A high-performance liquid-chromatographic method for the determination of ochratoxin A in human plasma

A high-performance liquid-chromatographic method is described for the quant itative determination of the mycotoxin ochratoxin A (OTA) in human plasma. The assay involves extraction with chloroform and sodium bicarbonate then H PLC with fluorescence detection. The method was validated in terms of selec tivity, recovery, linearity, precision (within-day and between-day variabil ity), accuracy, detection and quantification limits, and the stability of O TA in plasma and treated samples. The limit of detection was 0.4 ng mL(-1) of OTA in methanol, corresponding to 0.52 ng ml(-1) OTA in plasma. This ass ay was successfully applied for the determination of OTA levels in human pl asma.