Rapid colorimetric assay for acetaminophen without salicylate or phenylephrine interference

Area of Science:

• Clinical Chemistry
• Analytical Chemistry
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Accurate quantification of acetaminophen in serum is crucial for therapeutic drug monitoring and overdose management.
• Existing methods for acetaminophen determination may be time-consuming, expensive, or require specialized equipment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a simple, rapid, and economical procedure for the quantitative determination of acetaminophen in human serum.
• To address potential interferences in serum acetaminophen assays.

Main Methods:

• Acetaminophen is extracted from serum into an organic solvent.
• Back-extraction into a basic solution facilitates simultaneous reaction with Folin-Ciocalteau reagent.
• Interference from bilirubin is mitigated using p-diazobenzene sulfonic acid treatment.

Main Results:

• The developed method provides quantitative determination of acetaminophen in serum.
• The procedure is described as simple, rapid, and economical.
• Results demonstrate agreement with established high-pressure liquid chromatography methods.

Conclusions:

• The presented method offers a viable, cost-effective alternative for routine serum acetaminophen analysis.
• This assay effectively eliminates bilirubin interference, enhancing its clinical applicability.