Dispersive micro-solid-phase extraction using carbon-based adsorbents for the sensitive determination of verapamil in plasma samples coupled with capillary electrophoresis

Reshaping Capillary Electrophoresis With State-of-the-Art Sample Preparation Materials: Exploring New Horizons

Capillary electrophoresis (CE) is a powerful analysis technique with advantages such as high separation efficiency with resolution factors above 1.5, low sample consumption of less than 10 µL, cost-effectiveness, and eco-friendliness such as reduced solvent use and lower operational costs. However, CE also faces limitations, including limited detection sensitivity for low-concentration samples and interference from complex biological matrices. Prior to performing CE, it is common to utilize sample preparation procedures such as solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and liquid-phase microextraction (LPME) in order to improve the sensitivity and selectivity of the analysis. Recently, there have been advancements in the development of novel materials that have the potential to greatly enhance the performance of SPME and LPME. This review examines various materials and their uses in microextraction when combined with CE. These materials include carbon nanotubes, covalent organic frameworks, metal-organic frameworks, graphene and its derivatives, molecularly imprinted polymers, layered double hydroxides, ionic liquids, and deep eutectic solvents. The utilization of these innovative materials in extraction methods is being examined. Analyte recoveries and detection limits attained for a range of sample matrices are used to assess their effects on extraction selectivity, sensitivity, and efficiency. Exploring new materials for use in sample preparation techniques is important as it enables researchers to address current limitations of CE. The development of novel materials has the potential to greatly enhance extraction selectivity, sensitivity, and efficiency, thereby improving CE performance for complex biological analysis.

Solid Phase-Based Microextraction Techniques in Therapeutic Drug Monitoring

Therapeutic drug monitoring is an established practice for a small group of drugs, particularly those presenting narrow therapeutic windows, for which there is a direct relationship between concentration and pharmacological effects at the site of action. Drug concentrations in biological fluids are used, in addition to other clinical observation measures, to assess the patient's status, since they are the support for therapy individualization and allow assessing adherence to therapy. Monitoring these drug classes is of great importance, as it minimizes the risk of medical interactions, as well as toxic effects. In addition, the quantification of these drugs through routine toxicological tests and the development of new monitoring methodologies are extremely relevant for public health and for the well-being of the patient, and it has implications in clinical and forensic situations. In this sense, the use of new extraction procedures that employ smaller volumes of sample and organic solvents, therefore considered miniaturized and green techniques, is of great interest in this field. From these, the use of fabric-phase extractions seems appealing. Noteworthy is the fact that SPME, which was the first of these miniaturized approaches to be used in the early '90s, is still the most used solventless procedure, providing solid and sound results. The main goal of this paper is to perform a critical review of sample preparation techniques based on solid-phase microextraction for drug detection in therapeutic monitoring situations.

Preparation of covalently bonded liposome capillary column and its application in evaluation of drug membrane permeability

Two liposomes, including 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DSPC) + 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine (PE) + cholesterol (Chol) (DSPC/PE/Chol liposomes) and soybean lecithin (SPC) + PE + Chol (SPC/PE/Chol liposomes), were prepared and fixed on the inner wall of capillary column by using the adhesion of polydopamine (PDA) membrane and the cross-linking property of glutaraldehyde (GA). The immobilized liposome capillary column (ILCC) has good repeatability and stability based on the electrophoretic mobility of analyte. A CE method based on the immobilized liposome capillary column chromatography (ILCCC) was successfully developed to study the retention behavior of drugs on ILCC, and the logarithm of retention factor (log k) of neutral and ionic drugs were determined. The results show that the log k measured by the ILCCC based on two liposomes have a good linear fitting (R² = 0.86). Moreover, the linear relationship between ILCCC system and other related research systems (octanol-water system and immobilized artificial membrane (IAM)) was analyzed, and the results indicate that SPC/PE/Chol ILCCC, DSPC/PE/Chol ILCCC and IAM systems have good fitting results, R² values are 0.86 and 0.78, respectively. In addition, the normalization coefficients of ILCCC and IAM systems obtained by the linear free energy relationship (LFER) analysis are close and the d value is small. In short, the ILCCC is a simple and feasible method for studying drug membrane permeability.

Simultaneous and Sensitive Determination of Amphetamine, Codeine and Morphine in Exhaled Breath Condensate, Using Capillary Electrophoresis Coupled with On-line and Off-line Enhancing Methods

Background:

Abuse of drugs is associated with several medical, forensic, toxicology and social challenges. “Drugs of abuse” testing is therefore an important issue.

Objective:

We propose a simple CE-based method for the quantification of amphetamine, codeine and morphine after direct injection of Exhaled Breath Condensate (EBC) by the aid of simple stacking mode and an off-line pre-concentration method.

Methods:

Using graphene oxide adsorbents, amphetamine, codeine and morphine were extracted from EBC in order to eliminate the proteins and other interferences. In addition to off-line method, an online stacking mode was applied to improve the analytical signal obtained from the instrument.

Results:

The validation parameters were experimented on the developed method based on the FDA guideline over concentration ranges of 12.5-100, 30-500 and 10-1250 ng/mL associated with amphetamine, codeine and morphine, respectively. Small volumes (around 100 μL) of EBC were collected using a lab-made setup and successfully analyzed using the proposed method where precisions and accuracies (within day and between days) were in accordance with the guideline (recommended less than 15 % for biological samples). The recovery tests were used to evaluate the matrix effect and data (94 to 105 %) showed that the proposed method can be applied in different EBC matrix samplings of subjects.

Conclusion:

The proposed method is superior for simultaneous determination of amphetamine, codeine and morphine over chromatographic analyses because it is fast and consumes fewer chemicals, with no derivatization step.

Optimized Trace Analysis of Verapamil in Biological Fluids Using Solvent Bar Micro Extraction Technique Coupled with HPLC-UV Detection

Introduction:

Verapamil (Verap) is an antidysrhythmic agent and a calcium channel blocker, indicated for angina, hypertension, supraventricular arrhythmias, and migraine.

Objective:

Drug monitoring plays a critical role in patient survival. In order to prevent the onset of drug toxicity, trace levels of this drug should be determined.

Methods:

For this reason, solvent bar microextraction technique coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography was implemented.

Results:

Under optimum condition, verapamil was micro-extracted from a donor solution (pH=11) to an acceptor solution (pH=3.2). It was transferred through n-octanol as the organic solvent, which was impregnated in the pores of the hollow fiber. Salt addition (30%) had the major effect on the efficiency of the method. Interaction of time (65 min), temperature (25°C), and stirring rate (818 rpm) had a significant effect too. It all resulted in a limit of detection and quantification of 15 ng mL-1 and 50 ng mL-1, respectively. The relative standard deviations of analysis were 4.9% within a day (n=3) and 5.7% between days (n=9). The calibration curves represented good linearity for urine and plasma samples with coefficient estimations higher than 0.99 with a linearity range of 50-5000 ng mL-1. The relative standard deviation for intra- (n=3) and inter-(n=9) day was 4.2% and 5.7%, respectively.

Conclusion:

It could be concluded that the application of this method for dose monitoring can be done at hospital and healthcare facilities.

Ultrasound Assisted Dispersive Solid Phase Microextraction of Thymol and Carvacrol in Pharmaceutical Products Using Graphene Oxide as an Adsorbent Prior to Analysis by High Performance Liquid Chromatography

Background:

Thymol and carvacrol are the most important dietary constituents in thyme species. These two active compounds are used for the standardization of pharmaceutical compounds.

Objective:

In this work, a simple and reliable ultrasonic assisted dispersive solid phase microextraction method (USA-DSPME) coupled with high performance liquid chromatography-ultra violet detection system was developed to determine thymol and carvacrol in pharmaceutical syrups. The efficiency of SPME sorbent was examined through several sorbents and finally Graphene Oxide (GO) was applied for extraction of the analytes. Method: The efficiency of GO was compared with three reduced forms of GO adsorbents as well. Several effective factors on the extraction performance were investigated.

Results:

Under the optimized conditions for the GO sorbent, inter and intra-day relative standard deviations (RSDs, n = 3) and the Limits of Detections (LODs) were lower than 5.0% and 0.02 μg/ml, respectively. Moreover, good linear ranges were observed in wide concentration ranges with R-squared larger than 0.9961 for both thymol and carvacrol.

Conclusion:

The present method is reliable and simple for determination of carvacrol and thymol in pharmaceutical products.

Dispersive Micro-Solid Phase Extraction for Sensitive Determination of Methotrexate from Human Saliva Followed by Spectrophotometric Method

For biological assessing of hospital personnel occupationally exposed to antineoplastic drugs, highly sensitive and accurate methods are required. Methotrexate (MTX) is an anticancer agent that is widely used in a variety of human cancers. For the first time, dispersive-micro solid phase extraction (D-µ-SPE) has been applied for determination of low levels of MTX in saliva samples. The method is based on rapid extraction of MTX using graphene oxide adsorbent. The sample preparation time is decreased by the fact that the adsorbent dispersed in the sample solution and extraction equilibrium can be reached very fast. This significant feature which obtained with this method is of key interest for routine trace laboratory analysis. The influence of different variables on D-µ-SPE was investigated. Under optimum conditions, the calibration graph was linear over the range of 10-1000 ng/ml. The relative standard deviations are better than 9.0%. The proposed method was successfully applied for the determination of MTX in patient samples.

Analytical techniques for the determination of verapamil in biological samples and dosage forms: an overview

Verapamil (VER) is a calcium channel blocker that is widely used to treat various cardiovascular diseases and is also effective in migraine prophylaxis. As the therapeutic range of VER is very narrow and toxicity can occur in patients after oral administration, therapeutic drug monitoring is recommended to optimize pharmacotherapy. The choice of an appropriate bioanalytical method for therapeutic drug monitoring of VER in the biological samples is a very important step in achieving fast and reliable results. This review focuses on the various analytical methods reported between 1976 and 2019 for the determination of VER in different biological samples and pharmaceutical dosage forms along with their methodological limitations. This review provides an overview for pharmaceutical industry researchers, clinicians and clinical chemists.

Determination of Verapamil in Exhaled Breath Condensate by Using Microextraction and Liquid Chromatography

Background:

Developing a simple analysis method for quantification of drug concentration is one of the essential issues in pharmacokinetic and therapeutic drug monitoring studies.

Objective:

A fast and reliable dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction procedure was employed for preconcentration of verapamil in exhaled breath condensate (EBC) samples and this was followed by the determination with high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet detection.

Methods:

A reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) combined with a dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction method (DLLME) was applied for quantification of verapamil in the EBC samples. The developed method was validated according to FDA guidelines.

Results:

Under the optimum conditions, the method provided a linear range between 0.07 and 0.8 µg.mL-1 with a coefficient of determination of 0.998. The intra- and inter-day relative standard deviation and relative error values of the method were below 15%, which indicated good precision and accuracy. The proposed method was successfully applied for the analysis of verapamil in two real samples with concentrations of 0.07 and 0.09 µg.mL-1.

Conclusion:

The established HPLC-UV-DLLME method could be applied for the analysis of verapamil in human EBC samples.

Rapid liquid-phase microextraction of analytes from complex samples on superwetting porous silicon for onsite SALDI-MS analysis

To simplify the pretreatment process of complex samples is a key step for rapid detection. Herein, we report a single-step method to rapidly extract analytes with liquid-phase microextraction (LPME) from complex samples on a superwetting porous silicon (PSi) for onsite detection with surface-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (SALDI-MS). The operation time is less than 3 min with this simple method. The limit of detection (LOD) of malachite green in lake water is lowered to 10^-13 M, that of verapamil and methadone in whole blood is down to 10^-11 M and 10^-13 M, in urine is 10^-13 M and 10^-14 M, respectively; and the ranges of quantification is up to 8 or 9 orders of magnitude with high precision (coefficients of determination (R²) > 0.98) for the complex samples. This method could provide an approach to directly extract target compounds from complex samples on substrate for SALDI-MS analysis.

A novel mixed hemimicelles dispersive micro-solid phase extraction using ionic liquid functionalized magnetic graphene oxide/polypyrrole for extraction and pre-concentration of methotrexate from urine samples followed by the spectrophotometric method

Methotrexate (MTX) is an anticancer drug that is widely used in a variety of cancers including primary central nervous system lymphoma. It is also administrated in the treatment of some autoimmune diseases. A simple, accurate, sensitive, and precise mixed hemimicelles dispersive micro-solid phase extraction was proposed for MTX quantification in human urine samples. MTX was quantified by spectrophotometer after dispersive micro-solid phase extraction using ionic liquid functionalized magnetic graphene oxide/polypyrrole. Interactions of adsorbent and MTX were modeled by molecular docking and the interaction energy was predicted to be -8.35 kcal/mol. A larger absolute value of binding energy represents larger adsorption strength, indicating that graphene oxide nanosheets could perform higher adsorption strength toward MTX. The concentrations of MTX were proportional to analytical response in amounts ranging from 10 to 1000 ng/mL with a good correlation (R² = 0.99). Inter- and intra-day precisions and accuracies were within the acceptable limit according to FDA guideline (15% for biological determination). The recoveries were ranging from 89 to 93% and the method was specific for routine analysis of MTX. This protocol was applied to the urine of two patients under MTX therapy received an intravenous administration of 1 mg/kg/dose of MTX with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The accuracy of the method was confirmed by HPLC measurements.

Dispersive micro-solid-phase extraction combined with online preconcentration by capillary electrophoresis for the determination of glycopyrrolate stereoisomers in rat plasma

A simple and sensitive analytical method for four isomers of glycopyrrolate in rat plasma was developed using cation-selective exhaustive injection-sweeping cyclodextrin-modified electrokinetic chromatography (CSEI-Sweeping-CDEKC) for online enrichment combined with dispersive micro-solid-phase extraction pretreatment. The CSEI-Sweeping-CDEKC was conducted on an uncoated fused silica capillary (40.2 cm × 75 μm) with an applied voltage of -20 kV. The electrophoretic analysis was carried out in 30 mM phosphate solution at pH 2.0 containing 20 mg/mL sulfated-β-cyclodextrin and 5% acetonitrile. Under these optimized conditions, the detection limit for racemic glycopyrrolate was found to be 2.0 ng/mL and this method could increase 495-fold detection sensitivity compared with the traditional injection method. Additionally, the parameters that affected the extraction efficiency of dispersive micro-solid-phase extraction were also examined systematically. The glycopyrrolate isomers in rat plasma samples as low as 0.0625 μg/mL were able to be separated and detected by capillary electrophoresis with the aid of CSEI-sweeping. The findings of this study show that the dispersive micro-solid-phase extraction pretreatment coupled with CSEI-Sweeping-CDEKC is a rapid and convenient method for analyzing glycopyrrolate isomers in rat plasma.