Use Of Solid-phase Extraction Research Articles

Determination of Macrolides in Water Using Solid-Phase Extraction and Supercritical Fluid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry.

Macrolides are a group of compounds used to treat bacterial infections in humans and animals. Their widespread use results in the contamination of the water environment, which, on the one hand, has a detrimental effect on aquatic organisms and, on the other hand, can lead to the emergence of resistant strains of microorganisms. All of the above determines the need for monitoring of these compounds in the environment, particularly, in water objects. Usually, the high-performance liquid chromatography combined with tandem mass spectrometry method is used to solve this problem, however, this work shows the possibility of using the supercritical fluid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method. An approach for the determination of four common macrolides, namely erythromycin, clarithromycin, midecamycin, and josamycin, was developed. The use of solid-phase extraction allowed to achieve limits of quantification at 0.57-6.8ng/L. The presented approach was validated and tested on a real object-a sample of municipal wastewater.

Benzo(b)fluoranthene and benzo(k)fluoranthene removal by microalgae in the presence of triazine herbicides: Matrix solid-phase dispersion and solid-phase extraction (MSPD/SPE) for HPLC-UV analysis of the different culture components

Over the last decade, human activities in the industrial and agricultural sectors have significantly increased the concentration of persistent and harmful pollutants in aquatic ecosystems. The use of microorganisms is a green strategy for the bio-removal of certain contaminants. However, other pollutants in the same ecosystems can reduce their degrading activity and even affect their survival. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of benzo(b)fluoranthene (BbF) and benzo(k)fluoranthene (BkF) removal by Selenastrum capricornutum in the presence of triazine herbicides, compounds mainly used in broadleaf weeds. The interest of this work focused on identifying in which of the microalgal components the degrading activity is best evidenced and affected. For this purpose, the use of solid-phase extraction (SPE) and matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD) extraction procedures and HPLC-UV analysis allowed the BbF and BkF trace quantification in biomass, liquid medium, and cell lysate separately from cultures exposed to these polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) alone or with herbicides. The recovery percentages were between 78 and 94 %, good linearity (r2 ≈ 0.99), precision values measured as RSD < 15 %, and limits of detection (LOQs) at levels of ng mL−1 and ng mg−1 were obtained. The individual PAH amounts measured in the components of microalgae cultures show similar removal kinetics (removal percentages: 82–89 %). Likewise, the analysis demonstrated that the removal of PAHs is not affected in the presence of triazine herbicides (atrazine and cyanazine) and with similar removal percentages (79–86 %) compared to those cultures exposed to individual PAHs (74–83 %). These results support the possible real-world applications of PAH removal by extracts from S. capricornutum in aquatic environments contaminated with PAHs and near agriculture areas where triazine herbicides are used.

Trends in Sample Preparation, Part II: Sample Considerations and Techniques

In the October 2023 installment of “Sample Prep Perspectives,” we reported results obtained from a survey on sample preparation techniques, and compared those to results from previous surveys. The results uncovered trends in the field over the last generation and their impact in areas such as which technologies are currently being used, sample types, and sample load. This installment will continue our look at the sample preparation survey, focusing on sample sizes, laboratory techniques used, automation, the use of solid-phase extraction (SPE) devices (cartridges, disks, plates, tips), SPE chemistries and selection criteria, and problems encountered in SPE.

ПРИМЕНЕНИЕ СОРБЕНТА ДЛЯ ТВЕРДОФАЗНОЙ ЭКСТРАКЦИИ НА ОСНОВЕ ГИПРОМЕЛЛОЗЫ ДЛЯ КОЛИЧЕСТВЕННОГО ОПРЕДЕЛЕНИЯ КИСЛОТЫ САЛИЦИЛОВОЙ В КОМБИНИРОВАННЫХ ЛЕКАРСТВЕННЫХ ПРЕПАРАТАХ

Introduction. In quality control of pharmaceutical formulations, there are methodological approaches based on the preliminary separation of sample components and approaches without preliminary separation. The use of solid-phase extraction (SPE) allows to separate analytes during sample preparation, with the separation selectivity determining the analysis selectivity as a whole. Currently, sorbents that provide selectivity in interaction with the analyte are of interest. Various derivatives of cellulose are used to obtain selective sorbents: ethylcellulose, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (hypromellose), carboxymethylcellulose, etc. On the pharmaceutical market of the Russian Federation, there are pharmaceutical formulations with the active pharmaceutical substance salicylic acid. The use of selective SPE for analysis is a promising direction of research in drug quality control. Aim. Evaluation of the metrological characteristics of benzocaine quantitation by UV-spectrophotometry in certain pharmaceutical formulations using hypromellose sorbent for solid-phase extraction. Material and methods. The sorbent using a method developed by us was obtained. Salicylic acid (FS.2.1.0634, Russia State Pharmacopoeia XV ed.) to form active binding sites in sorbent structure was applied. The sorbent structure is polycyanoacrylate matrix with hypromellose fragments, the surface area is 255.50 m2/g, pore volume is 0.1433 cm3, pore diameter is 5.32 nm. The sorption capacity of hypromellose sorbent for benzocaine was 12.2 ± 0.8 μg/g. The SPE technique is proposed. SPE includes the stages: conditioning, sample addition and step-by-step elution with purified water and sodium hydroxide solution 0.1 mol/L. The spectrophotometer SF-56 was used to measure the absorbance at an analytical wavelength of 286 nm. To evaluate the selectivity (specificity) of sample preparation during chromatographic (SPE) separation of pharmaceutical formulations, absorption spectra of eluates in the wavelength range of 200-400 nm were scanned. The salicylic acid identification in the eluate was carried out based on absorption peaks at 228 and 298 nm.The salicylic acid calibration curve in the range of 1-20 μg/ml. To determination the metrological characteristics of salicylic acid quantitation method, 16 parallel determinations of samples of each pharmaceutical formulation were made. Statistical processing of the experimental results and determination of the metrological characteristics evaluation of analytical technique were carried out in accordance with general pharmacopoeial monograph (OFS.1.1.0013 "Statistical processing of results of physical, physicochemical, and chemical tests"). Results. When realizing the salicylic acid quantitation technique for measuring absorbance, it is advisable to use only the first portions of eluate (a solution of sodium hydroxide) in a volume of 5-10 ml were obtained. The relative error in determining the average content of salicylic acid in the analyzed preparations ranged from 1.18 to 1.44% for methods with solid-phase extraction (SPE) and 1.86-2.62% in its absence. It has been shown that there is a statistically significant difference in reproducibility for all preparations, as indicated by F-criteria values ranging from 7.81 to 13.5, exceeding their tabulated values. For the method without solid-phase extraction (SPE), there was an overestimation of the salicylic acid content in all cases, increasing the systematic error on average by 87.5%. Conclusion. The possibility of using a selective hypromellose sorbent for sample preparation for salicylic acid quantitation determination in pharmaceutical formulations has been showed. The use of sorbent for analysis provides to systematic error decrement of salicylic acid quantitation by an average of 87.5%.

APPLICATION OF SELECTIVE HYPROMELLOSE SORBENT FOR THE BENZOCAINE QUANTITATION IN PHARMACEUTICAL FORMULATIONS

Introduction. In quality control of pharmaceutical formulations, there are methodological approaches based on the preliminary separation of sample components and approaches without preliminary separation. The use of solid-phase extraction (SPE) allows to separate analytes during sample prepa-ration, with the separation selectivity determining the analysis selectivity as a whole. Currently, sorbents that provide selectivity in interaction with the analyte are of interest. Aim. Evaluation of the metrological characteristics of benzocaine quantitation by UV-spectrophotometry in certain pharmaceutical formulations using hypromellose sorbent for solid-phase extraction. Material and methods. The sorbent using a method developed by us was obtained. Benzocaine (FS.2.1.0634, Russia State Pharmacopoeia XV ed.) to form active binding sites in sorbent structure was applied. The sorbent structure is polycyanoacrylate matrix with hypromellose fragments, the sur-face area is 255.50 m2/g, pore volume is 0.1433 cm3, pore diameter is 5.32 nm. The sorption capacity of hypromellose sorbent for benzocaine was 12.2±0.8 μg/g. The SPE technique is proposed. SPE includes the stages: conditioning, sample addition and step-by-step elution with purified water and hydrochloric acid solution 0.1 mol/L. The spectrophotometer SF-56 was used to measure the absorbance at an analytical wavelength of 286 nm. To evaluate the selectivity (specificity) of sample preparation during chromatographic (SPE) separation of pharmaceutical formulations, absorption spectra of eluates in the wavelength range of 200400 nm were scanned. The benzocaine identification in the eluate was carried out based on absorption peaks at 220 and 286 nm. The benzocaine calibration curve in the range of 120 μg/ml. To determination the metrological characteristics of benzocaine quan-titation method, 11 parallel determinations of samples of each pharmaceutical formulation were made. Results. When realizing the benzocaine quantitation technique for measuring absorbance, it is advisable to use only the first portions of eluate (a solu-tion of hydrochloric acid) in a volume of 510 ml were obtained. The relative error of benzocaine average concentration in the pharmaceutical formula-tions ranged from 1.28 to 1.34% for technique that included the SPE stage, and from 1.86 to 2.02% for technique that did not include it. A comparison of the modifications of the spectrophotometric quantitation of benzocaine in pharmaceutical formulation using hypromellose sorbent and technique without the SPE did not reveal a statistically significant difference in reproducibility. For the modification technique without SPE, an increase of benzo-caine concentration and in determination relative error by an average of 48.0% were observed. Conclusion. The possibility of using a selective hypromellose sorbent for sample preparation for benzocaine quantitation determination in pharmaceu-tical formulations has been showed. The use of a sorbent for SPE at the sample preparation stage reduces the systematic error of benzocaine spectro-photometry quantitation for the analyzed pharmaceutical formulations by an average of 79.2%.

Sample Preparation Techniques for Growth-Promoting Agents in Various Mammalian Specimen Preceding MS-Analytics.

The misuse of growth-promoting drugs such as beta-2 agonists and steroids is a known problem in farming and sports competitions. Prior to the analysis of biological samples via liquid chromatography (LC)-mass spectrometry (MS) or gas chromatography (GC)-MS, sufficient sample preparation is required to reliably identify or determine the residues of drugs. In practice, broad screening methods are often used to save time and analyze as many compounds as possible. This review was conceptualized to analyze the literature from 2018 until October 2023 for sample preparation procedures applied to animal specimens before LC- or GC-MS analysis. The animals were either used in farming or sports. In the present review, solid phase extraction (SPE) was observed as the dominant sample clean-up technique for beta-2 agonists and steroids, followed by protein precipitation. For the extraction of beta-2 agonists, mixed-mode cation exchanger-based SPE phases were preferably applied, while for the steroids, various types of SPE materials were reported. Furthermore, dispersive SPE-based QuEChERs were utilized. Combinatory use of SPE and liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) was observed to cover further drug classes in addition to beta-2 agonists in broader screening methods.

A rapid, sensitive method for clinical monitoring of ketamine and norketamine by ultra-high-performance reverse-phase liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry.

Ketamine is an NMDAR antagonist with aggregating use across many areas of medicine. P450 enzymes heavily metabolise ketamine, where norketamine is a first pass formed metabolite following initial N-demethylation. Serum ketamine monitoring is becoming increasingly important, requiring a sensitive method with a robust lower limit of quantitation. Samples were prepared using protein precipitation or solid phase extraction. Ion suppression was investigated to optimise sample preparation technique, followed by reverse-phase chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry to analyse extractions using a Waters Xevo TQ-S Micro and associated Acquity chromatography systems. Performance characteristics were analysed to validate the assay. Ketamine and norketamine retention times were 1.28 and 1.23min, respectively. Ketamine and norketamine precursor ions fragmented into 2 distinguishable product ions (238.14 > 207.18/125.06 and 224.1 > 178.96/124.86). Performance characteristics include an assay recovery of 103.7% (ketamine) and 96.3% (norketamine), lower limit of quantitation 36.2µg/L (ketamine) and 38.9µg/L (norketamine), and intra-assay imprecision ≤ 7.04% on average. A robust and reproducible assay with limited sample preparation has been designed and validated. The linearity of the assay covers all ranges of interest reported in the literature. Ion suppression was clearly reduced via use of solid phase extraction. The method will form the basis of ketamine monitoring and providing valuable patient information on tolerance and metabolism.

Simultaneous Determination of Amphenicols in Animal-Derived Foods by Solvent and Solid Phase Extraction With Ultrahigh-Performance Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry.

The consumption of foods containing amphenicols, a type of antibiotic, is a major concern for human health. A stable and accurate detection method can provide technical support for food-safety monitoring. An effective and efficient method was established for determining amphenicols in animal-derived foods through the simultaneous use of solid-phase extraction (SPE) cleanup and ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). Samples were extracted using 1.0% ammoniated ethyl acetate solution, degreased with n-hexane, and then concentrated and cleaned using a C18 SPE column. Next, gradient elution was performed using methanol and 0.05% aqueous ammonia as the mobile phase, followed by separation using a C18 column. The target compound was detected using electrospray ionization, both in positive and negative modes, through multiple reaction monitoring, and quantified using an internal-standard method. The content of chloramphenicol (CAP), florfenicol (FF), and florfenicol amine (FFA) (content range: 0.2-8.0 µg/kg) as well as that of thiamphenicol (TAP; content range: 1.0-40.0 µg/kg) show a good linear relationship, with a correlation coefficient of r > 0.999. Furthermore, recoveries of 86.7-111.9% and relative standard deviations of <9.0% were achieved. The limits of detection and quantification are obtained as 0.03-0.33 and 0.1-1.0 μg/kg, respectively. The proposed method has excellent stability and accuracy, and can be successfully used for the qualitative and quantitative determination of amphenicols, i.e., CAP, TAP, FF, and FFA residues in 210 animal-derived food samples, of which FF and FFA were detected in four samples. A stable and accurate method was successfully established for the simultaneous determination of CAP, TAP, FF, and FFA in animal-derived foods using UPLC-MS/MS. Effective sample pretreatment was established, lipids were removed using n-hexane, concentration and cleanup were achieved with the C18 SPE column, and matrix effects were effectively reduced, thus improving the method's accuracy and stability. The method was validated for eight common animal-source foods, including beef, lamb, pork, chicken, egg, milk, fish, and honey. This method has good applicability for CAP, TAP, FF, and FFA in animal-derived foods.

Trends in Sample Preparation, Part I: Current State of the Field

This installment of “Sample Prep Perspectives” reports the results obtained from a new survey on sample preparation techniques. This is our first survey since 2016 and its findings are compared with the results of previous surveys dating from 1991. Results involve undercover trends in the field over the last generation and their impact. The survey investigated trends in areas such as which technologies are currently being used, sample loads, sample sizes, automation, the use of solid-phase extraction (SPE) devices (cartridges, disks, plates, tips), SPE chemistries, selection criteria, and problems encountered. Respondents were also asked about sample preparation technologies on the horizon.

Determination of Umifenovir and Its Metabolites by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography with Combined Mass Spectrometric Detection

An approach to the highly sensitive and selective determination of the bromine-containing antiviral drug umifenovir (Arbidol) and its metabolites in natural and waste water, activated sludge, and bottom sediments by chromatography-mass spectrometry based on a combination of two techniques– inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP MS) and electrospray ionization high-resolution mass spectrometry (ESI HRMS) is developed. Reversed-phase chromatographic separation and detection based on ESI HRMS provide the reliable detection and identification of analytes in complex matrices, while the use of ICP-MS with 79Br signal detection makes it possible to exclude matrix effects and use a single analytical standard for quantitative analysis. The use of solid-phase extraction and pressurized liquid extraction as sample preparation methods made it possible to achieve limits of detection at a level of 0.2 ng/L and 2 µg/kg for liquid and solid samples, respectively. The developed approach was successfully tested in the analysis of real samples. It is shown that the concentrations of analytes in urban wastewaters are in the range 4.4–260 ng/L. The highest concentration (up to 3.7 mg/kg) is characteristic of activated sludge, which acts as an effective sorbent for umifenovir and its transformation products.

Chemical tracers for Wildfires–Analysis of runoff surface Water by LC/Q-TOF-MS

A quantitative methodology using high resolution mass spectrometry was developed for the identification of organic compounds derived from wildfires in surface water samples. The methodology involves the use of solid-phase extraction (SPE) followed by detection using liquid chromatography-quadrupole time of flight-mass spectrometry (LC/Q-TOF-MS) for a group of fourteen chemical compounds (pyridine, benzene, naphthalene and biphenyl polycarboxylic acids). All compounds were successfully separated chromatographically using a reversed phase column and they were identified by accurate mass using the deprotonated species and their main fragment ions. The method produced excellent accuracies (>95%) and precisions (3–10%) for all the compounds studied. This methodology was successfully applied to the identification of fourteen compounds in runoff surface waters impacted by wildfires in Colorado in 2020. Concentrations of individual compounds ranging from 0.1 to 59.5 μg/L were found in wildfire impacted waters, with totals of ∼200 μg/L, thus showing these compounds as chemical tracers of wildfire events at significantly high concentrations. In addition, non-target analysis using chromatography patterns and mass spectrometry identification by MS-MS revealed other polycarboxylic acid isomers were also present in runoff surface water samples.

Detection of coca alkaloids in oral fluid from coca leaf (tea) consumers: using solid phase extraction to improve validation parameters and widen the detection window.

Hygrine and cuscohygrine, two coca leaf alkaloids, have been previously proposed as markers to differentiate legal and illegal cocaine consumption. This is a very common problem in some countries of South America, where the consumption of coca leaves has a long tradition. Analytical methods focusing on the assessment of coca leaf alkaloids, such as cuscohygrine, hygrine, tropacocaine and t-cinnamoylcocaine, in oral fluid are virtually non-existent in forensic toxicology laboratories worldwide due to their lack of application. However, the problem of differentiating legal and illegal cocaine use in criminal justice, DUID (drug-impaired driving) and WDT (workplace drug testing) programs is growing. Therefore, researchers are obliged to develop methods to measure coca leaf alkaloids (cuscohygrine, hygrine and t-cinnamoylcocaine) in biological matrices for further validation for routine analyses in forensic toxicology laboratories. This work aims to optimize a previously published separation method by protein precipitation in oral fluid by using solid-phase extraction (SPE) coupled with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) operating in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. The use of SPE allowed the matrix effect and the background to be reduced in the chromatograms due to the obtained cleaner extracts. Consequently, improved detection and quantification limits were reached. Findings showed that the detection windows for coca leaf alkaloids were longer than three hours in real oral fluid samples from volunteers who drank a cup of coca tea. These detection windows are quite higher than those previously obtained when using the method based on separation by protein precipitation.

Testing Clean-Up Methods for the Quantification of Monosaccharides and Uronic Acids

The determination of carbohydrate composition is extremely important for quality control in food and beverages, in material science, in pharmaceutics, and in the field of cultural heritage. Considering the complexity and the heterogeneity of the matrices, the optimization of extraction and purification steps aiming at maximizing the saccharide recovery from the matrix and effectively removing interferences is mandatory. The presence of inorganic components, besides being detrimental to the analytical instrumentation, can catalyze the isomerization of some sugars causing an alteration to their quantitative and qualitative profiles. In the present paper, protocols for suppressing the interference of inorganic ions in the quantification of monosaccharides and uronic acids by Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) are proposed. Two clean-up methods based on ion exchange resins (Amberlite MB-6113 and Amberlite IRN-150) and one making use of solid-phase extraction with a polypropylene Solid-Phase Extraction (SPE) column were tested on a standard carbohydrate solution, and the elution conditions optimized. The best purification conditions, in terms of higher recovery yield values for seven monosaccharides and two uronic acids, were obtained using SPE. Furthermore, the optimized SPE method was validated on a sample of mural painting rich in saccharides and inorganic material.

Static and dynamic sorption of DOM on Bond Elute PPL and Bondesil PPL sorbents: physical-chemical characteristics

ABSTRACT The objective of this work was to study sorption of dissolved organic matter (DOM) onto Bondesil PPL and Bond Elut PPL sorbents with particular attention to impact of sorption loading on molecular composition of the DOM isolated with a use of solid phase extraction (SPE). It was shown that the batch sorption isotherms were best fitted with the Langmuir model, the sorption constants were 8.6·103 L·kgOC −1 and 10.7·103 L·kgOC −1 for Bond Elut PPL and Bondesil PPL, respectively. Breakthrough curves were satisfactorily fitted by a logistic equation; the maximum sorbent loading was 13% (wt. dissolved organic carbon) for both sorbents. The relationship between loading values and optical descriptors of the DOM at the column exit showed preferential sorption of low molecular weight aromatic DOM components in the range of low loading values (up to 4%), the similar trends were observed for size exclusion chromatography (SEC) measurements. Much lesser impact of loading onto molecular composition was observed within the range from 4 to 8% dissolved organic carbon (DOC). Given high recovery values (70–85%) in this loading range, it can be recommended as preferential for conducting DOM isolation from natural waters using SPE PPL-modified sorbents.

Automating DUID methods using robotics for rapid high throughput sample preparation – Analysis of Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol and its major metabolite Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol acid in whole blood

To fully automate, using liquid-handling robotics, a liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method for the analysis of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol acid (THC-A) in whole blood. Uptake in usage of ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) has led to development of methods with very fast (typically < 5 minutes) chromatographic run times used in the forensic toxicology laboratory. Nevertheless, use of whole blood for quantitative analysis continues to present challenges for delivering high throughput methods with rapid analysis times. Whole blood requires the use of solid phase extraction (SPE) for sample pre-treatment and preparation, which is time consuming and labour intensive. Recent developments in SPE technologies have produced 96-well format platforms that are used to extract greater number of samples in parallel and are ideally suitable for automated liquid handlers. With recent sensitivity increases in mass spectrometers, smaller volumes (< 250 μL per aliquot of blood) can be used for extraction in 96-well plates. This facilitates the use of robotic platforms together with rapid liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) methods to give truly high throughput and fast analytical methods, increasing method efficiencies, reducing human intervention and errors. Here we present the development, validation and implementation of a fully automated robotic sample preparation method for whole blood for analysis of THC and THC-A in UK driving under the influence of drugs (DUID) cases. Aliquots (200 μL) of blank blood and casework samples previously dispensed into 96-well plates by a robotic system (BRAND) were prepared by the liquid handling system (Hamilton). Casework samples and blank blood were spiked with internal standard and blank blood samples were further spiked to produce calibrants and quality controls. The plate is then mixed with the addition of a cell lysis solution and the aliquots transferred to a protein/lipid depletion (PPT) plate (Waters). A positive pressure manifold was used to draw the solution through the PPT plate into a collection plate where the precipitate was dried. The precipitate was reconstituted and loaded by the Hamilton onto a C18 microelution SPE plate (Waters). Following extraction, the samples are reconstituted and the collection plate is placed in the autosampler for analysis. The LC-MS/MS method consists of a 2.1 mm × 50 mm, 1.7 μm, C18 column running a 4 minute gradient of water and acetonitrile with 0.1% formic acid. The method was successfully validated, with LLOQs for THC and THC-A of 1 μg/L and 5 μg/L, respectively. Precision (%CV) for THC was < 8% and < 6% for THC-A. Accuracy was within 15% of the spiked concentration for THC and THC-A across all validation batches ( n = 11). The robotic platform was able to undertake sample pre-treatment and extraction in 3.5 hours. A batch of 40 casework samples can be completed in 13 hours including the LC-MS/MS run time. The introduction of this method to our laboratory has resulted in a significant increase in the speed for a sample to be processed and results obtained. We can prepare and extract double the amount of samples in less than half the time taken by our manual method. We have reduced the amount of sample used and decreased our turnaround times all for our customer's benefit. Full automation of the sample preparation of whole blood samples using liquid handling robots can significantly improve laboratory throughput and capacity and efficiently utilise high speed chromatography providing rapid analysis from start to finish.

Development of a Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry-Based In Vitro Assay to Assess Changes in Steroid Hormones Due to Exposure to Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances.

Per- and poly-fluorinated substances (PFASs) are organic pollutants that have been linked to numerous health effects, including diabetes, cancers, and dysregulation of the endocrine system. This study aims to develop a liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) assay to measure changes in 17 hormones in H295R cell line (a steroid producing adrenocortical cells) upon exposure to PFASs. Due to the challenges in the analysis of steroid hormones using electrospray ionization MS, a chemical derivatization method was employed to achieve 0.07-2 μg/L detection limits in LC-MS/MS. Furthermore, a 10-fold concentration factor through solid-phase extraction (SPE) allows for consistent sub-parts per billion detections. Optimization of the derivatization conditions showed doubly-derivatized products in some hormone analytes, including progesterone, corticosterone, and cortisol, and gave improved ionization efficiency up to 20-fold higher signal than the singly-derivatized product. The use of SPE for sample cleanup to analyze hormones from cellular media using weak anion exchange sorbent yielded 80-100% recovery for the 17 targeted hormones. The method was validated by exposing H295R cells to two known endocrine disruptors, forskolin and prochloraz, which showed expected changes in hormones. An initial exposure of H295R cells with various PFAS standards and their mixtures at 1 μM showed significant increases in progestogens with some PFAS treatments, which include PFBS, PFHxA, PFOS, PFDA, and PFDS. In addition, modest changes in hormone levels were observed in cells treated with other sulfonated or carboxylated headgroup PFASs. This sensitive LC-MS/MS method for hormone analysis in H295R cells will allow for the investigations of the alterations in the hormone production caused by exposure to various environmental insults in cell-based assays and other in vitro models.

Scientometric characteristics of the authors' publication activity on the use of solid-phase extraction in the analysis of steroid saponins and sapogenins: a review

Scientometric characteristics of the authors' publication activity on the use of solid-phase extraction in the analysis of steroid saponins and sapogenins: a review

Detection of Oxytetracycline in Citrus Phloem and Xylem Saps Using Europium-Based Method.

Oxytetracycline (OTC) has been used for the control of several plant diseases and was recently approved for the control of Huanglongbing, the citrus greening disease. Huanglongbing is caused by the phloem limited ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’. Determination of OTC in the xylem and phloem of citrus plants is of great interest as they are the main routes of translocation in citrus. In addition, the determination of the level of OTC in the phloem sap is necessary for the control of the ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’ pathogen, which resides in the phloem. Herein, we demonstrated that the level of OTC in the citrus phloem and xylem saps obtained using the centrifugation method can be successfully measured using the europium (Eu) method directly or with cleanup by solid-phase extraction (SPE). Recovery of OTC from spiked sap samples purified by solid-phase extraction (SPE) was higher than 90%, while recovery from saps without SPE cleanup were nearly 100%. The ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’-infected leaf and phloem sap samples showed higher inhibition of the fluorescence intensity of the OTC standard compared to non-infected control leaf and phloem samples. In agreement with this finding, the levels of phenols and flavonoids in ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’-infected leaves were higher than those controls and were shown to interfere with the Eu method. Therefore, the SPE cleanup step only improved OTC recovery from leaf samples containing the interfering compounds. The Eu method was then used to determine OTC levels in the phloem and xylem sap of OTC-treated plants, and the results were similar whether measured directly or after SPE. Visualization under ultraviolet light (400 nm) showed the presence of OTC in citrus xylem and phloem saps with and without the use of SPE.

Development and optimization of modified nucleosides and deoxynucleosides simultaneous extraction with the use of Design of Experiments approach

Modified nucleosides and deoxynucleosides are investigated as potential markers of pathological disorders. Due to different molecular properties, their concurrent extraction from biological matrices is challenging. The aim of the present work was the development of sample preparation procedure allowing for simultaneous extraction of 12 selected modified nucleosides and deoxynucleosides with the use of solid phase extraction (SPE) technique. Commercially available mixed-mode SPE cartridges based on phenylboronic acid and cation-exchange sorbents were utilized. In order to decrease the number of experiments and, consequently the volume of applied solvents, the developed method was optimized with the use of Design of Experiments approach. Optimization of SPE method was carried out by employing Fractional Factorial Design with selected input variables such as composition of conditioning, washing and elution solvents. Next, Full Factorial Design with conditioning, extraction and elution duration time as factors was employed. Evaluated responses in these two experimental sets were peak areas of selected analytes. Levels of assessed factors were determined. Developed and optimized SPE procedure allowed for simultaneous extraction of modified nucleosides and deoxynucleosides with mean recovery of 76.0%. Procedure was applied on the exemplary urine samples with the use of high performance liquid chromatography hyphenated with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (HPLC-QqQ/MS).

Identification of 2-(diethylamino)ethylthiol dipeptide (Cys-Pro) adduct as biomarker of nerve agents VR and CVX in human plasma using liquid chromatography-high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry.

Organophosphorus nerve agents pose a significant threat to human health. The most toxic compounds in this class include V-type poisonous substances such as VX, CVX, and VR. Although all stockpiles of this type of substance are subject to destruction under the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), there is still a risk that they could be used for criminal and terrorist purposes. The latter determines the relevance of studies aimed at identification of biomarkers that may indicate the exposure of these group substances to the organism. A liquid chromatography mass spectrometry/high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-MS/HR MS) method for determination of trace amounts of nerve agents such as VR and CVX in human plasma was proposed. The method is based on enzymatic plasma hydrolysis with the use of pronase to form a stable adduct of 2-(diethylamino)ethylthiol with dipeptide cysteine-proline (DEAET-CP) with its subsequent determination by LC-MS/HR MS. Synthesis of DEAET-CP as reference compound was conducted using non-toxic precursors. Sample preparation of human blood plasma samples exposed to VR was carried out with the use of solid-phase extraction (SPE). Liquid chromatography (LC) separation on the reversed-phase column and mass spectrometric detection (selection of optimal transitions and detection modes) were performed. The achieved limit of detection (LOD) of VR (in the form of DEAET-CP) in human blood plasma was 0.05ngmL-1. The proposed approach was developed using plasma samples exposed to VR and CVX obtained in the frame of the Fifth Official Biomedical Test of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and showed good specificity of detection.