Determination of perfluorobutane in rat blood by automatic headspace capillary gas chromatography and selected ion monitoring mass spectrometry.

A new contrast agent (Sonazoid; NC100100) for ultrasound imaging has been developed. It is an aqueous suspension of lipid stabilised perfluorobutane (PFB) gas microbubbles. An automatic headspace capillary gas-chromatographic mass spectrometric method using electron impact ionisation was developed for analysis of Sonazoid PFB in rat blood. The calibration standards were gaseous PFB dissolved in ethanol in the range of 0.5-5000 ng PFB. Fluorotrichloromethane (CFC 11) was used as an internal standard of the method and the MS detector was set to single ion monitoring of the base fragment ions of PFB (m/z 69 and 119) and CFC 11 (m/z 101). The calibration graph, made by plotting the peak area ratios of PFB (m/z 69) to CFC 11(m/z 101) against the amount of PFB, was fitted to a second-order polynomial equation with weighting 1/y2 and found to be reproducible. The limit of quantification of the method was set to 0.4 ng PFB. The between-day variation of the method was below 9.2% relative standard deviation (RSD) and the within-day variation of the method was below 7.6% RSD. The accuracy of the method, as compared to Coulter counter, was estimated by determination of PFB in samples where Sonazoid was added to saline and found to range from 91.5% to 105.2%. PFB, added as Sonazoid, was found to be stable for at least 7 months in rat blood samples when stored at -20 degrees C.