Histamine and tele-methylhistamine quantification in cerebrospinal fluid from narcoleptic subjects by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry with precolumn derivatization

An ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC™–MS/MS) assay was developed for the simultaneous analysis of histamine, its major metabolite tele-methylhistamine, and an internal standard (N-tele-(R)-α-dimethylhistamine) from human cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples. The method involves derivatization of primary amines with 4-bromobenzenesulfonyl chloride and subsequent analysis by reversed phase liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry detection and positive electrospray ionization. The separation of derivatized biogenic amines was achieved within 3.5 min on an Acquity® BEH C₁₈ column by elution with a linear gradient of acetonitrile/water/formic acid (0.1%). The assay was linear in the concentration range of 50–5000 pM for each amine (5.5–555 pg/ml for histamine and 6.25–625 pg/ml for tele-methylhistamine). For repeatability and precision determination, coefficients of variation (CVs) were less than 11.0% over the tested concentration ranges, within acceptance criteria. Thus, the developed method provides the rapid, easy, highly sensitive, and selective requirement to quantify these amines in human CSF. No significant difference was found in the mean ± standard error levels of these amines between a group of narcoleptic patients (histamine = 392 ± 64 pM, tele-methylhistamine = 2431 ± 461 pM, n = 7) and of neurological control subjects (histamine = 402 ± 72 pM, tele-methylhistamine = 2209 ± 463 pM, n = 32).