Chemical synthesis of 24-β-d-galactopyranosides of bile acids: a new type of bile acid conjugates in human urine

Focused metabolomics using liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry for analysis of urinary conjugated cholesterol metabolites from patients with Niemann-Pick disease type C and 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase deficiency

BACKGROUND

Various conjugated cholesterol metabolites are excreted in urine of the patients with metabolic abnormalities and hepatobiliary diseases. We aimed to examine the usefulness of precursor ion scan and neutral loss scan for the characterization of conjugated cholesterol metabolites in urine.

METHODS

A mixture of authentic standards of conjugated cholesterol metabolites was used for investigating the performance of the present method. The urine of patients with Niemann-Pick diseases type C and 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase deficiency were analysed by precursor ion scan of m/z 97, 74, and 124.

RESULTS

A precursor ion scan of m/z 97 was effective for identifying conjugates with ester sulphates on hydroxyl groups whereas ester sulphates on phenolic alcohols were signalled by a neutral loss scan of 80 Da. Monosaccharide-conjugated cholesterol metabolites were signalled by a precursor ion scan of m/z 113. Although precursor ion scan of m/z 74 and 124 was effective for finding glycine- and taurine-conjugated metabolites, high intensity of product ions (m/z 74 and 124) disturbed measurement of other multiply conjugated metabolites. The urine samples contained many conjugated cholesterol metabolites, and there were several disease-specific intense peaks. We found several unknown intense peaks with three known peaks in urine of the Niemann-Pick type C patient. In the patient with 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase deficiency, intense peaks that were tentatively identified as 5-cholenoic acid sulphates and their glycine and taurine conjugates were present.

CONCLUSION

The method should lead to the discovery of new urinary biomarkers for these disturbances of cholesterol catabolism and transport.

Tandem mass spectrometric characterization of bile acids and steroid conjugates based on low-energy collision-induced dissociation

We examined the characteristics of several bile acids and some steroid conjugates under low-energy-collision-induced dissociation conditions using a triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometer. According to conjugation types, we observed characteristic product ions and/or neutral losses in the product ion spectra. Amino acid conjugates afforded specific product ions. For example, glycine-conjugated metabolites routinely produced a product ion at m/z 74, and taurine-conjugated metabolites produced product ions at m/z 124, 107, and 80. When a strong peak appeared at m/z 97, the molecule contained a sulfate group. In contrast to amino acid conjugates, carbohydrate conjugates required a combination of product ions and neutral losses for identification. We could discriminate a glucoside from an acyl galactoside according to the presence or absence of a product ion at m/z 161 and a neutral loss of 180 Da. Discrimination among esters, aliphatic ethers, and phenolic ether types of glucuronides was based upon differences in the intensities of a product ion at m/z 175 and a neutral loss of 176 Da. Furthermore, N-acetylglucosamine conjugates showed a characteristic product ion at m/z 202 and a neutral loss of 203 Da, and the appearance of a product ion at m/z 202 revealed the existence of N-acetylglucosamine conjugated to an aliphatic hydroxyl group without a double bond in the immediate vicinity. Together, the data presented here will help to enable the identification of unknown conjugated cholesterol metabolites by using low-energy collision-induced dissociation.

Synthesis of Deoxy Sugar Esters: A Chemoenzymatic Stereoselective Approach Affording Deoxy Sugar Derivatives Also in the Form of Aldehyde

A chemoenzymatic synthesis of deoxy sugar esters is described. The synthesis is based on the O-alkylation of carboxylic acid with 2-bromo-5-acetoxypentanal. The method allows treatment of hydroxy carboxylic acids without protection of alcoholic hydroxyl groups. Several stereoisomeric deoxy sugar esters were resolved (up to ee or de > 98%) using a lipase-catalyzed acetylation of hemiacetals that in certain cases afforded deoxy sugar derivatives in the form of aldehydes. The stereochemistry of the reactions was determined by the NMR spectra of mandelic acid derivatives.

A direct method for the separation and quantification of bile acid acyl glycosides by high-performance liquid chromatography with an evaporative light scattering detector

A direct method for the separation and quantification of a series of bile acid acyl glycosides using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to an evaporative light scattering detector (HPLC-ELSD) is described. Complete separation of each of 15 bile acid acyl 24-alpha-glucosides and their 24-beta-anomers and 24-beta-galactosides was achieved by the stepwise gradient elution mode on a C18 column using a mixture of acetonitrile-methanol (8:2, v/v) and 1% aqueous acetic acid as the mobile phase. 24-beta-Galactosides were always eluted faster than the corresponding 24-beta-glucosides, which eluted after the corresponding 24-alpha-anomers. Calibration curves of different 24-beta-galactosides were linear over a range of 0.2-40 nmol of injected amount and the detection limits (S/N > 3) were from 0.08 to 0.1 nmol. The present HPLC-ELSD method may provide an insight into the separation and quantification of the biologically interesting neutral bile acids.

Identification of a novel conjugate in human urine: bile acid acyl galactosides

We report a novel conjugate, bile acid acyl galactosides, which exist in the urine of healthy volunteers. To identify the two unknown peaks obtained in urine specimens from healthy subjects, the specimens were subjected to solid phase extraction and then to liquid chromatographic separation. The eluate corresponding to the unknown peaks on the chromatogram was collected. Following alkaline hydrolysis and liquid chromatography (LC)/electrospray ionization (ESI)-mass spectrometric (MS) analysis, cholic acid (CA) and deoxycholic acid (DCA) were identified as liberated bile acids. When a portion of the alkaline hydrolyzate was subjected to a derivatization reaction with 1-phenyl-3-methyl-5-pyrazolone, a derivative of galactose was detected by LC/ESI-MS. Finally, the liquid chromatographic and mass spectrometric properties of these unknown compounds in urine specimens were compared to those of authentic specimens and the structures were confirmed as CA 24-galactoside and DCA 24-galactoside. These results strongly imply that bile acid 24-galactosides, a novel conjugate, were synthesized in the human body.