Ion-pair high-performance liquid chromatography of purine compounds in the small intestinal mucosa of children with coeliac disease.

Isocratic methods are described for the separation of purine compounds in specimens of jejunal mucosa available by peroral biopsy from patients with coeliac disease. The first mode provided separation of both the ionic nucleoside monophosphates and the non-ionic nitrogen bases and nucleosides. The second mode was applicable to analyses of the nucleoside mono-, di- and triphosphates only. These chromatographic procedures were carried out with tetrabutylammonium phosphate as an ion-pair modifier and different concentrations of acetonitrile in the mobile phase. The modes are flexible in that they permit the optimization of the separation of these compounds according to the purpose of the investigation. The results of studies on purine metabolite patterns in coeliac mucosa are discussed.