Simultaneous determination of indole metabolites of tryptophan in rat feces by chemical labeling assisted liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

As the connecting part of diet and host physiology, intestinal microbes can convert the ingested diet into a huge number of physiologically active small molecules. Indole metabolites of tryptophan are precursors or signal molecules for many biologically active substances, which are involved in serotonin and microbial catabolism pathways. To understand the influence of tryptophan metabolism in the intestinal environment on the neurological and immune systems at the molecular level, it is important to establish a high-coverage analytical method to comprehensively analyze the metabolites involved in tryptophan metabolism. However, due to a small molecular weight and poor response during mass spectrometry analysis, as well as weak retention on the reversed-phase chromatography, determination of indole metabolites of tryptophan is challenging. Here, we proposed a method for the simultaneous determination of 20 indole metabolites of tryptophan in a single run on reversed-phase chromatography by chemical labeling coupled to liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis. 4-(Dimethylamino)benzaldehyde (DMAB) was used for the labeling of indole metabolites of tryptophan, which could significantly improve the detection sensitivities and retention of these metabolites on reversed-phase chromatography. With the developed method, we realized the sensitive detection and comprehensive analysis of 15 endogenous indole metabolites of tryptophan in rat feces samples with functional dyspepsia intervention by acupuncture. The developed method offers a useful tool for studying tryptophan metabolism-related diseases.     

Metal Ion‐Assisted Infrared Optical Sensor for Selective Determination of Tryptophan in Urine Samples

In this study, a simple infrared chemical sensor was developed for the selective detection of tryptophan in biological fluids. This sensor was capable of trapping tryptophan molecules through the formation of relatively stable metal ion complexes on the surface of the sensing element. A proline‐modified sensing phase was immobilized on the surface of the internal reflection element. With the assistance of appropriate metal ions, tryptophan molecules were selectively attracted nearby the evanescent field such that analytical signals were generated. Factors that affected the chemical equilibria in this detection system were examined including the species and concentration of metal ion, the pH of the sample solution, and the concentration of the chelating agent. Among the examined metal ions, nickel provided the best selectivity toward the detection of tryptophan as a result of its extremely high formation constant with tryptophan. Under the optimal conditions, the detected signals were related linearly (R² > 0.99) to concentrations of tryptophan up to 600 μM. Based on three times the baseline variation of blank samples, the detection limit was ca. 5 μM. From a study of possible interfering agents—metal ions and organic species—in the sample solution, the recoveries of tryptophan were greater than 95%.     

Determination of tryptophan and kynurenine in brain microdialysis samples by capillary electrophoresis with electrochemical detection

Capillary electrophoresis with electrochemical detection (CEEC) is evaluated for the determination of tryptophan and kynurenine in microdialysis samples obtained from rat brain. These compounds were separated from all other electroactive metabolites of tryptophan. Limits of detection for both compounds were in the low attomole range. The response was linear for kynurenine between 4.9 and 980 fmol injected with a correlation coefficient of 0.9992 (n = 12). The system was evaluated for monitoring tryptophan and kynurenine in the extracellular fluid of the rat brain following systemic administration of tryptophan.     

Determination of tryptophan and its metabolites in human plasma and serum by high-performance liquid chromatography with automated sample clean-up system

An automated high-performance liquid chromatographic method that incorporates direct injection of biological samples followed by chromatographic sample clean-up in a precolumn is described for the determination of tryptophan and its metabolites in human plasma and serum. The system gave reproducible data with a coefficient of variation of less than 3% with a sample size of 100 microliters of human plasma. The major tryptophan metabolites found in 100 microliters of human plasma were kynurenine, indolelactic acid, indoleacetic acid, indolepropionic acid, serotonin and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid. The level of tryptophan and kynurenine in individuals was constant in comparison with other metabolites. Analysis of samples from normal controls, diabetics, gravida and their foetuses showed a tendency for tryptophan metabolites to be low in maternal plasma.     

Chromatographic analysis of tryptophan metabolites

The kynurenine pathway generates multiple tryptophan metabolites called collectively kynurenines and leads to formation of the enzyme cofactor nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide. The first step in this pathway is tryptophan degradation, initiated by the rate‐limiting enzymes indoleamine 2,3‐dioxygenase, or tryptophan 2,3‐dioxygenase, depending on the tissue. The balanced kynurenine metabolism, which has been a subject of multiple studies in last decades, plays an important role in several physiological and pathological conditions such as infections, autoimmunity, neurological disorders, cancer, cataracts, as well as pregnancy. Understanding the regulation of tryptophan depletion provide novel diagnostic and treatment opportunities, however it requires reliable methods for quantification of kynurenines in biological samples with complex composition (body fluids, tissues, or cells). Trace concentrations, interference of sample components, and instability of some tryptophan metabolites need to be addressed using analytical methods. The novel separation approaches and optimized extraction protocols help to overcome difficulties in analyzing kynurenines within the complex tissue material. Recent developments in chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry provide new opportunity for quantification of tryptophan and its degradation products in various biological samples. In this review, we present current accomplishments in the chromatographic methodologies proposed for detection of tryptophan metabolites and provide a guide for choosing the optimal approach.     

Development of molecularly ımprınted polymer based quartz crystal mıcrobalance nanosensor for the determınatıon of tryptophan

ABSTRACT

In this study, a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) nanosensor was prepared to detect tryptophan. QCM nanosensor was prepared through the formation of tryptophan memories on the gold surface of QCM electrode using Methacryloylamidohistidine-Cu(II)-tryptophan ([MAH-Cu(II)]-tryptophan) pre-organised monomer system. The designed pre-organised monomer system was characterised by use of Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) and Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) was used to characterise the QCM nanosensors. After the characterisation studies, imprinted and non-imprinted sensors were connected to QCM system to determine the binding of the target molecule, selectivity and the detection of the amount of target molecule in real samples. The results showed that the imprinted QCM nanosensor had high selectivity for tryptophan.     

Fluorometric Determination of Tryptophan and Its Brain Indoleamine Metabolites by Ion-Pair HPLC

Abstract

The reverse phase HPLC separation of tryptophan, serotonin, 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid, tryptamine and indoleacetic acid using two solvent systems (one of them containing an ion-pairing reagent) is reported. The two low concentration eluents employed are either formic acid/water or 0.005 mol/L solution of 1-pentane sulfonn ic acid. In both cases chromatographic separation was achieved through a linear gradient elution using methanol/water (7/3) as the high concentration eluent. We also describe the variation of retention volumes of these compounds as a function of the pH of the mobile phase. pH values ranged from 1.5 to 4.0 and were obtained by adding either formic acid or NaOH respectively to the low concentration eluent. Tryptophan and its metabolites were detected fluorometrically. All compounds show a linear response in the pg to μg range. The chromatographic separation achieved allows a concurrent measurement of tryptophan and its main indoleamine metabolites which coupled to the high sensitivity of fluorometric detection permits a direct estimation of these metabolic pathways in brain tissue.     

A quantitative high-performance liquid chromatographic method to analyse commercial saffron (Crocus sativus L.) products.

An HPLC method to check components and purity in commercial saffron by photodiode array detection has been developed. The method was suitable for the standard analysis of commercial saffron. Therefore, 10 saffron metabolites responsible for the taste, flavour and colour were identified and quantified with high selectivity, precision and accuracy. Also, some artificial colorants, which can be used as adulterants, were also detected and identified. Three different saffron types were studied and their metabolite concentrations determined at different wavelengths.     

Enhanced pseudotargeted analysis using a segment data dependent acquisition strategy by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry for a metabolomics study of liquiritin in the treatment of depression

An enhanced pseudotargeted method using a segment data‐dependent acquisition mode based on ultra‐high performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry was developed. This segment data dependent acquisition‐based pseudotargeted method could improve the detection of co‐eluted ions and extend the coverage of analytes. A set of 502 multiple reaction monitoring channels were obtained by this segment strategy, which was twice the number created by the traditional data‐dependent acquisition mode. Compared with the untargeted method, the pseudotargeted profiling demonstrated higher sensitivity and higher precision. More than 90% of the metabolites detected by the enhanced pseudotargeted method had relative standard deviations less than 15%. The segment data dependent acquisition‐based pseudotargeted method was successfully applied to the metabolomics study of the depressed rats with the treatment of liquiritin. Forty‐seven differential metabolites were screened and five metabolic pathways were found to be related to depression including retinol metabolism, phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan biosynthesis, phenylalanine metabolism, terpenoid backbone biosynthesis, and lysine degradation. The segment data dependent acquisition‐based pseudotargeted method widened the coverage of metabolites with good sensitivity and precision, which exhibited great potential in the discovery of differential metabolites in metabolomics studies.     

Simultaneous determination of monoamine transmitters, precursors and metabolites in a single mouse brain

A simple and sensitive procedure for simultaneous determination of monoamine transmitters and related substances including precursors and metabolites has been developed for a single mouse brain. The proposed procedure involves (1) primary butanol extraction, (2) separation of the substances into either acid or alkaline aqueous layers according to their physicochemical properties, and (3) determination by means of high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection. Three transmitters (noradrenaline, dopamine and 5-hydroxytryptamine) and their precursors (tyrosine, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine and tryptophan) and major metabolites (normethanephrine, 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylethylene glycol, 3-methoxytyramine, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid, 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid) were selectively separated and sensitively detected in mouse whole brain sample. Although 3-methoxy-4-hydroxymandelic acid was also separated from other substances by authentic chromatography, the substance was not detected in mouse brain. Changes in levels of these substances were examined for drugs whose effects had been previously confirmed. These changes reflected putative effects of the drugs and confirmed that the procedure is effective for neurochemical research into the transmitter system.     

Screening for defects in tryptophan metabolism

We introduced a two-step procedure for the detection of defects in metabolism of tryptophan: (1) HPTLC (described previously) is suitable when starting the investigation, (2) two HPLC methods with isocratic elution and spectrophotometric detection are used at the next step, when pathological findings are to be confirmed and the individual metabolites quantified. The first method enables the assessment of tryptophan, 5-hydroxyindolylacetic acid, indolylacetic acid, indolylacryloylglycine, indolylacrylic acid and its possible precursors, namely indolyllactic and indolylpropionic acids. The second procedure is intended for the monitoring of anthranilic, 3-hydroxyanthranilic, kynurenic and xanthurenic acids, kynurenine, 3-hydroxykynurenine and indoxyl-sulfate. The same pre-treated sample is used for all methods.     

Development of a fluorimetric detection method for cinnabarinic acid using ortho‐tolyl hydrazine as the derivatization reagent

A fluorimetric detection method for one of the tryptophan metabolites, cinnabarinic acid (CA), which has recently been reported to have the ability to induce apoptosis in thymocytes, was developed using o‐tolyl hydrazine (TH) as the derivatization reagent. The carbonyl group at position 3 in CA was tagged with the hydrazino moiety of TH at 100°C for 30 min, and the generated derivative, CA tagged with TH, fluoresced at 412 nm with a 316 nm excitation wavelength. The CA tagged with TH was separated on a reversed‐phase HPLC and detected fluorometrically. The relative standard deviation was in the range of 1.1–8.9% (n = 3), and the detection limit was approximately 12?fmol (signal‐to‐noise ratio, 3). The proposed HPLC method can be useful for the sensitive detection of CA. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Son, Ltd.     

Determination of monoamines and indoles in amniotic fluid by high-performance liquid chromatography-electrochemical detection.

A technique is presented for the separation and detection in amniotic fluid of various substances associated with catecholamine metabolism. Monoamines and their metabolites were separated using reversed-phase ion-pair high-performance liquid chromatography. Detection and quantification were performed electrochemically. The retention times of 28 standards associated with the monoamines and their precursors and metabolites were evaluated with 14 different eluents. On the basis of the retention times of each standard and the modification of the retention times of the various peaks detected in amniotic fluid, the following substances were identified in this biological fluid: 4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenylacetic acid, 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid, 4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenylglycol, epinephrine, 4-hydroxy-3-methoxymandelic acid, octopamine, tyrosine and tryptophan.     

基于柱前衍生-超高效液相色谱-质谱联用技术的植物提取液中氨基化合物代谢谱分析

氨基化合物在植物生长发育中起着重要作用。本文建立了一种基于柱前衍生-超高效液相色谱-质谱联用技术的植物提取液中氨基化合物代谢谱的分析方法。以烟草鲜叶为例,共检测出87种氨基化合物。其中43种氨基化合物的定量分析结果表明,方法的线性相关系数在0.993~0.999之间,线性范围可达到4个数量级,检出限为0.03~6.58 ng/mL,日内、日间精密度分别为0.7%~15.6%、0.8%~22.9%,回收率为74.4%~122.7%。采用该方法考察了打顶对不同部位烟草鲜叶中氨基化合物代谢谱的影响,结果显示打顶处理对上部叶影响最大,打顶后上部叶氮代谢主要流向生物碱合成方向。该方法充分利用了三重四极杆串联质谱和高分辨串联质谱技术的优势,可实现植物提取液中氨基代谢物的高选择性、高灵敏度分析。     

Determination of tryptophan and metabolites in rat brain and pineal tissue by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection

Tryptophan and many of its indole metabolites were separated using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and determined using electrochemical detection. This was accomplished isocratically using an acetate--citric acid eluent with various amounts of methanol. Brain and pineal tissue was analyzed for several tryptophan metabolites. Tissue preparation required only homogenization in acidic solution and centrifugation prior to application to the HPLC column. Detection limits in the low picogram range were found for those indoles separated.     

Development of simultaneous analysis of tryptophan metabolites in serum and gastric juice – an investigation towards establishing a biomarker test for gastric cancer diagnosis

To evaluate changes in tryptophan metabolism and discover diagnostic biomarkers for gastric cancer, a quantitative method was developed for tryptophan and its seven metabolites (indole‐3‐lactic acid, anthranilic acid, serotonin, nicotinic acid, kynurenic acid, kynurenine and 3‐indoxyl sulfate) in both human serum and gastric juice using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS). Serum and gastric juice were prepared with a simple protein precipitation using aqueous 0.1% formic acid and acetonitrile. As a result, it was found that the kynurenine pathway of tryptophan metabolism was activated in gastric cancer and that the metabolic ratio of kynurenine/tryptophan, which reflects the enzyme activity of indoleamine‐2,3‐dioxygenase, was associated with the observed metabolic changes. Finally, the investigation of tryptophan metabolites, especially kynurenic acid, in serum and gastric juice might serve as biomarkers for gastric cancer. The findings in this study provide critical information of tryptophan metabolism which can be applied to a serum‐based diagnostic test for gastric cancer.     

Rapid screening and characterization of drug metabolites using multiple ion monitoring dependent product ion scan and postacquisition data mining on a hybrid triple quadrupole‐linear ion trap mass spectrometer

Multiple ion monitoring (MIM)‐dependent acquisition with a triple quadrupole‐linear ion trap mass spectrometer (Q‐trap) was previously developed for drug metabolite profiling. In the analysis, multiple predicted metabolite ions are monitored in both Q1 and Q3 regardless of their fragmentations. The collision energy in Q2 is set to a low value to minimize fragmentation. Once an expected metabolite is detected by MIM, enhanced product ion (EPI) spectral acquisition of the metabolite is triggered. To analyze in vitro metabolites, MIM‐EPI retains the sensitivity and selectivity similar to that of multiple reaction monitoring (MRM)‐EPI in the analysis of in vitro metabolites. Here we present an improved approach utilizing MIM‐EPI for data acquisition and multiple data mining techniques for detection of metabolite ions and recovery of their MS/MS spectra. The postacquisition data processing tools included extracted ion chromatographic analysis, product ion filtering and neutral loss filtering. The effectiveness of this approach was evaluated by analyzing oxidative metabolites of indinavir and glutathione (GSH) conjugates of clozapine and 4‐ethylphenol in liver microsome incubations. Results showed that the MIM‐EPI‐based data mining approach allowed for comprehensive detection of metabolites based on predicted protonated molecules, product ions or neutral losses without predetermination of the parent drug MS/MS spectra. Additionally, it enabled metabolite detection and MS/MS acquisition in a single injection. This approach is potentially useful in high‐throughout screening of metabolic soft spots and reactive metabolites at the drug discovery stage. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Simultaneous measurement of tyrosine, tryptophan and related monoamines for determination of neurotransmitter turnover in discrete rat brain regions by liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection

Concomitant measurement of monoamine neurotransmitter turnover in discrete rat brain areas with the use of radiolabeled amino acid precursors permits simultaneous evaluation of interacting transmitter systems. [3H]Tyrosine and [3H]tryptophan were administered via indwelling catheters to unrestrained rats. Content and specific activity of norepinephrine, dopamine, 5-hydroxytryptamine, and the metabolites dihydroxyphenylacetic acid, homovanillic acid, and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid in addition to tyrosine and tryptophan were quantified by liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection and liquid scintillation counting. The method employs a simple extraction procedure without prior cleanup for chromatography. Neurotransmitter turnover rates that incorporated tyrosine- or tryptophan-specific activities were found to be two to four times greater than those that did not include them.     

Untargeted Tumor Metabolomics with Liquid Chromatography–Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy

Metabolomics is a powerful systems biology approach that monitors changes in biomolecule concentrations to diagnose and monitor health and disease. However, leading metabolomics technologies, such as NMR and mass spectrometry (MS), access only a small portion of the metabolome. Now an approach is presented that uses the high sensitivity and chemical specificity of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) for online detection of metabolites from tumor lysates following liquid chromatography (LC). The results demonstrate that this LC-SERS approach has metabolite detection capabilities comparable to the state-of-art LC-MS but suggest a selectivity for the detection of a different subset of metabolites. Analysis of replicate LC-SERS experiments exhibit reproducible metabolite patterns that can be converted into barcodes, which can differentiate different tumor models. Our work demonstrates the potential of LC-SERS technology for metabolomics-based diagnosis and treatment of cancer.