A semi-automated liquid chromatogrpahy–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) method for the measurement of plasma aldosterone

Abstract

Introduction The detection of the underlying endocrine causes of hypertension, such as primary aldosteronism (PAL), offers the opportunity to cure or achieve improved control through specific treatment. The accurate measurement of circulating aldosterone concentrations is crucial for the detection and diagnosis of PAL and differentiation of its subtypes. The importance of aldosterone measurement has greatly increased with the recent recognition that PAL accounts for at least 5% of all hypertensive patients. The current mainstay of aldosterone measurement is antibody-based methods. These methods have been shown to have problems with specificity and inter-laboratory reproducibility. Hence, there is an urgent need for more reliable approach to aldosterone measurement. We report the development and validation of a LC–MS/MS aldosterone method that employs on-line sample preparation. Conclusions This is the first reported method for the quantification of aldosterone that utilizes LC–MS/MS and online solid phase extraction. Clinical studies have found the method to be reliable and robust.