Limit of Detection

Terminalia species are a rich source of tannins. Many preparations of these species are used in traditional medicine and have many different ethnobotanical applications. A simple UHPLC method was developed for the simultaneous analysis of such hydrolysable tannins and triterpene saponins from the fruit rinds of different species of Terminalia (T. chebula, T. arjuna, T. bellirica) and Phyllantus emblica. A separation by LC was achieved using a reversed-phase column and a water/acetonitrile mobile phase, both containing formic acid, using a gradient system and a temperature of 40°C.

Neurotransmitters and their metabolites in central nervous system were known to play a significant role in sedation and hypnosis. A rapid and sensitive UFLC-MS/MS method for simultaneous determination of serotonin, 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid (5-HIAA), tryptophan (Try), dopamine (DA), norepinephrine (NE), ?-aminobutyric acid (GABA), glutamic acid (Glu) and acetylcholine (Ach) in rat brain without derivatization, ion-pairing reagent or pre-concentration was developed.

Near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) methods were developed for the determination of analytical content of an antimalarial-antibiotic (artesunate and azithromycin) co-formulation in hard gelatin capsule (HGC). The NIRS consists of pre-processing treatment of spectra (raw spectra and first-derivation of two spectral zones), a unique principal component analysis model to ensure the specificity and then two partial least-squares regression models for the determination content of each active pharmaceutical ingredient.

BACKGROUND: Artemether-lumefantrine (AL) combination therapy is now the most used anti-malarial treatment in the world. Quality control of AL formulations is still a major challenge in developing countries. Until now, only liquid chromatographic methods have been reported in the literature for their analysis. Capillary electrophoretic methods, which present various advantages (low price of capillary, low volumes of electrolyte consumption), may be an alternative to liquid chromatography methods.

An analytical method has been described for the determination of mercury using a carbon paste electrode. Conditions for the preparation of the carbon paste electrode were optimized for low background current in order to use it for the determination of ultra trace levels of mercury. The carbon paste electrode was found to be a good electrode material for the determination of mercury. The optimized pH for the determination was in the range of 2.5 to 3.5. The three sigma detection limit of mercury was obtained as 0.095 µg L(-1).

Complementary and alternative medications, including the use of herbal medications, have become quite popular in the USA. Yerberias are found throughout the southwest and specialize in selling Hispanic herbal products. The products sold in these stores are not regulated by any governmental agency. Previous reports have found Ayurvedic medications contain high levels of lead, mercury, and arsenic. The primary purpose of this study is to examine the prevalence of heavy metal contaminants sold at Yerberia stores in the southwest.

Curcumin and piperine are proven for their potent medicinal benefits to treat various diseases and they are most commonly used combination in various Indian systems of medicine such as Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani. The objective of the present work is to develop a simultaneous estimation of curcumin and piperine by reverse phase Ultra-fast liquid chromatographic (RP-UFLC) method.

Traditional herbal preparations used in Ayurveda, traditional Chinese medicine, traditional Tibetan medicine, and other Asian traditional medicine systems may contain significant amounts of mercury, arsenic or lead. Though deliberately incorporated in Asian traditional herbal preparations for therapeutic purposes, these constituents have caused intoxications worldwide. The aim of this study was therefore to determine mercury, arsenic, and lead levels in Asian traditional herbal preparations on the Dutch market.

A simple and reproducible capillary-zone electrophoresis (CZE) method was developed for the separation and quantitation of sulfonium-ion-containing compounds isolated from plants of the Salacia genus which are traditionally used in Ayurvedic medicine for the treatment of type-2 diabetes. The method sufficiently resolved four different compounds with confirmed glucosidase inhibitory activity, namely, salacinol, ponkoranol, kotalanol and de-O-sulfonated kotalanol. Separation could be achieved in less than 9 min, and calibration curves showed good linearity.

An analytical method has been described for the determination of mercury using a carbon paste electrode. Conditions for the preparation of the carbon paste electrode were optimized for low background current in order to use it for the determination of ultra trace levels of mercury. The carbon paste electrode was found to be a good electrode material for the determination of mercury. The optimized pH for the determination was in the range of 2.5 to 3.5. The three sigma detection limit of mercury was obtained as 0.095 µg L(-1).