A rapid MEKC method for the simultaneous determination of creatinine, 1-and 3-methylhistidine in human urine

The present report describes the use of MEKC in the presence of 35 mM sodium tetraborate, pH 9.0, containing 60 mM SDS for the complete separation and identification of creatinine, 1-methylhistidine (1-MeH) and 3-MeH in human urine. Their simultaneous quantification in urine of healthy controls and subjects submitted to elective surgery to their lower limbs allowed to use 3-MeH as a reliable measure of skeletal protein breakdown. Simplicity, sensitivity and low running costs are the main advantages of this method that is suitable for the routine analysis in clinical laboratories of a large number of samples per day.