Direct determination of human urinary cortisol metabolites by HPLC/CRIMS

Feasibility of using high performance liquid chromatographic input to the chemical reaction interface mass spectrometry system was assessed by measuring the profile of hydrolyzed urinary metabolites of [9,12,12-2H3] cortisol in six human subjects with no preparation other than hydrolysis and solid phase extraction. Relative amounts of tetrahydrocortisol, tetrahydrocortisone, and cortolones (as the sum of alpha- and beta-) were 0.417 +/- 0.047, 0.523 +/- 0.036 and 0.059 +/- 0.019, respectively. The constant reproducibility of the measurements coupled with a profile consistent with that observed by other workers shows that the technique represents an important tool in the determination of metabolites of endogenous molecules.