Measurement of F2- isoprostanes and isofurans using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

F2-Isoprostanes (IsoPs) are isomers of prostaglandin F2α formed from the nonenzymatic free radical-catalyzed peroxidation of arachidonic acid. Since discovery of these molecules by Morrow and Roberts in 1990, F2-IsoPs have been shown to be excellent biomarkers as well as potent mediators of oxidative stress in vivo in humans. Isofurans (IsoFs) are also oxidation products generated from the nonenzymatic oxidation of arachidonic acid. IsoFs are preferentially formed instead of F2-IsoPs in settings of increased oxygen tension. The protocol presented herein is the current methodology that our laboratory uses to quantify F2-IsoPs and IsoFs in biological tissues and fluids using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). A variety of analytical procedures to measure F2-IsoPs, including other GC/MS methods and liquid chromatography/MS and immunological approaches, are reported in the literature. This method provides a very low limit of quantitation and is suitable for analysis of both F2-IsoPs and IsoFs from a variety of biological sources including urine, plasma, tissues, cerebral spinal fluid, exhaled breath condensate, and amniotic fluid, among others.