Simultaneous determination of creatinine, creatine, and guanidinoacetic acid in human serum and urine using liquid chromatography-atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry.

A rapid and direct method for simultaneous determination of creatinine, creatine, and guanidinoacetic acid in biological samples has been developed by using column liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC/APCI-MS). The determinations of creatinine, creatine, and guanidinoacetic acid in the samples of human urine and serum were carried out by scanning the [M + H]+ ions of each compound. The recoveries of authentic compounds were 93.87 +/- 6.00% (n = 5) for creatinine, 94.80 +/- 8.93% (n = 5) for creatine, and 90. 92 +/- 7.96% (n = 5) for guanidinoacetic acid after ion-exchange resin treatment. The content of creatinine in human urine and serum was also measured by the Jaffé method, a common method of determination of creatinine currently used in hospitals. The contents of creatinine, creatine, and guanidinoacetic acid obtained using LC/APCI-MS coincided well with those reported in previous papers.