Determination of alpha-tocopherol in tissues and plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography

A rapid and sensitive method was developed for the quantitative determination of alpha-tocopherol in tissues and plasma of rats and mice. Tissue and plasma were extracted in acetone and chromatographed on a reverse-phase C18 column with 2% water in methanol. Fluorescence and ultraviolet detection were used for tissue and plasma alpha-tocopherol levels, respectively. Extraction of tissues and plasma was found to be more complete in acetone than in other solvent systems analyzed. The average recovery of alpha-tocopherol added to tissue samples was 97%. As little as 0.1 g of tissue or 0.1 ml plasma can be accurately used for analysis. The method is sensitive to 0.05 micrograms alpha-tocopherol/g tissue.