Simultaneous determination of vitamin K analogs in human serum by sensitive and selective high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection

Objectives We report a sensitive and selective method for the simultaneous determination of vitamin K1 and K2 analogs (VKs) with high-performance liquid chromatography in which a platinum catalyst reduction column and an electrochemical detector operated in the oxidation mode are incorporated into the detection system. We also applied this trace analysis method to the simultaneous determination of VKs in human serum to investigate the physiologic and pathophysiologic roles of VKs in the bone metabolism. Methods Our high-performance liquid chromatographic method with postcolumn catalyst reduction and electrochemical detection was applied for the simultaneous determination of VKs in human serum samples. After separation of VKs on a reversed-phase separation column by using a mixture of ethanol and methanol (1:1, v/v), containing 0.025 M of sodium perchlorate as the mobile phase, the VKs were reduced once in a platinum catalyst reduction column connected online and then monitored quantitatively by an electrochemical detector with a glassy carbon working electrode operated in the oxidation mode (+0.6 V versus Ag/AgCl). Results VKs were clearly separated from each other within 80 min. The detection limits at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3 were 2 to 10 pg for VKs. Quantitative recovery from serum was obtained in the range of 86% to 91% for VKs. The average coefficients of variation of within-day and between-day assays were 1.6% to 2.1% and 2.4% to 3.6%, respectively, for all VKs. Conclusions This method was sensitive and selective for detection of VKs and was satisfactory in the simultaneous determination of VKs in small volumes of human serum.