Folic acid and glutathione in the water column of the North East Atlantic

Reactive folic acid and glutathione were determined in the water column of the north east Atlantic between 30 and 54°N, 20°W. Cathodic stripping voltammetry (CSV) was used to determine these compounds on board ship at low nanomolar levels after minimal sample pretreatment. Folic acid was found to occur throughout the water column, whereas glutathione was found only in the upper water column as it was undetectable in deep waters. The concentration of glutathione ranged from <1 to 15 nmol/l, the folic acid concentrations generally between 0.10 and 4.0 nmol/l. Folic acid was found to follow the same trend as the Chl-a fluorescence in the upper water column but not in deeper waters. The data show that both folic acid and glutathione are very reactive in the oceanic water column, presumably as a result of in situ production and uptake by microorganisms. The high bioactivity was confirmed by rapid decreases in the concentrations of folic acid and glutathione in unfiltered seawater during storage over periods of hours.