Assay of malondialdehyde and other alkanals in biological fluids by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

The method described in this chapter allows the accurate measurement of MDA in diverse biological samples and can be extended to measurements of other alkanals. The use of GC/MS-NCI ensures specificity and sensitivity, and the ability to prepare samples without heating limits oxidation artifact. Although the widely used TBA assay for MDA does not require sophisticated equipment, its results may be of limited value as the assay is hindered by the possibility of cross reactivity and by heat-induced oxidation artifact. This GC-MS technique offers the additional advantages of efficient processing of large numbers of samples and the elimination of recovery errors by inclusion of an internal standard.