Stability of stored methacholine chloride solutions: clinically useful information

Methacholine inhalation challenge (MIC) has been shown to be an extremely useful diagnostic test. Because a decrease in the time and expense involved in the preparation of methacholine chloride solutions might encourage more laboratories to perform MIC, we assessed the stability of several different concentrations of methacholine chloride in solution over a period of 4 months. We used and compared 2 different assay techniques: a high pressure liquid chromatography assay and a colorimetric assay. Comparable results were obtained by both assays and demonstrated that methacholine solutions stored either at room temperature or at 4 degrees C showed no significant decomposition over a period of 4 months. From our results, we conclude that: (1) methacholine chloride solutions are much more stable than stated in the Merck Manual, (2) the original data of MacDonald and coworkers on the stability of methacholine chloride solution are accurate, (3) our high pressure liquid chromatography method is an accurate and highly specific technique for measuring methacholine chloride solutions. The major clinical implication of our results is that the time and cost necessary to prepare methacholine chloride solutions is much less than previously thought. This should encourage a more widespread use of this important diagnostic technique for the demonstration of bronchial hyperreactivity.