Significant numbers of newer anticancer drugs are regularly entering into the market worldwide to fight against different types of cancers. Analytical methodologies are being developed to quantitate those molecules in a variety of matrices during their drug development stages. Selection of biological matrices for developing bioanalytical methods is based on the mechanism of action, site of action, site of metabolism and route of excretion of the drugs or their metabolites. In this review, we have described the current scenario and advancements in bioanalytical techniques for quantification of different anticancer drugs in a variety of biomatrices with a special emphasis on sample preparation techniques. We have discussed and summarized different bioanalytical aspects for anticancer drugs, which can give direction to the researcher for choosing appropriate techniques for their quantification needs.

Molybdenite (MLN) was physically co-adsorbed with Ag nanoparticles (Ag) on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) for selectively sensing of ascorbic acid (AA). The composite was characterized with a scan electron microscope, a high-temperature confocal laser scanning microscope, an X-ray diffractometer, an X-ray fluorescence analyzer and electrochemical methods. The prepared MLN/Ag-GCE sensor exhibited good properties including a linear range from 3.0 × 10⁻⁵ to 1.0 × 10⁻³ M toward AA, a low detection limit of 1.5 × 10⁻⁵ M, good selectivity, excellent reproducibility, and good stability. The synergistic effect between MLN and Ag nanoparticles results in an enhancement of the electrocatalytic activity for molybdenite.

An electrochemical phosphate sensor based on zirconium and reduced graphene oxide modified pencil graphite electrode (Zr/rGO-PGE) is proposed. The XRD, CV and EIS confirmed that GO was partially reduced on the PGE. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) exhibited the layered and wrinkled structures for the rGO-PGE and Zr/rGO-PGE, respectively. Cyclic voltammetry showed the immobilized rGO was highly stable and had high activity toward zirconium adsorption. The prepared electrode was used for the electrochemical determination of phosphate. Based on the optimum condition using differential pulse voltammetry, the limit of detection and sensitivity for phosphate was obtained as [0.011(± 0.004) μM] (S/N = 3) and [622.4(± 9.6) μA μM⁻¹ cm⁻²], respectively. The sensor was successfully evaluated for phosphate determination in human serum samples. In practical terms, the construction of this sensor was exceptionally simple, fast, cost effective and reproducible.

Simply structured conjugated compounds with cyanoacrylate (CA 1 – 4) and acrylonitrile (AN 1 – 4) terminal groups were synthesized by a Knoevenagel condensation reaction in one step and investigated for their recognition properties to p-toluenethiol by UV-vis, fluorescence spectra, and FT-IR measurements. When p-toluenethiol was added to CA 1, the FT-IR spectra revealed a cleavage of alkene caused by the addition reaction between p-toluenethiol and CA 1. An increase in p-toluenethiol concentration, a blue-shifted absorption band, and a decrease in the fluorescence intensity of CA 1 were observed because of the decrease in its effective conjugated length. Therefore, the most simply structured CA 1 was found to be the most effective and the most sensitive chemical sensor for p-toluenethiol.

For the rapid, easy, and safe purification of alkali and alkaline-earth elements from rock samples for stable isotope analysis, we developed a semi-automated, high-throughput procedure using borate fusion and an ion chromatography system equipped with a fraction collector. This HF-free procedure for the decomposition of silicate rock samples can be performed in a short time without isotope fractionation; the purification procedure enables the collection of baseline-separated peaks of multiple target elements and the complete removal of interference matrices from reagents and samples. The accuracy of this procedure was verified by confirming the correspondence of stable isotopic values of Li, Mg, Sr (δ⁷Li, δ²⁶Mg, δ⁸⁸Sr) and radiogenic isotopic values of Sr (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr) to previously reported values in various geochemical reference materials in which the concentration range of Li was 7.78 – 86.6 ng g⁻¹, that of Mg was 0.02 – 26.9%, and that of Sr was 178 – 7240 ng g⁻¹. These results demonstrate that this procedure, which allows for the concurrent multi-isotope analysis of alkali and alkaline-earth elements in the same sample, is applicable to a wide variety of sample types.

This manuscript describes the determination of ammonia (NH₃) in aqueous samples by purge-and-trap extraction using a needle-type extraction device with gas chromatography–barrier discharge ionization detector (GC-BID). NH₃ was purged from the aqueous samples in basic conditions and then salted out with sodium chloride. Purged ammonia was trapped onto non-volatile carboxylic acid-coated macroporous terephthalic acid particles, which were contained within the needle-type extraction device. The analyte (NH₃) was thermally desorbed by heating the extraction needle in the GC injection port, and detected by BID. After the optimization of both purge and extraction conditions, the linearity and sensitivity of the proposed method were evaluated. The limit of detection was found to be 2.0 mg L⁻¹ at a headspace sampling volume of 100 mL. The method applicability was confirmed by the determination of spiked NH₃ in tap water and river water samples.

We propose a method to evaluate the surface structure of Escherichia coli focusing on the doping state of bacterial cells into polypyrrole (PPy) matrix. We found that the orientation of doping states of E. coli O rough was different from those of other serotypes of E. coli cells, which had O-antigen on their outer membrane. The results indicated that more than seventy percent of E. coli cells having O-antigen was horizontally doped into PPy matrix based on the chemical structure and the placement of O-antigen. On the other hand, the percentage for horizontal doping state of E. coli O rough cells was only approximately fifty percent. Moreover, the cells of each E. coli serotypes were specifically bound to their own shape-complementary cavities on the microspheres, but the binding affinity of E. coli O rough was a bit lower than that of other serotypes.

Fluidic chip fabrication technologies using three-dimensional (3D) printing have received broad attention recently. Herein, we describe a new method for fabricating polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) fluidic chips using a 3D-printed polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) or acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) template and polymer coating. In this method, polyethylene glycol (PEG) was coated on the 3D-printed template. This coated template was immersed in liquid PDMS, and subsequently the PDMS was cured. Space can be created between the template and PDMS by removing this liquid PEG from the channel. This space renders template removal easier. A flow path is formed by dissolving the template with a solvent. These PDMS chips are used for flow injection measurement.

Measuring the water content in natural gas is important for safety; however, complex matrixes make the results inaccurate. Natural gas contains hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), which react with iodine (I₂), causing Karl Fischer coulometric titration (KFCT) to give higher results. The KFCT method for the determination of water content of nitrogen containing H₂S was investigated. A chilled mirror hygrometer offered a reference water content to calibrate the KFCT. The interfering of H₂S was reduced by subtracting I₂ consumed by H₂S according to the reaction mechanism of ISO 10101; however, the modified results remained higher. A possible reaction mechanism with a stoichiometry of H₂S to I₂ of 1:2.5 was proposed. The improved KFCT method had an error of water content no more than (3 + 2%·x) mg/kg (x, water content in mg/kg) and had the potential of online monitoring of natural gas.

To avoid degrading the performances related to fuel consumption and maneuverability, an antifouling paint that contains Cu₂O as a source of biocidal Cu(II) are applied to the bottom of a ship. However, increasing the Cu(II) concentration around a dockyard located in an enclosed coastal area has been regarded as an environmental issue. The ability of humic acid (HA) and polyethyleneimine (PEI) for complexes with heavy metal ions was examined for removing Cu(II) from contaminated seawater. A glass fiber filter was functionalized by coating it with PEI and HA by taking advantage of the electrostatic character of these substrates. The resulting coated filter proved to be highly effective for removing Cu(II) from artificial seawater by simple filtration. The capacity and efficiency on Cu(II) removal for a filter coated with PEI was increased by further coating with HA. The removal of Cu(II) was dependent on the effectiveness of the coated area, suggesting that this functionalizing method could be applied to other forms of glass fiber materials.

Illudin S from mushroom, such as Omphalotus japonicus and illudens, is a natural sesquiterpene analog with strong anti-tumor and antiviral activities. These illudins compounds are highly effective against various drug-resistant cancers that show extreme cytotoxicity an in vitro assay. However, it is difficult to obtain a sufficient amount of highly pure illudin S from a natural product by simple, efficient and low-cost purification techniques. Here, we offer to apply the high-speed countercurrent chromatography for the preparative purification of illudin S from mushroom extract. For a two-solvent system, the optimal condition of hexane/ethyl acetate/methanol/water (1/5/1/5, v/v/v/v) was optimized to obtain pure illudin S from a crude extract. This purified component was evaluated by liquid chromatography (high-purity >99%) and tandem mass spectrometry. The yield amounts of illudin S (1.3 mg/about 10 g Omphalotus japonicus) at one running are determined by liquid chromatographic calibration. It is concluded that by requiring a natural material and cost-effectiveness, our method represents a significant improvement over complicated techniques for the purification of illudin S from natural materials.

Stable isotope compositions of calcium (Ca) provide useful information concerning metabolic alterations of Ca in human and animal bodies. For the measurements of Ca isotope ratio, great care must be taken for the mass spectrometric interferences on Ca isotopes (⁴²Ca⁺, ⁴³Ca⁺, and ⁴⁴Ca⁺) from doubly charged strontium (Sr) ions (⁸⁴Sr²⁺, ⁸⁶Sr²⁺, and ⁸⁸Sr²⁺). To obtain reliable stable isotope data of Ca, we developed a new correction technique for the mass spectrometric interferences by ^mSr²⁺ ions based on standard addition method. Addition of a small fraction of Sr onto a Ca solution shifts the measured Ca isotope ratios on a three-isotope diagram (i.e., δ⁴⁴Ca and δ⁴³Ca) along a mixing line defined by both the true Ca isotope ratio and the Sr isotope ratio. Therefore, the true Ca isotope ratio of a sample can be obtained as the crossover point of mass dependent fractionation line and the mixing line. With the present correction technique, precise and accurate isotope ratio measurements can be made on analyte solutions having a C_Sr/C_Ca ratio (concentration ratio) of 0.03, which is 6 times higher than the C_Sr/C_Ca ratio applicable to the conventional correction technique.

We demonstrate that electorogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) of an organometallic Eu(III) complex, tris(dibenzoylmethane)phenanthroline europium(III), whose emission spectra is very sharp with the maximum wavelength of 612 nm, can be used as a light source for the detection of PO₄³⁻ based on changing the absorbance of the ion associate of malachite green (MG⁺) and phosphomolybdic acid. The ECL was also applied to measure the absorbance of MG⁺. With the detection system we established, absorbance up to ∼1.6 with a change of ∼0.1 could be detected.

A tube radial distribution chromatography (TRDC) method based on phase-separated multiphase flow created through phase transformation via temperature change has been developed. These systems typically required a temperature-controlling device containing a water bath and a stirrer. Herein, we proposed a novel TRDC system without a cooling device, where the phase transformation was achieved via pressure loss in a capillary tube of 50 μm inner diameter and 550 cm length. Model analytes were successfully separated with the developed TRDC system, which provided a simplified platform and helped to clarify the operating principle of TRDC based on phase transformation in a capillary tube.

A method for accurate and precise determination of trace molybdenum in drinking water by isotope dilution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry was developed, given the concentrations of Mo in drinking-water samples from Chaoyang and Changping districts of Beijing (China) as 1.017 ± 0.008 and 1.033 ± 0.007 μg kg⁻¹ (k = 2), respectively. Special care was taken for the validation of the proposed ID-ICPMS method using CRM 7203-a, a certified reference material for elemental analysis of tap water.

An immunosensor based on surface plasmon resonance was applied to detect mast cells expressing c-Kit. Sufficient detection of the mast cells was achieved by covalent immobilization of gelatin firstly on the sensor surface and followed by covalent binding of the anti-c-Kit antibody to lysine residues in the gelatin molecules through bis(sulfosuccinimidyl)suberate (BS3) treatment. By using BS3, which is a homo-bifunctional reagent, the lysine residues of the anti-c-Kit antibody easily bound to the lysine residues of the gelatin in the physiological condition. The lower limit of detection was 10⁴ cells/mL.

This study attempted to determine the phenothiazine antipsychotics concentration in serum and whole blood samples using various diatomaceous earth-based solid-phase columns and elution solvents and subsequently evaluate their efficiency. Phenothiazine antipsychotics concentrations of 5 – 2000 ng/mL were extracted from serum and whole blood using each column. All compounds were analyzed using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. Phenothiazine antipsychotics extraction in serum and whole blood using diatomaceous earth-based solid-phase columns seemed to have an affinity with the elution solvent.

We describe the bioluminescence of a genetically engineered Escherichia coli harboring a recombined plasmid with a catalase gene promoter fused lux gene cluster, responsible for the generation of photons closely associated with respiratory inhibition, with the aim of applying it for cyanide sensing. This E. coli construct was favorably utilized for the microplate assay of cyanide by leveraging the microenvironment of the biocompatible alginate. The brightness of the bioluminescence, induced by cyanide stimulation of the respiration causative of the production of hydrogen peroxide, positively correlates with its concentration. Moreover, visualization of cyanide with a consumer digital camera, ranging in concentration from about 0.01 mg CN·L⁻¹ in the alginate sol to around 100 mg CN·L⁻¹ in its gel, was attained.