RESUMO
Normal and bladder cancer patients urine samples were analyzed by high performance capillary electrophoresis [HPCE] and thin layer chromatography [TLC] to separate and identify their constituents. By HPCE, It was found that the normal urine constituents migrated into two major peaks at 2.1 min. and at 3.3 min. and were detected at 254 nm. Electrophoresing the bladder cancer patients urine at the same wavelength demonstrated three major peaks that migrated at 2.1, 2.7 min and 3.3 min. In order to identify the nature of such peaks, normal and bladder cancer patients urine were electrophoresed at two wavelengths, 214 and 280 nm that detect peptides and proteins, respectively. The peaks migrated at 2.1 min. were detected at 214 nm suggesting their peptide nature. While the peaks migrating at 3.3 min were detected at both 214 and 280 nm indicating their protein nature. The unique peak that migrated at 2.7 min was detected only at 254 nm. It can be concluded that the latter peak contained a molecule that is non-peptide non-protein in nature and is unique to the urine of bladder cancer. Thin layer chromatography was carried out to identify such a molecule. It was shown to be most likely the tryptophan metabolite kynurenine