Digital subtraction chromatography: an LC-technique to reduce disturbing peaks in bioanalysis

Novel simultaneous determination of alliin and allicin in Allium sp. using digital subtraction HPTLC

Allicin is a major thiosulfinate found in garlic and other Allium sp. and it is responsible for their pungent aroma. It is formed during the tissue lysis of garlic, by the initial action of alliinase upon alliin, the major cysteine sulfoxide. Simultaneous detection of these two analytes is usually performed using HPLC. Contrary to the most important phytoconstituents in other samples, allicin is scarcely detected using the simple HPTLC technique, due to challenges caused by its unique structure, despite its simplicity and high needs in the analytical monitoring of the Allium sp. In this work, a cost-effective, simple, sensitive and accurate method was developed for the determination of allicin together with alliin, using HPTLC. Allicin is quickly pre-derivatised with cysteine in excess to the stable S-allylmercaptocysteine that is then simultaneously detected with alliin, using ninhydrin reagent. The method was validated in terms of accuracy (recoveries of 90-120 %), precision (RSD% of 4-12 %), selectivity, robustness, peak purity and limit of detection (LOD = 0.05 μg/band for allicin and LOD = 0.10 μg/band for alliin). The method was successfully applied using real Allium sp. samples and the results were in good agreement with HPLC data.

Chemometrics in pharmaceutical analysis

Pharmaceutical analysis is undergoing a slow revolution as chemometric principles become increasingly incorporated. This paper reviews some of the more recent advances, with particular focus on spectrophotometry, chromatography and expert systems.

Determination of benzylpenicillin in milk at the pg ml-1 level by reversed-phase liquid chromatography in combination with digital subtraction chromatography technique

A method for the determination of benzylpenicillin in milk at very low levels by a pre-column derivatisation LC-method is described. Nine millilitres of milk were precipitated and extracted. The sample was concentrated 40 times and the recovery of benzylpenicillin was about 90%. The derivatisation of benzylpenicillin was made by the beta-lactam ring specific formation of the mercuric mercaptide of the penicillenic acid in the presence of imidazole. A technique called digital subtraction chromatography (DSCh), which uses the built-in background compensation programme of the chromatographic data processor, was applied to the chromatographic step of the analysis. The blank sample required for this technique was obtained by the beta-lactam ring specific hydrolysis of benzylpenicillin by penicillinase. By this technique it was possible to reduce interfering background peaks on the chromatograms and to increase the specificity of the method. Standard curves were made in the range 0.2-1000 ng benzylpenicillin ml-1 milk. The relative standard deviation (RSD) at 1 ng ml-1 milk, corresponding to an injection of 3.9 ng benzylpenicillin-sodium converted to the mercuric mercaptide of the penicillenic acid, was +/- 7.8% and RSD at 10 ng ml-1 milk was +/- 1.6%.

Basic extraction studies of benzylpenicillin and its determination by liquid chromatography with pre-column derivatisation

In order to develop a sensitive and precise chemical bioanalysis of benzylpenicillin in biological fluids, basic studies on benzylpenicillin are presented. These studies include pH dependent stability, extraction in aqueous ethylacetate systems in different pH and buffer compositions. A pre-column derivatisation LC method for the detection of benzylpenicillin also is described. The derivatisation of the sample is performed by the beta-lactam ring specific formation of the mercuric(II)mercaptide of the penicillenic acid in the presence of imidazole. The UV spectral properties of the derivative are utilised for detection. The chromatographic conditions are optimised with reference to the pH, the methanol, the imidazole and the mercury(II)chloride content of the mobile phase as well as the column temperature.

Residue determination of two co-administered antibacterial agents--cephalexin and colistin--in calf tissues using high-performance liquid chromatography and microbiological methods

Residues of two antibacterial agents, cephalexin and colistin, co-administered by intramuscular injection to calves, were quantified in four different tissues (muscle, fat, liver and kidney) by column switching HPLC and by a microbiological method. For cephalexin assay, tissue samples with cephradin as internal standard were homogenized in a 5% trichloroacetic acid solution and filtrates were injected onto a concentration precolumn filled with LiChroprep RP-18 (25-40 microns). A clean-up step was incorporated by flowing a mobile phase (methanol-0.01 M phosphate buffer (pH 3.0); 15:85, v/v) through the enrichment column before elution on a LiChrospher RP-18e (5 microns) column with a methanol-phosphate buffer (30:70, v/v) at a flow rate of 1 ml min-1. Spectrometric detection was at 260 nm. An additional "off-line" washing step of extracts with methylene chloride was operated to achieve higher selectivity in the case of liver and kidney samples. The limit for quantitative assay was 0.045 micrograms g-1 with relative standard deviations in the range 5-8% and recoveries within 70%. For microbiological assay of colistin, samples were homogenized in 0.1 M hydrochloric acid-acetonitrile mixtures (3:1, v/v, for kidney and liver; 3:2, v/v, for fat and muscle). The supernatants were assayed by the cylinder plate method after evaporation to dryness under vacuum. Bordetella bronchiseptica ATCC 4617 was chosen as test organism. After a 3-h diffusion step at room temperature, the medium was incubated at 37 degrees C for 18 h and then the diameter of the growth inhibition zones was measured. Sensitivity reached 0.10-0.15 micrograms g-1. Results from the analysed samples over a 7-28 day period after drug administration show that no cephalexin was found at concentrations higher than the quantitation limit in the four test tissues and that colistin was found in muscle (injection site only) for 15 days and in kidney for 21 days.

Determination of benzylpenicillin in plasma and lymph at the ng ml-1 level by reversed-phase liquid chromatography in combination with digital subtraction chromatography technique

A method for the determination of benzylpenicillin (Pc-G) at very low levels in plasma and lymph is described. Detection at 325 nm of the mercuric mercaptide of benzylpenicillinic acid was made by liquid chromatography via a pre-column derivatization method. By using a digital subtraction chromatography technique, the bioanalytical method could be applied to different kinds of samples whether interfering peaks were present or not. Two different clean-up steps were used for two concentration ranges 0.1-100 micrograms and 1-1000 ng Pc-G ml-1; namely, precipitation of a 100-microliters sample with acetonitrile, or precipitation of a 1- or 2-ml sample followed by concentration via liquid-liquid extraction. The pre-column derivative of Pc-G was achieved using mercury(II)chloride in the presence of imidazole. The blank samples required for the digital subtraction chromatography technique were obtained by penicillinase treatment. Standard curves were made in the two concentration ranges. The relative standard deviation (RSD) at 5 ng Pc-G ml-1 plasma was 4.9% and at 5 micrograms Pc-G ml-1 lymph it was 2.8%. The stability of Pc-G, including the problems with non-sterile samples, was studied.