Simultaneous determination of tyrosine, tryptophan and 5-hydroxytryptamine in serum of MDD patients by high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection

Abstract

Background: Tyrosine (Tyr), Tryptophan (Trp) and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) are important amino acids in vivo and have been hypothesized to be involved in many mental disorders. We developed a rapid and sensitive HPLC method for simultaneous measurement of serum Tyr, Trp and 5-HT and explored the clinical significances of Tyr, Trp and 5-HT and the 5-HT/Trp ratio for patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) disease. Methods: Serum samples were deproteinized by 5% perchloric acid and separated on an Atlantis C18 column (4.6×150mm, 5μm) with the mobile phase consisting of 0.1mol/l KH 2PO 4 and methanol (85:15, V/V).The eluates were monitored by the fluorescence detection with programmed wavelength. Results: Analysis was achieved in