Identification and quantification of nitrofurazone metabolites by ultraperformance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight high-resolution mass spectrometry with precolumn derivatization.

An ultraperformance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight high-resolution mass spectrometry method was developed and validated for the determination of nitrofurazone metabolites. Precolumn derivatization with 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine and p-dimethylaminobenzaldehyde as an internal standard was used successfully to determine the biomarker 5-nitro-2-furaldehyde. In negative electrospray ionization mode, the precise molecular weights of the derivatives were 320.0372 for the biomarker and 328.1060 for the internal standard (relative error 1.08 ppm). The matrix effect was evaluated and the analytical characteristics of the method and derivatization reaction conditions were validated. For comparison purposes, spiked samples were tested by both internal and external standard methods. The results show high precision can be obtained with p-dimethylaminobenzaldehyde as an internal standard for the identification and quantification of nitrofurazone metabolites in complex biological samples. Graphical Abstract A simplified preparation strategy for biological samples.