High-performance liquid chromatographic analysis of catecholamines in biological samples by liquid/liquid extraction prepurification

Selective Separation and Analysis of Catecholamines in Urine Based on Magnetic Solid Phase Extraction by Mercaptophenylboronic Acid Functionalized Fe3O4-NH2@Au Magnetic Nanoparticles Coupled with HPLC

A novel magnetic solid phase extraction based on mercaptophenylboronic acid (MPBA)-functionalized Fe3O4-NH2@Au nanomaterial (Fe3O4-NH2@Au-MPBA) was developed for selective separation and enrichment of catecholamines (including dopamine, norepinephrine and adrenaline). Fe3O4-NH2@Au-MPBA nanoparticles were achieved by self-assembly-anchoring MPBA molecules on the surface of Fe3O4-NH2@Au nanocomposites, which were synthesized via a facial ultrasonic auxiliary in situ reduction process. The interaction between cis-diol from catecholamines and boronic acid was reversible and could be flexibly controlled by adjusting pH value. The catecholamines could be quickly adsorbed by Fe3O4-NH2@Au-MPBA in weak alkaline solution (pH 8.0–9.0) and subsequently released in acid solution (pH 1.0–2.0). The process of adsorption and dissociation was very fast. Furthermore, the three catecholamines could be detected in urine from children by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with electrochemical detector. Under optimal conditions, norepinephrine (NE), epinephrine (EP) and dopamine (DA) were separated very well from internal standard and exhibited a good linearity in the range of 2.5–500.0 ng mL−1, with correlation coefficients of r2 > 0.9907. Limits of detection (LOD) (signal to noise = 3) were 0.39, 0.27 and 0.60 ng mL−1 for NE, EP and DA, respectively. Recoveries for the spiked catecholamines were in the range of 85.4–105.2% with the relative standard deviation (RSD) < 11.5%.

Biogenic amines and their metabolites in mouse brain tissue: development, optimization and validation of an analytical HPLC method

A simple and fast HPLC method based on an isocratic, reversed-phased ion-pair with amperometric end-point detection for simultaneous measurement of noradrenergic (MHPG/NA and A), dopaminergic (DOPAC, HVA/DA) and serotonergic (5-HIAA/5-HT) compounds in mouse brain tissue was developed. In order to improve the chromatographic resolution (Rs) with an acceptable total analysis time, experimental designs for multivariate optimization of the experimental conditions were applied. The optimal conditions for the separation of the eight neurotransmitters and metabolites, as well as two internal standards, i.e., DHBA and 5-HMT, were obtained using a mixture of methanol-phosphate-citric buffer (pH 3.2, 50 mM) (9:91, v/v) containing 2 mM OSA as mobile phase at 32°C on a microbore ALF-115 column (150 mm × 1.0 mm, 3 μm particle size) filled with porous C(18) silica stationary phase. In this study, a two-level fractional factorial experimental design (½ 2(K)) was employed to optimize the separation and capacity factor (k') of each molecule, leading to a good separation of all biogenic amines and their metabolites in brain tissue. A simple method for the preparation of different bio-analytical samples in phosphate-citric buffer was also developed. Results show that all molecules of interest were stabilized for at least 24 h in the matrix conditions without any antioxidants. The method was fully validated according to the requirements of SFSTP (Société Française des Sciences et Techniques Pharmaceutiques). The acceptance limits were set at ±15% of the nominal concentration. The method was found accurate over a concentration range of 4-2000 ng/ml for MHPG, 1-450 ng/ml for NA, 1-700 ng/ml for A, 1-300 ng/ml for DOPAC, 1-300 ng/ml for 5-HIAA, 1-700 ng/ml for DA, 4-2800 ng/ml for HVA and 1-350 ng/ml for 5-HT. The assay limits of detection for MHPG, NA, A, DOPAC, 5-HIAA, DA, HVA and 5-HT were 2.6, 2.8, 4.1, 0.7, 0.6, 0.8, 4.2 and 1.4 pg, respectively. It was found that the mean inter- and intra-assay relative standard deviations (RSDs) over the range of standard curve were less than 3%, the absolute and the relative recoveries were around 100%, demonstrating the high precision and accuracy, and reliability of the analytical method described to apply in routine analysis of biogenic amines and their metabolites in brain tissue.

Extraction and separation of urinary catecholamines as their diphenyl boronate complexes using C18 solid-phase extraction sorbent and high-performance liquid chromatography

The clinical utility of a one-step extraction procedure based on the retention of a diphenyl boronate-catecholamine complex on a C18 solid-phase extraction sorbent was investigated for the measurement of urinary catecholamines. Although recoveries with the extraction procedure were optimal over a relatively broad pH range (7.5-9.5), analytical factors such as sample loading and elution flow-rates, wash step and elution conditions, the concentration of catecholamines in urine to be extracted and the type of C18 sorbent used for extraction were found to influence the efficiency of this procedure and would therefore need to be controlled for optimal recoveries. Under optimal conditions the recovery of noradrenaline, adrenaline and dopamine from spiked urine was high and reproducible (mean recoveries were >85% for all catecholamines). The effectiveness of sample clean-up step was demonstrated by reverse phase, ion pair high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection. The method described was found to be suitable for the routine measurement of catecholamines in urine in clinical biochemistry laboratories. It has a high sample extraction throughput (40/h) and has adequate precision (between batch CV<8%) and sensitivity (LOD<30 nmol/l; LOQ<65 nmol/l) for all the catecholamines measured. The method has acceptable accuracy, showing a mean bias of 6.6% for noradrenaline, 7.3% for adrenaline and 6.8% for dopamine from the mean value of laboratories (N=69) participating in an External Quality Assurance scheme for greater than 12 months.

Simultaneous determination of catechins in human saliva by high-performance liquid chromatography

Green tea extracts have been suggested to possess a preventive effect against dental caries. A quantitative method for their anticariogenic substances, catechins, was developed to evaluate their concentrations in human saliva after mouthrinsing with green tea extract. Salivary catechins were extracted to the organic phase after forming a complex with diphenylborate and an ion-pair with tetra-n-butylammonium, and then back-extracted to the acidic aqueous phase. The extract was analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography using diode array detection at absorption wavelengths ranging from 269 to 278 nm. In reversed-phase chromatography by a gradient elution, eight catechins originating from green tea and an internal standard were separated in 15 min without interfering peaks. All the catechins were simultaneously and selectively determined in the concentration range 0.05-25.0 microg/ml. In replicate spiking experiments with standards, the mean recovery ranged between 86 and 99%, and both intra- and inter-assay C.V.s were within 2.3%. When mouthrinsing with an aqueous solution of green tea extract (5.0 mg/ml) containing eight catechins, the quantitative results revealed that each catechin was retained at microg/ml levels in saliva for up to 60 min.

Basal levels of noradrenaline, dopamine, 5-hydroxytryptamine, and acetylcholine in the submandibular, parotid, and sublingual glands of mice and rats

The salivary glands of 5-week-old mice and rats were divided into submandibular, parotid, and sublingual and analysed to determine basal levels of the neurotransmitters noradrenaline (NE) and acetylcholine (ACh) and the possible neurotransmitters dopamine (DA) and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), using a combination of high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with coulometric and amperometric detection and a direct injection technique employing crude homogenate supernatants. In both species, levels of NE were higher in the submandibular than in the other salivary glands, whereas levels of ACh were higher in the mouse submandibular and the rat sublingual glands than in other glands. In all the salivary glands, levels of DA were markedly lower than those of other target substances. Levels of 5-HT were similar in all salivary glands. These results show that in mouse and rat salivary glands, species differences in neurotransmitter distribution are relatively small, whereas there are considerable differences in distribution between the salivary glands.

A sensitive and rapid HPLC-ECD method for the simultaneous analysis of norepinephrine, dopamine, serotonin and their primary metabolites in brain tissue

This report details a very sensitive, rapid and accurate ion-pair HPLC-ECD method for the analysis of biogenic amines and their metabolites in brain tissue. The method described enables detection of picogram amounts of 3-methoxy-4-hydroxy phenethyleneglycol (MHPG) (37 pg), 3,4-dihydroxy phenylacetic acid (DOPAC) (18 pg), norepinephrine (NE) (12 pg), epinephrine (E) (6 pg), 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) (18 pg), 3,4-dihydroxyphenylethylamine (DA) (6 pg), 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid (HVA) (12 pg) and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) (12 pg). The linearity of the method is from 18.75 ng/mL to 300 ng/mL for MHPG; 9.37 to 150 ng/mL for DOPAC and 5-HIAA; 6.25 to 100 ng/mL for NE, HVA and 5-HT; and from 3.12 to 100 ng/mL for E and DA. The reproducibility, expressed as coefficient of variance (CV%) within-run and between-run groups, was 2.25% and 19.49% for MHPG; 3.84% and 29.84% for DOPAC; 0.89% and 8.97% for NE; 1.26% and 5.61% for E; 1.07% and 28.77% for 5-HIAA; 2.65% and 10.65% for DA; 5.97% and 24.38% for HVA; and 4.44% and 9.45% for 5-HT.