DEVELOPMENT OF PHOSPHINE REAGENTS FOR THE DETERMINATION OF LIPID HYDROPEROXIDES (ACCOUNTS)

Phosphine reagents were designed and synthesized as new highly sensiti ve and selective fluorescent reagents for the determination of lipid h ydroperoxides. The reagents had one or two fluorophfores in their stru ctures. None were fluorescent but their oxidized products (phosphine o xides) had strong fluorescence. They showed high selectivity for lipid hydroperoxides which were primary oxidized products during the lipid peroxidation reaction. It was possible to determine lipid hydroperoxid es from the fluorescence intensity difference before and after the rea ction. Diphenyl-1-pyrenylphosphine (DPPP) had the most suitable proper ties as a fluorescence reagent for lipid hydroperoxides. This reagent could be applied to both the batch method and the HPLC postcolumn meth od, by which lipid hydroperoxides were determined at sub-nmol and pmol levels, respectively. Especially, the HPLC postcolumn method made it possible to determine lipid hydroperoxides by their lipid class levels or molecular species level. Here, I review the design, synthesis and properties of phosphine reagents, and their applications to foodstuffs and biological materials.