Application

Phthaldialdehyde or OPA determines amino acids in proteins from animal tissue and food samples. Quantification of amino acids adducts of tyramine and phenylethylamine produced by lactic acid bacteria used OPA as the pre-column derivative reagent for HPLC. Intracellular forms of glutathione (GSH/GSSG) are investigated using o-Phthalaldehyde as the pre-column fluorescent agent.

Biochem/physiol Actions

Phthaldialdehyde can be used for the pre-column derivatization of amino acids for high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) separation. It may also be used for flow cytometric measurements of protein thiol groups.

General description

Phthaldialdehyde, also known as o-Phthalaldehyde or OPA, is a pre-column (HPLC) derivatization reagent. OPA reacts with primary amino acids (AA) except cystine to form highly fluorescent adducts. The fluorescence of the derivatives is monitored at excitation and emission wavelengths of 345nm and 455nm, respectively. The HPLC technique efficiently separates the OPA-AA derivatives.