Development and validation of a hydrophilic interaction chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for quantification of nicotine and its metabolites in human maternal and cord sera

A selective and sensitive HILIC-MS/MSmethod for the simultaneous quantification of nicotine and its metabolites in human maternal and cord sera was developed and validated. After solid-phase extraction, LC separation was achieved on a hydrophilic interaction chromatography. The validated method is capable of selective identification as well as accurate and sensitive quantification. Analyte recovery ranged from 86.2 to 107.7% and intra- and inter-day assay precision were less than 15% relative standard deviation. This sensitive HILIC-MS/MS method can be used to determine nicotine and its metabolic profile in smokers. This validated method is useful for the determination of nicotine and its metabolites in human serum in future studies of the effects of nicotine exposure on neonatal outcome. Copyright (c) 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.