Irene Panderi

A Comparative Study of Hollow Copper Sulfide Nanoparticles and Hollow Gold Nanospheres on Degradability and Toxicity

Gold and copper nanoparticles have been widely investigated for photothermal therapy of cancer. However, degradability and toxicity of these nanoparticles remain concerns. Here, we compare hollow CuS nanoparticles (HCuSNPs) with hollow gold nanospheres (HAuNS) in similar particle sizes and morphology following intravenous administration to mice. The injected pegylated HCuSNPs (PEG-HCuSNPs) are eliminated through both hepatobiliary (67 percentage of injected dose, %ID) and renal (23 %ID) excretion within one month postinjection. By contrast, 3.98 %ID of Au is excreted from liver and kidney within one month after iv injection of pegylated HAuNS (PEG-HAuNS). Comparatively, PEG-HAuNS are almost nonmetabolizable, while PEG-HCuSNPs are considered biodegradable nanoparticles. PEG-HCuSNPs do not show significant toxicity by histological or blood chemistry analysis. Principal component analysis and 2-D peak distribution plots of data from matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time-of-flight imaging mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF IMS) of liver tissues demonstrated a reversible change in the proteomic profile in mice receiving PEG-HCuSNPs. This is attributed to slow dissociation of Cu ion from CuS nanoparticles along with effective Cu elimination for maintaining homeostasis. Nonetheless, an irreversible change in the proteomic profile is observed in the liver from mice receiving PEG-HAuNS by analysis of MALDI-TOF IMS data, probably due to the nonmetabolizability of Au. This finding correlates with the elevated serum lactate dehydrogenase at 3 months after PEG-HAuNS injection, indicating potential long-term toxicity. The comparative results between the two types of nanoparticles will advance the development of HCuSNPs as a new class of biodegradable inorganic nanomaterials for photothermal therapy.

A validated LC method for the determination of clopidogrel in pharmaceutical preparations

A stability indicating, reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method was developed and validated for the determination of clopidogrel in pharmaceutical dosage forms. The determination was performed on a semi-micro column, BDS C8 (250 x 2.1 mm i.d., 5 microm particle size); the mobile phase consisted of a mixture of 0.010 M sodium dihydrogen phosphate (pH 3.0) and acetonitrile (35:65, v/v), pumped at a flow rate 0.30 ml min(-1). The UV detector was operated at 235 nm. The retention times for clopidogrel and naproxen, which was used as internal standard, were 3.08 and 6.28 min, respectively. Calibration graphs are linear (r better than 0.9991, n=6), in concentration range 1.00-3.00 microg ml(-1) for clopidogrel. The intra- and inter-day RSD values were less than 1.96%, while the relative percentage error E(r) was less than 2.0% (n=5). Detection and quantitation limits were 0.12 and 0.39 micro ml(-1), respectively. The method was applied in the quality control of commercial tablets and content uniformity test and proved to be suitable for rapid and reliable quality control.

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.

Simultaneous determination of benazepril hydrochloride and hydrochlorothiazide in tablets by second-order derivative spectrophotometry.

A second-order derivative spectrophotometric method for the simultaneous determination of benazepril hydrochloride and hydrochlorothiazide in pharmaceutical dosage forms is described. The determination of benazepril hydrochloride in the presence of hydrochlorothiazide was achieved by measuring the second-order derivative signals at 253.6 and 282.6 nm, while the second-order derivative signal at 282.6 nm was measured for the determination of hydrochlorothiazide. The linear dynamic ranges were 14.80-33.80 microg ml(-1) for benazepril hydrochloride and 18.50-42.20 microg ml(-1) for hydrochlorothiazide, the correlation coefficient for the calibration graphs were better than 0.9998, n = 5, the precision (%RSD) was better than 1.43% and the accuracy was satisfactory (Er < 0.99%). The detection limits were found to be 2.46 and 1.57 microg ml(-1) for benazepril hydrochloride and hydrochlorothiazide, respectively. The method was applied in the quality control of commercial tablets and proved to be suitable for rapid and reliable quality control.

Determination of the carboxylic acid metabolite of clopidogrel in human plasma by liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

A rapid and specific liquid chromatographic-mass spectrometric method has been developed and validated for the determination of the carboxylic acid metabolite of clopidogrel in human plasma. Sulphafurazole was used as internal standard. The samples were subjected to a solid phase extraction procedure using Hypercarb cartridges. The chromatographic separation was performed on a reversed phase porous graphitized carbon column using a mobile phase consisting of 70% methanol in water containing 0.1% (v/v) trifluoroacetic acid, pumped at a flow rate of 0.25 ml min -1 The analytes were detected after positive electrospray ionization using the selected ion monitoring mode of the species at m/z 308 for the carboxylic acid metabolite of clopidogrel, m/z 322 for clopidogrel and m/z 268 for sulphafurazole. Calibration graphs were linear (r > 0.9994, n = 6), in the range 100-1000 ng ml -1 for the carboxylic acid metabolite of clopidogrel. The intra- and inter-day R.S.D. values were <3.1%, while the relative error E, was less than -9.6% (n = 6). The limits of detection (3.3σ) and quantitation (10σ) for the carboxylic acid metabolite of clopidogrel were found to be 28 and 93 ng ml -1 , respectively. The efficiency of the solid phase extraction procedure for the carboxylic acid metabolite of clopidogrel averaged 74.6%.

Simultaneous determination of benazepril hydrochloride and hydrochlorothiazide by micro-bore liquid chromatography

A micro-bore liquid chromatographic method was developed for the simultaneous determination of benazepril hydrochloride and hydrochlorothiazide in pharmaceutical dosage forms. The use of a BDS C-18 micro-bore analytical column, results in substantial reduction in solvent consumption and increased sensitivity. The mobile phase consisted of a mixture of 0.025 M sodium dihydrogen phosphate (pH 4.8) and acetonitrile (55:45, v/v), pumped at a flow rate of 0.40 ml min(-1). Detection was set at 250 nm using an ultraviolet detector. Calibration graphs are linear (r better than 0.9991, n = 5), in concentration range 5.0-20.0 microg ml(-1) for benazepril hydrochloride and 6.2-25.0 microg ml(-1) for hydrochlorothiazide. The intra- and interday R.S.D. values were <1.25% (n = 5), while the relative percentage error (Er) was <0.9% (n = 5). The detection limits attained according to IUPAC definition were 0.88 and 0.58 microg ml(-1) for benazepril hydrochloride and hydrochlorothiazide, respectively. The method was applied in the quality control of commercial tablets and content uniformity test and proved to be suitable for rapid and reliable quality control.

Direct injection liquid chromatography/positive ion electrospray ionization mass spectrometric quantification of methotrexate, folinic acid, folic acid and ondansetron in human serum

A rapid liquid chromatography/positive ion electrospray mass spectrometric assay (LC/ESI-MS) was developed for the quantitation of methotrexate, folinic acid, folic acid and ondansetron in human serum. The assay was based on 100microL serum samples, following acetonitrile precipitation of proteins and filtration that enabled direct injection into the LC/MS system. All analytes and the internal standard, alfuzosin, were separated by using a Zorbax Eclipse XDB-C(8) analytical column (2.1mmx150.0mm i.d., particle size 3.5microm) with isocratic elution. The mobile phase was composed of a mixture of water/acetonitrile containing 0.1%, v/v formic acid (75:25, v/v), pumped at a flow rate of 0.15mLmin(-1). Quantitation of the analytes 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 0.01-25.00microgmL(-1) for methotrexate and 0.01-5.00microgmL(-1) for folic acid, folinic acid and ondansetron. Intermediate precision was found to be less than 4.2% over the tested concentration ranges. A run time of less than 7.0min for each sample made it possible to analyze a large number of human serum samples per day. The method can be used to quantify methotrexate, folinic acid, folic acid and ondansetron in human serum covering a variety of clinical studies and it was applied to the analysis of human serum samples obtained from children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Selective and rapid liquid chromatography/negative-ion electrospray ionization mass spectrometry method for the quantification of valacyclovir and its metabolite in human plasma.

A rapid, sensitive and specific method was developed for the quantification of valacyclovir and acyclovir in human plasma. Sample preparation was performed by protein precipitation with acetonitrile followed by filtration. Valacyclovir, acyclovir and ganciclovir (internal standard) were separated isocratically on a reversed-phase porous graphitized carbon analytical column (2.1 mm x 125.0 mm i.d., particle size 5 microm), using a mobile phase of acetonitrile/water with 0.05% (v/v) diethylamine (50:50, v/v) at a flow rate of 0.15 mL min(-1) in 4.0 min. Detection was performed by negative electrospray ionization using the selected ion monitoring mode of the deprotonated molecular ions at m/z 323.0 for valacyclovir, 224.0 for acyclovir and 254.0 for ganciclovir. The assay had linear calibration curves over the range 0.020-0.800 microg mL(-1) for valacyclovir and 0.100-20.00 microg mL(-1) for acyclovir. Accuracy and precision were within the acceptance limit of 15%. The method was successfully applied to the analysis of plasma samples obtained from patients after oral administration of valacyclovir.

Determination of piroxicam and its major metabolite 5-hydroxypiroxicam in human plasma by zero-crossing first-derivative spectrophotometry

A zero-crossing first-derivative spectrophotometric method for the determination of piroxicam and its major metabolite 5-hydroxypiroxicam (5-HP) in human plasma is described. This technique permits the quantification of compounds with closely overlapping spectral bands without any separation step. The method consists of direct extraction of the less-ionised forms of piroxicam and 5-hydroxypiroxicam with pure diethyl ether. First derivative values at 343.5 and 332.5 nm for piroxicam and 5-HP, respectively, were obtained. The absolute recovery of the method was found to be 89.4% for piroxicam and 90.3% for 5-HP. Calibration graphs are linear (r better than 0.9998), with zero-intercept, in the concentration range 0.5-12.0 micrograms ml-1 for both compounds. The limits of quantification attained according to the IUPAC definition were 0.29 and 0.27 micrograms ml-1 for piroxicam and 5-HP, respectively. The results obtained by the proposed method were in good agreement with those found by the high-performance liquid chromatographic method (HPLC).

DETERMINATION OF HYOSCINE N-BUTYL-BROMIDE, LIDOCAINE HYDROCHLORIDE, AND PARACETAMOL IN INJECTION FORMS USING SOLID-PHASE EXTRACTION, HIGH-PERFORMANCE LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY, AND UV-VIS SPECTROPHOTOMETRY

A solid phase extraction procedure using strong cation exchange (SCX, benzenesulfonic acid) cartridges followed by a reversed-phase HPLC assay was applied to the analysis of hyoscine n-butylbromide and lidocaine hydrochloride in injection forms. The chromatographic separation was performed on a BDS C-18 column. The mobile phase consisted of a mixture of acetonitrile: ammonium acetate 0.2M, (30:70, v/v) pumped at a flow rate 1.2 mL/min. The UV detector was operated at 254 nm. A UV-Vis spectrophotometric method was also developed for the determination of paracetamol in the injection forms. The method consists of subsequent dilution of the injection forms and measure of the absorbance value at 242.7 nm. Relative standard deviation was less than 0.95% for HPLC and less than 0.78% for the spectrophotometric method. Detection limits were 1.05, 0.96 and 0.67 μg/mL for hyoscine n-butylbromide, lidocaine hydrochloride and paracetamol, respectively.