Evaluation of a simple plasma catecholamine extraction procedure prior to high-performance liquid chromatography and electrochemical detection.

The modified extraction method for catecholamines described in this study is reproducible, simple, rapid, economical and relatively hazard-free. This method is based on the principle that plasma catecholamines are selectively adsorbed on acid-washed alumina at pH 8.6 and then eluted at a pH between 1.0 and 2.0. No statistically significant differences were obtained by using either 0.5 or 1.0 ml of plasma with 0.5 or 1.0 ml of Tris buffer. A 15-min mixing time during the adsorption and desorption steps was found to be practical, but any standardized time up to 1 h can be used. If the washing step was omitted, the catecholamines could not be eluted from the acid-washed alumina. To prevent dilution, the alumina had to be centrifuged and not aspirated to dryness after the washing step. An amount of 50 mg of WA-4 alumina was found to be the most practical in this study. Extracted or unextracted plasma as well as catecholamine standards were stable for four months at -20 degrees C.