High-performance liquid chromatographic assay of lactic, pyruvic and acetic acids and lactic acid stereoisomers in calf feces, rumen fluid and urine

To facilitate clinical investigation of metabolic acidosis, a high-performance liquid chromatographic method was adapted and validated for the chiral separation of d-(−) and l-(+)-lactic acid in calf feces, rumen fluid and urine. A non-chiral method was also adapted and validated for the separation of pyruvic, acetic and dl-(±)-lactic acids in calf feces and dl-(±)-lactic and pyruvic acids in rumen fluid. Separation and quantification were achieved using a reversed phase sulphonated polystyrenedivinylbenzene analytical column for pyruvic, acetic and racemic lactic acids and by a 3 μm octadecylsilane (ODS) packed analytical column coated with N,N-dioctyl-l-alanine as the chiral selector for the separation of lactic acid enantiomers with Cu(II)-containing eluents by stereoselective ligand exchange chromatography. Endogenous analytes were present in validation samples over a range of concentrations (0.2–14.8 mmol/l). For the stereoselective assay, mean intra-day accuracy ranged from 90.6 to 108.4% and intra-day precision from 0.3 to 13.8%. For the non-stereoselective assay, mean intra-day accuracy ranged from 90.4 to 108.8% and intra-day precision from 1.5 to 11.1%. The limit of quantitation was 1.0 mmol/l for d- and l-lactic acid, 0.06125 mmol/l for pyruvic acid, 1.0 mmol/l for dl-lactic acid and 1 mmol/l for acetic acid. These assays can be used to study the role of the gastrointestinal tract and kidney in metabolic acidosis.