Detection and determination of pyrroloquinoline quinone, the coenzyme of quinoproteins

A convenient determination of pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) in extracts of purified enzymes is possible with ion-pair chromatography on a HPLC reverse-phase column and with uv detection. However, when culture supernatants have to be analyzed, a fluorescence detection system is more appropriate. Proof for the presence of PQQ can be obtained by treating such a sample with butyraldehyde, which converts the coenzyme into a stable adduct having a suitable retention time in the system. The sensitivity and selectivity of the analysis can be further enhanced by reducing the sample with NaBH4, which produces the dihydrodiol form of the coenzyme (PQQH4) and oxidizing PQQH4 with NaIO4 to a strongly fluorescing compound. A procedure is described for the easy preparation of an apoenzyme from the quinoprotein glucose dehydrogenase of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains. With this biological test system, very low amounts of PQQ can be detected. However, when PQQ is present in the form of adducts, the analysis has to be performed via reduction to PQQH4, oxidation with NaIO4, and HPLC.