Kamila Borowczyk

Determination of cysteine and glutathione in cucumber leaves by HPLC with UV detection

Cysteine (Cys) and glutathione (GSH) have been identified as key players in redox-based defense and signaling under stress in plants. Here, we describe a new high-performance liquid chromatography assay for the determination of four different forms of Cys and GSH, based on reduction of disulfide bonds with tris(2-carboxyethyl)phosphine followed by derivatization with 2-chloro-1-methylquinolinium tetrafluoroborate and UV detection. The presented method allows facile determination of total, reduced, free and protein bound aminothiols in cucumber leaves. Via this simple yet efficient method very good precision as well as accuracy were obtained. Linearity in detector response was observed over the range of 5–100 μmol L−1 for GSH and 1–20 μmol L−1 for Cys. The LOQs for GSH and Cys were 5 μmol L−1 and 1 μmol L−1 homogenate of cucumber leaf, respectively.

Simultaneous determination of albumin and low-molecular-mass thiols in plasma by HPLC with UV detection

In this paper, we describe a simple and robust HPLC based method for determination of total low- and high-molecular-mass thiols, protein S-linked thiols and reduced albumin in plasma. The method is based on derivatization of analytes with 2-chloro-1-methylquinolinium tetrafluoroborate, separation and quantification by reversed-phase liquid chromatography followed by UV detection. Disulfides were converted to their thiol counterparts by reductive cleavage with tris(2-carboxyethyl)phosphine. Linearity in detector response for total thiols was observed over the range of 1-40 μmol L(-1) for Hcy and glutathione (GSH), 5-100 μmol L(-1) for Cys-Gly, 20-300 μmol L(-1) for Cys and 3.1-37.5 μmol L(-1) (0.2-2.4gL(-1)) for human serum albumin (HSA). For the protein S-bound forms these values were as follows: 0.5-30 μmol L(-1) for Hcy and GSH, 2.5-60 μmol L(-1) for Cys-Gly and 5-200 μmol L(-1) for Cys. The LOQs for total HSA, Cys, Hcy, Cys-Gly and GSH were 0.5, 0.2, 0.4, 0.3 and 0.4 μmol L(-1), respectively. The estimated validation parameters for all analytes are more than sufficient to allow the analytical method to be used for monitoring of the total and protein bound thiols as well as redox status of HSA in plasma.

Simple micellar electrokinetic chromatography method for the determination of hydrogen sulfide in hen tissues

A new method for the determination of hydrogen sulfide in hen tissues has been developed and validated. For estimation of hydrogen sulfide content, a sample (0.1 g) of hen tissue was treated according to the procedure consisted of some essential steps: simultaneous homogenization of a tissue and derivatization of hydrogen sulfide to its S‐quinolinium derivative with 2‐chloro‐1‐methylquinolinium tetrafluoroborate, separation of so‐formed derivative by micellar electrokinetic chromatography with sweeping, and detection and quantitation with the use of UV detector set to measure analytical signals at 375 nm. Effective electrophoretic separation was achieved using fused silica capillary (effective length 41.5 cm, 75 μm id) and 0.05 mol/L, pH 8 phosphate buffer with the addition of 0.04 mol/L SDS and 26% ACN. The lower limit of quantification was 0.12 μmol hydrogen sulfide in 1 g of tissue. The calibration curve prepared in tissue homogenate for hydrogen sulfide showed linearity in the range from 0.15 to 2.0 μmol/g, with the coefficient of correlation 0.9978. The relative standard deviation of the points of the calibration curve varied from 8.3 to 3.2% RSD.

Influence of Pre-Storage Irradiation on the Oxidative Stress Markers, Membrane Integrity, Size and Shape of the Cold Stored Red Blood Cells

Background: To investigate the extent of oxidative damage and changes in morphology of manually isolated red blood cells (RBCs) from whole blood, cold stored (up to 20 days) in polystyrene tubes and subjected to pre-storage irradiation (50 Gy) and to compare the properties of SAGM-preserved RBCs stored under experimental conditions (polystyrene tubes) with RBCs from standard blood bag storage. Methods: The percentage of hemolysis as well as the extracellular activity of LDH, thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances, reduced glutathione (GSH), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) were measured. Changes in the topology of RBC membrane, shape, and size were evaluated by flow cytometry and judged against microscopy images. Results: Irradiation caused significant LDH release as well as increased hemolysis and lipid peroxidation, GSH depletion, and reduction of TAC. Prolonged storage of irradiated RBCs resulted in phosphatidylserine exposure on the cell surface. By day 20, approximately 60% of RBCs displayed non-discoid shape. We did not notice significant differences in percentage of altered cells and cell volume between RBCs exposed to irradiation and those not exposed. Conclusion: Irradiation of RBC transfusion units with a dose of 50 Gy should be avoided. For research purposes such as studying the role of antioxidants, storage of small volumes of RBCs derived from the same donor would be more useful, cheaper, and blood-saving.

Determination of lipoic acid in biological samples

α-Lipoic acid (LA) is a unique antioxidant that is not only effective in affording protection against oxidative stress but also plays an essential role in metabolic processes of all living organisms. Therefore, the determination of LA and its metabolites content is crucial for understanding their physiological and pathophysiological functions. Most of the recently developed methods for the detection and determination of LA and its metabolites in various biological samples have focused on sample preparation procedures involving but not limited to sampling, extraction and storage. The main goal of this review is to summarize and critically evaluate the current state of the art of analytical procedures applied to the determination of LA and related compounds in biological samples.

A simple HPLC—UV method for simultaneous determination of cysteine and cysteinylglycine in biological fluids

A new and simple method based on high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection (HPLC-UV) for the determination of cysteine (Cys) and cysteinylglycine (CysGly) in plasma and urine has been developed. The method involves reduction of disulfide bonds with tris(2-carboxyethyl)phosphine, derivatization of the analytes with 2-chloro-1-methylquinolinium tetrafluoroborate, and separation on Aeris PEPTIDE XB-C18 column (150 mm × 4.6 mm, 3.6 μm, Phenomenex) with UV detection at 355 nm. The calibration lines, obtained with human plasma and urine spiked with Cys- Gly and Cys, were linear in the range of 2.5–50 μmol L−1 and 20–300 μmol L−1, respectively. The intra- and inter-day precision values of the method, expressed as a relative standard deviation, were 0.25–11.1% and 0.71–12.3%, respectively. The analytical recovery varied from 89.7 to 112.3%. The LOQs for total Cys and CysGly were 1.5 pmol and 2.3 pmol in peak, respectively. The method was successfully applied to samples donated by apparentl...

Simultaneous Determination of Methionine and Homocysteine by on-column derivatization with o-phtaldialdehyde

A fast and simple HPLC-based assay has been developed for the simultaneous determination of homocysteine (Hcy) and methionine (Met) in plasma and urine samples, utilizing as small volume of sample as 10μL. The assay uses on-column derivatization with o-phthaldialdehyde. The separation of Hcy and Met was achieved in 14min on a reversed phase C-18 column, followed by fluorescence detection (excitation at 348nm and emission at 438nm for Met; excitation at 370nm and emission at 480nm for Hcy). Linearity of the detector response was observed in the range of 2-60 μmol L-1 for Met and 2-40 μmol L-1 for Hcy. The method was successfully applied for Met and Hcy quantification in human and mouse plasma and urine samples from cystathionine β-synthase deficient and unaffected individuals.

Paraoxonase 1 Q192R genotype and activity affect homocysteine thiolactone levels in humans

Genetic or nutritional deficiencies in 1 carbon and homocysteine (Hcy) metabolism elevate Hcy‐ thiolactone levels and are associated with cardiovascular and neurologic diseases. Hcy‐thiolactone causes protein damage, cellular toxicity, and proatherogenic changes in gene expression in human cells and tissues. A polymorphic cardio‐protective enzyme, paraoxonase 1 (PON1), hydrolyzes Hcy‐thiolactone in vitro. However, whether Hcy‐ thiolactone hydrolysis is a physiologic function of the PON1 protein and whether polymorphisms in the PON1 gene affect Hcy‐thiolactone levels in humans was unknown. Here we show that the PON1–192 genotype, which affects the enzymatic activity of the PON1 protein, also affected urinary Hcy‐thiolactone levels, normalized to creatinine. Carriers of the PON1–192R allele had significantly lowerHcy‐thiolactone/creatinine levels than individuals carrying the PON1–192Q allele. Individuals with low serum PON1 paraoxonase activity had significantly higher Hcy‐ thiolactone/creatinine levels compared with individuals with high paraoxonase activity. In contrast, Hcy‐ thiolactone/creatinine levels were unaffected by serum PON1 arylesterase activity or by PON1 protein levels. Taken together, these findings suggest that PON1 hydrolyzes Hcy‐thiolactone in humans and that the in terindividual variations in PON1 genotype/activity can modulate the pathology of hyperhomocysteinemia.—Perla‐Kaján, J., Borowczyk, K., Glowacki, R., Nygard, O., Jakubowski, H. Paraoxonase 1 Q192R genotype and activity affect homocysteine thiolactone levels in humans. 32, 6019–6024 (2018). www.fasebj.org

Determination of Total Apigenin in Herbs by Micellar Electrokinetic Chromatography with UV Detection

Apigenin is a naturally occurring plant flavone that exhibits strong antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antitumor properties. A MEKC-UV based method was developed for the determination of total apigenin in selected herbs. Application of pseudostationary phase in the form of SDS micelles resulted in great repeatability of retention times and peak areas. A buffer solution consisting of 30 mmol/L sodium borate (pH 10.2), 10% acetonitrile, and 10 mmol/L sodium dodecyl sulfate was found to be the most suitable BGE for the separation. The method was validated and calibrated for total apigenin in the range of 1.0–100 μmol/L (R 2 = 0.9994). The limits of detection and quantification were 0.48 μmol/L and 0.92 μmol/L, respectively. This precise and robust method was successfully applied to the analysis of plant samples for total apigenin content.

Application of GC–MS technique for the determination of homocysteine thiolactone in human urine

It is well established that homocysteine thiolactone (HTL) is associated with some health disorders, including cardiovascular diseases. HTL is a by-product of sulfur metabolic cycle. So far, its presence has been confirmed in human plasma and urine. It has been also shown that a vast majority of HTL is removed from human body through kidney. Thus, the aim of the current investigations has been the identification, separation and quantification of HTL in urine samples. For the first time a cheap, reliable and robust GC-MS method was developed for the determination of HTL in human urine in the form of its volatile isobutyl chloroformate derivative. Separation of the analyte and internal standard (homoserine lactone (HSL)) was achieved in 15 min followed by mass spectrometry detection (MS). Isocratic elution was accomplished with helium at a flow rate of 1 mL min-1 and a gradient of the column temperature was concomitant with the analysis. The mass spectrometer was set to the electron impact mode at 70 eV. The ion source, quadrupole and MS interface temperatures were set to 230 °C, 150 °C and 250 °C, respectively. Elaborated analytical procedure allows quantification of analyte in a linear range of 0.01-0.20 nmol mL-1 urine. The LOQ and LOD values were 0.01 and 0.005 nmol mL-1, respectively. The method accuracy ranged from 98.0% to 103.2%, while precision varied from 6.4% to 9.5% and from 10.7% to 16.9% for intra- and inter-day measurements, respectively. Finally, the method has been successfully implemented in the analysis of 12 urine samples donated by apparently healthy volunteers. Concentration of HTL ranged from