Determination of 5-dimethylaminonaphthalene-1-sulfonyl derivatives of urinary polyamines by ion-pair high-performance liquid chromatography.

A sensitive and specific method for the determination of diamines and polyamines by ion-pair high-performance liquid chromatography is described. The 5-dimethylaminonaphthalene-1-sulfonyl derivatives of putrescine, 1,6-diaminohexane, spermidine and spermine are separated on a muBondapak C18 reversed-phase column with 1-heptanesulfonic acid and acetonitrile as the mobile phase. All compounds are eluted within 30 min using a programmed solvent gradient system. The method has a lower detection limit of 1 pmole on column. Because of the simplicity of the method, its application provides a better means for closely monitoring patients undergoing treatment for various types of genito-urinary neoplastic diseases.