High-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection as a highly efficient tool for studying catecholaminergic systems. I. Quantification of noradrenaline, adrenaline and dopamine in cultured adrenal medullary cells.

A method for simultaneous determinations of noradrenaline (NA), adrenaline (A) and dopamine (DA) in tissue is described. After extraction from crude deproteinized homogenates by the batch mode aluminium oxide method individual catecholamines (CA) were separated in a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) system by isocratic elution with pure aqueous buffers from an octadecyl column. These eluates were directly monitored with a new amperometric detector device (Metrohm VA E 641) in a wall-jet flow cell. Sensitivity, specificity, precision and performance of this relatively simple procedure are characterized. Different applications of this assay with relevance to neurobiological research are presented.