A SIMPLIFIED METHOD FOR THE DETERMINATION OF METHYLGLYOXAL BIS(GUANYLHYDRAZONE), MGBG, IN BIOLOGICAL-FLUIDS BY REVERSED-PHASE ION-PAIR HPLC

Methylglyoxal bis(guanylhydrazone, MGBG, is described as an important agent in the fight against certain types of leukemia and other proliferative processes. For this study, we developed a paired-ion HPLC method in order to measure MGBG concentrations in serum and urine samples. MGBG recovery in serum and urine being 95-98%, ultrafiltered samples were then injected onto a C18 column and eluted isocratically with a mobile phase consisting of a mixture of phosphate buffer 0.05 M, pH = 3.0, methanol (80:20) and 1.0 mM sodium heptane sulfonate, with UV (280 nm) detection. The lower limit of MGBG detection was 1.0-mu-g/ml in urine and 0.1-mu-g/ml in serum.