Development of 3β,4α-dihydroxy-5α-androstan-17-one standard solution for doping analyses.

Doping analyses are essential for sporting events because some athletes might use prohibited substances to win games. To obtain reliable results from doping analyses, it is important to use both reliable standard solutions and validated analytical methods at accredited laboratories. Among the focused compounds related to prohibited substances listed by the World Anti-Doping Agency, we developed a certified reference material (CRM) for 3β,4α-dihydroxy-5α-androstan-17-one (DHAS), a metabolite of formestane that is used to conceal prohibited anabolic steroids, in methanol solution (NMIJ CRM 6212-a).

Anti-InlA single-domain antibodies that inhibit the cell invasion of Listeria monocytogenes.

Listeriosis, caused by infection with Listeria monocytogenes, is a severe disease with a high mortality rate. The L. monocytogenes virulence factor, internalin family protein InlA, which binds to the host receptor E-cadherin, is necessary to invade host cells.

Reliable purity assay of highly hygroscopic trichloroacetic acid for the development of high-purity reference material of NMIJ CRM 4074-a.

Trichloroacetic acid is known as one of the harmful disinfection byproducts with chlorine of tap water and is regulated according to legally binding standards in Japanese Drinking Water Quality Standards. We developed a high-purity trichloroacetic acid reference material, NMIJ CRM 4074-a, with certified purity as a traceability source of standard solution supplied under the Japan Calibration Service System (JCSS). As trichloroacetic acid is hygroscopic, water could be the main impurity.

Determination of Mogroside V in Luohanguo Extract for Daily Quality Control Operation Using Relative Molar Sensitivity to Single-Reference Caffeine.

Mogroside V is one of the characteristic and effective components of luohanguo extract, a food additive used as a sweetener in Japan as per Japan's Standards and Specifications for Food Additives (JSFA; 9th ed.). JSFA stipulates that the quantitative determination for mogroside V content in luohanguo extract applies HPLC using analytical standard mogroside V.

Development of certified reference material NMIJ CRM 6205-a for the validation of DNA quantification methods: accurate mass concentrations of 600-bp DNA solutions having artificial sequences.

Two 600-bp DNA solutions (DNA600-G and DNA600-T) were developed as certified reference material, NMIJ CRM 6205-a, for the validation of DNA quantification methods. Both DNA600-G and DNA600-T are ideal as "spike-in control" because these materials have artificial nucleic acid sequences. The certified values were determined as the mass concentration of total DNA (whole DNA materials in sample solution regardless of sequence) at 25 °C by formic acid hydrolysis/liquid chromatography-isotope dilution mass spectrometry (LC-IDMS) and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) based on the amount of phosphorus.

Characterization of scallop midgut gland certified reference material for quantification of diarrhetic shellfish toxins.

A scallop midgut gland certified reference material, NMIJ CRM 7520-a, was developed for validation and quality assurance during the inspection of shellfish for diarrhetic shellfish toxins. The candidate material was prepared by using naturally-toxic and nontoxic boiled midgut glands spiked with okadaic acid (OA). The homogeneity and stability of the material were found to be appropriate.

Relative molar sensitivities of carnosol and carnosic acid with respect to diphenylamine allow accurate quantification of antioxidants in rosemary extract.

We have been developing a high-performance liquid chromatography/photodiode array (HPLC/PDA) employing relative molar sensitivities (RMSs) and adopted it to the accurate quantification of carnosol (CL) and carnosic acid (CA) which are the antioxidants in rosemary extract. The method requires no references of CL or CA and instead uses RMSs with respect to diphenylamine (DPA) whose certified reference material is available from a reagent manufacturer. The molar and response ratios of the analytes to the reference in an artificial mixture of them were determined using H-quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (H-qNMR) and HPLC/PDA at a wavelength of 284 nm under isocratic condition, respectively, and then RMSs were calculated to be 0.

[Determination of Hesperidin and Monoglucosylhesperidin Contents in Processed Foods Using Relative Molar Sensitivity Based on H-Quantitative NMR].

We designed an off-line combination of HPLC/photodiode array detector (PDA) and H-quantitative NMR (H-qNMR) to estimate the relative molar sensitivity (RMS) of an analyte to a reference standard. The RMS is calculated as follows: a mixture of the analyte and the reference is analyzed using H-qNMR and HPLC/PDA. The response ratio of the analyte and the reference obtained by HPLC/PDA is then corrected using the molar ratio obtained by H-qNMR.

Interlaboratory comparison of liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry quantification of diarrhetic shellfish toxins in scallop midgut glands.

An interlaboratory comparison (ILC) was organized as a measure of the analytical competency in the liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry quantification of okadaic acid (OA) and dinophysistoxin-1 (DTX1) in scallop midgut gland samples. The test sample was prepared using boiled midgut glands of naturally contaminated scallops with DTX1 and its esters by spiking with OA, and homogeneity and stability of this test sample was assessed to be appropriate. Twenty laboratories participated in the ILC based on the Japanese official testing method; they submitted two sets of analytical concentrations of target analytes along with the details of their analytical protocols.

HPLC/PDA determination of carminic acid and 4-aminocarminic acid using relative molar sensitivities with respect to caffeine.

To accurately determine carminic acid (CA) and its derivative 4-aminocarminic acid (4-ACA), a novel, high-performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detector (HPLC/PDA) method using relative molar sensitivity (RMS) was developed. The method requires no analytical standards of CA and 4-ACA; instead it uses the RMS values with respect to caffeine (CAF), which is used as an internal standard. An off-line combination of H-quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (H-qNMR) and HPLC/PDA was able to precisely determine the RMSs of CA/CAF and 4-ACA/CAF.

Effects of the pH and Concentration on the Stability of Standard Solutions of Proteinogenic Amino Acid Mixtures.

To prepare metrologically traceable amino acid mixed standard solutions, it is necessary to determine the stability of each amino acid present in the mixed solutions. In the present study, we prepared amino acid mixed solutions using certified reference standards of 17 proteinogenic amino acids, and examined the stability of each of these amino acids in 0.1 N HCl.

Determination of PAHs in Solution with a Single Reference Standard by a Combination of H Quantitative NMR Spectroscopy and Chromatography.

We have applied a combination of H quantitative NMR spectroscopy (H-qNMR) and chromatography (GC or LC) to establish reliable analytical methods (qNMR/GC and qNMR/LC) for organic compounds. In this method, a reference standard is used as an internal standard for both H-qNMR and chromatography to estimate relative molar sensitivity (RMS) for analytes. The RMS values are calculated from the molar ratios between analytes and the reference standard obtained by H-qNMR; and the response ratio between them obtained by chromatography.

Concentration Measurement of Amino Acid in Aqueous Solution by Quantitative H NMR Spectroscopy with Internal Standard Method.

We describe a procedure to determine concentrations of amino acid standard solutions by quantitative NMR spectroscopy using an internal standard. The measurement samples were prepared by solvent exchange to remove any intense solvent signal in the H NMR spectra. The method was demonstrated on valine aqueous solutions of different concentrations.

Formic acid hydrolysis/liquid chromatography isotope dilution mass spectrometry: An accurate method for large DNA quantification.

Liquid chromatography-isotope dilution mass spectrometry (LC-IDMS) with formic acid hydrolysis was established for the accurate quantification of λDNA. The over-decomposition of nucleobases in formic acid hydrolysis was restricted by optimizing the reaction temperature and the reaction time, and accurately corrected by using deoxynucleotides (dNMPs) and isotope-labeled dNMPs as the calibrator and the internal standard, respectively. The present method could quantify λDNA with an expanded uncertainty of 4.

Development of High-purity Certified Reference Materials for 17 Proteinogenic Amino Acids by Traceable Titration Methods.

To ensure the reliability of amino acid analyses, the National Metrology Institute of Japan of the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (NMIJ/AIST) has developed high-purity certified reference materials (CRMs) for 17 proteinogenic amino acids. These CRMs are intended for use as primary reference materials to enable the traceable quantification of amino acids. The purity of the present CRMs was determined based on two traceable methods: nonaqueous acidimetric titration and nitrogen determination by the Kjeldahl method.

Metal free columns for determination of deoxynucleotide monophosphate by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry and application to oligonucleotide.

We have developed a highly sensitive method for the analysis of deoxynucleotide monophosphates (dNMPs), which involves the use of liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) and a new metal-free column. The new column solves the problem that the phosphate group in dNMPs interacts with the metal portion of the device or column. After optimization of the analytical conditions, the limits of detection (LODs) of dNMPs were from 5.

Purity Determination of Acetaldehyde in an Acetaldehyde Certified Reference Material.

Acetaldehyde is regulated as a toxic substance in various fields, and the method for monitoring or analysis of acetaldehyde is important. However, handling is difficult because of the high reactivity and low boiling point of acetaldehyde. Therefore, a reference material for high purity acetaldehyde with high accuracy was not available.

Quantification of glycated N-terminal peptide of hemoglobin using derivatization for multiple functional groups of amino acids followed by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry.

A novel method of amino acid analysis using derivatization of multiple functional groups (amino, carboxyl, and phenolic hydroxyl groups) was applied to measure glycated amino acids in order to quantify glycated peptides and evaluate the degree of glycation of peptide. Amino and carboxyl groups of amino acids were derivatized with 1-bromobutane so that the hydrophobicities and basicities of the amino acids, including glycated amino acids, were improved. These derivatized amino acids could be detected with high sensitivity using LC-MS/MS.

A novel amino acid analysis method using derivatization of multiple functional groups followed by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry.

We have developed a novel amino acid analysis method using derivatization of multiple functional groups (amino, carboxyl, and phenolic hydroxyl groups). The amino, carboxyl, and phenolic hydroxyl groups of the amino acids were derivatized with 1-bromobutane so that the hydrophobicities and basicities of the amino acids were improved. The derivatized amino acids, including amino group-modified amino acids, could be detected with high sensitivity using liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).

A certified urea reference material (NMIJ CRM 6006-a) as a reliable calibrant for the elemental analyses of amino acids and food samples.

We examined the reliability of a certified reference material (CRM) for urea (NMIJ CRM 6006-a) as a calibrant for N, C, and H in elemental analyzers. Only the N content for this CRM is provided as an indicative value. To estimate the C and H contents of the urea CRM, we took into account the purity of the urea and the presence of other identified impurities.

Determination of the carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen contents of alanine and their uncertainties using the certified reference material L-alanine (NMIJ CRM 6011-a).

The carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen (CHN) contents of alanine and their uncertainties were estimated using a CHN analyzer and the certified reference material (CRM) L-alanine. The CHN contents and their uncertainties, as measured using the single-point calibration method, were 40.36 ± 0.