|
|
||||||||
Articles |
1
Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia 4102.
2
University of Queensland Department of Medicine,
Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia 4102.
a Address correspondence to this author at: James Lance Glaxo Wellcome Medicines Research Unit, Parkes 10 East, Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia 2031. Fax 61-2-9382 4053; e-mail agj34419{at}glaxowellcome.co.uk
| Abstract |
|---|
|
|
|---|
Methods: After incubation (37 °C for 3 or 18 h),
samples were prepared using C18 solid-phase extraction.
[Val]5Ang1 was used as the internal standard (IS).
Chromatography was performed on a C18 column, using 200
mL/L ammonium acetate buffer800 mL/L methanol as the mobile
phase. The flow rate was 150 µL/min, with a chromatographic
run time of 5 min/sample. Mass spectrometric detection was in the
positive ionization mode with selected reaction monitoring (Ang1
m/z 649.0
784.0; IS m/z 641.9
770.4).
Results: The assay was linear over the range 2.5500 ng Ang1/mL, which corresponded to a limit of detection (signal-to-noise ratio of 3:1) of PRA of 0.14 ng Ang1 · mL-1 · h-1. The imprecision (CV) of the assay at PRA values of 26.1, 13.5, 3.2, and 0.78 ng Ang1 · mL-1 · h-1 was 7.0%, 7.0%, 15%, and 11%, respectively. Absolute recoveries were 92.3% (Ang1) and 87.4% (IS). Incubation times of 3 h vs 18 h in the PRA assay gave good agreement at PRA <2 ng Ang1 · mL-1 · h-1, but samples with a PRA of 25 ng Ang1 · mL-1 · h-1 gave lower PRA results after incubation for 18 h than after 3 h. We compared the HPLC-ESI-MS/MS assay and an RIA for the determination of PRA, with PRA incubation times of 3 h and 1.5 h, respectively. The mean PRA based on RIA of Ang1 was higher than that obtained using HPLC-ESI-MS/MS.
Conclusion: The HPLC-ESI-MS/MS method allows sensitive and specific measurement of PRA. The higher activities measured with the RIA method highlight its potential for overestimation of PRA.© 1999 American Association for Clinical Chemistry
| Introduction |
|---|
|
|
|---|
Several methodologies for the analysis of PRA have been reported. These include RIA (1)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10), HPLC-RIA (2)(11)(12), and HPLC (13)(14)(15). RIA methods are based on competitive binding principles, and the antibodies used can undergo nonspecific binding with other endogenous angiotensins. This potential cross-reactivity can cause overestimation of the activity and represents a clear disadvantage of RIA. To overcome this potential problem, other investigators have used HPLC to isolate Ang1 from other angiotensins before quantification with RIA, but these methods are extremely labor-intensive because of the additional purification steps involved. Some HPLC methods for the quantification of Ang1 have been developed using ultraviolet (13) and fluorescence detection (14). However, the improved specificity of these methods is negated by their sensitivity, which is inadequate to quantify clinically relevant PRA values.
The relatively recent availability of HPLC-electrospray-tandem mass
spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS/MS) as an analytical tool has provided
specific quantification of compounds at much lower concentrations than
conventional HPLC (16). We report here a highly specific
HPLC-ESI-MS/MS method with a limit of detection of 0.50 ng Ang1 on the
column, which when used in conjunction with the optimized PRA
incubation procedure reported by Sealey (1), provides a
sensitive and specific measure of PRA at clinically important
concentrations (PRA
0.14 ng
Ang1 · mL-1 · h-1).
| Materials and Methods |
|---|
|
|
|---|
calibrators and controls
From the Ang1 stock solution (0.250 mg/mL) a series of working
calibrators (2.5, 5.0, 10.0, 25.0, 50.0, 100.0, 250.0, and 500.0 ng/mL)
and blank samples were prepared in normotensive pooled plasma. Aliquots
(750 µL) of these calibrators were stored frozen (-20 °C) in
1.5-mL polypropylene microcentrifuge tubes. The calibrators were not
incubated; therefore, only the minimal endogenous Ang1 contributed to
the calibration curve. This could be accounted for by the subtraction
of a blank. Controls were prepared by pooling patient plasma into four
groups according to their PRA values obtained using RIA analysis. The
four controls contained high, intermediate, low, and very low renin
activity. These controls were run within each sample batch throughout
the study for quality assurance.
handling of patient samples
All patient samples used in this study were collected into
purple-capped EDTA Vacutainer Tubes. The tubes were kept at room
temperature and not placed on ice because cooler temperatures favor the
cryoactivation of prorenin to renin. The whole blood samples were
centrifuged at room temperature (5 min at 2800g), and the
plasma was transferred to 5-mL polystyrene tubes and stored frozen at
-20 °C until analysis.
hplc-esi-ms/ms conditions
The HPLC system consisted of a Waters 616 solvent delivery system
and 600S controller (Waters) and an ISS 200 autoinjector
(Perkin-Elmer). Chromatography was performed using a Waters Novapak
C18 column (2 x 150 mm, 4 µm) at ambient
temperature. The mobile phase consisted of 200 mL/L ammonium acetate
buffer (40 mmol/L, pH 5.1)800 mL/L methanol, delivered at a
flow rate of 150 µL/min. The mobile phase was split 1:3 postcolumn
into the mass spectrometer. A 20-µL aliquot of the extracted sample
was injected for analysis.
A PE-SCIEX API III tandem mass spectrometer (PE-SCIEX), in selected reaction monitoring (SRM) mode, was used for quantitative mass spectrometric detection; the dwell time was 800 ms, and the scan rate was 0.42/s. An electrospray (pneumatically assisted ion spray) interface was operated in positive ionization mode. The orifice potential and interface temperatures were set at 60 V and 60 °C, respectively. Argon, at a density of 300 x 1012 molecules/cm2, was used as the collision gas. The peak-area ratio of Ang1 to IS was used for quantification. Calibration curves were constructed by using weighted (1/x2) linear least-squares regression. Data were collected and manipulated on Macintosh computers operating RAD and MACQUAN software programs (PE-SCIEX). The latter program automatically calculated the signal and noise to allow determination of the limit of detection, defined as a signal-to-noise ratio of 3:1.
incubation procedure
Frozen plasma samples and controls were thawed rapidly in front of
a fan for <10 min to prevent cryoactivation of prorenin to renin.
Duplicate aliquots (0.5 mL) were pipetted into 1.5-mL polypropylene
microcentrifuge tubes. Maleic acid (100 µL), neomycin sulfate (10
µL), and PMSF (5 µL) working solutions were added, and the samples
were mixed. One of each duplicate sample was incubated for 3 h
(37 °C) and the other for 18 h (37 °C). Samples were frozen
(-20 °C) to stop the incubation and stored at this temperature
until analysis.
extraction procedure
Frozen calibrators, incubated controls, and incubated patient
samples were thawed rapidly in front of a fan for <10 min. Maleic acid
working solution (100 µL) and IS (100 µL) were added to each
calibrator, control, and patient sample. Samples were mixed and
centrifuged (5 min at 20 800g). Solid-phase extraction
cartridges (C18, 100 mg, 1 mL; Waters) were
preconditioned with methanol (4 mL) followed by water (4 mL). The
supernatants were applied to their respective cartridges and drawn
through under reduced pressure (20 psi). The loaded cartridges
were washed with water (2 mL). Samples were eluted with methanol
(2 mL), evaporated to dryness under nitrogen (37 °C), and
reconstituted in mobile phase (50 µL).
validation of hplc-esi-ms/ms assay
A calibration curve (2.5, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, 250, and 500 ng
Ang1/mL) was prepared daily with pooled patient sera control samples
(PRA = 26.1, 13.5, 3.2 and 0.78 ng
Ang1 · mL-1 · h-1).
The imprecision (CV) of the assay was determined using the method of
Krouwer and Rabinowitz (17) with quadruplicate analysis of
each control over 4 days (n = 16). The order in which controls and
calibrators were analyzed was randomized to remove positional bias.
Absolute recoveries were calculated by comparing the peak areas of the
extracted calibrators to solutions of the Ang1 calibrators and IS in
mobile phase (n = 4).
assessment of the effect of incubation time on the
hplc-esi-ms/ms pra assay
Patient sera (n = 33) were assayed after incubation for 3 and
18 h. The PRA results, calculated from these two different
incubation times, were compared to study the effect of incubation time
on the HPLC-ESI-MS/MS PRA results. These results were compared using
the procedure of Bland and Altman (18). These data were
expressed as the mean difference ± SE.
assessment of pra assays: hplc-esi-ms/ms vs ria
Patient sera (n = 31) were assayed using HPLC-ESI-MS/MS and
the GammaCoat® plasma renin activity
125I RIA kit (INCSTAR Corp.). For the
HPLC-ESI-MS/MS assay, each sample was incubated for both 3 and 18
h and then analyzed. The PRA results for comparison were quantified
from the samples incubated for 3 h. RIA samples were incubated for
1.5 h, according to the manufacturer's specifications
(19). The results for the patient samples were compared
between the two assays (3-h incubation for HPLC-ESI-MS/MS and 1.5-h
incubation for RIA), using the procedure of Bland and Altman
(18). These data were expressed as mean difference ±
SE.
| Results |
|---|
|
|
|---|
784.0) and IS (m/z 641.9
770.4)
were selected and optimized for SRM. Ang1 and IS both fragment
at the same position to form the singly charged hexapeptides
(16)Ang1 and (16)IS, respectively. Fig. 2
|
|
The assay was linear over the range 2.5500 ng/mL, with weighted
regression (1/x2) producing a line of
best fit of: y = 3.28 x
10-3 (± 3.95 x
10-4)x + 7.62 x
10-3 (± 2.00 x
10-3), and a correlation coefficient of 0.994
(n = 4). The limit of detection (signal-to-noise ratio of 3:1)
of Ang1 was 0.50 ng on the column (PRA = 0.14 ng
Ang1 · mL-1 · h-1).
The imprecision of the assay was determined at four activities
(PRA = 26.1, 13.5, 3.2, and 0.78 ng
Ang1 · mL-1 · h-1)
with total CVs of 7.0%, 7.0%, 15%, and 11%, respectively (Table 1
). Absolute recoveries were 92.3% (67.9112.9%) and 87.4%
(63.6104.9%) for Ang1 and IS, respectively (n = 4).
|
comparison of incubation times (3 and 18 h)
A total of 33 patient samples were incubated for both 3 and
18 h and assayed using HPLC-ESI-MS/MS. The data showed linear
correlation (r = 0.982; 18 h = 0.872 x
3 h + 0.147; Fig. 3
A). Fig. 3B
shows the data as the differences between PRA
measured after 3- and 18-h incubations vs the mean. The mean difference
(mean bias) of these PRA results was 0.0172 ng
Ang1 · mL-1 · h-1
(Sy|x = 0.0406 ng
Ang1 · mL-1 · h-1)
over the activity range 0.225.08 ng
Ang1 · mL-1 · h-1.
|
comparison of plasma pra: hplc-esi-ms/ms vs ria
A total of 31 patient samples were assayed using HPLC-ESI-MS/MS
(3-h incubation) and RIA (1.5-h incubation). These data showed a linear
correlation (r = 0.959; RIA = 2.16 x
HPLC-ESI-MS/MS - 0.247; Fig. 4
A). Fig. 4B
shows the data as the differences between PRA
measured using RIA and HPLC-ESI-MS/MS vs the mean of both methods. The
mean difference (mean bias) of these PRA results was 1.07
ng Ang1 · mL-1 · h-1
(Sy|x = 0.254 ng
Ang1 · mL-1 · h-1) over the activity
range 0.2210.5 ng
Ang1 · mL-1 · h-1.
|
| Discussion |
|---|
|
|
|---|
An alternative to the measurement of PRA is the determination of the active renin concentration (ARC). In this case, the concentration of active renin, the renin capable of converting angiotensinogen to Ang1, is quantified directly in plasma by the use of monoclonal antibodies (20). In contrast, PRA quantifies the product of renin action. Some authors (6)(7)(8)(9)(20) advocate the measure of ARC over PRA because of the longer analysis times required for PRA (6) and the poor interlaboratory reproducibility of PRA reported for the multicenter comparative study (20). However, the PRA assay has several advantages over ARC. First, PRA is the more important clinical indicator because the normal circulating concentration of angiotensinogen is close to the KM of the reaction, which allows renin to generate Ang1 at only one-half the maximal velocity. Therefore, the concentration of angiotensinogen will affect renin activity (1). For this reason, PRA represents the capacity of plasma renin and angiotensinogen to generate the active hormone Ang2 (via Ang1) and does not necessarily correlate with ARC. This is highlighted by the fact that comparative studies of PRA and ARC at clinically relevant concentrations gave poor correlations [r = 0.599; PRA <2.5 ng Ang1 · mL-1 · h-1 (7); and r = 0.687; PRA <5 ng Ang1 · mL-1 · h-1 (8)] and demonstrates that ARC is not a suitable indicator of Ang2 production. Second, PRA has the advantage that higher sensitivity can be achieved by prolonging the incubation time, which allows each renin molecule to cleave many Ang1 molecules from angiotensinogen.
Although the Italian multicenter comparative study reported poor reproducibility of PRA (20), Sealey (1) has reported optimal sample handling and incubation conditions to minimize variability of the assay. These include the prevention of cryoactivation of prorenin; optimization and control of pH and incubation times; and the addition of PMSF, EDTA, and neomycin solution to inhibit angiotensinases, angiotensin-converting enzyme, and microbial growth (1). If these conditions are controlled, angiotensinases can be successfully inhibited for up to 18 h, and these extended incubation times negate the necessity of blank subtraction, a major source of variability in some PRA assays (1).
The limited linear range of the existing RIA methods means that samples with high renin (13 < PRA < 44 ng Ang1 · mL-1 · h-1) must be diluted fivefold and the assay repeated (4). Sealey and co-workers (4)(5) have reported that the rate limiting of PRA by angiotensinogen concentration is nonlinear. Plasmas from different individuals have different concentrations of angiotensinogen (renin substrate). Because the enzymatic conversion of angiotensinogen to Ang1 obeys first-order kinetics, a dilution of one patient plasma may halve the amount of Ang1 generated, whereas a similar dilution of a sample in which the substrate concentration is greater may not cause a proportional reduction in the amount of Ang1 generated (5). Thus, sample dilution lowers the concentration of renin substrate and alters the PRA values such that they cannot be calculated by multiplication with a dilution factor. It is therefore recommended that dilution of samples should be avoided if possible (5). The HPLC-ESI-MS/MS assay is linear up to 500 ng/mL Ang1 (PRA = 167 ng Ang1 · mL-1 · h-1), which negates the need for sample dilution of high renin samples.
There has been some dispute as to whether PRA remains linear at incubation times up to 18 h (21). Sealey et al. (4) have recommended both 3 and 18 h incubation of all samples, providing that incubation conditions are controlled carefully. Samples with PRA >0.64 ng Ang1 · mL-1 · h-1 are reported after 3-h incubations, whereas samples with PRA <0.64 ng Ang1 · mL-1 · h-1 are quantified after 18-h incubations. This avoids substrate exhaustion, which can potentially cause a drop off in renin activity at higher PRA, but still provides greater sensitivity for lower PRA samples. Sealey et al. (5) compared PRA results from samples (n = 32; PRA<1.8 ng Ang1 · mL-1 · h-1) analyzed after 3- and 18-h incubations, and the data were linearly correlated [r = 0.985; PRA (18 h) = 0.90 x PRA (3 h) + 0.07]. In this study, we found a similar correlation for PRA results over the same range [n = 26; PRA <2.0 ng Ang1 · mL-1 · h-1; r = 0.962; PRA (18 h) = 0.960 x PRA (3 h) + 0.105]. However, when the PRA range is extended up to PRA <5 ng Ang1 · mL-1 · h-1, the regression line deviates from the line of identity, indicating lower PRA results after an 18-h incubation. This may be because of substrate exhaustion in samples with higher PRA and indicates why samples with PRA <0.64 ng Ang1 · mL-1 · h-1 should be analyzed after incubation for 3 h.
Comparison of the PRA results obtained with the HPLC-ESI-MS/MS method
vs RIA (Fig. 4A
) shows that the PRA results obtained with RIA were on
average higher than those obtained with HPLC-ESI-MS/MS. Although
different calibrators were used for each assay, this may account for
some, but not all, of the discrepancies observed. This highlights the
potential overestimation of RIA, which may be attributed to several
possible factors. These include cross-reactivity of the antibodies with
other endogenous compounds in the plasma, deterioration of the kit
calibrators through loss of activity from storage in dilute solution
(5), errors introduced through blank subtraction, or
dilution of the plasma samples, which dilutes the substrate, which in
turn has a nonlinear effect on the generation of Ang1 (5). A
plot of the differences between the RIA and HPLC-ESI-MS/MS PRA results
vs the mean PRA (Fig. 4B
) shows a systematic increase in the results
from the RIA relative to the results from HPLC-ESI-MS/MS with
increasing PRA. The clinical importance of this overestimation of PRA
by RIA is substantial given that a doubling of PRA would halve the
aldosterone:renin ratio and may lead to misdiagnosis of patients with
primary hyperaldosteronism. In addition, overestimation of PRA by RIA
may imply that patients with hypertension have high renin, and could
influence the choice of antihypertensive medication prescribed for a
patient.
In conclusion, we have developed a sensitive and specific HPLC-ESI-MS/MS method for the analysis of PRA. Comparison of this method with RIA showed that, on average, RIA PRA results were higher than those obtained with HPLC-ESI-MS/MS. This difference could be clinically important in the diagnosis of hypertensive patients.
| Acknowledgments |
|---|
| Footnotes |
|---|
| References |
|---|
|
|
|---|
The following articles in journals at HighWire Press have cited this article:
![]() |
M. Rauh, M. Groschl, and W. Rascher Simultaneous Quantification of Ghrelin and Desacyl-Ghrelin by Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry in Plasma, Serum, and Cell Supernatants Clin. Chem., May 1, 2007; 53(5): 902 - 910. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |