Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Molecular Biology, Oregon Graduate Institute of Science & Technology, 97291-1000, Portland, Oregon.
J Chem Ecol. 1996 Feb;22(2):207-21. doi: 10.1007/BF02055093.
A procedure for headspace sampling and long-term storage of organic volatiles coupled with gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric (GC-MS) analysis was used to study the volatile chemosignals in a biological secretion prior to bioassay. The approach involved collecting the volatiles in evacuated canisters from an apparatus in which 1 ml of secretion was dispersed for headspace sampling. These canisters, stainless steel, 850 ml, and 100% internally electropolished, have been demonstrated to store volatile compounds, in chemically stable form, for several weeks. The GC-MS analyses provided the quantitation and identification of compounds from C3 through C14 at concentrations as low as 0.10 parts per billion volume. The approach was used to study chemosignals of musth temporal gland secretions (TGS) from a male Asian elephant (Elephas maximus). Fresh TGS material loses its biological activity within 1 hr. TGS material stored at -20°C usually looses its activity within 30 days. The usefulness of this method for long-term storage of the volatile chemosignals was demonstrated by the retention of biologically active TGS headspace compounds, as determined through bioassays, stored in these canisters for one year.
采用顶空取样和长期储存有机挥发物的方法，结合气相色谱-质谱联用（GC-MS）分析，在生物测定之前研究生物分泌物中的挥发性化学信号。该方法涉及从一个装置中用抽空罐收集挥发性物质，该装置中 1 毫升分泌物被分散进行顶空取样。这些不锈钢罐，容积为 850 毫升，内部 100%电抛光，已被证明可以将挥发性化合物以化学稳定的形式储存数周。GC-MS 分析提供了从 C3 到 C14 的化合物的定量和鉴定，浓度低至 0.10 十亿分之一体积。该方法用于研究雄性亚洲象（Elephas maximus）季节性腺分泌液（TGS）的化学信号。新鲜的 TGS 材料在 1 小时内失去生物活性。储存在-20°C的 TGS 材料通常在 30 天内失去活性。通过生物测定，证明了这种方法在这些罐中储存一年后仍能保留具有生物活性的 TGS 顶空化合物，从而证明了该方法对挥发性化学信号的长期储存是有用的。
