High performance liquid chromatographic analysis of the malondialdehyde content of chicken liver

An assay for the determination of malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in chicken liver is described. The method involves the extraction of the tissues with trichloracetic acid and reaction of the extract with TBA. The reaction mixture is then purified using reverse-phase cartridges and the TBA-MDA reaction products are separated from other TBA-reactive substances by reverse-phase HPLC. The method is rapid, reproducible, easy to perform, and is sensitive in the nanogram (10(-11) mol) range. Application of this technique may be useful to determine the extent of lipid peroxidation occurring in the liver as a result of degenerative liver diseases or poisoning with certain hepatotoxins.