Determination of Reduced and Oxidized Coenzyme Q10 in Canine Plasma and Heart Tissue by HPLC-ECD: Comparison with LC-MS/MS Quantification.

Coenzyme Q10 (Q10) plays an important role in mammals for energy production in the mitochondria, and as a potent antioxidant. Oxidation ratio (% oxidized in relation to total Q10) has been proposed as an important biomarker. A sensitive and reproducible HPLC-ECD method was developed for determination of reduced and oxidized Q10 in canine plasma and heart tissue. Chromatographic separation was achieved in 10 min using a Waters Nova-pak C18 column and a mobile phase with lithium perchlorate in ethanol/methanol/2-propanol. The validation showed satisfying results. Excellent linear correlation was found (r2 > 0.9997), intra- and inter-day precisions were below 6.5% (n = 5) and recoveries were between 89 and 109% (n = 5). Sensitivity stated as Lower Limit of Quantification (LLOQ) was 10 nM. Acceptable stability of both extracted and un-extracted samples was observed. The plasma concentration range of total Q10 was found to be between 0.64 and 1.24 µg/mL. Comparison with a developed LC-MS/MS method showed a correlation of r = 0.85 for reduced Q10 and r = 0.60 for oxidized Q10 (N = 17). However, average results were around 30% lower for ubiquinol using the LC-MS/MS method as compared with the HPLC-ECD analysis. The two methods are therefore not considered to be interchangeable.

A tiered analytical approach for target, non-target and suspect screening analysis of polar transformation products of polycyclic aromatic compounds.

Polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) possess toxicity towards humans, and their presence in the environment is unwanted. Polar transformation products (TPs) are more mobile, and can be considered emerging contaminants, as they represent a more bioavailable carrier of the same toxic properties. Acidic TPs has been proposed as an important class of polar TPs. This study presents a tiered analytical approach to investigate acidic and polar PAC TPs in environmental conditions. The tiered approach exploits target analysis for quantification of acids; suspect screening for tentative identification based on retention time and spectral matching using databases; and finally non-target analysis based on chromatography and data independent broadband MS to highlight potentially unknown analyte peaks. The approach includes a mixed-mode anion exchange solid phase extraction (MAX-SPE) to fractionate neutral and acidic compounds, and is applied to three cases: I) Photo-oxidation of six PACs generated suspected hydroxylated-, carbonylated- and carboxylated PACs but also proposed the presence of mono- and dicarboxylic acids, which have not been reported elsewhere. For a subset of four acids, conversion rates were determined. II) Recovery of spiked acids from diesel spilled harbor water was 80% by LC-MS, and diesel spill weathering was evaluated from the neutral fraction by GC-MS. III) By non-target analysis sulfonated PACs, presumable derived from photo-oxidation, were detected in run-off basins of an arctic landfarm, alongside hypothesized naturally occuring fatty acids. The tiered approach is a sensitive and versatile tool to extract information on PACs and their polar TPs from polluted environmental sites.

SPE-LC-MS investigations for the isolation and fractionation of acidic oil degradation products.

In this study, we focus on isolation and fractionation strategies by solid phase extraction (SPE) for a broad range of environmentally related organic acids. These emerging potential contaminants are primary degradation products of spilled petrogenic compounds but little attention has been given to their environmental analysis and risk assessment. Three mixed-mode anion exchange sorbents possessing various backbone polarities were compared with respect to the extraction and fractionation efficiency. Quantitative analysis was obtained using an optimized and validated LC-MS method. We demonstrated the importance of reasonable ion source settings for highest sensitivity of individual carboxylic acids. Furthermore, fractionation of carboxylic acids into aliphatic and aromatic fractions by SPE was achieved by step-wise elution. Best performance regarding the isolation of low-concentration acids (sub µg L-1 level) in complex samples was attributed to Strata XA and is caused by high secondary hydrophobic interactions in addition to the ionic interactions. Isolation and fractionation of acid spiked diesel-spilled harbor water (22 µg L-1 spike level) revealed recoveries >80% for all tested carboxylic acids and low carry-overs of neutral petroleum compounds. We conclude that the isolation and fractionation of acidic degradation products by SPE is a powerful tool to investigate this new class of contaminants in relation to identification and ecological risk assessments.

Comprehensive evaluation of imidazole-based polymers for the enrichment of selected non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

This study reports the comparison of four manufactured imidazole-based copolymers and two commercially available hydrophilic sorbents for the solid phase extraction (SPE) of selected non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID). Different hydrophilic copolymers were obtained by a suspension polymerization using a styrene-based and a methacrylate-based cross-linker and by single step modifications for enhancing the ion-exchange character. SPE protocols were optimized for both non-modified and modified sorbents and applied for the enrichment of selected NSAID using all six copolymers. Comparison and evaluation were carried out by determining recovery rates of standard mixtures at different concentration levels ranging from 0.5mgL(-1) to 10mgL(-1) and by the enrichment of spiked human urine at two concentration levels. In order to gain insight into the complexity of the biological sample and its reduction after solid phase extraction, UHPLC-MS analysis and following database comparison was performed for the three mixed-mode strong anion-exchange sorbents. In order to prove the applicability of the modified imidazole-based polymers for the enrichment of NSAID in surface water, river water or groundwater, solid phase extraction was performed with 10ppb of NSAID which resulted into enhanced enrichment by a hundredfold.

Poly(N-vinylimidazole/ethylene glycol dimethacrylate) for the purification and isolation of phenolic acids.

In this study we report the novel polymeric resin poly(N-vinyl imidazole/ethylene glycol dimethacrylate) for the purification and isolation of phenolic acids. The monomer to crosslinker ratio and the porogen composition were optimized for isolating phenolic acids diluted in acetonitrile at normal phase chromatography conditions, first. Acetonitrile serves as polar, aprotic solvent, dissolving phenolic acids but not interrupting interactions with the stationary phase due to the approved Hansen solubility parameters. The optimized resin demonstrated high loading capacities and adsorption abilities particularly for phenolic acids in both, acetonitrile and aqueous solutions. The adsorption behavior of aqueous standards can be attributed to ion exchange effects due to electrostatic interactions between protonated imidazole residues and deprotonated phenolic acids. Furthermore, adsorption experiments and subsequent curve fittings provide information of maximum loading capacities of single standards according to the Langmuir adsorption model. Recovery studies of the optimized polymer in the normal-phase and ion-exchange mode illustrate the powerful isolation properties for phenolic acids and are comparable or even better than typical, commercially available solid phase extraction materials. In order to prove the applicability, a highly complex extract of rosemary leaves was purified by poly(N-vinyl imidazole/ethylene glycol dimethacrylate) and the isolated compounds were identified using UHPLC-qTOF-MS.

Separation of small molecules on novel monolithic poly(vinylphosphonic acid/ethylene dimethacrylate) columns.

In HPLC, monolithic organic stationary phases are usually restricted to the separation of high-molecular-weight compounds such as proteins or oligonucleotides. The aim of this study was to enlarge the applicability of monolithic stationary phases to the micro-liquid chromatography separation of smaller molecules. For this, a new monolithic stationary phase was synthesized by radical polymerization of vinylphosphonic acid (VPA) and ethylene dimethacrylate (EDMA) using azobisisobutyronitrile as radical initiator. In situ reactions at two different temperatures and reaction times resulted in poly(VPA/EDMA) capillaries and allowed fast separations for small molecules, especially parabens and alkylbenzenes. The capillaries showed high mechanical stability, low-swelling properties, high permeability and lower surface area as expected. Polymerization at 75°C for 20 min exhibited efficient separation of parabens within 1.5 min with short half-peak widths and satisfactory resolutions. Apart from attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR-IR) measurements, the pH-dependent separation of alkylbenzenes confirmed the incorporation of phosphonate groups into the polymeric network, resulting into deprotonation of the stationary phase at pH >4. Moreover, methylparaben and propylparaben were quantitatively determined in human saliva after treatment with paraben-containing tooth paste.

Lanthanide-IMAC enrichment of carbohydrates and polyols.

In this study a new type of immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography resin for the enrichment of carbohydrates and polyols was synthesized by radical polymerization reaction of vinyl phosphonic acid and 1,4-butandiole dimethacrylate using azo-bis-isobutyronitrile as radical initiator. Interaction between the chelated trivalent lanthanide ions and negatively charged hydroxyl groups of carbohydrates and polyols was observed by applying high pH values. The new method was evaluated by single standard solutions, mixtures of standards, honey and a more complex extract of Cynara scolymus. The washing step was accomplished by acetonitrile in excess volumes. Elution of enriched carbohydrates was successfully performed with deionized water. The subsequent analysis was carried out with matrix-free laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry involving a TiO2 -coated steel target, especially suitable for the measurement of low-molecular-weight substances. Quantitative analysis of the sugar alcohol xylitol as well as the determination of the maximal loading capacity was performed by gas chromatography in conjunction with mass spectrometric detection after chemical derivatization. In a parallel approach quantum mechanical geometry optimizations were performed in order to compare the coordination behavior of various trivalent lanthanide ions.

A new type of metal chelate affinity chromatography using trivalent lanthanide ions for phosphopeptide enrichment.

In this study, a new type of immobilized metal-ion affinity chromatography (IMAC) resin for the isolation of phosphopeptides was synthesized which is based on the specific interaction between phosphate groups and chelated lanthanide metal ions. In this regard trivalent lanthanum, holmium and erbium ions were chelated to a highly porous phosphonate polymer which was prepared by radical polymerization of vinylphosphonic acid (VPA) and divinylbenzene (DVB). The developed method was evaluated with peptide mixtures from digested standard proteins (α-casein, ß-casein and ovalbumin) as well as with bovine milk, egg white and a spiked HeLa cell lysate. Compared to the commonly used TiO2 approach, the presented method showed higher selectivity for phosphorylated peptides. This can be explained by the strong preference of trivalent lanthanide ions for phosphates with which they form very tight ionic bonds. Mono- and multiply phosphorylated peptides could be enriched and released in a single basic elution step, while non-phosphorylated peptides remained on the resin. Ab initio quantum mechanical energy minimizations of model complexes for polymer-ion-ligand interactions provided geometries, binding energies and charges which are discussed in conjunction with the observed experimental properties, leading to the most satisfying agreement. The presented lanthanide-IMAC resins represent promising affinity materials for the selective isolation of phosphopeptides from biological samples.