DEVELOPMENT OF A HIGH-PERFORMANCE LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY METHOD FOR QUANTIFICATION OF FLUAZURON IN CATTLE TISSUES

A high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method with UV detection was developed for determination of fluazuron in cattle tissues. Tissue samples extracted with acetonitrile using an ultrasonic bath were partially purified using solid-phase extraction (SPE) Florisil cartridges. Separation was achieved in an Agilent C18 HPLC column using an isocratic system eluting with acetonitrile and water (68:32, v/v) at a flow rate of 1.2 mL min−1, with UV detection at 260 nm. The recovery of fluazuron from different tissues, spiked at levels of 0.02, 1.0, and 10.0 mg kg−1 ranged from 82.0–94.59% in muscle, 81.86–95.35% in kidney, 81.89–95.26% in liver, and 80.84–95.24% in fats; the inter-day and intra-day relative standard deviation (RSD) values were less than 6.0%. The limit of detection for fluazuron was 0.005 mg kg−1 and the limit of quantification was 0.01 mg kg−1. This simple and rapid method may be applicable to the determination of fluazuron in animal tissues.