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Here, we describe a study of screen characterization of aptamers targeting the chiral drug ephedrine using the non-immobilized graphene oxide (GO) SELEX. The improved method of long and short chains was here used to prepare the ssDNA library. The Resonance Rayleigh Scattering (RRS) method was first used to monitor the screening process. Through high-throughput sequencing, the genetic sequence data of 90,487 aptamers were obtained. Through the analysis of the parameters of free energy value and secondary structure prediction model of high repeatability sequence, the 10 candidate sequences were identified. Finally, a best-fit aptamer named EP08 was identified by combining the dissociation experiment. The binding affinity and binding mechanism of the aptamer and target were analyzed using an isothermal titration colorimetry (ITC) experiment and circular dichromatic (CD) experiment. The binding affinity (Kd) of the EP08 aptamer to ephedrine is approximately 2.86 ± 0.24 μM. This novel DNA aptamer will help in the future development of a new method for the identification and detection of chiral drug ephedrine., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Ephedrines in dietary supplements can arise from herbs or illegal adulteration so a liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method was developed for separation and quantification of ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, norephedrine, norepseudoephedrine, and methyl-ephedrine, some of which are isomer pairs of pseudo-structures. This method includes liquid-liquid extraction of ephedrines from three typical dietary supplement matrices-solid, liquid, and oil-as well as liquid chromatographic separation. After liquid chromatographic separation, ephedrines are qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed using triple quadrupole mass spectrometry with positive electrospray ionization in multi-reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. Ephedrine recoveries in a solid matrix ranged from 53.3-91.5%, in a liquid matrix from 56.4-102.3%, and in an oil matrix from 51.7-01.2%. Linearity ranges were 10-1000ng/g in solid and oil matrix and 1-100ng/ml in liquid matrix. Accuracy was -11.5-16.3%. Intra-day and inter-day variation are less than 5.9% and 7.3%, respectively. Expanded uncertainty of quantification is less than 0.123ng/g in a solid matrix, less than 0.139ng/ml in a liquid matrix, and less than 0.158ng/g in an oil matrix. Data collected for more than 500 routine samples are presented and discussed., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The utility of matrix solid phase dispersion (MSPD) for the direct analysis of amphetamines in hair samples has been evaluated, using liquid chromatography (LC) with fluorescence detection and precolumn derivatization. The proposed approach is based on the employment of MSPD for matrix disruption and clean-up, followed by the derivatization of the analytes onto the dispersant-sample blend. The fluorogenic reagent 9-fluorenylmethyl chloroformate (FMOC) has been used for derivatization. Different conditions for MSPD, analyte purification and solid phase derivatization have been tested, using amphetamine (AMP), methamphetamine (MET), ephedrine (EPE) and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) as model compounds. The results have been compared with those achieved by using ultrasound-assisted alkaline digestion and by MSPD combined with conventional solution derivatization. On the basis of the results obtained, a methodology is proposed for the analysis of amphetamines in hair which integrates sample disruption, clean-up and derivatization using a C18 phase. Improved sensitivity is achieved with respect to that obtained by the alkaline digestion or by the MSPD followed by solution derivatization methods. The method can be used for the quantification of the tested amphetamines within the 2.0-20.0ng/mg concentration interval, with limits of detection (LODs) of 0.25-0.75ng/mg. The methodology is very simple and rapid (the preparation of the sample takes less than 15min)., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A simple analytical method based on liquid chromatography coupled with triple-quadrupole mass spectrometry was developed for detection of the veterinary drugs flumethasone, dl-methylephedrine, and 2-hydroxy-4,6-dimethylpyrimidine in porcine muscle and pasteurized cow milk. The target drugs were extracted from samples using 10mM ammonium formate in acetonitrile followed by clean-up with n-hexane and primary secondary amine sorbent (PSA). The analytes were separated on an XBridge™ hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) column using 10mM ammonium formate in ultrapure water and acetonitrile. Good linearity was achieved over the tested concentrations in matrix-fortified calibrations with correlation coefficients (R(2))≥0.9686. Recovery at two spiking levels ranged between 73.62-112.70% with intra- and inter-day precisions of ≤20.33%. The limits of quantification ranged from 2-10ng/g in porcine muscle and pasteurized cow milk. A survey of market samples showed that none of them contained any of the target analytes. Liquid-liquid purification using n-hexane in combination with PSA efficiently removed the interferences during porcine and milk sample extraction. The developed method is sensitive and reliable for detection of the three target drugs in a single chromatographic run. Furthermore, it exhibits high selectivity and low quantification limits for animal-derived food products destined for human consumption., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A novel approach for the resolution and quantitation of severely overlapped quaternary mixture of carbinoxamine maleate (CAR), pholcodine (PHL), ephedrine hydrochloride (EPH) and sunset yellow (SUN) in syrup was demonstrated utilizing different spectrophotometric assisted multivariate calibration methods. The applied methods have used different processing and pre-processing algorithms. The proposed methods were partial least squares (PLS), concentration residuals augmented classical least squares (CRACLS), and a novel method; continuous wavelet transforms coupled with partial least squares (CWT-PLS). These methods were applied to a training set in the concentration ranges of 40-100 μg/mL, 40-160 μg/mL, 100-500 μg/mL and 8-24 μg/mL for the four components, respectively. The utilized methods have not required any preliminary separation step or chemical pretreatment. The validity of the methods was evaluated by an external validation set. The selectivity of the developed methods was demonstrated by analyzing the drugs in their combined pharmaceutical formulation without any interference from additives. The obtained results were statistically compared with the official and reported methods where no significant difference was observed regarding both accuracy and precision., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Simple, rapid, sensitive, precise and accurate spectrophotometeric methods for the determination of ephedrine hydrochloride (E-HCl) and bromhexine hydrochloride (Br-HCl) in bulk samples, dosage form and in spiked urine samples were investigated. The methods are based on the formation of a yellow colored ion-associates due to the interaction between the examined drugs with picric acid (PA), chlorophyllin coppered trisodium salt (CLPH), alizarin red (AR) and ammonium reineckate (Rk) reagents. A buffer solution had been used and the extraction was carried out using organic solvent, the ion associates exhibit absorption maxima at 410, 410, 430 and 530 nm of (Br-HCl)with PA, CLPH, AR and Rk respectively; 410, 410, 435 and 530 of (E-HCl) with PA, CLPH, AR and Rk respectively. (E-HCl) and (Br-HCl) could be determined up to 13, 121, 120 and 160; 25, 200, 92 and 206 μg mL(-1), using PA, CLPH, AR and Rk respectively. The optimum reaction conditions for quantitative analysis were investigated. In addition, the molar absorptivity, Sandell sensitivity were determined for the investigated drug. The correlation coefficient was ≥0.995 (n=6) with a relative standard deviation (RSD) ≤1.15 for five selected concentrations of the reagents. Therefore the concentration of Br-HCl and E-HCl drugs in their pharmaceutical formulations and spiked urine samples had been determined successfully., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The separation and quantification of hydrophilic basic compounds continues to challenge reversed-phase chromatography. Ephedrines are an example where the optimal separation of their isomers and related substances is complicated due to both their hydrophilicity and basic nature. Here we study two potential ultra-high pressure liquid chromatography (UHPLC) methods and present the merits and limitations of a high pH reversed-phase and a hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) approach for the separation and quantification of ephedrines for doping control analysis. The study compares a hybrid silica material used for the HILIC separations with a C18 reversed-phase material produced from the same hybrid silica. While both analytical approaches provide good retention and resolution, HILIC offers benefits in terms of peak shape, sample loading capacity and enhanced sensitivity with electrospray ionisation-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). HILIC permits favourable kinetic performance owing to the low viscosity mobile phase and hence better mass transfer characteristics. Common problems associated with HILIC including retention shifts and undesirable peak shapes are investigated and overcome using a suitable re-equilibration time and injection solvent. Validation data show both approaches provide good linearity (r>0.995), accuracy (RPLC<7.5% error, HILIC<7.6% error) and precision (RPLC<7.0% RSD, HILIC<10.3% RSD) for all analytes. Matrix effects were shown to have a negligible effect on ionisation variability in each mode, with inter-day retention times also being repeatable (<0.17% RSD). HILIC gave increased sensitivity with ESI-MS, giving a 6-fold increase in signal over the RPLC approach. In this application, we demonstrate the use of UHPLC technology coupled with a hybrid quadrupole time-of-flight (QToF) mass analyser. This approach provides fast scanning medium-resolution accurate mass detection for reliable identification and quantification purposes., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

New cost-effective potentiometric membrane sensors with cylindrical configuration responsive to ephedrine are described. The sensors setup is, based on the use of triacetyl-β-cyclodextrin [(triacetyl-β-CD)] as a neutral ionophore embedded in a plasticized poly (vinyl chloride) (PVC) matrix (sensor I) and carboxylated poly(vinyl chloride) [(PVC-COOH)] as a simultaneous plastic matrix and ion exchanger (sensor II). Both sensors showed significant enhancement of response towards ephedrinium cation (EPD(+)) over a concentration range of 3.0 × 10(-5)-8.0 × 10(-3) mol L(-1) at pH 4-9 and 3-8 with low detection limits of 5.7 × 10(-6) and 6.2 × 10(-6) mol L(-1) for sensors (I) and (II), respectively. The sensors displayed near-Nernstian cationic slope of 57.0 and 55.6 mV decade(-1) for EPD(+) and the effects of lipophilic salts and various foreign common ions were examined. The sensors were also satisfactorily used as tubular detectors in a double channel flow injection system. The intrinsic characteristics of the detectors in a low dispersion manifold under hydrodynamic mode of operation were determined and compared with data obtained under batch mode of operation. Validation of the method revealed good performance characteristics including long life span, good selectivity for EPD(+) over a wide variety of other organic compounds, long term stability, high reproducibility, fast response, low detection limit, wide measurement range, acceptable accuracy and precision. Applications of the sensors to the determination of EPD(+) in pharmaceutical formulations and spiked biological fluid samples were carried out and compared with standard techniques. Notably, the sensors introduced offer several advantages over many of those previously described that are amenable to quality control/quality assurance assessment of the homogeneity, stability and purity of ephedrine drug tablets., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A method for simultaneous determination of eight adulterants including two appetite suppressants, two energy expenditure-enhancing drugs, one diuretic and three cathartics in slimming functional foods by high performance liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS/MS) was established. After samples were ultrasonically extracted with 70% (v/v) methanol aqueous solution and centrifuged, the components of ephedrine, norpseudoephedrine, fenfluramine, sibutramine, clopamide, emodin, rhein, and chrysophanol in sample solution were separated by a Hypersil Gold column (2.1 mm × 150 mm, 5 μm) using a programmed gradient elution. A mobile phase consisting of 0.02% (v/v) formic acid-ammonium formate buffer solution (pH=3.50) and methanol was used for elution with a flow rate set at 250 μL/min and column temperature of 25 °C. Qualitative determination was based on characteristic ion pairs and retention time of the targeted compounds using SRM (selective reaction monitoring) mode. Clenbuterol and ibuprofen were internal standards in positive and negative ionization mode, respectively. The internal standard curves were used for quantification measurement. The average recoveries of three different concentrations were from 80.2% to 94.5%. The limits of detection (LODs) were from 0.03 to 0.66 mg/kg (except chrysophanol 1.6 mg/kg). The linear dynamic range covered from 1 to 500 μg/L (except chrysophanol 50-5000 μg/L) for the twelve samples analyzed. Adulterants in four different kinds of slimming functional foods were determined by this developed method, and satisfactory results were obtained. These experimental results showed that, adulteration of sibutramine or/and fenfluramine were the major adulterating components with contents varying from 6.1 to 1.3×10(3) mg/kg and 1.9 to 9.7×10(3) mg/kg, respectively. In addition, three cathartic compounds were detected in six of those tested samples, and ephedrine, norpseudoephedrine and clopamide were not detected in all samples., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A simple and effective method of capillary electrophoresis-amperometric detection (CE-AD) coupled with transient isotachophoresis (tITP) was developed for the trace determination of doping substances. Compared with the conventional capillary electrophoresis method, the maximum enhancement factor in terms of peak heights was up to 5500-fold when the tITP technique was adopted. Under the optimum conditions, the detection limit (S/N=3) for methylephedrine (MDP), celiprolol (CEL), sotalol (SOT) and indapamide (IDP) were 4.2 x 10(-14), 6.3 x 10(-13), 5.8 x 10(-14) and 9.5 x 10(-13)molL(-1), respectively. The RSDs of four analytes were 1.0-2.3% for migration time and 2.6-3.8% for peak current, respectively. The proposed method was successfully applied to determine the contents of SOT and IDP in real urine sample, and the excretion curve of IDP within 48h was also investigated. The recoveries of the four doping in urine ranged from 90.0 to 102%.

Ephedra sinica Stapf (Ephedraceae) is a widely used Chinese medicinal plant (Chinese name: Ma Huang). The main active constituents of E. sinica are the unique and taxonomically restricted adrenergic agonists phenylpropylamino alkaloids, also known as ephedrine alkaloids: (1R,2S)-norephedrine (1S,2S)-norpseudoephedrine, (1R,2S)-ephedrine, (1S,2S)-pseudoephedrine, (1R,2S)-N-methylephedrine and (1S,2S)-N-methylpseudoephedrine. GC-MS analysis of freshly picked young E. sinica stems enabled the detection of 1-phenylpropane-1,2-dione and (S)-cathinone, the first two putative committed biosynthetic precursors to the ephedrine alkaloids. These metabolites are only present in young E. sinica stems and not in mature stems or roots. The related Ephedra foemina and Ephedra foliata also lack ephedrine alkaloids and their metabolic precursors in their aerial parts. A marked diversity in the ephedrine alkaloids content and stereochemical composition in 16 different E. sinica accessions growing under the same environmental conditions was revealed, indicating genetic control of these traits. The accessions can be classified into two groups according to the stereochemistry of the products accumulated: a group that displayed only 1R stereoisomers, and a group that displayed both 1S and 1R stereoisomers. (S)-cathinone reductase activities were detected in E. sinica stems capable of reducing (S)-cathinone to (1R,2S)-norephedrine and (1S,2S)-norpseudoephedrine in the presence of NADH. The proportion of the diastereoisomers formed varied according to the accession tested. A (1R,2S)-norephedrine N-methyltransferase capable of converting (1R,2S)-norephedrine to (1R,2S)-ephedrine in the presence of S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) was also detected in E. sinica stems. Our studies further support the notion that 1-phenylpropane-1,2-dione and (S)-cathinone are biosynthetic precursors of the ephedrine alkaloids in E. sinica stems and that the activity of (S)-cathinone reductases directs and determines the stereochemical branching of the pathway. Further methylations are likely due to N-methyltransferase activities., (Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Stimulants have been frequently detected in doping control samples and represent a structurally diverse class of compounds. Comprehensive sports drug-testing procedures have been developed using gas or liquid chromatography combined with mass spectrometric detection, and they have revealed various adverse analytical findings, as demonstrated with 2 examples, 4-methylhexan-2-amine and methoxyphenamine. Moreover, the necessity of controlling the use or misuse of stimulating agents is outlined by means of pseudoephedrine, a compound that was prohibited in sports until the end of 2003. Since the ban was lifted, monitoring programs proved a significant increase in pseudoephedrine applications as determined from urine samples collected in competition. As a consequence, a reimplementation of this drug in future doping controls was decided., (Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

This paper describes an automatic rapid approach for in-capillary derivatization of ephedrine (E) and pseudoephedrine (PE) and subsequent sensitive determination of the derivatives by micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) with laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) detection using 4-fluoro-7-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole (NBD-F) as fluorescent reagent. The unique feature of this method is the capillary being used as a small reaction chamber, in which the sample, derivatization buffer and reagent solutions were injected directly into the capillary by tandem mode, followed by an electrokinetic step (5 kV, 15s) to enhance the mixing efficiency of analytes and reagent plugs. Standing a specified time of 1 min for reaction, the derivatives were then immediately separated and determined. Several parameters for in-capillary derivatization and subsequent MEKC separation were systematically investigated. Under these optimized conditions, a baseline separation of the two analytes was achieved within 10 min and the derivatization concentration limits of detection were found to be 4.8 ng mL(-1) for E and 1.6 ng mL(-1) for PE, respectively. The method was validated in terms of precision, linearity, accuracy and successfully applied for the determination of the two alkaloids in ephedra herb and its preparations.

We describe a child who presented with hallucinations in whom urine dipstick testing was positive for amphetamines. As a result the child protection team were involved. Subsequently, the urinalysis done by gas chromatography showed no amphetamines but a large quantity of ephedrine. The child had been given cough mixture which contains ephedrine. A cross-reaction had occurred between ephedrine and amphetamine when using the urinary dipsticks. This case highlighted the importance of clinicians being aware of the diagnostic accuracy and pitfalls of the investigations requested. In particular, this is critical when the results of such tests have such far reaching medicolegal and social consequences.

A novel sequential injection (SI) method was developed for the determination of penicillamine (PA) and ephedrine (EP) based on the reaction of these drugs with tris(bipyridyl)ruthenium(II) (Ru(bpy)(3)(2+)) and peroxydisulfate (S(2)O(8)(2-)) in the presence of light. Derivatization of PA and EP with aldehydes has resulted in a significant enhancement of the chemiluminescence emission signal by at least 25 times for PA and 12 times for EP, leading to better sensitivities and lower detection limits for both drugs. The instrumental setup utilized a syringe pump and a multiposition valve to aspirate the reagents, (Ru(bpy)(3)(2+) and S(2)O(8)(2-)), and a peristaltic pump to propel the sample. The experimental conditions affecting the derivatization reaction and the chemiluminescence reaction were systematically optimized using the univariate approach. Under the optimum conditions linear calibration curves between 0.2-24 microgmL(-1) for PA and 0.2-20 microgmL(-1) for EP were obtained. The detection limits were 0.1 microgmL(-1) for PA and 0.03 microgmL(-1) for EP. The procedure was applied to the analysis of PA and EP in pharmaceutical products and was found to be free from interferences from concomitants usually present in these preparations.

Stimulants are banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) if used "in competition". Being the analysis of stimulants presently carried out on urine samples only, it might be useful, for a better interpretation of analytical data, to discriminate between an early intake of the substance and an administration specifically aimed to improve the sport performance. The purpose of the study was to investigate the differences, in terms of excretion/disappearance of drugs, between urine and oral fluid, a sample that can reflect plasmatic concentrations. Oral fluid and urine samples were collected following oral administration of the following stimulants: modafinil (100 mg), selegiline (10 mg), crotetamide/cropropamide (50 mg each), pentetrazol (100 mg), ephedrine (12 mg), sibutramine (10 mg), mate de coca (a dose containing about 3mg of cocaine); analysis of drugs/metabolites was carried out by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) in both body fluids. Our results show that both the absolute concentrations and their variation as a function of time, in urine and in oral fluid, are generally markedly different, being the drugs eliminated from urine much more slowly than from oral fluid. Our results also suggest that the analysis of oral fluid could be used to successfully complement the data obtained from urine for "in competition" anti-doping tests; in all those cases in which the metabolite(s) concentration of a substance in urine is very low and the parent compound is not detected, it is indeed impossible, relying on urinary data only, to discriminate between recent administrations of small doses and remote administrations of higher doses.

The coupling of capillary electrophoresis-electrospray ionization and time-of-flight mass spectrometry, combining efficiency and speed of separation with high mass accuracy and fast scanning capability, was for the first time applied to the determination of drugs of abuse (amphetamine, methamphetamine, MDA, MDMA, ephedrine, cocaine, morphine, codeine) and their metabolites in hair (6-MAM, benzoylecgonine). Experimental conditions were as follows. Separation: voltage 15 kV, uncoated fused-silica capillary (75 microm ID, 100 cm total length), running electrolyte 25 mM ammonium formate, pH 9.5, field-amplified sample stacking injection. Forensic drugs could be identified by exact mass determination (mass accuracy typically < or = 5 ppm) and by match of the isotopic pattern. The method was fully validated, showing limit of detections (LODs) suitable for the determination of all the compounds below the cut-off usually adopted for hair analysis (0.1 ng/mg). Analytical precision in real matrices (tested at 0.1 and 1.0 ng/mg) was typically characterized by CV's < or = 24% in both intra-day and day-to-day experiments. Quantitative determination was also tested by using a single internal standard (folcodine). Results, although with a moderate accuracy, conceivably depending on the lack of deuterated internal standards, proved useful for diagnostic use of the results from hair analysis. A single liquid-liquid extraction procedure was applied for all analytes, allowing the detection of a broad spectrum of basic drugs and their major metabolites.

A method based on poly (methacrylic acid-co-ethylene glycol dimethacrylate) (MAA-EGDMA) monolith microextraction (PMME) and field-enhanced sample injection (FESI) pre-concentration technique was proposed for sensitive capillary electrophoresis-ultraviolet (CE-UV) analysis of ephedrine (E) and pseudoephedrine (PE) in human plasma and urine. The PMME device consisted of a regular plastic syringe (1 mL), a poly (MAA-EGDMA) monolithic capillary (2 cm x 530 microm I.D.) and a plastic pinhead connecting the former two components seamlessly. The extraction was achieved by driving the sample solution through the monolithic capillary tube using a syringe pump, for the desorption step, an aliquot of organic solvent, which normally provided an excellent medium to ensure direct compatibility for FESI in CE, was injected via the monolithic capillary and collected into a vial for subsequent analysis by CZE. The best separation was achieved using a buffer composed of 0.1M phosphate electrolyte (pH 2.5) and 10% acetonitrile (v/v). The combination of both pre-concentration procedures allowed the detection limits of the analytes down to 5.3 ng/mL and 8.0 ng/mL in human plasma and urine, respectively. Excellent method of reproducibility was found over a linear range 50-5000 ng/mL in plasma and urine sample. Plasma and urine samples from volunteers receiving pseudoephedrine have also been successfully analysed.

1S,4R-(+)-ketopinic acid [(+)-KPA] has been introduced as a chiral selector for the separation of pharmacologically active amines by non-aqueous capillary electrophoresis (NACE). (+)-KPA gave enantioresolution for most of the compounds previously separated by 2R,3S,4R,5S-(-)-2,3:4,6-di-O-isopropylidene-2-keto-L-gulonic acid [(-)-DIKGA], but with a reversed migration order. A complete enantioresolution (Rs=4.2) was obtained for timolol, a compound that could not be resolved using (-)-DIKGA as the selector. Thus, (+)-KPA was evaluated for the enantiomeric purity determination of S-timolol. A method based on pre-concentration by transient isotachophoresis (tITP) provided a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.2% R-timolol in S-timolol samples. Because of the lack of enantioresolution of ephedrine when (+)-KPA was used as the selector, a method with (-)-DIKGA has been developed and validated for determination of the enantiomeric purity of the 1R,2S enantiomer. The method gave good precision and accuracy with an LOD (S/N=3) of 0.033% for the enantiomeric impurity 1S,2R-ephedrine.

Surfactant assisted pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) with a laboratory made system was applied for the extraction of glycyrrhizin in radix glycyrrhizae/liquorice and ephedrine in Ephedra sinica. The proposed system set-up for this current work was simpler as no heating and back pressure regulator was required. Extraction with surfactant assisted PLE was carried out dynamically at a flow of 1.5 mL min(-1), at room temperature, under an applied pressure of 10-20 bar with an extraction time of 45-50 min. The extraction efficiencies of the proposed method using surfactants such as sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and Triton X-100 were compared with sonication using organic solvent for different batches of medicinal plants materials. For the determination of glycyrrhizin in R. glycyrrhizae, the extraction efficiencies of surfactant assisted PLE with SDS and Triton X-100 was observed to be comparable with sonication. The method precision was found to vary from 1.6 to 2.6% (R.S.D., n=6) on different days. For ephedrine in E. sinica, surfactant assisted PLE with SDS was found to give higher extraction efficiencies compared to Triton X-100. The overall method precision for surfactant assisted PLE with SDS for ephedrine in E. sinica was found to vary from 1.5 to 4.1% (R.S.D., n=6) on different days. The marker compounds present in the various medicinal plant extracts were determined by gradient elution HPLC. Our data showed the possibility of PLE at room temperature and the advantages of eliminating the use of organic solvents in the extraction process.

The separation of ephedrine-type alkaloids and their enantiomers in raw herbs and commercial herbal products was investigated by carrying out enantioselective separation in the first-dimension column (containing beta-cyclodextrin as the chiral selector) of a comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC x GC) system, whereas a polar polyethylene glycol capillary column was used for separation in the second dimension. Naturally occurring ephedrine-type alkaloids and their synthetic analogues (enantiomeric counterparts) were adequately resolved from each other, as well as from potential interference species in the sample matrix using GC x GC, whereas single column GC analysis was unable to separate all the alkaloids of interest. Detection limits in the order of 0.1-1.3 microg/mL and linearity of calibration with R(2)>or=0.999 over approximately the range of 0.5-100 microg/mL for the quantitative determination of various ephedrine-type alkaloids were obtained. The commercial herbal products tested contained mostly (-)-ephedrine, (+)-pseudoephedrine, (-)-N-methylephedrine and (-)-norephedrine, with concentrations in the range of 40-2100, 0-1,300, 15-300 and 0-30 microg/g of the product, respectively, and repeatability of analysis was generally in the range of 1-5%. The present GCxGC method is effective and useful for the determination of the dosage levels of the principle ephedrine-type alkaloids in commercial health supplements and complex raw herb formulations, as well the differentiation of ephedrine-containing products that were derived from natural plant or synthetic sources, e.g., simply by visualizing the presence or absence of the enantiomeric pairs of (+/-) ephedrine and (+/-)-N-methylephedrine in the GC x GC chromatograms.

This paper presents a micellar electrokinetic chromatography method with laser-induced fluorescence detection to analyze ephedrine (E) and pseudoephedrine (PE) after derivatizated with 5-(4,6-dichloro-s-triazin-2-ylamino) fluorescein. The optimum derivatization conditions were: 0.05 M Na2CO(3/NaHCO3 (pH 9.5), reaction time 30 min at 45 degrees C, molar ratio of DTAF to E and PE mixture 20:1. The baseline separation was achieved within 8 min with running buffer composed of 20 mM borate+20 mM SDS+15% acetonitrile (v/v) (adjusted pH 9.8), and applied voltage of 20 kV. Good linearity relationships (correlation coefficients: 0.9906 for E and 0.9941 for PE) between the peak heights and concentration of the analytes were obtained (2.5-50 ngmL(-1)). The detection limits for E and PE were 3.85 x 10(-4) and 1.41 x 10(-4)ngmL(-1), respectively, which indicated that the proposed method surpassed other chromatographic alternatives in terms of limit of detection by at least 10(3) folds. The method was applied to the analysis of the two alkaloids in ephedra herb plants and its preparations with recoveries in the range of 89.6-107.0%.

Concerned with variations in abuse potential and control status among various isomers of ephedrines and norephedrines, this study was conducted to develop an effective method for the simultaneous analysis of eight ephedrine-related compounds along with structurally similar cathinones. Among various approaches studied, a 60-m HP-5MS (0.25 mm i.d., 0.25 microm film thickness) was successfully used to characterize the following compounds that were derivatized with (-)-alpha-methoxy-alpha-trifloromethylphenylacetic acid (MTPA): (+)-cathinone, (-)-cathinone, (+)-norephedrine, (-)-norephedrine, (+)-norpseudoephedrine, (+)-ephedrine, (-)-ephedrine, (-)-pseudoephedrine, (+)-pseudoephedrine. (-)-Cathine standard was not available, but should also be resolvable under this analytical procedure. This method was successfully applied to the analysis of selected cold remedies for characterizing the enantiomeric compositions of the compounds present in these samples.

Three complementary capillary electrophoresis (CE) methods were developed for the separation and quantification of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine stereoisomers. Either single or dual cyclodextrin-based chiral selector systems provided enantioselective separation of the compounds of interest. The three methods were applied to the analysis of a suite of five standard reference materials (SRMs) containing ephedra. Use of a high-sensitivity UV detection cell enhanced quantification of the analytes of interest over the wide range of concentrations encountered in the SRMs. Results for (-)-ephedrine ranged from 0.31 to 76.43 mg/g, and for (+)-pseudoephedrine ranged from 0.049 to 9.23 mg/g in the materials studied. Results from the three methods agreed well with each other and with the results from other methods of analysis. The addition of known amounts of specific enantiomers was used to confirm the enantiomeric identity of the analytes. The results obtained by the three CE methods were utilized for value assignment of the ephedrine alkaloid content of these five SRMs.

The present work describes a simple, accurate and rapid method for the separation and simultaneous determination of codeine, diphenhydramine, ephedrine and noscapine present in cough-cold syrup formulations by capillary zone electrophoresis. Factors affecting the separation were the buffer pH and concentration, applied voltage, and presence of additives. Separations were carried out in less than 10 min with a 20 mM sodium tetraborate buffer, pH 8.50. The carrier electrolyte gave baseline separation with good resolution, great reproducibility and accuracy. Calibration plots were linear over at least three orders of magnitude of analyte concentrations, the lower limits of detection being within the range 0.42-1.33 microg ml(-1). Detection was performed by UV absorbance at wavelengths of 205 and 250 nm. Quantification of the components in actual syrup formulations was calculated against the responses of freshly prepared external standard solutions. The method was validated and met all analysis requirements of quality assurance and quality control. The procedure was fast and reliable and commercial pharmaceuticals could be analyzed without prior sample clean-up procedure.

This paper describes a gas chromatography (GC)--mass spectrometry (MS) method for the simultaneous quantification of ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, cathine, norephedrine and methylephedrine in urine. The sample preparation step includes solid phase extraction and derivatisation with N-methyl-N-trimethylsilyl-trifluoroacetamide (MSTFA). An evaluation of various silylation conditions compatible with screening methods in doping control analysis is presented. The method was found to be well suited for quantification of ephedrines in doping control.

The behaviour of di- and tri-fluorinated-ephedrines and -norephedrines has been studied by fast atom bombardment, atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation (APCI) and electrospray ionisation (ESI) experiments and compared with that of the unfluorinated analogues. Under all the employed ionisation conditions [MH](+) and [MH-H(2)O](+) species are mainly produced. Both high- and low-energy collisional experiments were performed on the protonated molecules to put in evidence any possible significant differences due to different ionisation methods. Multiple MS/MS experiments, performed by ion trap, allowed establishment of the decomposition pathways at lower activation energy. The data thus obtained indicate that the presence of fluorinated substituents leads to a higher stability of the molecular species, with strengthening of the C(1)-C(2) bond of the molecule and with a lower proclivity to thermally-induced dehydration.

The enantiomers of adrenaline, noradrenaline, ephedrine and pseudoephedrine were separated by capillary electrophoresis on a micromachined device. Detection was carried out with a new two-electrode amperometric detector, eliminating the need for individual counter and reference electrodes. Separation of the isomers was achieved by employing carboxymethyl-beta-cyclodextrin as chiral selector in the buffer, partly with the additional inclusion of the crown ether 18-crown-6. Plate numbers of up to 20,000, chiral resolutions of 2.5 and detection limits of the order of 10(-7) M were achieved. All separations were completed in less then 3 min.

Herbal mixtures containing Ma Huang are of significant interest because of their popularity regardless of their potential health hazards. In spite of reports of health problems and even several deaths, these products are still frequently recommended for use. The complex nature of the commercial supplement mixtures has posed a problem in both their qualitative and quantitative analysis. A gas chromatographic procedure has been developed to evaluate authenticity of Ma Huang mixtures. Mass spectrometric identification of the six major alkaloid ephedrine components and application of chi-square evaluation of the chromatographic profile allows a determination to be made regarding the nature of the origin of the mixture. For comparison, a standard mixture was prepared that approximates a typical Ma Huang composition based on average amounts of each alkaloid component reported in the literature. The system is temperature stable and allows simultaneous analysis for caffeine and other components of the commercial supplements. Several samples of commercial herbal products were analyzed by the procedure, and their composition is evaluated and discussed.

This paper describes the testing of a saturated factorial design using a full factorial design. Saturated factorial designs are often used to test the robustness of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) methods, however they are based on several assumptions. A full factorial design relies on fewer assumptions and hence could be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the saturated design. Both designs were used to test a gradient HPLC method for the assay of codeine phosphate, pseudoephedrine hydrochloride and chlorpheniramine maleate. Six HPLC conditions, including wavelength, mobile phase pH and ion pairing reagent concentration were tested using the saturated design. Three of these factors were selected for full evaluation using a full factorial design. The results showed that the main effects calculated by each design were comparable. However, the saturated design showed higher standard errors, probably due to the effects of changing several more factors. One interaction effect was indicated as a confounding effect by the saturated design and this was confirmed by the calculation of the same interaction effect using the full design. Overall the method was shown to be robust under the variety of HPLC conditions tested.

A sensitive GC-MS method was developed for the quantitative analysis of ephedrine (EP), phenylpropanolamine (PPA) and methylephedrine (ME) in animal and human hair. After washing with 0.1% sodium dodecyl sulfate, hair samples (10 mg) were added with deuterated internal standards, extracted by 1-h sonication and over night soaking in 2 ml of 5 M HCl-methanol (1:20) at room temperature. Following evaporation of the liquid phase, the residue was dissolved in phosphate buffer solution (pH 6.0) and purified using a solid-phase extraction procedure with Bond Elut Certify columns. Two types of derivatization were compared - using trifluoroacetic anhydride (TFAA) and pentafluoropropionic anhydride (PFPA) - for discrimination of EP and methamphetamine (MA). Derivatized extracts were analyzed by GC-MS in the EI mode using a capillary column (OV-1 equivalent). From the results comparing three GC-MS conditions, PFP-derivatives separated with a temperature gradient of 20 degrees C/min from 60 degrees C to 280 degrees C gave the best resolution between EP and MA. ME was analyzed as a trimethylsilyl derivative using N,O-bis-trimethylsilyl acetamide at the above GC condition. The assay was linear from 0.5 to 50 ng/mg (r=0.998) and capable of detecting less than 50 pg of derivatized EP, PPA and ME on-column. Intra-assay precision was characterized by C.V. values from 5 to 16% in the concentration range of 1-10 ng/mg hair. The method was used for the quantitative determination of EP, PPA and ME in the hair obtained from three rats with dark brown hair after ten intraperitoneal injections (5 mg/kg/day) of the three drugs and from three male and one female volunteers with black hair after an oral dose of 50 mg/day of EP-HCl for three days. Hair samples were collected by shaving from the back of rats and cutting from the scalp of humans 28 days after the first dose. The incorporation rates of EP, PPA and ME into hair (the ratios of [hair concentration] to [AUC]) obtained from the animal experiment were 0.10, 0.07 and 0.03, respectively, which are a little lower than those (0.14, 0.10 and 0.04) of their desoxy-compounds, MA, amphetamine and dimethylamphetamine. EP was detected at an average of 2.25 ng/mg (n=4) in human scalp hair and at a range of 1-29 ng/mg (n=3) in human beard hair until day 14, but its metabolite (PPA) was at a trace level in the hair of the four subjects. The method was successfully used for detection of ME and EP in the hair of a neonate and its mother who was abusing Bron syrup containing ME during the pregnancy.

An isocratic high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for the simultaneous determination of the active compounds paracetamol, pseudoephedrine and chlorpheniramine in chewing gum samples has been developed and validated. The method required a simple liquid-liquid extraction using n-hexane and a mixture of water-acetonitrile prior to HPLC analysis. The chromatographic separation was achieved with an aqueous solution containing hexylamine (pH 3)-acetonitrile as the mobile phase, a Spherisorb C18 column and UV detection at 220 nm. As an application, the proposed method has been used to evaluate the release into saliva of these compounds from samples under a controlled human chewing process.

Capillary electrophoresis was utilized for the separation, identification, and quantitation of ten stereoisomers in the ephedrine family. Chiral discrimination was accomplished through the use of hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin, and separation was enhanced at pH 2 in the presence of tetramethylammonium chloride and sodium dodecyl sulfate. Calibration plots of the ephedrines were linear over the range 4-100 micrograms/ml. This method was used in the analysis of nutritional supplements that contain Ma Huang, a Chinese herbal preparation that is made from plants in the genus Ephedra.

A method for the separation and identification of the diastereoisomers ephedrine and pseudoephedrine and the diastereoisomers norephedrine and norpseudoephedrine is presented. The compounds were derivatised by reaction with carbon disulfide in the presence of alkali. These derivatives and their trifluoroacetic anhydride derivatives were subjected to gas chromatography with nitrogen-selective detection as well as mass-selective detection and high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection. The results showed that ephedrine and pseudoephedrine can easily be differentiated by gas chromatographic analyses of their carbon disulfide derivatives. Norephedrine and norpseudoephedrine can be differentiated by the different chromatographic retention times of their carbon disulfide derivatives and by the fact that norephedrine yielded two products and norpseudoephedrine only one product when reacted with carbon disulfide under the same conditions. Trifluoroacetylation of the latter compounds gave a more pronounced differentiation.

A simple and sensitive high-pressure liquid chromatographic (HPLC) determination of pseudoephedrine and chlorpheniramine in a pharmaceutical dosage form is described. Quantities of 1.5 microgram of pseudoephedrine and 0.1 microgram of chlorpheniramine are sufficient to determine concentrations in an aqueous solution. Small volume samples, without any extraction procedures, can be treated for direct drug concentration measurement with a high-pressure liquid chromatograph. The stability-indicating property and the accuracy of this method are comparable to those of an established GLC method. The HPLC method can be applied directly and successfully for dissolution studies. The latter application eliminates the need for volume replacement or subsequent mathematical corrections.

A rapid reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method was developed for the simultaneous assay of theophylline, ephedrine hydrochloride, and phenobarbital in a tablet matrix. A methanolic extract of the powdered sample containing salicylamide as the internal standard was injected into the chromatograph. The HPLC system used methanol-0.007 M monobasic potassium phosphate (37:63, pH 2.3) as the mobile phase. Detection was at 254 nm, and quantitation was based on the drug-internal standard peak area ratio. This ratio was linear over a concentration range of 20.9-83.5 microgram of theophylline, 4-15.9 microgram of ephedrine hydrochloride, and 1.3-5.1 microgram of phenobarbital. Overall recoveries (+/- SD) from three synthetic tablets were: theophylline, 99.8 +/- 1.3%; ephedrine hydrochloride, 100.2 +/- 0.6%; and phenobarbital, 99.4 +/- 0.7%. The method was compared to the compendial method and also was applied to the assay of commercial tablets containing these three active ingredients. The proposed method is applicable to the assay of individual tablets.

A simple and rapid procedure for the determination of aminophylline, amobarbital, and ephedrine hydrochloride in a capsule preparation is described. Aminophylline and amobarbital are determined simultaneously using differential UV spectrophotometry; ephedrine hydrochloride is determined separately after elution from an alginic acid column with 0.1 N hydrochloric acid.

Pseudoephedrine hydrochloride (I), brompheniramine maleate (II), and dextromethorphan hydrobromide (III) in a cough-cold sytup were separated and determined by ion-pair reversed-phase high-pressure liquid chromatography. The separation was carried out using a muBondapak C18 column (30 cm x 3.9 mm i.d.) and a mobile phase of acetonitrile-water-acetic acid (40:60:1) with 0.01 N 1-octanesulfonic acid sodium salt and 0.05 N potassium nitrate. Detection was accomplished using a UV detector at 265 nm for I and II; III was monitored at 280 nm. Concentration versus peak height plots in the ranges of 0.37-1.9 mg/ml for I, 0.025-0.126 mg/ml for II, and 0.125-0.625 mg/ml for III were linear. Ten consecutive injections of a mixture gave a percent relative standard deviation of less than 1% for all three components. Average recoveries from laboratory-prepared samples were 100.5% for I, 100.9% for II, and 100.1% for III. No precolumn cleanup was necessary, and the chromatogram was complete in 16 min.

An innovation high-pressure liquid chromatographic method is described in which theophylline, ephedrine hydrochloride (measured as benzaldehyde), and phenobarbital are determined simultaneously with butabarbital as the internal standard. Chromatographic conditions were selected to afford a pH sufficient for rapid oxidation of ephedrine and relatively high UV absorbance for the barbiturates and a detection wavelength near the maximum for benzaldehyde and the barbiturates and the minimum for theophylline. Chromatograms show peaks from iodate, theophylline, phenobarbital, butabarbital, and benzaldehyde, in order of increasing retention time, all within the dynamic range of a conventional recorder. Procedures are provided for the assay of conventional and sustained-action tablet formulations.

The separation and simultaneous determination, by high-performance liquid chromatography, of acetaminophen (I), guaifenesin (II), pseudoephedrine hydrochloride (III), and pholcodine (IV), together with a series of parabens (methyl to butyl, V-VIII) in a cough mixture, has been demonstrated using a chemically bonded octadecylsilane stationary phase with a mobile phase of methanol-water-acetic acid (45:55:2) containing the ion-pairing agent octanesulfonic acid. Retention volumes for the active ingredients were 3.8 ml, 5.4 ml, 9.4 ml, and 15.6 ml for compounds I-IV, respectively. Corrected retention volumes for the parabens [5.4 ml for methyl (V), 9.6 ml for ethyl (VI), 18.5 ml for propyl (VII), and 37.9 ml for butyl (VIII)] showed an exponential relationship with chain length of the esterifying alcohols. Excipients did not interfere with the estimation of any of the compounds, hence pretreatment of the sample was unnecessary. Average recoveries of the active ingredients and of the parabens from laboratory prepared samples were essentially 100% of theoretical with standard deviations of 1.7, 0.3, 1.5, 0.3, 0.3, 3.3, 0.7, and 2.7% for I-VIII, respectively.

Binary mixtures of weak and strong UV-absorbing alkaloids were analyzed by a charge-transfer spectrophotometric method, utilizing iodine in ethylene dichloride as the acceptor. In the uncomplexed form, the strong absorbing alkaloid (papaverine, quinine, ergotamine, or reserpine) was measured at a wavelength where there was no interference from weak absorbers (at 335, 332, 315, or 300 nm, respectively). The weak absorbing alkaloid (ephedrine, codeine, atropine, or homatropine methylbromide) was determined by computing its contribution to the total charge-transfer band at 295 nm where absorbance was linearly additive for mixtures. The greater increase in the original epsilon-values of the weak absorbers upon complexation with iodine relative to the corresponding increase in the epsilon-values of the strong absorbers led to good recoveries even at the low dose ratios of the weakly absorbing, and often more potent, alkaloids.

Colorimetric methods for the quantitative determinations of chlorpheniramine maleate, ephedrine hydrochloride, and guaiacolsulfonate potassium in a cough syrup containing color (amaranth) are reported. Chlorpheniramine maleate can be assayed using the cyanogen bromide method as reported in the literature. Ephedrine hydrochloride can be assayed using a dye method in which interference from chlorpheniramine maleate is taken into consideration. Guaiacolsulfonate potassium can be assayed by coupling it with 4-aminoantipyrine (the method is similar to the one for phenylephrine hydrochloride). All of the methods are simple, accurate, and precise. The application of the guaiacolsulfonate potassium assay method to commercial dosage forms is reported.

Experiments were performed to determine the suitability of using a chloride-ion electrode for the measurement of pseudoephedrine hydrochloride dissolution from commercially available compressed tablets. Dissolution experiments were carried out in 500 ml of distilled water using the USP paddle method at 100 rpm. Both chloride ion and pseudoephedrine (UV spectrophotometry) were measured at six different sampling times. Percent dissolved versus time values were linearized on a log-normal probability basis. The slopes of individual lines obtained from the chloride and pseudoephedrine measurements were compared using a Student t test and did not differ significantly (t = 0.415, df = 5, p greater than 0.05). In addition to providing an efficient, inexpensive, and simple method for measuring pseudoephedrine hydrochloride dissolution rates, the chloride-ion electrode could be used in the measurement of dissolution rates for a wide variety of drugs available as hydrochloride salts.

The mechanism of chiral recognition has been investigated for a series of enantiomeric cis-oxazolidines on a commercially available high-performance liquid chromatographic chiral stationary phase (HPLC-CSP). The oxazolidine molecules were synthesized through the condensation of ephedrine and ephedrine-related molecules with aromatic aldehydes. The resulting molecules are rigid five-membered rings whose configuration has been determined by proton magnetic resonance and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The oxazolidines derived from the condensation of ephedrine and aldehydes containing a pi-basic moiety such as naphthaldehyde were resolved on the HPLC-CSP as were those oxazolidines synthesized by using a pi-acidic aldehyde such as p-nitrobenzaldehyde. However, there was a reversal in the elution order for the two types of oxazolidines. Oxazolidines resulting from the condensation of ephedrine and a pi-neutral aldehyde such as benzaldehyde were not resolved. The results of this study suggest a chiral recognition model based on the formation of diastereomeric solute-CSP complexes through a single attractive interaction and chiral discrimination resulting from the difference in steric fit.