Automated on-line packed fiber solid phase extraction for determination of urinary catecholamines

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Biochemistry
• Clinical Diagnostics

Background:

• Urinary catecholamine analysis is crucial for diagnosing various medical conditions.
• Existing off-line solid phase extraction methods for urinary catecholamines are labor-intensive and prone to errors.
• Automation of sample preparation remains a significant challenge in catecholamine determination.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate an automated on-line packed fiber solid phase extraction (PFSPE) coupled with High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) procedure.
• To improve the efficiency and reliability of urinary catecholamine analysis.
• To overcome the limitations of manual sample processing in previous methods.

Main Methods:

• Development of an on-line PFSPE-HPLC system for automated sample pretreatment and analysis.
• Optimization of critical parameters including HPLC gradient, valve switching timing, complexing reagent, and buffer solution.
• Evaluation of nanofiber stability under optimized conditions.

Main Results:

• The on-line PFSPE-HPLC protocol demonstrated high accuracy (99.6-104.2%) and precision (below 7.0%) in urine samples.
• A wide linear range (1 ng/mL to 100 ng/mL) with an excellent correlation coefficient (0.999) was achieved.
• The developed method successfully automated sample processing, minimizing manual operation errors.

Conclusions:

• The proposed on-line PFSPE-HPLC procedure offers a robust and automated solution for urinary catecholamine determination.
• This technology has the potential to significantly enhance the throughput and consistency of clinical diagnostics.
• The method provides a reliable alternative to manual extraction techniques, improving overall analytical performance.