Simultaneous determination of cocaine and its metabolites with caffeine in rat serum microsamples by high-performance liquid chromatography.

A single, isocratic high-performance liquid chromatographic method is described for the determination of cocaine and three of its metabolites along with caffeine in serum microsamples (50 microliters). The small sample size permits the tracking of pharmacokinetic data over time in individual, small animals. The method also was used to demonstrate that cocaine, benzoylecgonine and norcocaine in rat serum samples were stable for at least a month without the presence of sodium fluoride.