Semiautomatic Determination of Furanic Aldehydes in Food and Pharmaceutical Samples by a Stopped-Flow Injection Analysis Method

A kinetic study of the reactions of 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furfuraldehyde and furfural with 2-thiobarbituric acid (TBA) by a stopped-flow flow injection analysis technique has been undertaken. A semiautomatic method for the analytical determination of these furanic aldehydes is proposed on the basis of reaction with TBA. The proposed stopped-flow method was successfully applied to several commercial pharmaceutical preparations and food samples. The procedure is faster than the earlier procedure for determination of these compounds in foods and pharmaceuticals.

A novel analytical methodology for the determination of hydroxy polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in breast and cow milk samples

Hydroxy polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (OHPAHs) in biological fluids, such as milk, are considered as biomarkers of exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in organism. The presence of OHPAHs in milk samples indicates a potential contamination on human organisms and milk producing animals. In this way, infants can be contaminated by lactation through the consumption of milk of both, human and animal origins. In this paper, eight OHPAHs have been analyzed in commercial cow milks and in human breast milk using HPLC and fast scanning fluorimetric detection (FSFD). Extraction and cleaning procedures of OHPAHs from milk samples have been investigated, and the experimental results using two bibliographic protocols and a new proposed protocol have been compared. The new protocol using enzymatic hydrolysis, proteins precipitation and, solvent extraction using acetonitrile, was proposed as the most adequate for the determination of 2-hydroxyfluorene, 1-/9-, 2-/3- and 4-hydroxyphenanthrenes, 1-hydroxypyrene and 3-hydroxybenzo[a]pyrene. The method recoveries ranged from 80-102% and 75-91% for fresh cow milk and for human breast milk, respectively, for all components except for 3-OHBz[a] Py. Low recovery values were calculated for 3-hydroxybenzo[a]pyrene in all cases. No statistical difference in the method performance was observed between fresh cow milk and human breast milk.

Complexation study of cinalukast and montelukast with cyclodextrines

A fluorimetric study on the spectral characteristics of two antileukotrienes, cinalukast and montelukast, has been performed. Ionization constants of both of them have been photometrically calculated. Cinalukast pK(a) in ethanol:water 50:50 (v/v) medium resulted to be 2.2+/-0.1. Because the spectral characteristics of montelukast are widely affected by the solvent nature, pK(a) was estimated in two different ethanol:water media, 70:30 (v/v) and 10:90 (v/v) and the values calculated were pK(a)=2.9+/-0.1, and pK(a1)=2.0+/-0.1 and pK(a2)=6.5+/-0.1, respectively. It has been proven that the fluorescence of both, cinalukast and montelukast, is significantly intensified in the presence of cyclodextrins (CyDs). The host-guest complexation processes between cinalukast and alpha-CyD or heptakis-(2,6-di-O-methyl)-beta-cyclodextrin (DIMEB) and between montelukast and DIMEB have been investigated by fluorescence spectroscopy. A 1:1 stoichiometric ratio was established for the three studied inclusion complexes. The changes produced on the fluorescence of cinalukast or montelukast, when they are included on the hydrophobic CyD cavity are used to calculate their association constants by a non-linear regression method. Semiempirical MO calculations using AM1 method were performed in order to characterize the studied inclusion complexes. A new method for cinalukast determination in human serum, based on the fluorescence of the complex cinalukast-DIMEB exhibiting limit of detection of 7.95 ng mL(-1) has been proposed with satisfactory results. Adequate recovery values between 95 and 103% were calculated at five different concentration levels.

Determinations of fluoroquinolones and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in urine by extractive spectrophotometry and photoinduced spectrofluorimetry using multivariate calibration

Multivariate calibration methods are chemometric tools that may be applied to the analysis of spectroscopic data with multichannel detection. Two procedures, based on spectrophotometric and fluorimetric signals, are reported for the simultaneous determination of two fluoroquinolones (ciprofloxacin and ofloxacin) and two nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (diclofenac and mefenamic acid) using first- and second-order multivariate calibration methods. In the spectrophotometric method, an extractive procedure into chloroform using trioctylmethylammonium chloride-adogen as counter ion was optimized, with the object of extracting the analytes from urine samples and eliminating matrix interferences. After separation, the absorption spectrum of the organic phase was used as the analytical signal in a partial least squares method. A photoinduced spectrofluorimetric (PIF) method using excitation-emission fluorescence matrices, is proposed, to apply three-way chemometric calibration, with the aim of analyzing ofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, and diclofenac in urine samples without the previous extractive sample-cleaning step. For both procedures, recoveries around 100% were found for all the analytes. However, the PIF three-way chemometric method provides the most sensitive and selective procedure as the urine interferences are modulated using the three-way chemometric technique.

HPLC determination of enoxacin, ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin and ofloxacin with photoinduced fluorimetric (PIF) detection and multiemission scanning

The fluorescence emission of the fluoroquinolones enoxacin (ENO), ciprofloxacin (CIPRO), norfloxacin (NOR) and ofloxacin (OFLO) notably increased by UV irradiation during few minutes, in ethanolic-water medium. An HPLC method has been developed, for the determination of these fluoroquinolones, based in the separation of the formed irradiation photoproducts. Optimization of the analytical wavelengths has been carried out by fast multiemission scanning fluorescence detection. The highest sensitivity has been found when measuring at emission wavelengths of 407 and 490 nm, for ENO and OFLO, respectively, and at 444 nm for both NOR and CIPRO (exciting at 277 nm). According to the criterium of Clayton, using 0.05 as false positive and false negative error assurance probabilities, detection limits of 7.3, 6.0, 6.3 and 14.5 ng/mL, for ENO, NOR, CIPRO and OFLO, respectively, have been found. Urine and serum samples have been successfully analyzed, with recovery values ranging among 99-97% and 98-103%, for urine and serum, respectively.

Determination of antitubercular drugs by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MEKC)

A method for the determination of isoniazid (ISO), pyrazinamide (PYR) and rifampicin (RIF) in pharmaceutical products, by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MEKC) with ultraviolet detection is described. The influence of pH, concentration of surfactants, buffer and organic solvents, over the separation were studied as experimental variables. The optimal separation was carried out at 30 degrees C and 20 kV, using a 40 mM borate buffer and 100 mM sodium dodecylsulphate (SDS) adjusted to pH 8.5. Under these conditions, the analysis is accomplished in about 8 min. The method was applied to the determination of these compounds in different pharmaceuticals with good results when compared with a reference liquid chromatographic (LC) method.

Kinetic fluorimetric determination of the antineoplastic methotrexate (MTX) in human serum

A kinetic study of the oxidation of methotrexate (MTX) in acidic medium and in the presence of potassium permanganate has been made on the basis of the fluorescence-time curves. A kinetic method for the determination of MTX was developed with a range of application between 0.22 and 3.30 microM. The proposed kinetic method permits us to determine MTX in human serum and to avoid the natural fluorescence of the serum. A detection limit of 0.18 microM was calculated in the presence of ascorbic acid as activator. Only 100 s per sample is necessary for the analysis. The interference of pteridin derivatives and the rescue agent folinic acid (leucovorin) was tested.

Rapid kinetic spectrophotometric determination of phosalone (Zolone) in a commercial formulation

A kinetic study of the degradation of phosalone in an alkaline medium was undertaken by using a pneumatic stopped-flow system. A rapid semiautomatic method is proposed for determining phosalone. Linear calibration graphs up to 8.0 x 10(-5) M (detection limit = 1.40 x 10(-6) M) were obtained, with a measurement period of only 3.5 s per sample and a relative standard deviation of 1.4%. Several pesticides were assayed as interference species, and several did not interfere even at a 6:1, M:M foreign species/phosalone ratio. A strong interference (ratio < 1) was generated by azinphos-methyl and carbaryl. The proposed method was applied to the analysis of a commercial formulation, and the results were validated by comparison with those for a chromatographic method.

Use of a stopped-flow pneumatic mixing module to analyze dinitrophenol pesticides. Simultaneous determination of dinoseb and dinobuton

A kinetic study of the degradation of dinobuton in an alkaline medium has been undertaken by using a stopped-flow pneumatic system. A semiautomatic method for determining dinobuton is proposed for the first time. A detection limit of 0.40 microg mL(-)(1) was calculated. Simultaneous determination of dinobuton and dinoseb can be made by combination of equilibrium and kinetic measurements. The proposed method has been applied to analyze binary mixtures of dinobuton and dinoseb samples with the amount of both components simulating the composition of one undegraded and several degraded dinobuton samples. Also, the procedure has been tested in the analysis of a commercial formulation of dinobuton and the results validated with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).

Simultaneous determination of pteridines in multicomponent mixtures using derivative spectrophotometry and partial least-squares calibration

Simple binary mixtures composed of very similar pteridines (neopterin and pterin) have been resolved by derivative spectrophotometry. Detection limits of 0.30 microgram ml-1 and 0.12 microgram ml-1 for pterin and neopterin, respectively, have been calculated. Also, different mixtures of pteridines considered as disease markers, such as pterin, neopterin, xanthopterin and isoxanthopterin, have been determined by using a partial least-squares (PLS-2) model. Calibration set containing 0-7 micrograms ml-1 for each component was used. The resolution of several mixtures and single determination was tested in artificial samples.

Simultaneous determination of nafcillin and methicillin by different fluorimetric techniques using partial least-squares calibration

The simultaneous determination of nafcillin and methicillin was accomplished by constant wavelength synchronous fluorimetry, in combination with partial least-squares multivariate calibration. The total luminescence information of the compounds was used to optimize the spectral data set to perform the calibration. A calibration set of standard samples was designed by combination of a factorial design, with three levels for each factor, and a central composite design. A comparative study of the results obtained using the excitation, the emission, the constant wavelength synchronous and the constant energy synchronous spectral data as analytical signals was performed. The data, set composed of the constant wavelength synchronous spectra, was selected as the analytical signal. The method was successfully applied to the determination of nafcillin and methicillin in mixtures.

High-performance liquid chromatographic-fluorometric determination of glyoxal, methylglyoxal, and diacetyl in urine by prederivatization to pteridinic rings

A sensitive and simple liquid chromatographic method to determine glyoxal, methylglyoxal, and diacetyl is reported. The method is based on the conversion to the corresponding pteridin derivatives (pterin, 6-methylpterin, and 6,7-dimethylpterin). The proposed method using fluorometric detection has been applied to the determination of the three alpha-dicarbonyl compounds in human urine. Linearity (peak area vs concentration of alpha-dicarbonyl) was observed at least up to 43 microM. Detection limits of 32 pmol for glyoxal, 11 pmol for methylglyoxal, and 99 pmol for diacetyl were calculated (20 microliters was injected). Levels of 132 microM for glyoxal and 15 microM for methylglyoxal were determined in normal urine samples, while diacetyl was not detected.

Kinetic study of the malonaldehyde-azulene reaction determination of malonaldehyde in human plasma

The influence of physicochemical conditions in the formation of derivatized malonaldehyde (MLD)-azulene was studied, and kinetic and conventional spectrophotometric data were compared. Conventional and kinetic spectrophotometric procedures were used to study inference of several compounds. An advantageous kinetic method was used to determine MLD in human plasma. The proposed method is faster than the thiobarbituric acid (TBA) method, because 150 s is sufficient to develop the reaction and the kinetic measurements. A comparative study of the results obtained using the proposed kinetic method and those reported in the literature for MLD determination by using the TBA reaction is presented.

Semiautomatic determination of furanic aldehydes in food and pharmaceutical samples by a stopped-flow injection analysis method

A kinetic study of the reactions of 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furfuraldehyde and furfural with 2-thiobarbituric acid (TBA) by a stopped-flow flow injection analysis technique has been undertaken. A semiautomatic method for the analytical determination of these furanic aldehydes is proposed on the basis of reaction with TBA. The proposed stopped-flow method was successfully applied to several commercial pharmaceutical preparations and food samples. The procedure is faster than the earlier procedure for determination of these compounds in foods and pharmaceuticals.

Multicomponent determination of flavour enhancers in food preparations by partial least squares and principal component regression modelling of spectrophotometric data

Three multivariate calibration methods, partial least squares (PLS-1 and PLS-2) and principal component regression (PCR), were applied to the simultaneous determination of three flavour enhancers (inosine 5'-monophosphate, guanosine 5'-monophosphate and monosodium glutamate), in mixtures by ultraviolet/visible absorption spectrophotometry. The absorption and first- and second-derivative absorption spectra of the ternary mixtures were used to perform the optimization of the calibration matrices by the PLS and PCR methods. The results obtained by the application of the different chemometric approaches are discussed and compared. No significant advantages were found for the prior differentiation step. The proposed method was applied satisfactorily to the determination of inosine 5'-monophosphate and guanosine 5'-monophosphate in several food preparations, in the presence of monosodium glutamate.

Determination of malonaldehyde in human plasma: elimination of spectral interferences in the 2-thiobarbituric acid reaction

A selective, derivative spectrophotometric method has been developed for the determination of malonaldehyde (MLD), based on a reaction with 2-thiobarbituric acid (TBA). The proposed method has been applied to the determination of MLD in human plasma. A study to eliminate several spectral interferences is described. A comparative study of the results obtained using the proposed derivative method and a conventional TBA method applied to human plasma is presented and the advantages of the proposed method over the conventional method for the determination of MLD in human plasma are evaluated.