Development of an HPLC method for determination of metabolic compounds in myocardial tissue

The determination of adenine nucleotides and creatine compounds has great importance in the characterization of ischemic myocardial injury and post-ischemic recovery. It was developed by an HPLC method for the quantification of creatine (Cr), creatine phosphate (CrP), hypoxanthine (HX), AMP, adenosine (Ad), ADP and ATP in isolated perfused rat hearts. The chromatographic conditions were: RP 18 column; mobile phase composed by KH(2)PO(4) (215 mM), tetrabutylammonium hydrogen sulfate (2.3mM), acetonitrile (4%) and KOH (1M 0.4%); flow rate 1 ml min(-1); temperature 25 degrees C; injection volume 20 microl; detection at 220 nm and height peak (HP) as the integration parameter. The method was validated by means of linearity and sensitivity evaluations, using calibration curves done with five concentration levels of each compound. The limits of quantification (LOQ) were also determined. The system precision was calculated as the coefficient of variation for five injections for each compound tested. The purity of the peaks was established using enzymatic peak shift analysis with hexokinase and creatine kinase and also comparing HP at various wavelengths. Frozen hearts were homogenized with a mechanical homogenizer for 3 min at 0 degrees C added with 5 ml of 0.4N HCLO(4). After precipitation with 0.8 ml of 2M KOH the extract was shaked for 2 min and later centrifuged at 0 degrees C for 10 min. The supernatant was kept on ice, filtrated and injected into the HPLC system. The results show that the method for the determination of Cr, CrP, HX, AMP, Ad, ADP and ATP by HPLC here described has good linearity, LOQ, precision, specificity and is simple and rapid to perform.