An enhanced method for the determination of polyamine content in biological samples by dansyl chloride derivatization and HPLC.

The polycationic alkylamines known as polyamines are ubiquitous organic cations found in all forms of life and are involved in multiple biological processes including RNA and DNA replications and conformational changes, transcription, translation, regulation of ion channels, free radical scavenging, and cell proliferation. Therefore, polyamine homeostasis is critical to normal cellular function and health. In cancer and other hyperproliferative diseases, polyamines and their metabolism are frequently dysregulated due to the increased requirement for polyamines under conditions of rapid, or continued, uncontrolled growth. Consequently, polyamine function and metabolism are of considerable interest as possible targets for antiproliferative therapies. As the awareness of the importance of polyamines in health and disease has increased, so has the need for rapid and precise measurements of polyamines in biological samples, including cells, blood, serum, urine, and other biological fluids. Here we present an improvement over one of the standard high performance liquid chromatography methods that is faster, uses fewer reagents, and is at least as precise as previously published methods.