Automated on-line dialysis and liquid chromatography of methylenedioxylated amphetamines in plasma and serum samples

Poly(methacrylic acid-ethylene glycol dimethacrylate) monolith in-tube solid phase microextraction coupled to high performance liquid chromatography and analysis of amphetamines in urine samples

In-tube solid-phase microextraction (SPME) based on a poly(methacrylic acid-ethylene glycol dimethacrylate) monolithic capillary column was investigated for the extraction of amphetamine, methamphetamine and their methylenedioxy derivatives. The monolithic capillary column showed high extraction efficiency towards target analytes, which could be attributed to its larger loading amount of extraction phase than conventional open-tubular extraction capillaries and the convective mass transfer procedure provided by its monolithic structure. The extraction mechanism was studied, and the results indicated that the extraction process of the target analytes was involved with hydrophobic interaction and ion-exchange interaction. The polymer monolith in-tube SPME-HPLC system with UV detection was successfully applied to the determination of amphetamine, methamphetamine and their methylenedioxy derivatives in urine samples, yielding the detection limits of 1.4 - 4.0 ng/mL. Excellent method reproducibility (RSD < 2.9%) was found over a linear range of 0.05-5 microg/mL, and the time for the whole analysis was only approximately 25 min. The monolithic capillary column was reusable in coping with the complicated urine samples.

Enantioselective quantitation of the ecstasy compound (R)- and (S)-N-ethyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine and its major metabolites in human plasma and urine

An enantioselective HPLC method has been developed and validated for the stereospecific analysis of N-ethyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDE) and its major metabolites N-ethyl-4-hydroxy-3-methoxyamphetamine (HME) and 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA). These compounds have been analyzed both from human plasma and urine after administration of 70 mg pure MDE-hydrochloride enantiomers to four subjects. The samples were prepared by hydrolysis of the o-glucuronate and sulfate conjugates using beta-glucuronidase/arylsulfatase and solid-phase extraction with a cation-exchange phase. A chiral stationary protein phase (chiral-CBH) was used for the stereoselective determination of MDE, HME and MDA in a single HPLC run using sodium dihydrogenphosphate, ethylendiaminetetraacetic acid disodium salt and isopropanol as the mobile phase (pH 6.44) and fluorimetric detection (lambda(ex) 286 nm, lambda(em) 322 nm). Moreover, a suitable internal standard (N-ethyl-3,4-methylenedioxybenzylamine) was synthesized and qualified for quantitation purposes. The method showed high recovery rates (>95%) and limits of quantitation for MDE and MDA of 5 ng/ml and for HME of 10 ng/ml. The RSDs for all working ranges of MDE, MDA and HME in plasma and urine, respectively, were less than 1.5%. After validation of the analytical methods in plasma and urine samples pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated. The plasma concentrations of (R)-MDE exceeded those of the S-enantiomer (ratio R:S of the area under the curve, 3.1) and the plasma half time of (R)-MDE was longer than that of (S)-MDE (7.9 vs. 4.0 h). In contrast, the stereochemical disposition of the MDE metabolites HME and MDA was reversed. Concentrations of the (S)-metabolites in plasma of volunteers were much higher than those of the (R)-enantiomers.

Strategy for the development of automated methods involving dialysis and trace enrichment as on-line sample preparation for the determination of basic drugs in plasma by liquid chromatography

Among the sample preparation techniques, dialysis followed by clean-up and enrichment of the dialysate on a pre-column has proved to be a useful approach for the LC determination of drugs in plasma. By use of sample processors, like the ASTED system, such bioanalytical methods can be fully automated, the dialysis and trace enrichment steps being directly coupled to LC. In order to facilitate the development of such automated methods, a strategy based on a decision tree has been elaborated. After the selection of appropriate conditions for the LC analysis, the decision tree provides information about suggested starting conditions and guidelines for the optimisation of the most important parameters likely to influence analyte recovery and method selectivity. The plasma samples are dialysed on a cellulose acetate membrane in the static-pulsed mode and the dialysate is enriched on a trace enrichment pre-column packed with octadecyl silica or with a strong cation-exchange material. This decision tree is until now restricted to the analysis of basic drugs in plasma. In order to demonstrate the applicability of this method development strategy, an automated procedure based on the coupling of dialysis with trace enrichment has been developed for the LC determination of antifungal agents (clotrimazole, econazole and miconazole) in plasma.

On-line microdialysis-high-performance liquid chromatographic determination of aniline and 2-chloroaniline in polymer industrial wastewater

Determination of aniline and 2-chloroaniline in polymer industrial wastewater was examined using high-performance liquid chromatography with on-line microdialysis. After dilution, aniline and 2-chloroaniline in the sample were diffused through a cellular dialysis membrane into the perfusion stream under controlled conditions. Conditions for obtaining optimum dialysis efficiency such as flow-rate and polarity modifier in the perfusion stream, pH and added salt in the sample solution, as well as chromatographic conditions were investigated. The results indicate that the dialysis achieved at a sample matrix pH value of 9.5 with 0.1 M NaCl addition, and the perfusate at 10-microl/min flow-rate offered optimum dialysis efficiency. The aniline and 2-chloroaniline were well separated in an acceptable time on a reversed-phase C18 column eluted with 40% aqueous methanol solution at pH 7.0 and 1.0 ml/min flow-rate. The proposed method provided a very simple procedure to determine aniline and 2-chloroaniline in wastewater. Application was illustrated by the analysis of aniline and 2-chloroaniline in wastewater released from a polymer factory.

Microdialysis of salicylic acid from viscous emulsion samples prior to high-performance liquid chromatographic determination

A micro-dialysis method was developed to isolate aqueous salicylic acid from viscous emulsion samples prior to HPLC determination. The optimal conditions for obtaining dialysis efficiency of salicylic acid as well as chromatographic conditions were investigated. Experimental results indicated that the dialysis achieved at pH 2.0 (0.025 M phosphate solution), 0.5 M NaCl addition, and 50-microl/min flow-rate of perfusion stream offered an optimal result. The proposed method provided a simple procedure for isolating salicylic acid from viscous emulsion samples. Application was illustrated by the analysis of salicylic acid in cosmetic products.

Simultaneous analysis of some amphetamine derivatives in urine by nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis coupled to electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

A nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis method, coupled to UV and electrospray mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), is described for the simultaneous analysis of Ecstasy and other related derivatives. Several electrophoretic and ESI-MS parameters were systematically investigated, such as electrolyte nature and concentration, organic solvent and sheath liquid compositions, nebulization gas pressure and drying gas flow-rate. The best results were achieved with an acetonitrile-methanol (80:20, v/v) mixture containing 25 mM ammonium formate and 1 M formic acid, an applied voltage of 30 kV and a separation temperature of 15 degrees C. Under optimized CE-ESI-MS conditions, separation of the investigated drugs was performed in less than 6 min, with a high efficiency. Method precision based on migration time and peak area was determined and the limits of detection, which depend on the tested compound, were established between 20 and 70 ng ml(-1) in the selected ion monitoring mode. Finally, the described method was successfully applied to the analysis of amphetamines in urine after a liquid-liquid extraction.

Determination of albendazole and its main metabolites in ovine plasma by liquid chromatography with dialysis as an integrated sample preparation technique

Albendazole is a benzimidazole derivative with a broad-spectrum activity against human and animal helminth parasites. In order to determine the main pharmacokinetic parameters in sheep after oral and intravenous administration of a new formulation of albendazole (an aqueous solution), a fully automated method was developed for the determination of this drug and its main metabolites, albendazole sulfoxide (active metabolite) and sulfone in ovine plasma. This method involves dialysis as purification step, followed by enrichment of the dialysate on a precolumn and liquid chromatography (LC). All sample handling operations were executed automatically by means of an ASTED XL system. After conditioning of the trace enrichment column (TEC) packed with octadecyl silica with pH 6.0 phosphate buffer containing sodium azide, the plasma sample, in which a protein releasing reagent (1 M HCl) containing Triton X-100 was automatically added, was loaded in the donor channel and dialysed on a cellulose acetate membrane in the static-pulsed mode. The dialysis liquid consisted of pH 2.5 phosphate buffer. By rotation of a switching valve, the analytes were eluted from the TEC in the back-flush mode by the LC mobile phase and transferred to the analytical column, packed with octyl silica. The chromatographic separation was performed at 35 degrees C and the analytes were monitored photometrically at 295 nm. Due to the differences in hydrophobic character between albendazole and its metabolites, a gradient elution was applied. The mobile phase consisted of a mixture of acetonitrile and pH 6.0 phosphate buffer. The proportion of organic modifier was increased from 10.0 to 50.1% in 12.30 min, then from 50.1 to 66.9% in 1.70 min. First, the gradient conditions and the temperature were optimised for the LC separation using the DryLab software. Then, the influence of some parameters of the dialysis process on analyte recovery was investigated. Finally, the method developed was validated. The mean recoveries for albendazole and its metabolites were about 70 and 65%, respectively. The limits of quantification for albendazole and its metabolites were 10 and 7.5 ng/ml, respectively.

Membrane-based sample preparation coupled on-line to chromatography or electrophoresis

A review on the use of membranes for on-line sample preparation prior to chromatographic and electrophoretic analysis is provided. The current state-of-the-art of four membrane-based techniques (dialysis, electrodialysis, filtration and membrane extraction) is described by reviewing their principles and applications. Possible future developments are discussed.