Sensitive determination of sub-nanogram amounts of rutin by its inhibition on chemiluminescence with immobilized reagents

An interesting inhibitory effect of rutin on the chemiluminescence (CL) reaction between luminol and periodate was reported, and this effect was used for the determination of rutin in medicine and human urine. The CL reagents, luminol and periodate, were both immobilized on an anion-exchange column. The CL signal produced by the reaction between luminol and periodate, which were eluted from the column through water injection, was decreased in the presence of rutin. Rutin was sensed by measuring the decrement of CL intensity, and which was observed to be linear over the logarithm of 0.1–30 ng ml−1 rutin concentration range, and the limit of detection was 0.03 ng ml−1 (3σ). At a flow rate of 2.0 ml min−1, both sampling and washing could be performed in 0.5 min with a relative standard deviation of less than 3.0%. The method proposed offered reagent-less procedures and remarkable stability in the determination of rutin, and could be easily reused over 80 h. The method proposed was applied successfully in the determination of rutin in pharmaceutical preparations and monitoring the excretion of rutin in human urine.