2Department of Analytical Chemistry

Quantification of lipophilic vitamins in clinical or biological samples is very important from the medical, epidemiological and informational points of view. Adequate dietary intake of nutrients such as vitamin A (retinol) and vitamin E (tocopherol) is essential for normal development and health maintenance [1]. The simultaneous analysis of vitamins A, E and coenzyme Q10 are reported as a profile of fat-soluble vitamins. Decreased concentrations of these principal molecules can reveal the need for an increased dietary intake [2]. Simultaneous determination of these compounds in biological samples (plasma, serum, tissues and plant material) appears to be difficult due to their liability to photooxidation, presence of cis- and trans-isomers and their diverse polar structures [3]. In this regard, the aim of our study was to assay the plasmatic profile of the fat-soluble (lipophylic) antioxidant micronutrients (all-trans-retinol, α-tocopherol, coenzime Q10) of diabetic and obese patients using a specific method for their simultaneous quantification, namely HPLC with UV detection