Determination of Serotonin and Dopamine Metabolites in Human Brain Microdialysis and Cerebrospinal Fluid Samples by UPLC-MS/MS: Discovery of Intact Glucuronide and Sulfate Conjugates

PLoS One. 2013 Jun 27;8(6):e68007. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0068007. Print 2013.

Abstract

An UPLC-MS/MS method was developed for the determination of serotonin (5-HT), dopamine (DA), their phase I metabolites 5-HIAA, DOPAC and HVA, and their sulfate and glucuronide conjugates in human brain microdialysis samples obtained from two patients with acute brain injuries, ventricular cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples obtained from four patients with obstructive hydrocephalus, and a lumbar CSF sample pooled mainly from patients undergoing spinal anesthesia in preparation for orthopedic surgery. The method was validated by determining the limits of detection and quantification, linearity, repeatability and specificity. The direct method enabled the analysis of the intact phase II metabolites of 5-HT and DA, without hydrolysis of the conjugates. The method also enabled the analysis of the regioisomers of the conjugates, and several intact glucuronide and sulfate conjugates were identified and quantified for the first time in the human brain microdialysis and CSF samples. We were able to show the presence of 5-HIAA sulfate, and that dopamine-3-O-sulfate predominates over dopamine-4-O-sulfate in the human brain. The quantitative results suggest that sulfonation is a more important phase II metabolism pathway than glucuronidation in the human brain.

Publication types

  • Validation Study

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Biomarkers / cerebrospinal fluid
  • Brain Diseases / metabolism
  • Chromatography, Liquid / methods*
  • Dopamine / metabolism*
  • Female
  • Glucuronides / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Microdialysis*
  • Middle Aged
  • Orthopedic Surgeons
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Serotonin / metabolism*
  • Spinal Puncture
  • Sulfates / metabolism
  • Tandem Mass Spectrometry / methods*
  • Young Adult

Substances

  • Biomarkers
  • Glucuronides
  • Sulfates
  • Serotonin
  • Dopamine

Grants and funding

The Swedish Research Council (621-2008-3562, 621-2011-4423) and Uppsala Berzelii Technology Center for Neurodiagnostics supported portions of the research. The Academy of Finland is acknowledged for financial support (project 251575). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.