Detection of ethanolamine altering in fetuses of pregnancy-associated hypertensive mice treated with vasodepressors by using UPLC and MALDI-TOF/MS

Since serotonin, homocysteine and oxytocin are known to fluctuate during mammalian gestation, we screened amines altered in pregnant-associated hypertensive (PAH) mice by tagging their amino groups with 6-aminoquinoline carbamoyl (AQC) group in concert with ultra high-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC). Interestingly, a candidate amine significantly increased in PAH mice was recovered to the basal level, when treated with antihypertensive drugs. Mass spectrometric analyses indicated that the molecular mass of this amine was 61.2, which was identified as ethanolamine.