Determination of sulfated biogenic amines: emphasis on dopamine sulfate isomers.

Investigations concerning the specific conjugates of dopamine (DA) in the body have been hampered by the lack of specific and sensitive methodology for their detection. Because there is increasing interest in the occurrence and measurement of sulfated metabolites of DA and the other catecholamines (CA) norepinephrine and epinephrine, reliable methods for the detection and quantitation of these compounds in biological samples are needed. This paper reviews recently developed methods for the measurement of the two sulfate conjugates of DA in the body, DA-3-O-sulfate and DA-4-O-sulfate. The methods are sensitive enough for most, if not all, routine applications relating to DA sulfate. With minor modifications, some of the methods should be applicable to measurement of sulfate conjugates of many other electrochemically active compounds, such as other CA or indoles, their metabolites, and some drugs and metabolites.