Plasma free amino acid profiling of esophageal cancer using high-performance liquid chromatography spectroscopy

AIM: To perform plasma free amino acid (PFAA) profiling of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients at different pathological stages and healthy subjects.

Enantiomeric separation of phenylsuccinic acid by cyclodextrin-modified reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography

The chiral separation of phenylsuccinic acid(PSA)was studied by reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography(RP-HPLC)with cyclodextrins(CDs)as chiral mobile phase additives.The effects of types of CDs,concentration of hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin(HP-β-CD),percentage of organic modifier,pH value and column temperature on enantioselective separation were investigated.The quantification property of the developed RP-HPLC method was examined.The chiral recognition mechanism of PSA was also discussed.The results show that a baseline separation of PSA enantiomers is achieved on a Lichrospher C18 column(4.6 mm(inner diameter)×250 mm,5μm)with HP-β-CD as chiral mobile phase additive.The capacity factors of R-PSA and S-PSA are 3.94 and 4.80,respectively.The separation factor and resolution are respectively 1.22 and 8.03.The mobile phase is a mixture of acetonitrile and deionized water(20-80,volume ratio)containing 10 mmol/L HP-β-CD and 0.05% trifluoroacetic acid(pH 2.5,adjusted with triethylamine)with a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min.The ultraviolet(UV)detector is set at 254 nm.The likely roles are inclusion interaction,induction and hydrogen bonding between HP-β-CD and PSA enantiomers.

High-performance Liquid Chromatographic Determination of Urinary Trans,Trans-Muconic Acid Excreted by Workers Occupationally Exposed to Benzene

Objective To investigate the relationship between trans, trans-muconic acid （ttMA） as benzene metabolite of occupational workers and benzene concentration in air. Methods A rapid and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatography was developed to determine the level of urinary ttMA. ttMA was extrated from urinary samples in liquid-liquid phase a ODS （2） （5u） column （Ф4.6 min× 150 mm） and detected at wavelength 264 nm in a UV detector using vanillic acid as an internal standard. The mobile phase was acetaticacid/tetrahydrofuran/methanol/water （v/v, 1：2：10：87）. The method was validated with 56 urine samples collected from occupationally benzene-exposed individuals. Results A correlation coefficient （r = 0.9963 ） was found for ttMA ranging 0.10-10.00 μg/mL. The limit of detection was 0.10μ g/mL. The recovery and reproducibility were generally over 90%. There was a positive correlation between ttMA and benzene level in air. The equation was Y=0.859＋0.108C （before work, r=0.6200） or Y=1.980＋0.179C （after work, r=0.7930）. Conclusion This method can be used to determine and control the level of urinary ttMA in those who are occupationally exposed to benzene.

Preliminary Studies on High-performance Liquid Chro-matography Chemiluminescence Determination of theSaturated Fatty Acids(C_(16) C_(18))in Human Serum

The peroxyoxalate chemiluminescence(CL)detection of fatty acids in human se- rum combined with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)is described.Some fatty acids in serum were extracted with a 1 :1(v/v)mixture of chloroform-n-heptane.2-(4-Hydrazinocarbonyl- phenyl)-4,5-diphenylimidazole (HCPI) was used as a fluorescent labelling reagent of the fatty acids. The labelling reaction was carried out at 30℃ for 1 h at pH 6.5 and the resulting reaction mixture was sudjected to HPLC. The labelled fatty acid C_(17)(P-C_(17))was used as the internal standard. The la- belled fatty acids C_(16) and C_(18) were separated within 18 min on an ODS-8OTM column (150 mm× 6 mm ID,5μm,Tosoh Japan).The calibrlation curves of fatty acids from the spiked control serum were Y_1=-0.003 7 + 0.0028X_1,r=0.994 for FA C_( 16) and Y_2=0.00 1 2 + 0.00098X_2,r=0.999 for FA C_( 18),respectively.The average recoveries of facids from the spiked contrl serum were 107.2%(n=8,RSD=4.3%)for FA C_(16) and 97.35%(n=8, RSD=4.0%)for FA C_(18),respectively.The lower detection limits of fatty acids after reaction were 12μmol per 20μl injection for FA C_(16) and 18 μmol per 20μl injection for FA C_(18),respectively(signal to noise ratio, S/N=2).The HPLC/CL method was applied to the determination of FA C_(16) and FA C_(18) in normal human serum and the results showed that the concentrations of fatty acids in normal human serum were 0.134 ± 0.009 μ mol/ml serum(n=5) for FA C_(16) and 0.052±0.028 μmol/ml serum(n=5)for FA C_(18),respectively.

High-Performance Liquid Chromatographical Analysis of Ginsenosides in Panax ginseng,P.quinquef(?)lium and P.notoginseng

The compositions and contents of ginsenbsides in Panax ginseng,P.quinquefolium and P.notoginseng were determined and compared by reversed-phase High-Performance Liquid Chro- matography(HPLC).The method was performed on an Alltech Adsorbosphere HS C_(18) column,using 5×10^(-3)M NaH_2PO_4-H_3PO_4 buffer solution(pH 3.0)and acetonitrile-water(50:50)as gradient eluents. The baseline separation of ginsenosides Rb_1,Rb_2,Rb_1,Rc,Rd,Rf,Ro,and Re+Rg_1 was obtained in one analytical run.The ginsenosides are directly detected at 203 nm.The detection limit is 40μg at a signal to noise ratio of 3:1.The improved sample preparation and clean-up prior to injection with SEP-PAK C_(18)cartridge strongly reduced the front peaks caused by the impurities in the methanolic extracts of samples to afford a smooth baseline and clear background.The HPLC patterns of methanolic extracts mainly including the ginsenosides were found capable of serving as chemical fingerprints to differentiate the three species from each other.It was also found that there are no significant diffe- rences of the HPLC patterns between the wild Panax ginseng and the cultivated,the white and the red ginsengs,Chinese and Korean red ginsengs,and the tap roots of Panax ginseng collected in four consecutive months,only certain differences in contents of ginsenosides do exist.The contents of the nine major ginsenosides present in the rhizome,tap root and rootlet as well as the leaf of Panax quinquefolium were also determined and compared.

Simultaneous determination of five nucleosides and nucleobases in Panax notoginseng using high-performance liquid chromatography

Aim To quantitatively determine five nucleosides and nucleobases, including cytidine, uridine, guanosine, adenosine and uracil in different parts of Panax notoginseng. Methods Separation was performed on a Zorbax SB-Aq column using a gradient elution with mobile phase of 8 mmol^L-1 ammonium acetate aqueous solution （A） and methanol （B）. The assay was carried out at a flow rate of 1 mL·min^-1 at 25 ℃ with the diode-array detection at 260 nm. Results Cytidine, uridine, guanosine, adenosine and uracil had good linearity in the ranges of 1.79 - 57.40 μg·mL^-1 （r^2 = 1.0000）, 3.30 - 105.60 μg·mL^-1 （r^2 = 1.0000）, 3.09 - 98.80 μg·mL^ -1（r^2 = 0.9999）, 2.77 - 88.60 μg·mL^-1 （r^2 = 1.0000） and 0.38 - 12.30 μg·mL ^-1 （r^2 = 1.0000） with average recoveries of 93.9%, 96.5%, 92.7%, 93.2% and 98.8%, respectively. The content of cytidine, uridine, guanosine, adenosine and uracil in different parts of P. notogingeng were significantly different. Conclusion This is the first report on quantitative determination of nucleosides and nucleobases in P notoginseng.

Determination of gouty arthritis' biomarkers in human urine using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography

Creatinine, uric acid, hypoxanthine and xanthine are important diagnostic biomarkers in human urine for gouty arthritis or renal disease diacrisis. A simple method for simultaneous determination of these biomarkers in urine based on reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography （RP-HPLC） with ultraviolet （UV） detector was proposed. After pretreatment by dilution, centrifugation and filtration, the biomarkers in urine samples were separated by ODS-BP column by elution with methanol/50 mM NaH2PO4 buffer solution at pH 5.26 （5：95）. Good linearity between peak areas and concentrations of standards was obtained for the biomarkers with correlation coefficients in the range of 0.9957-0.9993. The proposed analytical method has satisfactory repeatability （the recovery of data in a range of creatinine, uric acid, hypoxanthine and xanthine was 93.49-97.90%, 95.38-96.45%, 112.46-115.78%and 90.82-97.13%with standard deviation of o5%, respectively） and the limits of detection （LODs, S/N Z 3） for creatinine, uric acid, hypoxanthine, and xanthine were 0.010, 0.025, 0.050 and 0.025 mg/L, respectively. The established method was proved to be simple, accurate, sensitive and reliable for the quantitation of gouty arthritis＇ biomarkers in human urine samples. The ratio of creatinine to uric acid was found to be a possible factor for assessment of gouty arthritis.

Advancements in the preparation of high-performance liquid chromatographic organic polymer monoliths for the separation of small-molecule drugs

The various advantages of organic polymer monoliths, including relatively simple preparation processes,abundant monomer availability, and a wide application range of pH, have attracted the attention of chromatographers. Organic polymer monoliths prepared by traditional methods only have macropores and mesopores, and micropores of less than 50 nm are not commonly available. These typical monoliths are suitable for the separation of biological macromolecules such as proteins and nucleic acids, but their ability to separate small molecular compounds is poor. In recent years, researchers have successfully modified polymer monoliths to achieve uniform compact pore structures. In particular, microporous materials with pores of 50 nm or less that can provide a large enough surface area are the key to the separation of small molecules. In this review, preparation methods of polymer monoliths for high-performance liquid chromatography, including ultra-high cross-linking technology, post-surface modification, and the addition of nanomaterials, are discussed. Modified monolithic columns have been used successfully to separate small molecules with obvious improvements in column efficiency.

Determination of Organic Acids in Root Exudates by High Performance Liquid Chromatography: I. Development and Assessment of Chromatographic Conditions *1

Methods for determining nine low molecular weight organic acids in root exudates were developed by using reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography with UV (ultraviolet) detection at 214 nm. The mobile phase was 18 mmol L -1 kH 2PO 4 adjusted to pH 2.25 with phosphoric acid and the flow rate was 0.3 mL min -1 . The analytical column was a reversed phase silica based C 18 column (Shim pack CLC ODS). The root exudates were collected through submerging the whole root system into aerated deionized water for 2 hours. The filtered exudate solutions were concentrated to dryness by rotary evaporation at 40 °C, dissolved in 10 mL mobile phase. The chromatographic conditions of organic acid determination were analyzed. The results showed that there was a high selectivity and sensitivity in the organic acid determination by reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography. Coefficients of variation for organic acid determination were lower than 10% except lactic acid. The recoveries were consistently between 80.1% to 108.3%. Detection limits were approximately 0.05 to 4.5 mg L -1 for organic acids except succinic acid with the detection limit of 7.0 mg L -1 . Phosphorus deficiency may contribute to the release of organic acids in soybean root exudates especially malic, lactic and citric acids.

High-Performance Liquid Chromatographic Method for Determination of Germacrone in Rat Plasma

Aim A reliable high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method wasdeveloped for determination of germacrone in rat plasma. Methods The plasma samples were treatedwith acetonitrile and analyzed by HPLC with UV detection at 244 nm. Results The limit of detectionwas 100 ng·mL^(-1) for germacrone in plasma and the linear range was 0.1004-15.06 μg·mL^(-1) inplasma. The RSD of intra-day and inter-day assay was 1.87% - 4.29% and 1.29% -5.15%, respectively.The recoveries of germacrone were over 95%. The endogenous substances in plasma did not show anyinterference in the analysis. Conclusion The method is accurate and convenient, and suitable forpharmacokinetic studies of germacrone in rats.

Dispersive Liquid-liquid Microextraction Combined with High-performance Liquid Chromatography for the Determination of Clozapine and Chlorpromazine in Urine

A simple method has been proposed for the determination of clozapine （CLZ） and chlorpromazine （CPZ） in human urine by dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction （DLLME） in combination with high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet detector （HPLC-UV）. All important variables influencing the extraction efficiency, such as pH, types of the extraction solvent and the disperser solvent and their volume, ionic strength and centrifugation time were investigated and optimized. Under the optimal conditions, the limit of detection （LODs） and quantification （LOQs） of the method were 13 and 39 ng/mL for CLZ, and 2 and 6 ng/mL for CPZ, respectively. The relative standard deviations （RSDs） of the targets were less than 5.1% （C=0.100 μg/mL, n=9）. Good linear behaviors over the tested concentration ranges were obtained with the values of R20.999 for the targets. The absolute extraction efficiencies of CLZ and CPZ from the spiked blank urine samples were 98.3% and 97.8%, respectively. The applicability of the technique was validated by analyzing urine samples and the mean recoveries for spiked urine samples ranged from 93.3% to 105.0%. The method was successfully applied for the determination of CLZ and CPZ in real human urine.

Quantification of six bioactive compounds in Zhenqi Fuzheng preparation by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode array detector and evaporative light scattering detector

A simple and accurate high-performance liquid chromatography（HPLC）coupled with diode array detector（DAD）and evaporative light scattering detector（ELSD）was established for the determination of six bioactive compounds in Zhenqi Fuzheng preparation（ZFP）.The monitoring wavelengths were 254,275 and 328 nm.Under the optimum conditions,good separation was achieved,and the assay was fully validated in respect of precision,repeatability and accuracy.The proposed method was successfully applied to quantify the six ingredients in 31 batches of ZFP samples and evaluate the variation by hierarchical cluster analysis（HCA）,which demonstrated significant variations on the content of these compounds in the samples from different manufacturers with different preparation procedures.The developed HPLC method can be used as a valid analytical method to evaluate the intrinsic quality of this preparation.

Establishing a protein expression profile database for the normal human pituitary gland using two-dimensional high-performance liquid chromatography combined with LTQ-Orbitrap mass spectrometry

In this study, we selected adult normal pituitary gland tissues from six patients during operations for pituitary microadenomas via the transsphenoidal approach for extended normal pituitary tissue resection around the tumor, and analyzed the protein expression of human normal pituitary using two-dimensional high-performance liquid chromatography combined with LTQ-Orbitrap mass spectrometry proteomics technology. The ten most highly expressed proteins in normal human pituitary were： alpha 3 type VI collagen isoform 5 precursor （abundance among tall pituitary proteins 1.30%）, fibrinogen beta chain preproprotein （0.99%）, vimentin （0.73%）, prolactin （0.69%）, ATP synthase, H~ transporting and mitochondrial F1 complex beta subunit precursor （0.52%）, keratin I （0.49%）, growth hormone （0.45%）, carbonic anhydrase I （0.40%）, heat shock protein 90 kDa I （0.31%）, and annexin V （0.30%）. Based on the biological function classifications of these proteins, the top three categories by content were neuroendocrine proteins （abundance among all pituitary proteins, 40.1%）, catalytic and metabolic proteins （28.3%）, and cell signal transduction proteins （9.8%）. Based on cell positioning classification, the top three categories were cell organelle （24.5%） membrane （20.8%）, and cytoplasm （13.0%）. Based on biological process classification, the top three categories of proteins are involved in physiological processes （42.9%）, cellular processes （40.4%）, and regulation of biological processes （9.1%）. Our experimental findings indicate that a protein expression profile database of normal human pituitary can be precisely and efficiently established by proteomics technology.

Studies on Chromatography Fingerprint of Hongqi by High-performance Liquid Chromatography

Chromatography fingerprint (CFP) of 10 samples of hongqi were studied. 23 common peaks were analyzed, their average similarity was 97.29%. CFP were positioned with main index composition such as formononetin, calycosin and then the contents of index composition were determined. The character and exclusive of CFP of 10 samples of hongqi were clear. CFP and content determination of index composition of hongqi could be used to evaluate the quality of hongqi comprehensively.

Determination of 5-Fluorouracil in Human Plasma by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC)

5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) has a broad spectrum of anti-tumor activity, widely applied to the treatment of cancers. However, it is necessary to determine the plasma concentration of 5-FU in clinical practice due to its narrow therapeutic index. Therefore, a simple, economic and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was developed and validated for the determination of 5-FU in human plasma. Ethyl acetate was chosen as extraction reagent. Chromatographic separation was performed on a Diamonsil C18 column (250 mm × 4.6 mm i.d., 5 μm) with the mobile phase consisting of methanol and 20 mmol/L ammonium formate using a linear gradient elution at a flow rate of 0.8 mL/min. 5-FU and 5-bromouracil (5-BU) were detected by UV detector at 265 nm. The calibration curve was linear over the concentration range of 5—500 ng/mL and the correlation coefficient was not less than 0.992 6 for all calibration curves. The intra- and inter-day precisions were less than 10.5% and 4.3%, respectively, and the accuracy was within ±3.7%. The recovery at all concentration levels was 80.1±8.6%. 5-FU was stable under possible conditions of storing and handling. This method is proved applicable to therapeutic drug monitoring and pharmacokinetic studies of 5-FU in human.

Biological Fingerprinting Analysis of Interaction Between Taxoids in Taxus and Microtubule Protein by Microdialysis Coupled with High-performance Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry for Screening Antimicrotubule Agents

Some natural products, such as traditional Chinese medicines（TCMs）, contain compounds with anticancer activity and have attracted a great interest in recent years as alternative anticancer therapies. A quick and convenient assay for screening antimicrotubule compounds in which in vitro microdialysis/high-performance liquid chromatography （HPLC） is used to monitor the binding of the compounds extracted from TCM Taxus cuspidata Siebold ＆ Zucc（Taxus） to microtubules is reported. It was observed that the extract of Taxus contains at least five compounds which have affinity interaction with microtubules by biological fingerprinting analysis, and they were identified as the taxoids of taxol, baccatin III, 10-deacetylbaccatin Ⅲ（10-DAB）, cephalomannine and 7-epi-10-deacetyltaxol （7-epi-10-DAT） based on the comparison of their high-performance liquid chromatographic/mass spectrometric and UV spectra with those of the standard samples, both assembly-promoting and disassembly-inhibiting characteristics of those compounds were evaluated. It was observed that baccatin Ⅲ and 10-DAB bound to microtubules and the binding degrees were influenced by GTP. Competitive binding behavior of taxol with other four taxoids to microtubules was also investigated.

INTERSECTION POINT RULE OF THE RETENTION VALUE AND NORMAL BOILING POINT OF THE HOMOLOGUES IN REVERSED-PHASE HIGH-PERFORMANCE LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY

In this paper, a linear relationship between the logarithm of capacity factor k and normal boiling point to of the homologues has been derived, based on the basic retention equation of liquid chromatography according to statistical thermodyoamics proposed by professor Ln Peizhang and others, This equation has been verified by a large number of experimental data, all the strsight lines of lnk- of bumologues for different mobile phass coaiposltion cross each other at the same point, So the intereection point equation van proposed, wbich was used to prodict the retention valu, the result was satisfactory.

INTERSECTION POINT RULE OF THE RETENTION VALUE AND MOBILE PHASE COMPOSITION OF THE HOMOLOGUES IN REVERSED-PHASE HIGH-PERFORMANCE LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY

Based on the intersection point rule of the retention value and normal boiling point of homologues in reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography(RPLC), the intersection point rule of the retention value of homologues and mobile phase composition has been derived, and was testified by a lot of experimental data from the literature. With this newly proposed equation, we can use the retention value of the compound in one mobile phase composition to predict its retention value in any other mobile phase composition. For fourteen groups of homologues in five mobile phase compositions on five Kinds of columns, the overall average absolute error of 721 data sets is 2.8%.

Quantitative analysis by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography and retinal neuroprotection after topical administration of moxonidine

AIM:To determine moxonidine in aqueous humor and iris-ciliary body by reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography(RP-HPLC),and to evaluate the retinal neuroprotective effect after topical administration with moxonidine in a high intraocular pressure(IOP)model.METHODS:The eyes of albino rabbits were administered topically and ipsilaterally with 0.2%moxonidine.A RPHPLC method was employed for the identification and quantification of moxonidine between 2 and 480 min,which presented in the aqueous humor and iris-ciliary body.Flash electroretinography(F-ERG)amplitude and superoxide dismutase(SOD)level were measured between day 1 and day 15 after topical administration with moxonidine in a rabbit model of high IOP.Histological and ultrastructural observation underwent to analyze the changes of retinal morphology,the inner retinal layers(IRL)thickness,and retinal ganglion cell(RGC)counting.RESULTS:Moxonidine was detectable between 2 and 480 min after administration,and the peak concentration developed both in the two tissues at 30 min,0.51μg/m Lin aqueous humor and 1.03μg/g in iris-ciliary body.In comparison to control,F-ERG b-wave amplitude in moxonidine eyes were significantly differences between day 3 and day 15(P<0.01)in the high IOP model;SOD levels were significantly higher at all time-points(P<0.01)with a maximum level of 20.29 U/mgprot at day 15;and RGCs were significantly higher(P<0.05).CONCLUSION:Moxonidine is a viable neuroprotective agent with application to high IOP model.All layers of retina,including RGC layer,retinal nerve fiber layer and INL,are more preserved after moxonidine administration.SOD plays a neuroprotective role in ocular hypertension-mediated RGC death.

Determination of Gastrodin Content in Gastrodia elata in Bomi of China by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography

[Objective] To select excellent varieties of Gastrodia elata and to determine the most suitable picking season of the plant. [Method] The gastrodin contents in fresh wild G. elata harvested in winter in Bomi County, artificially cultivated fresh G. elata harvested in winter in Bomi County, and nonlocal G. elata were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography （HPLC） under the following conditions., chromato- graphic column, AngilentTc-C18 （5 μm, 4.6 mm × 250.0 mm） ; mobile phase, acetonitrile-water （5：95, V/V） ; wavelength, 220 nm; flow rate, 1.0 ml/min; column temperature, 35℃; and injection volume, 10 μl. The gastrodin contents in G. elata respectively harvested in winter and summer were compared. [ Result] The gastrodin content was higher in the fresh wild G. elata harvested in winter in Bomi County （0.076%） than in the artificially cultivated fresh G. elata harvested in winter in Bomi County （0.045%） and nonlocal G. elata （0.025%）. Additionally, the gastrodin content was higher in G. elata harvested in winter than in those harvested in summer. [ Conclusion] G. elata from Bomi Country is an excellent variety and should be harvested in winter.