Atmospheric pressure ionization mass spectrometry: the routine determination of 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid and its metabolites.

This study demonstrated the utility of negative ion atmospheric pressure ionization mass spectrometry for the routine quantitation of 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid and its glycine and taurine amide metabolites in mouse blood, urine and feces samples. The quantitation of 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid in blood follows a short cleanup procedure and used 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxy-13C6-acetic acid as the stable label isotope diluent. A more extensive cleanup procedure utilizing high-pressure liquid chromatography was required for the determination of 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid and its two metabolites in urine and feces. The glycine amide metabolite was quantitated by the 13C stable isotope diluent method. The taurine amide relied on an initial separation step followed by using a second 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxy-13C6-acetic acid spike fot its isotope diluent. Alkaline hydrolysis of the metabolites, followed by methylation, allowed the methyl ester of 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid to be solely used as the analyte in the negative ion atmospheric pressure ionization mass spectrometry quantitation step.