Ariadni Vonaparti

Preventive doping control screening analysis of prohibited substances in human urine using rapid‐resolution liquid chromatography/high‐resolution time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry

Unification of the screening protocols for a wide range of doping agents has become an important issue for doping control laboratories. This study presents the development and validation of a generic liquid chromatography/time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC/TOFMS) screening method of 241 small molecule analytes from various categories of prohibited substances (stimulants, narcotics, diuretics, beta(2)-agonists, beta-blockers, hormone antagonists and modulators, glucocorticosteroids and anabolic agents). It is based on a single-step liquid-liquid extraction of hydrolyzed urine and the use of a rapid-resolution liquid chromatography/high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometric system acquiring continuous full scan data. Electrospray ionization in the positive mode was used. Validation parameters consisted of identification capability, limit of detection, specificity, ion suppression, extraction recovery, repeatability and mass accuracy. Detection criteria were established on the basis of retention time reproducibility and mass accuracy. The suitability of the methodology for doping control was demonstrated with positive urine samples. The preventive role of the method was proved by the case where full scan acquisition with accurate mass measurement allowed the retrospective reprocessing of acquired data from past doping control samples for the detection of a designer drug, the stimulant 4-methyl-2-hexanamine, which resulted in re-reporting a number of stored samples as positives for this particular substance, when, initially, they had been reported as negatives.

Direct injection LC/ESI-MS horse urine analysis for the quantification and identification of threshold substances for doping control. I. Determination of hydrocortisone

Two simple and rapid LC/MS methods with direct injection analysis were developed and validated for the quantification and identification of hydrocortisone in equine urine using the same sample preparation but different mass spectrometric systems: ion trap mass spectrometry (IT-MS) and time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOF-MS). The main advantage of the proposed methodology is the minimal sample preparation procedure, as particle-free diluted urine samples were directly injected into both LC/MS systems. Desonide was used as internal standard (IS). The linear range was 0.25-2.5 microg ml(-1) for both methods. Matrix effects were evaluated by preparing and analyzing calibration curves in water solutions and different horse urine samples. A great variation of the signal both for hydrocortisone and the internal standard was observed in different matrices. To overcome matrix effects, the unavailability of blank matrix and the excessive cost of the isotopically labeled internal standard, standard additions calibration method was applied. This work is an exploration of the performance of the standard additions approach in a method where neither nonisotopic internal standards nor extensive sample preparation is utilized and no blank matrix is available. The relative standard deviations of intra and interday analysis of hydrocortisone in horse urine were lower than 10.2 and 5.4%, respectively, for the LC/IT-MS method and lower than 8.4 and 4.4%, respectively, for the LC/TOF-MS method. Accuracy (bias percentage) was less than 9.7% for both methods.

Advances in the detection of designer steroids in anti-doping

The abuse of unknown designer androgenic anabolic steroids (AAS) is considered to be an issue of significant importance, as AAS are the choice of doping preference according to World Anti-doping Agency statistics. In addition, unknown designer AAS are preferred since the World Anti-doping Agency mass spectrometric identification criteria cannot be applied to unknown molecules. Consequently, cheating athletes have a strong motive to use designer AAS in order to both achieve performance enhancement and to escape from testing positive in anti-doping tests. To face the problem, a synergy is required between the anti-doping analytical science and sports anti-doping regulations. This Review examines various aspects of the designer AAS. First, the structural modifications of the already known AAS to create new designer molecules are explained. A list of the designer synthetic and endogenous AAS is then presented. Second, we discuss progress in the detection of designer AAS using: mass spectrometry and bioassays; analytical data processing of the unknown designer AAS; metabolite synthesis; and, long-term storage of urine and blood samples. Finally, the introduction of regulations from sports authorities as preventive measures for long-term storage and reprocessing of samples, initially reported as negatives, is discussed.

Direct injection liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization mass spectrometric horse urine analysis for the quantification and confirmation of threshold substances for doping control. II. Determination of theobromine

In equine sport, theobromine is prohibited with a threshold level of 2 microg mL(-1) in urine, hence doping control laboratories have to establish quantitative and qualitative methods for its determination. Two simple liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) methods for the identification and quantification of theobromine were developed and validated using the same sample preparation procedure but different mass spectrometric systems: ion trap mass spectrometry (ITMS) and time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOFMS). Particle-free diluted urine samples were directly injected into the LC/MS systems, avoiding the time-consuming extraction step. 3-Propylxanthine was used as the internal standard. The tested linear range was 0.75-15 microg mL(-1). Matrix effects were evaluated analyzing calibration curves in water and different fortified horse urine samples. A great variation in the signal of theobromine and the internal standard was observed in different matrices. To overcome matrix effects, a standard additions calibration method was applied. The relative standard deviations of intra- and inter-day analysis were lower than 8.6 and 7.2%, respectively, for the LC/ITMS method and lower than 5.7 and 5.8%, respectively, for the LC/TOFMS method. The bias was less than 8.7% for both methods. The methods were applied to two case samples, demonstrating simplicity, accuracy and selectivity.

Two-step derivatization procedures for the ionization enhancement of anabolic steroids in LC–ESI-MS for doping control analysis

BACKGROUND Two-step derivatization procedures were developed for the enhancement of the positive ESI in LC-MS detection of anabolic androgenic steroids, a class of prohibited substances with limited ionization efficiency in atmospheric pressure interfaces. The developed procedures are based on the esterification of hydroxyl groups of anabolic steroids with picolinic acid, followed by conversion of carbonyl groups to Schiff bases by either Girards reagent T or 2-hydrazino pyridin. RESULTS Ionization efficiency for the model derivatized compounds 19-norandrosterone (nandrolone main metabolite) and methasterone was higher by almost two orders of magnitude compared with the respective efficiency of the underivatized compounds. CONCLUSION The obtained derivatives provided a significant improvement in the ESI sensitivity, compared with those of underivatized molecules in positive LC-ESI-ion trap-MS full-scan mode.

Direct injection human plasma analysis for the quantification of antihypertensive drugs for therapeutic drug monitoring using hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization mass spectrometry.

The concept of personalized medicine is related to the development of new sensitive, precise and accurate analytical methods for therapeutic drug monitoring. In this article a rapid, sensitive and specific method was developed for the quantification of aliskiren, losartan, valsartan and hydrochlorothiazide in human plasma. Sample preparation was performed by protein precipitation with acetonitrile followed by filtration. All analytes and the internal standard (tiamulin) were separated by hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography using an X-Bridge-HILIC analytical column (150.0×2.1mm i.d., particle size 3.5μm) under isocratic elution. The mobile phase was composed of a 10% 5mM ammonium formate water solution pH 4.5, adjusted with formic acid, in acetonitrile and pumped at a flow rate of 0.25mLmin(-1). The assay was linear over the concentration range of 5-500ngmL(-1) for all the analytes. Intermediate precision was less than 5.2% over the tested concentration ranges. The method is the first reported application of HILIC in the analysis antihypertensives in human plasma. With a small sample size (50μL human plasma) and a run time less than 6.0min for each sample the method can be used to support a wide range of clinical studies and therapeutic drug monitoring.

Quantification of three beta-lactam antibiotics in breast milk and human plasma by hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography/positive-ion electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

The use of cephalosporins during breast feeding raises several issues, including the risk of drug exposure through breast milk for the infant. In this paper, a hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography/positive ion electrospray mass spectrometric assay (HILIC/ESI-MS) was developed for the quantitation of cefuroxime, cefoxitin, and cefazolin in breast milk and human plasma. The assay was based on the use of small sample size, 25 μL of biological samples, following acetonitrile precipitation of proteins and filtration that enabled injection into the HILIC/ESI-MS system. All analytes and the internal standard, alfuzosin, were separated by using a ZIC®-HILIC analytical column (150.0 × 2.1 mm i.d., particle size 3.5 µm, 200 Å) with isocratic elution. The mobile phase was composed of a 6% 12.5 mM ammonium acetate water solution in acetonitrile and pumped at a flow rate of 0.25 mL min-1 . The assay was linear over a concentration range of 0.2 to 5 µg mL-1 and 0.4 to 20 µg mL-1 for all the analytes in breast milk and in human plasma, respectively. Intermediate precision was found to be less than 4.2% over the tested concentration ranges. A run time of less than 12 min for each sample made it possible to analyze a large number of biological samples per day. The method is the first reported application of HILIC in the analysis of antibiotics in breast milk and human plasma and it can be used to support a wide range of clinical studies. Copyright

Hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography/positive ion electrospray mass spectrometry for the quantification of deferasirox, an oral iron chelator, in human plasma

A rapid hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography/positive ion electrospray mass spectrometric assay (HILIC/ESI-MS) was developed, validated and applied to the determination of deferasirox, in human plasma. The sample preparation process involved liquid-liquid extraction of 50 μL plasma sample using ethyl acetate as an extraction solvent. Chromatographic separation was performed on an XBridge-HILIC analytical column (150.0 mm × 2.1 mm i.d., particle size 3.5 μm, 135 Å) under isocratic elution. The mobile phase was composed of a 10% 8.0 mM ammonium acetate water solution pH=5.0, adjusted with formic acid, in a binary mixture of acetonitrile/methanol (50:50, v/v) and pumped at a flow rate of 0.20 mL/min. Quantitation of deferasirox was performed with selected ion monitoring (SIM) in positive ionization mode using electrospray ionization interface. The assay was found to be linear in the concentration range of 0.20-120.0 μg/mL for deferasirox. Intermediate precision was found less than 3.9% over the tested concentration ranges. A run time of less than 6.0 min for each sample made it possible to analyze a large number of human plasma samples per day. The method can be used to support a wide range of clinical studies concerning deferasirox monitoring and it was applied to the analysis of human plasma samples obtained from patients with β-thalassemia major.

Direct injection horse‐urine analysis for the quantification and confirmation of threshold substances for doping control. IV. Determination of 3‐methoxytyramine by hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography/quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry

Levodopa and dopamine have been abused as performance-altering substances in horse racing. Urinary 3-methoxytyramine is used as an indicator of dopaminergic manipulation resulting from dopamine or levodopa administration and is prohibited with a urinary threshold of 4 microg mL(-1) (free and conjugated). A simple liquid chromatographic (LC)/mass spectrometric (MS) (LCMS) method was developed and validated for the quantification and identification of 3-methoxytyramine in equine urine. Sample preparation involved enzymatic hydrolysis and protein precipitation. Hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) was selected as a separation technique that allows effective retention of polar substances like 3-methoxytyramine and efficient separation from matrix compounds. Electrospray ionization (ESI) in positive mode with product ion scan mode was chosen for the detection of the analytes. Quantification of 3-methoxytyramine was performed with fragmentation at low collision energy, resulting in one product ion, while a second run at high collision energy was performed for confirmation (at least three abundant ions). Studies on matrix effects showed ion suppression depending on the horse urine used. To overcome the variability of the results originating from the matrix effects, isotopic labelled internal standard was used and linear regression calibration methodology was applied for the quantitative determination of the analyte. The tested linear range was 1-20 microg mL(-1). The relative standard deviations of intra- and inter- assay analysis of 3-methoxytyramine in horse urine were lower than 4.2% and 3.2%, respectively. Overall accuracy (relative percentage error) was less than 6.2%. The method was applied to case samples, demonstrating simplicity, accuracy and selectivity.

Development and validation of a hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography method for the quantitation of impurities in fixed-dose combination tablets containing rosuvastatin and metformin

A hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography method with diode array detection (HILIC-DAD) was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of impurities in extended-release fixed-dose combination tablets containing rosuvastatin and metformin in a ratio 1:100. The analytes were separated by hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography using an XBridge®-HILIC analytical column under isocratic elution. The mobile phase was composed of ammonium formate at 150 mM containing 0.05% diethylamine (pH 8.5)/acetonitrile, 4/96 (v/v) and pumped at a flow rate of 0.5 mL min-1. Method validation was performed according to ICH guidelines. The calibration curves for rosuvastatin, metformin and their seven impurities showed good linearity (r > 0.994) within the calibration ranges tested. The intra- and inter-day R.S.D. values were less than 4.5%, while the relative percentage error Er was less than 2.7% for all compounds. Accelerated stability studies performed under various stress conditions including hydrolysis, oxidation and heat proved the selectivity of the procedure. A run time of less than 25 min for each sample made it possible to analyze a large number of samples per day. The method is the first reported application of HILIC for the analysis of impurities in fixed-dose combination tablets containing rosuvastatin and metformin and it can be used for the quality control of these drugs.