Parallel Artificial Liquid Membrane Extraction: Micro-Scale Liquid–Liquid–Liquid Extraction in The 96-Well Format

Abstract

Background: This paper reports development of a new approach towards analytical liquid–liquid–liquid membrane extraction termed parallel artificial liquid membrane extraction. A donor plate and acceptor plate create a sandwich, in which each sample (human plasma) and acceptor solution is separated by an artificial liquid membrane. Parallel artificial liquid membrane extraction is a modification of hollow-fiber liquid-phase microextraction, where the hollow fibers are replaced by flat membranes in a 96-well plate format. Results: Four basic drugs (pethidine, nortriptyline, methadone and haloperidol) were extracted from human plasma in 30 min, followed by analysis with LC–MS/MS. Extraction recoveries for the model analytes were in the range of 34–74% from human plasma. LOQs were in the range of 0.01–0.35 ng/ml, linearity above 0.9955 for all drugs and with RSD values below 12%. Conclusion: Liquid–liquid–liquid membrane extraction was successfully performed in a slightly modified commercially available 96-well plate format.

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The PALME technique is described in a pending patent application, given the number US61/708 325. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Ethical conduct of research

The authors state that they have obtained appropriate institutional review board approval or have followed the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki for all human or animal experimental investigations. In addition, for investigations involving human subjects, informed consent has been obtained from the participants involved.