The growing scientific attention in the biological function of D-amino acids leads to an increasing analytical interest for enantiomeric amino acid separation, which is still very challenging due to the lack of sufficiently sensitive, high-throughput analytical methods that can cope with often occurring matrix interferences and very low D-amino acid concentrations. Here, enantioseparation can benefit from improved resolution and chromatographic speed offered by modern UHPLC techniques and the precision of MS detection. We developed a RP-UHPLC-QqToF-MS method using pre-column OPA/IBLC derivatization for very precise discrimination of amino acids enantiomers. The method shows a superb sensitivity with limits of detection in the range of several pmol/l. It has neither shown matrix inferences in the tested very complex biological matrices (serum, plasma, urine and gut) nor stability or racemization problems.
Here, we present for the first time the opportunity to ionize and identify DAGs as dimer ions. This new finding provides a new alternative for investigations of important diacylglycerol lipids and provides the opportunity to obtain complementary and more comprehensive results in future lipidomic studies.
Catecholamines play essential roles in several physiological processes in vertebrates as well as in invertebrates. While several studies have shown the presence of these substances in surface water invertebrates, their occurrence in groundwater fauna is unproven. In the present study, the presence of different catecholamines (i.e., noradrenaline, adrenaline, and dopamine) in individual specimens of groundwater amphipods of the genus Niphargus (mostly Niphargus inopinatus) was investigated via two independent analytical methods: HPLC/EcD and UPLC/TOF-MS. Mean values for catecholamine levels were 533 pg mg(-1) fresh weight for noradrenaline, 314 pg mg(-1) for adrenaline, and 16.4 ng mg(-1) for dopamine. The optimized protocol allowed the detection of CAs in single organisms of less than 1 mg fresh weight. Catecholamine concentration patterns in groundwater invertebrates are briefly discussed here with respect to their evolutionary adaptation to an environmentally stable, energy-poor habitat.
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