Lec 2- HPLC Flashcards
Analysis of drugs by HPLC
- Solvents => Pump => Injector => Column => Detector => Recorder
- Can be considered as a modular system
- How many stationary phases (Based on the mechanism of separation) are there in LC?
- Which is most commonly used?
Using reverse phase HPLC
Parameter changed= Column length
- Increased column length
- Results in Increased direction of change
- And Increased retention time
- Increased Resolution
- Decreased Column length
- Decreased direction of change
- Decreased retention time
- Decreased resolution
Using reverse phase HPLC
Parameter changed= Flow rate
- Increased flow rate
- Increased direction of change
- Similar retention time- often decreased retention time
- Decreased resolution
- Decreased flow rate
* Decreased direction of change
* Similar retention time- Often increased retention time
* Increased resolution
NB- The degree of separation is most easily controlled by changing a mobile phase composition
Determination of methotrexate in plasma by HPLC
- What diseases do the first 2 drugs treat
- Clean up procedures
Q1) Where was the other 60% of the MTX?
Q2) Was this likely to cause errors?
Q3) How can these errors be compensated?
- Protein was precipitated by adding 0.3 ml of 10% trichloroacetic acid to every 1 ml of plasma
- Following centrifugation, MTX could be measured with a UV detector at 305nm
- Recovery of MTX in the acid extracts was reproducible at about 40% (38 to 41% in 9 determinations)
Q1) Where was the other 60% of the MTX?
- It is likely that it was bound to the precipitated protein
Q2) Was this likely to cause errors? - Yes
Q3) How can these errors be compensated? By adding internal standard
- Derivatisation
Q1) Why were the drug and IS oxidised
- For each 0.5ml of trichloracetic acid extract, 0.05ml of 5M acetic acid- Na acetate buffer (pH 5.0) was added
- Oxidation was performed at room temperature in 5 minutes by the addition of 5% KMnO4 (aq) solution
- The samples were decolourized by the addition of 0.1 ml of a 3% solution of H2O2
- This procedure resulted in the quantitative conversion of MTX to 2,4-diaminopteridine-6-carboxylic acid
- When 2-hydroxyfolic acid was used as the internal standard it was added to the trichloroacetic acid solution to give a final concentration equivalent to 0.5ug/mL in plasma
- To convert them into fluorescent derivatives to improve the detection sensitivity
- Analysis
- Q1) What was the stationary phase?
- Q2) Was it reverse phase or normal phase HPLC
- Q3) Tris?

- Water 6000 pumps were used with a uBondpack C18 column (4mm x 30cm) and a model U6K injector
- A SF-770 multiple wavelength UV detector and model FS (fluorescence detector) 970 detector were connected in series to the outlet of the column
- 2 solvent systems were used
- Q1) C-18
- Q2) A reverse phase
- Q3) Tris(hydroxymethyl) aminomethane: (CH2OH)3CNH2

NB look at BB
- HPLC trace
- The HPLC traces for MTX analysis by HPLC and fluorescence detection
- Samples of human plasma were ‘spiked’ with MTX (0.1 ug/ml) and 2-hydroxyfolic acid (0.5 ug/ml)
- Samples (100 ul) of oxidised plasma extracts were loaded onto the chromatograph A
- Plasma plus MTX and the internal standard; B

- Calibration curve
- Plasma containing 2-hydroxyfolic acid (0.5 ug/ml) and different levels of MTX was extracted, derivatized and analysed as discussed (6 samples, each injected 3 times )
- MTX plasma standard curve with the use of an internal standard

Assay procedure of paracetamol tablets using a calibrate curve
- Weigh out 125mg of paracetamol standard and dissolved in 250ml of 0.05M aq. acetic acid (stock solution)
- Prepare a series of standard solution each containing 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 & 2.5mg/ 100ml of the drug from the stock solution
- Weigh out powder 20 tablets (total 12.1891 g)
- Weigh out 150.5mg of tablet powder, shake the powder in ca and then adjust the volume to 250ml with more acetic acid (0.05M)
- Filter about 50ml of the solution into a conical flask and then transfer 25 ml of filtrate to 100ml volumetric flask and adjust the volume to 100ml
- Take 10ml of the diluted extract and transfer to a further 100ml volumetric flask and makeup to volume with 0.05M acetic acid
- Analyse the standard solutions and the extract from step 6 using the following chromatographic conditions: C-18: mobile phase= 0.05 acetic acid/acetonitrile (90:15); detection: UV- 243nm; flow rate 1ml/min
Data obtained from the analysis of paracetamol solution


Paracetamol example

Main steps to consider
- Chose a chromatographic method (HPLC or GC)
- Chose a Column
- What kind of detector
- Solvent system
- Wavelength
- Chose internal standard
- Evaluate the sensitivity of the assay
- Pre-treatment of the samples
- Analysis
- which chromatographic method would you use
Advantages and disadvantages

- what kind of column
- Reverse or normal phase
- C-18 or C8
- what kind of detector
- Which one to use depends on the structure of the drugs
Using UV detection
- The drug must have reasonable chromophore for UV detection
- what solvent system
- Reverse phase= aq base organic solvents
- Normal phase= organic solvents
- If the drug being analysed can be ionised we must buffer the solution
- what wavelength to use
- which IS
- Commercially available
- Similar chemical and physical properties
- Likely to be presenst in the clinical samples? if yes, dont use it
- Evaluate sensitivity of the assay
- HPLC after parameters have been optimised
- Minimum amount of drug detectable: 10ng
- Signal/noise: >3/1
- Pre-treatment of the samples (to clean and concentrate)
- Use of plasma: how are you going to clean up the sample?
- Chromatography
- Ion exchange may be difficult- not strongly ionic
- Preliminary RP chromatography e.g. SEP-PAK (solid phase extraction
solid phase extraction
- An efficient method for isolating and concentrating solutes from large volumes of liquid
- Very effective, even when the solutes are present in very dilute concentrations (ppb)
- Materials obtained can be used for chromatographic separation, spectroscopic examination or biological assessment
The typical procedure for solid phase extraction
- Conditioning solvent- (sorbent)
- Analyte + sample matrix
- Sorbent + analyte + impurities
- Washing solvent- sorbent and analyte in extractor and impurities taken out
- Eluting solvent- analyte removed
A typical procedure for solid phase extraction
- Conditioning the column: wash the column with a 5-10 bed volume of the solvent (same as to be used to elute the analyte
- Loading the analyte (liquid sample)
- The sample solvent passes through the column, the analyte + impurities absorbed on the solid phase
- Wash the column with a solvent, which will elute impurities but leave the analyte on the column
- Elute the analyte with an appropriate solvent to elute out the analyte (drug)
B. extraction
- Extraction with organic solvents
- Try light ones first (organic phase stays on top of aqeous layer e.g. hexane, diethyl ether, ethyl acetate
- Effect of pH on extraction
- Take 1 ml of buffer with drug and IS
- Add 3ml of diethyl ether
- Vortex for 30 sec
If the recovery is satisfactory, then go through the same procedure using control plasma instead of buffer

How can we get over the problem- back extraction

Interfering compounds
- Are there other drugs which the patient may be taking which could interfere with your assay
- Talk to the clinician about this
- If there are:
- Run through these drugs with control plasma or
- Get plasma from patients who are not taking these drugs
- Also, check for interference with the internal standard
Development of chromatographic assay (main steps)
- Chose a chromatographic method
- Chose a column
- What kind of detector
- Solvent system
- Wavelength
- Chose IS
- Evaluate sensitivity of the assay
- Pre-treatment of the samples
- Analysis
Validation of analytical procedures- methodology
- The extent of validation will depend on where a drug is in the development process
- In USA(FDA)
- Investigational new drug application- application for carrying out clinical trials
- New drug application- application for sale and marketing of a new drug
- In UK (MHRA)
- Clinical trial authorisation application (for clinical trials)
- Marketing authorisation application (for sale and marketing)