Thin layer chromatographic screening method for sulfadiazine residues in calf tissues, plasma, and urine

Because of the lack of specificity of the Bratton-Marshall procedure for assaying sulfonamides, a sensitive, specific tissue residue assay for sulfadiazine (SDZ) was developed. The methodology has been extended to provide a highly sensitive screen for sulfonamide residues, which employs 2-dimensional thin layer chromatography in conjunction with fluorescamine derivatization. The procedure described, which has been developed for SDZ in calf tissues, involves direct ethyl acetate extraction of tissue homogenates. Following evaporation of the organic phase, a portion of the residue is spotted on a 20 X 20 cm silica gel 60 plate, which is then developed in 2 dimensions with solvent systems devised to separate SDZ from endogenous substances as well as from 12 other sulfonamides that might be present in calf tissues. The presence of SDZ at a concentration of 0.1 ppm or its absence is easily demonstrated in calf kidney, liver, muscle, plasma, and urine. The basic method can be modified for a particular sulfonamide in a target tissue and can be used as a quantitative assay for sulfonamide residues.