Prenatal diagnosis of methylmalonic aciduria by measuring methylmalonic acid in dried amniotic fluid on filter paper using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

Methylmalonic aciduria is a common inherited metabolic disorder. Methylmalonic acid (MMA), a key indicator of methylmalonic aciduria, increases in the amniotic fluid of affected fetuses. For prenatal diagnosis, the MMA in amniotic fluid can be measured by stable-isotope dilution gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Here, we quantified the MMA in cell-free amniotic fluid samples that had been dried on filter paper and transported at ambient temperatures, and compared the results with data obtained from the original amniotic fluid. Our results indicated that the filter paper method was reproducible and accurate enough to be applied to clinical analysis. We also used the filter paper method to screen at-risk fetuses and obtained a clear diagnosis in each case. We conclude that our method enables the prenatal diagnosis of methylmalonic aciduria using practical procedures and a simplified method for transporting the samples.     

The amniotic fluid cell proteome

Proteomic analysis of amniotic fluid cells may lead to the discovery of novel markers for embryonic abnormalities. A two-dimensional database for proteins of normal human amniotic fluid cells was constructed. The amniotic fluid cell extract was analyzed by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and the proteins were identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionisation-time of flight-mass spectrometry. The database comprises 432 different gene products, which are in the majority enzymes, structural proteins, heat shock proteins, and proteins related to signal transduction. The obtained data show that the amniotic fluid population maybe either heterogeneous, originating from different fetal compartments and embryo tissues or is still pluripotent. Many proteins which are known to belong to certain cell types were found in the amnion cell fluid. This indicates that some types of fetal cells are already differentiated at the time of amniocentesis (about the 16(th) week of gestation). Moreover, the finding of proteins highly expressed in embryonic stem cells suggests that amniotic fluid could be used as a cell pool for transplantation therapy.     

Investigation of pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide in human gynecological and other biological fluids by using MALDI TOF mass spectrometry

Pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP) is a multifunctional and pleiotropic neuropeptide. PACAP has diverse effects in the endocrine system, among others, it plays important roles in oogenesis, implantation and development of the nervous system. However, it is not known whether PACAP is present in the fluids of the human reproductive organs. The aim of the present study was to determine, by means of mass spectrometry and radioimmunoassay, whether PACAP is present in human amniotic fluid, ovarian follicular fluid and cervico-vaginal fluid. Samples were obtained from healthy adult volunteers. Our MALDI TOF and MALDI TOF/TOF spectrometry results show that PACAP38 is present in all of the follicular fluid samples, and PACAP-like immunoreactivity was also measured by radioimmunoassay. However, we did not find the characteristic peak representing the unmodified 38 amino acid form of the peptide in normal cervico-vaginal smear and amniotic fluid samples. Furthermore, we analyzed other body fluids for comparison, such as human nasal fluid, saliva and aqueous humor. PACAP was not found in these latter samples. In summary, the present study provides evidence for the presence of PACAP in human follicular fluid, suggesting a role in oocyte function, but determination of the exact physiological significance awaits further investigation.     

Elemental analysis of human amniotic fluid and placenta by total-reflection X-ray fluorescence and energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence: child weight and maternal age dependence

This work is an attempt to evaluate the possible influence of the mother's age in trace element concentrations in human amniotic fluid and placenta and whether these concentrations are correlated to the weight of the newborn infants. Total-reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF) was used to analyze 16 amniotic fluid samples, and the placenta samples were analyzed by energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF). The whole samples were collected during delivery from healthy mothers and healthy infants and full-term pregnancies. According to the age of the mother, three different groups were considered: 20–25, 25–30 and 30–40 years old. Only two mothers were aged more than 35 years. The weight of the infants ranged from 2.56 to 4.05 kg and three groups were also considered: 2.5–3, 3–3.5 and 3.5–4 kg. The organic matrix of the amniotic fluid samples was removed by treatment with HNO₃ followed by oxygen plasma ashing. Yttrium was used as the internal standard for TXRF analysis. Placenta samples were lyophilized and analyzed by EDXRF without any chemical treatment. Very low levels of Ni and Sr were found in the amniotic fluid samples, and were independent of the age of the mother and weight of the child. Cr, Mn, Se and Pb were at the level of the detection limit. Zn, considered one of the key elements in neonatal health, was not significantly different in the samples analyzed; however, it was weakly related to birth weigh. The concentrations obtained ranged from 0.11 to 0.92 mg/l and 30 to 65 μg/g in amniotic fluid and placenta, respectively. The only two elements which seemed to be significantly correlated with mother's age and newborn weight were Ca and Fe for both types of sample: Ca levels were increased in heavier children and older mothers; however, Fe increased with increasing maternal age, but decreased for heavier babies. The same conclusions were obtained for placenta and amniotic fluid samples. Cu is closely associated with Fe in its function in the organism and has a similar behavior to this element, but not as pronounced.     

Hptlc Separation And Determination Of Amniotic Fluid Phospholipids

Abstract

High performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) under controlled relative humidity conditions was employed in order to separate phospholipids of amniotic fluid. Quantitative determination was accomplished after visualization by copper acetate/phosphoric acid (CA) and by phospho-molybdic acid (PMA). In both cases reflectance was found to follow the Kubelka-Munk theory in the Treiber and Pollak approximation. PMA gives fairly better results as it concerns reproducibility. A method of analysis is proposed that allows to use 500 μl or less of amniotic fluid. A complete phospholipid analysis can be performed in 40 min. Proposed method was tested on simulated and real samples and results compared with conventional spectrophotometry analysis.     

Capillary electrophoretic determination of oxalate in amniotic fluid

A capillary electrophoretic (CE) assay for oxalate has been applied to the quantitative determination of free oxalate in amniotic fluid. Indirect absorbance detection of oxalate is accomplished with a chromate-based background electrolyte modified with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). Detection interference due to the presence of high levels (≈4 mg/ml) of inorganic chloride is eliminated through a direct sample clean-up procedure based on cation (Ag⁺-form) resins. Separation interference from amniotic fluid proteins is prevented through the use of a simple aqueous-based dilution procedure. This method for the determination of oxalate in amniotic fluid provides precision of ≈5% relative standard deviation (RSD). Within-day precisions for the oxalate response and migration time are better than 3% RSD and 1% RSD, respectively. Between-day precisions for the oxalate response and migration time are better than 6% RSD and 3% RSD, respectively. The analytical recovery of oxalate (1000 ng/ml) spiked into amniotic fluid was better than 96%. The limit of detection (LOD) for the method is ≈100 ng/ml oxalate. This method also shows promising results for the determination of oxalate in human blood plasma samples.     

A poly(3-acetylthiophene) modified glassy carbon electrode for selective voltammetric measurement of uric acid in urine sample

A reliable and reproducible method for the determination of uric acid in urine samples has been developed. The method is based on the modification of a glassy carbon electrode by 3-acetylthiophene using cyclic voltammetry. The poly(3-acetylthiophene) modified glassy carbon electrode showed an excellent electrocatalytic effect towards the oxidation of uric acid in 0.1 m phosphate buffer solution (PBS) at pH 7.2. Compared with a bare glassy carbon electrode (GCE), an obvious shift of the oxidation peak potential in the cathodic direction and a marked enhancement of the anodic current response for uric acid were observed. The poly(3-acetylthiophene)/GCE was used for the determination of uric acid using square wave voltammetry. The peak current increased linearly with the concentration of uric acid in the range of 1.25 x 10(-5)-1.75 x 10(-4) M. The detection limit was 5.27 x 10(-7) M by square wave voltammetry. The poly(3-acetylthiophene)/GCE was also effective to determine uric acid and ascorbic acid in a mixture and resolved the overlapping anodic peaks of these two species into two well-defined voltammetric peaks in cyclic voltammetry at 0.030 V and 0.320 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) for ascorbic acid and uric acid, respectively. The modified electrode exhibited stable and sensitive current responses toward uric acid and ascorbic acid. The method has successfully been applied for determination of uric acid in urine samples.     

Uric Acid Determination by Adsorptive Stripping Voltammetry on Multiwall Carbon Nanotubes Based Screen‐Printed Electrodes

A sensitive electroanalytical methodology for the determination of uric acid in real samples using adsorptive voltammetry at a multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) modified screen printed electrode (SPCE) is presented. Adsorption of uric acid takes place at open circuit potential at an optimized pH 5.0. Studies about the effect of accumulation time and scan rate on the analytical signal were developed and confirm the adsorption nature of the electrodic process. Quantitative analysis of uric acid by using its oxidation process at +0.18 V (vs. an Ag pseudoreference electrode) was carried out with an accumulation time of 5 min. Thus, a linear voltammetric based reproducible determination of uric acid (RSD 5 %) in the range 1–100 µM was obtained. The method was then successfully used for the determination of uric acid in real clinical samples of urine without detection of interferences. The proposed methodology only requires a dilution of the real sample and present advantages as low cost and easy handling for non specialized technicians.     

An evaluation of acid digestion methods for amniotic fluid phospholipids

Five methods of acid digestion of amniotic fluid phospholipids for inorganic phosphate release were evaluated at a temperature of 225 °C and a heating time of 30 min. The methods used the following digestants: (A (perchloric acid), B (perchloric acid containing molybdate), C (sulfuric acid, 30% hydrogen peroxide, 5% urea), D (sulfuric-perchloric acids), and E (sulfuric-perchloric acids with vanadium pentoxide). After digestion and dilution with water, a hydrogen ion concentration of about 2.5 mol/ liter was obtained that permitted the use of stannous chloride-hydrazine sulfate as the reducing agent for phosphate color development. Recoveries of the different amniotic fluid phospholipids and aqueous phosphate standards were quantitative for all methods. A comparative study with amniotic fluids showed similar results for all methods. Since all methods were found to be equivalent under the specified conditions described, the choice was dependent upon the user's preference.     

A semi-automated and manual method for serum phospholipids

Five methods of acid digestion of amniotic fluid phospholipids for inorganic phosphate release were evaluated at a temperature of 225 °C and a heating time of 30 min. The methods used the following digestants: (A (perchloric acid), B (perchloric acid containing molybdate), C (sulfuric acid, 30% hydrogen peroxide, 5% urea), D (sulfuric-perchloric acids), and E (sulfuric-perchloric acids with vanadium pentoxide). After digestion and dilution with water, a hydrogen ion concentration of about 2.5 mol/ liter was obtained that permitted the use of stannous chloride-hydrazine sulfate as the reducing agent for phosphate color development. Recoveries of the different amniotic fluid phospholipids and aqueous phosphate standards were quantitative for all methods. A comparative study with amniotic fluids showed similar results for all methods. Since all methods were found to be equivalent under the specified conditions described, the choice was dependent upon the user's preference.     

Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis of avian uric acid

We report results obtained using a new technique developed to measure the stable-isotope composition of uric acid isolated from bird excreta (guano). Results from a diet-switch feeding trial using zebra finches suggest that the delta(13)C of uric acid in the guano equilibrates with the diet of the bird within 3 days of a change in diet, while the equilibration time for delta(15)N may be longer. The average carbon isotope discrimination between uric acid and food before the diet switch was +0.34 +/- 1 per thousand (1sigma) while after the diet switch this increased slightly to +0.83 +/- 0.7 per thousand (1sigma). Nitrogen isotope discrimination was +1.3 +/- 0.3 per thousand (1sigma) and +0.3 +/- 0.3 per thousand (1sigma) before and after the diet switch; however, it is possible that the nitrogen isotope values did not fully equilibrate with diet switch over the course of the experiment. Analyses of other chemical fractions of the guano (organic residue after uric acid extraction and non-uric acid organics solubilised during extraction) suggest a total range of up to 3 per thousand for both delta(13)C and delta(15)N values in individual components of a single bulk guano sample. The analysis of natural samples from a range of terrestrial and marine species demonstrates that the technique yields isotopic compositions consistent with the known diets of the birds. The results from natural samples further demonstrate that multiple samples from the same species collected from the same location yield similar results, while different species from the same location exhibit a range of isotopic compositions indicative of different dietary preferences. Given that many samples of guano can be rapidly collected without any requirement to capture specimens for invasive sampling, the stable-isotope analysis of uric acid offers a new, simple and potentially powerful tool for studying avian ecology and metabolism.     

Voltammmetric Determination of Uric Acid in the Presence of Ascorbates Using Overoxidized Polypyrrol

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Flow-injection Spectrophotometric Determination of Uric Acid in Urine via Prussian Blue Reaction

A simple and sensitive flow injection(FI) spectrophotometric method was reported for the determination of uric acid based on the reduction of Fe(III)/ferricyanide in the presence of uric acid. The in situ reduced ions reacted with unreduced portion of ferricyanide/Fe(III) to form soluble Prussian blue, which was monitored at an absorption wavelength of 735 nm. The optimized conditions allow a linear calibration graph in a concentration range of 1―100 μmol/L. The relative standard deviation was in a range of 0.5%―2.5%, with a detection limit(3σ blank) of 0.3 μmol/L and a sampling frequency of 60 injection/h was obtained. The effect of common substances present in human physiological fluids on the determination of uric acid was examined. The method was applied to determining uric acid in human urine samples with the recoveries in a range of 96%―105%. The results agree well with those by spectrophotometric reference method at a confidence level of 95%. Spectrophotometric procedures for uric acid determination in clinical samples were reviewed briefly.     

Estimation of amniotic fluid phospholipids by high-performance liquid chromatography

We have developed a high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method for the analyses of surface-active amniotic fluid phospholipids, lecithin (L), sphingomyelin (S), phosphatidyl glycerol (PG), phosphatidyl inositol (PI), phosphatidyl ethanolamine (PE), and phosphatidyl serine (PS), which are important in the prediction of fetal lung maturity. The method incorporates an internal standard in the amniotic fluid extract, and utilizes a 10-microliter aliquot of a 2:1 chloroform-methanol extract of amniotic fluid injected onto a 5-micron DIOL or CN HPLC column, and a variable-wavelength detector set at 203 nm. Amniotic fluid phospholipid estimations were determined on 40 amniotic fluid samples by the HPLC method and by the routine thin-layer chromatographic (TLC) method. Good agreement was observed between the two methods for the L/S ratio, PG, and PI (rPG 0.94, rPI 0.95, rL/S 0.97). The advantages of the HPLC procedure include: Selective separation for PG, PI, PS, and PE, as well as L and S at the same time. The internal standard allows individual concentration of phospholipids to be estimated. The procedure is rapid: 16 min for a single assay compared with 50 min for the standard TLC procedure.     

高效毛细管区带电泳测定人尿液中尿酸、肌酐和伪尿核苷的含量

报道了采用高效毛细管区带电泳技术直接将人尿液注入毛细管进行尿液中肌酐、尿酸及伪尿核苷含量测定的新方法。试验表明,以磷酸盐（ｐＨ６．１）作缓冲液,对人体尿液中肌酐、尿酸及伪尿核苷进行直接分析具有较高的灵敏度和较好的重复性。     

Determination of uric acid in plasma and allantoic fluid of chicken embryos by capillary electrophoresis

Capillary electrophoresis with diode array detection (DAD) was used to determine uric acid (UA) in chicken plasma and the allantoic fluid of chicken embryos. Complete separation of uric and ascorbic acids was attained in less than 10 min in the optimized BGE containing 60 mM MES + 30 mM Tris + 0.001% (w/v) polybrene (pH 6.1). The limit of UA detection (0.2 mg/L) was found to be low enough for sensitive analysis of native plasma and allantoic fluid samples. Range of linearity (1-200 mg/L), repeatability for peak area (CV <4.1%) and migration time (CV < 2.5%), as well as recovery of UA from biological samples (97-100%), were found to be satisfactory. The method was applied to detect the elevated UA concentrations (hyperuricemia) in chicken embryos with induced unilateral renal agenesis. CE/DAD analysis of the chicken plasma can be carried out with a relatively small volume of samples (1 microL).     

顺序注射在线稀释测定人体液中尿酸

基于酸性条件下甲醛对尿酸-KMnO4发光反应的增敏作用,建立了在线稀释顺序注射化学发光联用技术测定人体液中尿酸的新方法。在选定的实验条件下的7个浓度梯度范围内,尿酸浓度在5.0×10-6mol/L~1.0×10-3mol/L范围内与发光强度呈良好线性关系,相关系数0.9942~0.9998,RSD在2.0%~3.5%之间,回收率为98.0%~103.0%。每小时可分析80个样品,在线稀释测定结果与手工稀释法一致。     

A Fiber Optic Biosensor for Uric Acid Based on Immobilized Enzymes

Abstract

A simplified enzyme based fiber optic uric acid biosensor is reported. It is constructed by coimmobilizing uricase and horseradish peroxidase [HRP] to bovine albumin via glutaraldehyde. A new fluorimetric substrate, thiamine, is used to indicate the sensing process. Under optimized conditions, the linear range of uric acid concentration is 0.5 to 5.0 ug/mL with a correlation coefficient of 0.997, and the detection limit is 0.15 ug/mL with excellent reversibility and stability. The sensor can be used at least two months at room temperature. It is possibly to determine uric acid directly in serum and urine samples with satisfactory results.     

Microfluidic paper-based chemiluminescence biosensor for simultaneous determination of glucose and uric acid

In this study, a novel microfluidic paper-based chemiluminescence analytical device (μPCAD) with a simultaneous, rapid, sensitive and quantitative response for glucose and uric acid was designed. This novel lab-on-paper biosensor is based on oxidase enzyme reactions (glucose oxidase and urate oxidase, respectively) and the chemiluminescence reaction between a rhodanine derivative and generated hydrogen peroxide in an acid medium. The possible chemiluminescence assay principle of this μPCAD is explained. We found that the simultaneous determination of glucose and uric acid could be achieved by differing the distances that the glucose and uric acid samples traveled. This lab-on-paper biosensor could provide reproducible results upon storage at 4 °C for at least 10 weeks. The application test of our μPCAD was then successfully performed with the simultaneous determination of glucose and uric acid in artificial urine. This study shows the successful integration of the μPCAD and the chemiluminescence method will be an easy-to-use, inexpensive, and portable alternative for point-of-care monitoring.