Multidimensional Liquid Chromatography Employing a Graphene Oxide Capillary Column as the First Dimension: Determination of Antidepressant and Antiepileptic Drugs in Urine

Author(s)

Soares Maciel, Edvaldo Vasconcelos ^[1] ; de Toffoli, Ana Lucia ^[1] ; Alves, Jussara da Silva ^[1] ; Lancas, Fernando Mauro ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Chem Sao Carlos, Sao Carlos 13566590, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Molecules; v. 25, n. 5 MAR 1 2020.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

Human mental disorders can be currently classified as one of the most relevant health topics. Including in this are depression and anxiety, which can affect us at any stage of life, causing economic and social problems. The treatments involve cognitive psychotherapy, and mainly the oral intake of pharmaceutical antidepressants. Therefore, the development of analytical methods for monitoring the levels of these drugs in biological fluids is critical. Considering the current demand for sensitive and automated analytical methods, the coupling between liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry, combined with suitable sample preparation, becomes a useful way to improve the analytical results even more. Herein we present an automated multidimensional method based on high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry using a lab-made, graphene-based capillary extraction column connected to a C8 analytical column to determined five pharmaceutical drugs in urine. A method enhancement was performed by considering the chromatographic separation and the variables of the loading phase, loading time, loading flow, and injection volume. Under optimized conditions, the study reports good linearity with R-2 > 0.98, and limits of detection in the range of 0.5-20 mu g L-1. Afterward, the method was applied to the direct analysis of ten untreated urine samples, reporting traces of citalopram in one of them. The results suggest that the proposed approach could be a promising alternative that provides direct and fully automated analysis of pharmaceutical drugs in complex biological matrices. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 17/02147-0 - Single drop chromatography and its coupling to mass spectrometry: instrumental strategies, development of materials, automation and analytical applications
• Grantee: Fernando Mauro Lanças
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants
• FAPESP's process: 15/15462-5 - Employment of graphene as sorbent in miniaturized sample preparation techniques.
• Grantee: Bruno Henrique Fumes
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• FAPESP's process: 14/07347-9 - Development of novel materials and devices for miniaturized sample preparation techniques in the area of food safety
• Grantee: Fernando Mauro Lanças
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants