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Abstract
Free radical-induced lipid peroxidation has been implicated in a number of human diseases
including atherosclerosis, cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases. F(2)-Isoprostanes
(IsoPs) are isomers of prostaglandin PGF(2alpha) that are generated in vivo from the
free radical-initiated peroxidation of arachidonic acid independent of cyclooxygenase
enzymes. Since the discovery of the IsoPs in the early 1990s, a large body of evidence
has been accumulated to indicate that quantification of these F(2)-IsoPs represents
the most reliable biomarker to assess oxidative stress in vivo. A variety of analytical
approaches have been developed for the quantification of these novel compounds; these
methods include mass spectrometry (MS) detection coupled to gas chromatography (GC)
or liquid chromatography (LC) separation, and detection using immunological approaches.
This article summarizes our current methodology to quantify F(2)-IsoPs in biological
fluids and tissues using GC-MS. This method includes solid-phase extraction (SPE),
thin-layer chromatography (TLC) purification, chemical derivatization, and MS detection
using negative ion chemical ionization (NICI) coupled with GC. The protocol described
herein has been optimized and validated to provide the best sensitivity and selectivity
for quantification of F(2)-IsoPs from a variety of biological sources.