High-performance liquid chromatographic method for determination of vanillin and vanillic acid in human plasma, red blood cells and urine.

A simple high-performance liquid chromatographic method was developed for the determination of vanillin and its vanillic acid metabolite in human plasma, red blood cells and urine. The mobile phase consisted of aqueous acetic acid (1%, v/v)-acetonitrile (85:15, v/v), pH 2.9 and was used with an octadecylsilane analytical column and ultraviolet absorbance detection. The plasma method demonstrated linearity from 2 to 100 microg/ml and the urine method was linear from 2 to 40 microg/ml. The method had a detection limit of 1 microg/ml for vanillin and vanillic acid using 5 microl of prepared plasma, red blood cells or urine. The method was utilized in a study evaluating the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic effects of vanillin in patients undergoing treatment for sickle cell anemia.