Measuring triamcinolone acetonide in aqueous humor by gas chromatography-electron-capture negative-ion mass spectrometry.

Intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide (IVTA) injection has been used in the treatment of various posterior segment diseases. One of the side effects of IVTA is raised intraocular pressure, which may be secondary to triamcinolone acetonide (TAA)'s effects on the trabecular meshwork that affects aqueous outflow. In order to study the biological effects of TAA on the trabecular meshwork, we firstly need to reliably and accurately detect the concentration of TAA in tissue cells or fluids. In this study we have described a technique of using gas chromatography-electron-capture-negative-ion mass spectrometry (GC-NCI-MS) to develop a simple, sensitive, selective and validated method to detect TAA in aqueous humor (AH) of rabbits following IVTA and subconjunctival TAA injections. We derivatized TAA from extracted aqueous sample by acetic anhydride and BSTFA, respectively, and analyzed by GC-NCI-MS. The detection limit was 0.3ng/ml, linearity over 0.995 from 0 to 300ng/ml. The reproducibility ranged from 10.4 to 3.9 for concentrations from 3 to 300ng/ml, and recovery was over 95% for the concentrations 10, 60, and 200ng/ml. No interference was found from 159 aqueous samples. There was no TAA residue carried to the next injection from previously high concentration injection, 10,000ng/ml. We have provided an alternative, rapid, and robust method other than LC-MS-MS for TAA detection in AH.

[Digenic association of RHO and RP1 genes with retinitis pigmentosa among Chinese population in Hong Kong].

OBJECTIVE: To identify the mutation patterns of RHO and RP1 genes in the Chinese patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and to explore their potential interactions in the pathogenesis of RP. METHODS: Sequence alterations in the entire coding region and splice sites of RHO and RP1 gene were screened in 151 RP affected probands and 150 unrelated controls who were all Hong Kong Chinese. Additional 46 relatives of 12 RP probands carrying possible mutations in RHO or RP1 were recruited for segregation analysis. Univariate analysis, multivariate analysis and genotype-pedigree disequilibrium test were used to examine the associations of polymorphisms in these two genes with RP. RESULTS: Two mutations in the RHO gene, 5211delC and P347L, were identified each in one proband from the 151 probands, accounting for 1.3% of the RP patients. Two mutations in the RP1 gene, R677X and D984G, were identified each in one proband from the 151 probands, also accounting for 1.3% of the RP patients. In univariate analysis, non-coding sequence variants in the RHO gene, -26G > A, was found to increase the risk of RP, while R872H in the RP1 gene was likely to be a protective factor for RP. Multivariable logistic regression analysis and haplotype analysis confirmed these associations. CONCLUSION: The prevalences of RHO and RP1 mutations among the RP patients in Chinese population are both less than reported in other populations. Besides the disease-causing mutations, non-coding sequence alterations may also be a modifier for RP. The potential interactions between RHO and RP1 suggest a digenic etiology for RP.