Intelligence-based anti-doping via an Intelligence and Drug Testing Management (IDTM) system.

The Intelligence and Drug Testing Management (IDTM), a system that can enhance drug testing analytics with related horse information and intelligence in a single platform, can help identify and mitigate potential doping and other threats.

Detection of bioactive peptides including gonadotrophin-releasing factors (GnRHs) in horse urine using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC/HRMS).

The use of bioactive peptides as a doping agent in both human and animal sports has become increasingly popular in recent years. As such, methods to control the misuse of bioactive peptides in equine sports have received attention. This paper describes a sensitive accurate mass method for the detection of 40 bioactive peptides and two non-peptide growth hormone secretagogues (< 2 kDa) at low pg/mL levels in horse urine using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC/HRMS). A simple mixed-mode cation exchange solid-phase extraction (SPE) cartridge was employed for the extraction of 42 targets and/or their in vitro metabolites from horse urine. The final extract was analyzed using UHPLC/HRMS in positive electrospray ionization (ESI) mode under both full scan and data independent acquisition (DIA, for MS2 ). The estimated limits of detection (LoD) for most of the targets could reach down to 10 pg/mL in horse urine. This method was validated for qualitative detection purposes. The validation data, including method specificity, method sensitivity, extraction recovery, method precision, and matrix effect were reported. A thorough in vitro study was also performed on four gonadotrophin-releasing factors (GnRHs), namely leuprorelin, buserelin, goserelin, and nafarelin, using the S9 fraction isolated from horse liver. The identified in vitro metabolites have been incorporated into the method for controlling the misuse of GnRHs. The applicability of this method was demonstrated by the identification of leuprorelin and one of its metabolites, Leu M4, in urine obtained after intramuscular administration of leuprorelin to a thoroughbred gelding (castrated horse).

Determination of DNA adducts by combining acid-catalyzed hydrolysis and chromatographic analysis of the carcinogen-modified nucleobases.

The commonly used method of analyzing carcinogen-induced DNA adducts involves the hydrolysis of carcinogen-modified DNA samples by using a mixture of enzymes, followed by (32)P-postlabeling or liquid chromatography (LC)-based analyses of carcinogen-modified mononucleotides/nucleosides. In the present study, we report the development and application of a new approach to DNA adduct analysis by combining the H(+)/heat-catalyzed release of carcinogen-modified nucleobases and the use of LC-based methods to analyze DNA adducts. Results showed that heating the carcinogen-modified DNA samples at 70 °C for an extended period of 4 to 6 h in the presence of 0.05% HCl can efficiently induce DNA depurination, releasing the intact carcinogen-modified nucleobases for LC analyses. After optimizing the hydrolysis conditions, DNA samples with C8- and N (2) -modified 2'-deoxyguanosine, as well as N (6) -modified 2'-deoxyadenosine, were synthesized by reacting DNA with 1-nitropyrene, acetaldehyde, and aristolochic acids, respectively. These samples were then hydrolyzed, and the released nucleobase adducts were analyzed using LC-based analytical methods. Analysis results demonstrated a dose-dependent release of target DNA adducts from carcinogen-modified DNA samples, indicating that the developed H(+)/heat-catalyzed hydrolysis method was quantitative. Comparative studies with enzymatic digestion method on carcinogen-modified DNA samples revealed that the two hydrolysis methods did not yield systematically different results.

Combination of precolumn nitro-reduction and ultraperformance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection for the sensitive quantification of 1-nitronaphthalene, 2-nitrofluorene, and 1-nitropyrene in meat products.

Carcinogenic nitropolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (nitro-PAHs) are ubiquitous in the ambient environment. They are emitted predominantly from internal combustion engines and by reacting polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with nitrogen oxide. The emerging evidence that nitro-PAHs are taken up by plants and bioaccumulatd in the food chain has aroused worldwide concerns for the potential of chronic poisoning through dietary intake. Therefore, analytical methods of high sensitivity are extremely important for assessing the risk of human exposure to nitro-PAHs. This paper describes the development of a simple and robust ultraperformance liquid chromatography coupled fluorescence detector (UPLC-FLD) method for the sensitive determination of nitro-PAHs in meat products. The method entails precolumn reduction of the otherwise nonfluorescent nitro-PAHs to amino-PAHs which strongly fluoresce for their determination by UPLC-FLD analysis. The developed method was validated for extraction efficiency, accuracy, precision, and detection limit and has been successfully applied in quantifying 1-nitronaphthalene (1-NN), 2-nitrofluorene (2-NF), and 1-nitropyrene (1-NP) in fresh and cured meat products. The results showed that the combination of Fe/H(+)-induced nitro-reduction and UPLC-FLD analysis allows sensitive quantification of 1-NN, 2-NF, and 1-NP at detection limits of 0.59, 0.51, and 0.31 µg/kg, respectively, which is at least 10 times lower than those of the existing analytical methods.

Quantification of aristolochic acid-RNA adducts in the urine of aristolochic acid-treated rats by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

Balkan endemic nephropathy (BEN) is a peculiar renal disease affecting thousands of farmers living in the suburban areas of the Balkan countries. Emerging evidence suggested that BEN is an environmental disease caused by chronic food poisoning with aristolochic acid (AA). We have developed a sensitive liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method to detect urinary RNA-AA adducts. Results revealed high levels of RNA-AA adducts in the urine samples collected from AA-treated rats. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to report on the detection of urinary RNA-AA adducts. Compared with previous studies that quantified DNA-AA adducts, this method is more sensitive and user-friendly.

Comparison of DNA and RNA Adduct Formation: Significantly Higher Levels of RNA than DNA Modifications in the Internal Organs of Aristolochic Acid-Dosed Rats.

Prolonged exposure to aristolochic acid (AA)contaminated slimming drugs and food is believed to be associated with the development of endemic nephropathy in Belgian women and in farmers living alongside the Danube River. Decades of research has revealed the pathophysiology of carcinogenesis of AA,and the molecular mechanisms underlying renal interstitial fibrosis remain unclear. We hypothesized that RNA modification may have contributed to the observed toxicity of AA. Thus, a highly sensitive and selective ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-coupled tandem mass spectrometric method was developed to quantify RNA-AA adducts in target and nontarget organs of AA-dosed rats. The results revealed, for the first time, that AA forms RNA adducts in vitro and in vivo. Comparative studies on DNA revealed that RNA is modified by AA at frequencies approximately 6-fold higher than that of DNA in both kidney and liver tissue in AA-dosed rats. Results also demonstrated that guanosine is modified by AA at frequencies significantly higher than that of adenosine, 2-deoxyadenosine, and 2-deoxyguanosinein both organs of the AA-dosed. This finding suggests that guanosine is a major target for AA and that guanosine adducts of AA might be critical lesions in the pathophysiology of AA-induced toxicity. It is anticipated that the results of our study may open up a new area of investigating the nephrotoxicity and/or carcinogenicity by quantifying RNA adducts using the UPLC-MS/MS technique of high sensitivity and selectivity.

Rapid identification of γ-irradiated food by direct solvent extraction and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric analysis of 2-dodecylcyclobutanone: application in surveillance of irradiated food.

2-Dodecylcyclobutanone (2-DCB) is one of the major 2-alkylcyclobutanones (2-ACBs) that are uniquely formed when triglycerides are exposed to ionizing radiation and is being widely used as marker signature for identifying irradiated food. Current methods for 2-DCB extraction are either time-/solvent-consuming or involve the use of expensive extraction instruments. We have developed in this study an efficient extraction method for extracting 2-DCB from γ-irradiated food by direct extraction using acetonitrile. In comparison with the European standard method for irradiated food identification, our method reduced the per sample organic solvent consumption from 450 to 30mL per sample and shortened sample processing time from 8h to 30min. The assay combining direct acetonitrile extraction, precolumn derivatization with hydroxylamine, and LC-MS/MS analysis was validated with irradiated chicken as positive control, and applied in surveillance of irradiated food in Hong Kong.

A novel reversed-phase HPLC method for the determination of urinary creatinine by pre-column derivatization with ethyl chloroformate: comparative studies with the standard Jaffé and isotope-dilution mass spectrometric assays.

Creatinine is an important biomarker for renal function diagnosis and normalizing variations in urinary drug/metabolites concentration. Quantification of creatinine in biological fluids such as urine and plasma is important for clinical diagnosis as well as in biomonitoring programs and urinary metabolomics/metabonomics research. Current methods for creatinine determination either are nonselective or involve the use of expensive mass spectrometers. In this paper, a novel reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method for the determination of creatinine of high hydrophilicity by pre-column derivatization with ethyl chloroformate is presented. N-Ethyloxycarbonylation of creatinine significantly enhanced the hydrophobicity of creatinine, facilitating its chromatographic retention as well as quantification by HPLC. Factors governing the derivatization reaction were studied and optimized. The developed method was validated and applied for the determination of creatinine in rat urine samples. Comparative studies with isotope-dilution mass spectrometric method revealed that the two methods do not yield systematic differences in creatinine concentrations, indicating the HPLC method is suitable for the determination of creatinine in urine samples.

Noninvasive measurement of aristolochic acid-DNA adducts in urine samples from aristolochic acid-treated rats by liquid chromatography coupled tandem mass spectrometry: evidence for DNA repair by nucleotide-excision repair mechanisms.

Nephrotoxic aristolochic acids (AAs) form covalently bonded DNA adducts upon metabolic activation. In this work, a non-invasive approach to detect AAs exposure by quantifying urinary excreted DNA-AA adducts is presented. The developed method entails solid-phase extraction (SPE) enrichment of the urine-excreted DNA-AAs adducts, addition of internal standard, and quantification by liquid chromatography coupled tandem mass spectrometric (LC-MS/MS) analysis. Quantitative analysis revealed 7-(deoxyadenosine-N(6)-yl)-aristolactam II and 7-(deoxyguanosine-N(2)-yl)-aristolactam I that were previously detected as major DNA-AA adducts in different organs of AA-dosed rats, were detected as the major urine excreted adducts. Lower levels of 7-(deoxyadenosine-N(6)-yl)-aristolactam I and 7-(deoxyguanosine-N(2)-yl)-aristolactam II were also detected in the collected urine samples. The identities of the detected urinary DNA-AA adducts were confirmed by comparing chromatographic retention time with synthetic standards, by high-accuracy MS, and MS/MS analyses. LC-MS/MS analysis of the urine samples collected from the AAs-dosed rats demonstrated a time-dependent decrease in the urinary adduct levels, indicating the urinary DNA-AA adduct levels were reflective of the tissue adduct levels. It is expected that the developed approach of detecting urinary DNA-AA adducts will facilitate further carcinogenesis investigations of AAs.

Analysis of 2-alkylcyclobutanones in cashew nut, nutmeg, apricot kernel, and pine nut samples: re-evaluating the uniqueness of 2-alkylcyclobutanones for irradiated food identification.

2-Alkylcyclobutanones (2-ACBs) have long been considered as unique radiolytic products that can be used as indicators for irradiated food identification. A recent report on the natural existence of 2-ACB in non-irradiated nutmeg and cashew nut samples aroused worldwide concern because it contradicts the general belief that 2-ACBs are specific to irradiated food. The goal of this study is to test the natural existence of 2-ACBs in nut samples using our newly developed liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method with enhanced analytical sensitivity and selectivity ( Ye , Y. ; Liu , H. ; Horvatovich , P. ; Chan , W. Liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometric analysis of 2-alkylcyclobutanones in irradiated chicken by precolumn derivatization with hydroxylamine . J. Agric. Food Chem. 2013 , 61 , 5758 - 5763 ). The validated method was applied to identify 2-dodecylcyclobutanone (2-DCB) and 2-tetradecylcyclobutanone (2-TCB) in nutmeg, cashew nut, pine nut, and apricot kernel samples (n = 22) of different origins. Our study reveals that 2-DCB and 2-TCB either do not exist naturally or exist at concentrations below the detection limit of the existing method. Thus, 2-DCB and 2-TCB are still valid to be used as biomarkers for identifying irradiated food.

Combination of pentafluorophenylhydrazine derivatization and isotope dilution LC-MS/MS techniques for the quantification of apurinic/apyrimidinic sites in cellular DNA.

Apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) sites are common DNA lesions arising from spontaneous hydrolysis of the N-glycosidic bond and base-excision repair mechanisms of the modified bases. Due to the strong association of AP site formation with physically/chemically induced DNA damage, quantifying AP sites provides important information for risk assessment of exposure to genotoxins and oxidative stress. However, rigorous quantification of AP sites in DNA has been hampered by technical problems relating to the sensitivity and selectivity of existing analytical methods. We have developed a new isotope dilution liquid chromatography-coupled tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method for the rigorous quantification of AP sites in genomic DNA. The method entails enzymatic digestion of AP site-containing DNA by endo- and exonucleases, derivatization with pentafluorophenylhydrazine (PFPH), addition of an isotopically labeled PFPH derivative as internal standard, and quantification by LC-MS/MS. The combination of PFPH derivatization with LC-MS/MS analysis on a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer allows for sensitive and selective quantification of AP sites in DNA at a detection limit of 6.5 fmol, corresponding to 4 AP sites/10(9) nt in 5 µg of DNA, which is at least ten times more sensitive than existing analytical methods. The protocol was validated by AP site-containing oligonucleotides and applied in quantifying methyl methanesulfonate-induced formation of AP sites in cellular DNA.