Analusis 27, 876-881 (1999)
DOI: 10.1051/analusis:1999157

Simultaneous quantification of free and esterified cholesterol extracted from plasma by ¹³C NMR spectroscopy

E. Baguet¹, T. Magot², K. Ouguerram², R. J. Robins¹ and R. J. Weesie<sup>1

1</sup>  Laboratoire d'Analyse Isotopique et électrochimique de Métabolismes, UPRESA CNRS 6006, Université de Nantes, BP 92208, 2, rue de la Houssinière, 44322 Nantes Cedex 03, France
²  Centre de Recherche en Nutrition Humaine, groupe métabolisme, Hôtel Dieu, 1, place Ricordeau, 44093 Nantes Cedex 01, France

(Received October 29, 1999; accepted November 26, 1999.)

Abstract
An efficient strategy for the simultaneous quantification of free and esterified cholesterol in a mixture by ¹³C NMR spectroscopy is described. It is based on the choice as internal reference of cholesteryl bromide, which has a similar chemical structure and ¹³C NMR spectral features to those of the analytes in the mixture. In this way, it is possible to obtain accurate results using a short recycle time and benefiting from the nuclear Overhauser enhancement. The analytical procedure has been used to quantify both free and esterified cholesterol in samples of known concentration. The measured values are in good agreement with the expected values, thanks to the use of several resonance's within the target molecules, yielding a statistical average of the final concentration of each analyte. The method is shown to be suitable for the quantification of esterified and free cholesterol in a crude lipid mixture extracted from human blood.

Key words: Quantitative ¹³C NMR spectroscopy / cholesterol / cholesteryl ester.


© EDP Sciences, Wiley-VCH 1999