TY - JOUR
T1 - Identification of Neopterin as a Potential Indicator of Infection in Burned Patients
AU - Burleson, David G.
AU - Johnson, Avery
AU - Salin, Marvin
AU - Mason, Arthur D.
AU - Pruitt, Basil A.
PY - 1992/3
Y1 - 1992/3
N2 - Several fluorescent substances are present in the supernatants of acid-precipitated whole blood or plasma from burned patients. Perchloric acid supernatants of sera from infected, but not uninfected, burned rats contained a fluorescent substance with maximum emission at 420 nm at 355-nm excitation (355 ex/420 em). In this study of serum from burned human patients, several fluorescent substances were resolved by reverse-phase high-pressure liquid chromatography. One of these fluorescent components had an high-pressure liquid chromatography retention time and fluorescent characteristics identical to those of neopterin. The identification of this component as neopterin was verified by thermospray mass spectrometry. Serum neopterin concentrations were then determined in supernatants of patient serum samples having various levels of 355 ex/420 em fluorescence. A correlation was found between the concentrations of neopterin determined by high-pressure liquid chromatography and the presence of bacteremia in burned patients. These findings suggest that neopterin, which is a useful indicator of infection in other clinical settings, may also be an indicator of infection in burned patients.
AB - Several fluorescent substances are present in the supernatants of acid-precipitated whole blood or plasma from burned patients. Perchloric acid supernatants of sera from infected, but not uninfected, burned rats contained a fluorescent substance with maximum emission at 420 nm at 355-nm excitation (355 ex/420 em). In this study of serum from burned human patients, several fluorescent substances were resolved by reverse-phase high-pressure liquid chromatography. One of these fluorescent components had an high-pressure liquid chromatography retention time and fluorescent characteristics identical to those of neopterin. The identification of this component as neopterin was verified by thermospray mass spectrometry. Serum neopterin concentrations were then determined in supernatants of patient serum samples having various levels of 355 ex/420 em fluorescence. A correlation was found between the concentrations of neopterin determined by high-pressure liquid chromatography and the presence of bacteremia in burned patients. These findings suggest that neopterin, which is a useful indicator of infection in other clinical settings, may also be an indicator of infection in burned patients.
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U2 - 10.3181/00379727-199-43361
DO - 10.3181/00379727-199-43361
M3 - Article
C2 - 1539033
AN - SCOPUS:0026585042
SN - 1535-3702
VL - 199
SP - 305
EP - 310
JO - Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine. Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine (New York, N. Y.)
JF - Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine. Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine (New York, N. Y.)
IS - 3
ER -