title: Quantification of rat brain neurotransmitters and metabolites using liquid chromatography/electrospray tandem mass spectrometry and comparison with liquid chromatography/electrochemical detection.
abstract: Analytical methodology based on solid-phase extraction, polar reversed-phase liquid chromatography, and electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) with isotope dilution was developed and validated for quantifying the neurotransmitters, dopamine and serotonin, and their major metabolites in brain tissue. Limits of detection (0.1-20 pg/mg tissue) were sufficient for analysis of multiple neurotransmitters in rat brain regions, including parietal cortex, hypothalamus, pituitary, substantia nigra, and striatum. Method performance was compared with contemporaneous measurements using a well-established procedure based on ion-pairing reversed-phase liquid chromatography and amperometric detection. The principal advantages of the LC/MS/MS method include a more robust sample purification procedure, an optimized chromatographic separation, and the qualitative and quantitative assurance that comes from coeluting isotopically labeled internal standards; however, sensitivity did not consistently improve upon that provided by amperometric detection. This methodology may be particularly useful for applications in which simultaneous determinations are required for drugs and their affected neurotransmitters in specific brain regions.
authors.affiliation: National Center for Toxicological Research, US Food and Drug Administration, Jefferson, AR 72079, USA.
authors.forename: Eden
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tareke
authors.forename: John F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Bowyer
authors.forename: Daniel R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Doerge
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / Q000379:methods*; D004563:Electrochemistry / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents / Q000032:analysis*; D051381:Rats; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D021241:Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents