Pre-concentration of vitamin K1 (phylloquinone) at carbon paste electrodes and its determination in plasma by adsorptive stripping voltammetry.

Linear sweep voltammetry was used to study the accumulation behaviour of vitamin K1 at carbon paste electrodes prepared with different types of graphite and pasting agents. The vitamin was found to undergo strong accumulation, but this depended on the type of graphite and pasting agent used. A carbon paste electrode containing Nujol - Ultra Carbon Ultra Superior Purity graphite (25 + 75 m/m) gave the highest sensitivity with adsorptive stripping voltammetry; the optimum accumulation time was 15 min at an open circuit. A variety of procedures were investigated in order to separate vitamin K1 from plasma prior to adsorptive stripping analysis. These procedures were evaluated for plasma levels of the vitamin that are likely to be encountered in pharmacokinetic studies. A solvent extraction method using hexane and ethanol gave the best recovery (91%) and detection limits [180 ng ml-1 in the supporting electrolyte (450 ng ml-1 in plasma)]. However, the analysis time could be reduced by 50% (with some loss of sensitivity) by using ethanol to deproteinate the plasma with the measurement being made directly on the resulting supernatant. As the calibration graphs are linear, quantification can be performed by the method of single standard additions; therefore, relatively short analysis times are feasible.