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PTCA determination in human hair: reliability and analytical aspects
Roberto Zanetti1, Marina Zoccola, Raffaella Mossotti
1CPO-Piedmont Cancer Registry, Turin, Italy. roberto.zanetti@cpo.it
Summary
High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) determination of 2.3.5-pyrroletricarboxylic acid (PTCA) in human hair is a reliable method for identifying individuals at high risk for melanoma. This study confirms PTCA
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Analytical Chemistry
- Dermatology
Background:
- Melanin oxidation in human hair produces 2.3.5-pyrroletricarboxylic acid (PTCA).
- PTCA is a potential biomarker for skin tumor risk assessment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the reliability of High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) for determining PTCA levels.
- To assess PTCA as a risk marker for melanoma.
Main Methods:
- PTCA was quantified in 100 melanoma cases and 100 controls using HPLC.
- Reproducibility was assessed through 21 replicates from reference hairs and samples.
Main Results:
- Work-up and injection procedures demonstrated high reproducibility with Intraclass Correlation Coefficients (ICC) above 0.986.
- A slight, non-significant decrease in reproducibility was observed with increasing PTCA amounts.
Conclusions:
- HPLC determination of PTCA from oxidized human hair is a reliable method.
- PTCA is a promising candidate marker for identifying individuals at high risk of melanoma.
