Direct measurement of the glucuronide conjugate of 1-hydroxypyrene in human urine by using liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry

To evaluate human exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), we developed a rapid, simple and sensitive method for determining 1-hydroxypyrene-glucuronide (1-OHP-G) in human urine. To improve precision, a deuterated glucuronide was used as an internal standard. The method requires only 1 mL of urine. The urine was treated with a mixed-mode anion-exchange and reversed-phase solid-phase extraction cartridge (Oasis MAX). The analytes were analyzed with a C18 reversed-phase column with a gradient elution, followed by tandem mass spectrometry with electrospray ionization in negative ion mode. The detection limit of 1-OHP-G (corresponding to a signal-to-noise ratio of 3) was 0.13 fmol/injection. Urinary concentrations of 1-OHP-G determined by this method were strongly correlated (r2 = 0.961) with concentrations of 1-hydroxypyrene by conventional HPLC with fluorescence detection.