Thin Layer Chromatographic Analysis of Biological Samples. A Review

Taurine dynamics in serum during the oestrous cycle in buffaloes

Estrus identification is one of the common issues in buffaloes because of their short estrus duration and silent estrus problem. Hence, specific biomarkers facilitating in identifying the estrus stage would be helpful to buffalo farmers and researchers. In our previous studies, taurine, a non-protein amino acid that helps in the secretion of reproductive hormones such as GnRH, was found to be associated with postpartum anestrus in buffaloes. Therefore, the present study was conducted to explore the level of taurine in serum during different stages of the oestrous cycle in healthy cyclic buffaloes. Blood samples were collected from healthy cyclic buffaloes (n = 4), and taurine was estimated at the estrus (0th day), proestrus (-2nd day), metestrus (3rd day) and diestrus (+10th day) stages using TLC method. The days of the oestrous cycle were determined by ultrasonography and observation of behavioural signs by trained professionals. The results revealed that taurine was consistently present in the serum. However, the highest concentration of taurine was observed at the proestrus (0.20 ± 0.03 mg/mL) stage, which was greater (p < .05) than metestrus (0.10 ± 0.05 mg/mL) and diestrus (0.13 ± 0.03 mg/mL) stages, but comparable with the estrus stage. These results were also validated in the simulated population datasets of population size 6 to 10,000. Further, ROC curve analysis for the large simulated population indicated the efficiency of taurine to distinguish proestrus from metestrus and diestrus stages at a lower cutoff value of <0.1643 mg/mL with 60% sensitivity and specificity. Therefore, the present study concludes that serum taurine concentration could help in detecting proestrus stage of buffalo estrous cycle.

Seaweed Phenolics: From Extraction to Applications

Seaweeds have attracted high interest in recent years due to their chemical and bioactive properties to find new molecules with valuable applications for humankind. Phenolic compounds are the group of metabolites with the most structural variation and the highest content in seaweeds. The most researched seaweed polyphenol class is the phlorotannins, which are specifically synthesized by brown seaweeds, but there are other polyphenolic compounds, such as bromophenols, flavonoids, phenolic terpenoids, and mycosporine-like amino acids. The compounds already discovered and characterized demonstrate a full range of bioactivities and potential future applications in various industrial sectors. This review focuses on the extraction, purification, and future applications of seaweed phenolic compounds based on the bioactive properties described in the literature. It also intends to provide a comprehensive insight into the phenolic compounds in seaweed.

Multivariate analysis of PRISMA optimized TLC image for predicting antioxidant activity and identification of contributing compounds from Pereskia bleo

Multivariate analysis of thin-layer chromatography (TLC) images was modeled to predict antioxidant activity of Pereskia bleo leaves and to identify the contributing compounds of the activity. TLC was developed in optimized mobile phase using the 'PRISMA' optimization method and the image was then converted to wavelet signals and imported for multivariate analysis. An orthogonal partial least square (OPLS) model was developed consisting of a wavelet-converted TLC image and 2,2-diphynyl-picrylhydrazyl free radical scavenging activity of 24 different preparations of P. bleo as the x- and y-variables, respectively. The quality of the constructed OPLS model (1 + 1 + 0) with one predictive and one orthogonal component was evaluated by internal and external validity tests. The validated model was then used to identify the contributing spot from the TLC plate that was then analyzed by GC-MS after trimethylsilyl derivatization. Glycerol and amine compounds were mainly found to contribute to the antioxidant activity of the sample. An alternative method to predict the antioxidant activity of a new sample of P. bleo leaves has been developed.

Analytical methods for determination of benzodiazepines. A short review

Benzodiazepines (BDZs) are generally commonly used as anxiolytic and/or hypnotic drugs as a ligand of the GABAA-benzodiazepine receptor. Moreover, some of benzodiazepines are widely used as an anti-depressive and sedative drugs, and also as anti-epileptic drugs and in some cases can be useful as an adjunct treatment in refractory epilepsies or anti-alcoholic therapy. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) methods, thin-layer chromatography (TLC) methods, gas chromatography (GC) methods, capillary electrophoresis (CE) methods and some of spectrophotometric and spectrofluorometric methods were developed and have been extensively applied to the analysis of number of benzodiazepine derivative drugs (BDZs) providing reliable and accurate results. The available chemical methods for the determination of BDZs in biological materials and pharmaceutical formulations are reviewed in this work.

Direct extraction of urinary analytes from undeveloped reversed-phase thin layer chromatography plates using a solvent gradient combined with on-line electrospray ionisation ion mobility-mass spectrometry

The direct extraction of urinary analytes deposited on reversed-phase thin-layer chromatography (RP-TLC) plates is demonstrated using a solvent gradient extraction procedure without prior chromatographic development. The surface sample probe TLC-MS interface used for the gradient extraction is compared to direct loop injection into the electrospray ion source for biofluid profiling. The gradient elution is shown to enhance ion intensities, as urinary salts are eluted in aqueous formic acid in the early part of the gradient reducing ion suppression. The retention of urinary components on the C18 RP-TLC plate was confirmed by monitoring analyte responses with, and without, an aqueous wash phase prior to the solvent gradient extraction. The use of gradient elution allows fractionation of the complex biological matrix as a result of differential retention of urine components on the undeveloped RP-TLC plate. The direct gradient analysis of TLC plates has also been combined with ion mobility-mass spectrometry to further resolve the complex urinary profile and identify co-eluting compounds.

Effective separation and simultaneous analysis of anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) in their pharmaceutical formulations by a validated TLC-densitometry method

BACKGROUND

Anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) are widely misused for the enhancement of performance in sports. Several drugs are available that contain different combinations or individual steroids in different dosage form. This paper describes a TLC densitometric method for simultaneous determination of four AAS of testosterone derivatives including testosterone propionate (TP), testosterone phenyl propionate (TPP), testosterone isocaproate (TI) and testosterone deaconate (TD) in their pharmaceutical products.

RESULTS

Separation was carried out on Al based TLC plates, pre-coated with silica gel 60F-254 using hexane and ethyl acetate (8.5:1.5, v/v). Spots at Rf 0.31 ± 0.01, 0.34 ± 0.01, 0.40 ± 0.01 and 0.45 ± 0.02 were recognized as TPP, TP, TI and TD, respectively. Quantitative analysis was done by densitometric measurements at λmax 251 nm for all derivatives. The developed method was validated as per ICH guidelines. Method was found linear over the concentration range of 200-1200 ng/spot with the correlation coefficient of 0.995, 0.993, 0.995 and 0.996 for TP, TPP, TI, TD, respectively. Limit of detection for all derivatives were in the range of 16.7-22.3 ng/spot while limit of quantitation were found to be in the range of 55.7-70.9 ng/spot.

CONCLUSIONS

The developed TLC method can be applied for the simultaneous routine analysis of testosterone derivatives in their individual and combined pharmaceutical formulations.

Lipid analysis by thin-layer chromatography--a review of the current state

High-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) is a widely used, fast and relatively inexpensive method of separating complex mixtures. It is particularly useful for smaller, apolar compounds and offers some advantages over HPLC. This review gives an overview about the special features as well as the problems that have to be considered upon the HPTLC analysis of lipids. The term "lipids" is used here in a broad sense and comprises fatty acids and their derivatives as well as substances related biosynthetically or functionally to these compounds. After a short introduction regarding the stationary phases and the methods how lipids can be visualized on an HPTLC plate, the individual lipid classes will be discussed and the most suitable solvent systems for their separation indicated. The focus will be on lipids that are most abundant in biological systems, i.e. cholesterol and its derivates, glycerides, sphingo- and glycolipids as well as phospholipids. Finally, a nowadays very important topic, the combination between HPTLC and mass spectrometric (MS) detection methods will be discussed. It will be shown that this is a very powerful method to investigate the identities of the HPTLC spots in more detail than by the use of common staining methods. Future aspects of HPTLC in the lipid field will be also discussed.

The use of echinostomes to study host-parasite relationships between larval trematodes and invertebrate and cold-blooded vertebrate hosts

Echinostomes are intestinal trematodes with life cycles that are easy and inexpensive to maintain in the laboratory. For this reason, echinostomes have served for years as experimental models in different areas of parasitology. However, the usefulness of these trematodes in experimental parasitology has been under estimated. In this paper, we discuss the life cycles of echinostomes and the techniques used to maintain them in the laboratory. We further examine the characteristics of these trematodes that make them useful models for the analysis of larval parasite-host relationships. Echinostomes are useful for studies on the immunobiology of snails, host-finding processes of free-living larval stages, effects of larval trematode infections on anuran populations, and studies on analytes in the larval trematodes and their snail intermediate hosts.

Two-Dimensional Ultra-Thin-Layer Chromatography and Atmospheric Pressure Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Mass Spectrometry in Bioanalysis

The feasibility of ultra-thin-layer chromatography (UTLC) and atmospheric pressure matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (AP-MALDI-MS) for bioanalysis was studied with benzodiazepines as model substances in human urine. Two-dimensional (2D) UTLC was shown to be an efficient technique for the separation of benzodiazepines. Separations occurred in 4-12 min, and the separated compounds were identified by AP-MALDI-MS. The limits of detection with AP-MALDI-MS and AP-MALDI-MS/MS were in the picomole range and thus low enough for bioanalysis. The applicability of the 2D UTLC-AP-MALDI-MS was demonstrated in detection of metabolites with an authentic biological urine sample.