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Formaldehyde quantification using ampicillin is not selective

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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 Hopkinson
Formaldehyde (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.

History

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/s41598-019-54610-3

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  • VoR (Version of Record)

Published in

SCIENTIFIC REPORTS

Volume

9

Issue

1

Pagination

18289 (7)

Publisher

NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP

issn

2045-2322

eissn

2045-2322

Acceptance date

2019-10-22

Copyright date

2019

Available date

2019-12-04

Publisher version

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-54610-3

Language

English

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