Abstract:

Objective: A highly sensitive and specific method for determination of azithromycin residues in chicken tissues by reverse-phase high-liquid chromatography was developed. Methods: Based on separation on a C18 column (4.6 mm×250 mm, 5 μm) at 210 nm with the mobile phase of acetonitrile-lsopropylalcohol-0.002 mol/L phosphate (60:15:25, V/V), samples were extracted by using chloroform-lsopropylalcohol (95:5, V/V), dried by nitrogen flow, and injected after dissolution in the mobile phase. Results: A good linear relationship was obtained in the concentration range of 0.05 to 5.0 μg/g (r＞0.990). The limit of detection in serum was 0.02 μg/ml and the limit of quantification in tissue was 0.05 μg/g. The average recoveries were over 83% in serum and over 77% in tissues, respectively, and both the intra-day and inter-day relative standard deviations were less than 5%. Conclusion: The method is quick and accurate, has good repeatability, and accords with the requirement for determining residues of azithromycin in chicken tissues.

Key words: azithromycin, chicken, residue, HPLC-UV detection