Chromatographic separation of isologous sulfur- and selenium-containing amino acids: Reductive scission of the selenium-selenium bond by mercaptans and selenols

✍ Scribed by Roderich Walter; D.H. Schlesinger; I.L. Schwartz

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1969
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 804 KB
• Volume: 27
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0003-2697
• DOI: 10.1016/0003-2697(69)90027-x

✦ Synopsis

Formerly, interest in the biological significance of selenium was related primarily to the toxicity of this element (l-5). However, with the recognition that a selenium compound (Factor 3) may exercise a protective effect against certain nutritional deficiencies ( 6)) the emphasis in selenium research shifted to an effort to elucidate its role as an essential element. This development was paralleled by the search for selenium compounds in the plant and animal kingdoms (e.g., 3, 7). In this context it became important to find a method for the separation of organic seleniumcontaining compounds from the corresponding sulfur isologs.

In the course of studies in 1964 at Cornell Medical College on seleniumcontaining neurohypophyseal hormones ( 8)) it became apparent that ion-exchange chromatography provided such a method, as demonstrated by the separation of selenocystine from the corresponding sulfur isolog (8-10). The original finding has by now been studied in detail and the results are described in this report. MATERIALS AND METHODS Reagents Racemic amino acids were purchased from Cycle Chemical Corp., Los Angeles, Calif., and Nutritional Biochemicals Corp., Cleveland, Ohio, and OF S-AND SE-AMINO ACIDS 233