Boric Acid Functionalized Hypercrosslinked Polymers for Selective Extraction of Trace Catecholamines and Their Metabolites in Rat Serum

Abnormal levels of catecholamine (CA) neurotransmitters and their metabolites in biological fluids can lead to various neurological disorders. Herein, a boric acid-functionalized hypercrosslinked polymer was prepared and utilized as a sorbent for the dispersive solid-phase extraction of CAs and their metabolites in rat serum. By combination with a high-performance liquid chromatography-fluorescence detector, the extraction parameters for the seven target analytes were optimized. Under the optimal extraction condition, the methodology for the quantitative analysis of CAs and their metabolites in rat serum samples was established. The limits of detection and limits of quantification were found to be in the ranges of 0.010–0.015 and 0.033–0.050 ng/mL, respectively. The results demonstrated satisfactory recoveries, with values ranging from 88.02% to 113.27%, accompanied by relative standard deviations within the range of 2.69%–9.59%. In addition, the method showed good anti-interference ability (matrix effect ranged from 2.64% to 18.07%). The developed method was validated for the determination of CAs and their metabolites in normal and Alzheimer's disease model rats’ serum, which proved the promising application of the method for CAs neurotransmitter analysis in biological samples.