High-performance liquid chromatography/inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry with iodine-specific detection for profiling the metabolites produced in the earthworm Eisenia veneta by exposure to 2-fluoro-4- iodoaniline

High-performance liquid chromatography/inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HPLC/ICPMS) provided a rapid and specific means for profiling the iodine-containing metabolites produced by the earthworm Eisenia veneta following exposure to 2-fluoro-4-iodoaniline. Profiles were obtained, using gradient reversed-phase HPLC, from extracts of whole earthworms and from coleomic fluid with as little as 25 ng/peak of iodine detected. The use of ICPMS in this way provides a convenient means of determining the metabolic fate of iodinated compounds without the need for radiolabelled compounds.