Quantification of pralidoxime methylsulfate (Contrathion ®) in human urine by capillary zone electrophoresis

• Published in: Journal of chromatography. B, Analytical technologies in the biomedical and life sciences Vol. 826; no. 1; pp. 63 - 68
• Main Authors: Houzé, Pascal, Thabet, Hafedh, Delfour, Alexandre, Larrouy, Lucile, Le Bricon, Thierry, Baud, Frédéric J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 05.11.2005; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Analysis; Analytical, structural and metabolic biochemistry; Antidotes - therapeutic use; Biological and medical sciences; Capillary zone electrophoresis; Electrophoresis, Capillary - methods; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General pharmacology; Humans; Medical sciences; Organophosphate Poisoning; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Poisoning - drug therapy; Pralidoxime; Pralidoxime Compounds - therapeutic use; Pralidoxime Compounds - urine; Reproducibility of Results; Sensitivity and Specificity; Urine; Pralidoxime; Urine; Capillary zone electrophoresis; Human; Biological fluid; Zone electrophoresis; Investigation method; Capillary electrophoresis
• ISSN: 1570-0232; 1873-376X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jchromb.2005.08.007

Pralidoxime methylsulfate (Contrathion ®) is widely used to treat organophosphate poisoning. For the first time, we developed a specific assay for urinary pralidoxime using capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) in the following conditions: fused-silica capillary (length: 47 cm, internal diameter: 75 μm), electrolyte solution: 25 mM sodium borate (pH 9.1), voltage: 15 kV, temperature: 25 °C, injection time: 1 or 2 s, on-line UV detection: 280 nm. Sample preparation did not require a deproteinization step (1:5 dilution in water). The method was linear between 0.125 and 2 mg mL −1 of pralidoxime (quantification limit: 0.10 mg mL −1). Coefficients of variation for intra- and inter-assay precision were below 10% for all three control levels (0.15–1.15 mg mL −1). This assay was successfully applied to urine specimens from organophosphate poisoned patients treated by Contrathion ® ( n = 10). This CZE method allows the measure of pralidoxime in urine within 15 min with excellent precision, selectivity, and sensitivity. It is simple (no pretreatment) and convenient, thus suitable for the monitoring of Contrathion ® therapy in organophosphate poisoned patients.