Determination of indomethacin residues in poultry by high-performance liquid chromatography

A HPLC method using a C18 column and UV detection (254 nm) is described for the determination of indomethacin residues in chicken tissues (liver, muscle and fat). Drug extraction from tissue homogenate in phosphate buffer (pH 3.5) was performed with dichloromethane. Mobile phase was acetonitrile-acetic acid (0.5% in water) (50:50). Indomethacin detection limit was 20 ng/g for the studied tissues. After administration of an oral dose of indomethacin (2 mg/kg), only three of the eight poultry studied showed drug tissue levels, in those cases the levels were below 50 ng/g.