Sample preparation with ion-exchange resin before liquid-chromatographic determination of plasma catecholamines

Estimation of plasma catecholamine concentrations by "high-performance" liquid chromatography, although increasingly used, still presents difficulties. We describe a method for clean-up of plasma samples on cation-exchange resin before they are extracted with alumina. This procedure eliminates many of the interfering compounds often present in plasma extracts prepared with the alumina treatment alone. The method can be adapted to use commercially available disposable cation-exchange columns.