Abstract
Oxidative cleavage of carotenoids leads to dialdehydes (diapocarotenoids, DIALs) in addition to the widely known apocarotenoids. DIALs are biologically active compounds that presumably impact human health and play different roles in plant development and carotenoid metabolism. However, detection of DIALs in plants is challenging due to their instability, low abundance, and poor ionization efficiency in mass spectrometry. Here, we developed a solid-phase extraction and derivatization protocol coupled with ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography−mass spectrometry for quantitative profiling of DIALs. Our method significantly enhances the sensitivity of DIAL detection with a detection limit of 0.05 pg/mg of dried food materials, allowing unambiguous profiling of 30 endogenous DIALs with C5 to C24 from vegetables. Our work provides a new and efficient approach for determining the content of DIALs from various complex matrices, paving the way for uncovering the functions of DIALs in human health and plant growth and development.
Highlights
Carotenoids are isoprenoid pigments characterized by an extended conjugated double-bond system and synthesized by all photosynthetic organisms and many heterotrophic microorganisms.[1,2] Carotenoids exert vital functions in photosynthetic organisms, protecting cells from photo-oxidation and contributing to the light-harvesting process
All of these carotenoid derivatives are formed by oxidative cleavage of double bonds in the carotenoid backbone, which yields carbonyl products known as apocarotenoids and diapocarotenoids
All precision was obtained by calculating the relative standard deviations (RSDs) for the levels of endogenous DIALs in samples
Summary
Carotenoids are isoprenoid pigments characterized by an extended conjugated double-bond system and synthesized by all photosynthetic organisms and many heterotrophic microorganisms.[1,2] Carotenoids exert vital functions in photosynthetic organisms, protecting cells from photo-oxidation and contributing to the light-harvesting process They are important nutrients, conferring their bright colors to many fruits and flowers.[3−5] Several carotenoids present in fruits and vegetables act as provitamin A, providing around 82% of dietary vitamin A in developing countries.[6,7] In plants, carotenoids are a precursor of hormones, i.e., abscisic acid and strigolactone, and several regulatory metabolites, such as βcyclocitral, mycorradicin, and the recently discovered anchorene and zaxinone.[8−14] In fungi, carotenoids are metabolized into retinoids and the pheromone trisporic acid.[15] All of these carotenoid derivatives are formed by oxidative cleavage of double bonds in the carotenoid backbone, which yields carbonyl products known as apocarotenoids and diapocarotenoids (dialdehydes, DIALs).
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