title: Determination of d-serine and related neuroactive amino acids in human plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorimetric detection.
abstract: A simple and versatile methodology using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorimetric detection was developed to simultaneously determine d-serine along with other metabolically related neuroactive amino acids in the glutamatergic system: L-serine, L-glutamate, L-glutamine, and glycine. On-column sensitivity was in the lower picomole range. Of two chiral thiol reagents investigated, amino acid derivatives of o-phthaldialdehyde (OPA) in combination with N-isobutyryl-L-cysteine were found to have consistently higher responses than their corresponding N-tert-butyloxycarbonyl-L-cysteine derivatives. This methodology was applied to the quantitative detection of amino acids in human plasma and lays the foundation for further investigations of the role of neuroactive amino acids in the pathophysiology and treatment of neurological and psychiatric disorders.
authors.affiliation: Neurochemical Research Unit, Department of Psychiatry, 12-127 Clinical Sciences Building, University of Alberta, Edmonton T6G 2G3, Canada. suzanne.grant@ualberta.ca <suzanne.grant@ualberta.ca>
authors.forename: Suzanne L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Grant
authors.forename: Yanina
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shulman
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tibbo
authors.forename: David R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Hampson
authors.forename: Glen B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Baker
mesh_terms: D000596:Amino Acids / Q000097:blood* / Q000737:chemistry; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / Q000379:methods*; D003545:Cysteine / Q000097:blood / Q000737:chemistry; D005470:Fluorometry / Q000379:methods*; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000097:blood / Q000737:chemistry; D005973:Glutamine / Q000097:blood / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D015394:Molecular Structure; D012694:Serine / Q000097:blood* / Q000737:chemistry; D013237:Stereoisomerism; D009764:o-Phthalaldehyde / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D005973:Glutamine; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D012694:Serine; D009764:o-Phthalaldehyde; D003545:Cysteine