Determination of nalidixic acid by fluorometry with sodium borohydride and hydrogen peroxide

A simple and sensitive fluorometric method for the determination of nalidixic acid was established by using 0.75M sodium borohydride and 7.5% hydrogen peroxide solution as fluorogenic reagents. Analyte concentrations of 0.0232-11.6 pg/mL could be determined with high precision and accuracy by the method. A relative standard deviation of 1.75% was obtained for a nalidixic acid concentration of 0.232 pg/mL. The method was satisfactorily applied to the determination of nalidixic acid in human serum, fish muscle, and chicken muscle, and the calibration curves were linear from 0.23 to 58.00 pg/mL, from 9.28 to 32.48 mg/kg, and from 4.64 to 23.20 mg/kg, respectively. The specificity of the reaction is also discussed.