AbstractA high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) procedure for the analysis of tobacco alkaloids in plant material is described. It allows the detection of up to 10 ng of nicotine, nornicotine, anabasine and nicotinic acid. It is more efficient with regard to the sensitivity, simplicity and suitability for phytochemical analysis than the gas chromatographic (GC) procedure previously used by the authors. Alkaloid extraction and purification prior to HPLC analysis can be carried out more quickly and easily. The method has been applied to the study of the bioconversion of nicotine into nornicotine by Nicotiana plumbaginifolia cell suspensions. The yield of biotransformation which was estimated at 53.2% by GC analysis is now found to be nearly 100% by HPLC analysis. Moreover, it has been shown that the method is reliable for the evaluation of high or low quantities of endogenous alkaloids produced by plant organs or tissue cultures.