Central Support Unit
Analytical Chemistry

Head of the Central Support Unit

Dr. rer. nat. Meinolf Blaszkewicz

The Central Support Unit for Analytical Chemistry provides services for chemical and biomolecular analyses and for technical working processes. These include developing methods of determining chemicals in the air and in biological material, genotyping- and phenotyping susceptibility markers and the technical implementation of inhalation studies in the exposure chamber. Current ongoing cooperations are with the following research groups:

Current research

• research group "Chronobiology" (cortisol in saliva)
• research group "Chemical risks" (biomonitoring of the phytoestrogens daidzein, genistein und equol in urine by GC-MS; mycotoxin ochrotoxin A and metabolites in plasma and urine by HPLC-FD and LC-MS; p-phenylenediamine und acetylated metabolites in cell systems by HPLC-UV)
• research group "Molecular toxicology“ (benzo[a]pyrene in blood, urine, feces by HPLC-FD)
• research group "Systems toxicology" (geno- and phenotyping of xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymesNAT2, GSTs, Cyps, markers of susceptibility, methapyrilene in blood and tissue by HPLC-FD; testosterone und metabolites in cell systems by HPLC-UV; aflatoxin B1 in cell systems by HPLC-FD)
• Determination of enzyme activities for CYP1A2, CYP3A4, CYP2C19, CYP2D6, CYP2A6, CYP2E1, CYP2C9, UGT, SULT, NAT1 in xenobiotic metabolism using specific substrates
• research group "Neurobehavioural toxicology and chemosensation" (four workplace exposure lab: inhalation studies with acetaldehyde and ethyl acrylate; air monitoring, biomonitoring; odor and irritation thresholds; olfactometry; n-hexane and metabolites in cell systems by GC-FID and HS-GC-FID, determination of pyrrolidine in air by GC-FID, GC-MS)

Analytical techniques

• Gas chromatography (GC) with FID, ECD, MS; Headspace-GC
• High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with UV/VIS, DAD, fluorescence, MS
• Mass spectrometry (MS)
• Photo-acoustic infrared gas detection
• PCR, gel electrophoresis
• RIA, ELISA, LIA
• Four workplace exposure chamber for human inhalation studies to solvents

Selected publications

• Agundez, J. A. G.; Golka, K.; Martinez, C.; Selinski, S.; Blaszkewicz, M.; Garcia-Martin, E.: Unraveling ambiguous NAT2 genotyping data Clin. Chem. 54: 1390-1394 (2008)
• Golka, K.; Blaszkewicz, M.; Samimi, M.; Bolt, H. M.; Selinski, S.: Reconstruction of N-acetyltransferase 2 haplotypes using PHASE Arch. Toxicol. 82: 265-270 (2008)
• Bader, M.; Wrbitzky, R.; Blaszkewicz, M.; van Thriel, C.: Human experimental exposure study on the uptake and urinary elimination of N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) during simulated workplace conditions Arch. Toxicol. 81: 335-346 (2007)
• van Thriel, C.; Schäper, M.; Kiesswetter, E.; Kleinbeck, S.; Juran, S.; Blaszkewicz, M.; Fricke, H.-H.; Altmann, L.: From chemosensory thresholds to whole body exposures - experimental approaches evaluating chemosensory effects of chemicals Int. Arch. Occup. Environ. Health 79: 308-321 (2006)
• Heinrich-Ramm, R.; Blaszkewicz, M.; Bader, M.: Interlaboratory comparison to evaluate a standardized calibration procedure for the headspace analysis of aromatic solvents in blood Anal. Bioanal. Chem. 380: 59-67 (2004)
• Moors, S.; Blaszkewicz, M.; Bolt, H. M.; Degen, G. H.: Simultaneous determination of daidzein, equol, genistein and bisphenol A in human urine by a fast and simple method using SPE and GC-MC Mol. Nutr. Food Res. 51: 787-798 (2007)
• Degen, G. H.; Mayer, S.; Blaszkewicz, M.: Biomonitoring of ochratoxin A in grain workers Mycotoxin Res. 23: 88-93 (2007)