The rapid,quantitative determination of neutral sugars (as aldononitrile acetates) and amino sugars (as O-methyloxime acetates) in glycoproteins by gas-liquid chromatography

O-Methyloximes have been prepared from 2-amino-2-deoxy-d-glucose, -d-mannose, and -d-galactose. The acetates of these derivatives yield stable compounds which are readily separated quantitatively by gas-liquid chromatography on a number of polar phases. The above compounds along with the aldononitrile acetates of neutral sugars can be easily separated from one another on a single column in one chromatographic run. The procedures developed were tested on a number of glycoproteins of known composition as reported by other workers utilizing more classical methodologies, resulting in excellent agreement in terms of sugar composition. An improved method is also described for converting neutral sugars to oximes which can be either converted to the trimethylsilyl derivatives or, upon acetylation, derivatized to aldononitrile acetates.     

Highly simplified method for gas-liquid chromatographic quantitation of bile acids and sterols in human stool.

A simple method for the gas-liquid chromatographic quantitation of human fecal bile acids and sterols is described where bile acids are subjected to n-butyl ester derivatization, without prior isolation from the stool, followed by trimethylsilylation of the sterols and bile acids. Under these conditions, bile acid derivatives are well resolved from each other and from the trimethylsilyl ether derivatives of fecal sterols and no overlap occurs. The method was shown to be highly reproducible and recoveries were similar to those obtained with other methods used for fecal bile acid analysis. Application of the method for bile acid and sterol analysis in human stool is described.     

The use of gas-liquid chromatography in the analysis of neutral monosaccharides in hydrolysates of gastric mucopolysaccharides

1. Conditions are described for the separation and estimation of the neutral monosaccharides obtained on acidic hydrolysis of human gastric mucopolysaccharides. 2. The technique involves the formation of the trimethylsilyl derivatives of the sugars and the analysis of these by gas-liquid chromatography. 3. The monosaccharides estimated in gastric mucopolysaccharides by this technique were l-fucose, d-mannose, d-galactose and d-glucose. 4. The analytical values for glucose and fucose obtained by this method agreed well with values obtained by the glucose oxidase and thioglycollic acid methods respectively. 5. Evidence is presented which clearly indicates that gas-liquid chromatography is a faster, more sensitive and more convenient technique for the measurement of these compounds than any other in use at present.     

A convenient procedure for the synthesis of ceramides

A procedure for the preparation of ceramides by direct coupling of long-chain bases and fatty acids in the presence of a mixed carbodiimide is described. This method has been used to prepare ceramides containing sphing-4-enine or sphinganine and various saturated and unsaturated fatty acids as well as saturated 2-hydroxy acids. Ceramides containing 4-hydroxy sphinganine and saturated nonhydroxy acids have also been prepared. The yields were 60-75%. The characterization of these compounds by gas-liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry as trimethylsilyl derivatives has been previously reported. Some of the ceramides are further characterized in this report by infrared spectroscopy and one compound, in addition, by elementary analysis. Use of racemic constituents for 2-hydroxy acid ceramide syntheses leads to the formation of diastereoisomers which separate by thin-layer chromatography. These were characterized by gas-liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry as the trimethylsilyl derivatives and by infrared spectroscopy. Their configurations were established by syntheses with optically active constituents.     

Analysis of methylthiohydantoins of amino acids by gas-liquid chromatography of their trimethylsilyl derivatives

A procedure is described for the analysis of methylthiohydantoins of amino acids from the Edman degradation of proteins and peptides by gas-liquid chromatography of their trimethylsilyl derivatives. The procedure is applicable to the methylthiohydantoins of all the amino acids commonly found in proteins with the exception of arginine, which did not yield a volatile derivative, and hydroxyproline and hydroxylysine, which were not investigated. Chromatographic separation is achieved in a single run with only one unresolved pair, which can be separated by a supplementary procedure requiring only 4.5 min.     

New procedure for isolation of amino acids based on selective hydrolysis of trimethylsilyl derivatives

A rapid procedure for the isolation of amino acids from physiological fluids by class separation suitable for gas chromatographic and gas chromatographic—mass spectrometric analysis is described. A physiological fluid such as plasma is adjusted to pH 2 and extracted with diethyl ether to remove organic acids and neutrals. After precipitation of proteins with trichloroacetic acid, the aqueous plasma is dried and derivatized by trimethylsilylation. Organic compounds like sugars and amino acids are rendered soluble in petroleum ether leaving inorganic salts when the soluble layer is transferred. Separation of sugars from amino acids is achieved by taking advantage of the different rates of aqueous hydrolysis of the trimethylsilyl (TMS) derivatives. Mixing the petroleum ether extract with a small volume of water results in two phases. The petroleum ether layer contains TMS-sugar constituents of plasma and the aqueous layer contains free amino acids and amines. This procedure was used to isolate L-dopa, 3-O-methyldopa and tyrosine from human plasma in a quantitation assay using ¹⁵O-labelled amino acids and gas chromatography—mass spectrometry.     

Monosaccharides and monosaccharide derivatives in human seminal plasma

Gas chromatography—mass spectrometry with an on-line data system was used to identify monosaccharides and monosaccharide derivatives in human seminal plasma. The carbohydrates were converted into the methoxime—trimethylsilyl derivatives before separation in open tubular glass capillary columns coated with SE-30. Twenty-one different compounds were detected in the seminal fluid, of which twelve have not been recognized before. Seventeen of the monosaccharides have previously been identified in urine. Similar patterns of sugars were found both in fertile and infertile individuals, including one with azoospermia. The compounds identified are, with the possible exception of -ribose, present as free monosaccharides at the time of ejaculation, and they do not seem to be preformed by spermatozoa.     

Pentacyclic triterpenoids and sterols from seven species of mangrove

The isolation of pentacyclic triterpenoids from seven species of fresh mangrove leaves using a simple and rapid method is described. The leaves were homogenized using chloroform—methanol and the extract was diluted with water to precipitate out triterpenoids which were separated into neutral and acidic fractions. These were analysed by gas-liquid chromatography as acetyl and trimethylsilyl ether derivatives on a 3% OV-17 column. Sterols were isolated from the chloroform layer by preparative thin layer chromatography and were analysed by gas-liquid chromatography as their trimethylsilyl ether derivatives on a 3% OV-17 column. The triterpenoids found were α-amyrin, β-amyrin, lupeol, oleanolic acid and ursolic acid in most of the samples. Sterols found in all the samples were cholesterol, campesterol, stigmasterol, sitosterol and stigmast-7-en-3β-ol. Retention indices of the triterpenoids and sterols have been determined.     

Analysis of aspartate and glutamate in human cerebrospinal fluid by high-performance liquid chromatography with automated precolumn derivatization

A method is described for the analysis of the neuroexcitatory amino acids, aspartate and glutamate, in human cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) by reverse-phase, high-performance liquid chromatography. Fluorescent isoindole derivatives of the amino acids were prepared by reacting the amino acids with ortho-phthalaldehyde in an automated, precolumn procedure. Chromatographic conditions were developed that resolve the isoindole derivatives of aspartate and glutamate from those of at least 10 unidentified components of CSF. Amino acids were reliably quantified in 5-microliter samples of CSF, and deproteinization of the specimens was not required. Furthermore, it was found that deproteinization by precipitation with strong acid can lead to artifactually high measurements of glutamate. The concentrations of free aspartate and glutamate in lumbar CSF from 15 neurologically normal children were 0.30 +/- 0.11 and 0.48 +/- 0.26 microM (mean +/- SD), respectively. The value for glutamate is considerably lower than has been reported in any previous study of human CSF.     

Liquid chromatographic assay for cerebrospinal fluid normetanephrine

A method for quantitation of normetanephrine in human cerebrospinal fluid is described. An amine-specific reagent, sulfosuccinimidyl propionate, is used to obtain the lipid soluble N-propionyl derivative of normetanephrine, which can be separated and quantitated in presence of other biogenic amines by liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection. The method is reproducible, linear, and precise at the relatively low concentrations of unconjugated normetanephrine occurring in human cerebrospinal fluid. Hospitalized, drug-free, alcoholic patients were found to have cerebrospinal fluid unconjugated normetanephrine concentrations in the 0.5–1.5 nanomolar range. The practical limit of sensitivity for the method is about 0.025 pmole per ml of CSF.     

The trimethylsilylation reactions of hexosamines, and gas-chromatographic separation of the derivatives

Several methods for trimethylsilylation were applied to the 2-amino-2-deoxy-hexoses, and the resulting derivatives were characterized by gas-liquid chromatography as to retention index, response factor, and degree of substitution on the amino group. Conditions were found for replacing none, one, or both of the amino protons with trimethylsilyl groups. The average response-factor for the trimethylsilyl derivatives was found to be 6.27 g of docosane per mole of hexosamine, or 1.13 mg of docosane per mg of hexosamine. One of the methods investigated was applied to the determination of hexosamines in acid hydrolyzates of glycosaminoglycans. The 2-acetamido-2-deoxy derivatives were also studied, but the several derivatives have not yet been identified.     

N-acylglycines: gas chromatographic mass spectrometric identification and determination in urine by selected ion monitoring

Eleven biologically interesting N-acylglycines have been synthesized and the gas chromatographic and mass spectrometric properties of their trimethylsilyl derivatives studied, A sharp and reproducible gas chromatographic peak could be obtained for each N-acylglycine as the N, O-bis-(trimethylsilyl)-N-acylglycine. By the use of these derivatives a sensitive and specific selected ion monitoring method for the determination of N-acylglycines in human urine has been developed.     

Gas-liquid chromatography of dialkyl, alkyl acyl, and diacyl ddrivatives of glycerol

Dialkyl, alkyl acyl, and diacyl glycerols were resolved as trimethylsilyl ethers and as acetates by gas-liquid chromatography on a nonpolar stationary phase (OV-1). The two types of derivatives proved suitable for quantitative gas chromatographic analysis.     

Gas-liquid chromatography of trimethylsilyl derivatives of abscisic Acid and other plant hormones

This paper describes a new method for qualitative and quantitative assay of abscisic acid and other acidic plant hormones, such as indoleacetic acid and the gibberellins, by the gas-liquid chromatography of their trimethylsilyl derivatives. Interfering substances in plant extracts were largely removed by preliminary column chromatography with carbon-celite and elution of the abscisic acid with 60% acetone, permitting direct determination of abscisic acid by gas-liquid chromatography using a flame ionization detector. (A level of 0.65 mg/kg fr wt was found.) This method enables measurement of amounts of abscisic acid as low as 0.025 μg. In impure samples collected by gas-liquid chromatography the abscisic acid recovered could be measured quantitatively by use of its ultraviolet absorption maximum at 260 mμ.     

Towards a high resolution separation of human cerebrospinal fluid

Human cerebrospinal fluid is an ultrafiltrate of plasma that is largely produced by the choroid plexus. It consists of a mixture of anorganic salts, various sugars, lipids and proteins from the surrounding brain tissues. The predominant proteins in cerebrospinal fluid are isoforms of serum albumin, transferrin and immunoglobulins, representing more than 70% of the total protein amount. A rough overview of the protein compounds of human cerebrospinal fluid including their respective concentrations is given by Blennow et al. [Eur. Neurol. 33 (1993) 129]. In contrast, the aim of this work is to display the detailed protein composition of CSF by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and to identify both high and low concentrated proteins using different mass spectrometry techniques. This extensive overview of proteins in human cerebrospinal fluid will be highly relevant for clinical research. Furthermore, the comparison of 2D gels will help to analyze the standard protein variability in CSF of healthy persons and detect specific protein variations of patients with various neurological diseases (e.g., Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's chorea). Sample preparation for two-dimensional gel electrophoresis must include concentration and desalting steps such as precipitation and ultrafiltration due to the high amount of salts, sugars and lipids and the low total amount of protein of 0.3-0.7 microg/microl present in human CSF. Up to now we were able to identify more than 480 spots from suchlike generated 2D gels using MALDI- and ESI-mass spectrometry.     

Gas chromatographic determination of aromatic acid metabolites of phenylalanine in brain

A method for the determination of the aromatic acid metabolites of phenylalanine in brain by gas-liquid chromatography is described. Procedures were developed for the extraction and purification of the metabolites, the preparation of their trimethylsilyl derivatives, the separation and identification of these derivatives by gas-liquid chromatography, and the quantification of the metabolites by employing the internal reference standards phenylvaleric and o-hydroxyphenylacetic acids with the detector molar response factors. The metabolites in the hyperphenylalaninemic brain were identified as the trimethylsilyl ester of phenylacetic, ester-ethers of mandelic and phenyllactic, and the ester-enol ether of the oxime of phenylpyruvic acid.     

THE 4-O-METHYL METABOLITES OF CATECHOLAMINES IN MAN: CHROMATOGRAPHIC IDENTIFICATION OF 3-HYDROXY,4-METHOXYPHENYLACETIC ACID (HOMO-ISO-VANILLIC ACID) IN CEREBROSPINAL FLUID

Abstract— The isomeric phenolic acids, homovanillic acid (4-hydroxy,3-methoxyphenylacetic acid) and homo-iso-vanillic acid (3-hydroxy,4-methoxyphenylacetic acid), were separated and identified by means of paper chromatography of their azo-derivatives with diazotized para-nitroaniline. Using this chromatographic procedure, homo-iso-vaniliic acid was identified in several samples of human cerebrospinal fluid, an observation which suggests that dopamine may be partly metabolized in brain, with the production of 4-methoxy derivatives.     

Determination of plasma propofol levels using gas chromatography—mass spectrometry with selected-ion monitoring

Propofol (2,6-diisopropylphenol, I.C.I. 35 868) is a rapid-acting, intravenous anesthetic agent recently introduced for the induction and maintenance of general anesthesia. This paper describes a gas chromatographic—mass spectrometric procedure using selected-ion monitoring for the determination of plasma propofol levels. The drug and the internal standard (thymol) were extracted from plasma into diethyl ether—pentane, and derivatized to their trimethylsilyl derivatives before analysis. The reproducibility of the daily standard curves had coefficients of variation ranging from 2.7% to 10.2%. The precision of the assay yielded a coefficient of variation ranging from 4.5% to 5.6%, and the concentration means for the seeded control samples were found to be within −1.6% to +0.6% of the theoretical values for propofol. No interfering peaks have been observed in application of this procedure to either normal volunteer or patient samples. The minimum detectable level under the conditions described was 0.20 ng propofol/ml plasma. This assay and a high-performance liquid chromatographic assay with fluorescence detection were both used to measure plasma propofol concentrations in 89 human plasma samples, and the correlation between the two methods was excellent.     

Identification and quantitation of free ceramides in human platelets

Free ceramides were isolated from human platelets. Their structures were unequivocally determined by gas-liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry of the trimethylsilyl ether derivatives. The major components were N-(palmitoyl) sphingosine, N-(stearoyl) sphingosine, N-(eicosanoyl) sphingosine, N-(docosanoyl) sphingosine, N-(tetracosanoyl) sphingosine, and N-(tetracosenoyl) sphingosine. Sphinganine-and sphingadienine-containing ceramides as well as ceramides containing other unsaturated acids were also present. The amount of ceramides was determined by quantitative gas-liquid chromatography, using radioactive ceramide as internal standard and synthetic crystalline ceramides for comparison of peak areas. The concentration of ceramides was found to be 1.31 micro g/10(9) platelets or 0.47 micro g/mg of platelet protein.     

24-hour cerebrospinal fluid levels of vasopressin in hydrocephalic patients

The variation in vasopressin concentrations of ventricular cerebrospinal fluid and plasma throughout a 24-h period was studied in 10 patients with hydrocephalus. In 6 control patients, the diurnal variation in plasma vasopressin concentrations was studied. Vasopressin concentrations were determined by radioimmunoassay in plasma and in extracted and unextracted cerebrospinal fluid. Cortisol and osmolality in plasma were also measured. Vasopressin concentrations measured in extracted cerebrospinal fluid showed only small intra- and interindividual variation, while the corresponding values for unextracted cerebrospinal fluid were 2-5-fold higher and showed more variation. Plasma vasopressin concentrations varied considerably throughout the 24-h period in the individual hydrocephalic patient and between the patients. The pattern of variation was inconstant with no circadian rhythm, and the variation was not related to any changes in plasma osmolality, blood pressure or intracranial pressure. In some of the patients, the normal diurnal pattern of variation in plasma cortisol was broken, however, without a relation to the observed fluctuations in vasopressin concentrations. The abnormal variation of plasma vasopressin and cortisol was considered to reflect stress in connection with the intracranial pressure monitoring procedure. In the control patients, plasma vasopressin showed only small variations and plasma cortisol showed a normal diurnal rhythm. It is concluded that cerebrospinal fluid vasopressin concentration in patients with hydrocephalus is very constant throughout the day, even when plasma vasopressin concentrations show marked episodic increases. Thus, a circadian rhythm in the cerebrospinal fluid vasopressin concentration, as reported in several animal species, could not be confirmed in these patients.