Determination of d-serine and related neuroactive amino acids in human plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorimetric detection

J Chromatogr B Analyt Technol Biomed Life Sci. 2006 Dec 5;844(2):278-82. doi: 10.1016/j.jchromb.2006.07.022. Epub 2006 Aug 4.

Abstract

A simple and versatile methodology using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorimetric detection was developed to simultaneously determine d-serine along with other metabolically related neuroactive amino acids in the glutamatergic system: L-serine, L-glutamate, L-glutamine, and glycine. On-column sensitivity was in the lower picomole range. Of two chiral thiol reagents investigated, amino acid derivatives of o-phthaldialdehyde (OPA) in combination with N-isobutyryl-L-cysteine were found to have consistently higher responses than their corresponding N-tert-butyloxycarbonyl-L-cysteine derivatives. This methodology was applied to the quantitative detection of amino acids in human plasma and lays the foundation for further investigations of the role of neuroactive amino acids in the pathophysiology and treatment of neurological and psychiatric disorders.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acids / blood*
  • Amino Acids / chemistry
  • Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / methods*
  • Cysteine / blood
  • Cysteine / chemistry
  • Fluorometry / methods*
  • Glutamic Acid / blood
  • Glutamic Acid / chemistry
  • Glutamine / blood
  • Glutamine / chemistry
  • Humans
  • Molecular Structure
  • Serine / blood*
  • Serine / chemistry
  • Stereoisomerism
  • o-Phthalaldehyde / chemistry

Substances

  • Amino Acids
  • Glutamine
  • Glutamic Acid
  • Serine
  • o-Phthalaldehyde
  • Cysteine