No / Bioactive lipid mediators derived from polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and exhibit a range of tissue and cell-specific activities in many physiological and pathological processes. Electrospray tandem mass spectrometry coupled to liquid chromatography (LC/ESI-MS/MS) is a sensitive, versatile analytical methodology for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of lipid mediators. Here we present an LC/ESI-MS/MS assay for the simultaneous analysis of twenty mono- and poly-hydroxy fatty acid derivatives of linoleic, arachidonic, eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids. The assay was linear over the concentration range 1-100 pg/¿L, whilst the limits of detection and quantitation were 10-20 and 20-50 pg respectively. The recovery of the extraction methodology varied from 76-122% depending on the metabolite. This system is useful for profiling a range of biochemically-related potent mediators including the newly discovered resolvins and protectins, and their precursor hydroxy-eicosapentaenoic and hydroxy-docosahexaenoic acids, and, consequently, advance our understanding of the role of PUFA in health and disease. / Wellcome Trust, British Heart Foundation

Mehrfach ungesättigte omega-3 Fettsäuren (n-3 PUFAs), wie Eicosapentaensäure (EPA) und Docosahexaensäure (DHA), schützen vor kardiovaskulären Erkrankungen, wie tödlichen Arrhythmien. In vitro Untersuchungen belegen, dass rekombinante Cytochrom P450 (CYP) Enzyme nicht nur die n-6 PUFA Arachidonsäure (AA), sondern auch die n-3 PUFAs EPA und DHA als alternative Substrate verwenden. Dabei entstehen bioaktive regio- und stereoisomere Epoxy- und Hydroxymetaboliten, CYP-Eicosanoide, die als sekundäre Botenstoffe bei der Regulation von Gefäß-, Nieren- und Herzfunktionen fungieren. Die genauen molekularen Mechanismen dieser Metabolite sind noch weitgehend unerforscht. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurde zunächst der ernährungsbedingte Einfluss auf das endogene CYP-Eicosanoidprofil im Menschen untersucht. Die Ergebnisse der klinischen Studie zeigten, dass n-3 PUFAs auch in vivo alternative Substrate von CYP-Enzymen darstellen und wenn verfügbar sogar effektiver zu ihren Metaboliten umgesetzt wurden als AA. Als ein wichtiger Metabolit entsteht nach EPA/DHA-Supplementation 17,18-EEQ, welcher womöglich der eigentliche Vermittler der kardioprotektiven Effekte von n-3 PUFAs ist. Unter Verwendung eines etablierten Zellmodells mit spontan schlagenden neonatalen Rattenkardiomyozyten (NRKMs) wurde der anti-arrhythmische Effekte von 17,18-EEQ genauer untersucht. Der negativ chronotrope Effekt von EPA auf NRKMs wurde tatsächlich durch 17,18-EEQ vermittelt, insbesondere dem R,S-Enantiomer. Mittels Strukturfunktionsanalyse wurden synthetische Analoga mit gleicher Wirksamkeit wie dem 7,18-EEQ gefunden, wobei strikte strukturelle Merkmale für die biologische Funktion identifiziert wurden. Die Suche nach einem molekularen Ziel für CYP-Epoxyeicosanoide führte zu einem möglichen Rezeptorkandidaten, der hinsichtlich seiner Ligandenspezifität untersucht wurde. Dieser oder zukünftige andere Rezeptorkandidaten stellen ein mögliches neues zelluläres Ziel zur Behandlung kardialer Arrhythmien dar. / The n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), protect from cardiovascular disease, especially from fetal arrhythmia. Moreover, in vitro studies proved that recombinant cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes not only accept the physiologically most important n-6 PUFA arachidonic acid (AA), but also EPA and DHA as alternative substrates, thereby generating regio- and stereospecific biologically active epoxy- and hydroxymetabolites, CYP-eicosanoids. These metabolites serve as second messengers regulating vascular, renal and cardiac function. The precise underlying molecular mechanisms are only partially understood and need further investigation. The first aim of the thesis was to show that the endogenous CYP-eicosanoid profile depends on the availability of the precursor fatty acids. The results of a clinical trial with 20 volunteers, show that n-3 PUFAs serve also in vivo as alternative CYP-dependent substrates and are even preferentially metabolized compared to AA. After EPA/DHA-supplementation 17,18 EEQ was generated as a major metabolite, potentially an important mediator of cardiovascular effects originally attributed to n-3 PUFAs. To test the anti-arrhythmic effect of EPA and 17,18-EEQ, an established cell model with neonatal rat cardiomyocytes (NRKMs) was used. The negative chronotropic effect of EPA was mimicked by 17,18-EEQ, attributed only to the R,S-enantiomer. A structure activity relationship study revealed synthetic analogs, exerting the same biological effect as 17,18-EEQ. Strict structural requirements were found for agonistic function, hinting at a specific interaction with cellular targets, like GPCRs. The search of a molecular target of CYP-eicosanoids led to a putative receptor, which was tested for ligand binding specificity. If the preliminary results on the ligand binding are confirmed in future experiments this receptor might be a novel target for the treatment of cardiac arrhythmia.

Os eicosanoides, produtos do metabolismo do ácido araquidônico, apresentam papel importante na homeostasia e na patogênese de diversas doenças humanas. A biossíntese desses compostos pode ser estimulada por agentes farmacológicos como ionóforos e inibidores da Ca2+-ATPase, e também por agonistas naturais como o formil-metionil-leucil-fenialanina (fMLP). Considerando os interesses em avaliar e comparar o perfil de mediadores lipídicos, como os leucotrienos (LTs), as prostaglandinas (PGs), os ácidos epoxieicosatrienoicos (EETs), os ácidos dihidroxitetraenoicos (DiHETEs) e os ácidos hidroxieicosatetraenoicos (HETEs), na saúde e na doença, o objetivo deste trabalho foi padronizar um método analítico para determinar do perfil de eicosanoides em plasma humano após estimulação do sangue total, e assim observar diferenças entre indivíduos saudáveis e doentes. Dessa forma, um método por cromatografia líquida de alta eficiência acoplada à espectrometria de massas sequencial (HPLC-MS/MS) foi validado para quantificação de 22 eicosanoides em plasma de indivíduos saudáveis. A análise por HPLCMS/ MS foi realizada em modo negativo pelo modo de varredura por monitoramento de reações múltiplas (MRM). A linearidade do método apresentou coeficiente de correlação (r) maior que 0,98 para todos os eicosanoides analisados. A precisão e exatidão intra e inter-ensaios tiveram desvio padrão e erro relativo menores que 15%, exceto para o limite inferior de quantificação cujos valores foram menores que 20%. Para estimulação das células do sangue total, quatro estímulos (fMLP, ionomicina, A23187 e tapsigargina) foram utilizados. A análise estatística mostrou que o A23187 e a tapsigargina foram os estímulos mais potentes na indução da produção de eicosanoides. Em seguida, comparamos o perfil de eicosanoides em amostras de plasma de indivíduos saudáveis com pacientes com anemia falciforme (AF), em tratamento com hidroxiureia (HU) ou transfusão sanguínea crônica. Os resultados demonstraram que o método é preciso para determinação de diferenças entre os pacientes e indivíduos saudáveis quanto à produção dos mediadores lipídicos 5-HETE, 12-HETE, LTB4, LTE4, TXB2 e PGE2. Portanto, nosso método analítico é sensível, específico e reprodutível para identificar e quantificar diferenças no perfil de eicosanoides em amostras de sangue estimuladas in vitro, e poderá contribuir para o estabelecimento do perfil de mediadores lipídicos em diferentes doenças inflamatórias e infecciosas. / Eicosanoids, products from arachidonic acid metabolism, play an important role in the homeostasis and in the pathogenesis of various human diseases. Pharmacological agents such as Ca2+ ionophores and Ca2+-ATPase inhibitors, as well as natural agonists such as fMet-leu-Phe (fMLP) can stimulate eicosanoid biosynthesis. Considering the interests in evaluate and compare the profile of lipid mediators, as leukotriens (LTs), prostaglandins (PGs), epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs), dihydroxytetraenoic acids (DiHETEs) and hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acids (HETEs), in healthy and disease, the aim of this work was to standardize a method to determine the eicosanoid profile of human plasma samples after whole blood stimulation, and to assess differences between healthy and sick individuals. For this purpose, a liquid chromatographytandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method was validated for the quantification of 22 eicosanoids using human plasma from healthy volunteers. In addition, we optimized a method for the stimulation of eicosanoids in human whole blood. LC-MS/MS analyses were performed by negative electrospray ionization and multiple reaction monitoring. An assumption of linearity resulted in a regression coefficient > 0.98 for all eicosanoids tested. The mean intra-assay and inter-assay accuracy and precision values had relative standard deviations and relative errors of < 15%, except for the lower limit of quantification, where these values were < 20%. For whole blood stimulation, four stimuli (fMLP, ionomycin, A23187, and thapsigargin) were used. Results of the statistical analysis showed that A23187 and thapsigargin were potent stimuli to induce the production of eicosanoids. We next compared the eicosanoid profiles of healthy volunteers to those of patients with sickle cell anemia (SCA) under treatment with hydroxyurea (HU) or after chronic red blood cell (RBC) transfusion. The results indicate that the method was sufficient to find a difference between lipid mediators released in whole blood of SCA patients compared to healthy subjects for 5-HETE, 12-HETE, LTB4, LTE4, TXB2, and PGE2. In conclusion, our analytical method is sensitive, specific and reproducible for indentify and quantify changes in eicosanoid profiles in whole blood stimulated in vitro, which can contribute to establishing the eicosanoid profiles associated with different inflammatory and infectious diseases.

Os eicosanoides, produtos do metabolismo do ácido araquidônico, apresentam papel importante na homeostasia e na patogênese de diversas doenças humanas. A biossíntese desses compostos pode ser estimulada por agentes farmacológicos como ionóforos e inibidores da Ca2+-ATPase, e também por agonistas naturais como o formil-metionil-leucil-fenialanina (fMLP). Considerando os interesses em avaliar e comparar o perfil de mediadores lipídicos, como os leucotrienos (LTs), as prostaglandinas (PGs), os ácidos epoxieicosatrienoicos (EETs), os ácidos dihidroxitetraenoicos (DiHETEs) e os ácidos hidroxieicosatetraenoicos (HETEs), na saúde e na doença, o objetivo deste trabalho foi padronizar um método analítico para determinar do perfil de eicosanoides em plasma humano após estimulação do sangue total, e assim observar diferenças entre indivíduos saudáveis e doentes. Dessa forma, um método por cromatografia líquida de alta eficiência acoplada à espectrometria de massas sequencial (HPLC-MS/MS) foi validado para quantificação de 22 eicosanoides em plasma de indivíduos saudáveis. A análise por HPLCMS/ MS foi realizada em modo negativo pelo modo de varredura por monitoramento de reações múltiplas (MRM). A linearidade do método apresentou coeficiente de correlação (r) maior que 0,98 para todos os eicosanoides analisados. A precisão e exatidão intra e inter-ensaios tiveram desvio padrão e erro relativo menores que 15%, exceto para o limite inferior de quantificação cujos valores foram menores que 20%. Para estimulação das células do sangue total, quatro estímulos (fMLP, ionomicina, A23187 e tapsigargina) foram utilizados. A análise estatística mostrou que o A23187 e a tapsigargina foram os estímulos mais potentes na indução da produção de eicosanoides. Em seguida, comparamos o perfil de eicosanoides em amostras de plasma de indivíduos saudáveis com pacientes com anemia falciforme (AF), em tratamento com hidroxiureia (HU) ou transfusão sanguínea crônica. Os resultados demonstraram que o método é preciso para determinação de diferenças entre os pacientes e indivíduos saudáveis quanto à produção dos mediadores lipídicos 5-HETE, 12-HETE, LTB4, LTE4, TXB2 e PGE2. Portanto, nosso método analítico é sensível, específico e reprodutível para identificar e quantificar diferenças no perfil de eicosanoides em amostras de sangue estimuladas in vitro, e poderá contribuir para o estabelecimento do perfil de mediadores lipídicos em diferentes doenças inflamatórias e infecciosas. / Eicosanoids, products from arachidonic acid metabolism, play an important role in the homeostasis and in the pathogenesis of various human diseases. Pharmacological agents such as Ca2+ ionophores and Ca2+-ATPase inhibitors, as well as natural agonists such as fMet-leu-Phe (fMLP) can stimulate eicosanoid biosynthesis. Considering the interests in evaluate and compare the profile of lipid mediators, as leukotriens (LTs), prostaglandins (PGs), epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs), dihydroxytetraenoic acids (DiHETEs) and hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acids (HETEs), in healthy and disease, the aim of this work was to standardize a method to determine the eicosanoid profile of human plasma samples after whole blood stimulation, and to assess differences between healthy and sick individuals. For this purpose, a liquid chromatographytandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method was validated for the quantification of 22 eicosanoids using human plasma from healthy volunteers. In addition, we optimized a method for the stimulation of eicosanoids in human whole blood. LC-MS/MS analyses were performed by negative electrospray ionization and multiple reaction monitoring. An assumption of linearity resulted in a regression coefficient > 0.98 for all eicosanoids tested. The mean intra-assay and inter-assay accuracy and precision values had relative standard deviations and relative errors of < 15%, except for the lower limit of quantification, where these values were < 20%. For whole blood stimulation, four stimuli (fMLP, ionomycin, A23187, and thapsigargin) were used. Results of the statistical analysis showed that A23187 and thapsigargin were potent stimuli to induce the production of eicosanoids. We next compared the eicosanoid profiles of healthy volunteers to those of patients with sickle cell anemia (SCA) under treatment with hydroxyurea (HU) or after chronic red blood cell (RBC) transfusion. The results indicate that the method was sufficient to find a difference between lipid mediators released in whole blood of SCA patients compared to healthy subjects for 5-HETE, 12-HETE, LTB4, LTE4, TXB2, and PGE2. In conclusion, our analytical method is sensitive, specific and reproducible for indentify and quantify changes in eicosanoid profiles in whole blood stimulated in vitro, which can contribute to establishing the eicosanoid profiles associated with different inflammatory and infectious diseases.