Simple, cheap and effective high-performance liquid chromatographic method for determination of praziquantel in bovine muscle

A simple high-performance liquid chromatographic method using ultraviolet detection was developed for the determination of praziquantel in bovine muscle. The sample was extracted with ethyl acetate, cleaned up by alumin B cartridge. Analyses were run at a flow-rate of 0.8 ml/min with the detector operating at a detection wavelength of 220 nm. The method is specific and sensitive, with a quantification limit of 0.02 mg/kg and a detection limit of 0.01 mg/kg. The standard calibration curve of drugs solution was linear in the range of 0.02–2.0 μg/ml (r2 = 0.9999). At the fortified levels of 0.02, 0.05, 0.2 mg/kg, the mean recoveries of praziquantel ranged from 75% to 85%, while the intra-day and inter-day coefficient of variation (CV) of the assay were all less than 9%.