DETERMINATION OF TRIAMTERENE IN URINE BY HPLC USING FLUORESCENCE DETECTION AND COLUMN-SWITCHING

A liquid chromatographic method incorporating column-switching and flu orimetric detection for the determination of triamterene in untreated urine, is described. The urine samples (5 mu L) were directly introduc ed onto an Hypersil ODS-C18, 30 mu m (20 mm x 2.1 mm I.D.) pre-column. Polar urinary compounds were removed by flushing the pre-column with water for 1 min, and the analyte was then switched onto an HP-LiChrosp her RP C18, 5 mu m (125 mm x 4 mm ID) analytical column using an aceto nitrile/phosphate buffer gradient elution. Fluorescence detection was performed at 230 nm excitation and 430 nm emission wavelengths. The re covery of drug was 102 +/- 2 % in the 0.10-20.0 mu g/mL concentration range, the limit of detection being 5 ng/mL. A validation of the usefu lness of this procedure was accomplished by analysing urine extracts o btained from real samples.