Journal of Analytical Methods in Chemistry最新文献

Fingerprinting techniques, which utilize the unique chemical and physical properties of food samples, have emerged as a promising approach for food authentication and traceability. Recent studies have demonstrated significant advancements in food authentication through the use of fingerprinting methods, such as multivariate statistical analysis techniques applied to trace elements and isotope ratios. However, further research is required to optimize these methods and ensure their validity and reliability in real-world applications. In this study, the inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) analytical method was employed to determine the content of 21 elements in 300 cashew nut (Anacardium occidentale L.) samples from 5 brands. Multivariate statistical methods, such as principal components analysis (PCA), were employed to analyze the data obtained and establish the provenance of the cashew nuts. While cashew nuts are widely marketed in many countries, no universal method has been utilized to differentiate the origin of these nuts. Our study represents the initial step in identifying the geographical origin of commercial cashew nuts marketed in Vietnam. The analysis showed significant differences in the means of 21 of the 40 analyzed elements among the cashew nut samples from the 5 brands, including ⁷Li, ¹¹B, ²⁴Mg, ²⁷Al, ⁴⁴Ca, ⁴⁸Ti, ⁵¹V, ⁵²Cr, ⁵⁵Mn, ⁵⁷Fe, ⁶⁰Ni, ⁶³Cu, ⁶⁶Zn, ⁹³Nb, ⁹⁸Mo, ¹¹¹Cd, ¹¹⁵In, ¹²¹Sb, ¹³⁸Ba, ²⁰⁸Pb, and ²⁰⁹Bi. The PCA analysis indicated that the cashew nut samples can be accurately classified according to their original locations. This research serves as a prerequisite for future studies involving the combination of elemental composition analysis with statistical classification methods for the accurate establishment of cashew nut provenance, which involves the identification of key markers for the original discrimination of cashew nuts.

Efficient and resilient techniques for handling samples are essential for detecting pharmaceutical compounds in the environment. This study explores a method for preserving water samples during transport before quantitative analysis. The study investigates the stability of 17α-ethynylestradiol (EE2), acetaminophen (ACM), oxytetracycline (OTC), sulfamethoxazole (SMX), and trimethoprim (TMP) after preconcentration within solid-phase extraction (SPE) cartridges. Through various experiments involving different holding times and storage temperatures, it was determined that four pharmaceutical compounds remained stable when stored for a month at 4°C and for six months when stored at -18°C in darkness. Storing these compounds in SPE cartridges at -18°C seemed effective in preserving them for extended periods. In addition, ACM, TMP, OTC, EE2, and SMX remained stable for three days at room temperature. These findings establish guidelines for appropriate storage and handling practices of pharmaceutical compounds preconcentrated from aqueous environmental samples using SPE.

This study is the first to determine the concentration for 17 congeners of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) and element contamination in poultry that is close to petroleum refinery at Al-Hashemiya Municipality, Zarqa Governorate, Jordan. Ten different samples (chicken) were collected to cover ten different locations of poultry farms in Al-Hashemiya Municipality. These locations are considered polluted areas as a result of exhaust gases produced from the refinery. The 17 PCDD/Fs congeners and elements of Pb, Cd, As, Zn, Cu, Se, Hg, Cr, and Ni were determined for three parts of each sample (liver, muscle, and gizzard). All samples were analyzed for PCDD/Fs after a Soxhlet extraction procedure and cleanup by column chromatography; then, all compounds were identified and determined using GC-MS techniques. The elements were analyzed after digestion and measured using an inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES) and validated with the Lab Mix24 RM NCS ZC73016 reference material. The highest total sum concentration of PCDD/Fs was found in liver samples to be 214.07 ng/kg (dry weight), while the highest sum of toxicity equivalent to PCDD/Fs of 22.54 ng TEQ/kg was found in gizzard samples. For element concentrations, the highest total sum of 16.89 mg/kg (dry weight) was found in liver samples. The concentration level of the elements of Se, Hg, Cr, and Ni for all parts of the chicken was within an acceptable range according to Jordanian standards and therefore the measured level of heavy and trace elements in the poultry samples (chicken) does not pose a danger to public health. The chickens found in poultry farms near the refinery are more likely to contain a higher concentration of PCDD/Fs congeners due to exhaust gas exposure.

Simultaneous enantioseparation of three commonly used chiral antifungal pesticides (diniconazole, hexaconazole, and imazalil) was first studied based on micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) with hydroxypropyl-γ-CD (HP-γ-CD) as chiral selector. In this study, the importance of experimental parameters such as chiral selector type and concentration, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) concentration, the ratio of methanol, and separation voltage in optimizing were investigated. The simultaneous enantioseparation of diniconazole, hexaconazole, and imazalil was successfully achieved in 30 mM borate buffer (pH 9.0) containing 10 mM HP-γ-CD and 20 mM SDS with methanol (8%) added as organic modifiers. The resolution of diniconazole, hexaconazole, and imazalil was 15.2, 2.12, and 2.78, respectively, and the peak efficiency (N) was over 566,825 plates/m. This study provides an alternative way to systematically separate chiral antifungal pesticides with high efficiency.

Moringa oleifera Lam. is a functional tree that is known to produce a variety of metabolites with purported pharmacological activities. It is frequently called the "miracle tree" due to its utilization in numerous nutraceutical and pharmacological contexts. This study was aimed at studying the chemical space of M. oleifera leaf extracts through molecular networking (MN), a tool that identifies metabolites by classifying them based on their MS-based fragmentation pattern similarities and signals. In this case, a special emphasis was placed on the flavonoid composition. The MN unraveled different molecular families such as flavonoids, carboxylic acids and derivatives, lignin glycosides, fatty acyls, and macrolactams that are found within the plant. In silico annotation tools such as network annotation propagation (NAP) and DEREPLICATOR, an unsupervised substructure identification tool (MS2LDA), and MolNet enhancer were also explored to further compliment the classic molecular networking output within the Global Natural Product Social (GNPS) site. In this study, common flavonoids found within Moringa oleifera were further annotated using MS2LDA. Utilizing computational tools allowed for the discovery of a wide range of structurally diverse flavonoid molecules within M. oleifera leaf extracts. The expansion of the flavonoid chemical repertoire in this plant arises from intricate glycosylation modifications, leading to the creation of structural isomers that manifest as isobaric ions during mass spectrometry (MS) analyses.

In this study, magnetic mesoporous silica-Fe₃O₄-graphene oxide nanoparticles (Fe₃O₄@GO@mSiO₂) were synthesized and used as sorbents for magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) of trace amounts of quercetin in natural samples (spinach, green pepper, dill, and red onion). The sorbent produced was characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDAX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The effects of various experimental factors on the percent recovery of quercetin, including extraction time, desorption time, sample solution pH, and adsorbent amount were investigated. The Fe₃O₄@GO@mSiO₂ strategy showed excellent stability and sensitivity for the determination of quercetin, with a suitable linear range of 20-800 µg L^-1 and a detection limit of 5.2 µg L^-1. The data indicate that Fe₃O₄@GO@mSiO₂ has a specific surface area and suitable adsorption capacity for the determination of quercetin.

Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) infections constitute a threat to public health, and KPC and NDM are the major carbapenemases of concern. Rapid diagnostic tests are highly desirable in point-of-care (POC) and emergency laboratories with limited resources. Here, we developed a multiplex lateral flow assay based on asymmetric PCR and barcode capture probes for the simultaneous detection of KPC-2 and NDM-1. Biotinylated barcode capture probes corresponding to the KPC-2 and NDM-1 genes were designed and cast onto two different sensing zones of a nitrocellulose membrane after reacting with streptavidin to prepare a multiplex lateral flow strip. Streptavidin-coated gold nanoparticles (SA-AuNPs) were used as signal reporters. In response to the target carbapenemase genes, biotin-labelled ssDNA libraries were produced by asymmetric PCR, which bond to SA-AuNPs via biotin and hybridise with the barcode capture probe via a complementary sequence, thereby bridging SA-AuNPs and the barcode capture probe to form visible red lines on the detection zones. The signal intensities were proportional to the number of resistance genes tested. The strip sensor showed detection limits of 0.03 pM for the KPC-2 and 0.07 pM for NDM-1 genes, respectively, and could accurately distinguish between KPC-2 and NDM-1 genes in CRE strains. For the genotyping of clinical isolates, our strip exhibited excellent consistency with real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR and gene sequencing. Given its simplicity, cost-effectiveness, and rapid analysis accomplished by the naked eye, the multiplex strip is promising auxiliary diagnostic tool for KPC-2 and NDM-1 producers in routine clinical laboratories.

A simple and sensitive strategy using cyclodextrin-modified micellar electrokinetic chromatography with diode array detector was developed and applied for the simultaneous separation and determination of nine components in Sanyetangzhiqing (SYTZQ), a hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic agent. Several important parameters affecting separation performance were evaluated and optimized using single variable methods. Under the optimal conditions, baseline separation of the nine components, including four flavonoids (hyperoside, isoquercitrin, quercetin-3-O-glucuronoside, and astragalin), four phenolic acids (chlorogenic acid, rosmarinic acid, salvianolic acid B, and lithospermic acid), and a monoterpenoids (paeoniflorin), were achieved in less than 16 min. The correlation coefficients of the calibration curves were over 0.9996 for all the analytes. Intraday and interday precisions ranged from 0.4% to 4.8% and 1.7% to 5.0%, respectively. Recoveries of analytes varied from 95.3% to 105%. Validation results as well as the application to analyse SYTZQ samples demonstrated the applicability of the proposed method and thus provided an effective tool for the quality control of SYTZQ. Moreover, with the advantages of short time consuming, low energy consumption, high efficiency, and low cost, this method has laid a foundation for the determination and quality evaluation of multicomponents in Chinese herbal compounds.

Dalbergia hancai Benth. (D. hancai) is one of the most frequently utilized traditional Chinese medicine in Zhuang medicine. Simultaneously, it has been included in the "Quality Standard of Zhuang medicine in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (Vol. 2)" and possessed outstanding pharmacological effects. However, the pharmacodynamic material basis of D. hancai still remains unclear. In this study, the high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method had been employed to establish the fingerprint of 10 batches of aqueous extract of D. hancai originated from different parts of China. At the same time, similarity evaluation, cluster analysis, and principal component analysis (PCA) had also been conducted to evaluate the common peaks. The acetic acid-induced writhing in mice had been employed as an analgesic model, and the carrageenan-induced toe swelling in mice was utilized as an anti-inflammatory model for pharmacodynamic experiments. The gray relational analysis (GRA) and partial least squares regression (PLSR) were applied to correlate the fingerprint and pharmacodynamic data to thoroughly examine its spectrum-effect relationship, whereby its analgesic and anti-inflammatory material basis had been comprehensively explored. The results revealed that the HPLC fingerprint of the aqueous extract of D. hancai had successfully identified 12 common peaks whereby two of which were further identified as protocatechuic acid and vitexin. Subsequently, through the analysis of GRA and PLSR, the chromatographic peaks that possess a critical correlation degree with the analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects of D. hancai had also been successfully discovered. Ultimately, the analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects of the 10 batches of D. hancai aqueous extract had been conclusively proved, and it was evidently indicated that these effects were attributable to the synergistic interactions between various components. Therefore, this study aims to serve as an effective analytical method for screening and predicting the effective substances of traditional Chinese medicine on the basis of the spectrum-effect relationship.