Importance of Analytical Chemistry in Biological

Sciences.
Analytical chemistry is critically important in
monitoring the environment, in product analysis in
industry, for disease studies and diagnosis, for trace
measurements in the sea, and for measurements in
small places like single cells and nanotubes. The area
of Analytical Chemistry has seen a true renaissance in
the last two decades with advances in sensitivity,
measurements in nano-environments, single cells,
and advances in the understanding and diagnosis of
disease.
Fields:
Medicine
- In the field of medicine, analytical chemists help
physicians diagnose diseases through clinical
chemistry — analyzing blood gases, enzymes,
bacteria, and other medical samples. Through
pathology, analytical chemistry helps us
understand disease through its molecular
makeup. The use of instrumentation, statistics,
 chemistry, and computers makes analytical
chemists essential to medical research and
pharmaceutical development. And, without
analytical chemistry, there would be no forensic
science, the sciences used for the purposes of
law.
- Analysis of the blood through analytical
chemistry can provide important information
about the function of the kidneys and other
organs. By measuring levels of important
electrolytes and other chemicals, like:
o Glucose, or blood sugar,
o Sodium levels in the blood represent a
balance between sodium and water intake
and excretion. Abnormal blood levels of
sodium may indicate heart or kidney
dysfunction or dehydration.
o Sodium levels in the blood represent a
balance between sodium and water intake
and excretion. Abnormal blood levels of
sodium may indicate heart or kidney
dysfunction or dehydration.
 o Sodium levels in the blood represent a
balance between sodium and water intake
and excretion. Abnormal blood levels of
sodium may indicate heart or kidney
dysfunction or dehydration. (Margolis ,
2012)
Food industry
- Food and Drug scientist uses portable near
infrared spectroscopy device to detect
potentially illegal substances
Environment
- Analytical methods to be used to solve
problems environmental chemistry, such as
environmental monitoring, studies of the
quality of water and pollutants contents of
effluents.
- Pollution monitoring can provide an important
aid in the choice of the strategy to control the
level of some dangerous elements, whether in
water or in the air. (De Marchi, Canepa,
Braggio, & Randi, 1991)
 - Analytical chemistry is an important tier of
environmental protection and has been
traditionally linked to compliance and/or
exposure monitoring activities for
environmental contaminants.
Agriculture
- Analytical chemistry and its methods help
ensure product safety and regulatory
compliance by testing for potentially harmful
residues relating to pesticides, biocides,
fertilizers and drugs for humans and animals.
- Ex. Soil nutrient analyses can be carried out to
extract three major soil macronutrients,
nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, and
combine them with color-based reagents to
determine their concentration.

Nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium are

major components of soil fertilizer. Knowing
their concentration in soils can inform
environmental scientists of nutrient deficiency
 or surplus in soils used to support plant
production, and provide a general insight into
the basic biogeochemical cycles of an
ecosystem. (Jove, 2018)

Pharmaceuticals
- analytical chemistry is the branch of science
that provides knowledge of compound
separation, identification and quantification
that can be useful for measuring bioavailability
of drugs, purifying drugs during synthesis, and
identifying drug metabolic pathways. To
accurately quantify drugs and metabolites in
pharmacokinetic, transport, and delivery
studies, a strong understanding of analytical
chemistry principles is necessary and only well-
characterized analytical methods should be
used to ensure the integrity of collected data.
(Knaack, 2012)
Bibliography
De Marchi, G., Canepa, B., Braggio, F., & Randi, G. (1991, October). Analysis of pollution monitoring by
expert systems.

Holler, J., Crouch, S., Skoog, D., & West, D. (2014). Skoog and West's Fundamentals of Analytic Chemistry
9th Edition. Mary Finch.

Jove. (2018). Soil Nutrient Analysis: Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium. Retrieved from Jove.com:
https://www.jove.com/science-education/10077/soil-nutrient-analysis-nitrogen-phosphorus-
and-potassium

Knaack, J. (2012, December 11). Pharmaceutica Analitica Acta. Retrieved from omicsonline.org:
https://www.omicsonline.org/the-importance-of-analytical-chemistry-in-quantitative-
pharmaceutical-sciences-2153-2435.1000e142.php?aid=10657

Margolis , S. (2012, Jan 10). Heath Communities. Retrieved from HealthCommunitites.com.

Dungag:
Analytical Chemistry plays an important role in
medical research. Drugs today radically alter the
capabilities of treating illnesses. Most drugs are
transformed in the body. The reactions involved must
be studied to understand drug metabolism and aid
the discovery of new drugs. Very sensitive (Up to
Parts-per-million) separation and detection
techniques identify these reaction sequence and their
importance. Mass spectrometry for example can
detect minute quantities of drugs and their
metabolites.
Radio isotope techniques also provide highly
sensitive and practical methods for quantitative drug
metabolism studies.

Different forms of chromatography is important in the

study of disease caused by inborn errors of
metabolism.
the combination of gas chromatography and mass
spectrometry creates a powerful tool for separating
and identifying chemicals important in disease
studies.
Infrared and Ultraviolet spectrometry are used in the
study of steroid chemistry

Fluorescence spectrometry detects elements present

in living tissues.
Meanwhile, Laser probe technology and x-ray
emission spectrometry are two analytical techniques
that show promise in medical science. They allow the
detection of elements in very small sample sizes such
as a single drop of blood.

Molecular Biology and Analytical Chemistry

Methods Used to Probe the Retinoid Cycle
Abstract
(side note: The 11-cis Retinal is an isomer of
retinal. The 11-cis Retinal forms half of the rhodopsin
(type of visual pigment) molecule (the other half of
rhodopsin is composed of opsin) which is an essential
endogenous chemical for the function of visual
perception. )
 The retinoid (visual) cycle is a complex enzymatic
pathway essential for regeneration of the visual
chromophore, 11-cis-retinal, a component of
rhodopsin that undergoes activation by light in
vertebrate eyes. Pathogenic mutations within genes
encoding proteins involved in the retinoid cycle lead
to abnormalities in retinoid homeostasis and
numerous congenital blinding diseases of humans.
Thus, elucidation of disease-specific changes in
enzymatic activities and retinoid content of the retina
can provide important insights into the mechanisms
of disease initiation and progression. Here, we use the
protein RPE65 as an example to describe generally
applicable methods for determining the stability and
enzymatic activity of proteins and their mutants
involved in retinoid metabolism. Additionally, we
introduce a range of analytical techniques involving
high-performance liquid chromatography and mass
spectrometry to detect and quantify retinoids and
their derivatives in eye extracts. Biochemical protocols
combined with advanced mass spectrometry should
facilitate fundamental biological studies of vision.
(Golczak, Bereta, Maeda, & Palczewski, 2015)

Quantification of chromophore levels within the

retina is especially important because it provides
information about the overall performance of the
retinoid cycle. This approach has been widely used in
combination with electroretinography to investigate
potential delays in 11-cis-retinal production and
rhodopsin regeneration. (Golczak, Bereta, Maeda, &
Palczewski, 2015)

Methodology
Here we describe methodology that employs mass
spectrometry for detection of the chromophores as
well as products of retinal conjugation extracted from
mouse eyes. We found that application of LC-MS
technology is especially important for quantification
of 11-cis-retinal in samples containing low amounts
of this chromophore. Prominent examples are
evaluation of 11-cis-retinal production in retinas of
animal models of human ocular diseases treated with
gene therapy, determination of retinoid composition
in subregions of the retina, or detection of changes in
the chromophore levels after light exposure in Nrl−/−
mice (26). LC-MS also turns out to be an excellent tool
for studying side products of retinoid metabolism,
especially cytotoxic lipofuscin chromophores (Fig.
13.4). Correlations of the relative abundance of di-
retinoid-pyridium-ethanolamine (A2E) or retinal
dimer with age and progressive retinal degeneration
may provide important insights into the
mechanism(s) of human age-related macular
degeneration (AMD) and Stargardt disease (16, 27).
(Golczak, Bereta, Maeda, & Palczewski, 2015)
A complementary technique allowing precise
molecular identification and quantification is mass
spectrometry, especially when it is combined with
high-performance liquid chromatography (LC-MS).
Several experimental approaches have been
developed over last 15 years to detect and quantify
retinoic acid, retinol, and retinyl esters in a variety of
tissues. The greatest advantage of LC-MS is its
sensitivity that reaches the limits of retinoid detection
and quantification, depending on applied
methodology and class of instrument, in the 10–50
fmol and 20–200 fmol ranges, respectively. Moreover,
instruments that have the capacity to perform MSn
analyses provide definitive mass and structural
identification. These also can be used to enhance the
specificity and sensitivity of analyses done in a
selected ion or selected reaction monitoring mode.
Journal/Study: Molecular Biology and Analytical
Chemistry Methods Used to Probe the Retinoid Cycle
Proponents: Marcin Golczak, Grzegorz Bereta, Akiko
Maeda, and Krzysztof Palczewski

Guide Questions
1. What is the purpose of this study?
The purpose of this study is to gather important and
lacking information into the mechanisms of disease
initiation and progression that causes disruptions in
the retinoid cycle. By knowing the specific changes in
enzymatic activities which hinders regeneration of the
chromophore (11-cis-retinal) that are caused by
pathogenic mutations as well as measuring changes
in retinol content (Golczak, Bereta, Maeda, &
Palczewski, 2015).
(By knowing the changes in enzymatic activity one can
pinpoint which genes are affected by pathogenic
mutations.)
(By knowing the changes in retinoid content one can
pinpoint the rate of progression in which a retinal
disease happens.)
-
2. What are they trying to measure?
The researchers are trying to measure the
chromophore levels within the retina.
Chromophores (a component in Rhodopsin
which are extremely sensitive to light, and thus
enables vision in low-light conditions.) specifically
11-cis Retinal a molecule that forms half of the
rhodopsin molecule which is an essential
endogenous chemical for the function of visual
perception (Golczak, Bereta, Maeda, &
Palczewski, 2015). Quantification of such
chromophore is especially important because it
 provides information about the overall
performance of the retinoid cycle. This approach
has been widely used in combination with
electroretinography to investigate potential
delays in 11-cis-retinal production and rhodopsin
regeneration.

3. What instrument or analytical instrument

- The instruments used by the researchers in their
experiment are High Performance Liquid
chromatography and Mass Spectrometry (LC-
MS) Liquid chromatography sensitivity that
reaches the limits of retinoid detection. While
mass spectrometry allows for precise molecular
identification and quantification. Liquid
Chromatography is used in this experiment in
order to quantify the amount of chromophores
present while Mass spectrometry is used for the
detection of the chromophores. Both
instruments are needed in this experiment since
there is a need to Identify and Measure the
object of study (Chromophore)
4. What ideal characteristics are they showing when
they perform the experiments
- The ideal characteristics that the researches
were showing while performing the experiment
was the meticulous attention to detail and
measurements. Since the researchers are
dealing with very small numbers (parts-per-
billion). They need to be careful in interpreting
data because small deviations in dealing with
very small quantities can amount to very big
difference in the result interpretation which is
why they chose to use a measuring instrument
that can accurately measure such very small
quantities.
- Another ideal characteristic careful planning in
the experiment. The researchers presented a
very detailed methodology from preparation,
to methods of extraction, quantification of
various compounds, extraction, and separation
method. Which results to a more accurate
 measurement, identification and interpretation
of data.

5. Discuss the importance of their work in the

advancement of science and the betterment of
society
- This experiment is very important especially to
a society largely dependent with their visual
sense. The millennial word which both leisure
and work is dependent largely in the eyes of
those who look in their computer screens,
cellphones and see the world around them. It
provides a better understanding on how the
retina in the eye is affected by mutations. With
their experiment they can unlock some
unknown factors which affect the gradual loss
of sight, know the different factors which cause
retinal disease which can result to blindness,
know the rate in which the disease can progress
over time, develop ways of preventing and
curing possible mutations that affect the
retinoid cycle. All in all it affects people who are
 going through gradual blindness cause by
retinal mutations/diseases and other eye
problems.

Bibliography
De Marchi, G., Canepa, B., Braggio, F., & Randi, G. (1991, October). Analysis of pollution monitoring by
expert systems.

Golczak, M., Bereta, G., Maeda, A., & Palczewski, K. (2015). Molecular Biology and Analytical Chemistry
Methods Used to Probe the Retinoid Cycle. HHS Author manuscripts.

Holler, J., Crouch, S., Skoog, D., & West, D. (2014). Skoog and West's Fundamentals of Analytic Chemistry
9th Edition. Mary Finch.

Jove. (2018). Soil Nutrient Analysis: Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium. Retrieved from Jove.com:
https://www.jove.com/science-education/10077/soil-nutrient-analysis-nitrogen-phosphorus-
and-potassium

Knaack, J. (2012, December 11). Pharmaceutica Analitica Acta. Retrieved from omicsonline.org:
https://www.omicsonline.org/the-importance-of-analytical-chemistry-in-quantitative-
pharmaceutical-sciences-2153-2435.1000e142.php?aid=10657

Margolis , S. (2012, Jan 10). Heath Communities. Retrieved from HealthCommunitites.com.