Simultaneous determination of the main amino thiol and thione in human whole blood by CE and LC

Background: Two precolumn fluorescence derivatization procedures by two different sulfhydryl-reactive iodoacetyl reagents were established to measure simultaneously glutathione and l-ergothioneine in human whole blood by means of CE and LC. Materials & methods: Separations were achieved in <5 min on a reverse-phase column (100 mm × 4.6 mm Zorbax Eclipse Plus C18 3.5 μm) for LC analysis, and on an uncoated fused-silica capillary (60 cm × 50 μm) for CE analysis, monitoring the fluorescence of derivatives. Results: Performance of the assays was good in terms of linearity, recovery, intra- and inter-day precision and LOD and LOQ. Conclusion: This novel approach allows rapid assessment of circulating glutathione and l-ergothioneine concentrations for clinical and research purposes.