Simple and rapid mass fragmentographic method for the determination of glycine in brain tissue

A method for the sensitive and selective determination of glycine in brain tissue has been developed. Small samples of brain tissue were homogenized by sonication in 0.7 N formic acid, and [1,2 13C2,15N]glycine was then added as internal standard. After centrifugation, aliquots of the supernatants were dried and the resulting residues were derivatized in a single step with heptafluorobutyric anhydride and hexafluoroisopropanol. After removal of the derivatization reagents by evaporation the residues were dissolved in ethyl acetate and an aliquot was analyzed by mass fragmentography. Quantification was performed by comparing the ratio of peak areas of glycine and its internal standard.