Abstract

Pteridines and their derivatives function as intermediates in the metabolism of several vitamins and cofactors, and their relevance to disease has inspired new efforts to study their roles as disease biomarkers. Recent analytical advances, such as the emergence of sensitive mass spectrometry techniques, new workflows for measuring pteridine derivatives in their native oxidation states and increased multiplexing capacities for the simultaneous determination of many pteridine derivatives, have enabled researchers to explore the roles of urinary pteridines as disease biomarkers at much lower levels with greater accuracy than with previous technologies or methods. As a result, urinary pteridines are being increasingly studied as putative cancer biomarkers with promising results being reported from exploratory studies. In addition, the role of urinary neopterin as a universal biomarker for immune system activation is being investigated in new diseases where it is anticipated to become a useful supplementary marker in clinical diagnostic settings. In summary, this review provides an overview of recent developments in the clinical study of urinary pteridines as disease biomarkers, covers the most promising aspects of advanced analytical techniques being developed for the determination of urinary pteridines and discusses the major challenges associated with implementing pteridine biomarkers in clinical laboratory settings.

Department(s)

Chemistry

Publication Status

Open Access

Keywords and Phrases

5,6,7,8-tetrahydrobiopterin; cancer biomarkers; neopterin; pteridines; urinary biomarkers

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

2195-4720; 0933-4807

Document Type

Article - Journal

Document Version

Final Version

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2024 The Authors, All rights reserved.

Publication Date

01 May 2017

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Included in

Chemistry Commons

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