Urinary Excretion of 2/3-Monochloropropanediol (2/3-MCPD) and 2,3-Dihydroxypropylmercapturic Acid (DHPMA) after a Single High dose of Fatty Acid Esters of 2/3-MCPD and Glycidol: A Controlled Exposure Study in Humans.

SCOPE: 2- and 3-monochloropropanediol (2/3-MCPD) and glycidol are absorbed in the intestine after lipase-catalyzed hydrolysis of their fatty acid esters. METHODS AND RESULTS: In an exposure study with 12 non-smoking participants, the complete urinary excretion of the metabolite 2,3-dihydroxypropylmercapturic acid (DHPMA) and of 2/3-MCPD is measured on four consecutive days before and after consumption of 50 g glycidyl ester-rich palm fat or 12 g 2/3-MCPD ester-rich hazelnut oil. After controlled exposure, urinary excretion rates of 2/3-MCPD per hour strongly increase, followed by a decrease with average half-lives of 5.8 h (2-MCPD) and 3.6 h (3-MCPD). After consumption of hazelnut oil, mean excretion rates are 14.3% (2-MCPD) and 3.7% (3-MCPD) of the study doses. The latter rate is significantly higher (4.6%) after consumption of palm fat, indicating partial conversion (about 5%) of glycidol to 3-MCPD under the acidic conditions in the stomach. The average daily "background" exposure is estimated to be 0.12 and 0.32 µg per kg body weight (BW) for 2-MCPD and 3-MCPD, respectively. The relatively high and constant urinary excretion of DHPMA does not reflect the controlled exposure. CONCLUSION: Urinary excretion of 2- and 3-MCPD is suitable as biomarker for the external exposure to the respective fatty acid esters.

Systematic analysis of glycerol: colourimetric screening and gas chromatography-mass spectrometric confirmation.

Glycerol is a naturally occurring polyol in the human body, essential for several metabolic processes. It is widely used in the food, pharmaceutical, and medical industries and in clinical practice as a plasma volume expander (PVE). Athletes, however, may use glycerol to mask the presence of forbidden substances or to enhance performance, inclusively through hyperhydration achieved by glycerol ingestion with added fluid. These practices are considered doping, and are prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Therefore, glycerol was introduced in the prohibited list. Doping through glycerol ingestion can readily be identified by detection of elevated glycerol concentrations in urine. In this paper, a protocol for the fast detection of glycerol in urine is proposed. It consists of a previous visual colourimetric screening, followed by a quantitative/qualitative confirmation analysis by mass spectrometry. The screening procedure involves a reaction in which polyhydric alcohols are oxidized by periodate to formic acid and formaldehyde, which is detected by the addition of a fuchsin solution. For the subsequent qualitative/quantitative confirmation analysis, a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry based approach with a non-deuterated internal standard and a drying step of only 10 min is proposed. The linear correlation was demonstrated within WADA´s threshold range. The calculated RSD were 2.1% for within-day precision and 2.8% for between-day precision. The uncertainty estimation was calculated, and a value of 2.7% was obtained. The procedure may also be used for the analysis of other polyols in urine, as for example the PVE mannitol.

Homozygosity for aquaporin 7 G264V in three unrelated children with hyperglyceroluria and a mild platelet secretion defect.

PURPOSE: Aquaporin 7 (AQP7) belongs to the aquaglyceroporin family, which transports glycerol and water. AQP7-deficient mice develop obesity, insulin resistance, and hyperglyceroluria. However, AQP7's pathophysiologic role in humans is not yet known. METHODS: Three children with psychomotor retardation and hyperglyceroluria were screened for AQP7 mutations. The children were from unrelated families. Urine and plasma glycerol levels were measured using a three-step enzymatic approach. Platelet morphology and function were studied using electron microscopy, aggregations, and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) secretion tests. RESULTS: The index patients were homozygous for AQP7 G264V, which has previously been shown to inhibit transport of glycerol in Xenopus oocytes. We also detected a subclinical platelet secretion defect with reduced ATP secretion, and the absence of a secondary aggregation wave after epinephrine stimulation. Electron microscopy revealed round platelets with centrally located granules. Immunostaining showed AQP7 colocalization, with dense granules that seemed to be released after strong platelet activation. Healthy relatives of these patients, who were homozygous (not heterozygous) for G264V, also had hyperglyceroluria and platelet granule abnormalities. CONCLUSION: The discovery of an association between urine glycerol loss and a platelet secretion defect is a novel one, and our findings imply the involvement of AQPs in platelet secretion. Additional studies are needed to define whether AQP7 G264V is also a risk factor for mental disability.

Development and validation of an analytical method for determination of 3-chloropropane-1,2-diol in rat blood and urine by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry in negative chemical ionization mode.

We have developed a highly selective and sensitive method using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry with negative chemical ionization for measuring 3-chloropropane-1,2-diol (3-MCPD) in rat blood and urine. Samples were adsorbed on silica gel, extracted with ethyl acetate, and derivatized by chemical derivatization with heptafluorobutyric acid anhydride. For quantification, matrix-based calibration curves and 3-MCPD-d (5), as an isotope-labeled internal standard, were used. The relative recoveries of 3-MCPD were between 80 and 110% in most cases and the relative standard deviations were typically less than 10%, with some exceptions. The limit of quantification of the method was found to be about 2 ng/mL. In conclusion, a valuable, robust, and sensitive method for detection of 3-MCPD is now available for biokinetics studies.

Quantitative analysis of urinary glycerol levels for doping control purposes using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

The administration of glycerol to endurance athletes results in an increased fluid retention and improved performance, particularly under hot and humid conditions. Consequently, glycerol is considered relevant for sports drug testing and methods for its detection in urine specimens are required. A major issue in this regard is the natural occurrence of trace amounts of glycerol in human urine, which necessitates a quantitative analysis and the determination of normal urinary glycerol levels under various sporting conditions. A quantitative method was established using a gas chromatography/isotope-dilution mass spectrometry-based approach that was validated with regard to lower limit of detection (0.3 microg mL(-1)), lower limit of quantification (0.9 microg mL(-1)), specificity, linearity (1.0-98.0 microg mL(-1)), intraday and interday precision (<20% at 2.4, 24.1 and 48.2 microg mL(-1)) as well as accuracy (92-110%). Sample aliquots of 20 microL were enriched with five-fold deuterated glycerol, dried and derivatised using N-methyl-trimethylsilyltrifluoroacetamide (MSTFA) before analysis. The established method was applied to a total of 1039 doping control samples covering various sport disciplines (349 endurance samples, 286 strength sport samples, 325 game sport samples and 79 other samples) in- and out-of-competition, which provided quantitative information about the glycerol content commonly observed in elite athletes' urine samples. About 85% of all specimens yielded glycerol concentrations < 20.0 microg mL(-1) and few reached values up to 132.6 microg mL(-1). One further sample, however, was found to contain 2690 microg mL(-1), which might indicate the misuse of glycerol, but no threshold for urinary glycerol concentrations has been established yet due to the lack of substantial data. Based on the results obtained from the studied reference population, a threshold for glycerol levels in urine set at 200 microg mL(-1) is suggested, which provides a tool to doping control laboratories to test for the misuse of this agent in elite and amateur sport.

The fate of ingested glyceran esters of condensed castor oil fatty acids [polyglycerol polyricinoleate (PGPR)] in the rat.

Samples of the emulsifier polyglycerol polyricinoleate (PGPR) were synthesized using the radiolabelled precursors [1-14C]glycerol ([14C]polyglycerol PGPR), [9,10-3H] or [12-3H]ricinoleic acid ([3H] PGPR) or [1-14C]stearic acid ([14C]stearyl PGPR). The absorption, tissue distribution, metabolism and excretion of these 14C- or tritium-labelled PGPR samples administered to rats was studied. The effects of intestinal and porcine pancreatic lipases on PGPR preparations were examined. Rats were dosed with [1-14C]glycerol, [14C]polyglycerol and ([14C]polyglycerol)PGPR by gavage and their urine. faeces and expired CO2 monitored for 14C. The results from the [1-14C]glycerol treated animals showed extensive metabolism of glycerol. For [14C]polyglycerols, the lower polyglycerols were preferentially absorbed from the intestine and were excreted unchanged in the urine while the higher polyglycerols were found in the faeces. After 4 days, 93% of the dose of polyglycerols was recovered, of which some 30% was found in the urine and 60% in the faeces. Traces of 14C activity were found in depot fat and liver. The excretory pattern and urinary metabolites from ([14C]polyglycerol) PGPR was very similar to that of [14C]polyglycerol. Analysis of urinary and faecal 14C material indicated that the PGPR polymer was digested to give free polyglycerol and polyricinoleic acid. PGPR was synthesised incorporating [1-14C]stearic into polyricinoleic acid which was then esterified with polyglycerol. The resulting [14C]PGPR or [1-14C] stearic acid in a dietary slurry was administered to groups of fed or starved rats by gavage. The results indicated complete digestion of PGPR and absorption of the fatty acids. The 14C-material absorbed was extensively laid down in depot fat and some metabolism to 14CO2 was demonstrated. The fate of the stearic acid was similar whether dosed alone or incorporated into the PGPR polymer. Samples of PGPR were synthesized containing 3H-labelled ricinoleic acid. The resulting [3H]PGPR was intubated into rats as a component of a dietary slurry. The results indicated that the polymer is extensively digested and 90% of the administered tritium is absorbed. The absorbed material was extensively metabolized within 24 hr so that large amounts of tritium were present in the aqueous phase of the tissues examined. After 24 hr, less than 5% of the administered material was present as lipid material, of which a large proportion was as non-hydroxy fatty acids. No traces of polymer material were found in the tissues examined. In vitro digestion of PGPR by porcine pancreatic lipase and rat intestinal fractions was demonstrated. The results indicate very extensive digestion of the PGPR polymer to polyglycerols and fatty acids. The fatty acids are metabolized extensively. The mono-, di- and triglycerols are extensively absorbed from the intestinal tract and rapidly excreted in the urine unchanged but the hexa-, penta- and higher polyglycerols are essentially not absorbed and excreted in the faeces unchanged.

Fructose-1,6-diphosphatase deficiency: glycerol excretion during fasting test.

A Turkish boy had suffered since the age of 10 months from recurrent attacks of severe metabolic acidosis and hypoglycaemia precipitated by moderate respiratory tract infections. A liver biopsy showed lack of fructose 1,6-diphosphatase and absence of phosphorylase. The patient died in shock following fructose ingestion. Upon fasting, acidosis with increased lactate and glycerol excretion was found. Findings indicate that, in this inherited disorder of gluconeogenesis, lactic acidosis combined with increased glycerol excretion upon fasting are of diagnostic importance.

Tritiated glycerol triether as an oil phase marker in man.

3H-labeled glycerol triether has been suggested as a marker of the oil phase during digestion and absorption of a lipid test meal. This study examines the behavior of this isotope in the human alimentary tract. The results suggest that it is completely recovered from the gastrointestinal tract, and thus it remains solely with the oil phase of emulsions in vivo and with the oil phase of intestinal aspirates. (3)H-labeled glycerol triether may thus be an appropriate marker of the oil phase for use in human studies of lipid absorption.