Liquid chromatographic determination of zoalene and its metabolites in chicken tissues with electrochemical detection.

A procedure is described for the quantitation of Zoalene (3,5-dinitro-o-toluamide) and its 2 major monoamino metabolites in chicken tissues. The method includes blender extraction of tissue with chloroformethyl acetate (1 + 1), adsorption of the drug and metabolites on neutral alumina, and subsequent elution of the residues with pH 3.5 formate buffer-methanol (6.5 + 3.5). Recovered residues were separated on a 5 micron C18 column with the alumina eluting solvent as the LC mobile phase. The parent drug and metabolites were detected and quantitated with an electrochemical detector in the reductive mode with a minimum level of reliable measurement of 0.1 ppm. Overall mean recoveries greater than 85% were obtained with Zoalene and its 2 monoamino metabolites in breast, thigh, and liver tissues fortified with 0.25-2.00 ppm. The results on tissues from chickens fed a diet containing 0.0125% Zoalene are presented.