Improved Extraction Method for Catecholamines Using Monolithic Silica Disk-Packed Spin Column

Abstract

We have previously reported analytical methods for the quantification of catecholamines (norepinephrine, epinephrine, and dopamine) via simple pretreatment using a monolithic silica disk-packed spin column with an attached phenylboronate moiety. However, under certain conditions, splitting in the dopamine peak was observed. In this study, we investigated the reason for this peak splitting and found that anions in the basic buffer solution used in the extraction influenced the peak shape. The extraction could be improved via additionally washing the column with a low-concentration buffer. The extraction recoveries of the catecholamines via the improved method were in the range of 95.9–100.8%. Thus, the improved method is expected to be more reliable for the quantification of catecholamines in biological samples.