Determination of metabolites of tyrosine and of tryptophan and related compounds by gas-liquid chromatography

Determination and significance of l-tyrosine O-sulphate and its deaminated metabolites in normal human and mouse urine

Methods were developed for the determination of the O-sulphate esters of l-tyrosine, p-hydroxyphenylpyruvate, p-hydroxyphenylacetate and p-hydroxybenzaldehyde in human urine. The amounts of these esters normally present in human female urine were determined. The quantities and specific radioactivities of l-tyrosine O-sulphate and p-hydroxyphenylpyruvate O-sulphate in mouse urine after labelled tyrosine had been fed were determined and were consistent with the hypothesis that the sole source of p-hydroxyphenylpyruvate O-sulphate was l-tyrosine O-sulphate. It is suggested that the turnover of known polypeptides containing l-tyrosine O-sulphate residues can account for only a portion of the quantities of the ester and its metabolite(s) that are present in normal female human urine.

Capillary gas chromatography of amino acids, including asparagine and glutamine: sensitive gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric and selected ion monitoring gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric detection of the N,O(S)-tert.-butyldimethylsilyl derivatives

Amino acids and the amino acid amides glutamine and asparagine can be simultaneously derivatized to the corresponding N,O(S)-tert.-butyldimethylsilyl derivatives in a one-step reaction with N-methyl-N-(tert.-butyldimethylsilyl)trifluoroacetamide in acetonitrile. The solution is used directly for gas chromatography (GC). Losses due to evaporation steps are avoided. Except for the more basic amino acids, derivatization occurs at room temperature. Lysine, arginine and histidine require additional heating at 150 degrees C for 2.5 h in order to complete derivatization. The derivatization has high reproducibility. The response factors relative to norvaline or cycloleucine lie between 0.40 and 1.30. Arginine is the most difficult amino acid to derivatize. The size of the tert.-butyldimethylsilyl (TBDMS) group prevents multiple silylation of the nitrogen atoms. Only a single peak is observed for each compound. Twenty-seven amino acid (and glutamine and asparagine) derivatives were simultaneously chromatographed and well separated in a single run on a 25 m X 0.20 mm I.D. glass capillary column coated with OV-1. The TBDMS derivatives possess very characteristic EI mass spectra at 70 eV, with intense diagnostic ions. This makes them very appropriate for GC-mass spectrometric (MS) work and selected ion monitoring GC-MS at the picomole level. The detection limit for arginine as the TBDMS derivative is less than 0.3 ng. The usefulness of the method is illustrated by the detection of amino acids in a peptide hydrolysate obtained from 1 microgram of bovin insulin B-chain.

Studies on structure-activity relationship of gossypol, gossypol ethers and three naphthaldehydes in the inhibition of spermatozoal metabolism

Gossypol tetramethyl ether [C30 H24 O2(OCH3)4] and gossypol hexamethyl ether [C30 H24 O2(OCH3)6], which in contrast to gossypol are stable compounds, were tested for their ability to depress fructose degradation in fresh human sperm cells. Both ethers inhibited spermatozoal fructolysis, yet less effectively than did the parent compound. A synthetic compound, O-hydroxylnaphthaldehyde, and two commercially available preparations, 1- and 2-naphthaldehydes, were also tested under the same experimental conditions. These preparations represent about half of the gossypol molecule and possess a reactive aldehyde group in their molecules. Their inhibitory effect on fructose degradation in fresh human sperm cells, however, was considerably smaller than that of gossypol itself. It thus appears that the whole ring structure of gossypol rather than the intact aldehyde group is required for an effective inhibition of spermatozoal energy metabolism.

Quantitative assay of the N-methylated metabolites of tryptamine and serotonin by gas chromatography mass spectrometry as applied to the determination of lung indoleethylamine N-methyltransferase activity

A specific and sensitive method is described for the identifcation and quantification of the N-mono- and dimethylated derivatives of tryptamine and serotonin by gas chromatography mass spectrometry. Deuterated analogues of the amines have been prepared for use as internal standards. The technique has been applied to the determination of indoleethylamine N-methyltransferase activity in rabbit and human lung. No interference from the beta-carboline formation or other side reactions between the substrates and the methyl donor was observed.

Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry of trimethylsilyl derivatives of omega-amino acids

The silylation of C4-C11 omega-amino acids and their hydrochlorides was carried out with N,O-bis(trimethylsilyl)acetamide. Di-TMS and tri-TMS derivatives were formed in the silylation of the hydrochlorides. The formation of the two derivatives is dependent on the reaction conditions, and the conditions under which only derivative arises reproducibly, are reported. This finding may be utilized in the quantitative analysis of amino acids.

Gas chromatography of amino acids

This review summarizes all papers that have appeared on the gas chromatography of amino acids (including the iodoamino acids) and their enantiomers in the period 1956-mid-1974. It has been found that the methods used for analysis of amino acids can be divided into three classes: (1) degradative procedures and techniques for converting the amino acid into another chemical compound; (2) procedures based on esterification of the carboxyl group and derivatization of the a-amino and other reactive groups in at least two steps; and (3) procedures based on a simultaneous derivatization of the carboxyl and a-amino groups in one reaction medium. For the treatment of the amino acid or its alkyl ester, three approaches can be distinguished for the two latter cases, i.e., acylation, alkylation (including silylation) and condensation. Of the procedures used for the resolution of optical antipodes, two methods are discussed, namely analysis of diastereoisomers on optically inactive stationary phases and separation of enantiomers on optically active stationary phases.