Determination of salsolinol enantiomers by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry with cyclodextrin chiral columns Original Research Article

A gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric method for enantiomeric determination of salsolinol (Sal), a dopaminergic neurotoxin precursor, is described. Sal enantiomers were resolved on a cyclodextrin capillary column after O-trimethylsilylation with N-methyl-N-trimethylsilyltrifluoroacetamide (MSTFA). Superior resolution was achieved on β-cyclodextrin columns as compared with α- or γ-cyclodextrin columns. A detection limit of 100 pg in sample or 2.5 pg on-column for each enantiomer was observed. The method has been applied to the quantification of Sal enantiomers in food stuff and nerve tissue samples. Both (R)- and (S)-Sal were found at the 30 μg/g level in dried banana chips, a food rich in Sal. The ratio of (R)- to (S)-Sal was close to the unity, i.e. Sal present in this sample was racemic. However, (R)-Sal was the predominant enantiomer in homogenates of the cerebral ganglion from the sea slug, Aplysia californica.