Acquired vitamin B12 (vB12) deficiency (vB12D) of newborns is relatively frequent as compared with the incidence of inherited diseases included in newborn screening (NBS) of different countries across the globe. Infants may present signs of vB12D before 6 months of age with anemia and/or neurologic symptoms when not diagnosed in asymptomatic state. The possibility of identifying vitamin deficient mothers after their pregnancy during the breastfeeding period could be an additional benefit of the newborn screening. Vitamin supplementation is widely available and easy to administer. However, in many laboratories, vB12D is not included in the national screening program. Optimized screening requires either second-tier testing or analysis of new urine and blood samples combined with multiple clinical and laboratory follow ups. Our scope was to review the physiologic fate of vB12 and the pathobiochemical consequences of vB12D in the human body. Particular emphasis was put on the latest approaches for diagnosis and treatment of vB12D in NBS.

Simultaneous determination of kynurenines, neurotransmitters, pterins and steroids linked to various neurological and metabolic diseases have important diagnostic significance for related pathology and drug monitoring. An improved, sensitive and selective ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization triple quadrupole mass spectrometric (UHPLC-MS/MS) method, based on our earlier publication, has been proposed for the quantitative measurement of 42 metabolites in human urine. The assay covers a larger number of analytes, uses an advanced, Waters Atlantis T3 chromatographic column and similarly meets the guideline of European Medicines Agency (EMA) on bioanalytical method validation. Analytical performance met all the EMA requirements and the assay covered the relevant clinical concentrations. Linear correlation coefficients were all > 0.998. Intra-day and inter-day accuracy and precision were 87-118%, 81-120% and 2-20%, respectively including the lower limit of quantification (LLOQ). The assay is expected to facilitate the diagnosis and allows drug level monitoring from urine.

In newborn screening, samples suspected for congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), a potentially lethal inborn error of steroid biosynthesis, need to be confirmed using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Daily quality controls (QCs) for the 2nd-tier CAH assay are not commercially available and are therefore generally prepared within the laboratory. For the first time, we aimed to compare five different QC preparation approaches used in routine diagnostics for CAH on the concentrations of cortisol, 21-deoxycortisol, 11-deoxycortisol, 4-androstenedione and 17-hydroxyprogesterone in dried blood spots. The techniques from Prep1 to Prep5 were tested at two analyte concentrations by spiking aliquots of a steroid-depleted blood, derived from washed erythrocyte suspension and steroid-depleted serum. The preparation processes differed in the sequence of the preparation steps and whether freeze-thaw cycles were used to facilitate blood homogeneity. The five types of dried blood spot QCs were assayed and quantitated in duplicate on five different days using a single calibration row per day. Inter-assay variations less than 15% and concentrations within ±15% of the nominal values were considered acceptable. Results obtained by means of the four dried blood spot QC preparation techniques (Prep1, Prep2, Prep4 and Prep5) were statistically similar and remained within the ±15% ranges in terms of both reproducibility and nominal values. However, concentration results for Prep3 (spiking prior to three freeze-thaw cycles) were significantly lower than the nominal values in this setting, with differences exceeding the ±15% range in many cases despite acceptable inter-assay variations. These findings have implications for the in-house preparation of QC samples in laboratory developed tests for CAH, including 2nd-tier assays in newborn screening.

Concurrent measurement of tyrosine, tryptophan and their metabolites, and other co-factors could help to diagnose and better understand a wide range of metabolic and neurological disorders. The two metabolic pathways are closely related to each other through co-factors, regulator molecules and enzymes. By using high performance liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization triple quadrupole mass spectrometry, we present a robust, selective and comprehensive method to determine 30 molecules within 20 min using a Waters Atlantis dC18. The method was validated according to the guideline of European Medicines Agency on bioanalytical method validation. Analytical performance met all the EMA requirements and the assay covered the relevant clinical concentrations. Linear correlation coefficients were all >0.998. Intra-day and inter-day accuracy were between 80-119% and 81-117%, precision 1-19% respectively. The method was applied to measure TYR, TRP and their metabolites, and other neurologically important molecules in human serum and CSF samples. The assay can facilitate the diagnosis and is suitable for determination of reference values in clinical laboratories.

Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) is a severe inherited disorder of cortisol biosynthesis that is potentially lethal or can seriously affect quality of life. For the first time, we aimed to assess the stability of 21-deoxycortisol (21Deox), 11-deoxycortisol (11Deox), 4-androstenedione (4AD), 17-hydroxyprogesterone (17OHP) and cortisol (Cort), diagnostic for CAH, in dried blood spots (DBSs) during a 1 year storage at different temperatures. Spiked DBS samples were stored at room temperature, 4 °C, -20 °C or -70 °C, respectively and analyzed in triplicates using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry at Weeks 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4, Month 6 and Year 1. Analyte levels within ±15% vs the baseline were considered stable. Our observations show that 21Deox, 4AD and 17OHP were not significantly changed for 1 year even at room temperature at either analyte levels. In contrast, Cort required storage at 4 °C, -20 °C or -70 °C for long-term stability, being significantly decreased at room temperature from Month 6 (p<0.01) in both the 30(60) nM and the 90(180) nM samples. 11Deox was significantly decreased at room temperature at Year 1 (p<0.01) and only in the 30(60) nM samples. Thus, all biomarkers were stable for up to 1 year at 4 °C, -20 °C or -70 °C and at least for 4 weeks at room temperature. These findings have implications for analyses of stored DBS samples in 2nd-tier assays in newborn screening and for retrospective CAH studies.

The focus of this contribution is a comparative investigation of enantioseparations of 19 Nα-Fmoc proteinogenic amino acids on Quinine-based zwitterionic and anion-exchanger type chiral stationary phases employing hydro-organic and polar-ionic liquid and subcritical fluid chromatographic conditions. Effects of mobile phase composition (including additives, e.g., water, basis and acids) and nature of chiral selectors on the chromatographic performances were studied at different chromatographic modes. Thermodynamic parameters of the temperature dependent enantioseparation results were calculated in the temperature range 5–50 °C applying plots of lnα versus 1/T. The differences in standard enthalpy and standard entropy for a given pair of enantiomers were calculated and served as a basis for comparisons. Elution sequence in all cases was determined, where a general rule could be observed, both in liquid and subcritical fluid chromatographic mode the d-enantiomers eluted before the L ones. In both modes, the principles of ion exchange chromatography apply.

Polar-ionic and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic separations of limonene-based cyclic β-amino acid enantiomers were carried out by using macrocyclic glycopeptide-based chiral selectors applying Chirobiotic T, TAG and R columns. The effects of additives, concentration of the co- and counter-ions and the temperature in polar-ionic mobile phase systems were studied. The influence of pH, MeOH content and alcohol additives were investigated in the reversed-phase mode. The difference in the change in standard enthalpy Δ(ΔH°), entropy Δ(ΔS°), and free energy Δ(ΔG°) was calculated from the linear van't Hoff plots derived from the ln α vs 1/T curves in the temperature range 5-40°C. Unusual temperature behavior was observed on Chirobiotic TAG for most of the analytes: decreased retention times were accompanied with increased separation factors with increasing temperature, and separation was entropically-driven. For two of the studied analytes enthalpically-driven enantioseparations were observed. The elution sequence was determined in all cases, but no general rule could be established.

The enantiomeric purity of N-alpha-Fmoc-protected amino acids is crucial from the viewpoint of peptide synthesis; therefore, a sensitive high-performance liquid chromatographic protocol was developed for the identification and quantification of enantiomeric impurities of commercially available N-alpha-Fmoc-protected amino acids on Cinchona alkaloid quinine-and quinidine-based weak anion exchanger-type chiral stationary phases. In the course of the evaluation of the chiral chromatographic method, the effect of the mobile phase composition, nature, and concentration of different additives were optimized. The specific phenomenon that quinine-and quinidine-based chiral stationary phases behave as pseudo-enantiomers permits that the sequence of elution of the enantiomers might be reversed by simple column switching. This is quite advantageous as regards the separation of the minor component in the presence of the major one. The method developed permits detection of less than 0.01% enantiomeric impurity in the presence of the major enantiomer.

Cyclic beta-aminohydroxamic acid enantiomer pairs were stereoselectively separated by high-performance liquid chromatography on the recently developed Cinchona alkaloid-based zwitterionic chiral stationary phases Chiralpak ZWIX(+)(TM), ZWIX(-)(TM), ZWIX(+A) and ZWIX(-A). The results of variation of the applied chromatographic conditions, such as the bulk solvent composition, the concentrations and ratio of the acid and base additives, the presence of water as mobile phase additive and the counter-ion concentration furnished a better understanding of the retention mechanism. A thermodynamic study in the temperature range 5-50 degrees C revealed enthalpy-controlled enantiodiscrimination in all cases. The structure-selectivity relationships clearly indicated the importance of the strereochemistry of the functional groups. From an enantiorecognition aspect, the diexo position of the functional groups always proved more favorable than the diendo position. The elution sequence was determined in all cases and was found to reversed when ZWIX(+)(TM) was changed to ZWIX(-)(TM) or ZWIX(+A) to ZWIX(-A). (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The enantiomers of trans-paroxetine were separated on four chiral stationary phases (CSPs) based on chiral zwitterionic Cinchona alkaloids fused with (R,R)- or (S,S)-trans-2-aminocyclohexanesulfonic acid. The enantioseparations were carried out in polar-ionic or in hydro-organic mobile phases with MeOH/THF, Meal/THF, Meal/THF/H2O and MeOH/MeCN/THF containing organic acid and base additives, in the temperature range 0-50 degrees C. The effects of the mobile phase composition, the natures and concentrations of the additives and temperature on the separations were investigated. Thermodynamic parameters were calculated from plots of In alpha vs 1/T. Delta(Delta H degrees) ranged between -3.0 and +1.5 kJ mol(-1), and Delta(Delta S degrees) between -8.8 and +5.9 J mol(-1) K-1. The enantioseparation was generally enthalpically controlled, the retention factor and separation factor decreasing with increasing temperature, but entropically controlled separation was also observed. The elution sequences of the paroxetine enantiomers on the two pairs of pseudoenantiomeric CSPs were investigated, and an attempt was made to explain the observed anomalies in silico in order to gain an insight into the underlying molecular recognition events between the four chiral selectors and the analyte enantiomers. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

In a systematic way enantioseparations of non-methylated and the corresponding N-monomethylated ampholytic cyclic ß3-amino acids were carried out on four zwitterionic chiral stationary phases (CSPs; ZWIX(+)™, ZWIX(-)™, ZWIX(+A), ZWIX(-A)). CSPs were based on the combinations of quinine and quinidine as the cationic and of (R,R)- and (S,S)-aminocyclohexane sulfonic acid as the anionic sites. In polar-ionic mobile phase systems, the effects of the composition of the bulk solvents, the additives, the concentration of the co- and counter-ions, the temperature, and the structures of the ampholytic analytes were investigated. The changes in standard enthalpy, Δ(ΔH°), entropy, Δ(ΔS°), and free energy, Δ(ΔG°), were calculated from the linear van't Hoff plots derived from the ln α vs 1/T curves in the studied temperature range (5-40°C). Unusual temperature behavior was observed on the ZWIX(-)™ column: decreased retention times were accompanied by increased separation factors with increasing temperature, and separation was entropically-driven. For the other three CSPs, enthalpically-driven enantioseparations were observed. Via the consequent determination of the elution order of the resolved enantiomers, the effects of the absolute configuration of the chiral anionic and cationic subunits of the zwitterionic CSPs could be elucidated. N-methylation of the amino acids led unexpectedly to a reversal of the elution sequence, which can be interpreted by a subtle shift of the hierarchical order of the sterically most important driving interaction sites from the cationic to the anionic units, and vice versa.

In this study we attempted to describe in a comparative manner the enantioselectivity performance of six different polysaccharide- and two strong cation exchanger-type chiral stationary phases (CSPs) for the resolution of free and N-protected β-carboline derivatives. On commercially available cellulose- or amylose-based CSPs, the enantioseparations were carried out in normal-phase mode by variation of the nature and the concentration of the alcohol modifier in n-hexane as mobile phase. With the application of strong cation exchanger-type CSPs, the enantioseparations were optimized by the variation of methanol-acetonitrile bulk solvent compositions in the presence of various amounts of acid and base additives acting as counter-ions. Detailed thermodynamic investigations revealed that in all cases the enantioseparations observed were enthalpically driven, i.e. the retention and selectivity decreased with increasing temperature. Elution sequences were determined routinely; no general rule was found on polysaccharide-based CSPs, while on the two enantiomeric strong cation exchanger-type CSPs the predicted reversal of the elution sequence could be confirmed on switching from one enantiomeric CSP to the other form.

Polar-ionic and hydro-organic mobile phase mode of high-performance liquid chromatographic separations of 23 sterically constrained primary β3-amino acid enantiomers containing, alkyl, aryl or heteroaryl side-chains were carried out by using newly developed Cinchona alkaloid-based zwitterionic chiral selectors and the stationary phases Chiralpak ZWIX(+)™ and ZWIX(−)™. In the polar-ionic mode, the effects of the composition of the bulk solvent and the natures of the co- and counter-ions, while in the hydro-organic mode, the effects of the pH, the counter-ion concentration and the structures of the analytes were investigated. The separations of the enantiomers of these 23 primary β3-amino acids, which can be classified as a series of quasi- (pseudo-) homologs, were optimized in both chromatographic modes. The elution sequence was determined in most cases and a reversal of elution order on ZWIX(+)™ and ZWIX(−)™ column was observed. On the basis of this intermolecular recognition model between the selectors and the given enantiomers an indirect assignment of the resolved enantiomer via chromatography is proposed.

High-performance liquid chromatographic methods were developed for the separation of enantiomers of four unnatural paclitaxel precursor phenylisoserine analogs on chiral stationary phases containing macrocyclic glycopeptides and cyclofructans as chiral selectors. The effects of the mobile phase composition, the nature and concentration of different mobile phase additives (alcohols, amines and acids) in different chromatographic modes, temperature and the structures of the analytes on the separations were investigated. Separations were carried out at constant mobile phase compositions in the temperature range 10-50 degrees C on macrocyclic antibiotic-based and 5-35 degrees C on cyclofructan-based columns and the changes in enthalpy, Delta(Delta H degrees), entropy Delta(Delta S degrees), and free energy, Delta(G degrees), were calculated. The elution sequence was determined in most cases; no general rule could be observed. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The enantiomers of twelve unusual β2- and β3-homoamino acids containing the same side-chains were separated on chiral stationary phases containing a quinine- or quinidine-based zwitterionic ion-exchanger as chiral selector. The effects of the mobile phase composition, the nature and concentration of the acid and base additives and temperature on the separations were investigated. The changes in standard enthalpy, ∆(∆H°), entropy, ∆(∆S°), and free energy, ∆(∆G°), were calculated from the linear van’t Hoff plots derived from the ln α vs. 1/T curves in the studied temperature range (10–50 °C). The values of the thermodynamic parameters depended on the nature of the selectors, the structures of the analytes, and the positions of the substituents on the analytes. A comparison of the zwitterionic stationary phases revealed that the quinidine-based ZWIX(−)™ column exhibited much better selectivity for both β2- and β3-amino acids than the quinine-based ZWIX(+)™ column, and the separation performances of both the ZWIX(+)™ and ZWIX(−)™ columns were better for β2-amino acids. The elution sequence was determined in some cases and was observed to be R < S and S < R on the ZWIX(+)™ and ZWIX(−)™ columns, respectively.

Procedures for the direct high-performance liquid chromatographic enantiomer separation of four bicyclo[2.2.2]octane-based 3-amino-2-carboxylic acids were developed in polar-ionic mode on zwitterionic chiral stationary phases (CSPs) based on cinchonane alkaloide quinine, quinidine and chiral sulfonic acid motifs. The effects of the mobile phase composition including the type of acid and base additives, the structures of the analytes and temperature were investigated.Experiments were performed at constant mobile phase compositions in the temperature range 10-50 degrees C in order to study the effects of temperature, and thermodynamic parameters were calculated from plots of Ink or In alpha vs. 1/T. Some mechanistic aspects of the chiral recognition process are discussed with respect to the structures of the analytes. It was found that the enantiomeric separations were in most cases enthalpically driven, but entropically driven separation was also observed. The sequence of elution of the enantiomers on the pseudo-enantiomerically behaving CSPs was determined in all cases. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.