title: Enantioselective micro-2D-HPLC determination of aspartic acid in the pineal glands of rodents with various melatonin contents.
abstract: Enantioselective determination of aspartic acid (Asp) in the pineal gland of rodents with various melatonin contents was performed using a highly sensitive and selective two-dimensional HPLC system. After derivatization of the amino group with 4-fluoro-7-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole (NBD-F), NBD-Asp was separated using a capillary monolithic ODS column in the first dimension. The fraction of NBD-Asp was automatically collected and transferred to the second dimension, and the D- and L-Asp were separated and determined using a narrowbore enantioselective column. Large amounts of D-Asp were observed in the pineal gland of the rats and specific strains of mice (C3H and CBA) possessing a high concentration of melatonin in their pineal gland. On the other hand, the amounts of D-Asp were small in the pineal gland of mice possessing a trace or no melatonin in their pineal gland (ddY, ICR, C57BL and BALB/c). In other tissues and physiological fluids, no significant strain-dependent changes of the D-Asp amounts were observed. These results indicate that large amounts of D-Asp are present only in the pineal gland containing large amounts of melatonin, and special care should be taken when selecting mouse strains for the investigation of D-Asp.
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Hai
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Yurika
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Miyoshi
authors.forename: Tsubasa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Oyama
authors.forename: Ryoko
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Konishi
authors.forename: Masashi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mita
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hamase
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001224:Aspartic Acid / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D008297:Male; D008550:Melatonin / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008808:Mice, Inbred CBA; D010870:Pineal Gland / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013237:Stereoisomerism
chemical_list: D001224:Aspartic Acid; D008550:Melatonin