QUANTIFICATION OF METHYL FARNESOATE LEVELS IN HEMOLYMPH BY HIGH-PERFORMANCE LIQUID-CHROMATOGRAPHY

Methyl farnesoate (MF) is an acyclic sesquiterpenoid that has been detected in hemolymph and other tissues of crustaceans and insects. This paper describes a rapid and sensitive method for measuring MF in crustacean hemolymph. Extracts of hemolymph samples were separated by normal-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (5-mu-m silica, 250 x 4.6 mm I.D., 1.3% diethyl ether in hexane) and detected by UV (220 nm). The limit of detection with this method was less than 250 pg/ml. This method should be useful for studying the physiological functions of MF in crustaceans and other arthropods.