Monitoring radioactive compounds in high-performance liquid chromatographic eluates: fraction collection versus on-line detection

Simple approach to measure metabolic pathways of steroids in living cells

A simple, rapid approach to the study of conversion rates and metabolic patterns of the steroids testosterone and estradiol is presented. It includes an optimized isocratic high-performance liquid chromatographic procedure in the reversed-phase mode and radioactive on-line detection. The purpose was to estimate the activity of key enzymes of steroid pathways, such as 17 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase and 5 alpha-reductase, in in vivo conditions. Using this system, we obtained good efficiency and linearity of radio detection, under continuous flow conditions. Sensitivity limits were of the order of 50 and 70 cpm for [3H]estradiol and [14C]estrone, respectively, even though the efficiency was quite dissimilar (17.3% versus 56.2%). The applicability of this approach to studies of steroid metabolic pathways in growing cancer cells in culture is illustrated with examples of the conversion rates of both testosterone and estradiol. The high reproducibility (coefficients of variation of 2.7 and 5.1% for 3H and 14C, respectively) and good extraction efficiency (ranging from 86 to 94%) indicate the feasibility and reliability of this approach.

Radiochromatography in pharmaceutical and biomedical analysis

Recent advances in the chromatographic analysis of radiolabelled compounds are discussed, with emphasis on the optimization of radioactivity detection in modern chromatographic techniques. Applications are mentioned only infrequently. The state-of-the-art of common radioactivity detection methods is reviewed, as well as promising new detection principles. The latter include flow-through liquid scintillation counting of reversed-phase column eluates based on post-column extraction and solvent segmentation, flow-through heterogeneous counting using a flow cell constructed from axially aligned scintillation fibres, flow cells especially constructed for the detection of beta-emitting radioisotopes in capillary zone electrophoresis, position-sensitive analysers employed in radio planar chromatography and, finally 14C atom counting (as opposed to 14C decay counting) by accelerator mass spectrometry.

On-line radiometric determination of [14C]-urapidil and its main metabolises in rat plasma, using post-column ion-pair extraction and solvent segmentation techniques

Post-column ion-pair extraction has been applied to the on-line radiometric determination of [(14)C]-urapidil and its main metabolises in reversed-phase liquid chromatography (LC). [(14)C]-remoxipride was used as internal standard. Chromatography was performed isocratically, using acetonitrile-water (pH = 2.2) as eluent on a cyanobonded column. Various ion-pair reagents were tested for their extraction efficiency of the analytes mentioned from the eluent into chloroform. Quantitative extraction was possible using sodium dodecylbenzenesulphonate as ion-pair reagent. The influence of the extraction solvent composition, the percentage organic modifier in the eluent and the flow-rates of eluent and scintillator on the extraction percentage and the (14)C-counting efficiency has been studied. In addition, the enhancement of sensitivity is possible using an on-line radiometric procedure. Finally, the method has been applied to the analysis of rat plasma for [(14)C] -labelled urapidil and its metabolises.

On-line low-level radiometric detection of [14C]remoxipride in liquid chromatographic effluents. Application to urine samples

A method for on-line radiometric detection in liquid chromatography (LC) is described that permits the detection of low levels of radioactivity in LC effluents by using solvent segmentation and storage of the segmented effluent in a capillary storage loop. The object of the method is to make the flow-rate in the on-line radioactivity monitor (and hence the mean residence time in the monitor) independent of the separation process. Therefore, after storage of the complete chromatogram, the segmented effluent is led through the monitor at flow-rates that can be chosen according to the residence time desired for accurate and precise radioactivity determination. In this system, it is possible to use a flow-cell volume small enough to preserve the chromatographic integrity, while maintaining the possibility of increasing the counting time. Tests have been performed on the reproducibility of 14C detection and the influence of the flow-rate through the monitor on the standard deviation in 14C peak area and, thus, on the detection limit, using 14C-labelled remoxipride. As an application, analyses of urine samples for [14C]remoxipride and one of its potential metabolites are reported.

High-performance liquid chromatographic on-line flow-through radioactivity detector system for analyzing amino acids and metabolites labeled with nitrogen-13

A flow-through radioactivity detector was used for the high-performance liquid chromatographic determination of amino acids and other nitrogenous substances labeled with 13N, a short-lived (t1/2 9.96 min) positron-emitting radionuclide. 13N-Labeled compounds were analyzed using cation, anion and amino columns, or as the o-phthaldialdehyde derivative on an ODS column. Use of column-switching valves and a high-performance liquid chromatographic system with a quaternary eluting capability permits two to three 20-min analyses of labeled samples from a single 13N experiment to be carried out on different columns using a binary or a single mobile phase. Radioactivity in liver metabolites was quantified using an on-line flow-through monitor with data processing capability for integrating peaks and correcting for radioactivity decay. As an example, 1 min following an L-[13N]glutamate injection via the hepatic portal vein, 77% of the label in the liver was in a metabolized form; at least ten labeled products were formed.