A porous graphitized carbon LC-ESI/MS method for the quantitation of metronidazole and fluconazole in breast milk and human plasma

Maternal-Fetal Exposure to Antibiotics: Levels, Mother-to-Child Transmission, and Potential Health Risks

Due to its widespread applications in various fields, antibiotics are continuously released into the environment and ultimately enter the human body through diverse routes. Meanwhile, the unreasonable use of antibiotics can also lead to a series of adverse outcomes. Pregnant women and developing fetuses are more susceptible to the influence of external chemicals than adults. The evaluation of antibiotic exposure levels through questionnaire surveys or prescriptions in medical records and biomonitoring-based data shows that antibiotics are frequently prescribed and used by pregnant women around the world. Antibiotics may be transmitted from mothers to their offspring through different pathways, which then adversely affect the health of offspring. However, there has been no comprehensive review on antibiotic exposure and mother-to-child transmission in pregnant women so far. Herein, we summarized the exposure levels of antibiotics in pregnant women and fetuses, the exposure routes of antibiotics to pregnant women, and related influencing factors. In addition, we scrutinized the potential mechanisms and factors influencing the transfer of antibiotics from mother to fetus through placental transmission, and explored the adverse effects of maternal antibiotic exposure on fetal growth and development, neonatal gut microbiota, and subsequent childhood health. Given the widespread use of antibiotics and the health threats posed by their exposure, it is necessary to comprehensively track antibiotics in pregnant women and fetuses in the future, and more in-depth biological studies are needed to reveal and verify the mechanisms of mother-to-child transmission, which is crucial for accurately quantifying and evaluating fetal health status.

Bio-analytical liquid chromatographic-based method with a mixed mode online solid phase extraction for drug monitoring of fluconazole in human serum

A simple, cost-effective and sensitive liquid chromatography-based bio-analytical method has been developed and validated for therapeutic drug monitoring of fluconazole (FLUC) in human serum. Integration of online mixed-mode solid-phase extraction (SPE) into the analytical system was the key for direct injection of untreated serum samples. A short protein-coated (PC) µBondapak CN silica column (PC-µB-CN-column) as a SPE tool and phosphate buffer saline (PBS) (pH 7.4) as an eluent were applied in the extraction step. PC-µB-CN-column operates in two different chromatographic modes. Using PBS, proteins were extracted from serum samples by size-exclusion liquid chromatography, while FLUC trapping was reversed-phase liquid chromatography dependent. FLUC was then eluted from the PC-µB-CN-column onto the quantification position using a mixture of acetonitrile-distilled deionized water (20:80, v/v) as an eluent and ODS analytical column. FLUC was separated at ambient temperature (22 ± 1 °C) and detected at 260 nm. The method was linear over the range of 200-10000 ng/mL. FLUC recovery in untreated serum samples ranged from 97.8 to 98.8% and showed good accuracy and precision. The reliability of the developed method was evaluated by studying the pharmacokinetic profile of FLUC in humans after an oral administration of a single 150 mg tablet.