Liquid chromatographic analysis of glucosamine in commercial dietary supplements using indirect fluorescence detection.

A method of using indirect fluorescence detection is evaluated for the analysis of glucosamine in commercial dietary supplements following chromatographic separation. In this method, the eluting analyte, glucosamine, was detected by monitoring an increase in the fluorescence signal for L-tryptophan (L-Trp) or DL-5-methoxytryptophan (5-MTP) after glucosamine complexed with a copper(II) ion and released either L-Trp or 5-MTP from a copper(II) complex, which is introduced postcolumn. The fluorescence of L-Trp and 5-MTP are quenched when complexed with the copper(II) ion. The results obtained using indirect fluorescence detection are compared with the results obtained for precolumn derivatization with phenylisothiocyanate. Statistical analysis is performed to compare the results obtained for the two postcolumn interaction components, Cu(L-Trp)2 and Cu(5-MTP)2, as well as the results obtained using the indirect fluorescence detection method and a precolumn derivatization method. The indirect fluorescence detection method provided an alternative to precolumn derivatization for determining the concentration of glucosamine in commercial dietary supplements. The stability of the glucosamine-o-phthalaldehyde-3-mercaptopropionic acid derivative is also evaluated to investigate the applicability of the popular precolumn derivatization reagent, o-phthalaldehyde-3-mercaptopropionic acid, for this analysis.