Indirect determination of pyruvic acid by capillary electrophoresis with amperometric detection

A method of indirectly measuring pyruvic acid (PA) by capillary electrophoresis with amperometric detection is proposed for the first time. It is based on the oximation reaction between PA and hydroxylamine (NH2OH), and the quantification of PA was performed by direct and sensitive amperometric detection of excessive NH2OH after the oximation reaction. This method displayed a good sensitivity, and the detection limits of NH2OH and PA are 1.76 × 10−7 and 3.88 × 10−7 mol/L, respectively at S/N = 3. The linear relationship between the peak current and PA concentration is exhibited over the range from 4 × 10−6 to 1 × 10−4 mol/L. This method has been applied to determine PA in rat plasma with satisfactory results.