Simultaneous estimation of methyl paraben, propyl paraben, and Bisphenol A in the plasma of Indian pregnant women using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

Abstract

A selective, rapid, and novel bioanalytical method was developed for the simultaneous determination of methyl paraben, propyl paraben, and Bisphenol A in human plasma with a calibration curve range of 1–100 ng/ml. This method included protein precipitation to ensure extraction along with clean-up of the complex biometrics. The Chromatographic separation was done using an AccucoreTM aQ liquid chromatography column (Dim. 100×3, particle size: 2.6 µm) with the mobile phase of a mixture consisting of 0.1% formic acid in water: 0.1% formic acid in acetonitrile (03:97, v/v) at a flow rate of 0.300 ml/min. The developed liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method was further validated utilizing the United States Food and Drug Administration guidelines and all the validation requirements were found to be satisfactory. This proposed method was later successfully utilized to determine the level of the three endocrine-disrupting compounds in the plasma samples obtained from Indian pregnant women. The results suggest that these women might have been exposed to parabens and Bisphenol A from the use of products such as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, processed food, and the environment.