DETERMINATION OF ALKYLPHOSPHOCHOLINES BY HIGH-PERFORMANCE LIQUID-CHROMATOGRAPHY WITH LIGHT-SCATTERING MASS DETECTION

A rapid and sensitive method for the determination of five different a lkylphosphocholines including the antineoplastic phospholipid analogue s hexadecylphosphocholine and octadecylphosphocholine is presented. Th e method is based on the separation of the lipids by high-performance liquid chromatography and quantitation by light-scattering mass detect ion. The lower limit of detection is approximately 50 pmol for each al kylphosphocholine tested. Quantitation is linear over the range 0.05-7 5 nmol. Hexane-isopropanol extracts of cultured cells can be applied t o the column without further cleanup. The high resolution of separatio n and the sensitivity of detection render this method useful for pharm acokinetic investigations dealing with the uptake of alkylphosphocholi nes into different types of cells.