Analytical techniques for the determination of biologically active quinones in biological and environmental samples

• Quinones have various functions such as vitamin, drug and environmental pollutant.
• Various techniques make it possible to analyze quinones with high sensitivity.
• The principle and feature of analytical techniques for quinones are reviewed.

Quinones are compounds that have various characteristics such as biological electron transporter, therapeutic agent and harmful environmental pollutant. Therefore, an effective analytical method for quinones is useful in many fields including biomedical, clinical and toxicological studies. This review describes the principle and feature of analytical techniques for quinones including high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet, fluorescence, chemiluminescence, electrochemical detection and mass spectrometry, gas chromatography with mass spectrometry and capillary electrophoresis. Furthermore, the sensitivity and the sample preparation method for the determination of several quinones such as vitamin K, ubiquinone, doxorubicin and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon quinone in biological and environmental samples are summarized.

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