Estimation of Biogenic Amines in Biological Tissues

The availability of appropriate analytical procedures is of fundamental importance in achieving a holistic understanding of the biochemistry and physiology of biogenic amines in animals. Ideally, the analytical procedure should provide sensitive quantitation of specific compounds and should permit routine processing of relatively large numbers of samples without the need for expensive instrumentation. A variety of techniques have been used to analyze biogenic amines and these are discussed below with particular emphasis placed on the estimation of catecholamines, indoleamines, and monohydroxy-phenolamines in a single sample. The use of high performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection is discussed in some detail and procedures for sample preparation and extraction of monoamines are also described.