Capillary gas chromatographic determination of methylglyoxal from serum of diabetic patients by precolumn derivatization using meso-stilbenediamine as derivatizing reagent.

Stilbenediamine is used as derivatizing reagent for methylglyoxal (MGo) and dimethylglyoxal for the gas chromatographic (GC) determination of MGo from the serum of diabetic patients and healthy volunteers. The derivatization is obtained at pH 3. GC elution and separation are carried out on an HP5 column (30 m x 0.32 mm i.d.) at column temperature 150 degrees C with a programmed heating rate of 50 degrees C/min up to 250 degrees C, and a total run time of 7 min. The nitrogen flow rate is 5 mL/min and detection is carried out by flame ionization detection. The linear calibration curves are obtained with a range of 0.076-0.760 microg/mL and the detection limit is 25 ng/mL MGo. The amounts of MGo found in the serum of healthy volunteers and diabetic patients are 0.025-0.065 microg/mL and 0.115-0.228 microg/mL, with coefficient of variation 1.3-3.1% and 1.4-3.3%.