Determination of Picolinic Acid by HPLC Coupled With Postcolumn Photo Irradiation Using Zinc Acetate as a Fluorescent Derivatization Reagent.

For the fluorometric determination of picolinic acid in human serum, HPLC-postcolumn UV irradiation using zinc acetate has been developed. Picolinic acid in serum sample was separated on a Capcell Pak C18. The mobile phase consisted of 0.1 mol/L sodium phosphate solution (adjusted to pH 3.0) containing 3.0 mmol/L zinc acetate and 3.5 mmol/L trimethylamine, and delivered at a flow rate of 0.8 mL/minutes. In order to stabilize the retention time (6.5 minutes), a back pressure tube (0.4 m × 0.13 mm i.d.) was attached after the photoreaction tube. Column effluent was irradiated with ultraviolet light to produce fluorescence, excitation wavelength of 336 nm and emission wavelength of 448 nm. The calibration graph for picolinic acid showed linearity when the amount was in the range of 0.89 to 455 pmol, and the detection limit (S/N = 3) was determined to be 0.30 pmol. The pretreatment of serum sample consisted of deproteinized by perchloric acid, potassium hydroxide, and mobile phase. The mean recovery of picolinic acid from serum was 99.0%. Using this procedure, the concentration of picolinic acid in serum of a healthy subject was determined.

Quantification of structural alterations of L-Asp and L-Asn residues in peptides related to neuronal diseases by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography.

A method for analyzing the structural alterations in Asn or Asp residues was developed by using the peptides related to neuronal conformational diseases, i.e., the prion protein (PrP)(106-126) and the Alzheimer's amyloid beta (A beta) protein(6-28). The alterations were analyzed by reversed-phase (RP) HPLC, because the peptides containing the structurally altered residues were diastereoisomers of each other, and they were separated with the mobile phase containing an MeCN/sodium phosphate solution and NaCl. The amount of L-Asp, L-isoAsp, D-Asp, or D-isoAsp residues in each PrP peptide isomer was simultaneously quantified by carrying out single HPLC analysis; these residues were generated by the deamidation of the Asn residue. Only 0.3% of the newly generated peptide containing the D-Asp residue was detected. Furthermore, the investigation of the partial fragment of the A beta protein revealed that the present method possessed the ability of simultaneous analysis of the isomerizations of two Asp residues. These results implied that the present method was highly sensitive and reduced the time required for the analysis. This method may accelerate the elucidation of the PrP and A beta protein functions, because the structural alterations of Asn and Asp have been reported to influence these functions.

Enantioseparation of nicotine alkaloids in cigarettes by CE using sulfated beta-CD as a chiral selector and a capillary coated with amino groups.

Nicotine (NC) and its related compounds (cotinine (CN), nornicotine (NN), anatabine (AT) and anabasine (AB)) were simultaneously enantioseparated by CE using a capillary with amino groups and sulfated beta-CD as a chiral selector. The optimum running conditions were found to be 30 mM acetate buffer (pH 5.0) containing 8% sulfated beta-CD with an applied voltage of +15 kV at 30 degrees C using direct detection at 260 nm. Using a capillary coated with amino groups, the EOF migrates toward the positive pole. However, when sulfated beta-CD was added to the BGE, it was found that the EOF migrated toward the negative pole due to ionic adsorption of sulfated beta-CD to amino groups on the capillary inner wall. All the cationic analytes migrated as anions, suggesting that they formed stable anionic complexes with sulfated beta-CD. With this system and a simple pretreatment with mini-cartridges, NC alkaloids in five cigarette samples were enantioseparated. As a result, each of the compounds except for CN was detected. In the case of NC, only (S)-NC was detected (more than 99.9%), but in the case of NN, AT and AB, the ratios of (S)-isomer to total isomers were in the ranges 58-70, 81-85 and 59-65%, respectively. On the other hand, only NC was detected in cigarette smoke and the ratio of (S)- and (R)-NCs was 96:4. The amounts of NC alkaloids in cigarettes suggest that the production of (R)-NC resulted from racemization due to the high temperature/burning of the cigarette.

Simultaneous Determination of Kynurenine and Kynurenic Acid by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Photoirradiation System Using a Mobile Phase Containing 18-crown-6.

A high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) system has been developed for the fluorometric determination of kynurenine (KYN) and kynurenic acid (KYNA) in human serum using a mobile phase containing 18-crown-6. A retention time of KYNA was adjusted with pH of phosphate buffer in 18-crown-6. KYN and KYNA were separated on a CAPCELLPAK C18 (250 × 4.6 mm i.d.). The mobile phase consisted of 35 mmol/L phosphate buffer (pH 8.0)/methanol (85/15, v/v) containing 35 mmol/L hydrogen peroxide and 10 mmol/L 18-crown-6. The retention times of KYN and KYNA were 18and 24 minutes, respectively. The calibration graphs of KYN and KYNA were linear over the range 180 to 2900 and 1 to 84 nmol/L by injecting a 50-µL volume of KYN and KYNA, respectively. Pretreatment of serum was achieved by deproteinization only. The mean recoveries of KYN and KYNA from serum were more than 97%.

Determination of Dipicolinic Acid in "Natto" by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Coupled With Postcolumn Photoirradiation With Zinc Acetate.

A system was developed for determining dipicolinic acid in "natto" using liquid chromatography with fluorometric detection. The compound was separated by reversed-phase chromatography using a mobile phase of 0.1 mol/L disodium hydrogen phosphate, 0.05 mol/L citric acid buffer (adjusted to pH 3.0) containing 3.0 mmol/L zinc acetate and 35 mmol/L perchloric acid. The compound in the column effluent was irradiated with ultraviolet light to produce fluorescence. This fluorescence was monitored at an excitation at 336 nm and an emission at 448 nm. The calibration curve for dipicolinic acid was observed to be linear in a range of 0.2 to 112 ng. The dipicolinic acid content of natto was 7.24 ± 0.54 mg/100 g (wet weight, mean ± standard deviation [SD], n = 6).

Ten-minute purification of PCR products by continuous elution electrophoresis.

We optimized continuous elution electrophoresis (CEE) for rapid purification of PCR products. After PCR amplification, the reaction mixture is applied directly to CEE, and then the PCR products in the size range from 200 to 1500 bp are purified within nearly 10 min. CEE is able to separate two DNA fragments differing in length by 50 bp. As judged by ligation efficiency, the quality of PCR products separated by CEE is equal to that purified by extraction from the melting gels. CEE reduces operational time because purification of the PCR products is a repetitional procedure in recombinant DNA techniques.

Sensitive Analysis of Sialic Acid and Related Compound by Hydrophilic Interaction Liquid Chromatography Using Fluorescence Detection after Derivatization with DBD-PZ.

N-Acetylneuraminic acid (NANA) has been reported to react with hydrogen peroxide in vitro to produce 4-(acetylamino)-2,4-dideoxy-D-glycero-D-galacto-octonic acid (ADOA). We labeled NANA and ADOA with 4-(N,N-dimethylaminosulfonyl)-7-piperazino-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole (DBD-PZ) for simultaneous detection. The derivatized NANA and ADOA were separated using hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) with fluorescence detection. The calibration curves of DBD-PZ-derivatized NANA and ADOA showed good linearity in the range of 221 fmol to 1.5 nmol, and 44 fmol to 1.5 nmol, respectively. This analytical method has high specificity and is useful for the detection of NANA and ADOA in saliva and serum.

Simple and rapid determination of hydrogen peroxide using phosphine-based fluorescent reagents with sodium tungstate dihydrate.

A simple batch method for the fluorometric determination of hydrogen peroxide using phosphine-based fluorescent reagents has been developed. A rapid, mild and selective derivatization reaction was achieved by adding sodium tungstate dihydrate to the reaction mixture of hydrogen peroxide and a phosphine-based fluorescent reagent. When 4-diphenylphosphino-7-methylthio-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole was used as a reagent, the derivatization reaction was completed after 2 min at room temperature. The calibration curve was linear between 12.5 and 500 ng hydrogen peroxide in a 10 microL sample solution. This method is accurate and has potential for on-line applications.

Analysis of l-DOPA-derived melanin and a novel degradation product formed under alkaline conditions.

When the therapeutic drug l-DOPA, which is used to treat Parkinson's disease, is combined with magnesium oxide (MgO), a formulation change produces a dark substance. Infrared spectroscopy reveals that this substance is melanin. After allowing the l-DOPA and MgO mixture to stand, the l-DOPA content decreases significantly, and a new degradation product (the final degradation product of l-DOPA, FDP-D) is generated. Formation of this product requires a solution with a pH of >10, and the presence of MgO is not necessary. FDP-D is not produced by tyrosinase decomposition of l-DOPA and is therefore not a melanin-related compound. Pure FDP-D is isolated by adjusting the l-DOPA solution to pH 10 with ammonium hydroxide, allowing it to stand for 3 days at room temperature, adding trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), filtering the precipitate, and separating the supernatant with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Mass spectrometry indicates that the isolated FDP-D has a molecular formula of C9H9NO7. On the basis of NMR analysis ((1)H NMR, (13)C NMR, DEPT, H-H COSY, HMQC, and HMBC), FDP-D appears to be a substance with the novel structure 7a-hydroxy-5-oxo-1,2,3,5,7,7a-hexahydropyrano [3,4-b]pyrrole-2,7-dicarboxylic acid.

Fluorescence enhancement by hydroperoxides based on a change in the intramolecular charge transfer character of benzofurazan.

Strong fluorescence signals were observed after the reaction of novel reagents with hydroperoxides.

Isolation of cathepsin B inhibitory peptides, Cabin-A1 and -A2, from a tryptic and chymotryptic hydrolysate of human serum albumin.

Two novel peptides that inhibit cathepsin B were isolated from a tryptic and chymotryptic hydrolysate of human serum albumin, and designated as Cabin-A1 and -A2. Cabin-A1 and -A2 were purified by reversed-phase HPLC and identified as Ser-Leu-His-Thr-Leu-Phe and Phe-Gln-Asn-Ala-Leu, respectively. These peptides correspond to f(65-70) and f(403-407) of human serum albumin. Human albutensin A (Ala-Phe-Lys-Ala-Trp-Ala-Val-Ala-Arg), which corresponds to f(210-218), was also isolated as a potent cathepsin B inhibitor. Synthetic Cabin-A1, -A2, and human albutensin A showed dose-dependent inhibition of cathepsin B, with K(i) values of 2.4, 290, and 3.8 microM, respectively.

Behaviors of D- and L-lactic acids during the brewing process of sake (Japanese rice wine).

The amounts of D- and L-lactic acids during the brewing process of sake were determined by capillary electrophoresis using 2-hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin as a chiral selector. Because L-lactic acid, which prevents the growth of nonuseful microorganisms, is a raw material of sake, the ratio of L-lactic acid to total lactic acid is almost 1.0 at the initial stage of sake brewing. During brewing, the ratio decreased gradually and finally reached 0.39. Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) for sake brewing produced D-lactic acid, but not L-lactic acid in a culture medium. These results suggest that the decrease in the ratio of L-lactic acid to total lactic acid during sake brewing resulted in D-lactic acid production by yeast. The ratios in 18 brands of sake obtained commercially ranged from 0.23 to 0.78. The levels of D-lactic acid in sake (140-274 mg/L) were in a narrower range than those of L-lactic acid (61-461 mg/L). Although the D-lactic acid level in sake did not correspond to total lactic acid level, the L-lactic acid level correlated well with total lactic acid level (R(2) = 0.867). These results suggest that the ratio of L-lactic acid to total lactic acid in sake reflected the amount of L-lactic acid added at the initial stage of sake brewing.

Quantification of the isomerization of Asp residue in recombinant human alpha A-crystallin by reversed-phase HPLC.

A method for determining the isomerization of Asp residues in proteins is described and demonstrated by quantifying the isomerization of Asp(151) in recombinant human alphaA-crystallin. First, four types of dodecapeptide fragment ((146)IQTGLD(151)ATHAER(157)) in which the Asp residue was either L-Asp, D-Asp, L-isoAsp or D-isoAsp were synthesized, and RP-HPLC conditions were established for their separation. Next, the Asp(151)-containing peptide fragments isolated from the tryptic hydrolysate of recombinant alphaA-crystallin were analyzed under these conditions. New peaks, the retention times of which were the same as those of peptides containing D-Asp, L-isoAsp and D-isoAsp, were generated when alphaA-crystallin was incubated for 140 days at 37 degrees C. An amino acid composition, amino acid sequence, and enantiomeric analysis revealed that two peaks with retention times identical to those of peptides containing L-isoAsp and D-isoAsp represented dodecapeptide fragments containing L-isoAsp(151) and D-isoAsp(151), respectively. RP-HPLC analysis under other condition suggested that the peak with retention time identical to that of peptide containing D-Asp represented dodecapeptide fragments containing D-Asp(151). The present method does not require acid hydrolysis, which generates further isomerization products as artifacts, and thus make possible the sensitive quantification of each type of Asp isomer individually at a specific site in a protein. In our analysis of the Asp(151) residue in human alphaA-crystallin, the degree of isomerization from L-Asp to D-Asp can be determined to a level as low as 0.3%.

Fluorometric determination of khellin in human urine and serum by high-performance liquid chromatography using postcolumn photoirradiation.

For the determination of khellin in urine and serum, fluorometry using HPLC-postcolumn photoirradiation has been developed. Khellin and visnagin of similar structure were separated on a column of Capcell Pak C8. The mobile phase consisted of 40%(v/v) ethanol containing 75 mmol l(-1) H2O2. The postcolumn reagent, 70 mmol l(-1) KH2PO4-NaOH buffer (pH 12.7) containing 50%(v/v) ethanol, were mixed with the mobile phase, which was irradiated with ultraviolet light to induce fluorescence. The fluorescence was monitored with excitation at 378 nm and emission at 480 nm. The calibration graph for khellin was linear over the range of 65 - 2620 ng ml(-1) using an injection volume of 20 microl. The pretreatment of the urine or serum samples consisted of diluting steps or deproteinizing steps using perchloric acid, respectively.

Proteomic analysis to examine the role of matrix proteins in a gouty tophus from a patient with recurrent gout.

To examine the role of matrix proteins in the formation of gouty tophus, we analyzed the crystalline components and matrix proteins in a gouty tophus from a patient with recurrent gout. Micro-area X-ray diffraction analysis and infrared spectroscopy indicated that the tophus was composed of monosodium urate monohydrate. Proteomic analysis identified 134 proteins from the tophus as matrix proteins. Many proteins relevant to inflammation and host defense were identified, and immunoglobulin was detected in all four extracted fractions (KCl, formic acid, guanidine-HCl, and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) and from many spots throughout a broad molecular weight range after electrophoresis. It is thought that the process of biological defense including the immunity has occurred in the gouty tophus.

A simple HPLC method for determining the purine content of beer and beer-like alcoholic beverages.

Several methods for quantifying the purine content in food and drink have been described using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). We have developed an improved HPLC method that is based on a method reported by Kaneko et al. and that is more sensitive yet simple, and suitable for determining the purine content of beer and beer-like alcoholic beverages. Quantitative HPLC separation was performed on a Shodex Asahi Pak GS-320HQ column with an isocratic elution of 150 mmol/L sodium phosphate buffer (H(3)PO(4)/NaH(2)PO(4) = 20:100 (v/v)). The retention times for the four analytes, namely, adenine, guanine, hypoxanthine and xanthine, were 19.9, 25.0, 29.3 and 43.0 min, respectively. The resolution was good, and there was no excessive interference from the other compounds in the beverages at these retention times. Furthermore, the detection limit for all the analytes was improved to less than 0.0075 mg/L, and all the calibration curves showed good linearity (r(2) > 0.999) between 0.013 and 10 mg/L for adenine and guanine, and between 0.025 and 10 mg/L for hypoxanthine and xanthine. The pretreatment was simplified by removing some procedures and optimizing the perchloric acid hydrolysis and the enzymatic peak-shift assay. We reduced the sample dilution rate by almost 50%, and the time spent on pretreatment from 4 days to only 180 min. The recovery of the analytes from spiked samples was 94.8 - 103.8%. This method may be useful for evaluating quantitative and qualitative differences in the purine content of beer and beer-like alcoholic beverages.

Development of a fluorescence analysis method for N-acetylneuraminic acid and its oxidized product ADOA.

N-acetylneuraminic acid (NANA) consumes toxic hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) under physiological conditions and is oxidized by an equimolar amount of H2O2 to yield its decarboxylated product 4-(acetylamino)-2,4-dideoxy-d-glycero-d-galacto-octonic acid (ADOA). Highly sensitive analytical methods are required to detect ADOA in the human body. We labeled NANA and ADOA with 4-(N,N-dimethylaminosulfonyl)-7-(2-aminoethylamino)-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole (DBD-ED) to enable their fluorometric detection, and developed a method using HPLC with fluorometric detection (HPLC-FD) for the simultaneous determination of the derivatized NANA and ADOA. The derivatized NANA and ADOA were separated by a hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) column using an H2O/CH3CN/HCOOH (10/90/0.35) mobile phase. Fluorescence was monitored at excitation and emission wavelengths of 450nm and 560nm, respectively. Both intra- and inter-day (n=6) repeat determinations of the DBD-ED-derivatized NANA and ADOA gave relative standard deviations of less than 5%. The calibration curves for standard solutions of DBD-ED-derivatized NANA and ADOA were linear over the ranges from 576fmol to 2.0nmol and 556fmol to 2.0nmol, respectively. The method developed was highly specific and sensitive for NANA and ADOA. The presence of ADOA in biological samples was revealed for the first time using this method.

Simultaneous determination of nicotine and cotinine in serum using high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorometric detection and postcolumn UV-photoirradiation system.

A simple and rapid method for the simultaneous determination of serum nicotine and cotinine using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-fluorometric detection with a postcolumn ultraviolet-photoirradiation system was developed. Analytes were extracted from alkalinized human serum via liquid-liquid extraction using chloroform. The organic phase was back-extracted with the acidified aqueous phase, and the analytes were directly injected into an ion-pair reversed-phase HPLC system. 6-Aminoquinoline was used as an internal standard. Nicotine, cotinine, and 6-aminoquinoline were separated within 14min. The extraction efficiency of nicotine and cotinine was greater than 91%. The linear range was 0.30-1000ng for nicotine and 0.06-1000ng for cotinine. In serum samples from smokers, the concentrations of nicotine and cotinine were 8-15ng/mL and 156-372ng/mL, respectively.

Determination of rate constants for ß-linkage isomerization of three specific aspartyl residues in recombinant human αA-crystallin protein by reversed-phase HPLC.

The major soluble eye lens protein, αA-crystallin, has a very long half-life. Thus, many post-translational modifications, including stereoinversion, have been found in its constituent amino acids. We determine the rates of ß-linkage isomerization, which is the main reaction through the formation of a succinimide intermediate, of specific Asp residues of recombinant human αA-crystallin protein by simple RP-HPLC method. Kinetic analyses of the ß-linkage isomerization were performed on the three Asp residues of αA-crystallin, (58)Asp, (84)Asp, and (151)Asp, because the d/l ratios of both the (58)Asp and (151)Asp residues were higher than 1.0 in the αA-crystallin isolated from aged human eye lens. The ß-linkage isomerizations of both the (58)Asp and (84)Asp residues were suppressed in the recombinant protein by approximately 0.4-0.5 times compared to those in the synthetic peptide below 50 °C, whereas the isomerization of the (151)Asp residue occurred at the same rate for the whole protein and synthetic fragmentary peptide. The suppression of (58)Asp isomerization in the recombinant protein relaxed to some extent when the αA-crystallin protein was incubated at a high temperature. The far-UV CD spectra showed that the secondary structure of the protein was partially disordered at temperatures greater than 60 °C in the recombinant αA-crystallin protein. These results suggest that the (58)Asp residue was restrained from forming the succinimide intermediate by the higher order structure of the αA-crystallin protein, and that the structural environment around the (151)Asp residue of the αA-crystallin was similar to that of the synthetic fragmentary peptide with respect to succinimide formation. The difference in the influence of the secondary structure of the αA-crystallin protein inverts the order of the succinimide formations of the (58)Asp and (151)Asp residues in the recombinant protein as compared with the order in the synthetic fragmentary peptides.

Partition Efficiency of High-Pitch Locular Multilayer Coil for Countercurrent Chromatographic Separation of Proteins Using Small-Scale Cross-Axis Coil Planet Centrifuge and Application to Purification of Various Collagenases with Aqueous-Aqueous Polymer Phase Systems.

Partition efficiency of the high-pitch locular multilayer coil was evaluated in countercurrent chromatographic (CCC) separation of proteins with an aqueous-aqueous polymer phase system using the small-scale cross-axis coil planet centrifuge (X-axis CPC) fabricated in our laboratory. The separation column was specially made by high-pitch (ca 5 cm) winding of 1.0 mm I.D., 2.0 mm O.D. locular tubing compressed at 2 cm intervals with a total capacity of 29.5 mL. The protein separation was performed using a set of stable proteins including cytochrome C, myoglobin, and lysozyme with the 12.5% (w/w) polyethylene glycol (PEG) 1000 and 12.5% (w/w) dibasic potassium phosphate system (pH 9.2) under 1000 rpm of column revolution. This high-pitch locular tubing yielded substantially increased stationary phase retention than the normal locular tubing for both lower and upper mobile phases. In order to demonstrate the capability of the high-pitch locular tubing, the purification of collagenase from the crude commercial sample was carried out using an aqueous-aqueous polymer phase system. Using the 16.0% (w/w) PEG 1000 - 6.3% (w/w) dibasic potassium phosphate - 6.3% (w/w) monobasic potassium phosphate system (pH 6.6), collagenase I, II, V and X derived from Clostridium hystolyticum were separated from other proteins and colored small molecular weight compounds present in the crude commercial sample, while collagenase N-2 and S-1 from Streptomyces parvulus subsp. citrinus were eluted with impurities at the solvent front with the upper phase. The collagenase from C. hystolyticum retained its enzymatic activity in the purified fractions. The overall results demonstrated that the high-pitch locular multilayer coil is effectively used for the CCC purification of bioactive compounds without loss of their enzymatic activities.