Identification of N-ethylglycine in urine of cancer patients with metastatic bone disease.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Previously, a HPLC method for the determination of N-terminal prolyl dipeptides, proline and hydroxyproline in urine with fluorescence detection after pre-column derivatization with 4-(5,6-dimethoxy-2-phthalimidinyl)-2-methoxyphenylsulfonyl chloride (DMS-Cl) [Inoue H, Iguchi H, Kono A, Tsuruta Y. Highly sensitive determination of N-terminal prolyl dipeptides, proline and hydroxyproline in urine by high-performance liquid chromatography using a new fluorescent labelling reagent, 4-(5,6-dimethoxy-2-phthalimidinyl)-2-methoxyphenylsulfonyl chloride. J Chromatogr 1999;724:221-230] was developed to study the relation between those analytes and bone diseases. When the urinary analytes were measured, a large peak due to an unknown substance was recognized in the chromatograms of cancer patients with metastatic bone disease, although it was scarcely present in normal subjects. In this study, we identified the unknown substance.

METHODS:

The fluorescent fraction based on the unknown substance was collected using HPLC and the structure of the fluorescence product was analyzed with MS, (1)H NMR and (13)C NMR.

RESULTS:

The fluorescence product based on the unknown substance was established to be a DMS-derivative of N-ethylglycine.

CONCLUSIONS:

Excretion of N-ethylglycine in the urine of cancer patients with metastatic bone disease is recognized, although N-ethylglycine is scarcely excreted in the urine of normal subjects.

• Authors: Yasuto Tsuruta, Maya Matsumoto, Hirofumi Inoue, Sayaka Munemura, Takashi Ishizu, Shigeru Yamano, Haruo Iguchi
• Journal: Clinica chimica acta; international journal of clinical chemistry (Clin Chim Acta) Vol. 376 Issue 1-2 Pg. 226-8 (Feb 2007) ISSN: 0009-8981 [Print] Netherlands
• PMID: 16962088 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• N-ethylglycine
• N-substituted Glycines

Topics

• Bone Neoplasms (chemistry, diagnosis, secondary)
• Molecular Structure
• N-substituted Glycines (chemistry, urine)
• Spectrometry, Fluorescence