title: An isocratic high performance liquid chromatography method for the determination of GABA and glutamate in discrete regions of the rodent brain.
abstract: The amino acid neurotransmitters gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamate have been implicated in mood disorders and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is an important method in their quantitation. This paper describes a method which employs either electrochemical or fluorescent detection of the amino acid derivatives formed by a reaction with naphthalene-2,3-dicarboxaldehyde (NDA) in the presence of cyanide ions. Elution is based on an isocratic protocol and is achieved in 20 min or less. The method is reproducible, shows excellent linearity and generates derivatives which are stable for up to 16 h. Successful application of the method to a maternal deprivation study has identified the hippocampus and the brainstem as possible sites of long-term alteration in this paradigm.
authors.affiliation: Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre and Department of Psychiatry, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland. clarke_gerard@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Gerard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Clarke
authors.forename: Siobhain
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: O'Mahony
authors.forename: Gwen
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Malone
authors.forename: Timothy G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Dinan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology; D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000378:metabolism*; D001923:Brain Chemistry; D001933:Brain Stem / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008426:Maternal Deprivation; D009281:Naphthalenes / Q000737:chemistry; D009448:Neurochemistry / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D009281:Naphthalenes; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid; C027717:2,3-naphthalenedicarboxaldehyde