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It is of significant importance to public health that reliable monitoring of nitroimidazoles be conducted, while certified reference materials (CRMs) are essential for accurate and reliable detection. A project has been initiated with the objective of developing nitroimidazole purity CRMs to ensure that results from nationwide monitoring laboratories for nitroimidazoles in antibiotic residues can be compared and traced. The candidates were successively characterized in terms of their structure by means of infrared (IR) spectroscopy and mass spectrometry (MS). The mass balance (MB) method and the quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance (qNMR) method were utilized to determine the purity of nitroimidazoles with remarkable accuracy. Furthermore, a methodical investigation was conducted on homogeneity, stability, and uncertainty. Six nitroimidazole purity CRMs, including tinidazole (GBW09252), secnidazole (GBW09286), ronidazole (GBW09288), metronidazole (GBW(E)090755), dimetridazole (GBW(E)090819), and ornidazole (GBW(E)090820), were finally manufactured following authorization from China's State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR). By using these CRMs, it is possible to improve the traceability, accuracy, and comparability of nitroimidazole measurements in a range of agricultural products, protecting public health., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH, DE part of Springer Nature.)

The 5-nitroimidazole (5-NI) class of antibiotics, such as metronidazole, ornidazole, secnidazole, and tinidazole, are widely used to prevent bacterial infection in humans and livestock industries. However, their overuse contaminates the farmed animal products and water bodies. Hence, a selective, sensitive, and cost-effective method to detect 5-NI antibiotics is the need of the hour. Herein, we report a rapid, inexpensive, and efficient sensing system to detect 5-NI drugs using an as-prepared solution of ε-poly-l-lysine (ε-PL), a naturally occurring and biodegradable homopolypeptide that has an intrinsic fluorescence via clustering-triggered emission. The low nanomolar detection limit (3.25-3.97 nM) for the aforementioned representative 5-NI drugs highlights the sensitivity of the system, outperforming most of the reported sensors alike. The resulting fluorescence quenching was found to be static in nature. Importantly, excellent recovery (100.26-104.41%) was obtained for all real samples and animal products tested. Visual detection was demonstrated by using paper strips and silica gel for practical applications. Furthermore, ε-PL could detect 5-NI antibiotics in living 3T3-L1 mouse fibroblast cells via cellular imaging. Taken together, the present work demonstrates the detection of 5-NI antibiotics using a biocompatible natural polypeptide, ε-PL, and represents a simple and inexpensive analytical tool for practical application.

In this paper, a novel magnetic hyper-crosslinked polymer with amino and triazine bifunctional groups (M-NH 2 -THCP) was developed. M-NH 2 -THCP has strong nitroimidazoles (NDZs) enrichment effect, and therefore it was used as an adsorbent to extract five NDZs from lake water, catfish and shrimp meat prior to HPLC. Polar interaction, π-π stacking interaction, hydrogen bond and Lewis acid-base interaction were attested to be the major adsorption mechanism. The method has a good linearity in the range of 0.1-100 ng mL -1 for lake water, 10-400 ng g -1 for catfish and shrimp muscle with R 2  > 0.9964. The limits of detection of NDZs were 0.03-0.04 ng mL -1 for lake water, 1.0-2.0 ng g -1 for catfish and 2.0-2.5 ng g -1 for shrimp, which is superior to most reported method. The method recoveries were 87.6-119 %, and relative standard deviations were less than 8.7 %. M-NH 2 -THCP holds great application potential in pollutants enrichment, separation and removal., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Reliable monitoring of nitroimidazoles (NDZs) is of great significance to public health. Herein, an azo-linked porous organic polymer (Res-POPs) was prepared by green synthesis method using natural resveratrol as monomer for the first time. Using Res-POPs as sorbent, a facile method coupling solid-phase extraction with high performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection was developed for effective detecting NDZs. The method achieved good linearities (0.06 ∼ 100 ng mL -1 for water, 1.8 ∼ 200 ng g -1 for shrimp, and 1.5 ∼ 200 ng g -1 for Basa fish) with determination coefficients above 0.995, low detection limits (0.02 ∼ 0.05 ng mL -1 , 0.60 ∼ 1.00 ng g -1 and 0.50 ∼ 0.90 ng g -1 for water, shrimp and Basa fish), high method recovery (85 %∼114 %) and relative standard deviations below 8.2 %. The results demonstrated the superiority and the promising potential of the established method for detection of NDZs compared with the reported method., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

A rapid multi-residue LC-MS/MS method for the identification and determination of banned veterinary drugs in honey was developed. A total of 31 investigated veterinary drugs belonging to 4 classes including nitrofurans metabolites, nitroimidazoles, amphenicols, and quinolones were quantified by LC-MS/MS with ESI using one single injection. The sample preparation included treatment with 5-nitro-2-furaldehyde (5-NFA) in a thermostated ultrasonic bath (80 °C, 0.5М НСl, 20 min) to liberate matrix-bound residues of nitrofurans. Magnetic hypercrosslinked polystyrene (HCP/Fe 3 O 4 ) was proposed for the solid-phase extraction and clean-up of target analytes prior to LC-MS/MS analysis. To evaluate and validate the performance of method, the criteria of the Decision (EC) no 2002/657 were applied. The LOQs of the examined analytes range from 0.3 to 1 μg kg -1 , which indicates good sensitivity to quantify the target compounds in honey. The recoveries of veterinary drugs from 1 g of honey with 50 mg of the sorbent are 97-109% for nitrofuran metabolites, 84-115% for nitroimidazoles, 86-103% for amphenicols, and 97-118% for quinolones. The relative standard deviations of intra-day and inter-day precision analyses (RSD) are less than 16%. This methodology was applied to real honey samples and trace levels of some veterinary drugs were detected., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

In the present work, the herb (Poria cocos (Schw.) Wolf) residue, as an environmentally friendly and renewable biomass source, was converted into novel biochar. Biochar/sodium alginate mixed matrix membrane was fabricated. On this basis, a biochar/sodium alginate mixed matrix membrane-based in-syringe solid-phase extraction was developed combined with ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry to determine nitroimidazoles in water samples. The factors including times of exaction, type, and volume of elution solvent, and sample solution pH were thoroughly optimized. Then the correlation coefficient was 0.9995-0.9997. The limit of detection of four analytes was between 0.006 and 0.014 ng/mL, and the recovery was between 79.02% and 99.1%. Consequently, the established method would provide a new perspective on monitoring nitroimidazoles in water samples., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

In this work, a series of 5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphyrin (TPP)-based hyper crosslinked polymers were prepared by Friedel-Crafts reaction. Among them, the HCP-TPP-BCMBP, which was prepared by using TPP as the monomer and with 4,4'-Bis(chloromethyl)-1,1'-biphenyl (BCMBP) as the cross-linking agent, had the best adsorption capability for the enrichment of the nitroimidazoles of dimetridazole, ronidazole, secnidazole, metronidazole, and ornidazole. Then, a solid-phase extraction (SPE) method with the HCP-TPP-BCMBP as adsorbent coupled with HPLC-UV detection for the determination of nitroimidazole residues in honey, environmental water, and chicken breast samples was established. The influence of the main factors that affect the SPE, i.e., sample solution volume, sample loading rate, sample pH, and eluent and its volume, were studied. Under the optimal conditions, the limits of detection (S/N = 3) for the nitroimidazoles were measured to be in the range of 0.02-0.04 ng mL -1 , 0.4-1.0 ng g -1 and 0.5-0.7 ng g -1 for environmental water, honey, and chicken breast samples, with the determination coefficients being in the range of 0.9933-0.9998. The analytes recoveries by the method in fortified samples fell in the range from 91.1% to 102.7% for environmental water, from 83.2% to 105.0% for honey, and from 85.9% to 103.0% for chicken breast samples, and the relative standard deviations for the determination were less than 10%. It shows that the HCP-TPP-BCMBP has a strong adsorption capability for some polar compounds., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

For a long time, the detection of nitroimidazole antibiotics (NIABs) has been a research focus in environmental analytical chemistry. In this work, a novel technique for the analysis of nitroimidazoles was established based on capillary electrophoresis (CE). UiO-66, synthesized using a solvothermal method, was utilized as an adsorbent in the dispersive solid-phase extraction (DSPE) of five different NIABs. The separation and detection of NIABs in environmental water samples were accomplished using the CE diode array detection method. The optimal extraction conditions were obtained after systematically studying the effects of adsorption time, the amount of extractant, and elution solvent on extraction efficiency. According to the results of the study, the limit of detections of the five NIABs were between 16 and 97 ng/mL, the relative standard deviations were between 0.32% and 0.55%, and the spike recoveries were between 87.43% and 104.8%. This study presents a novel technique for measuring NIABs in complex water samples., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Design and fabrication of functionalized hypercrosslinked polymers (HCPs) for enhancing their performance by using green renewable monomers has attracted considerable research interest. In this study, hydroxyl‑functional HCP (labeled as OHHCP) was prepared via the knitting method by applying natural naringenin as a monomer for the first time. Due to the good hydrophilicity and strong H-bonding ability, the OHHCP showed high extraction capacity for nitroimidazoles. Thus, it was successfully applied as a potent adsorbent for solid phase extraction of five nitroimidazoles in water, honey and chicken meat, followed by high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector analysis. At the optimized conditions, the limit of detections (S/N = 3) of the proposed method for water, honey and chicken samples were 0.02 - 0.06 ng mL -1 , 0.5 - 1.0 ng g - 1 and 0.8 - 1.0 ng g - 1 , respectively. The recoveries were 80.0 - 110%, and the relative standard deviations were below 10.0%. The OHHCP also displayed good application prospects for other organic compounds with H-bonding capability. This study highlights the facile preparation of OH-functionalized HCPs from renewable and natural resources as potent adsorbents for polar compounds., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no conflict of interest. The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The preparation of tyrosine-functional novel hypercrosslinked polymer (HCP@Tyr) was achieved by knitting 1,3,5-triphenylbenzene with l-tyrosine via simple Friedel-Crafts reaction. The HCP@Tyr displayed large surface area (1220 m 2 g -1 ) and high adsorption capacity (30 mg g -1 ) for nitroimidazoles (NDZs). With HCP@Tyr as potent sorbent, an efficient extraction method was developed to simultaneously extract five NDZs from honey and chicken muscle samples before high performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection. Under optimized conditions, the proposed method provided a good linearity in the range of 0.75-200.0 ng g -1 for honey and 1.5-100.0 ng g -1 for chicken muscle sample. Low detection limits (S/N = 3) were obtained to be 0.10-0.24 ng g -1 for honey and 0.15-0.30 ng g -1 for chicken muscle. The method recovery was 80.7-120% with relative standard deviations below 9.2%. The HCP@Tyr based method can serve as a reliable and sensitive tool for detection of NDZs in honey and chicken muscle samples., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

A quantitative multi-class multi-residue analytical method was developed for the determination of veterinary drugs in milk by high-performance liquid chromatography - tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). A total of 132 veterinary drugs investigated belonged to almost 15 classes including sulfonamides, β-lactams, tetracyclines, quinolones, macrolides, nitrofurans, nitroimidazoles, phenicols, lincosamides, pleuromutilins, macrocyclic lactones, quinoxaline antibiotics, benzimidazoles, anthelmintics, coccidiostats and some others. A magnetic solid-phase extraction procedure was developed using magnetic hypercrosslinked polystyrene (HCP/Fe 3 O 4 ) for the sample preparation prior to HPLC-MS/MS without deproteinization step. The results indicated recoveries of 85-107% for 14 sulfonamides, 85-120% for 13 β-lactams, 89-115% for 4 tetracyclines, 82-119% for 14 quinolones, 82-115% for 8 macrolides, 97-109% for 4 nitrofurans, 84-115% for 10 nitroimidazoles, 89-114% for 3 phenicols, 86-111% for 3 lincosamides, 97-102% for 2 pleuromutilins, 72-88% for 4 macrocyclic lactones, 87-104% for 4 quinoxaline antibiotics, 76-119% for 21 benzimidazoles, 79-115% for 12 anthelmintics, 81-118% for 12 coccidiostats and 75-119 % for 5 unclassified drugs, with relative standard deviations (RSDs) of less than 20%, and the LOQs ranged from 0.05 to 1 μg kg -1 . This methodology was then applied to field-collected real milk samples and trace levels of some veterinary drugs were detected., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

TAPT-AN-COF, an imine-based covalent organic framework, was synthesized by a solvothermal method of 2,4,6-trihydroxy-benzene-1,3,5-tricarbaldehyde (TP) and 4,4',4″-(1,3,5-Triazine-2,4,6-triyl)trianiline (TAPT). The structure was characterized and tested by several techniques, revealing that the material had good stability and high specific surface area. The adsorption experiment demonstrates that the adsorption isotherm of TAPT-AN-COF followed the Freundlich isothermal equation, while its adsorption kinetics conformed to the pseudo second-order kinetic model. After characterization, the prepared TAPT-AN-COF was used to separate and enrich nitroimidazoles (NDZs) in milk and meat as the solid-phase extraction (SPE) adsorbent. The effects of adsorbent dosage, pH value, washing solvent, elution solvent type and volume on recoveries were studied. Under the optimal conditions, a method for the determination of NDZs in milk and meat samples was established based on high performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet detection(HPLC-UVD).The result showed that NDZs had good linearity in the concentration range of 25-500 µg·kg -1 , and the determination coefficients (r 2 ) were all above 0.99. When spiked at 25, 50 and 125 µg·kg -1 , the recoveries of three kinds of food samples ranged from 64.5% to 85.3%, the limits of detection (LODs) were between 2 and 10 µg·kg -1 , and the relative standard deviations were all below 15.9%. In addition, the recoveries of NDZs didn't decrease significantly after being reused for 6 times, showing that TAPT-AN-COF has excellent reusability. Compared with HLB and MCX sorbents, TAPT-AN-COF had better extraction efficiency and qualified purification efficiency. The established method had a satisfying performance on the determination of NDZs in food samples., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest There are no conflicts to declare., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

The three hypercrosslinked polymers (HCP) materials, designated as OPD-HCP, MPD-HCP and PPD-HCP, were synthesized by using o-phenylenediamine (OPD), m-phenylenediamine (MPD) and p-phenylenediamine (PPD) as monomers. They were characterized by infrared spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction, nitrogen sorption isotherms, and scanning electron microscopy. Then, the HCPs were explored as solid-phase extraction (SPE) adsorbent for the extraction of five nitroimidazoles (NDZs) (metronidazole, ronidazole, secnidazole, dimetridazole and ornidazole). Among the three HCPs, the MPD-HCP has the best adsorption performance for the NDZs. With the help of high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection (HPLC-UV), good linear response range (0.07-40.0 ng mL -1 ), high method recovery (86.8%-113.3%), low limits of detection (0.02-0.15 ng mL -1 ) and good precision with the relative standard deviations of less than 8.1% were achieved for the determination of the NDZs in water samples. The effective determination of the NDZs in peach juice, honey tea, and honey samples were also realized by the developed method with satisfactory results. Based on both the experimental results and density functional theory calculation, the adsorption mechanism can be attributed to multiple interactions between the MPD-HCP and the NDZs, including hydrogen bonding, hydrophilic, and electrostatic interactions. The method provides a new alternative of choice for the determination of some NDZs in real samples., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Herein, a magnetic three-dimensional acanthosphere-like hierarchical Co@graphitic carbon (3D Co@GC) is introduced as an efficient adsorbent for extraction of three nitroimidazoles (NMZs: metronidazole (MNZ), ornidazole (ONZ) and tinidazole (TNZ)) from environmental water and food samples. The proposed 3D Co@GC was synthesized by a simple template-free method, which consisted of plentiful freely arranged one-dimensional nanowires. The adsorption properties of 3D Co@GC for three NMZs were investigated systematically by adsorption kinetic and isotherm studies. 3D Co@GC exhibits good adsorption capacity and fast adsorption kinetics toward three NMZs by virtue of its unique hierarchical structure. In addition, it was also found that a bit of methanol can effectively elute the adsorbed NMZs, eliminating the need for other dangerous strong acid or base solutions. Thus, 3D Co@GC as adsorbent to extraction three trace NMZs followed by direct quantification detection of targets with high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet-visible detector (HPLC-UV) was developed. The parameters of dispersed magnetic solid-phase extraction (d-MSPE) were optimized by univariate and multivariate methods (Box-Behnken design). This established method revealed wide linear range and low limits of detection. Furthermore, the satisfactory recoveries of NMZs (86.7-106.7%) were acquired in spiked river water, honey, milk, and muscle samples. This study might provide a potential strategy for the efficient extraction and sensitive analysis of trace NMZs in river water, honey, milk, and muscle samples., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

A novel composite material consisting of zirconiumbiphenyldicarboxylate metal-organic framework, graphite oxide and ferroferric oxide was fabricated by a facile one-step method and served as a magnetic solid phase extraction sorbent for the simultaneous determination of nitroimidazoles and benzimidazoles in honey. The amount of graphite oxide for the synthesis of composite material and analysis parameters were optimized. The optimum parameters were: dipotassium hydrogen phosphate buffer solution (pH 6) as diluent solvent, adsorption time 10 min, desorption time 5 min, methanol/acetonitrile (1:1, V/V) as desorption solvent. The targets were detected by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. The recoveries of twelve analytes ranged in 70.5%-103.4% with relative standard deviations lower than 12.9% (n = 3). The quantification limits were 0.2-0.6 μg/kg. Using the composite material as sorbent, a simple, rapid and environmental-friendly method based on magnetic solid phase extraction was successfully developed for determination of seven nitroimidazoles and five benzimidazoles in honey., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

We prepared two-dimensional (2D) bimetallic metal-organic frameworks (Ni-ZIF-8) nanosheets by a simple solvent-free method at room temperature. The morphology and composition of Ni-ZIF-8 can be controlled through adding different amounts of Ni. And then, the 2D magnetic mesoporous nanosheets (Ni/ZnO@C) were synthesized by directly pyrolyzing Ni-ZIF-8 under argon atmosphere and explored as magnetic solid phase extraction (MSPE) adsorbents for the determination of nitroimidazole antibiotics (NIABs). Magnetic Ni nanoparticles embedded in carbon nanosheets uniformly resulted in high magnetization saturation of Ni/ZnO@C for easy separation. The Ni/ZnO@C can form hydrogen bond and π-π interaction with three NIABs resulting from their rich N-H containing imidazole, π-electron. Due to the high specific surface area and high mass transfer rate of 2D Ni/ZnO@C, the materials showed satisfactory adsorption capacity and rapid adsorption kinetics for NIABs. A rapid and effective method of Ni/ZnO@C-MSPE combined with high-performance liquid chromatography was proposed for the determination of NIABs. Several main parameters affecting MSPE were investigated. Under the optimal conditions, wide linear was achieved ranging from 0.1 to 500 µg⋅L -1 with a low detection limit of 0.025-0.05 µg⋅L -1 . The established method has been successfully applied to analyze NIABs from environmental water samples with satisfactory recovery from 74.33 to 105.71%., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

New all-oral regimens for rifampin-resistant tuberculosis (RR-TB) are being scaled up globally. Measurement of drug concentrations in hair assesses long-term drug exposure. Delamanid (DLM) is likely to be a key component of future RR-TB treatment regimens, but a method to describe its quantification in hair via liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) has not previously been described. We developed and validated a simple, fast, sensitive, and accurate LC-MS/MS method for quantifying DLM and its metabolite DM-6705 in small hair samples. We pulverized and extracted two milligrams of hair in methanol at 37 °C for two hours, and diluted 1:1 with water. A gradient elution method eluted DLM, DM-6705, and the internal standard OPC 14714 within 3 min, bringing overall analysis time to 5.5 min. The method has limits of detection (LOD) of 0.0003 ng/mg for DLM and 0.003 ng/mg for DM-6705. The established linear dynamic ranges are 0.003-2.1 ng/mg and 0.03-21 ng/mg for DLM and DM-6705, respectively. Eleven of 12 participant hair samples had concentrations within DLM's linear dynamic range, while all 12 samples had concentrations within the quantifiable range for DM-6705. The ranges of concentrations observed in these clinical samples for DLM and DM-6705 were 0.004-0.264 ng/mg hair and 0.412-12.041 ng/mg hair respectively. We demonstrate that while DLM was detected in hair at very low levels, its primary metabolite DM-6705 had levels approximately 100 times higher. Measuring DM-6705 in hair may accurately reflect long-term adherence to DLM-containing regimens for drug-resistant TB., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A magnetic porous organic framework (M-POF) was rationally designed and served as a sorbent for magnetic solid-phase extraction of six nitroimidazoles from chicken meat prior to their assay by high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection. The M-POF exhibited good magnetic responsiveness and outstanding affinity to nitroimidazoles with large adsorption capacity up to 36 mg g -1 . Under optimal conditions, the developed method offered good linearity (r greater than 0.992) in the range of 1.5-100.0 ng g -1 , low limits of detection (S/N = 3) of 0.5-0.8 ng g -1 , low limits of quantification of 1.5-2.5 ng g -1 and high enrichment factors of 80-175 for the nitroimidazoles. The method was successfully applied to analyze nitroimidazoles in chicken meat. The recoveries were 80.2-118% with relative standard deviations lower than 12%. The adsorption mechanism was further explored and the results showed that the M-POF exhibited adsorption potential for compounds with strong polar interactions., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

LC-MS/MS method was developed for the efficient identification and quantification of 21 banned substances including various nitroimidazoles, nitrofurans, pharmacologically-active dyes and chloramphenicol, respectively in aquaculture products. The sample preparation was started by acid-treatment with 2-nitrobenzaldehyde (NBA) to liberate matrix-bound residues of nitrofurans. A modified QuEChERS method was optimized for the extraction and clean-up of the target analytes. The metabolites of the four conventional nitrofurans (nitrofurantoin, furazolidone, nitrofurazone and furaltadone) and of three other nitrofurans (nifursol, nifuroxazide, and nitrovin), and an underivatizable nitrofuran (nifurpirinol) were simultaneously detected. Furthermore, 21 banned substances were quantified by LC-MS/MS with ESI using one single injection. To evaluate and validate the performance of the method, the criteria of the Decision (EC) no 2002/657 were applied. Decision limit (CCα) of target analytes ranged 0.067-1.655 μg/kg in aquaculture products. The recovery ranged 77.2%-125.6%, and the relative standard deviations of inter-day analyses (RSD) were less than 25%., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This paper presents the results from a residue study conducted on a statistically representative number of chicken broilers that were individually orally treated with the selected nitroimidazoles (metronidazole, ornidazole and ipronidazole) in an appropriate amount close to the theoretical therapeutic dose. A mutual persistence comparison of the monitored analytes in feathers, serum, muscle and shanks was performed and attention was also paid to selected metabolites (hydroxymetronidazole and hydroxyipronidazole). An analytical LC/MS/MS method using SupelMIP SPE nitroimidazoles cartridges was developed for the determination of nitroimidazoles residues in poultry feathers, serum, muscle and shanks and the method was validated according to Commission Decision 2002/657/EC. High concentrations of nitroimidazoles residues in feathers were observed 19 days after the broilers' treatment unlike the muscle and serum samples, where nitroimidazoles depletion was significantly faster (residue concentrations were below detection limits in 5 days in muscle and in 12 days in serum). Shanks (chicken claws) also proved to be a very useful matrix for the detection of nitroimidazoles drugs misuse due to the longer persistence of these drugs residues and their metabolites in this matrix (determinable concentrations were observed 19 days after the broilers' last treatment). Feathers and shanks appear to be suitable matrixes for the screening of various nitroimidazoles in poultry because long-term persistence of residues enables reliable detection of the illegal use of nitroimidazoles compounds in official checks.

Powdered biomass adsorbents can potentially remove antibiotics from wastewater. However, recovering or separating the adsorbents after use is difficult. The preparation of mold-assisted shaping of biomass carbon foam pellets (BCFPs) without compaction and addition of binder instead of powdered adsorbent, is rarely reported. Therefore, the study explored the formation mechanism of BCFPs by using Vallisneria natans (V. natans) waste as precursor and investigated the adsorption performance and mechanisms of metronidazole (MNZ) and dimetridazole (DMZ) onto BCFPs. The optimal preparation conditions were V. natans-and-ZnCl 2 mass ratio of 1:2.4, carbonization temperature of 600 °C, and time of 90 min. BCFPs exhibited uniform size, excellent floatability, and abundant micropores. The Brunauer-Emmett-Teller specific surface area, total pore volume, and micropore volume of BCFPs were 922.56 m 2  g -1 , 0.421 cm 3  g -1 , and 0.386 cm 3  g -1 , respectively. The adsorption process of MNZ and DMZ was both described well by pseudo-first-order kinetic model. However, the isotherm data fitted well with Langmuir for MNZ and Dubinin-Radushkevic model for DMZ, with a maximum monolayer adsorption capacity of 64.23 and 82.58 mg g -1 , respectively. The nature of the adsorption process is endothermic and spontaneous. The adsorption mechanisms of MNZ and DMZ onto BCFPs were mainly hydrogen bonding, π-π interactions, and micropore filling. Preparation of BCFPs with high mechanical strength and excellent adsorption capacity from V. natans waste without compaction and any binder is feasible. Furthermore, BCFPs are easily separated and recyclable adsorbents, and their average recovery rate was 99.6%., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

An ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem quadrupole mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) method was developed and validated for confirmatory analysis of four nitroimidazoles and three hydroxy metabolites in honey. Honey samples were dissolved in 2% formic acid solution and nitroimidazoles and metabolites were isolated and enriched by dispersive-solid phase extraction using mixed-mode strong cation-exchange sorbent. The determination involves separation of analytes on an UHPLC C 18 column and detection by multiple reaction monitoring in positive ionization mode. The recovery of the method was ranged from 90.2 to 105.6% with inter-day relative standard deviations of less than 11.2%. The limits of detection and limits of quantification were in the ranges of 0.02⁻0.07 µg/kg and 0.05⁻0.2 µg/kg, respectively. Honey samples from the market were analyzed to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed method.

A multiclass screening method to detect fifty-three forbidden substances by liquid-chromatography coupled to hybrid high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-Q-Orbitrap) was developed and validated in bovine bile and urine. Eight classes of compounds were included in the method's scope (β-agonists, corticosteroids, nitroimidazoles, progestins, resorcylic acid lactones (RALs), sedatives, steroids and stilbenes) plus chloramphenicol and dapsone. After hydrolysis, the sample was divided in two aliquots, which followed two parallel purification steps. The reunified extracts were injected and two chromatographic runs performed in positive and negative ionization mode, respectively. The validation data (60 different samples per matrix) proved that the method was fit for purpose with detection capabilities lower than 1 μg L -1 in both matrices. The combined application of accurate mass acquisition and two-stage mass spectrometry (parallel reaction monitoring) was crucial to achieve suitable selectivity, which is the most critical parameter mainly for urines. Finally, the long-standing problem of the high rate of false positive results for RALs, due to the natural ingestion of mycotoxin, zearalenone, was taken on including all their labelled standards. That allowed a very satisfactory management of this screening test., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged and Safe) methodology in combination with UHPLC-MS/MS is proposed for the determination of 5-nitroimidazole (5-NDZ) residues in infant milk-based products. Chromatographic separation was accomplished in a C18 Zorbax Eclipse Plus RRHD (50 × 2.1 mm, 1.8 μm) column under gradient elution conditions. Mobile phase consisted of 0.025% (v/v) aqueous formic acid (eluent A) and MeOH (eluent B), and was supplied at a flow rate of 0.5 mL/min. Under these conditions, eleven 5-NDZs including three metabolites were separated in less than 4 min. A novel QuEChERS method was optimized, and primary-secondary amine (PSA) sorbent was selected as clean-up agent. In addition, the proposed QuEChERS procedure was compared with other sample preparation methodologies, which are usually used in the analysis of 5-NDZs, namely solid phase extraction (SPE) using mixed cation exchange (MCX) cartridges and molecularly imprinted solid phase extraction (MISPE). Method comparison was carried out in terms of process efficiency, which includes matrix effect and extraction recovery. Higher process efficiency was generally achieved for QuEChERS and MISPE than for SPE. However, matrix effect was more significant for the non-selective QuEChERS method than for the selective MISPE. Higher extraction recoveries (63.2-94.1%) were observed for QuEChERS. The studied methods were validated in terms of linearity, detection limits (CCα), detection capabilities (CCβ) and precision, observing similar performance characteristics independently of the proposed sample treatment. CCα and CCβ ranged between 0.05 and 1.69 μg/L for all analytes and extraction techniques. QuEChERS-UHPLC-MS/MS method was also validated in terms of precision (relative standard deviations <10.3%), trueness (recovery>70.2%) and selectivity according to Regulation 2002/657/EC. It is proposed as a good alternative for the monitoring of 5-NDZ residues in enriched infant-milk based products and other similar milk based-products., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A syringe-dispersive solid-phase extraction method was developed for the determination of seven nitroimidazoles and nine steroids in manure-based fertilizers by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. Methanol and acetonitrile were used to extract the sample, and mixed dispersive sorbents dispersed in the syringe were used for purification. The extract was separated with an HSS-T3 column and detected in positive or negative multiple reaction monitoring mode. Under the optimal conditions, the recoveries of the 16 compounds ranged from 70.3 to 112.3% at the four spiked levels (3, 10, 20, and 50 μg/kg) and the relative standard deviations ranged from 1.0 to 12.4%. The limits of detection and quantification were 0.22-0.86 and 0.73-2.87 μg/kg, respectively. This method is simple, fast, and reliable, and can be used to simultaneously screen and determine nitroimidazoles and steroids in manure-based fertilizers., (© 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Complexity of anthropogenic influences on coastal ecosystems necessitates use of an integrated assessment strategy for effective interpretation and subsequent management. In this study a multiple lines of evidence (LOE) approach for sediment assessment, that combined use of chemistry, toxicity, and benthic community structure in the sediment quality triad was used to assess spatiotemporal changes and potential risks of persistent toxic substances (PTSs) in sediments of Masan Bay highlighting "long-term changes" between 1998 and 2014. Specific target objectives encompassed sedimentary PTSs (PAHs, alkylphenols (APs), and styrene oligomers), potential aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR; H4IIE-luc assay)- and estrogen receptor (ER; MVLN assay)-mediated activities, and finally several ecological quality (EcoQ) indices of benthic community structure. Concentrations of target PTSs in Masan Bay sediments were generally less by half in 2014 compared to those measured in 1998. Second, AhR-mediated potencies in sediments also decreased during this time interval, whereas ER-mediated potencies increased (+3790%), indicating that there has been substantial ongoing, input of ER agonists over the past 16 years. Potency balance analysis revealed that only 3% and 22% of the AhR- and ER-mediated potencies could be explained by identified known chemicals, such as PAHs and APs, respectively. This result indicated that non-targeted AhR and ER agonists had a considerable presence in the sediments over time. Third, EcoQ indices tended to reflect PTSs contamination in the region. Finally, ratio-to-mean values obtained from the aforementioned three LOEs indicated that quality of sediments from the outer region of the bay had recovery more during the period of 16-years than did the inner region. Overall, the results showed that even with the progress supported by recent efforts from the Korean governmental pollution control, PTSs remain a threat to local ecosystem, especially in the inner region of Masan Bay., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

A method for the quantitative analysis of nitroimidazoles and their metabolites in four kinds of animal-derived foods by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) coupled with dispersive solid phase extraction (dSPE) was established. The samples (2.0 g) were extracted with ethyl acetate. The extracts were degreased with hexane and purified with 50 mg primary-secondary amine (PSA), and then filtered through a hydrophilic polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) membrane. The analytes were separated on a C18 column, and detected in selected reaction monitoring (SRM) mode via positive electrospray ionization. The matrix matching and internal standard method was used. The nitroimidazoles and their metabolites showed good linearity in the range of 0.5-20.0 μg/L with correlation coefficients greater than 0.99. The limits of detection of the nitroimidazoles and their metabolites in animal-derived foods were between 0.1 and 0.5 μg/kg. The recoveries varied between 84.2% and 120.8%, with relative standard deviations ( n =6) ranging from 2.0% to 16.2% at spiked levels of 1.0, 3.0, and 10.0 μg/kg. The proposed method is accurate, fast, cheap, easy, and can satisfy the requirements of monitoring nitroimidazoles and their metabolites in animal-derived foods.

A novel salting-out assisted liquid-liquid extraction (SALLE) method has been developed for the extraction of eight 5-NDZ antibiotics from milk samples prior to their analysis by UHPLC. An exhaustive study of the parameters involved in the SALLE procedure has been carried out, optimizing the extraction solvent volume, the amount of the salt agent, and the centrifugation and vortex timing by an experimental design. After sample treatment, the obtained extract was reconstituted in the mobile phase (6:94 (v/v) acetonitrile/water containing 0.1% (v/v) of formic acid) and analyzed by the proposed UHPLC-UV method. Separation was accomplished in a C18 Zorbax Eclipse Plus (50mm×2.1mm, 1.8μm) column at 45°C within 8min. Gradient mode was considered using a mobile phase consisting of 0.1% (v/v) formic acid aqueous solution and acetonitrile containing 0.1% (v/v) formic acid at a flow rate of 0.45mL/min. Analytical signals were monitored at 320nm. Matrix-matched calibration curves showed satisfactory linearity (R 2 ≥0.996). LODs, ranging from 2 to 4μg/L, were achieved and precision studies showed RSDs lower than 12.8% in terms of peak height. Additionally, recoveries higher than 62.8% were obtained for all studied compounds in milk samples., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

In this study, a simple, cost-effective, and sensitive HPLC diode-array detection method was developed for the simultaneous determination of six different 5-nitroimidazoles [metronidazole, 2-hydroxymethyl-1-methyl-5-nitro-1H-imidazole, dimetridazole (DMZ), ronidazole, ornidazole, and ipronidazole] in bovine milk samples. A QuEChERS-based sample preparation procedure was optimized by evaluating different cleanup sorbents, including zirconium-based sorbents (Z-Sep and Z-Sep+), C18, and primary-secondary amine (PSA), as well as EMR-Lipid cleanup solution. Acceptable analytical performance for all analytes was observed with recoveries in the range of 45-93% and RSDs of less than 15%. Negligible matrix interference was observed for most of the analytes due to application of PSA sorbent in a dispersive solid-phase extraction cleanup step. Method LOQs (mLOQs) for five of the six investigated analytes were set at a satisfactory low food product value of 2.5 ng/mL. For DMZ only, the mLOQ was set at 10 ng/mL. The procedure was evaluated through the analysis of 10 different natural samples.

A quantitative and confirmatory multiresidue method for determining the presence of avermectins, benzimidazoles and nitroimidazoles in bovine muscle tissue by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) was developed, optimized and validated, using a QuEChERS extraction. The evaluated performance parameters were linearity, selectivity, matrix effect, decision limits (CCα), detection capability (CCβ), limits of detection (LOD), limits of quantification (LOQ), accuracy, precision and robustness. The validated method exhibited linearity with coefficient of determination (R 2 ) higher than 0.90 in the working range from 0.5 to 2.0 times the maximum residue limit (MRL) or the minimum required performance level (MRPL) for the studied analytes, except for closantel, for which the linear study range was defined from 50 to 200µgkg -1 . The method was selective in the presence of macrolides and lincosamides for all the studied analytes. The LOD varied from 0.007 to 66.715µgkg -1 , whereas LOQ values ranging from 0.011 to 113.674µgkg -1 were found. The results of the evaluation of the accuracy and precision were satisfactory for all the studied analytes, and according to the assessment of the robustness, the method was not robust only for the analytes abamectin, moxidectin, doramectin fenbendazole sulfone, closantel, thiabendazole, hydroxyl-metronidazole and ronidazole. The performance parameters demonstrated total method adequacy for the detection and quantification of avermectins, benzimidazoles and nitroimidazoles residues in bovine muscle tissues., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

In this work, a selective sample cleanup procedure that combined molecular imprinting technique with solid phase extraction was developed for the simultaneous extraction of the seven nitroimidazoles (NMZs) from honey samples. The molecular imprinting polymers for NMZs were prepared through bulk polymerization method using 2-methyl-5-nitroimidazole as template molecule, methacrylic acid as the functional monomer and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as the cross linking agent. The obtained molecular imprinting polymers showed high affinity to template molecule and was used as selective sorbent for simultaneously selective extraction of the seven NMZs from honey matrix. An off-line molecularly imprinted solid phase extraction (MISPE) method followed by high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS-MS) for simultaneous determination of the seven NMZs from honey samples was also established. The proposed method was validated at 1.0, 2.0 and 10.0μg/kg, obtaining recoveries in the range of 79.7-110%, with repeatability and interday precision values (expressed as relative standard deviation) ≤11.4% and ≤15.2%, respectively. Limits of quantification for different NMZs were 1.0μg/kg, which were always below the minimum required performance limits established by the European Community Reference Laboratories (Commission Decision 2002/657/EC). It was demonstrated that this proposed MISPE-HPLC-MS-MS method could be applied to direct determination of NMZs from honey samples., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

In this study, a new method for the determination of 12 nitroimidazoles and their hydroxymetabolites (metronidazole, hydroxymetronidazole, dimetridazole, ronidazole, hydroxydimetridazole, ipronidazole, hydroxyipronidazole, carnidazole, ornidazole, secnidazole, ternidazole, tinidazole) in beeswax has been developed and validated. The optimized sample preparation procedure included melting and dilution of beeswax in a mixture of n-hexane and isopropanol followed by extraction with 2% acetic acid. The extracts were purified on strong cation exchange based solid-phase extraction cartridges and evaporated in a vacuum system with vortex motion. The separation and detection of the nitroimidazoles in the beeswax extracts were achieved within 12 min by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry using a pentafluorophenyl analytical column and applying a gradient elution with acetonitrile and 0.01% acetic acid as mobile phases. The method performance characteristics were evaluated at three concentration levels (1, 2, and 5 μg/kg) and the method was found to be suitable for determination of all tested nitroimidazoles. The limits of detection and quantification were 0.2-0.5 and 0.5-1 μg/kg, respectively. The recoveries varied from 71.2 to 104.9% while the relative standard deviations were less than 13.8% under the intermediate precision conditions., (© 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

A simple and sensitive reversed phase HPLC method has been developed for the simultaneous quantitation of pretomanid (PA-824), moxifloxacin and pyrazinamide in a combination spray-dried powder formulation for inhalation, without any use of an internal standard. Good resolution of the analytes was achieved on a Luna C18 (2), 150×4.6mm, 5μm, 100Å column using gradient elution with a mobile phase containing methanol and triethylamine phosphate buffer (pH 2.5) at a flow rate of 1.0mL/min in a total run time of 25min. Pyrazinamide, moxifloxacin and pretomanid (PA-824) were detected at wavelengths (retention times) of 269nm (3.80min), 296nm (7.94min) and 330nm (17.46min), respectively. The assay was linear for all analytes in the concentration range 2.5-100μg/mL (correlation coefficients >0.999) with LODs and LLOQs (μg/mL) of pretomanid (PA-824) 0.51 and 1.56, moxifloxacin 0.06 and 0.19 and pyrazinamide 0.35 and 1.06, respectively. Recoveries of the three drugs were 99.6-106.8% with intra- and inter-day precisions (as relative standard deviation) of <7%. The method was successfully applied to an evaluation of content uniformity and freedom from interference by l-leucine of a spray-dried combination powder for inhalation., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This study describes the development of a multiresidue method for the efficient identification and quantification of nitroimidazoles, nitrofurans, and chloramphenicol in chicken and egg. After derivatization of nitrofuran metabolites, dispersive-solid phase extraction was used for the extraction of target analytes. An optimization strategy involved the selection of sorbents and extraction solutions for dispersive-solid phase extraction in order to achieve acceptably high recoveries and reduce co-extractives in the final extracts. Analytes were determined by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, in one single injection with a chromatographic run time of 7.5min. Mean recoveries ranged from 86.4% to 116.7% and interday precision was lower than 18%. The limits of quantification were between 0.1 and 0.5μg/kg, which were satisfactory to support surveillance monitoring. Finally, the method was applied to real samples, and metabolite of furazolidone, metronidazole and its metabolite, dimetridazole and its metabolite were detected in both chicken and egg samples., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In this study, covalent triazine framework-1 (CTF-1) was adopted as solid phase extraction (SPE) sorbents, and a method of SPE inline coupled with high performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet (HPLC-UV) detection was developed for trace analysis of three nitroimidazolaes (including metronidazole, ronidazole and dimetridazole) in porcine liver and environmental water samples. CTF-1 has rich π-electron and N containing triazine, thus can form π-π interaction and intermolecular hydrogen bond with three target polar nitroimidazoles, resulting in high extraction efficiency (87%-98%). Besides, CTF-1 has large specific area, which benefits rapid mass transfer and low column pressure, leading to fast adsorption/desorption dynamics. Several parameters affecting inline SPE including pH, sample flow rate, sample volume, desorption reagents, elution flow rate, elution volume, and ionic strength were investigated. Under the optimal experimental conditions, the limits of detection (S/N=3) were found to be in the range of 0.11-0.13μg/L. The enrichment factors (EFs) ranged from 52 to 59 fold (theoretical EF was 60-fold). The relative standard deviations were in the range of 4.3-9.4% (n=7, c=1μg/L), and the linear range was 0.5-500μg/L for three target analytes. The sample throughput is 7/h. The proposed method was successfully applied to the analysis of nitroimidazoles in porcine liver and environmental water samples with good recoveries for the spiked samples., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A methodology is presented for the sensitive determination of nitromidazole residues in egg by means of micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography in combination with cation selective exhaustive injection and ultraviolet detection. Six compounds have been considered and the separation has been achieved in less than 12min in a 61.5-cm effective length capillary with 50-μm internal diameter. Phosphate buffer 44mM pH 2.5, containing 8% tetrahydrofurane and 123mM sodium dodecyl sulfate was employed as running buffer. Solid phase extraction has been employed for sample clean-up. The methodology has been successfully validated in hen eggs, obtaining method detection limits in the range of 2.1-5.0ng/g. Precision was studied in terms of repeatability and intermediate precision, with relative standard deviations lower than 18.0%. Recoveries were calculated in quail eggs and a commercial pasteurized egg white product, reaching over 70% for most of the considered 5-nitroimidazoles., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The study aims to illustrate an analytical validation of a rapid and sensitive liquid chromatography (LC) coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (MS-MS) and electrospray ionization (ESI) method for quantification of IIIM-019 (a novel nitroimidazole derivative with potential activity against Tuberculosis) in mice plasma. The extraction of the analyte and the internal standard (Tolbutamide) from the plasma samples involves protein precipitation using acetonitrile. The chromatographic separation was accomplished using a gradient mode and the mobile phase comprised of acetonitrile and 0.1% formic acid in water. The flow rate used was 0.7 ml/min on a C18e high performance Chromolith column. IIIM-019 and Tolbutamide (IS) were analyzed by combined reversed-phase LC/MS-MS with positive ion electrospray ionization. The MS-MS ion transitions used were 533>170.1, 533>198 for IIIM-019 and 271>74, 271>155 for internal standard (IS) respectively. The method was linear over a concentration range of 0.5-1000 ng/ml and the lower limit of quantification was 0.50 ng/ml. The entire study was validated for accuracy, precision, linearity, range, selectivity, lower limit of quantification (LLOQ), recovery, and matrix effect in accordance with the FDA guidelines of method validation. Acceptable precision and accuracy were obtained for concentrations over the standard curve range. The intra and inter-day precisions were in the range of 0.51-11.18% and 0.51-7.55%. The pharmacokinetics was performed on male Balb/c mice by oral (2.5mg/kg), intraperitoneal (2.5mg/kg) and intravenous (1mg/kg) routes. The oral bioavailability of IIIM-019 was 51.6%. The method was also applied successfully in determining microsomal stability wherein the compound was found to be very slightly metabolized by rat liver microsomes., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: Development and validation of a sensitive, selective and robust SPE assisted HPLC method for the quantification of fluoroquinolones and nitroimidazoles in human serum and urine using design of experiments methodology., Design and Methods: Design of experiments was employed for method optimization (Box-Behnken design) and robustness testing (Plackett-Burman design). Sample preparation involved a simple solid phase extraction, which offered a satisfactory recovery (≥94%). Analytes were separated on a phenyl hexyl column with mobile phase comprising water, acetonitrile and triethyl amine in ratio of 74:26:0.15 v/v, with a flow rate of 1.1mL/min., Results: Calibration curves were linear over selected range (≥0.995) for all the analytes. The method was sensitive with detection limits of 0.06-0.16μg/mL in serum and urine samples. Inter and intra-day precision data (in terms of %RSD) was found to be less than 7%. Stability studies were carried out to assess freeze thaw, short term and long term stability and all analytes were found to be stable. The method was successfully applied for determination of antimicrobial drugs in spiked serum and urine., Conclusion: The obtained results corroborated the potential of the proposed method for determination of all the four antimicrobial drugs in therapeutic drug monitoring, bioequivalence and drug-drug interaction studies., (Copyright © 2016 The Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The aim of this work was the development of an analytical procedure using spectrophotometry for simultaneous determination of benznidazole (BNZ) and itraconazole (ITZ) in a medicine used for the treatment of Chagas disease. In order to achieve this goal, the analysis of mixtures was performed applying the Lambert-Beer law through the absorbances of BNZ and ITZ in the wavelengths 259 and 321 nm, respectively. Diverse tests were carried out for development and validation of the method, which proved to be selective, robust, linear, and precise. The lower limits of detection and quantification demonstrate its sensitivity to quantify small amounts of analytes, enabling its application for various analytical purposes, such as dissolution test and routine assays. In short, the quantification of BNZ and ITZ by analysis of mixtures had shown to be efficient and cost-effective alternative for determination of these drugs in a pharmaceutical dosage form., (Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Although tumor hypoxia is associated with tumor aggressiveness and resistance to cancer treatment, many details of hypoxia-induced changes in tumors remain to be elucidated. Mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) is a technique that is well suited to study the biomolecular composition of specific tissue regions, such as hypoxic tumor regions. Here, we investigate the use of pimonidazole as an exogenous hypoxia marker for matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) MSI. In hypoxic cells, pimonidazole is reduced and forms reactive products that bind to thiol groups in proteins, peptides, and amino acids. We show that a reductively activated pimonidazole metabolite can be imaged by MALDI-MSI in a breast tumor xenograft model. Immunohistochemical detection of pimonidazole adducts on adjacent tissue sections confirmed that this metabolite is localized to hypoxic tissue regions. We used this metabolite to image hypoxic tissue regions and their associated lipid and small molecule distributions with MALDI-MSI. We identified a heterogeneous distribution of 1-methylnicotinamide and acetylcarnitine, which mostly colocalized with hypoxic tumor regions. As pimonidazole is a widely used immunohistochemical marker of tissue hypoxia, it is likely that the presented direct MALDI-MSI approach is also applicable to other tissues from pimonidazole-injected animals or humans.

A sensitive, confirmatory ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric method was developed and validated to detect 23 veterinary drugs and metabolites (nitroimidazoles, benzimidazoles, and chloramphenicol components) in bovine milk. Compounds of interest were sequentially extracted from milk with acetonitrile and basified acetonitrile using sodium chloride to induce liquid-liquid partition. The extract was purified on a mixed mode solid-phase extraction cartridge. Using rapid polarity switching in electrospray ionization, a single injection was capable of detecting both positively and negatively charged analytes in a 9 min chromatography run time. Recoveries based on matrix-matched calibrations and isotope labeled internal standards for milk ranged from 51.7% to 101.8%. The detection limits and quantitation limits of the analytical method were found to be within the range of 2-20 ng/kg and 5-50 ng/kg, respectively. The recommended method is simple, specific, and reliable for the routine monitoring of nitroimidazoles, benzimidazoles, and chloramphenicol components in bovine milk samples., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: Tumor hypoxia is believed to have a strong correlation with the resistance to chemoradiotherapy. Noninvasive evaluation of hypoxic status in tumors using molecular imaging has the potential to characterize the tumor aggressiveness. We evaluated the clinical usefulness of newly-developed tumor hypoxic positron emission tomography (PET) tracers in localized non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC)., Patients and Methods: Forty-seven patients with localized NSCLC received either or both hypoxic PETs using the tracers: (18)F-fluoroazomycin arabinoside ((18)F-FAZA) (n=45) and/or (62)Cu-diacetyl-bis (N4)-methylsemithiocarbazone ((62)Cu-ATSM) (n=22). All received (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose ((18)F-FDG) PET tracer (n=47). We examined the correlation between uptake of three PET tracers and clinicopathological factors, and evaluated their impacts on survival after treatment retrospectively., Results: A couple of commonly-identified unfavorable factors such as presence of vascular invasion and pleural invasion was significantly correlated with higher uptake of these hypoxic agents as well as that of (18)F-FDG. Larger tumor diameter, high neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and advanced pathological stage were also associated with accumulation of hypoxic PETs ((18)F-FAZA, p<0.01; (62)Cu-ATSM, p<0.04), but not with that of (18)F-FDG. The patients with a higher accumulation had significantly poorer overall survival [(18)F-FAZA, HR (hazard ratio), 9.50, p<0.01; (62)Cu-ATSM, HR, 4.06, p<0.05] and progression free survival ((18)F-FAZA, HR, 5.28, p<0.01, (62)Cu-ATSM, HR, 2.72, p<0.05)., Conclusion: Both (18)F-FAZA and (62)Cu-ATSM PET provide useful information regarding tumor aggressiveness and prediction of survival among NSCLC patients. We believe these hypoxic PETs could contribute to the establishment of the optimally individualized treatment of NSCLC., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This work presents a novel methodology for analysing 5-nitroimidazole residues in milk samples by capillary electrochromatography using lab-made packed columns, produced by carrying out a high pressure packing procedure using acetone as driving solvent and C18 silica uncapped particles (5 µm particle size) as packing material. Column frits resulted from sintering the proper stationary phase by heating the packed material for 20s with a nichrome ribbon (80% Ni-20% Cr, 28 cm × 2 mm × 0.2 mm, electric resistance 1.3 Ω) connected to a 7 V AC power supply. Lab-made C18 silica packed capillaries (40 cm x 50 µm i.d.) were employed for the determination of 5-nitroimidazole drugs. Milk samples were treated by a salting-out assisted liquid-liquid extraction followed by a solid phase extraction with Oasis®HLB cartridges prior to their injection. Samples were hydrodynamically injected into the column for 120 s at 11.5 bar. Afterwards eight 5-nitroimidazole compounds were separated in isocratic mode under an applied voltage of 27 kV and a temperature of 30 °C. The selected mobile phase consisted of a mixture 60:40 acetonitrile:ammonium acetate (2.5 mM, pH=5). Separation was monitored at 320 nm and it was performed in less than 15 min. The method was characterized in terms of linearity (R(2)≥0.993) and precision (repeatability, RSD≤12.2% and reproducibility, RSD≤14.5%), obtaining detection limits lower than 29 µg/L for all compounds under study., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

We present a high-throughput confirmatory method for the analysis of 11 nitroimidazoles in muscle samples (metronidazole, MNZ; dimetridazole, DMZ; ronidazole, RNZ; tinidazole, TNZ; carnidazole, CRZ; secnidazole semihydrate, SCZ; ornidazole, ORZ; metronidazole-hydroxy, MNZ-OH; ipronidazole, IPZ; ipronidazole-hydroxy, IPZ-OH; and dimetridazole-hydroxy, HMMNI). Extraction with acetonitrile is efficient and simple, with the majority of recoveries ranging between 65 and 101%, and without the need for clean-up of the extracts. The chromatographic analysis is performed using UPLC-QqQ-MS in the MRM mode, with an electrospray source operated in positive mode. Total chromatographic analysis time is 12 min. This method has been fully validated in muscle according to Decision 657/2002/CE guidelines, and the CCα values obtained were in the range of 0.04-0.4 μg·kg(-1). The method is currently used for the analysis of muscle samples and has been tested in other matrices of animal origin, such as kidney, retina and egg, with excellent results.

Chagas disease constitutes a major public health problem in Latin America. Human breast milk is a biological sample of great importance for the analysis of therapeutic drugs, as unwanted exposure through breast milk could result in pharmacological effects in the nursing infant. Thus, the goal of breast milk drug analysis is to inquire to which extent a neonate may be exposed to a drug during lactation. In this work, we developed an analytical technique to quantify benznidazole and nifurtimox (the two antichagasic drugs currently available for medical treatment) in human breast milk, with a simple sample pretreatment followed by an ionic-liquid-based dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction combined with high-performance liquid chromatography and UV detection. For this technique, the ionic liquid 1-octyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate has been used as the "extraction solvent." A central composite design was used to find the optimum values for the significant variables affecting the extraction process: volume of ionic liquid, volume of dispersant solvent, ionic strength, and pH. At the optimum working conditions, the average recoveries were 77.5 and 89.7%, the limits of detection were 0.06 and 0.09 μg/mL and the interday reproducibilities were 6.25 and 5.77% for benznidazole and nifurtimox, respectively. The proposed methodology can be considered sensitive, simple, robust, accurate, and green., (© 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Rationale: Analysis for identification and quantification of regulated veterinary drug residues in foods is usually achieved by liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). The instrumental method requires the selection of characteristic ions, but structural elucidation is seldom performed to help ensure accuracy. This study is a continuation of previous work to characterize selected product ions in support of regulatory monitoring programs., Methods: The tandem mass spectra of 28 veterinary drugs from a previously published LC/MS/MS method were acquired with a high-resolution quadrupole time-of-flight (Q-TOF) mass spectrometer using electrospray ionization (ESI) in positive mode. The TOF analyzer was calibrated to achieve a mass accuracy error <5 ppm for the MS and MS/MS modes, and samples were infused for data acquisition., Results: The high mass accuracy achieved in Q-TOF allowed elucidation of the formulae of the product ions previously selected for qualitative identification. Rational interpretation of results was made and compared with the published literature, and the structure for the MS/MS product ions of four classes of regulated drugs (mectins, benzimidazoles, nitroimidazoles, and phenothiazines), totaling 28 compounds, were examined leading to the report of new structures or confirmation of published structures using low-resolution MS., Conclusions: Structural characterization of the product ions selected for identification and quantification of veterinary drug residues is important information for regulatory monitoring programs in defense of regulatory enforcement actions. This study has allowed structural elucidation of 84 MS/MS product ions previously selected for the LC/MS/MS analysis of 28 drug analytes., (Published in 2015. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.)

A selective, sensitive and high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-(ESI)MS/MS) method has been developed and validated for the quantification of the potent antitubercular drug candidate, PA-824, in rat plasma, lung and brain tissues. Sample clean-up involved protein precipitation and solid-phase extraction. Chromatographic separation was performed on YMC Triart C18 column (150 mm × 3.0 mm, 3.0 μm). The method was validated over the concentration range of 75-1500 ng/mL for plasma, 50-1200 ng/g for lungs and 100-1500 ng/g for brain tissue. Evaluation of the pharmacokinetic properties of PA-824 utilized Sprague Dawley rats with a dosage of 20mg/kg at various time points. The new method was applied successfully for the determination of PA-824 with liquid desorption followed by liquid chromatography with ultra-high resolution quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry in the different biological samples., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: The present clinical trial was designed to investigate the effectiveness of subgingivally delivered satranidazole (SZ) gel as an adjunct to scaling and root planing (SRP) in the treatment of chronic periodontitis., Methods: Sixty-four subjects with probing depth (PD) ≥ 5 mm and who were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes were selected. Thirty-two subjects each were randomly assigned to SRP + placebo (Group 1) and SRP + SZ (Group 2). The clinical outcomes evaluated were plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), clinical attachment level (CAL) and PD at baseline, 1 month, 3-months and 6 months., Results: At 6 months, Group 2 had greater mean reduction (4.73 mm) in PD as compared to Group 1 (2.09 mm; p < 0.05) and also a greater mean CAL gain (3.92 mm versus 1.64 mm; p < 0.05)., Conclusion: The use of 3% SZ gel, when used as an adjunct to non-surgical periodontal therapy in subjects with periodontitis, achieves significantly better clinical results than initial periodontal treatment alone.

A sensitive and reliable analytical method based on HPLC/MSIMS has been developed for the simultaneous determination of 15 nitroimidazoles in cosmetics. A diversity of cosmetic samples, including powder, lotion, shampoo, and cream were collected. The samples were ultrasonically extracted with aqueous methanol, and the extracts were then subjected to cleanup bySPE using an Oasis HLB cartridge followed by filtration with a 0.20 pm membrane filter. Afterwards, chromatographic separation was performed on an XSelect CSH C18 column (2.1 x 150 mm, 3.5 pm) maintained at 30°C within 15 min by a gradient of acetonitrile-0.1% aqueous formic acid solution at a flow rate of 0.25 mL/min. The mass spectrometric detection was carried, out using electrospray positive ionization under the multiple reaction monitoring mode. A good linearity was observed over the concentration range from 0.5 to 500 ng/mL. The intraday and interday precisions, which were investigated by determining all target compounds in cosmetics seven times/day and on 7 consecutive days, were below 5.00%. The mean recoveries at three spiked levels ranged from 80.42 to 100.83% with the RSDs from 0.45 to 9.02%. The LOQs were determined to be between 0.01 and 0.1 mg/kg. The method was sufficiently rapid, reliable, and sensitive for the determination of 15 nitroimidazoles in cosmetics.