Bioactivity screening and mass spectrometric confirmation for the detection of PPAR[delta] agonists that increase type 1 muscle fibres

• Published in: Analytical and bioanalytical chemistry 2014-01, Vol.406 (3), p.705-713
• Main Authors: Bovee, Toine F H, Blokland, Marco, Kersten, Sander, Hamers, Astrid R M, Heskamp, Henri H, Essers, Martien L, Nielen, Michel W F, van Ginkel, Leendert A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Activation; Anion exchange; Assaying; Bioassay; Bioassays; Biological activity; Computed tomography; Consumer products; Doping; Extraction; Gene expression; Homeostasis; Human; Kinases; Lipids; Liver cancer; Lymphoma; Metabolism; Metabolites; Pharmaceutical industry; Plasmids; Preservatives; Receptors; Water analysis; Water sampling
• ISSN: 1618-2642; 1618-2650
• DOI: 10.1007/s00216-013-7520-y

Sensitive and robust bioassays able to detect nuclear receptor activation are very useful for veterinary and doping control, pharmaceutical industry and environmental scientists. Here, we used bioassays based on human leukemic monocyte lymphoma U937 and human liver hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cell lines to detect the ligand-induced activation of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor delta (PPAR[delta]). Exposure of U937 cells to the PPAR[delta] agonist GW501516 resulted in a marked increase in mRNA expression of the PPAR[delta] target gene AngptM which was quantified by qRT-PCR analysis. Exposure of HepG2 cells transiently transfected with a PPAR[delta] expression plasmid and a PPAR-response element-driven luciferase reporter plasmid to PPAR[delta] agonists GW501516, GW610742 and L-165041 resulted in clear dose-response curves. Although the qRT-PCR resulted in higher fold inductions, the luciferase assay with transfected HepG2 cells is cheaper and quicker and about ten times more sensitive to GW501516 compared to analysis of AngptM mRNA expression in U937 cells by qRT-PCR. The HepG2-based luciferase assay was therefore used to screen GW501516-spiked supplements and feed and water samples. After liquid extraction and clean-up by solid phase extraction using a weak anion exchange column, extracts were screened in the HepG2 bioassay followed by confirmation with a newly developed UPLC-MS/MS method, using two transitions for each compound, i.e., for GW501516, 454.07>188.15 (collision energy (CE) 46 V) and 454.07>257.08 (CE 30 V); for GW610742, 472.07>206.2 (CE 48 V) and 472.07>275.08 (CE 30 V); and for L-165041, 401.2>193.15 (CE 26 V) and 401.2>343.2 (CE 20 V).