Plasma Homogentisic Acid Research Articles

Conditional targeting in mice reveals that hepatic homogentisate 1,2-dioxygenase activity is essential in reducing circulating homogentisic acid and for effective therapy in the genetic disease alkaptonuria.

Alkaptonuria is an inherited disease caused by homogentisate 1,2-dioxygenase (HGD) deficiency. Circulating homogentisic acid (HGA) is elevated and deposits in connective tissues as ochronotic pigment. In this study, we aimed to define developmental and adult HGD tissue expression and determine the location and amount of gene activity required to lower circulating HGA and rescue the alkaptonuria phenotype.We generated an alkaptonuria mouse model using a knockout-first design for the disruption of the HGD gene. Hgd tm1a −/− mice showed elevated HGA and ochronosis in adulthood. LacZ staining driven by the endogenous HGD promoter was localised to only liver parenchymal cells and kidney proximal tubules in adulthood, commencing at E12.5 and E15.5 respectively. Following removal of the gene trap cassette to obtain a normal mouse with a floxed 6th HGD exon, a double transgenic was then created with Mx1-Cre which conditionally deleted HGD in liver in a dose dependent manner. 20% of HGD mRNA remaining in liver did not rescue the disease, suggesting that we need more than 20% of liver HGD to correct the disease in gene therapy.Kidney HGD activity which remained intact reduced urinary HGA, most likely by increased absorption, but did not reduce plasma HGA nor did it prevent ochronosis. In addition, downstream metabolites of exogenous 13C6-HGA, were detected in heterozygous plasma, revealing that hepatocytes take up and metabolise HGA.This novel alkaptonuria mouse model demonstrated the importance of targeting liver for therapeutic intervention, supported by our observation that hepatocytes take up and metabolise HGA.

GC-MS를 이용한 혈장 중 호모겐티식산의 분석;알캅톤뇨증의 진단

알캅톤뇨증은 극히 드문 희귀 유전성 대사이상질환으로, 호모겐티세이트 디옥시게나제의 부족이나 결손으로 인한 질환이며 호모겐티식산 (HGA)의 축적을 특징으로 한다. 임상적으로는 호모겐티식산 혈증, 관절염 및 퇴자병 (ochronosis) 등을 보인다. 본 연구는 고가이고 시간이 많이 걸리는 고체상 추출단계 없이 신속하게 우수한 감도로 혈장 중 HGA의 정량분석을 위해 개발되었다. 통합 혈장 중 100 µL를 취하여 에틸아세테이트로 액체-액체 추출(LLE)한 후, 트리메틸 실릴 유도체 (TMS) 화한 후 GC-MS로 정량하였다. 카르복실기 및 히드록실 관능기의 TMS 유도체화의 형성은 80 ℃에서 5 분 동안 BSTFA (10% TMCS 포함)로 반응시켜 수행 하였다. GC-MS 의 선택 이온 모니터링을 위한 HGA의 선택 이온은 m/z=384, m/z= 341, m/z=25로 설정 하였다. 통합 혈장에 여러 농도로 표준품을 첨가하여 검토한 검량선은 1-100 ng/µL 범위에서 직선성은 R²=0.9991로 양호하게 나타났다. 통합 혈장에 HGA를 2, 20과 80 ng/µL 농도를 첨가하여 회수율, 정확도와 정밀도를 측정하였을 때, 일간내 회수율은 99-125% 였고, 일간외 회수율은 95-115% 였고, 정확도는 1-15% 이내로 양호하였다. LOD와 LOQ는 각각 0.4 ng/µL, 4 ng/µL로 관찰되었다. 한국인 정상 혈장으로부터 HGA를 분석하였을 때, 적용된 모든 시료에서 HGA는 검출되지 않았다. 결론적으로 본 연구에서 개발된 분석 방법을 이용하면 알캅톤뇨증 환자를 신속하게 진단할 수 있으며 그 치료과정에서의 HGA 모니터링에 유용하게 응용할 수 있음을 시사한다. Alkaptonuria, a rare inherited metabolic disease, is characterized by a lack of homogentisate dioxygenase and accumulation of homogentisic acid (HGA), leading to homogentisic aciduria, arthritis, and ochronosis. In this study, a rapid analytical method, without an expensive and tedious solid phase extraction step, was developed to quantify HGA in plasma using GC-MS. HGA-spiked pooled plasma samples were subjected to liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) with ethyl acetate, followed by trimethylsilyl derivatization (TMS) and GC-MS quantification using selected ion monitoring. The formation of TMS derivative of the 1 carboxylic and 2 hydroxyl functional groups was performed by reacting BSTFA (with 10% TMCS) for 5 min at 80 ℃. For selected ion monitoring, quantification and confirmation ions were determined based on specific ions (m/z 384, m/z 341 and m/z 252) of the TMS derivative of HGA. Calibration curves of pooled normal plasma specimens showed a linear relationship in the range of 1-100 ng/µL. The precision and accuracy were within a relative standard deviation (RSD) of 1 to 15% and a bias of -5 to 25%. Recoveries were obtained in the range of 99-125% and 95-115% for intra-day and inter-day assay, respectively, at 2, 20 and 80 ng/µL. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) were 0.4 ng/µL and 4 ng/µL, respectively. No homogentisic acid was excreted from normal Korean plasma samples. Collectively, the results from the present study suggest that this method could be useful for routine diagnosis and therapeutic monitoring of alkaptonuria patients with excellent sensitivity and rapidity.

Ochronotic osteoarthropathy in a mouse model of alkaptonuria, and its inhibition by nitisinone

BackgroundAlkaptonuria (AKU) is a rare metabolic disease caused by deficiency of homogentisate 1,2 dioxygenase, an enzyme involved in tyrosine catabolism, resulting in increased circulating homogentisic acid (HGA). Over time HGA...

ACUTE EXACERBATION AS PRESENTING OR COMPLICATING FEATURE OF IDIOPATHIC PULMONARY FIBROSIS

A 68-year-old white man was evaluated for failure to wean from mechanical ventilation after cardiac surgery. Bronchoscopy performed prior to percutaneous dilatational tracheotomy revealed circumferential strikingly dark-colored airways, most prominent in the trachea and mainstem bronchi, extending distally into all airways with overlying desiccated black secretions. Histologic examination of bronchial mucosal biopsy samples and the desiccated secretions showed acute bronchitis and necrotic debris, respectively. This finding and the patient's history led to testing for plasma homogentisic acid, which was found to be elevated at 12.6 mug/mL, establishing the first diagnosis of alkaptonuria made using flexible bronchoscopy.

Exacerbation of the ochronosis of alkaptonuria due to renal insufficiency and improvement after renal transplantation

In alkaptonuria, homogentisate 1,2-dioxygenase deficiency causes tissue accumulation of homogentisic acid (HGA), followed by signs and symptoms of ochronosis. These include massive urinary excretion of HGA, arthritis and joint destruction, pigmentation of cartilage and connective tissue, and cardiac valve deterioration. We describe a 46-year-old man with alkaptonuria and diabetic renal failure whose plasma HGA concentration was twice that of any other alkaptonuria patient, and whose ochronosis progressed much more rapidly than that of his two alkaptonuric siblings. After renal transplantation, the plasma HGA normalized, and the daily urinary excretion of HGA decreased by 2–3 g. This case illustrates the critical role of renal tubular secretion in eliminating HGA from the body, and suggests that renal transplantation in a uremic patient not only restores HGA excretion, but may also provide homogentisate 1,2-dioxygenase activity for the metabolism of HGA.

An Enzymatic Spectrophotometric Method for the Determination of Homogentisic Acid in Plasma and Urine

An Enzymatic Spectrophotometric Method for the Determination of Homogentisic Acid in Plasma and Urine