Application of solid-phase microextraction to the quantitative analysis of 1,8-cineole in blood and expired air in a Eucalyptus herbivore, the brushtail possum ( Trichosurus vulpecula)

• Published in: Journal of chromatography. B, Analytical technologies in the biomedical and life sciences Analytical technologies in the biomedical and life sciences, 2002-11, Vol.780 (2), p.397-406
• Main Authors: Boyle, Rebecca R, McLean, Stuart, Brandon, Sue, Pass, Georgia J, Davies, Noel W
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 1,8-Cineole; Air - analysis; Animals; Breath Tests; Calibration; Cyclohexanols - analysis; Cyclohexanols - blood; Eucalyptus; Monoterpenes; Reproducibility of Results; Sensitivity and Specificity; Terpenes - analysis; Terpenes - blood
• ISSN: 1570-0232; 1873-376X
• DOI: 10.1016/S1570-0232(02)00625-6

We have developed two solid-phase microextraction (SPME) methods, coupled with gas chromatography, for quantitatively analysing the major Eucalyptus leaf terpene, 1,8-cineole, in both expired air and blood from the common brushtail possum ( Trichosurus vulpecula). In-line SPME sampling (5 min at 20 °C room temperature) of excurrent air from an expiratory chamber containing a possum dosed orally with 1,8-cineole (50 mg/kg) allowed real-time semi-quantitative measurements reflecting 1,8-cineole blood concentrations. Headspace SPME using 50 μl whole blood collected from possums dosed orally with 1,8-cineole (30 mg/kg) resulted in excellent sensitivity (quantitation limit 1 ng/ml) and reproducibility. Blood concentrations ranged between 1 and 1380 ng/ml. Calibration curves were prepared for two concentration ranges (0.05–10 and 10–400 ng/50 μl) for the analysis of blood concentrations. Both calibration curves were linear ( r 2=0.999 and 0.994, respectively) and the equations for the two concentration ranges were consistent.