title: Determination of free aspartic acid enantiomers in rat brain by capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence detection.
abstract: Quantification of aspartic acid enantiomers in rat brain by using a chiral capillary electrophoresis procedure is described. Amino acids were pre-column derivatized with naphthalene-2,3-dialdehyde. Enantiomeric separation was achieved by micellar electrokinetic chromatography in the presence of methanol and beta-cyclodextrin as chiral selector. The chiral separation was coupled with laser-induced fluorescence detection. Contents of D- and L-aspartic acids in rats at different stages of growth (from 1 day before birth to 90 days after birth) were determined. D-Aspartic acid was detected in all the brain tissue samples tested, but at different levels. In the cerebrum of rats 1 day before birth, D-aspartic acid was found to be at the highest concentration of 81 nmol/g wet tissue. The level of D-aspartic acid in rat brain falls rapidly after birth, while the L-aspartic acid level increases with age.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Jackson State University, MS 39217, USA.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: LeBlanc
authors.forename: Y M
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001224:Aspartic Acid / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D019075:Electrophoresis, Capillary / Q000379:methods*; D007834:Lasers; D051381:Rats; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence / Q000379:methods*; D013237:Stereoisomerism
chemical_list: D001224:Aspartic Acid