Development and reproducibility of a novel high-performance liquid-chromatography monolithic column method for the detection and quantification of trans-indolyl-3-acryloylglycine in human urine

Elevated levels of trans-indolyl-3-acryloylglycine (IAcrGly) have been reported in the urine of people with various conditions including pervasive developmental disorders (PDDs) such as autism and Asperger syndrome. Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with ultra-violet detection using traditional particle silica-based columns subsequent to solid-phase extraction (SPE) has been the preferred assay method; requiring long analytical run times, high flow rates and high solvent usage. Recent developments in monolithic HPLC column technology facilitated the development of a novel analytical method, for the detection and quantification of urinary IAcrGly. The revised method eliminates the requirement for SPE pre-treatment, reduces sample run-time and decreases solvent volumes. Five urine samples from people diagnosed with PDD were run in quadruplicate to test the intra- and inter-day reliability of the new method based on retention time, peak area and peak height for IAcrGly. Detection was by UV with IAcrGly confirmation by MS/MS-MS. Relative standard deviations showed significant improvement with the new method for all parameters. The new method represents a major advancement in the detection and quantification of IAcrGly by reducing time and cost of analysis whilst improving detection limits and reproducibility. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.