An enzymatic method to determine γ-hydroxybutyric acid in serum and urine.

BACKGROUND: Gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) has become one of the most dangerous illicit drugs of abuse today. It is used as a recreational and date rape drug because of its depressant effect on the central nervous system, which may cause euphoria, amnesia, respiratory arrest, and coma. There is an urgent need for a simple, easy-to-use assay for GHB determination in urine and blood. In this article, a rapid enzymatic assay adapted to clinical chemistry analyzers for the detection of GHB is presented. METHODS: The described GHB enzymatic assay is based on a recombinant GHB dehydrogenase. The full validation of the assay was performed on a Konelab 30 analyzer (Thermo Fisher Scientific). RESULTS: The analytical sensitivity was <1.5 mg/L, whereas the functional sensitivity was 4.5 mg/L in serum and 2.8 mg/L in urine. The total imprecision coefficient of variation (CV) was <9.8% in serum and <7.9% in urine. The within-run imprecision showed a CV of <3.8% in serum and <4.6% in urine. The assay was linear within the range 5-250 mg/L. Mean recoveries were 109% in serum and 105% in urine. No cross-reactivity was observed for tested GHB analogues and precursors. Comparison of GHB-positive samples showed an excellent correlation with ion chromatography, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and liquid chromatography associated to tandem mass spectrometry. Except for ethanol, no substantial interference from serum constituents and some drugs was observed. CONCLUSIONS: This automated GHB assay is fully quantitative and allows the accurate measurement of GHB in serum and urine. It can be used as a rapid screening assay for the determination of GHB in intoxicated or overdosed patients.

Development and characterization of an enzymatic method for the rapid determination of gamma hydroxybutyric acid.

Gamma hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) is a regulated therapeutic drug, which naturally occurs in mammalian brain tissues as an intermediate of the GABA (gamma aminobutyric acid) neurotransmitter metabolism. The increasing misuse of GHB as a narcotic or abusing drug in recent years calls for the development of a simple and rapid screening method as an alternative to the currently available, technically demanding diagnostic methods. We have developed a rapid enzymatic assay based on the GHB dehydrogenase of Ralstonia eutropha. The enzyme is expressed as a recombinant protein in Escherichia coli and characterized in terms of reaction mechanism and kinetic parameters for the catalysis of conversion of GHB into succinic semialdehyde (SSA). The concomitant NADH production enables spectrophotometric monitoring of the reaction and the quantification of GHB in physiological fluids depending on initial velocities. We have tested a panel of twelve serum and urine samples containing GHB concentrations from 0.0 to 2.1 mmol/L. GHB dehydrogenase activity obeys a non classical bi bi ping pong mechanism exhibiting substrate inhibition by NAD+. With an optimal NAD+ concentration of 3.7 mmol/L in the reaction, the enzyme yields a K(M) of 1.0 mmol/L for GHB and a Vmax of 3.37 mmol/min/mg. The assay shows a linear standard curve from 0.1 to at least 1 mmol/L of GHB. Spiking experiments result in mean recoveries of 92% for urine and 114% for serum, respectively. The comparison to an ion chromatographic reference method exhibits a mean difference of 10% divergence from the target values in urine and 9% in serum, respectively.

Evening melatonin and bright light administration induce additive phase shifts in dim light melatonin onset.

In healthy young men, administration of a single light pulse (5000 lux for 3 hr) or a single melatonin pill (5 mg) at 20:40 hr under controlled constant routine conditions of <10 lux, yielded a phase delay and a phase advance, respectively, in the circadian marker of dim light melatonin onset 24 hr later. Phase shifts after combining the two interventions were additive. Melatonin suppression is not necessary for a phase shift by light, and melatonin is not a 'weak' Zeitgeber relative to bright light when ambient lighting is strictly controlled.