Determination of Free Fatty Acids by Diphasic-Two Dimensional TLC-Fluorescence Spectrodensitometry

Abstract

A sensitive method for the determination of fatty acids is presented. Free fatty acids (20pg-lμg), were first covalently reacted in a displacement reaction with a 70 μM solution of the fluorescent probe, 4-bromomethy 1–6, 7-dimethoxy-coumarin (Br- Mdmc) and the fluorescence-labelled fatty acid esters were separated in a diphasic-two dimensional high performance thin layer chromatographic system (diphasic-2D-TLC). This system consisted of a reversed phase C18 layer (2 × 10 cm) interfaced with a AgNO3-modified silica gel layer (10 × 10 cm). Aliquots of the reeaction mixture were streaked onto the C18 layer, and the plates developed in the first dimension using acetonitrile-acetone-methanol-water (60:20:10:10, v/v/v/v) (solvent 1) as the mobile phase. Development in this dimension gave separation based on the number of carbons. Following the first development, the plates were dried and the silica gel layer impregnated with a saturated solution of AgNO3 in methanol. The plates were then predeveloped in the second dimension in chloroform-ethyl acctate-acetonitrile (90:8:2, v/v/v) (solvent 2) to the plate interphase, and developed in solvent 2 in the second dimension. Development in the AgNO3-modified silica gel, allowed separation based on the number of double bonds. The fluorescent bands were scanned with a Shimadzu CS-9000 spectrodensitometer in the fluorescent mode, using 352 nm as the excitation wavelength and a cut-off filter at 400 nm. Baseline resolution was obtained for all 15 fatty acids tested. The lower linear detector response extended to 0.13 pmol. This method provids a sensitive means of analysis of fatty acids present in biological systems.