DETERMINATION OF MONOVALENT INORGANIC ANIONS IN HUMAN SALIVA BY ION CHROMATOGRAPHY USING MICROCOLUMN COATED WITH MICELLAR ZWITTERIONIC BILE-ACID DERIVATIVE

Anions such as nitrite, nitrate, iodide, and thiocyanate ions containe d in human saliva have been determine by ion chromatography using a mi crocolumn coated with micellar bile acid derivative, lamidopropyl)-dim ethylammoniol-1-propanesulfonate, where only a phosphate buffer soluti on was used as the mobile phase. The detection limits obtained by the present system were 1.1 muM for nitrite and nitrate, 2.3 muM for thioc yanate, and 0.48 muM for iodide when the direct UV absorption detectio n of the anions was performed at 230 nm. The present system was applie d to the determination of inorganic anions in human saliva, especially in relation with smoking habit, age and sex. Thiocyanate ion was dete cted at the significantly higher level in saliva for the smokers, comp ared to the non-smokers. Furthermore, the thiocyanate levels in saliva depended on the age and sex, while the concentrations of nitrite, nit rate, and iodide ions were rather independent of these parameters.