Analytical Sciences

Reducing Acyl Migration during Purification of 2-Arachidonoylglycerol from Biological Samples before Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry Analysis

Sei HIGUCHI,* Keiichi IRIE,*,** Takafumi NAKANO,* Yuya SAKAMOTO,* Yoshiharu AKITAKE,*,** Maiko ARAKI,* Makiko OHJI,* Riyo FURUTA,* Mai KATSUKI,* Ryuji YAMAGUCHI,* Kiyoshi MATSUYAMA,*** Kenji MISHIMA,*** Kenichi MISHIMA,*,** Katsunori IWASAKI,*,** and Michihiro FUJIWARA*

*Department of Neuropharmacology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Fukuoka University, 8-19-1 Nanakuma, Fukuoka 814-0180, Japan
**Advanced Materials Institute, 8-19-1 Nanakuma, Fukuoka 814-0180, Japan
***Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Fukuoka University, 8-19-1 Nanakuma, Fukuoka 814-0180, Japan

Endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) regulates several important physiological processes in the brain. 2-AG is commonly quantified by gas chromatography mass spectrometry after an initial purification step. The most precise and rapid purification utilizes C₁₈ solid-phase extraction, but quantification problems can arise with acyl migration from 2-AG to 1-arachidonoylglycerol. We found that extraction with methanol promoted this migration, but acetone and diethyl ether (Et₂O) did not. Acetone and Et₂O were used to develop a purification method for the direct determination of 2-AG.

J-STAGE: View this article in J-STAGE