Determination of fluoroquinolones in urine and serum by using high performance liquid chromatography and multiemission scan fluorimetric detection

Abstract

A high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method has been developed for the simultaneous determination of four fluoroquinolones. The studied compounds have been enoxacin (ENO), norfloxacin (NOR), ofloxacin (OFLO) and enrofloxacin (ENRO). An isocratic elution method, using a mixture of tetrahydrofuran (8%) and phosphate buffer (pH 3.00, 30.0mM, 92%) as mobile phase, has been developed. Fluorimetric detection, exciting at 277nm, and multiemission scan (407nm for ENO, 444nm for both NOR and ENRO and 490nm for OFLO) has been used. Detection limits of 500, 14.7, 25.2 and 15.0ngmL(-1) for ENO, NOR, OFLO and ENRO, respectively, have been obtained. The proposed method has been satisfactorily applied to analyze NOR, OFLO and ENRO in human urine and serum samples.