In situ derivatization-ultrasound-assisted dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction for the determination of neurotransmitters in Parkinson’s rat brain microdialysates by ultra high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

• In situ derivatization-UADLLME was firstly reported for NTs in rat brain microdialysates.
• Lissamine rhodamine B sulfonyl chloride was firstly used as derivatization reagent.
• The method was simple, rapid, green, efficient, sensitive and low matrix effect.
• This method was successfully applied for Parkinson’s rat brain microdialysates.

Simultaneous monitoring of several neurotransmitters (NTs) linked to Parkinson’s disease (PD) has important scientific significance for PD related pathology, pharmacology and drug screening. A new simple, fast and sensitive analytical method, based on in situ derivatization-ultrasound-assisted dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (in situ DUADLLME) in a single step, has been proposed for the quantitative determination of catecholamines and their biosynthesis precursors and metabolites in rat brain microdialysates. The method involved the rapid injection of the mixture of low toxic bromobenzene (extractant) and acetonitrile (dispersant), which containing commercial Lissamine rhodamine B sulfonyl chloride (LRSC) as derivatization reagent, into the aqueous phase of sample and buffer, and the following in situ DUADLLME procedure. After centrifugation, 50 μL of the sedimented phase (bromobenzene) was directly injected for ultra high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC–MS/MS) detection in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. This interesting combination brought the advantages of speediness, simpleness, low matrix effects and high sensitivity in an effective way. Parameters of in situ DUADLLME and UHPLC–MS/MS conditions were all optimized in detail. The optimum conditions of in situ DUADLLME were found to be 30 μL of microdialysates, 150 μL of acetonitrile containing LRSC, 50 μL of bromobenzene and 800 μL of NaHCO3-Na2CO3 buffer (pH 10.5) for 3.0 min at 37 °C. Under the optimized conditions, good linearity was observed with LODs (S/N > 3) and LOQs (S/N > 10) of LRSC derivatized-NTs in the range of 0.002-0.004 and 0.007-0.015 nmol/L, respectively. It also brought good precision (3.2-12.8%, peak area CVs%), accuracy (94.2-108.6%), recovery (94.5-105.5%) and stability (3.8-8.1%, peak area CVs%) results. Moreover, LRSC derivatization significantly improved chromatographic resolution and MS detection sensitivity of NTs when compared with the reported studies through the introduction of a permanent charged moiety from LRSC into NTs. Taken together, this in situ DUADLLME method was successfully applied for the simultaneous determination of six NTs in biological samples.