Liquid Chromatographic Behavior of Biological Thiols and the Corresponding Disulfides

Abstract

Reverse-phase, ion-exchange, and reverse-phase ion-pairing were evaluated as liquid chromatographic modes for the isocratic separation of cysteine, cystine, glutathione (reduced and oxidized), homocysteine, and penicillamine (reduced and oxidized). A series dual Hg/Au amperometric detector was used to detect both thiols and disulfides. Reverse-phase ion-pairing was determined to provide the most satisfactory performance for a liquid chromatographic separation of the compounds of interest.