Simultaneous determination of tyrosine and dopamine in urine samples using excitation–emission matrix fluorescence coupled with second-order calibration

A “green” and quick analytical method for complex compounds was developed for simultaneous determination of tyrosine (Tyr) and dopamine (DA) in urine samples in this paper. The three-way responsive data recorded by excitation–emission matrix fluorescence (EEM) spectrometer was analyzed using second-order calibration methods based on both parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) and self-weighted alternating trilinear decomposition (SWATLD) algorithms. The EEM spectra of the analytes were overlapped with the background in urine samples. However the second-order advantage of both PARAFAC and SWATLD methods was exploited, even in the presence of unknown interferences and the satisfactory results can be obtained. Furthermore, the linear ranges of Tyr and DA were determined to be 0.042–6.42 μg/mL and 0.18–4.43 μg/mL, respectively, and the accuracies of both methods were validated by the analytical figures of merit (FOM).

Graphical abstractIn this study, we have successfully developed a “green” and fast method for quantitative analysis of tyrosine and dopamine in human urine samples by using second-order calibration methods, for the excitation–emission matrix fluorescence (EEM) data, based on both the parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) and the self-weighted alternating trilinear decomposition (SWATLD) algorithms.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide