Determination of Hydroxylated Polychlorinated Biphenyls (HO-PCBs)in Blood Plasma by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Electrospray Ionization-Tandem Quadrupole Mass Spectrometry

• Published in: Journal of Analytical Toxicology
• Main Authors: Letcher, R.J., Li, H.X., Chu, S.G.
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford University Press 2005
• Subjects: Articles; Arctic; Ursus maritimus
• Online Access: http://jat.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/29/4/209; https://doi.org/10.1093/jat/29.4.209

Hydroxylated metabolites of polychlorinated biphenyls (HO-PCBs) and pentachlorophenol (PCP) are halogenated phenolic compounds, and they are increasingly common as environmental contaminants mainly in the blood of wildlife and humans. A methodology based on high-performance liquid chromatography (reversed-phase)-electrospray (negative) ionization-tandem quadrupole mass spectrometry (LC-ESI(-)-MS-MS) in the select ion monitoring or multiple reaction monitoring modes was developed for HO-PCB and PCP determination in blood plasma and serum. Among 11 environmentally relevant HO-PCB congeners and PCP spiked to fetal calf serum, quantitative assessments, including matrix effects on ESI(-) suppression/enhancement, showed process (recovery) efficiencies of 73% to 89% without internal standard (IS) correction, and 88% to 103% with IS correction, and method limits of quantification ranging from 1 to 50 pg/g (wet weight). Using the developed LC-ESI(-)-MS methodology in comparison with GC-MS and GC-ECD based approaches, similar results were found for HO-PCB identification and quantification in the plasma of polar bear ( Ursus maritimus ) from the Canadian arctic. LC-ESI(-)-MS identified four HO-PCB congeners [4′-HO-2,2′,4,6,6′-pentachlorobiphenyl (4′-HO-CB104), 4-HO-2,3,3′,4′,5-pentachlorobiphenyl (4-HO-CB107), 4-HO-2,3,3′,5,5′,6-hexachlorobiphenyl (4-HO-CB165) and 3′-HO-2,2′,3,4,4′,5,5′-heptachlorobiphenyl (3′-HO-CB180)], and 14 additional tetra- to hepta-chlorinated HO-PCBs isomers in the polar bear plasma.