Determination of nicotine and four metabolites in the serum of smokers by high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection.
A simple and reliable reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method with ultraviolet detection is described for the quantitation of nicotine and its metabolites cotinine, trans-3'-hydroxycotinine, norcotinine and cotinine N-oxide in human serum. The analytes and the internal standard, N-ethylnorcotinine, were extracted by solid-phase extraction before chromatography. Two different columns and mobile phases with gradient systems were used. The detection limit of the assay was 10 ng/ml for nicotine, 3 ng/ml for cotinine N-oxide and 5 ng/ml for cotinine, trans-3'-hydroxycotinine and norcotinine. The concentrations of nicotine and its metabolites in the serum of 12 cigarette smokers are reported.
Zuccaro
P
P
Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.
Altieri
I
I
Rosa
M
M
Passa
A R
AR
Pichini
S
S
Ricciarello
G
G
Pacifici
R
R
D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / Q000379:methods*; D003367:Cotinine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D009538:Nicotine / Q000097:blood*; D012907:Smoking / Q000097:blood*
C066333:norcotinine; C001381:hydroxycotinine; C001605:cotinine-N-oxide; D009538:Nicotine; D003367:Cotinine