Determination of thiols and disulfides in normal rat tissues and hamster pancreas treated with N-nitrosobis(2-oxopropyl)amine using 4-(aminosulfonyl)-7-fluoro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole and ammonium 7-fluoro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole-4-sulfonate

Foodomics platform for the assay of thiols in wines with fluorescence derivatization and ultra performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry using multivariate statistical analysis

The presence of specific volatile and aminothiols in wine is associated with quality, worth, price, and taste. The identification of specific thiol-containing compounds in various wines has been reported in many valuable and interesting works. In this study, a novel foodomics assay of thiol-containing compounds, such as free aminothiols and related conjugates, was developed using ultra performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) with fluorescence (FL) and electrospray (ESI) time-of-flight mass spectrometric (TOF/MS) detections. FL specific derivatization was applied along with multivariate statistical analysis. First, the optimal experimental conditions were studied using representative thiols, such as l-cysteine, N-acetyl-l-cysteine, cysteamine, and l-glutathione, and then the UPLC-FL derivatization and separation steps were fixed for the subsequent screening of unknown thiol-containing compounds. The screening assay consisted of monitoring the UPLC-TOF/MS peaks of unknown thiols, which decreased due to the derivatization as compared to the nonderivatized thiols. The principal component analysis of the UPLC-TOF/MS data could be well-differentiated and categorized into two groups. The orthogonal signal correction partial least-squares discriminant analysis, the so-called S-plot, showed that the quality differentiation is directly related to the decrease of native thiols and increase of derivatized thiols. With this strategy, the mass difference from the derivatization reagent (+m/z 198) could be utilized for the identification of these thiols using the FL peaks retention time and metabolomics-databases. The presence of l-glutathione in rice wine was for the first time reported on the basis of the available metabolomics-databases and standard matching. This novel concept based on foodomics could be applied in food analysis for the ready screening of specific functional compounds by exploiting the various derivatization modes available.

Chromatographic and mass spectrometric analysis of glutathione in biological samples

Biological thiol compounds are classified into high-molecular-mass protein thiols and low-molecular-mass free thiols. Endogenous low-molecular-mass thiol compounds, namely, reduced glutathione (GSH) and its corresponding disulfide, glutathione disulfide (GSSG), are very important molecules that participate in a variety of physiological and pathological processes. GSH plays an essential role in protecting cells from oxidative and nitrosative stress and GSSG can be converted into the reduced form by action of glutathione reductase. Measurement of GSH and GSSG is a useful indicator of oxidative stress and disease risk. Many publications have reported successful determination of GSH and GSSG in biological samples. In this article, we review newly developed techniques, such as liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry and tandem mass spectrometry, for identifying GSH bound to proteins, or for localizing GSH in bound or free forms at specific sites in organs and in cellular locations.

Determination of cellular redox status by stable isotope dilution liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis of glutathione and glutathione disulfide

Oxidation of glutathione (GSH) to glutathione disulfide (GSSG) occurs during cellular oxidative stress. The redox potential of the 2GSH/GSSG couple, which is determined by the Nernst equation, provides a means to assess cellular redox status. It is difficult to accurately quantify GSH and GSSG due to the ease with which GSH is oxidized to GSSG during sample preparation. To overcome this problem, a stable isotope dilution liquid chromatography/multiple reaction monitoring mass spectrometry (LC/MRM-MS) method has been developed using 4-fluoro-7-sulfamoylbenzofurazan (ABD-F) derivatization. ABD-F derivatization of the GSH thiol group was rapid, quantitative, and occurred at room temperature. The LC/MRM-MS method, which requires no sample clean-up, was validated within the calibration ranges of 5 to 400 nmol/mL in cell lysates for GSH and 0.5 to 40 nmol/mL in cell lysates for GSSG. Calibration curves prepared by adding known concentrations of GSH and GSSG to cell lysates were parallel to the standard curve prepared in buffers. GSH and GSSG concentrations were determined in two monocyte/macrophage RAW 267.4 cell lines with or without 15-LOX-1 expression (R15LO and RMock cells, respectively) after treatment with the bifunctional electrophile 4-oxo-2(E)-nonenal (ONE). R15LO cells synthesized much higher concentrations of the lipid hydroperoxide, 15(S)-hydroperoxyeicosatetraenoic acid (15-HPETE), which undergoes homolytic decomposition to ONE. GSH was depleted by ONE treatment in both RMock and R15LO cells, leading to significant increases in their redox potentials. However, R15LO cells had higher GSH concentrations (most likely through increased GSH biosynthesis) and had increased resistance to ONE-mediated GSH depletion than RMock cells. Consequently, R15LO cells had lower reduction potentials at all concentrations of ONE. GSSG concentrations were higher in R15LO cells after ONE treatment when compared with the ONE-treated RMock cells. This suggests that increased expression of 15(S)-HPETE modulates the activity of cellular GSH reductases or the transporters involved in removal of GSSG.

Simultaneous determination of α-lipoic acid and its reduced form by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection

The simultaneous determination of alpha-lipoic acid (LA) and DHLA (reduced form of LA) was carried out by HPLC with fluorescence detection. DHLA in the sample was first labeled with ABD-F at room temperature for 10 min and then the LA was labeled with SBD-F at 50 degrees C for 1 h after conversion to DHLA using the reducing agent, TCEP. The resulting fluorophores, ABD-DHLA and SBD-DHLA, were separated by reversed-phase chromatography and detected at 510 nm (excitation at 380 nm). Both fluorophors were completely separated without any interference of endogenous thiols and disulfides in the sample and sensitively detected by fluorimetry. The proposed method was applied to the assay of the LA supplement and the determination in human plasma after the oral administration of LA tablets. The concentration (%) of LA in the tablet was reasonable to the stated amount. Furthermore, the result of a time course study in the plasma after the administration of LA did not differ from a previous report. Thus, the present method seems to be applicable to the simultaneous determination of LA and DHLA in various biological specimens.

Suppression of thiol exchange reaction in the determination of reduced-form thiols by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection after derivatization with fluorogenic benzofurazan reagent, 7-fluoro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole-4-sulfonate and 4-aminosulfonyl-7-fluoro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole

The derivatization of the reduced-form thiols with SBD-F (7-fluoro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole-4-sulfonate) and ABD-F (4-aminosulfonyl-7-fluoro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole) was studied. The yields of the derivatives of the reduced-form thiols (cysteine, homocysteine, reduced-form glutathione) with SBD-F at 60 degrees C for 45 min in the borate buffer (pH 9.3) were significantly decreased in the presence of the oxidized-form thiols (cystine, homocystine, oxidized-form glutathione) because of the thiol exchange reaction between the reduced-form and the oxidized-form thiols. The use of ABD-F at low temperature enabled the suppression of these thiol exchange reactions, and the recommended conditions were below 5 degrees C for 90 min in borate buffer (pH 9.3). These results suggest that ABD-F is a preferred derivatization reagent for the accurate determination of the reduced-form thiols in samples containing the oxidized-form thiols. In addition, it was also suggested that the derivatization of the reduced-form thiols should also be performed at low temperature when derivatization reagents such as o-phthalaldehyde (OPA) and monobromobimane (BrB) are used.

Analytical Chemical Studies on High-Performance Recognition and Detection of Bio-molecules in Life

In order to understand the mechanism for maintaining life of animals based on the search of dynamics of biomolecules, I have developed several sensitive and selective methods for their quantification. Using the methods of derivatization with the developed benzofurazan fluorogenic reagents (4-fluoro-7-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole (NBD-F), ammonium 7-fluoro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole 4-sulfonate (SBD-F) and etc.) followed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)--fluorescence detection, a certain kind of biological and clinical importance was demonstrated of chiral bio-molecules (D-amino acids, D-lactic acid and so on), peptides and proteins. The proposed method (derivatization with SBD-F, isolation of the fluorescent proteins by two-dimensional HPLC, enzymatic digestion and identification of the altered proteins by HPLC-mass spectrometry (MS)/MS with database-searching algorithm) for proteomics studies revealed the changed proteins in the islets of Langerhans of the dexamethazone-induced diabetic rats. An importance of catecholamine metabolism on the blood pressure regulation was also suggested by the method of HPLC-chemiluminescence detection of catecholamines and their 3-O-methylmetabolites. A new field of Analytical Chemistry, i.e., Bio-Analytical Chemistry, was also proposed.

Development of hydrophilic fluorogenic derivatization reagents for thiols: 4-(N-acetylaminosulfonyl)-7-fluoro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole and 4-(N-trichloroacetylaminosulfonyl)-7-fluoro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole

Sensitive, reactive, and hydrophilic fluorogenic reagents for thiols with the benzofurazan skeleton, 4-(N-acetylaminosulfonyl)-7-fluoro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole (AcABD-F) and 4-(N-trichloroacetylaminosulfonyl)-7-fluoro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole (TCAcABD-F) have been developed. These reagents reacted with thiols within 10 min at 60 degrees C. AcABD-F and TCAcABD-F themselves do not fluoresce but are strongly fluorescent after the reaction with thiol compounds. The generated derivatives were highly water-soluble, since they dissociated a proton and ionized in the neutral pH region. The derivatives with four biologically important thiol compounds were separated on a reversed-phase HPLC column and detected fluorometrically at 504 nm with excitation at 388 nm. The detection limit attained for homocysteine with AcABD-F was 25 fmol on column (11 nM) (signal-to-noise ratio = 3), and that for glutathione with TCAcABD-F was 45 fmol on column (20 nM).

Fluorogenic and fluorescent labeling reagents with a benzofurazan skeleton

Fluorogenic and fluorescent labeling reagents having a benzofurazan (2,1,3-benzoxadiazole) skeleton such as 4-fluoro-7-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole (NBD-F), 4-N,N-dimethylaminosulfonyl-7-fluoro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole (DBD-F), 4-aminosulfonyl-7-fluoro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole (ABD-F), ammonium 7-fluoro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole-4-sulfonate (SBD-F), 4-hydrazino-7-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole (NBD-H), 4-N,N-dimethylaminosulfonyl-7-hydrazino-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole (DBD-H), 4-nitro-7-N-piperazino-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole (NBD-PZ), 4-N,N-dimethylaminosulfonyl-7-N-piperazino-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole (DBD-PZ), 4-(N-chloroformylmethyl-N-methyl)amino-7-N,N-dimethylaminosulfonyl-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole (DBD-COCl) and 7-N,N-dimethylaminosulfonyl-4-(2,1,3-benzoxadiazolyl) isothiocyanate (DBD-NCS) are reviewed in terms of synthetic method, reactivity, fluorescence characteristics, sensitivity and application to analytes.

Determination of reduced and oxidized homocysteine and related thiols in plasma by thiol-specific pre-column derivatization and capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence detection

A new sensitive and rapid capillary electrophoresis (CE) assay for measuring reduced and oxidized thiols in human plasma has been developed. To prevent oxidation of the thiols, whole blood was immediately centrifuged after collection and the plasma proteins were precipitated with perchloric acid. The reduced thiols in the supernatant were derivatized quantitatively at 25 degrees C, pH 7.5 with a fluorescent reagent, fluorescein-5-maleimide (FM). The total plasma concentration of thiols, including the fraction coupled to proteins, was assayed after an initial reduction of the disulfide linkage in plasma with dithiothreitol. The separation of FM-thiols was performed in an acetonitrile/10 mM sodium phosphate-50 mM SDS buffer [25:75 (v/v); pH 7.0] using a fused-silica capillary (57 cm x 75 microm I.D.) at 45 degrees C. A 3-mW argon-ion laser (lambda(ex) 488 nm/lambda(em) 520 nm) was employed for FM-thiol detection. With the electric field of 530 V/cm, the time needed for the separation of FM-homocysteine, FM-glutathione and FM-N-acetylcysteine was less than 8 min. The lower limit of detection was 3 microM for the total thiols and 10 nM for the reduced thiols. The method was applied to, the determination of homocysteine levels in plasma from patients with end-stage renal disease.

Derivatization of thiol-containing compounds

The determination of thiol-containing compounds in biological fluids is important in biochemistry and clinical chemistry. In this paper, derivatization reagents for thiols are reviewed with respect to their reactivity, selectivity, spectroscopic characteristics and their applicability especially to high-performance liquid chromatography. Derivatization used in ultraviolet and electrochemical detection. The derivatization reagents contain a functional group, e.g. an N-substituted maleimide, active halogen or aziridine, which react with the thiol group. Derivatization for use in flow injection analysis, thin-layer chromatography or gas chromatography-mass spectrometry is also described.

Rapid high-performance liquid chromatographic assay for total homocysteine levels in human serum

A rapid, isocratic high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method is described for the determination of total homocysteine levels in human serum. Prior to reversed-phase HPLC analysis, the serum thiols were derivatized with SBD-F (ammonium 7-fluorobenzo-2-oxa-1,3-diazole-4-sulphonate), a thiolspecific fluorogenic probe which is commercially available. Retention of SBD-homocysteine was sensitive to pH, and a mobile phase pH of 2.1 ensured baseline separation of serum thiols within 6 min. The method is simple, sensitive, reproducible (between-run coefficient of variation of 6.6%) and very suitable for routine determination of serum homocysteine levels in a clinical pathology laboratory.

Application of micro-scale liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection to the determination of thiols

Different thiol compounds of biological and pharmacological interest were separated on a packed reversed-phase fused-silica capillary column and determined with fluorescence detection. Conventional inexpensive liquid chromatographic equipment could be adapted for such purposes, providing a highly efficient analytical system. The different compounds were derivatized with the fluorogenic reagents SBD-F and ABD-F and chromatographed both isocratically and in the gradient mode in order to separate a series of thiols with widely varying polarities. Subsequently the derivatives were measured at lambda ex. = 380 nm and lambda em. = 510 nm. Application of the system to biological and pharmacological samples is suggested.