Determination of octadecadienoic acids in human serum: a critical appraisal

Abstract

The method based on high-performance liquid chromatography currently used to determine the lipid levels of octadeca-9(Z), 11(E)-dienoic acid in human serum fails to distinguish between this acid and octadeca-10(E),12(Z)-dienoic acid. Adducts with the fluorescent dienophile 4-[3-(1-propenyl)propyl]-1,2,4-triazoline-3,5-dione permit the separation of these two isomeric acids as does gas-liquid chromatography of their methyl esters, but these alternatives produce equivocal results when applied to biological samples.