Analysis of the enantiomers of serine by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with OPA-Boc as pre-column derivatization agent. Critical evaluation of the analysis ofd-serine in rat brain

Summary The enantiomers of serine have been separated after pre-column derivatization with ortho-phthaldialdehyde (OPA) and N-tert-butyloxycarbonyl-l-cysteine (Boc). Analysis of the enantiomers of amino acids after pre-column derivatization with OPA-Boc has been reported in the literature but no critical evaluation has been carried out. In this study, decomposition of the diastereomers, effect of the sample pH, and amount of derivatization agent were studied; the half life of the decomposition was also determined. The method was used for analysis of D and l-serine from three different areas of rat brain (the striatum, prefrontal cortex, and cerebellum).