Development of quantitative assay for simultaneous measurement of purine metabolites and creatinine in biobanked urine by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

Purine Metabolism Dysfunctions: Experimental Methods of Detection and Diagnostic Potential

Purines, such as adenine and guanine, perform several important functions in the cell. They are found in nucleic acids; are structural components of some coenzymes, including NADH and coenzyme A; and have a crucial role in the modulation of energy metabolism and signal transduction. Moreover, purines have been shown to play an important role in the physiology of platelets, muscles, and neurotransmission. All cells require a balanced number of purines for growth, proliferation, and survival. Under physiological conditions, enzymes involved in purines metabolism maintain a balanced ratio between their synthesis and degradation in the cell. In humans, the final product of purine catabolism is uric acid, while most other mammals possess the enzyme uricase that converts uric acid to allantoin, which can be easily eliminated with urine. During the last decades, hyperuricemia has been associated with a number of human extra-articular diseases (in particular, the cardiovascular ones) and their clinical severity. In this review, we go through the methods of investigation of purine metabolism dysfunctions, looking at the functionality of xanthine oxidoreductase and the formation of catabolites in urine and saliva. Finally, we discuss how these molecules can be used as markers of oxidative stress.

Determination of purines in prepackaged food using optimum acid hydrolysis followed by high performance liquid chromatography

A high performance liquid chromatography was established to determine purine content of prepackaged food. Chromatographic separation was performed on Agilent5 TC-C18 column. Ammonium formate (10 mmol/L, pH = 3.385) and methanol (99:1) were used as mobile phase. Purine concentration and peak area showed good linear relationships in the range from 1 to 40 mg/L (guanine, hypoxanthine, adenine) and xanthine exhibited a good linear relationship ranged from 0.1 to 4.0 mg/L. Recoveries of four purines ranged from 93.03% to 107.42%. Purine content in prepackaged food was following: animal derived prepackaged food: 16.13-90.18 mg/100 g; beans and bean products: 66.36-157.11 mg/100 g; fruits and fruit products: 5.64-21.79 mg/100 g; instant rice and flour products: 5.68-30.83 mg/100 g; fungi, algae, fungi and algae products: 32.57-70.59 mg/100 g. This proposed method had good precision and accuracy with a wide linear range for detection of purine. Animal derived prepackaged food was purine-rich food, purine content of plant derived prepackaged food varied greatly.