Iohexol in serum determined by capillary electrophoresis.

Iohexol, a nonionic compound used as a contrast medium for angiography and as a measure of the glomerular filtration rate, was quantified in serum by capillary electrophoresis. Comparable results were obtained for serum samples deproteinized with acetonitrile or analyzed directly after 50-fold dilution with borate buffer. Serum samples were electrophoresed for 2.6 min at 12 kV in a borate buffer with detection at 254 nm and with 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine as internal standard. Acetonitrile deproteinization gave a greater sensitivity than did sample dilution. Between-run CVs were between 4.7% and 6.7%, and within-run CVs were between 2.5 and 3.2%. Analytical recoveries were 95-105%. Results of the method compared well with those by high-performance liquid chromatography (slope 0.96, intercept 0.005 g/L). This method demonstrates the potential of capillary electrophoresis for rapid and simple quantification of small molecules.