DETERMINATION OF GLUTATHIONE, GLUTATHIONE DISULFIDE, ASCORBIC-ACID AND DEHYDROASCORBIC ACID IN TISSUES BY REVERSED-PHASE LIQUID-CHROMATOGRAPHY WITH ELECTROCHEMICAL DETECTION

High-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection was applied to the estimation of glutathione, glutathione disulphide, ascorbic acid and dehydroascorbic acid in various tissues of man, animal, and plant. The simultaneous determination of glutathione and ascorbic acid in tissues was done by a coulometric method. Separation of glutathione and ascrobic acid and unequivocal substance identifications were performed on a 100 x 4.6 mm RP-18 Spheri 5 column. As mobile phase 0.015 mol/l o-phosphoric acid, pH 2.3 was used. Retention time of ascorbic acid was 5.0 min and of glutathione 10.0 min. Dehydroascorbic acid was determined after reduction to ascorbic acid with dithiothreitol. Glutathione disulphide was reduced at pH 7.5 by beta-nicotinamide-dinucleotide phosphate and glutathione reductase, EC 1.6.4.2., to regenerate glutathione. To exclude interfering substances, several other compounds present in tissues and foods were investigated. This coulometric method is highly sensitive, specific and simple. Very low concentrations of ascorbic acid, glutathione, dehydroascorbic acid, and glutathione disulphide (< 500 pg/injection) could be analysed using this HPLC-ECD method.