Screening suspected counterfeit Viagra and imitations of Viagra with near-infrared spectroscopy.

We describe a near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) method for fast-screening Viagra tablets, counterfeit Viagra tablets, and imitations of Viagra. The method can (1) check the homogeneity of a batch; (2) distinguish counterfeits and imitations from authentic Viagra; (3) screen for the presence of sildenafil citrate, the pharmacologically active substance in Viagra, irrespectively of the excipients present; (4) and detect whether similar samples have been previously analysed. We applied the method to 103 samples with a diversity of appearance, chemical composition, and origin. Other analytical methods confirmed the positive screening results for sildenafil citrate and the presence of other pharmacological active substances. The NIRS screening indicated the absence of sildenafil citrate in the presence of another pharmacological substance for only 2 samples, where the reference methods showed the presence of sildenafil citrate in addition to that of clomifene citrate. Otherwise, the method gave no false positive or negative results. The NIRS screening method is very fast and reliable for detecting counterfeits and imitations, and it correctly predicts the presence or absence of sildenafil citrate in 98% of the samples.

Dioxins, dioxin-like PCBs and non-dioxin-like PCBs in foodstuffs: occurrence and dietary intake in The Netherlands.

Data on occurrence of dioxins (polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins [PCDDs] and dibenzofurans [PCDFs]), dioxin-like PCBs (polychlorinated non-ortho and mono-ortho biphenyls) and non-dioxin-like PCBs (as represented by the so-called indicator-PCBs: congeners 28, 52, 101, 118, 138, 153 and 180) in food products consumed in The Netherlands that were collected in measurement programs carried out during 1998 and 1999, and combined with food consumption data to assess the dietary intake of these persistent food contaminants. The estimated median life-long-averaged intake of the sum of dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs in the population is 1.2 pg WHO-TEQ (toxic equivalents) per kg body weight (bw) per day, while the estimated median life-long-averaged intake of indicator-PCBs is 5.6 ng per kg bw per day. The contribution of different food groups to the total intake of both dioxins + dioxin-like PCBs and non-dioxin-like PCBs is fairly uniformly distributed over the foods consumed: meat products (23% and 27%, respectively), dairy products (27% and 17%, respectively), fish (16% and 26%, respectively), eggs (4% and 5%, respectively), vegetable products (13% and 7%, respectively), and industrial oils and fats (17% and 18%, respectively). Compared with earlier intake estimations the present estimation shows a continued reduction in the intake of dioxins as well as PCBs. This reduction is related to the decrease in the concentration of these substances in the majority of foodstuffs. Nevertheless, a small part of the population still has a rather high life-long averaged intake: 8% of the population is exposed to intake levels above the tolerable weekly intake for dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs of 14 pg WHO-TEQ per kg bw per week, as recently derived by the Scientific Committee on Food of the European Commission. For the non-dioxin-like PCBs an internationally accepted maximum intake level is still lacking. However, to provide risk managers with a health-based guideline to prevent health effects of exposure to non-dioxin-like PCBs, the (international) derivation of a tolerable daily intake is recommended. Monitoring the dietary intake of PCBs is just as important as monitoring the intake of dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs, and attempts to decrease the exposure to both compound classes need continuous attention.

Fast sample preparation involving MASE and coupled column normal phase liquid chromatography for the rapid trace analysis of dioxins in air-dust samples from fire catastrophe emissions.

A new approach has been developed and tested for the urgent analysis of dioxins in samples of air-dust filters originating from catastrophe emissions. The procedure consists of a fast extraction of the sample with microwave solvent extraction (MASE) and acetone as solvent followed by a fast cleanup of the extract with normal phase coupled column liquid chromatography (LC/LC). The multi-dimensional LC/LC system employs a 50 mm x4.6 mm i.d. column packed with 3mum silica and a 150 mm x4.6 mm i.d. column packed with 5mum PYE as the first and second analytical column, respectively. Iso-hexane is used on both columns to perform cleanup and dichloromethane to perform efficient back-flush elution of the compounds from the second column. The obtained polarity-based separation in the first dimension and molecular-structure based separation in the second dimension provides a fast and powerful cleanup. Validation was done by analysing samples of homemade RIVM air-dust with aged residues (n=8, spiking level about 15pgmg(-1) per compound) of dioxins/furans and samples of reference Urban Dust SRM 1649a (n=4) with both the new approach and the existing conventional procedure and were instrumentally analyzed with capillary gas chromatography and high resolution mass spectrometric detection (GC/HRMS). In comparison to the existing conventional procedure, the new approach reduces sample processing from several days to several hours per sample. As regards the aged-residue air-dust samples, the new method shows a good accuracy, precision and high selectivity providing a performance in good agreement with the existing procedure. In SRM air-dust, the concentration of a few compounds obtained by the new method was below (10-50%) the certified value.

Choice and validation of a near infrared spectroscopic application for the identity control of starting materials. practical experience with the EU draft Note for Guidance on the use of near infrared spectroscopy by the pharmaceutical industry and the data to be forwarded in part II of the dossier for a marketing authorization.

Recently the CPMP/CVMP sent out for consultation the draft Note for Guidance (dNfG) on the use of near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) by the pharmaceutical industry and the data to be forwarded in part II of the dossier for a marketing authorization. We explored the practicability of this dNfG with respect to the verification of the correct identity of starting materials in a generic tablet-manufacturing site. Within the boundaries of the dNfG, a release procedure was developed for 12 substances containing structurally related compounds and substances differing only in particle size. For the method development literature data were also taken into consideration. Good results were obtained with wavelength correlation (WC), applied on raw spectra or second derivative spectra both without smoothing. The defined threshold of 0.98 for raw spectra differentiated between all molecular structures. Both methods were found to be robust over a period of 1 year. For the differentiation between the different particle sizes a subsequent second chemometric technique had to be used. Soft independent modelling of class analogy (SIMCA) with a probability level of 0.01 proved suitable. Internal and external validation I according to the dNfG showed no incorrect rejections or false acceptances. External validation II according to the dNfG was carried out with 95 potentially interfering substances from which 46 were tested experimentally. Macrogol 400 was not distinguished from macrogol 300. For the complete verification of the identity of macrogol 300 test A of the European Pharmacopoeia is needed in addition to the NIRS application. A release procedure developed with WC applied on raw spectra and SIMCA as a second method, which is different from the preferred method of the dNfG, was tested in practice with good results. We conclude that the dNfG has good practicability and that deviations from the preferred methods of the dNfG can also give good differentiation.

Comparison of various extraction techniques for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in worms.

Two less laborious extraction methods, viz. (i) a simplified liquid extraction using light petroleum or (ii) microwave-assisted solvent extraction (MASE), for the analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in samples of the compost worm Eisenia andrei, were compared with a reference method. After extraction and concentration, analytical methodology consisted of a cleanup of (part) of the extract with high-performance gel permeation chromatography (HPGPC) and instrumental analysis of 15 PAHs with reversed-phase liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (RPLC-FLD). Comparison of the methods was done by analysing samples with incurred residues (n=15, each method) originating from an experiment in which worms were exposed to a soil contaminated with PAHs. Simultaneously, the performance of the total lipid determination of each method was established. Evaluation of the data by means of principal component analysis (PCA) and analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed that the performance of the light petroleum method for both the extraction of PAHs (concentration range 1-30 ng/g) and lipid content corresponds very well with the reference method. Compared to the reference method, the MASE method yielded somewhat lower concentrations for the less volatile PAHs, e.g., dibenzo[ah]anthracene and benzo[ghi]perylene and provided a significant higher amount of co-extracted material.

Study of matrix effects on the direct trace analysis of acidic pesticides in water using various liquid chromatographic modes coupled to tandem mass spectrometric detection.

This study investigated the effects of matrix interferences on the analytical performance of a triple quadrupole mass spectrometric (MS-MS) detector coupled to various reversed-phase liquid chromatographic (LC) modes for the on-line determination of various types of acidic herbicides in water using external calibration for quantification of the analytes tested at a level of 0.4 microg/l. The LC modes included (i) a single-column configuration (LC), (ii) precolumn switching (PC-LC) and (iii) coupled-column LC (LC-LC). As regards detection, electrospray (ESI) and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) in both positive (PI) and negative (NI) ionization modes were examined. Salinity and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) were selected as interferences to study matrix effects in this type of analysis. Therefore, Milli-Q and tap water samples both fortified with 12 mg/l DOC and spiked with sulfometuron-methyl, bentazone, bromoxynil, 2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid, and 2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxypropionic acid at a level of about 0.4 microg/l were analyzed with the various LC-MS approaches. Direct sample injection was performed with volumes of 0.25 ml or 2.0 ml on a column of 2.1 mm I.D. or 4.6 mm I.D. for the ESI and APCI modes, respectively. The recovery data were used to compare and evaluate the analytical performance of the various LC approaches. As regards matrix effects, the salinity provided a dramatic decrease in response for early eluting analytes (k value of about 1) when using the LC mode. Both PC-LC and LC-LC efficiently eliminated this problem. The high DOC content hardly effected the responses of analytes in the ESI mode, while in most cases the responses increased when using APCI-MS-MS detection. Of all the tested configurations, LC-LC-ESI-MS-MS with the column combination Discovery C18/ABZ+ was the most favorable as regards elimination of matrix effects and provided reliable quantification of all compounds using external calibration at the tested low level. The major observed effects were verified with statistical evaluation of the data employing backwards ordinary least-square regression. All tested column-switching modes hyphenated to ESI- or APCI-MS-MS allowed the on-line multi-residue analysis of acidic pesticides in the reference water down to a level of 0.1 microg/l in less than 10 min, emphasizing the feasibility of such an approach in this field of analysis.

Microwave assisted solvent extraction and coupled-column reversed-phase liquid chromatography with UV detection use of an analytical restricted-access-medium column for the efficient multi-residue analysis of acidic pesticides in soils.

A screening method has been developed for the determination of acidic pesticides in various types of soils. Methodology is based on the use of microwave assisted solvent extraction (MASE) for fast and efficient extraction of the analytes from the soils and coupled-column reversed-phase liquid chromatography (LC-LC) with UV detection at 228 nm for the instrumental analysis of uncleaned extracts. Four types of soils, including sand, clay and peat, with a range in organic matter content of 0.3-13% and ten acidic pesticides of different chemical families (bentazone, bromoxynil, metsulfuron-methyl, 2,4-D, MCPA, MCPP, 2,4-DP, 2,4,5-T, 2,4-DB and MCPB) were selected as matrices and analytes, respectively. The method developed included the selection of suitable MASE and LC-LC conditions. The latter consisted of the selection of a 5-microm GFF-II internal surface reversed-phase (ISRP, Pinkerton) analytical column (50 x 4.6 mm, I.D.) as the first column in the RAM-C18 configuration in combination with an optimised linear gradient elution including on-line cleanup of sample extracts and reconditioning of the columns. The method was validated with the analysis of freshly spiked samples and samples with aged residues (120 days). The four types of soils were spiked with the ten acidic pesticides at levels between 20 and 200 microg/kg. Weighted regression of the recovery data showed for most analyte-matrix combinations, including freshly spiked samples and aged residues, that the method provides overall recoveries between 60 and 90% with relative standard deviations of the intra-laboratory reproducibility's between 5 and 25%; LODs were obtained between 5 and 50 microg/kg. Evaluation of the data set with principal component analysis revealed that the parameters (i) increase of organic matter content of the soil samples and (ii) aged residues negatively effect the recovery of the analytes.

Validation of analytical methods and laboratory procedures for chemical measurements.

Method validation is a key element in the establishment of reference methods and in the assessment of a laboratory's competence in producing reliable analytical data. Hence, the scope of the term "method validation" is wide, especially if one bears in mind the role of Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC). The paper puts validation in the context of the process generating chemical information, introduces basic performance parameters included in the validation processes, and evaluates current approaches to the problem. Two cases are presented in more detail: the development of European standard for chlorophenols and its validation by a full scale collaborative trial and the intralaboratory validation of a method for ethylenethiourea by using alternative analytical techniques.

Screening and analysis of polar pesticides in environmental monitoring programmes by coupled-column liquid chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Screening and analysis of polar pesticides based on coupled-column reversed-phase liquid chromatography (LC-LC) and GC- or LC-MS is a powerful tool in the execution of environmental monitoring programmes. This paper presents a unified approach utilising LC-LC screening followed by GC-MS confirmation. As polar pesticides are not generally amenable to GC a widely applicable derivation technique is used. The results demonstrate that the proposed LC and MS techniques are capable of analysing a wide range of polar pesticides down to levels of 0.1 microgram/l (EU limit for drinking water). LC switching techniques for group analysis or individual compounds rely on the reversed-phase retention and the UV detectability of the pesticides in combination with the choice of the LC columns. Fast miniaturised derivatization prior to GC-MS forms an integral part in the proposed strategy. In order to avoid extraction losses, derivation in the aqueous sample, preferably with electrophoric reagents with enhanced sensitivity in GC-NICI-MS are employed where possible. In this communication, method development and validation fitting in the strategy are evaluated and the results of the combined approach are discussed.

Study of polychlorinated dibenzodioxins and furans from municipal waste incinerator emissions in The Netherlands: analytical methods and levels in the environment and human food chain.

An overview is given of the methods that have been used in the study of polychlorodibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorodibenzofurans in agriculture and the human food chain in a national survey and monitoring programme, including sampling strategies, sampling in the field and clean-up and analysis in various biological and environmental samples by high-resolution gas chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry. The quality of data was evaluated as a result of internal quality control protocols and participation in interlaboratory comparison studies. Statistical analysis techniques and modelling were applied in order to compare and relate congener profiles in various matrices and to evaluate levels found in field studies for their use for regulatory purposes.