Analysis of polyamines as their dabsyl derivatives by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography

The polyamines putrescine, cadaverine, spermidine, and spermine and the corresponding mono-N-acetylpolyamines can be separated as their dimethylaminoazobenzenesulfonyl derivatives in a single analysis in less than 22 min. The method employs reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (Spherisorb S5 ODS2 column) with an acetonitrile/acetate buffer gradient elution system and detection in the visible (436 nm) region. The detection limit for a single dimethylaminoazobenzenesulfonylpolyamine is less than 2 pmol.