Partial least-squares analysis of time decay data for Eu(III)-tetracycline complexes: simultaneous luminescent determination of tetracycline and oxytetracycline in bovine serum.

A simple and sensitive methodology to simultaneously quantify tetracycline and oxytetracycline in bovine serum samples is described. The method combines the advantages of the lanthanide-sensitized luminescence (i.e., sensitivity and selectivity) with partial least-squares (PLS) analysis, and requires no previous separation steps. Due to the strong overlapping of emission and excitation spectra of the analytes and their europium complexes, the luminescence decay curve (intensity of luminescence vs. time) of analyte-Eu complex was selected to resolve mixtures of tetracycline and oxytetracycline. Partial least-squares uses the luminescence decay as discriminatory parameter and regresses the luminescence versus time onto the concentrations of standards. Using a 16-sample aqueous calibration set, 10 validation samples, 11 spiked serum bovine samples and a blank of serum were studied. The analyte recoveries from serum samples ranged from 87 to 104% for tetracycline and from 94 to 106% for oxytetracycline. The results obtained by the developed method were statistically comparable to those obtained with high performance liquid chromatography.