[Chromatography of urinary phenolic acids on paper impregnated with sodium acetate]

Method for analysis of dopamine sulfate isomers by high performance liquid chromatography

Conjugated dopamine occurs in the tissues and fluids of many species, and much of this is thought to occur as dopamine sulfate. This paper describes the development and use of a method utilizing reversed-phase paired-ion high performance liquid chromatography to separate and quantitate each of the two naturally occurring dopamine sulfate isomers. Use of the method permitted demonstration of dopamine-3-0-sulfate in human urine from drug-free control subjects. It was found that this compound accounted for 73.1 +/- 27% of the total daily conjugated dopamine excretion in the four subjects studied.

Studies on the sulphation of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylethylamine (dopamine) and related compounds by rat tissues

The formation of sulpho-conjugates of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylethylamine (dopamine) and related compounds was examined in preparations of rat tissues. Liver high-speed-supernatant preparations readily transferred sulphate from adenosine 3'-phosphate 5'-sulphato-phosphate to dopamine under standard conditions. The main product was identified as the 3-O-sulphate. The preparation also sulphated the 3- and 4-methoxy derivatives but to a lesser extent (44% and 95% respectively) relative to dopamine. Brain preparations possessed only half the activity of liver but formed both the 3- and 4-O-sulphates in the molar ratio of 1.7:1. l-3,4-Dihydroxyphenylalanine (l-dopa) in both tissue preparations did not yield any significant amount of sulpho-conjugate when the dopa decarboxylase present was inhibited. The sulphotransferase activity of preparations was doubled in the presence of dithiothreitol and it was concluded that l-tyrosine methyl ester sulphotransferase was the enzyme involved. A method for the preparation of authentic dopamine 3-O-sulphate and 4-O-sulphate was developed.