DETERMINATION OF OLEANDER GLYCOSIDES IN BIOLOGICAL MATRICES BY HIGH-PERFORMANCE LIQUID-CHROMATOGRAPHY

A high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-fluorescence method wa s developed for quantitative determination of oleandrin in gastrointes tinal contents (stomach, rumen, colon, and cecum contents). Oleandrin was extracted with methylene chloride. The extract was cleaned up on a charcoal solid phase extraction (SPE) column, derivatized with 1-naph thoyl chloride, and quantified by HPLC with a fluorescence detector. T he limit of detection was 0.05 ppm. Six replicate fortifications of st omach contents matrix at 0.10 ppm oleandrin gave an average recovery o f 85%, with 4.6% CV (relative standard deviation). The diagnostic util ity of the method was tested by analyzing samples submitted to the vet erinary toxicology laboratory.