title: N-Carbamoylputrescine, a citrulline-derived polyamine, is not a significant citrulline metabolite in rats.
abstract: Citrulline, a key amino acid of the urea cycle, has been shown to play a regulatory role in protein and energy metabolism in mammals. We questioned whether N-carbamoyl-putrescine (NCP), the decarboxylated derivative of citrulline, could play a role in the biological properties of this amino acid. To evidence the presence of NCP in mammalian tissues, we developed a sensitive reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorimetric detection method with precolumn dansyl derivatization and solid-phase extraction for the determination of NCP together with polyamines in biological samples. Dansyl NCP was identified with a 5.85-min retention time. Linearity was obtained in a concentration range of 0.125 to 12.5 μM. Intraday and day-to-day relative coefficients of variation ranged from 8.9% to 12.3% and from 14% to 14.3%, respectively. Recovery rates in serum ranged from 75% to 83%. Thereafter, we used this method to search for the presence of NCP in serum, muscle, liver, jejunum, and ileum in rats after both short-term intraperitoneal injection and long-term oral citrulline supplementation. We failed to detect NCP in these animals. These data suggest that NCP is not a significant citrulline metabolite in rats.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Chemistry Laboratory, Cochin and Hotel-Dieu Hospitals, Assistance Publique des Hôpitaux de Paris, Paris 75014, France.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ramani
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nakib
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Garbay
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Loukaci
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cynober
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: De Bandt
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D056148:Chromatography, Reverse-Phase; D002956:Citrulline / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D003619:Dansyl Compounds / Q000737:chemistry; D011700:Putrescine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000032:analysis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D052616:Solid Phase Extraction
chemical_list: D003619:Dansyl Compounds; D002956:Citrulline; C024563:N-carbamoylputrescine; C029038:dansyl chloride; D011700:Putrescine