Boronic acid—silica: a new tool for the purification of catecholic compounds on-line with reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography

Determination of free catecholamines in urine by tandem affinity/ion-pair chromatography and flow injection analysis

BACKGROUND

A system was developed for the simultaneous measurement in urine of free catecholamines (i.e., dopamine, norepinephrine, epinephrine) and creatinine (i.e., an indicator of urine output and volume). This method was based on the use of tandem affinity/ion-pair HPLC and flow injection analysis.

METHODS

The free catecholamines were extracted directly from urine by using an on-line phenylboronic acid affinity column. The extracted solutes were then separated and measured by ion-pair chromatography followed by amperometric detection. Creatinine was measured by an on-line flow injection analysis system based on the Jaffe reaction, which analyzed creatinine as it eluted non-retained from the phenylboronic acid column.

RESULTS

Various factors were considered in the design and optimization of the phenylboronic acid column, the tandem affinity/ion-pair HPLC columns and the flow injection analysis system. The total analysis time for the final combined system was approximately 16 min per injection at 1 ml/min. This method was found to have good agreement with the expected results for control urine samples. The limits of detection for 20 microl samples (S/N=3.0) were 1.8, 1.0 and 4.3 microg/l for norepinephrine, epinephrine and dopamine, respectively, while the limit of detection of creatinine was 5.0 mg/l. The linear response of this method extended over a 450 to 930-fold range in concentration for the catecholamines and covered the range of clinical interest. The within-day precision of this method was +/-2.0-2.7%.

CONCLUSIONS

The ability of this method to simultaneously monitor both creatinine and other analytes makes this HPLC/FIA system an attractive method for use in monitoring urinary compounds. With this approach it was possible to provide fast results for small volumes of random urine samples that were collected as part of a psychological study. The same method could also be utilized with 12 or 24 h urine specimens.

Simultaneous analysis of human plasma catecholamines by high-performance liquid chromatography with a reversed-phase triacontylsilyl silica column

The clinical importance of simultaneous analysis of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylglycol with other human plasma catecholamines has been investigated to better understand the sympathetic nervous system. However, previous reports have had analytical difficulties with both resolution and extraction. The current study uses a reversed-phase triacontylsilyl silica (C30) column under the mobile phase condition without ion-pair reagents to separate catecholamines and their metabolites, with above 91% recoveries for intra-assay, above 85% for inter-assay, and less than 10% (n=5) coefficient of variation. Lower detection limits (S/N=4) and quantification limits (S/N=6) were 40 and 100 pg/mL for norepinephrine, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylglycol, and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine, 10 and 20 pg/mL for epinephrine, 10 and 40 pg/mL for dopamine. Linear ranges were from 40 to 5000 pg/mL for norepinephrine and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine, from 100 to 5000 pg/mL for 3,4-dihydroxyphenylglycol, and from 10 to 2000 pg/mL for epinephrine and dopamine. The C30 column may prove clinically useful, as it provides a convenient and simultaneous method of evaluation of human plasma catecholamines.

Extraction and separation of urinary catecholamines as their diphenyl boronate complexes using C18 solid-phase extraction sorbent and high-performance liquid chromatography

The clinical utility of a one-step extraction procedure based on the retention of a diphenyl boronate-catecholamine complex on a C18 solid-phase extraction sorbent was investigated for the measurement of urinary catecholamines. Although recoveries with the extraction procedure were optimal over a relatively broad pH range (7.5-9.5), analytical factors such as sample loading and elution flow-rates, wash step and elution conditions, the concentration of catecholamines in urine to be extracted and the type of C18 sorbent used for extraction were found to influence the efficiency of this procedure and would therefore need to be controlled for optimal recoveries. Under optimal conditions the recovery of noradrenaline, adrenaline and dopamine from spiked urine was high and reproducible (mean recoveries were >85% for all catecholamines). The effectiveness of sample clean-up step was demonstrated by reverse phase, ion pair high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection. The method described was found to be suitable for the routine measurement of catecholamines in urine in clinical biochemistry laboratories. It has a high sample extraction throughput (40/h) and has adequate precision (between batch CV<8%) and sensitivity (LOD<30 nmol/l; LOQ<65 nmol/l) for all the catecholamines measured. The method has acceptable accuracy, showing a mean bias of 6.6% for noradrenaline, 7.3% for adrenaline and 6.8% for dopamine from the mean value of laboratories (N=69) participating in an External Quality Assurance scheme for greater than 12 months.

Affinity Chromatography: A Review of Clinical Applications

Affinity chromatography is a type of liquid chromatography that makes use of biological-like interactions for the separation and specific analysis of sample components. This review describes the basic principles of affinity chromatography and examines its use in the testing of clinical samples, with an emphasis on HPLC-based methods. Some traditional applications of this approach include the use of boronate, lectin, protein A or protein G, and immunoaffinity supports for the direct quantification of solutes. Newer techniques that use antibody-based columns for on- or off-line sample extraction are examined in detail, as are methods that use affinity chromatography in combination with other analytical methods, such as reversed-phase liquid chromatography, gas chromatography, and capillary electrophoresis. Indirect analyte detection methods are also described in which immunoaffinity chromatography is used to perform flow-based immunoassays. Other applications that are reviewed include affinity-based chiral separations and the use of affinity chromatography for the study of drug or hormone interactions with binding proteins. Some areas of possible future developments are then considered, such as tandem affinity methods and the use of synthetic dyes, immobilized metal ions, molecular imprints, or aptamers as affinity ligands for clinical analytes.

Selective extraction of quercetrin in vegetable drugs and urine by off-line coupling of boronic acid affinity chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography

Quercetrin, quercetin and chlorogenic acid were measured in urine or in drugs by combination of boronic acid affinity chromatography and HPLC. Simple reversed-phase HPLC with UV detection was used to determine quercetrin in five different Solidago virgaurea drugs. For determination of quercetrin in human urine immobilized boronic acid was applied for sample pretreatment. this procedure leads to a determination limit of 0.01 micrograms/ml with a recovery rate of 95.3%. The first results using this method for quercetrin pharmacokinetics are presented.

Coupled affinity-reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography systems for the measurement of glutathione S-transferases in human tissues

HPLC affinity and reversed-phase modes were coupled for the direct measurement of glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) in cytosol extracts. Two coupling designs were examined. In the sequential configuration the affinity column served to extract the isoenzymes which were then eluted directly onto the reversed-phase column as a single fraction. Subsequent separation in the reversed-phase mode provided a GST profile based on the subunit composition of the isoenzymes as a whole. In the second configuration (rapid sampling configuration), gradient elution was performed in the affinity mode resulting in resolution of the intact isoenzymes. The eluate from the affinity separation was sampled in continuous, repetitive intervals and automatically subjected to ongoing reversed-phase analysis. This multidimensional approach provided information on the GST subunit content and also gave information about the distribution of the subunits among individual isoenzymes, thereby forming a basis for the determination of the actual isoenzymatic composition of the GSTs. In both configurations, events were automated and co-ordinated through the use of computer and multiport switching valves. Examples of GST separations from these procedures are shown for human lung and liver tissues. A comparison of the GST subunit analyses from normal and cancer lung tissue excised from the same patient showed substantial elevations of GSTs in the cancer sample. Two-dimensional affinity-reversed-phase analysis of a human liver sample illustrates the utility of the technique for determining the isoenzymatic organization of GST subunits. The criteria for extending two-dimensional analysis to more complex GST mixtures are discussed.

Determination of catecholamines in urine and plasma by on-line sample pretreatment using an internal surface boronic acid gel

An automated method of analysis of catecholamines using a new packing material, internal surface boronic acid gel, was developed. The new support is designed with a carboxymethylcellulose-bonded external surface in order to be non-adsorptive to proteins and with a phenylboronic acid-bonded internal surface to retain only catecholamines. This packing support displayed an affinity for basic or neutral catecholic compounds with no protein adsorption and enabled on-line sample pretreatment of catecholamines in urine and deproteinized plasma. The catecholamines were selectively adsorbed on the new material and separated on a reversed-phase or a cation-exchange column. These compounds were then detected electrochemically. The limits of quantitation were 1.5-3.0 ng/ml in urine and 10-15 pg/ml in plasma, at a signal-to-noise ratio of 5.

Determination of catecholamines in urine by liquid chromatography and electrochemical detection after on-line sample purification on immobilized boronic acid

Norepinephrine, epinephrine and dopamine in urine were measured by an automated liquid chromatographic method. After sample purification on a column containing silica-immobilized boronic acid, which showed great affinity for catecholamines at neutral pH, the catecholamines were eluted by backflushing with an acidic mobile phase and transferred to a cation exchanger for separation. Detection was performed electrochemically and the relative standard deviation was 2% for the analysis of endogenous concentrations in human urine.

Determination of vanilmandelic acid in urine by coupled-column liquid chromatography combining affinity to boronate and separation by anion exchange

An automated liquid chromatographic method for assaying vanilmandelic acid in urine is described. Vanilmandelic acid and potential interfering substances, such as catechol compounds and their metabolites, have been tested for affinity to boronic acid-substituted silica at various pH values. Vanilmandelic acid and the internal standard, isovanilmandelic acid, were bound to the boronate matrix at an acidic pH, whereas for instance catecholamines were unretained and passed through the column. The alpha-hydroxycarboxylic acids were then desorbed by another mobile phase (pH 6.0) and transferred to an anion exchanger for chromatography and electrochemical detection. A relative standard deviation of 2.8% was obtained for the analysis of human urine samples containing 6.6 microM vanilmandelic acid.

Routine measurement of plasma catecholamines in clinical pharmacology by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection

A method for the simultaneous determination of epinephrine, norepinephrine and dopamine in human plasma is described, which combines the advantages of liquid-liquid extraction sample preparation, high-performance liquid chromatography on weak cation-exchange stationary phases and dual-electrode coulometric detection. The limits of quantification are less than 5 pg/ml (at a signal-to-noise ratio greater than 5) for each analyte. The influence of various experimental parameters (e.g., composition of the mobile phase, pretreatment of the assay buffer, components of the re-extraction system) on the performance of the assay is reported in detail. A number of applications are presented, which demonstrate the quality of the data obtained in terms of sensitivity, reproducibility and significance.

Automated high-performance liquid chromatographic determination of 5-S-cysteinyl-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine in urine

An automated high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method has been developed for measurement of 5-S-cysteinyl-DOPA in urine (DOPA = 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine). The urinary sample was injected into an HPLC boronate column. With a mobile phase of 0.1 M phosphate buffer containing 0.2 mM disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate (Na2EDTA) (pH 6.0) mixed with methanol (9:1), 5-S-cysteinyl-DOPA was adsorbed while most other compounds were washed away. By column switching, the column flow was reversed and 5-S-cysteinyl-DOPA was desorbed by a mobile phase of 0.1 M formic acid and 0.2 mM Na2EDTA at pH 3.0 and chromatographed on a reversed-phase column. The precision, as estimated from repeated analysis of an urinary sample and from duplicate analysis of a number of samples, ranged from 1.4 to 5.2% (coefficient of variation), and the analytical recovery was 93 +/- 4.1%. The method is suitable for use in the clinical laboratory.

High-performance liquid affinity chromatography with phenylboronic acid, benzamidine, tri-L-alanine, and concanavalin A immobilized on 3-isothiocyanatopropyltriethoxysilane-activated nonporous monodisperse silicas

Nonporous, microparticulate, monodisperse silicas with particle diameters between 0.7 and 2.1 microns are introduced as stationary phases in high-performance affinity chromatography. The immobilization of m-aminophenylboronic acid, p-aminobenzamidine, tri-L-alanine, and concanavalin A onto these silicas was successfully achieved using 3-isothiocyanatopropyl-triethoxysilane as an activation reagent. Immobilized phenylboronic acid was applied to the isolation of nucleosides, nucleotides, and glycoprotein hormones such as bovine follicotropin and human chorionic gonadotropin, while immobilized benzamidine was employed for the isolation of the serine proteases thrombin and trypsin, immobilized tri-L-alanine for the separation of pig pancreatic elastase and human leukocyte elastase, and immobilized concanavalin A for the isolation of horseradish peroxidase. In all affinity chromatographic systems studied, the nonporous monodisperse silicas showed improved chromatographic performance compared to results obtained with porous silica supports using identical activation and immobilization procedures. Furthermore, frontal analysis was used as a method to evaluate the influence of experimental parameters on biological activity and accessible ligand densities. Only minor changes in bioactivity were found with the nonporous affinity supports, where accessibilities were typically higher than ca. 60%. The immobilization of affinity ligands onto porous supports as used in this and associated papers thus represents a successful general procedure for the preparation of stable matrices with fast kinetics for use in high-performance affinity chromatography.

Catecholamines and their metabolites

The research on biosynthesis, physiology, pharmacology, regulation and degradation of catecholamines has continuously increased for more than 50 years. This is not unexpected because of the fact that catecholamines are involved in so many life processes such as nerve conduction, blood circulation and hormone regulations in health and disease. This demands that methods for their determination should be improved, and in fact during the years a number of analytical methods have been published. About 20 years ago radioenzyme techniques with thin-layer chromatographic (TLC) separation of radiolabelled catecholamine derivatives were developed which greatly contributed to our knowledge of physiological concentrations of catecholamines in biological media, particularly in plasma and brain. Radioimmune methods were successful for analysis of a number of analytes, but for catecholamines radioimmunoassays developed slowly. We believe that the greatest potential for radioimmunochemical methods lies in their ability to localize catecholamines and metabolites at the cellular and subcellular levels. With the advent of gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric (GC-MS) and high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) procedures analysis of catecholamines improved greatly., The equipment for GC-MS is expensive and requires technical skillfulness, but in experienced hands a lot of new biological data have emerged. An outstanding quality with GC-MS is that the method offers the ability to identify unknown compounds and is relatively free from interferences from extraneous compounds. In comparison with GC-MS, HPLC is versatile and has gained a widespread use. Applications for research in the catecholamine field are numerous. In general, the sensitivity and specificity are satisfactory with HPLC, but it should be borne in mind that a number of pitfalls can obscure the results. This involves both sample handling, clean-up and chromatographic procedures. At present, HPLC is the most expanding field in chromatographic determination of catecholamines and their metabolites. This is particularly the case for HPLC with electrochemical detection which has revolutionized our analytical potential in this field. These chromatographic procedures continue to develop. The prerequisites for further improved methods such as capillary zone electrophoresis and combined HPLC-MS are at hand and hopefully will soon come into more general use for analysis of catecholamines in biological samples.

High-performance liquid chromatography of steroid hormones

Although a considerable amount of work has been carried out in the last ten years in developing methods for the separation of steroids by HPLC, it is still not widespread for the reasons discussed above. There is however no doubt that further developments in HPLC technology, in increasing sensitivity and/or specificity of detection systems, perhaps with microbore columns, may lead to an increase in the use of this powerful analytical procedure as an additional separation method to improve specificity of assay. Solution of the problem of simple interfacing of HPLC systems with mass spectrometers (discussed in another chapter by Games) should further increase the application of HPLC. HPLC is of particular value in providing a means of separating unstable compounds prior to assay by relatively nonspecific quantitation methods. Most steroids do not fall into this category, but the steroid vitamin D and its metabolites do and HPLC has proved in this area to be invaluable (see chapter by Jones & DeLuca). There are a multiplicity of different HPLC systems for the separation of steroids, varying in column type (and manufacturer), solvent composition and method of elution, temperature of elution, etc., and only a few attempts have been made to rationalise these data. It would therefore seem that a fruitful area of future study would be the investigation of computerised systems for the selection and optimisation of HPLC systems for particular steroid separations.

Determination of catecholamines in urine (and plasma) by liquid chromatography after on-line sample pretreatment on small alumina or dihydroxyborylsilica columns

The possibilities of the on-line pre-concentration of catecholamines on small columns packed with aluminium oxide (10 micron) or dihydroxyborylsilica (5 micron) prior to high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) were investigated. For both pre-concentration materials the influence of the pH of the mobile phase on the retention characteristics was studied for the catecholamines and some of their derivatives lacking the catechol and/or the amine function. The recovery of the catecholamines and the loading capacity on some pre-columns was then investigated. The compatibility of the pre-concentration system with several HPLC systems, viz., reversed-phase ion-pair, ion-exchange and reversed-phase ion-pair partition chromatography, was studied. Combined with amperometric or fluorimetric detection, the method was applied to the determination of free catecholamines in urine, using dihydroxybenzylamine or epinine as internal standards. An example of the determination of catecholamines in plasma containing 100 pg/ml of each catecholamine is also shown.

Simultaneous measurement of urinary and plasma norepinephrine, epinephrine, dopamine, dihydroxyphenylalanine, and dihydroxyphenylacetic acid by coupled-column high-performance liquid chromatography on C8 and C18 stationary phases

This paper describes a simple and sensitive method for measuring norepinephrine, epinephrine, dopamine, dihydroxyphenylalanine, and dihydroxyphenylacetic acid in urine and plasma. This method involves a two-stage frontal-chromatographic clean-up, followed by coupled minibore high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection. The use of phenylboronate instead of alumina yields recoveries in the range of 80-90% for all the catecholamines, dihydroxyphenylalanine and dihydroxyphenylacetic acid without interferences. The interassay coefficient of variation for the measurement of these compounds was less than 12%.

Rapid purification of antisteroid antibodies by high-performance liquid affinity chromatography

An adsorbent for the high-performance affinity chromatography of antisteroid antibodies was prepared, based on a commercial pre-packed column. The column contained activated microparticulate silica beads bearing epoxide functions, on which the steroid dexamethasone was covalently linked. The column was used successfully for the rapid and complete isolation of several hundred microgram amounts of specific antidexamethasone antibodies from rabbit antisera. The practical aspects of the purification procedure, especially the optimization of the washing and of the elution steps, are detailed. Despite non-biospecific elution with 20% acetonitrile in an acidic buffer, the purification yield was very satisfactory and the biological activity of the purified immunoglobulins appeared excellent.

Determination of urinary and plasma dihydroxyphenylalanine by coupled-column high-performance liquid chromatography with C8 and C18 stationary phases

This paper describes a rapid, simple and sensitive method for measurement of L-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) in biological fluids. The method uses a two step frontal-chromatographic clean-up, followed by coupled minibore HPLC with electrochemical detection. The use of phenylboronate removes the peaks that interfere with the detection of DOPA. Inclusion of [14C]DOPA corrects for any variability in recovery.

High-performance liquid chromatographic separations on dihydroxyboryl-agarose

This paper (which is part of a series of articles on high-performance liquid chromatographic separations on agarose columns) describes the chromatographic behaviour of catecholamines, nucleosides, aminoacylated and non-aminoacylated tRNA, and glycosylated and non-glycosylated hemoglobins on agarose matrices derivatized with m-aminophenylboronic acid. These matrices primarily bind molecules with two vicinal hydroxy groups in the cis-configuration. The possible existence of secondary electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions has been studied with the aid of diagrams showing retention time as a function of pH and buffer concentration.

Separation of plasma membrane proteins of cultured human fibroblasts by affinity chromatography on bonded microparticulate silicas

Adsorbents for high-performance affinity chromatography were prepared by bonding proteins and reactive Procion triazine dyes to 3-isothiocyanatopropyl- and 3-aminopropylsilicas. The materials prepared were used successfully in the separation of hydrophobic plasma membrane proteins of cultured human fibroblasts. The data obtained show that the reaction of 3-isothiocyanatopropyltriethoxysilane (ITCPS) with the surface hydroxyl groups of silica yields a new and convenient route to preparing an "activated carrier" that is capable of coupling with potential affinity ligands containing amino functional groups. The reaction and bonding procedures of 3-isothiocyanatopropyltriethoxysilane and 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane with silica were optimized with regard to a controlled and reproducible ligand density by adjusting the type of solvent and organic base as reaction catalyst. The ligand content of reactive triazine dyes directly coupled to 3-aminopropylsilica was significantly higher than that of the 6-aminohexyl derivatives coupled to 3-isothiocyanatopropylsilica. The stability of Procion Blue MX-R bonded to 3-aminopropylsilica and 3-isothiocyanatopropylsilica in phosphate-buffered aqueous solution at pH 5.0 and 8.0 was examined.

Development of a chromatographic method for the quantitative determination of minor ribonucleosides in physiological fluids. Characterization and quantitative determination of minor ribonucleosides in physiological fluids, Part I

We describe an on-line multi-column high performance liquid chromatographic method for the selective clean-up and analysis of major and minor ribonucleosides in physiological fluids. Quantitative data obtained for the determination of some methylated ribonucleosides in human urines are compared with those obtained with the traditional off-line method. The on-line technique developed in our laboratory is distinguished from the off-line method by the following features: Sample clean-up and analysis of the target-compounds can easily be automatized, Total time of analysis, for example of urinary ribonucleosides, is decreased to 35 minutes, Laborious and error-prone evaporation and redissolution steps are avoided, Reliability of the overall analytical system can be controlled with ease, Small sample-volumes can be applied directly, Sensitive samples can be processed very rapidly under mild conditions, Results obtained with the on-line and off-line-techniques compare well.

Direct injection of plasma and urine in automated analysis of catecholamines by coupled-column liquid chromatography with post-column derivatization

Adrenaline, noradrenaline and dopamine have been quantified by direct injection of plasma and urine in a liquid chromatographic system comprising three columns, one packed with a boronic acid gel and two with reversed-phase material. The catecholamines were selectively adsorbed on the boronic acid gel and separated by ion-pair chromatography on the reversed-phase columns. Dopamine was detected by coulometry, while noradrenaline and adrenaline were detected by fluorimetry as trishydroxyindoles after post-column coulometric oxidation and alkaline rearrangement. The reaction rate constants of the post-column reactions were determined by a flow injection analysis approach. Limits of detection were 0.04, 0.05 and 1.6 pmol for noradrenaline, adrenaline and dopamine, respectively. Endogenous plasma levels of noradrenaline and adrenaline could be quantified with a precision (RSD) of 2-4%.