s41598-019-54610-3.pdf (1.84 MB)
Formaldehyde quantification using ampicillin is not selective
journal contribution
posted on 2020-05-14, 15:50 authored by Raphael Reinbold, Tobias John, Paolo Spingardi, Akane Kawamura, Amber L Thompson, Christopher J Schofield, Richard J HopkinsonFormaldehyde (HCHO) is a simple and highly reactive human metabolite but its biochemistry is poorly defined. A limiting factor in HCHO research is lack of validated quantification methods for HCHO relevant to biological samples. We describe spectroscopic studies on a reported fluorescence-based HCHO detection method involving its reaction with ampicillin. The results validate the structure and fluorescence properties of the HCHO-ampicillin reaction product. However, the same adduct is observed after reaction of ampicillin with glyoxylate. Related fluorophores were formed with other biologically relevant carbonyl compounds. Overall, our studies suggest the ampicillin method is not reliable for selective detection and quantification of HCHO in biological samples.
Funding
We thank the Wellcome Trust (091857/7/10/7), the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BB/L000121/1, sLoLa grant BB/J001694/2: extending the boundaries of nucleic acid chemistry), the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, and Cancer Research UK (C8717/A18245) for funding our work. RR was supported by the Oxford-GSK-Crick Doctoral Programme in Chemical Biology via the Interdisciplinary Bioscience DTP, BBSRC (BB/R506655/1) and GlaxoSmithKline. RR is grateful for support from Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies (FRIAS), ERASMUS Placement, the Verband-der-Freunde-der-Universitaet-Freiburg foundation and the Adolf-Haeuser foundation. TJ was supported by the Oxford-GSK-Crick Doctoral Programme in Chemical Biology, EPSRC (EP/R512060/1) and GlaxoSmithKline. RJH acknowledges a William R. Miller Junior Research Fellowship, St Edmund Hall, Oxford. We thank Manfred Jung (Albert-Ludwigs University of Freiburg) for support and helpful discussions.
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Citation
Reinbold, R., John, T., Spingardi, P. et al. Formaldehyde quantification using ampicillin is not selective. Sci Rep 9, 18289 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-54610-3Version
- VoR (Version of Record)
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SCIENTIFIC REPORTSVolume
9Issue
1Pagination
18289 (7)Publisher
NATURE PUBLISHING GROUPissn
2045-2322eissn
2045-2322Acceptance date
2019-10-22Copyright date
2019Available date
2019-12-04Publisher DOI
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https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-54610-3Language
EnglishUsage metrics
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