Determination of neurotransmitters in mouse brain using miniaturized and tableted QuEChERS for the sample preparation

Neurotransmitters (NTs) are important endocrine molecules in the human body that have several characteristics and functions. Therefore, it is necessary to determine the accuracy and precision of the proposed method for the assessment of NTs functions. This study proposes a quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) tablet for easy sample preparation and application to low-volume samples. We used response surface methodology to design and optimize the QuEChERS tablets. When we measured NTs in the brains of aged mice, whose samples were derivatized by DNS and extracted by QuEChERS, all analytes except VMA, NAS, 5-HTP, DOPA, and A, were detected in the mouse brain samples. Our approach may provide easy sample preparation and/or extraction techniques for small sample volumes, not only in animal samples but also in human samples to avoid invasive collection.