SIMPLE, RAPID AND SENSITIVE DETERMINATION OF PLASMA TAURINE BY HIGH-PERFORMANCE LIQUID-CHROMATOGRAPHY USING PRECOLUMN DERIVATIVE FORMATION WITH FLUORESCAMINE

A simple, rapid and sensitive method for the determination of plasma taurine by high-performance liquid chromatography in the isocratic mode has been developed. The deproteinized plasma was treated with fluorescamine. These derivatives were separated on a LiChrospher 100 RP-8 column within 15 min. The detection limit for taurine was 0.2-mu-M. The plasma taurine contents of yellowtail fish, Seriola quinqueradiata, beef cattle, dairy cows and chickens were determined to be 125 +/- 54, 5.6 +/- 1.4, 2.2 +/- 0.7 and 20.0 +/- 9.6-mu-g/ml, respectively.