DIODE-LASER INDUCED NEAR-INFRARED FLUORESCENCE DETECTION FOR HIGH-PERFORMANCE LIQUID-CHROMATOGRAPHY ANALYSIS OF INDOCYANINE GREEN IN PLASMA

Diode laser induced near infra-red fluorescence (DLINIRF) detection ha s become important in bioanalysis due to the increased sensitivity and selectivity that can be achieved in biological matrices as well as th e ruggedness, low cost, stability and portability of diode lasers. Ind ocyanine green (ICG) is used as a marker in clinical research to measu re hepatic blood how (HBF) and cardiac output. A high-performance liqu id chromatography (HPLC) method employing a simple protein precipitati on sample preparation step and DLINIRF detection has been developed to quantitate ICG in plasma. Comparison with absorbance detection demons trated an increased detectability of more than two orders of magnitude for the DLINIRF detection method. The analysis of ICG in plasma by bo th detection methods was selective and demonstrated accuracy and preci sion within acceptable limits.