D-Aspartic acid (D-Asp) is an endogenous amino acid found in the nervous and endocrine systems of many vertebrates and invertebrates, where D-Asp has physiological importance as a neurotransmitter and a hormone regulator. Previous research found D-Asp in marine bivalves such as clams and mussels. We found and quantified D-Asp in oysters, traditionally thought to possess aphrodisiac properties. D- and L-Asp isolated from homogenized oysters were derivatized with o-phthaldialdehyde (OPA) and N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) to form chiral diastereomers which were then separated by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) on a reversed phase C-18 column, eluted isocratically with sodium citrate-methanol (NaCit-MeOH) buffer, and fluorescence detection.  The results and significance of these analyses will be reported.

Analysis and quantification of D-aspartic acid in oysters

247th National Meeting (2014)

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