Miniaturized imprinted solid phase extraction to the selective analysis of Coenzyme Q10 in urine

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is an important cofactor in the mitochondrial respiratory chain and a potent endogenous antioxidant. CoQ10 deficiency is currently associated with numerous diseases like mitochondrial and neurodegenerative pathologies, in which the earliest diagnosis and treatment with CoQ10 supplementation becomes paramount for patient's treatment. Consequently, the determination of CoQ10 levels in different biological matrices positions as a fundamental tool. Urine is an attractive and non-invasive alternative source to tissue, blood or other biofluids for CoQ10 analysis. However, it poses an analytical challenge, as it generally requires a complex sample preparation, with multiple steps. In this work we developed and validated a molecularly imprinted polymer solid phase extraction (MIP-SPE) followed by a HPLC-MS/MS method for the analysis of CoQ10 in urine. The MIP-SPE method developed is simple and fast compared to previously traditional reported methods, with reduced processing time, improved sample cleaning and excellent recovery values, along with its inherent high selectivity. The developed chromatographic method was validated according to FDA guidelines, and demonstrated to be suitable for the analysis of CoQ10 in urine samples with LOQ and LOD values of 0.6 ng/mL and 0.2 ng/mL of CoQ10 in urine respectively. Recovery values at three concentration levels were higher than 90.0%.The proposed method is amenable to be applied in pediatric patients due to the low sample requirement and useful for diagnosis and post-treatment control.