Abstract Liquid chromatography (LC) combined with mass spectrometry (MS) is a powerful tool for qualitative and quantitative analytics of organic molecules from various matrices, and the use of this hyphenated technique is very common in bioanalytical laboratories. In this study, LC/MS methods and the required sample preparation applications were developed for plant flavonoid and drug metabolism studies. The main focus was in developing methods to be used during cytochrome P450 (CYP) -specific drug interaction studies. Traditional high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and new, more efficient and faster ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) were utilized together with time-of-flight (TOF) and triple quadrupole (QqQ) mass spectrometry. In the flavonoid study, collision-induced radical cleavage of flavonoid glycosides was tested and observed to be a suitable tool for the structure elucidation of the 15 flavonol glycosides extracted from the medicinal plant Rhodiola rosea. Ten of these glycosides were previously unreported in the plant. Several unreported in vivo bupropion metabolites were identified from human urine when developing the method for the new and more extensive in vitro and in vivo N-in-one interaction cocktail assays. The qualified analysis methods developed here enable faster analysis for the N-in-one cocktail assays, in turn enabling a more efficient screening of drugs that affect CYP-enzyme activities. In the case of the human in vitro cocktail assay, fourteen compounds were analyzed using a single LC/MS/MS run. The method has proven to be very reliable and has been used in several interaction studies utilizing different sample matrices. The in vivo cocktail assay that was developed enables totally non-invasive sample collection from the patients, the urine sample being sufficient for the UPLC/MS/MS analysis of all target compounds. The last part of the study consisted of developing a specific and very sensitive UPLC/MS/MS method for the analysis of one of the in vivo cocktail analytes, the antidiabetic drug repaglinide, from human placenta perfusates. / Tiivistelmä Nestekromatografia (LC) yhdistettynä massaspektrometriaan (MS) on tehokas työväline kvalitatiivisessa ja kvantitatiivisessa analytiikassa, ja tätä tekniikkaa käytetään erityisesti bioalan laboratorioissa. Tässä väitöskirjatyössä kehitettiin ja sovellettiin LC/MS- ja näytteenkäsittelymenetelmiä kasvien flavonoidimetabolian ja lääkeaineiden metaboliatuotteiden tutkimukseen keskittyen erityisesti sytokromi P450 (CYP) -entsyymispesifisten lääkeaineiden interaktiotutkimuksiin tarvittaviin menetelmiin. Työssä hyödynnettiin perinteistä korkean erotuskyvyn nestekromatografiaa (HPLC) ja uutta, suorituskyvyltään vielä tehokkaampaa ja nopeampaa nestekromatografiaa (UPLC) yhdessä lentoaika- (TOF) ja kolmoiskvadrupolimassaspektrometrian (QqQ) kanssa. Tutkimustyön flavonoidimetaboliaan keskittyneessä osuudessa havaittiin törmäyksen aiheuttaman (CID) radikaalipilkkoutumisen soveltuvan lääkinnällisenä kasvina käytetystä ruusujuuresta (Rhodiola rosea) uutettujen viidentoista flavonoliglykosidin rakennemääritykseen. Kymmentä näistä löydetyistä glykosideista ei oltu aiemmin raportoitu ruusujuuresta. Tutkimustyön keskeisimpänä tavoitteena kehitettiin kvalifioidut LC/MS -analyysimenetelmät käytettäväksi aikaisempaa kattavampien in vitro ja in vivo -olosuhteiden N-in-one -tyyppisten CYP-entsyymi-interaktiotutkimusten analyyttisenä työkaluna. Näitä analyysimenetelmiä kehitettäessä löydettiin ja tunnistettiin ihmisen virtsasta aiemmin raportoimattomia metaboliitteja CYP2B6 -entsyymin malliaineena käytetyn bupropionin annostelun jälkeen. Kyseisten kehitettyjen analyysimenetelmien avulla CYP-entsyymien toimintaan vaikuttavien lääkeaineiden tutkiminen on aiempaa nopeampaa ja antaa yhdellä kertaa samasta tutkimuksesta entistä laaja-alaisempaa tietoa. In vitro -tutkimusta varten kehitetty LC/MS/MS -analyysimenetelmä on osoittautunut erittäin käyttökelpoiseksi lukuisissa interaktiotutkimuksissa, ja in vivo -tutkimusta varten kehitetty UPLC/MS/MS -analyysimenetelmä mahdollistaa täysin ei-invasiivisen näytteenoton potilaista. Tutkimustyön viimeisessä vaiheessa kehitettiin erittäin herkkä ja spesifinen UPLC/MS/MS -analyysimenetelmä CYP2C8-entsyymin toiminnan malliaineena käytetyn repaglinidin analysoimiseksi koejärjestelystä, jossa tutkitaan yhdisteiden kulkeutumista raskausaikana äidin ja sikiön verenkierron välillä istukan kautta.

Conselho Nacional de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico - CNPq / Cocaine is a stimulant that features a strong ability to cause dependence. Often adulterants are added to this drug in order to mimic its action or minimize its adverse effects. When there are other pharmacologically active components in the drug composition, severe problems can occur to users’ health, such as intoxication symptoms. Thus, the aim of this study was to develop a method for the determination of the main adulterants of cocaine (caffeine, levamisole, lidocaine, phenacetin, diltiazem, and hydroxyzine) in human urine. The high-performance liquid chromatography with a photodiode array detector and the dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction based on solidification of floating organic drop were used as analysis technique and as sample preparation technique, respectively. The reversed-phase chromatographic separation was obtained with a C18 column (250 x 4.6 mm; 5 μm; 80 Å) in gradient elution mode using acetonitrile-trifluoroacetic acid 0.026% (v/v) at 1 mL min-1 as mobile phase, at 25°C, and detection at 235 nm. The analysis time was 25 min. Under optimum conditions, human urine samples were alkalized with 0.5 mol.L-1 sodium phosphate buffer (pH 10) and added sodium chloride (20% m/v). Acetonitrile (150 μL) and 1-dodecanol (30 μL) were used as dispersive and extraction solvent, respectively. The method presented linear range of 312.5 – 3125 ng.mL−1 for caffeine and levamisole and 187.5 – 1875 ng.mL−1 for lidocaine, phenacetin, diltiazem, and hydroxyzine, with limit of quantification of 187.5 ng.mL-1 to lidocaine, phenacetin, diltiazem, and hydroxyzine and 312.5 ng.mL-1 for caffeine and levamisole. Recovery mean values were between 6.0 and 42.6%. The method showed good precision and accuracy, with within- and between-run relative standard deviation and relative error less than 15%. The samples were stable after freeze-thaw cycle and short-term room temperature stability tests. Additionally, this method was applied in samples of urine of five cocaine users and at least one adulterant was identified in all samples. It is expected that this method will contribute to the precision in the diagnosis of cocaine adulterants’ intoxication and to the proper planning of therapeutic measures. / A cocaína é uma droga estimulante que apresenta capacidade de causar dependência. Frequentemente são adicionados a esta droga adulterantes com o intuito de mimetizar sua ação ou minimizar seus efeitos adversos. Quando há nessa droga outros componentes farmacologicamente ativos, agravos à saúde dos usuários podem ocorrer, como quadros de intoxicação. Assim, o objetivo deste trabalho foi desenvolver um método de determinação dos principais adulterantes da cocaína (cafeína, levamisol, lidocaína, fenacetina, diltiazem e hidroxizina) em urina humana. A cromatografia líquida de alta eficiência com detector de arranjo de fotodiodos foi utilizada como técnica de análise e a microextração líquido-líquido dispersiva com solidificação da gota orgânica flutuante, como técnica de preparo das amostras. A separação cromatográfica dos analitos em fase reversa foi obtida em uma coluna C18 (250 x 4,6 mm; 5 μm; 80 Å) em modo gradiente e usando acetonitrila-ácido trifluoroacético 0,026% (v/v) a 1 mL.min-1 como fase móvel (25°C e detecção a 235 nm). O tempo de análise foi de 25 min. Para o preparo da amostra, a urina foi alcalinizada com tampão fosfato de sódio 0,5 mol.L-1 (pH 10) e adicionada de cloreto de sódio (20% m/v). Acetonitrila (150 μL) e 1-dodecanol (30 μL) foram utilizados como solvente dispersor e extrator, respectivamente. O método apresentou intervalos lineares de concentração de 312,5 – 3125 ng.mL−1 para cafeína e levamisol e de 187,5 – 1875 ng.mL−1 para lidocaína, fenacetina, diltiazem e hidroxizina, com limite de quantificação de 187,5 ng.mL-1 para lidocaína, fenacetina, diltiazem e hidroxizina e 312,5 ng.mL-1 para cafeína e levamisol. Os valores médios de recuperação variaram de 6,0 a 42,6%. O método mostrou boa precisão e exatidão intra e intercorrida com coeficientes de variação e erros relativos menores que 15%. As amostras apresentaram-se estáveis após ciclos de congelamento-descongelamento e após serem mantidas por 24h em temperatura ambiente. Ainda, o método foi aplicado em cinco amostras de urina de usuários de cocaína e pelo menos um adulterante foi identificado em todas as amostras. Espera-se que este método possa contribuir para a precisão no diagnóstico das intoxicações por adulterantes da cocaína e para o adequado planejamento das medidas terapêuticas.