A high-performance liquid chromatography method for quantitation of urinary 4-pyridoxic acid excretion is presented. Urine samples were treated with HCl to form 4-pyridoxic acid lactone. Acid-treated urine samples were diluted and analyzed by cation-exchange chromatography involving post-column alkalinization and fluorescence detection. Absence of interfering fluorescent urinary compounds was demonstrated by analyzing urine samples without lactonization and rechromatography of aliquots of 4-pyridoxic acid lactone peaks employing reverse-phase chromatography. The method is suitable for determination of urinary 4-pyridoxic acid excretion in nutritional, metabolic, and pharmacokinetic studies.
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid Humans