feed). The analytes extraction was performed with a mixture of acetonitrile and 0.1 mol/L ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid disodium-Mcllvaine buffer (1:4, v/v) by one step sample preparation procedure. The validated method presented a broad linear range and good linearity with weighted least square method. The decision limit of the analytes ranged from 0.61 to 0.77 mg/kg for olaquindox, 0.90 to 1.2 mg/kg for oxytetracycline and 1.3 to 2.0 mg/kg for chlorotetracycline. The average recovery values found in intermediate precision conditions were ranged from 88.0 to 99.7% for olaquindox with RSD lower than 11.1%, from 84.4 to 99.0% for oxytetracycline with RSD lower than 9.6%, from 83.8 to 97.5% for chlorotetracycline with RSD lower than 10.0%. By Youden test and bottom-up method, the method was proved to be sufficiently robust and had a small uncertainty for different concentration levels. The developed method was successfully utilized for commercial feed samples to monitor complex cross contamination and residue conditions. Online synchronous derivation and separation using ultraviolet detector in series with fluorescence detector can effectively prevent false positive of chlorotetracycline in feed caused by vegetable meal. Since olaquindox, oxytetracycline and chlorotetracycline are widely used in feed, the developed method provide an important and analytical tool for the simultaneous identification and quantification of them in feed to monitor its risk of cross contamination and excessive content.

Suspect screening of plastic-related chemicals in northern pike (Esox lucius) from the St. Lawrence River, Canada

Environmental contaminant monitoring traditionally relies on targeted analysis, and very few tools are currently available to monitor "unexpected" or "unknown" compounds. In the present study, a non-targeted workflow (suspect screening) was developed to investigate plastic-related chemicals and other environmental contaminants in a top predator freshwater fish species, the northern pike, from the St. Lawrence River, Canada. Samples were extracted using sonication-assisted liquid extraction and analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry (HPLC-QTOF-MS). Ten bisphenol compounds were used to test the analytical performances of the method, and satisfactory results were obtained in terms of instrumental linearity (r² > 0.97), recoveries, (86.53-119.32%), inter-day precision and method detection limits. The non-targeted workflow data processing parameters were studied, and the peak height filters (peak filtering step) were found to influence significantly the capacity to detect and identify trace chemicals in pike muscle extracts. None of the ten bisphenol analogues were detected in pike extracts suggesting the absence of accumulation for these chemicals in pike muscle. However, the non-targeted workflow enabled the identification of diethyl phthalate (DEP) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) in pike extracts. This approach thus can be also applied to various contaminants in other biological matrices and environmental samples.

Novel Electrochemical Sensor Fabricated for Individual and Simultaneous Ultrasensitive Determination of Olaquindox and Carbadox Based on MWCNT-OH/CMK-8 Hybrid Nanocomposite Film

A hybrid nanocomposite consisting of hydroxylated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs-OH) and cube mesoporous carbon (CMK-8) was applied in this study to construct an MWCNT-OH/CMK-8/gold electrode (GE) electrochemical sensor and simultaneously perform the electro-reduction of olaquindox (OLA) and carbadox (CBX). The respective peak currents of CBX and OLA on the modified electrode increased by 720- and 595-fold relative to the peak current of GE. The performances of the modified electrode were investigated with electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and differential pulse voltammetry. Then, the modified electrodes were used for the individual and simultaneous determination of OLA and CBX. The fabricated sensor demonstrated a linear response at 0.2-500 nmol/L in optimum experimental conditions, and the detection limits were 104.1 and 62.9 pmol/L for the simultaneous determination of OLA and CBX, respectively. As for individual determination, wide linear relationships were obtained for the detected OLA with levels of 0.05-500 nmol/L with LOD of 20.7 pmol/L and the detected CBX with levels of 0.10-500 nmol/L with LOD of 50.2 pmol/L. The fabricated sensor was successfully used in the independent and simultaneous determination of OLA and CBX in spiked pork samples.

Surface plasmon resonance biosensor for the determination of 3-methyl-quinoxaline-2-carboxylic acid, the marker residue of olaquindox, in swine tissues

To monitor the illegal use of olaquindox in animals, a monoclonal antibody-based surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensor method has been developed to detect 3-methyl-quinoxaline-2-carboxylic acid, the marker residues of olaquindox, in swine tissues. The limit of detection was 1.4 µg kg^-1 in swine muscle and 2.7 µg kg^-1 in swine liver, which are lower than the EU recommended concentration (10 µg kg^-1). The recoveries were from 82% to 104.6%, with coefficients of variation of less than 12.2%. Good correlations between SPR and HPLC results (r = 0.9806, muscle; r = 0.9698, liver) and between SPR and ic-ELISA results (r = 0.9918, muscle; r = 0.9873, liver) were observed in the affected tissues, which demonstrated the reliability of the SPR method. This method would be a rapid and reliable tool for the screening of the residues of olaquindox in the edible tissues of animals.

UPLC-MS/MS Method for Simultaneous Determination of Three Major Metabolites of Mequindox in Holothurian

This study developed an ultraperformance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method for the detection of three major metabolites of mequindox, including 3-methyl-quinoxaline-2-carboxylic acid, 1-desoxymequindox, and 1,4-bisdesoxymequindox (MQCA, 1-DMEQ, and BDMEQ), in holothurian. Target analytes were simplified with ultrasound-assisted acidolysis extracted without complicated enzymolysis steps. After that, each sample was centrifuged and purified by an Oasis MAX cartridge. Then, the processed samples were separated and monitored by UPLC-MS/MS. This developed method has been validated according to FDA criteria. At fortified levels of 2, 10, and 20 μg/kg, recoveries ranged from 82.5% to 93.5% with the intraday RSD less than 7.27% and interday RSD less than 11.8%. The limit of detection (LOD) of all the three metabolites ranged from 0.21 to 0.48 μg/kg, while the limit of quantification (LOQ) ranged from 0.79 to 1.59 μg/kg. On application to commercial samples, 14 of 20 samples were detected positive for the three target analytes, with positive rate at 70 percentage. The result indicated that this method was specific, sensitive, and suitable for the quantification and conformation of the three major metabolites of MEQ in holothurian.

A sensitive and selective immunoaffinity column clean up coupled to UPLC-MS/MS for determination of trace methyl-3-quinoxaline-2-carboxylic acid in animal tissues

This paper described a reliable and simple method for the selective determination of MQCA in animal tissues using ultra high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS). A highly targeted immunoaffinity column was used for sample purification after enzymatic hydrolysis. The purified extracts were analyzed by reversed-phase HPLC-MS/MS in positive ESI and multiple reaction monitoring mode. The calibration curves showed good linearity with correlation coefficient (r²) larger than 0.995. The average recoveries at the spiked levels of 0.5, 2.0 and 20μgkg^-1 were 90.2% to 103.5% with intra-day and inter-day relatives standard deviations (RSD, n=6) ranging from 1.8% to 6.7% and 3.5% to 7.6% respectively. The limit of quantification (LOQ) was 0.5μgkg^-1, which can fulfil the maximum residue level (MRL) of 4.0μgkg^-1 stipulated by the Agricultural Minister of China and the requirement of the confirmatory criteria according to the European Commission Decision 2002/657/EC. The method is sensitive, accurate, convenient and rapid, and has been successfully applied in real samples.

GADD45a Regulates Olaquindox-Induced DNA Damage and S-Phase Arrest in Human Hepatoma G2 Cells via JNK/p38 Pathways

Olaquindox, a quinoxaline 1,4-dioxide derivative, is widely used as a feed additive in many countries. The potential genotoxicity of olaquindox, hence, is of concern. However, the proper mechanism of toxicity was unclear. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of growth arrest and DNA damage 45 alpha (GADD45a) on olaquindox-induced DNA damage and cell cycle arrest in HepG2 cells. The results showed that olaquindox could induce reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated DNA damage and S-phase arrest, where increases of GADD45a, cyclin A, Cdk 2, p21 and p53 protein expression, decrease of cyclin D1 and the activation of phosphorylation-c-Jun N-terminal kinases (p-JNK), phosphorylation-p38 (p-p38) and phosphorylation-extracellular signal-regulated kinases (p-ERK) were involved. However, GADD45a knockdown cells treated with olaquindox could significantly decrease cell viability, exacerbate DNA damage and increase S-phase arrest, associated with the marked activation of p-JNK, p-p38, but not p-ERK. Furthermore, SP600125 and SB203580 aggravated olaquindox-induced DNA damage and S-phase arrest, suppressed the expression of GADD45a. Taken together, these findings revealed that GADD45a played a protective role in olaquindox treatment and JNK/p38 pathways may partly contribute to GADD45a regulated olaquindox-induced DNA damage and S-phase arrest. Our findings increase the understanding on the molecular mechanisms of olaquindox.

Monoclonal antibody production and indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay development of 3-methyl-quinoxaline-2-carboxylic acid based on novel haptens

Two novel immunizing haptens of 3-methyl-quinoxaline-2-carboxylic acid (MQCA) were synthesized and conjugated with cationized bovine serum albumin. Female BALB/c mice were immunized with above conjugates, splenocytes were fused with Sp2/0 cells to produce monoclonal antibody. Compared with previous studies, antibodies raised in this work showed higher sensitivity. Meantime, a novel heterologous coating hapten was also prepared. The indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (icELISA) based on the optimum condition showed an IC50 of 3.1μg/kg (ppb), and the linear range of 0.46-10.5ppb for MQCA. The limit of detect (LOD) of MQCA in swine muscle, swine liver and chicken was 0.32, 0.54, and 0.28ppb, respectively. The LOD of this assay can satisfy the minimum required performance levels (4ppb) for MQCA. These results indicated that the proposed ELISA, with high sensitivity and specificity, as well as good reproducibility and accuracy, is suitable for determination of MQCA residues in food samples.

Molecularly imprinted electrochemical sensor based on Au nanoparticles in carboxylated multi-walled carbon nanotubes for sensitive determination of olaquindox in food and feedstuffs

A novel molecularly imprinted electrochemical sensor (MIECS) was proposed to determine olaquindox (OLA) using gold nanoparticles in molecularly imprinted polymer (AuNPs@MIP) and carboxylated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (cMWCNTs). Glassy carbon electrode (GCE) was modified with cMWCNTs (cMWCNTs/GCE), and AuNPs/cMWCNT/GCE was obtained by electrodeposition on cMWCNTs/GCE using chronoamperometry in HAuCl₄. Then, the obtained MIP/AuNPs/cMWCNTs/GCE was electropolymerized using OLA as template and o-PD as monomer to determine OLA. Important experimental parameters, namely, scan cycles, mole ratio of template molecules to functional monomers, pH value, and incubation time were optimized. The novel MIP sensor can offer a 2.7nM of detection limit for OLA. In addition, a series of food and feedstuffs were analyzed to demonstrate the feasibility of MIECS.

In vivo studies to highlight possible illegal treatments of rabbits with carbadox and olaquindox

For the treatment of rabbit dysentery and bacterial enteritis, veterinary practitioners often adopt veterinary medicinal products authorised for other food-producing species, but in some cases non-authorised drugs frequently used in the past, such as carbadox and olaquindox, might be illegally adopted. To verify the carbadox and olaquindox distribution and persistence in rabbit tissues, two independent in vivo studies were carried out. In the first study, 24 healthy rabbits received water medicated with carbadox at 100 mg l(-1) over a period 28 days, whereas in the second one, 24 healthy rabbits were administered water containing olaquindox at 100 mg l(-1). In each study rabbits were randomly assigned to four groups to be sacrificed respectively at 0, 5, 10 and 20 days from treatment withdrawal, for depletion studies. A control group of six animals was adopted for control and as a reservoir of blank tissues. Muscle and liver samples collected from each treated animal were stored at -20°C pending the analysis. Sensitive and robust liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analytical methods were set up for the parent compounds and their main metabolites quinoxaline-2-carboxylic acid, desoxycarbadox and 3-methylquinoxaline-2-carboxylic acid to verify their residual. Data collected demonstrate that the combination of liver as target matrix, quinoxaline-2-carboxylic acid and 3-methylquinoxaline-2-carboxylic acid as marker residue and enzymatic digestion is strategic to evidence carbadox and/or olaquindox illegal treatments in rabbits, even 20 days after treatment withdrawal at concentration levels higher than 0.5 µg kg(-1). This findings suggests that liver should be proposed as target matrix for official control in national monitoring plan.

A sensitive and specific ELISA for determining a residue marker of three quinoxaline antibiotics in swine liver

Methyl-3-quinoxaline-2-carboxylic acid (MQCA) is a possible residue marker for three quinoxaline veterinary medicines (olaquindox, mequindox, and quinocetone). The wide application of mequindox/quinocetone or the illegal use of olaquindox leads to MQCA residue in animal's original food, thereby threatening the safety of human food. The indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (IC-ELISA) with a specific coating antigen and monoclonal antibody (MAB) was established and optimized for detecting MQCA in swine liver. Samples were acidified with 2 mol l(-1) hydrochloric acid, extracted with ethyl acetate-hexane-isopropanol (8 + 1 + 1, v/v/v) and then detected by IC-ELISA. The logarithm correlation of standards to OD values ranged from 0.2 to 200 μg l(-1), with IC(50) of 6.46 μg l(-1). Negligible cross-reactivity happened to five quinoxaline antibiotics (olaquindox, mequindox, quinocetone, carbadox, and cyadox) and the metabolite of carbadox and cyadox (quinoxaline-2-carboxylic acid). When spiked with 1 to 100 μg kg(-1) of MQCA, the recoveries ranged from 85.44 to 100.02 %, with the intra-assay coefficient of variation (CV) of 6.64-10.57 % and inter-assay CV of 7.29-10.88 %. The limit of detection for MQCA was 1.0 μg kg(-1) in swine liver. Furthermore, incurred samples were detected by the IC-ELISA and then conformed by a reported LC/MS/MS method, it shown that there was good correlation between the two methods. All these results indicated that the IC-ELISA method is appropriate for surveillance MQCA residue in animal tissues.