Hydroxyl and 1-hydroxyethyl free radical detection using spin traps followed by derivatization and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Detection of hydroxyl free radicals is frequently performed by electron spin resonance (ESR) following spin trapping of the radical using 5,5-dimethylpyrroline N-oxide (DMPO) to generate a stable free radical having a characteristic ESR spectrum. The necessary ESR equipment is expensive and not readily available to many laboratories. In the present study, a specific and sensitive gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) method for detection of hydroxyl and hydroxyethyl free radicals is described. The DMPO or N-t-butyl-alpha-phenylnitrone (PBN) radical adducts are extracted and derivatized by trimethylsylilation and analyzed by GC/MS. To standardize the method, .OH and 1-hydroxyethyl radicals were generated in two different systems: 1) a Fenton reaction in a pure chemical system in the absence or presence of ethanol and 2) in liver microsomal suspensions where ethanol is metabolized in the presence of NADPH. In the Fenton system both radicals were easily detected and specifically identified using DMPO or PBN. In microsomal suspensions DMPO proved better for detection of .OH radicals and PBN more suitable for detection of 1-hydroxyethyl radicals. The procedure is specific, sensitive and potentially as useful as ESR.