Pharmaceutical formulation facilities as sources of opioids and other pharmaceuticals to wastewater treatment plant effluents

Facilities involved in the manufacture of pharmaceutical products are an under-investigated source of pharmaceuticals to the environment. Between 2004 and 2009, 35 to 38 effluent samples were collected from each of three wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in New York and analyzed for seven pharmaceuticals including opioids and muscle relaxants. Two WWTPs (NY2 and NY3) receive substantial flows (>20% of plant flow) from pharmaceutical formulation facilities (PFF) and one (NY1) receives no PFF flow. Samples of effluents from 23 WWTPs across the United States were analyzed once for these pharmaceuticals as part of a national survey. Maximum pharmaceutical effluent concentrations for the national survey and NY1 effluent samples were generally <1 microg/L. Four pharmaceuticals (methadone, oxycodone, butalbital, and metaxalone) in samples of NY3 effluent had median concentrations ranging from 3.4 to >400 microg/L. Maximum concentrations of oxycodone (1700 microg/L) and metaxalone (3800 microg/L) in samples from NY3 effluent exceeded 1000 microg/L. Three pharmaceuticals (butalbital, carisoprodol, and oxycodone) in samples of NY2 effluent had median concentrations ranging from 2 to 11 microg/L. These findings suggest that current manufacturing practices at these PFFs can result in pharmaceuticals concentrations from 10 to 1000 times higher than those typically found in WWTP effluents.

High-pressure liquid chromatography of drugs. An evaluation of an octadecylsilane stationary phase

The performance of a commonly used high-pressure liquid chromatographic stationary phase, octadecylsilane, has been evaluated for 30 compounds selected as representative of a wide variety of drug substances. Chromatographic behavior is found to be highly predictable on the basis of pKa and partition coefficient, and the stationary phase should be especially valuable for the separation of acidic and neutral drugs. For basic drugs, however, the column efficiency is poor, detracting from the overall usefulness.

Testing for drugs in hair. Critical review of chromatographic procedures since 1992

Up to now, more than 50 pharmaceuticals or drugs of abuse have been reported to be detectable in hair after oral or parenteral administration. The present paper reviews the literature devoted to drug testing in hair that has been published since 1992. Procedures for the detection of opiates, cocaine, amphetamines and cannabis in hair are described in detail. In particular, the papers on benzodiazepines show an increasing number of procedures using negative chemical ionisation with GC-MS and diode array detection with HPLC in hair analysis. For the most important benzodiazepines, diazepam and flunitrazepam, reliable methods now exist. On the other hand, the problem of the detecting tetrahydrocannabinol metabolites using different techniques is not yet solved. Some progress is observed in the detection of low dose drugs, like fentanyl and its derivatives or LSD. For most of the analyses using chromatographic techniques, the main data on sample preparation and analytical determinations are listed. Some new findings, based on the experience of the authors, are also added.

Analysis of barbiturates in human serum and urine by high-performance capillary electrophoresis-micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography with on-column multi-wavelength detection

The analysis of barbiturates in human serum (or plasma) and urine by high-performance capillary electrophoresis-electrokinetic capillary chromatography with on-column fast-scanning multi-wavelength detection is discussed. The use of a buffer of ca. pH 8 and containing sodium dodecyl sulphate provides a medium suitable for fast and high-resolution separations of barbiturates. Seven barbiturates are characterized by their retention and absorption spectra between 195 and 320 nm. Comparison of these computer-stored data with those of unknown samples is shown to allow the identification of barbiturates in samples of patients undergoing pharmacotherapy and in toxicological urine and serum specimens. Three-dimensional electropherograms provide reliable information on the requirement and suitability of sample pretreatment procedures. With urine, extraction of barbiturates prior to analysis is necessary. With human serum several barbiturates, including phenobarbital, are shown to elute in an interference-free window in front of uric acid and the proteins, allowing these substances to be determined by direct sample injection. The need for multi-wavelength detection over a relatively wide wavelength range as a means of peak confirmation in electrokinetic capillary analyses is demonstrated and limitations of this technique for compounds with similar retention behaviour and absorption spectra are discussed.

Integrated Plastic Microfluidic Devices with ESI-MS for Drug Screening and Residue Analysis

For this work, two different plastic microfluidic devices are designed and fabricated for applications in high-throughput residue analysis of food contaminants and drug screening of small-molecule libraries. Microfluidic networks on copolyester and poly(dimethylsiloxane) substrates are fabricated by silicon template imprinting and capillary molding techniques. The first device is developed to perform affinity capture, concentration, and direct identification of targeted compounds using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Poly(vinylidene fluoride) membranes sandwiched between the imprinted copolyester microchannels in an integrated platform provide continuous affinity dialysis and concentration of a reaction mixture containing aflatoxin B1 antibody and aflatoxins. The second microfluidic device is composed of microchannels on the poly(dimethylsiloxane) substrates. The device is designed to perform miniaturized ultrafiltration of affinity complexes of phenobarbital antibody and barbiturates, including the sequential loading, washing, and dissociation steps. These microfabricated devices not only significantly reduce dead volume and sample consumption but also increase the detection sensitivity by at least 1-2 orders of magnitude over those reported previously. Improvements in detection sensitivity are attributed to analyte preconcentration during the affinity purification step, limited analyte dilution in the microdialysis junction, minimal sample loss, and the amenability of ESI-MS to nanoscale sample flow rates.

Ion-pair chromatography of acidic drug metabolites and endogenic compounds

Liquid-liquid chromatographic systems based on ion-pair partition with silica microparticles as the support for the stationary phase have been used for the separation of anionic compounds of biochemical and pharmacological interest. A high separating efficiency can be obtained with both aqueous and organic mobile phases and the retention is easily regulated by the nature and the concentration of the quaternary ammonium counter ion, present in the aqueous phase. The influence of the composition of the liquid phases on the selectivity and separating efficiency has been studied, as well as equilibration methods and the stability of the systems. Examples are given of separations of sulphonamides, barbiturates, glucuronic and sulphuric acid conjugates of steroidal compounds and phenols glycine conjugates of carboxylic acids (hippuric, nicotinuric and salicyluric acid) and anionic metabolites of biogenic amines (indoleacetic, benzoic, mandelic and phenylacetic acid derivatives).

Formation of cytosine glycol and 5,6-dihydroxycytosine in deoxyribonucleic acid on treatment with osmium tetroxide

OsO4 selectively forms thymine glycol lesions in DNA. In the past, OsO4-treated DNA has been used as a substrate in studies of DNA repair utilizing base-excision repair enzymes such as DNA glycosylases. There is, however, no information available on the chemical identity of other OsO4-induced base lesions in DNA. A complete knowledge of such DNA lesions may be of importance for repair studies. Using a methodology developed recently for characterization of oxidative base damage in DNA, we provide evidence for the formation of cytosine glycol and 5,6-dihydroxycytosine moieties, in addition to thymine glycol, in DNA on treatment with OsO4. For this purpose, samples of OsO4-treated DNA were hydrolysed with formic acid, then trimethylsilylated and analysed by capillary gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. In addition to thymine glycol, 5-hydroxyuracil (isobarbituric acid), 5-hydroxycytosine and 5,6-dihydroxyuracil (isodialuric acid or dialuric acid) were identified in OsO4-treated DNA. It is suggested that 5-hydroxyuracil was formed by formic acid-induced deamination and dehydration of cytosine glycol, which was the actual oxidation product of the cytosine moiety in DNA. 5-Hydroxycytosine obviously resulted from dehydration of cytosine glycol, and 5,6-dihydroxyuracil from deamination of 5,6-dihydroxycytosine. This scheme was supported by the presence of 5-hydroxyuracil, uracil glycol and 5,6-dihydroxyuracil in OsO4-treated cytosine. Treatment of OsO4-treated cytosine with formic acid caused the complete conversion of uracil glycol into 5-hydroxyuracil. The implications of these findings relative to studies of DNA repair are discussed.

Determination of barbiturates by solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and ion trap gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) in conjunction with quadrupole ion trap GC-MS was applied to the determination of a series of barbiturates. A 65 microns Carbowax-divinylbenzene (DVB) SPME fiber was used to successfully extract a series of eight barbiturates from aqueous solution. Absorption kinetics and distribution coefficients for the 65 microns Carbowax-DVB SPME fiber were determined for the compounds. In addition the method was evaluated with respect to linearity, limit of detection, precision, desorption time, and the effect of salt. Limits of detection reached 1 ng/ml for the barbiturates. Linearity was established for the barbiturates over a concentration range of 10-1000 ng/ml, with coefficients of correlation 0.99. Overall, the precision of the method fell between 2.2%-6.5%, depending on the barbiturate. SPME was applied to the identification and quantitation of the barbiturates in a urine matrix. The method was validated by analyzing a reference standard pentobarbital-spiked urine sample. Both standard addition and internal standard with [2H5]-pentobarbital techniques were evaluated, with recoveries found to be 93% and 104%, respectively SPME was then used to rapidly screen a urine specimen tested positive for barbiturates, and butalbital was detected and quantified.

Comparative study of membrane potential-sensitive fluorescent probes and their use in ion channel screening assays

In this study, the authors compared and evaluated 4 membrane potential probes in the same cellular assay: the oxonol dye DiBAC(4)(3), the FLIPR membrane potential (FMP) dye (Molecular Devices), and 2 novel fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) dye systems from PanVera [CC2-DMPE/DiSBAC(2)(3)] and Axiom [DiSBAC(1)(3)/DiSBAC(1)(5)]. The kinetic parameters of each membrane probe were investigated in RBL-2H3 cells expressing an endogenous inward rectifier potassium channel (IRK1). The FMP dye presented the highest signal over background ratio whereas the FRET dyes from PanVera gave the fastest response. The determination of IC(50) values for 8 different channel modulators indicated a good correlation between the 4 membrane probe systems. The compound-dye interaction was evaluated in the presence of compounds at 10 muM and clearly indicated no effect on the FMP or the PanVera donor dye, whereas some major interference with the oxonol probes was observed. Using a cell permeabilization assay in the presence of gramicidin, the authors concluded that the FRET dyes from PanVera and the FMP dye are unable to measure the gramicidin-induced cell membrane hyperpolarizations. The 4 dye systems were investigated under high-throughput screening (HTS) conditions, and their respective Z' parameter was determined. The characteristics of each dye system and its potential use in HTS assays is discussed.

Assessment of E. coli and Salmonella viability and starvation by confocal laser microscopy and flow cytometry using rhodamine 123, DiBAC4(3), propidium iodide, and CTC

Assessment of cell viability using methods which do not require cell culture is essential in the field of aquatic microbiology, since many bacteria known to be present in aquatic environments cannot be grown in culture. The study of bacterial biofilms, which previously needed an epifluorescent microscope, has recently been enhanced by the use of flow cytometry and confocal scanning laser microscopy (CSLM). A method based on the combination of several membrane potential related dyes, a membrane integrity dye and a redox probe was used to measure cell viability by flow cytometry and confocal laser microscopy. Rhodamine-propidium iodide (PI) double staining was used to discriminate viable from nonviable cells in CSLM observations. Membrane depolarization during E. coli and Salmonella starvation measured by DiBAC4(3) incorporation (flow cytometry and CSLM) was found to be in concordance with respiratory activity as detected by a tetrazolium salt (CTC) reduction.

High performance liquid chromatography enantioseparation of chiral pharmaceuticals using tris(chloro-methylphenylcarbamate)s of cellulose

Chiral recognition abilities of a recently developed new type of cellulose phenylcarbamates were studied. These chiral stationary phases (CSPs) simultaneously contain both electron-withdrawing (Cl) and electron-donating (CH3) substituents on the phenyl moiety. Chiral pharmaceuticals which belong to the various pharmacological groups (sedatives, hypnotics, anticonvulsants, Ca2+ channel blockers, beta-blockers, antitusives, antihystaminics, choleretics, diuretics, antimycotics, etc) were resolved to enantiomers. These new CSPs sometimes exhibit alternative chiral recognition ability to that most successful commercially available cellulosic CSP Chiralcel-OD and can be used as a good complement to it in analytical and preparative scale enantioseparations.

On-line micellar electrokinetic chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry using anodically migrating micelles

On-line micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC)-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESIMS) is demonstrated for the analysis of chlorotriazine herbicides and barbiturates. In this study, the micellar velocity is directly manipulated by the adjustment of electroosmosis rather than the electrophoretic velocity of the micelle. The electroosmotic flow is adjusted against the electrophoretic velocity of the micelle by changing the solution pH in MEKC. The elimination of MEKC surfactant introduction into ESIMS is achieved with an anodically migrating micelle, moving away from the electrospray interface. The effects of moving surfactant boundary in the MEKC capillary on separation efficiency and resolution of triazine herbicides and barbiturates are investigated. The mass detection of herbicides and barbiturates sequentially eluted from the MEKC capillary is acquired using the positive and negative electrospray modes, respectively.

Multiwalled carbon nanotubes as a solid-phase extraction adsorbent for the determination of three barbiturates in pork by ion trap gas chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (GC/MS/MS) following microwave assisted derivatization

A new method was developed for the rapid screening and confirmation analysis of barbital, amobarbital and phenobarbital residues in pork by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC/MS/MS) with ion trap MSD. The residual barbiturates in pork were extracted by ultrasonic extraction, cleaned up on a multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) packed solid phase extraction (SPE) cartridge and applied acetone-ethyl acetate (3:7, v/v) mixture as eluting solvent and derivatized with CH3I under microwave irradiation. The methylated barbiturates were separated on a TR-5MS capillary column and detected with an ion trap mass detector. Electron impact ion source (EI) operating MS/MS mode was adopted for identification and external standard method was employed for quantification. One precursor ion m/z 169 was selected for analysis of barbital and amobarbital and m/z 232 was selected for phenobarbital. The product ions were obtained under 1.0 V excitation voltage. Good linearities (linear coefficient R > 0.99) were obtained at the range of 0.5-50 microg kg(-1). Limit of detection (LOD) of barbital was 0.2 microg kg(-1) and that of amobarbital and phenobarbital were both 0.1 microg kg(-1) (S/N > or = 3). Limit of quantification (LOQ) was 0.5 microg kg(-1) for three barbiturates (S/N > or = 10). Satisfying recoveries ranging from 75% to 96% of the three barbiturates spiked in pork were obtained, with relative standard deviations (R.S.D.) in the range of 2.1-7.8%.

Rapid trace analysis of barbiturates in blood and saliva by high-pressure liquid chromatography

The performances of a number of liquid--solid systems, consisting of mixtures of water and methanol as liquid phase and methyl silica as solid phase, were investigated with respect to their use in the separation of barbiturates by high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). Phase system selectivities and column efficiencies were determined. The results were applied to the development of a rapid method for the determination of trace amounts of barbiturates in blood. The first step in the analysis, the extraction of barbiturates from blood, was also investigated and good recoveries were achieved. The extracts were analyzed by HPLC using ultraviolet detection at 220 nm. A low detection limit and high precision were obtained; An amount of 5 ng hexobarbital, for example, can be determined with a precision of +/-15% and 5 mug with a precision of +/-0.3%. The time course of the concentration of hexobarbital in the serum and saliva of man after an oral administration of 400 mg is demonstrated.

Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) investigation of the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) reaction

The thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) assay is a commonly used method for the detection of lipid peroxidation. Malondialdehyde is formed as a result of lipid peroxidation and reacts with thiobarbituric acid to form a pink pigment that has an absorption maximum at 532 nm. Other compounds also react with thiobarbituric acid to form colored species that can interfere with this assay, but little is known about these interfering species. This is the first investigation using LC-MS and MS-MS to study the structures of the pink adduct as well as a common unstable yellow interference compound, which absorbs at 455 nm. Also, the presence of barbituric acid impurities in the thiobarbituric acid reagent was found to produce 1:1:1 thiobarbituric acid/malondialdehyde/barbituric acid and 2:1 barbituric acid/malondialdehyde adducts that absorbed at 513 and 490 nm, respectively, indicating that thiobarbituric acid should be purified before use.