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Analyses of quaternary ammonium drugs in horse urine by capillary electrophoresis – mass spectrometry
Author(s) -
Tang Francis P. W.,
Leung Gary N. W.,
Wan Terence S. M.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
electrophoresis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.666
H-Index - 158
eISSN - 1522-2683
pISSN - 0173-0835
DOI - 10.1002/1522-2683(20017)22:11<2201::aid-elps2201>3.0.co;2-s
Subject(s) - chemistry , chromatography , urine , mass spectrometry , capillary electrophoresis , capillary electrophoresis–mass spectrometry , analyte , ammonium , tandem mass spectrometry , detection limit , electrospray ionization , biochemistry , organic chemistry
A capillary electrophoresis‐mass spectrometry (CE‐MS) method for the analysis of quaternary ammonium drugs in equine urine was developed. Quaternary ammonium drugs were first extracted from equine urine by ion‐pair extraction and then analysed by CE‐MS in the positive electrospray ionization (ESI) mode. Within 12 min, eight quaternary ammonium drugs, each at 1 ng/mL in horse urine, could be detected. The confirmation of these drugs in urine samples was achieved by capillary electrophoresis – tandem mass spectrometry (CE‐MS/MS). A direct comparison of this method was made with existing liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC‐MS) methods in the detection and confirmation of glycopyrrolate and ipratropium bromide in horse urine. While the two drugs could be detected within the same CE‐MS run at 1 ng/mL in urine, they could only be detected in separate LC‐MS runs at 5 ng/mL in urine. In addition, CE‐MS consumed a much smaller volume of extract; the analyte peak widths, in some cases, were much narrower; and as the quaternary ammonium ions were well separated electrophoretically from the mainly neutral urine matrix, a much cleaner background in the CE‐MS total ion trace was observed.