Analytical potential of 6-oxy-(N-succinimidyl acetate)-9-(2'-methoxycarbonyl) fluorescein for the determination of amino compounds by capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence detection

The analytical potential of a fluorescein analogue, 6-oxy-(N-succinimidyl acetate)-9-(2'-methoxycarbonyl) fluorescein (SAMF), for the first time synthesized in our laboratory, as a labeling reagent for the labeling and determination of amino compounds by capillary electrophoresis (CE) with laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) detection was investigated. Biogenic monoamines and amino acids were chosen as model analytes to evaluate the analytical possibilities of this approach. The derivatization conditions and separation parameters for the biogenic amines were optimized in detail. The derivatization was performed at 30 degrees C for 6 min in boric acid buffer (pH 8.0). The derivatives were baseline-separated in 15 min with 25 mM boric acid running buffer (pH 9.0), containing 24 mM SDS and 12.5% v/v acetonitrile. The concentration detection limit for biogenic amines reaches 8 x 10(-11) mol.L(-1) (signal-to-noise ratio = 3). The application of CE in the analysis of the SAMF-derivatized amino acids was also exploited. The optimal running buffer for amino acids suggested that weak acidic background electrolyte offered better separation than the basic one. The proposed method was applied to the determination of biogenic amines in three different beer samples with satisfying recoveries varying from 92.8% to 104.8%. Finally, comparison of several fluorescein-based probes for amino compounds was discussed. With good labeling reaction, excellent photostability, pH-independent fluorescence (pH 4-9), and the resultant widely suited running buffer pH, SAMF has a great prospect in the determination of amino compounds in CE.     

Determination of biogenic amines in HeLa cell lysate by 6-oxy-(N-succinimidyl acetate)-9-(2'-methoxycarbonyl) fluorescein and micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography with laser-induced fluorescence detection

An MEKC-LIF method using 6-oxy-(N-succinimidyl acetate)-9-(2'-methoxy-carbonyl) fluorescein (SAMF) newly synthesized in our lab as a labeling reagent for the separation and determination of eight typical biogenic amines was proposed. After careful study of the derivatization condition such as pH value, reagent concentration, temperature, and reaction time, derivatization reaction was accomplished as quickly as 10 min with stable yield. Optimal separation of SAMF-labeled amines was achieved with a running buffer (pH 9.3) containing 30 mM boric acid, 25 mM SDS, and 20% v/v ACN. The proposed method allowed biogenic amines to be determined with LODs as low as 0.25-2.5 nmol/L and RSD values from 0.4 to 4.5%. The present method has been successfully used to monitor biogenic amines in HeLa cells and fish samples. This study exploits the potential of MEKC-LIF with SAMF labeling as a tool for monitoring biogenic amines involved in complex physiological and behavioral processes in various matrices.     

Determination of primary and secondary aliphatic amines with high performance liquid chromatography based on the derivatization using 1,3,5,7-tetramethyl-8-(N-hydroxysuccinimidyl butyric ester)-difluoroboradiaza-s-indacene

In this article, the simultaneous determination of primary and secondary aliphatic amines including dimethylamine (DMA), diethylamine and eleven primary aliphatic amines by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence detection has been achieved using a BODIPY-based fluorescent derivatization reagent, 1,3,5,7-tetramethyl-8-(N-hydroxysuccinimidyl butyric ester)-difluoroboradiaza-s-indacene (TMBB-Su). The derivatization reaction of TMBB-Su with aliphatic amines was optimized with orthogonal design experiment and the derivatization reaction proceeded at 15 °C for 25 min. The baseline separation of these derivatives was carried out on a C₈ column with methanol-tetrahydrofuran-50 mM pH 6.50 HAc-NaAc buffer (55/5/40, v/v/v) as a mobile phase. Detected at the excitation and emission of 490 and 510 nm, respectively, the detection limits were obtained in the range of 0.01-0.04 nM (signal-to-noise ratio = 3). The proposed method has been applied to the determination of trace aliphatic amines in viscera samples from mice without complex pretreatment or enrichment method. The recoveries ranged from 95.1% to 106.8%, depending on the samples investigated.     

毛细管电色谱-激光诱导荧光检测法分析食品中的生物胺

以4-氟-7-硝基-2,1,3-苯并氧杂恶二唑(NBD-F)为衍生化试剂,建立了食品中5种痕量生物胺(色胺、组胺、酪胺、亚精胺、精胺)的毛细管电色谱-激光诱导荧光检测(CEC-LIF)分析方法。采用50 mmol/L硼酸盐缓冲溶液(pH 8.0)作为衍生介质,在75℃条件下对生物胺进行衍生化反应25 min。生物胺衍生产物的最优色谱条件:固定相为C18毛细管电色谱柱,流动相为乙腈-乙酸铵(20 mmol/L,pH 8.0)(75∶25,v/v),辅助压力为6.9 MPa,分离电压为-8 kV,流速为0.03 mL/min。实验结果表明,生物胺的检出限(LOD,S/N=3)为0.1~1.0μg/L,加标回收率为78.3%~113.9%。该方法可成功用于加工和发酵食品中生物胺的测定,结果与传统HPLC法的检测结果无显著性差异,且检出限更低、分析速度更快,对于食品中痕量污染物的残留监测具有应用价值。     

Determination of trace biogenic amines with 1,3,5,7-tetramethyl-8-(N-hydroxysuccinimidyl butyric ester)-difluoroboradiaza-s-indacene derivatization using high-performance liquid chromatography and fluorescence detection

A reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method based on chemical derivatization with fluorescence detection has been developed for analyzing biogenic amines in food and environmental samples. A BODIPY-based fluorescent reagent, 1,3,5,7-tetramethyl-8-(N-hydroxysuccinimidyl butyric ester)-difluoroboradiaza-s-indacene (TMBB-Su), was employed for the derivatization of these biogenic amines at 20 °C for 20 min in pH 7.20 borate buffer after careful investigation of the derivatization conditions including reagent concentration, buffer solution, reaction temperature and reaction time. Separation of biogenic amines with gradient elution was conducted on a C8 column with methanol-tetrahydrofuran-water as mobile phase. The detection limits were obtained in the range from 0.1 to 0.2 nM (signal-to-noise=3). This procedure has been validated using practical samples. The study results demonstrated a potential of employing high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with 1,3,5,7-tetramethyl-8-(N-hydroxysuccinimidyl butyric ester)-difluoroboradiaza-s-indacene labeling as a tool for quantitative analysis of biogenic amines involved in various matrices.     

Determination of amino acids and catecholamines derivatized with 3-(4-chlorobenzoyl)-2-quinolinecarboxaldehyde in PC12 and HEK293 cells by capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence detection

An effective micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography with laser-induced fluorescence detection (MEKC-LIF) method has been proposed for the separation and the determination of 16 amino acids and two catecholamines using a new fluorogenic reagent, 3-(4-chlorobenzoyl)-2-quinolinecarboxaldehyde (Cl-BQCA), as the derivatizing reagent. The highest derivatization efficiency was achieved in pH 8.0 borate buffer at 50 °C for 50 min. The optimal separation of Cl-BQCA-labeled amines was obtained with a running buffer (pH 9.15) containing 120 mM boric acid, 38.5 mM sodium dodecyl sulfate, and 17% acetonitrile. The detection limit (S/N = 3) was found to be as low as 1.4 nM. The present method has been successfully used to detect amino acids and catecholamines in HEK293 and PC12 cell samples. This study explores the potential of MEKC-LIF with Cl-BQCA labeling as a tool for monitoring amino acids and catecholamines during the complex physiological and behavioral processes in various matrices.     

New procedure of selected biogenic amines determination in wine samples by HPLC

A new procedure for determination of biogenic amines (BA): histamine, phenethylamine, tyramine and tryptamine, based on the derivatization reaction with 2-chloro-1,3-dinitro-5-(trifluoromethyl)-benzene (CNBF), is proposed. The amines derivatives with CNBF were isolated and characterized by X-ray crystallography and ¹H, ¹³C, ¹⁹F NMR spectroscopy in solution. The novelty of the procedure is based on the pure and well-characterized products of the amines derivatization reaction. The method was applied for the simultaneous analysis of the above mentioned biogenic amines in wine samples by the reversed phase-high performance liquid chromatography. The procedure revealed correlation coefficients (R²) between 0.9997 and 0.9999, and linear range: 0.10–9.00 mg L⁻¹ (histamine); 0.10–9.36 mg L^-1 (tyramine); 0.09–8.64 mg L⁻¹ (tryptamine) and 0.10–8.64 mg L⁻¹ (phenethylamine), whereas accuracy was 97%–102% (recovery test). Detection limit of biogenic amines in wine samples was 0.02–0.03 mg L⁻¹, whereas quantification limit ranged 0.05–0.10 mg L⁻¹. The variation coefficients for the analyzed amines ranged between 0.49% and 3.92%. Obtained BA derivatives enhanced separation the analytes on chromatograms due to the inhibition of hydrolysis reaction and the reduction of by-products formation.     

Determination of biogenic amines by RPHPLC with fluorescent detection after derivatization with 2-(9-carbazole)ethyl chloroformate (CEOC)

Summary The use of 2-(9-carbazole)ethyl chloroformate (CEOC) for pre-column derivatization of biogenic amines (BA) has been tested for the first time. The reagent reacts completely with BA within 3 min at ambient temperature in acetonitrile solution to form stable derivatives that are readily analyzed by reversed-phase HPLC. Study of the derivatization conditions revealed derivatization yields to be excellent in borate buffer over the pH range 9.0–10.0. Maximum yields were obtained by use of a three- to fourfold molar excess of reagent. The reaction is extremely tolerant of common buffer salts, no decrease in reaction yield is discernible in well-buffered samples. The emission maximum for the CEOC-derivatives is 360 nm (λ _ex = 293 nm). All the derivatives fluoresced strongly and direct injection of the reaction mixture was possible, with no significant disturbance from the major fluorescent reagent degradation by-products, 2-(9-carbazole)ethanol (CEOC-OH) and bis-(2-(9-carbazole)ethyl) carbonate (CEOC)₂. Separation of the derivatized BA by high-performance liquid chromatography with gradient elution was tested on a Hypersil BDS C18 column. Excellent response linearity was observed over the concentration range from 0.25 to 94.6 μmol L⁻¹ for the labeled BA. Detection limits were 117–840 fmol at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3∶1. Analysis of BA in a shrimp sauce extract was conducted to demonstrate the applicability of the technique to real sample matrixes; results were satisfactory.     

Micellar electrokinetic chromatography-chemiluminescent detection of biogenic amines using N-(4-aminobutyl)-N-ethylisoluminol as derivatization reagent and trivalent copper chelate as chemiluminescence enhancer

A facile, sensitive and universal method was established for analysis of biogenic amines using micellar electrokinetic chromatography coupled with chemiluminescent (CL) detection. It was found that diperiodatocuprate (III) (K₅[Cu(HIO₆)₂], DPC), a transition metal chelate at unstable high oxidation state, could effectively enhance the reaction between luminol-type compound and hydrogen peroxide, to produce very strong CL signal. In addition, triethylamine was found to be able to effectively improve the yield of the derivatization reaction between biogenic amines and a luminol-type derivatization reagent, N-(4-aminobutyl)-N-ethylisoluminol (ABEI). Based on these facts, three biogenic amines were pre-column derivatized with ABEI, and post-column detected using high sensitive luminol-hydrogen peroxide-DPC CL system. Since the background was quite low, and the signal was quite strong, a considerable improved sensitivity was obtained. The presented method had been successfully applied to simultaneously analyze glycine, proline and phenylalanine with the detection limits (S/N = 3) of 0.030 μmol L⁻¹, 0.23 μmol L⁻¹ and 0.21 μmol L⁻¹, respectively. To evaluate its potential application value, glycine in saliva and urine samples was detected using this method, and satisfied results were obtained. This approach can be further extended to detection of many other compounds such as peptides and drugs by using luminol-type derivatization reagent.     

Dual-sensitive probe 1-imidazole-2-(5-benzoacridine)-ethanone for the determination of amines in environmental water using HPLC with fluorescence detection and online atmospheric chemical ionization-mass spectrometry identification

Dual-sensitive probe of 1-imidazole-2-(5-benzoacridine)-ethanone (IBAE) for the determination of free amines with fluorescence detection and online highly sensitive atmospheric chemical ionization-mass spectrometry identification (APCI-MS) has been developed. 2-(Benzoacridine)-5-acetic acid (BAAA) reacts with coupling agent N,N′-carbonyldiimidazole (CDI) to form a highly activated amide intermediate 1-imidazole-2-(5-benzoacridine)-ethanone (IBAE), which is dual-sensitive probe. The amide intermediate (IBAE) reacts preferably with amines in dimethylformamide (DMF) solvent to give the high yields of derivatives. IBAE-amine derivatives are not only sensitive to fluorescence but also to MS ionizable efficiency. The percent ionization δ values change from 0 to 57.32% in aqueous acetonitrile and from 0 to 62.14% in aqueous methanol. The relative standard deviations of the peak areas with fluorescence detection for each amine are <1.24% (40 ng/ml, n = 6). The fluorescence detection limits (at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3) are in the range of 0.15-0.50 ng/ml. The online APCI-MS detection limits are in the range of 2.07-8.51 ng/ml (at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3). Therefore, the facile IBAE intermediate derivatization allowed the development of a highly sensitive and specific method for the quantitative analysis of trace levels of amines in environmental water.     

Study of the naphthalene-2,3-dicarboxaldehyde pre-column derivatization of biogenic mono- and diamines in mixture and fluorescence?HPLC determination

A new fluorescence−HPLC method was developed for the simultaneous determination of eight biogenic monoamines (histamine, methylamine, tyramine, ethylamine, propylamine, tryptamine, 2-phenylethylamine, isoamylamine) and two biogenic diamines (putrescine, cadaverine) in the presence of heptylamine as the internal standard. The amines were pre-column derivatized with naphthalene-2,3-dicarboxaldehyde in the presence of cyanide ion as the nucleophile. The effect of the derivatization reaction conditions on the reaction yield was investigated. The derivatives were separated on an Inertsil ODS-3 column (250 × 4mm i.d., 5 μm) using gradient elution and detected fluorimetrically at excitation and emission wavelengths of 424 and 494 nm, respectively. Limits of detection between 0.002 and 0.4 ng, injected on-column (10-μL loop), were achieved. The within- and between-day relative standard deviations ranged between 0.2−3.4% and 0.3−4.8%, respectively. The utility of the method in assaying biogenic mono- and diamine mixtures in Greek cheeses is demonstrated. Ultrasound-assisted liquid−liquid extraction was applied prior to derivatization.     

Derivatization, stabilization and detection of biogenic amines by cyclodextrin-modified capillary electrophoresis-laser-induced fluorescence detection

o-Phthalaldehyde (OPA) derivatives of eight biogenic amines were stabilized at 5 degrees C by forming inclusion complexes with methyl-beta-cyclodextrin (MBCD). The derivatives were separated and detected by cyclodextrin-modified capillary electrophoresis (CE) with UV or laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) detection. Using a borate buffer, pH 9.0 consisting of ethanol and a mixture of negatively charged sulfobutylether-beta-cyclodextrin and neutral MBCD, baseline separation of the eight OPA derivatives was achieved within 25 min with high separation efficiencies. The detection limits (S/N=3) obtained by UV and LIF detection were determined to be 10 microM and 0.250 microM, respectively. Glutamic acid was added after the initial derivatization step to neutralize residual OPA which otherwise caused a significant interference, particularly when analysis was performed around the detection limit of the OPA derivatives. Important biogenic amines in fish, wine and urine were then derivatized and determined by CE-LIF. In the case of sole and rainbow trout, the results obtained were validated by an enzymatic assay using putrescine oxidase.     

高效液相色谱-激光诱导荧光法分析水样中的胺类物质

通过色谱条件和衍生条件的优化,建立了微量胺类物质的高效液相色谱-激光诱导荧光检测分析方法。该方法灵敏度高,在优化的条件下分析亚精胺、腐胺和组胺,检出限达到10^-10 mol/L数量级,且稳定性好。连续进样5次,3种生物胺保留时间的RSD(n=5)小于0.3%,峰面积的RSD(n=5)小于3%,平均加标回收率为94.99%~104.7%。将该方法应用于实际水样中3种生物胺的检测及7种茶叶茶水中胺类物质的分析,取得了良好的结果。该方法灵敏度高,稳定性好,可用于水样中微量胺类物质的分析。     

Simultaneous determination of eight short‐chain aliphatic amines in drug substances by HPLC with diode array detection after derivatization with halonitrobenzenes

Short‐chain aliphatic amines are a class of hazardous impurities in drug substances. A simple method, involving derivatization followed by high‐performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection, has been developed for residue determination of eight aliphatic amines simultaneously in drug substances. Different halonitrobenzenes derivatization reagents were systematically compared. As a result, 1‐fluoro‐2‐nitro‐4‐(trifluoromethyl)benzene was selected since the derivatization effectively shifted the absorption wavelength to the visible region (400–450 nm), where most drug substances, impurities and even the derivatization reagent absorb very weakly. Due to the redshift effect, interference was minimized and adequately low limits of quantitation were reached (0.24–0.80 nmol/mL). Moreover, the derivatization reaction was readily carried out in dimethyl sulfoxide at room temperature for 1 h using N ,N‐diisopropylethylamine as catalyst to achieve the highest yield. Without any pre‐treatment, the derivatives were analyzed by high‐performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection. The high stability of the derivatives within 24 h at room temperature (RSD<1.04%) further facilitated the simultaneous preparation and consecutive analysis of quantities of samples. Finally, the proposed method was successfully applied for residue determination of eight aliphatic amines simultaneously in eight drug substance samples. This study could be helpful for the routine analysis and residue control of aliphatic amines in drug substances.     

8-Phenyl-(4-oxy-acetic acid N-hydroxysuccinimidyl ester)-4,4-difluoro-1,3,5,7-tetramethyl-4-bora-3a,4a-diaza-s-indacene as a new highly fluorescent-derivatizing reagent for aliphatic amines in disease-related samples with high-performance liquid chromatography

A novel fluorescent-activated ester, 8-phenyl-(4-oxy-acetic acid N-hydroxysuccinimidyl ester)-4,4-difluoro-1,3,5,7-tetramethyl-4-bora-3a,4a-diaza-s-indacene (TMPAB-OSu) has been designed and synthesized for amine labeling in HPLC. Being used 11 aliphatic amines as the models, the derivatization conditions were optimized. In 0.2 mol/l borate buffer (pH 8.8), amines reacted with TMPAB-OSu at 30 °C to form the derivatives in 10 min. The fluorescent quantum yield of TMPAB-OSu and its amine derivatives are high even compared with fluorescein. The separation of these amine derivatives was achieved with a C₈ column and gradient elution by using 0.1 mol/l sodium acetate buffer (pH 5.0) and methanol. With fluorescence detection at an emission wavelength of 509 nm and an excitation wavelength of 497 nm, the detection limits of aliphatic amines were 2–18 fmol, at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3:1. The proposed TMPAB-OSu-based HPLC method has been applied to the analysis of urine samples of health, hepatic and renal patients and lake water. Recoveries from different matrices are from 96 to 104%, depending on the sample investigated.     

Trace determination of short-chain aliphatic amines in biological samples by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography with laser-induced fluorescence detection

In this study, a new capillary electrophoresis (CE) method is described originally for the sensitive and selective determination of short-chain aliphatic amines in biological samples. These amines were converted into their N-hydroxysuccinimidyl fluorescein-O-acetate (SIFA) derivatives and measured by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography with laser-induced fluorescence detection. The derivatization conditions and separation parameters for the aliphatic amines were optimized in detail. The SIFA-labeled amines were fully separated within 8.5 min using 25 mM pH 9.6 boric acid electrolyte containing 60 mM sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). The parameters of validation such as linearity of response, precision and detection limits were determined. The detection limits were obtained in the range from 0.02 to 0.1 nM, which was the lowest value reported by CE methods. The developed method was successfully employed to monitor aliphatic amines in serum and cells samples. After comparison of other CE methods using different fluorescent probes, the present method represents a powerful tool for the trace determination of aliphatic amines in complex biological samples.     

Determination of biogenic amines in wines and beers by high performance liquid chromatography with pre-column dansylation and ultraviolet detection

Summary A sensitive high performance liquid chromatographic method for the simultaneous determination of eleven biogenic amines, using 1,7-diaminoheptane as internal standard, has been developed. The method involves pre-column derivatization of the amines with dansyl chloride and subsequent solid phase extraction of the derivatives through C18 cartridges. The derivatization and solid phase extraction procedures were optimized. The separation of dansylamides was achieved on an Inertsil ODS-3 column (250×4 mm I.D. 5 μm) using a 35-min gradient elution method with a binary system of acetonitrile-water, a flow rate of 1 mL.min¹ with UV detection at 254 nm. Linearity of derivatization was obtained for concentrations ranging from 0.025 to 3.0 mg.L¹. The within- and between-day relative standard deviations ranged from 0.4 to 5.7% and 0.6 to 7.3% respectively. The overall process was successfully applied to identify and quantify biogenic amines in white, red and Retsina Greek wines and Greek beers, after their treatment with polyvinylpyrrolidone.     

Determination of biogenic amines in food samples using derivatization followed by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry

A liquid chromatography (LC)/mass spectrometry method was developed for the determination of selected biogenic amines in various fish and other food samples. It is based on a precolumn derivatization of the amines with succinimidylferrocenyl propionate under formation of the respective amides and their reversed-phase liquid-chromatographic separation with subsequent electrospray ionization mass-spectrometric detection. Deuterated putescine, cadaverine, and histamine are added prior to the derivatization as internal standards that are coeluted, thus allowing excellent reproducibility of the analysis to be achieved. Depending on the analyte, the limits of detection were between 1.2 and 19.0 mg/kg, covering between 2 and 3 decades of linearity. The limit of detection and the linear range for histamine are suitable for the surveillance of the only defined European threshold for biogenic amines in fish samples. Compared with the established ortho-phthalaldehyde (OPA)/LC/fluorescence method, the newly developed method allows an unambiguous identification of the biogenic amines by their mass spectra in addition to only retention times, a fivefold acceleration of the separation, and independency from the sample matrix owing to the isotope-labeled internal standards. Various fish, calamari, and salami samples were successfully analyzed with the new method and validated with an independent OPA/LC/fluorescence method.     

Capillary zone electrophoresis with pre-column NDA derivatization and amperometric detection for the analysis of four aliphatic diamines

A method was developed for the analysis of four aliphatic diamines by capillary zone electrophoresis using pre-column derivatization with naphthalene-2,3-dicarboxaldehyde (NDA)/CN⁻ and amperometric detection. The pre-column derivatization reaction conditions including the molar ratio of NDA to amines, the cyanide concentration, the pH value of derivatization buffer, and the reaction time, were investigated. The separation of four derivatives of aliphatic diamines has been optimized by capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) using end-column amperometric detection with a carbon fiber microelectrode, at a constant potential of 0.7 V versus SCE. The optimum conditions for the separation were 10 mM Tris-H₃PO₄ (pH 4.0) for the running buffer solution, 15 kV for the separation voltage. The detection limits for diaminopropane, putrescine, cadaverine, diaminohexane were 6.7×10⁻⁸, 5.1×10⁻⁸, 1.9×10⁻⁷ and 3.8×10⁻⁷ M, respectively (S/N=3). The proposed method was applied to the determination of aliphatic diamines in a lake water sample by the standard addition method. The recovery of these amines in water was 89.9-107%.     

Urine polyamines determination using dansyl chloride derivatization in solid-phase extraction cartridges and HPLC

The derivatization of biogenic amines such as putrescine, cadaverine, spermidine and spermine with dansyl chloride in solid phase extraction cartridges is described. Different types of filling materials were tested in order to have the highest retention of the different analytes. The best results were obtained by using C18 cartridges. The optimal conditions were: amine solution buffered at pH 12, 2 mM dansyl chloride (acetone-bicarbonate solution 20 mM (pH 9-9.5), 2 + 3 v/v) as reagent concentration, room temperature and 30 min reaction time. The developed procedure was applied to the determination of these polyamines in urine samples from healthy controls and cancer patients using HPLC with 1,7-diaminoheptane as internal standard. The concentrations ranged from 0.5 to 5 micrograms mL-1 and the detection limits were 10 ng mL-1 for all polyamines. By concentrating the urine extracts, the detection limits were improved down to 2 ng mL-1. The accuracy and the precision of the method were tested. The proposed dansylation method is advantageous with respect to solution dansylation. It improves the total analysis time, avoids high temperatures that can affect the thermal stability of the derivatives and could make possible the automation of the procedure.