Identification of the Main Intermediate Precursor of l-Ergothioneine Biosynthesis in Human Biological Specimens.
A capillary electrophoresis coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (CE-MS/MS) has been used to make a qualitative determination of hercynine-the main precursor of l-ergothioneine biosynthesis-in some key human biological specimens, such as urine, whole blood, plasma, and saliva. From semiquantitative analysis results, the highest concentrations of hercynine were detected in saliva and whole blood, whereas much lower concentrations were measured in urine and plasma. Whole blood was the biological matrix with the highest concentration of l-ergothioneine followed by plasma, saliva, and urine. The antioxidant effects attributed to l-ergothioneine, along with its peculiar antioxidant mechanism, offer a possible explanation for the presence of the hercynine, as well as its concentration, in the considered biological matrices.
Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Sassari, Sassari 07100, Italy. ssotgia@uniss.it.
Salvatore
S
Sotgia
Department of Clinical Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Flinders University and Flinders Medical Centre, Adelaide SA 5042, Australia. arduino.mangoni@flinders.edu.au.
Arduino A
AA
Mangoni
Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Sassari, Sassari 07100, Italy. mforteschi@gmail.com.
Mauro
M
Forteschi
Department of Clinical Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Flinders University and Flinders Medical Centre, Adelaide SA 5042, Australia. rhys.murphy@flinders.edu.au.
Rhys B
RB
Murphy
Department of Clinical Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Flinders University and Flinders Medical Centre, Adelaide SA 5042, Australia. david.elliot@flinders.edu.au.
David
D
Elliot
Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Sassari, Sassari 07100, Italy. eli.sotgiu@alice.it.
Elisabetta
E
Sotgiu
Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Sassari, Sassari 07100, Italy. gpintus@uniss.it.|Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, Qatar University, Doha 2713, Qatar. gpintus@uniss.it.
Gianfranco
G
Pintus
Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Sassari, Sassari 07100, Italy. carru@uniss.it.|Quality Control Unit, University Hospital Sassari (AOU), Sassari 07100, Italy. carru@uniss.it.
Ciriaco
C
Carru
Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Sassari, Sassari 07100, Italy. azinellu@uniss.it.
Angelo
A
Zinellu
aminothione; capillary electrophoresis; dismutation; mass spectrometry; quaternary ammonium
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