HPLC Analysis of Amino Acids with Ion Exchange Chromatography and O-Phthalaldehyde Post-Column Derivatization: Applications to the Assay of Endogenous Free Amino Acids and Their Transport in Human Placental Villus

Abstract

Abstract A method using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for the analysis of primary amino acids in human placenta is described. This method involves separation of primary amino acids by high performance ion-exchange chromatography followed by post column derivatization using O-phlthalaldehyde (OPA) and 2-mercaptoethanol and fluorescence (excitation 340 nm and emission 410 nm) detection of derivatives. Waters 840 HPLC Amino Acid System was used for this purpose. For analysis, villus tissue was extracted with acetonitrile, and the recovered amino acids were reconstituted in a sodium diluent (pH 2.2). The complete profile of the primary amino acids in the sample could be constructed in about 90 minutes. Up to 44 samples can be analyzed without special attention. Using this method, essential amino acids (threonine, valine, methionine, isoleucine, leucine, tyrosine, phenylalanine, lysine, histidine) and nonessential amino acids (aspartic acid, serine, glutamic acid, glycine, alanine, arginine) were detected and quantified in human placental villus in pmol quantities. Plots of peak heights (or areas) were linear for several amino acids. The same method was also used for (a) the assay of free primary amino acids in umbilical bloods, (b) the efflux of amino acids from isolated human placental villus, and (c) to study the uptake of α-aminoisobutyric acid (AIB), a non-metabolizable amino acid, by the isolated placental villus.