Ion-pair, anion-exchange and ligand-exchange high-performance liquid chromatography of tenuazonic acid and 3-acetyl 5-substituted pyrrolidine-2,4-diones.

The ion-pair, ligand-exchange and anion-exchange chromatography of the fungal metabolic tenuazonic acid (TA) and its related 3-acetyl 5-substituted pyrrolidine-2,4-diones were studied. Ion-pair chromatography was performed on a C18 column with a mobile phase composed of cetrimide, phosphate buffer in water-methanol and a metal complexant (ethylenediamine) to improve the peak sharpness. Addition of the same metal complexant to the mobile phase of the anion-exchange chromatographic system also improved its efficiency. TA and its 5-substituted analogues derived from valine and leucine were separated with the ion-pair and anion-exchange chromatographic systems. With ligand-exchange chromatography, TA could only be separated from its valine analogue. These chromatographic systems were used for the detection of TA in the culture filtrates of the fungus Pyricularia oryzae and in infected rice leaves. Deproteinated culture filtrates could be rapidly analysed for their TA content by anion-exchange chromatography. However, this system was not suitable for the detection of TA in the infected rice leaf as interfering compounds were coeluted with TA. Ion-pair and ligand-exchange chromatographic systems allowed the efficient quantification of TA in infected leaves.