Determination of polyamines in urine of normal human and cancer patients by capillary gas chromatography

A capillary gas chromatographic method is described for the determination of polyamines (putrescine, spermidine and spermine) in the urine of normal human and cancer patients. Morning urine after acid hydrolysis is cleaned up on a silica gel column and derivatized with trifluoroacetic-anhydride. Creatinine in human urine is used as internal standard. Recoveries of polyamines are 96.7% putrescine, 102.6% spermidine (Spd), and 98.7% spermine. SD of the method for Spd is 1.949 +/- 0.041 (micrograms/mg creatinine, mean +/- SD, n = 5). The results show that the mean level of polyamines in cancer patients urine is much higher than that in normal human urine. The mean of total polyamines in the normal human and the cancer patients is 2.01 and 44.74, respectively (g/mg creatinine).     

Analysis of polyamines as carbamoyl derivatives in urine and serum by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

A quantitative analysis of polyamines in urine and serum by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) is described. The polyamines were carbamylated with isobutyl chloroformate, extracted with diethyl ether under pH 9.0, and analyzed by LC-MS/MS with single reaction monitoring mode. The limit of quantification was 1 ng/mL based on a signal-to-noise ratio>3, and the correlation coefficient (r2) for the calibration curves was >0.99 for both urine and serum samples. The present method was applied to urine and serum samples from 30 breast cancer patients and 30 normal female controls. There was no significant difference in the urinary polyamine levels between breast cancer patients and controls. However, 1,3-diaminopropane, putrescine, spermine and N-acetylspermidine levels in serum increased in breast cancer patients. These four serum polyamines may be a good index to study both production and metabolism of polyamines, and a useful tool in assessment of the polyamine status of breast cancer patients.     

Determination of polyamines in human urine by precolumn derivatization with benzoyl chloride and high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with Q-time-of-flight mass spectrometry

A simple and sensitive HPLC/Q-TOF MS method for simultaneous determination of 1,3-diaminopropane, putrescine, cadaverine, spermidine, spermine and acetyl-spermine in human urine was developed in electrospray-ionization source by positive ion mode. The samples were firstly pretreated by 10% HClO₄ and then derivatized by benzoyl chloride with 1,6-diaminohexane as internal standard. The derived polyamines were separated on a C₁₈ column by a gradient elution with methanol-water, and then sensitively detected with Q-TOF MS. The limits of detection for polyamines ranged from 0.02 to 1.0 ng ml⁻¹ with excellent linearity within the range from 1 to 1000 ng ml⁻¹ except acetyl-spermine from 5 to 1000 ng ml⁻¹. The intra- and inter-day R.S.D. for all polyamines were 2.0-14.7% and 3.9-12.9%, respectively. The method was applied to determine the polyamines in human urine from 10 cancer patients and 15 healthy volunteers. Results showed that the mean levels of polyamines in urine of patients were all higher than those in healthy volunteers. The cluster analysis was used to establish the distinction mode between cancer sufferers and healthy individuals.     

高效液相色谱－电化学检测法测定尿液中的多胺

在已报道的高效液相色谱－电化学检测多胺方法研究的基础上，又进一步探讨了该方法用于尿样本测定的各种条件，并测定了健康志愿者及肿瘤患者尿液中的多胺。结果显示肿瘤患者未水解及水解尿液中的腐胺、尸胺的平均值高于健康志愿者。     

人尿中多胺的离子交换富集和气相色谱测定

以离子交换法对尿样中的多胺进行预分离富集，确定了最佳的离子交换条件，同时比较了三种不同酰化剂的酰化效果，确定了最佳酰化条件，并用毛细管气相色谱法测定了尿中腐胺，尸胺，精脒，精胺的含量，结果表明癌症病人尿中多胺含量高于正常人。     

Determination of polyamine metabolome in plasma and urine by ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method: Application to identify potential markers for human hepatic cancer

To evaluate the potential relationship between cancer and polyamine metabolome, a UHPLC–MS/MS method has been developed and validated for simultaneous determination of polyamine precursors, polyamines, polyamine catabolite in human plasma and urine. Polyamine precursors including l-ornithine, lysine, l-arginine and S-adenosyl-l-methionine; polyamines including 1,3-diaminopropane, putrescine, cadaverine, spermidine, spermine, agmatine, N-acetylputrescine, N-acetylspermine and N-acetylspermidine; polyamine catabolite including γ-aminobutyric acid had been determined. The analytes were extracted from plasma and urine samples by protein precipitation procedure, and then separated on a Shim-pack XR-ODS column with 0.05% heptafluorobutyric acid (HFBA) in methanol and 0.05% HFBA in water. The detection was performed on UHPLC–MS/MS system with turbo ion spray source in the positive ion and multiple reaction-monitoring mode. The limits of quantitation for all analytes were within 0.125–31.25 ng mL⁻¹ in plasma and urine. The absolute recoveries of analytes from plasma and urine were all more than 50%. By means of the method developed, the plasma and urine samples from hepatic cancer patients and healthy age-matched volunteers had been successfully determined. Results showed that putrescine and spermidine in hepatic cancerous plasma were significant higher than those in healthy ones, while spermidine, spermine and N-acetylspermidine in hepatic cancerous urine were significant higher than those in healthy ones. The methods demonstrated the changes of polyamine metabolome occurring in plasma and urine from human subjects with hepatic cancer. It could be a powerful manner to indicate and treat hepatic cancer in its earliest indicative stages.     

Montmorillonite-supramolecular hydrogel hybrid for fluorocolorimetric sensing of polyamines

Fluorescent sensor materials for rapidly and conveniently detecting polyamines in biological fluids are highly desirable for cancer diagnosis. We herein describe the hybridization of a supramolecular hydrogel with a layered inorganic host adsorbing a fluorescent dye which produces a fluorocolorimetric sensor for spermine and spermidine, important biomarkers for cancers, in artificial urine.     

Liquid chromatographic determination of polyamines in human urine based on intramolecular excimer-forming fluorescence derivatization using 4-(1-pyrene)butanoyl chloride

A liquid chromatographic method for highly sensitive and selective fluorometric determination of polyamines (putrescine, cadaverine, spermidine and spermine) in human urine is described. This method is based on an intramolecular excimer-forming fluorescence derivatization with a pyrene reagent, 4-(1-pyrene)butanoyl chloride (PBC), followed by reversed-phase liquid chromatography. The method offers higher sensitivity for determination of spermidine and spermine than previously reported method utilizing 4-(1-pyrene)butyric acid N-hydroxysuccinimide ester as a derivatization reagent. Samples containing free polyamines in diluted human urine were directly derivatized with PBC and separated on an octyl column. The derivatives were detected at excitation 345 and emission 475 nm wavelengths. For determination of total polyamine content, the conjugated polyamines were first hydrolyzed in 4 M HCl. The detection limits (signal-to-noise ratio = 3) for polyamines in urine were 1.1-3.4 pmol/mL. At optimized derivatization and chromatographic conditions, interferences such as biogenic monoamines gave no peaks or the peaks did not interfere with the peaks of polyamine derivatives. In conclusion, the present derivatization method allows direct determination of polyamines in human urine samples without the need for sample clean-up procedures.     

Determination of polyamines in urine via electrospun nanofibers–based solid-phase extraction coupled with GC-MS and application to gastric cancer patients

The simultaneous determination of polyamines and their metabolites in urine samples was achieved by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry in the selected ion monitoring mode. After conjugating with the ion-pair reagent bis-2-ethylhexylphosphate in the aqueous phase, the polyamines in the samples were extracted with polystyrene nanofiber-based packed-fiber solid-phase extraction followed by a derivatization step using pentafluoropropionyl anhydride. With optimal conditions, all analytes were separated well. For analytes of putrescine, cadaverine, N-acetylputrescine, and N-acetylcadaverine, the linearity was good in the range of 0.05–500 μmol/L (R² ≥ 0.993). While for spermidine, spermine, acetylspermidine, N⁸-acetylspermidine, and N-acetylspermine, the linearity was good in the range of 0.5–500 μmol/L (R² ≥ 0.990). The recoveries of three spiked concentrations (0.5, 5, 300 μmol/L) were 85.6%–108.4%, and relative standard deviations for intra- and interday were in the range of 2.9%–13.4% and 4.5%–15.1%, respectively. The method was successfully applied to the analysis of urine samples of gastric cancer patients. The results showed that the levels of most polyamines and N-acetylated polyamines from the patient group were significantly higher than those from the control group. The altered concentrations of the above-mentioned metabolites suggest their role in the pathogenesis of gastric cancer, and they should be further evaluated as potential markers of gastric cancer.     

Sensitive fluorimetric method for the determination of putrescine, spermidine and spermine by high-performance liquid chromatography and its application to human blood

A fast and sensitive method for the determination of putrescine, spermidine and spermine by high-performance liquid chromatography is described. These compounds are converted to their fluorescent dansyl derivatives and are separated by a reversed-phase chromatographic system (Micropak CH-10) with water and acetonitrile as mobile phase. The sensitivity of the method is 30 pmoles. The application of the method to the determination of polyamines in blood is described. It was found that most of the polyamines circulating in blood are localized in the erythrocytes, their content in normal human blood being spermidine 14.1 +/- 3.1, and spermine 8.4 +/- 2.8 nmoles/ml packed erythrocytes. The polyamine level in serum is less than 0.1 nmole/ml. The polyamine content of the erythrocytes from patients with malignant neoplasms was significantly elevated.     

Mass fragmentographic identification of polyamine metabolites in the urine of normal persons and cancer patients, and its relevance to the use of polyamines as tumour markers

The mass fragmentographic identification of N-(2-carboxyethyl)-4-amino-n-butyric acid, N-(3-aminopropyl)-N1-(2-carboxyethyl)-1,4-diaminobutane, N,N1-bis(2-carboxyethyl)-1,4-diaminobutane, and delta-aminovaleric acid in acid-hydrolysed urines of a normal person and two cancer patients is described. A previous study, in which the metabolic fate of intraperitoneally injected polyamines in rats was investigated, revealed that these compounds should be considered as non-alpha-amino acid metabolites of the naturally occurring polyamines. Quantification of polyamines and their non-alpha-amino acid metabolites by gas chromatography with nitrogen--phosphorus detection showed that, relative to the parent polyamines, humans normally excrete higher quantities of polyamine catabolites in urine than rats, suggesting that humans catabolize polyamines more efficiently. As illustrated by the follow-up of the concentrations of polyamines and their catabolites in the urine of a patient with high-grade non-Hodgkin lymphoma during chemotherapy, the catabolic pressure on polyamines may be considerably increased during neoplastic diseases, since an even higher proportion of oxidized polyamine metabolites was observed. It is therefore suggested that the additional measurement of the circulating concentrations of polyamine-degrading enzymes is of importance for the correct interpretation of polyamine (metabolite) determinations for oncological purposes.     

Solid-phase extraction and determination of dansyl derivatives of unconjugated and acetylated polyamines by reversed-phase liquid chromatography: improved separation systems for polyamines in cerebrospinal fluid, urine and tissue

A sensitive and simple liquid chromatographic assay with fluorometric detection for unconjugated and acetylated polyamines in biological fluids is described. After precolumn derivatization with dansyl chloride, unconjugated polyamines and acetylated polyamines were extracted by elution from a Bond-Elut C18 column and then separated on a reversed-phase column with gradient elution. The complete analysis of unconjugated putrescine, spermidine, and spermine in either hydrolyzed urine, cerebrospinal fluid or tissue could be accomplished within 20-26 min, while the simultaneous analysis of unconjugated polyamines and monoacetylpolyamines could be completed within 40 min. Unhydrolyzed urine and cerebrospinal fluid required a Bond-Elut cation-exchange clean-up before dansylation. Standard curves for the assay were linear up to 20 nmol/ml, and the within-day and day-to-day coefficients of variation were between 1.1 and 4.6% and between 1.6 and 11.8%, respectively. Results obtained with the method were compared with results obtained with a well established modified amino acid analyzer method for urine, tissue and cerebrospinal fluid samples. The correlation coefficients between these two methods were in the range 0.933-0.996. Detection limits between 50 and 150 fmol were achieved for unconjugated and acetylated polyamines. Of more than twenty drugs and amines tested for possible interference with the assay, only normetanephrine was found to have the same retention time as the internal standard 1,6-diaminohexane.     

Estimation of urinary diamines and polyamines by thin-layer chromatography

The dansylated derivatives of ammonia, 1.3-diaminopropane, 1,4-diaminobutane, 1,5-diaminopentane, spermidine, histamine, and spermine were separated by one ascending development in chloroform—triethylamine (5:1) on a 250-μm silica gel 60 plate. Putrescine, cadaverine, spermidine, and spermine in human urine were quantitated by a direct scan of the fluorescent intensity of the spots corresponding to these compounds. Higher amounts of spermidine and spermine were found in the urines of cancer patients compared to the values of these substances in normal urine.     

Determination of polyamines in human plasma by high‐performance liquid chromatography coupled with Q‐TOF mass spectrometry

A high‐performance liquid chromatography coupled with Q‐time of flight mass spectrometry (HPLC/Q‐TOF MS) method was developed and validated for the determination of 1, 3‐diaminopropane, putrescine, cadaverine, spermidine and spermine in human plasma. The plasma samples were first pretreated by 10% HClO₄ and then derived by benzoyl chloride with 1, 6‐diaminohexane as internal standard. The derived polyamines were separated on a C₁₈ column using a gradient program. The detection was performed on a Q‐TOF MS by positive ionization mode. Calibration curve for each polyamine was obtained in the concentration range of 0.4 ~ 200.0 ng ? ml^?1, with limit of detection of 0.02 ~ 0.1 ng ? ml^?1. The intra‐ and inter‐day RSD for all polyamines were 2.5–14.0% and 2.9 ~ 13.4%, respectively. The method was applied to determine the polyamines in human plasma from cancer patients and healthy volunteers. Results showed that the mean levels of polyamines in the plasma of cancer patients were higher than that of healthy volunteers, which suggested that the plasma polyamines could be employed as cancer diagnostic indicators in clinical testing. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

High performance liquid chromatography of biological polyamines using immobilized enzyme as post-column reactor followed by electrochemical detection

A novel analytical method for biological polyamines (putrescine, spermidine and spermine) was developed. Polyamines were separated by ion-pair reversed phase chromatography using a polymer-based octadecyl bonded column. A polyamine oxidase immobilized column worked effectively as a post-column reactor to convert polyamines to hydrogen peroxide which was eventually detected by electrochemical oxidation on platinum electrode. This method required neither tedious derivatization nor gradient elution, permitting us to perform simple and rapid analysis of polyamines. The detection limits were 0.3, 0.6, and 4 pmol injected for putrescine, spermidine, and spermine, respectively with a linear range of two to three orders of magnitude. Chromatograms obtained with samples from human urine and rat brain homogenates demonstrated the high sensitivity and selectivity of the method.     

尿多胺含量与血液系统恶性肿瘤关系的研究——毛细管气相色谱分析尿中多胺

用毛细管色谱柱配以氮磷检测器测定尿中多胺,对几例白血病患者和正常人尿中多胺定性和半定量。结果表明白血病患者尿中多胺总量高于正常人;化疗后较化疗前尿多胺含量明显降低。本法在临床诊断、治疗监视和预后方面均有重要意义。     

一种癌症早期检测的新方法——尿液的荧光光谱

比较了癌症患者尿液自体荧光光谱与健康人尿液自体荧光光谱的差异，提出了用荧光试剂与尿液中的某些组分反应生成新的发光体，用于癌症患者病情确诊的辅助手段；实验结果表明，直肠癌、鼻咽癌、结节状组织细胞淋巴瘤、肺癌及其它癌症的阳性率分别为71％、71％、67％、50％、61％，该法适于健康普查，将有利于癌症的早期发现，提高癌症的治愈率。     

Selective fluorometric detection of polyamines using micellar electrokinetic chromatography with laser-induced fluorescence detection

The polyamines putrescine, cadaverine, spermine and spermidine were separated and quantified by micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) with laser-induced fluorescence detection. The derivatization reagent, 1-pyrenebutanoic acid succinimidyl ester (PSE), allowed for the selective detection of the polyamines at 490 nm. Multiple labeling of the polyamines with PSE allows the formation of intramolecular excimers that emit at longer wavelengths (450-520 nm) than mono-labeled analytes (360-420 nm). Optimal separation of the labeled polyamines was achieved using a separation buffer consisting of 10 mM phosphate pH 7.2, 30 mM cholate, and 30% acetonitrile. Using these conditions, the four polyamines were separated in under 10 min. Limits of detection for putrescine, cadaverine, spermine and spermidine were 6, 5, 15 and 13 nM, respectively. These are superior or comparable to those previously reported in the literature using fluorescence detection.     

HPLC of 9-fluorenylmethylchloroformate-polyamine derivatives with fluorescence detection

Summary There are a number of reagents available for fluorescent labelling of primary amines. These include dansyl chloride, o-phthalaldehyde, fluorescamine, and a new reagent, 9-fluorenylmethylchloroformate (FMOC), reported recently. This paper describes a reversed-phase HPLC procedure for the separation and fluorescence detection of polyamines following pre-column derivatization with FMOC. The polyamines studied by this method include putrescine, cadaverine, spermidine, and spermine. Experiments were carried out to determine maximum fluorescence excitation and emission wavelengths, optimum reaction pH, linear ranges, and minimum detection limits for each of the polyamines. The HPLC method includes a gradient program which provides complete separation from serum hydrolysate components and specificity for the four polyamines with detection limits ranging from 2 to 9 pg. This procedure was applied to hydrolyzed serum samples.     

Evaluation of peroxyoxalate chemiluminescence postcolumn detection of fluphenazine in urine and blood plasma using high performance liquid chromatography

Peroxyoxalate chemiluminescence may be used for sensitive postcolumn detection of phenothiazine analytes separated by high performance liquid chromatography with appropriate optimization of measurement conditions such as solvent, pH and oxalate ester. Detectability of fluorescent analytes by chemical excitation varies greatly, but analytes with low oxidation potentials are generally more readily detected at low levels, as demonstrated for phenothiazines, an important class of fluorescent drugs. Some improvement in detection limits is observed for fluphenazine when chemiluminescence detection is compared to conventional fluorescence detection. Because of the specificity of chemical excitation, fewer interferences from fluorescent impurities in a urine matrix are observed.