2. Academic Validation
  3. Identification and Distribution of Sterols, Bile Acids, and Acylcarnitines by LC-MS/MS in Humans, Mice, and Pigs-A Qualitative Analysis

Identification and Distribution of Sterols, Bile Acids, and Acylcarnitines by LC-MS/MS in Humans, Mice, and Pigs-A Qualitative Analysis

  • Metabolites. 2022 Jan 7;12(1):49. doi: 10.3390/metabo12010049.
Ambrin Farizah Babu 1 2,  Ville Mikael Koistinen 1 2 3,  Soile Turunen 2 4,  Gloria Solano-Aguilar 5,  Joseph F Urban Jr 5,  Iman Zarei 1,  Kati Hanhineva 1 2 3
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Department of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition, University of Eastern Finland, 70210 Kuopio, Finland.
  • 2 Afekta Technologies Ltd., Yliopistonranta 1L, 70211 Kuopio, Finland.
  • 3 Department of Biochemistry, Food Chemistry and Food Development Unit, University of Turku, 20014 Turku, Finland.
  • 4 School of Pharmacy, University of Eastern Finland, 70210 Kuopio, Finland.
  • 5 U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Northeast Area, Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center, Diet Genomics and Immunology Laboratory, Beltsville, MD 20705, USA.
PMID: 35050171 DOI: 10.3390/metabo12010049
Abstract

Sterols, bile acids, and acylcarnitines are key players in human metabolism. Precise annotations of these metabolites with mass spectrometry analytics are challenging because of the presence of several isomers and stereoisomers, variability in ionization, and their relatively low concentrations in biological samples. Herein, we present a sensitive and simple qualitative LC-MS/MS (liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry) method by utilizing a set of pure chemical standards to facilitate the identification and distribution of sterols, bile acids, and acylcarnitines in biological samples including human stool and plasma; mouse ileum, cecum, jejunum content, duodenum content, and liver; and pig bile, proximal colon, cecum, heart, stool, and liver. With this method, we detected 24 sterol, 32 bile acid, and 27 acylcarnitine standards in one analysis that were separated within 13 min by reversed-phase chromatography. Further, we observed different sterol, bile acid, and acylcarnitine profiles for the different biological samples across the different species. The simultaneous detection and annotation of sterols, bile acids, and acylcarnitines from reference standards and biological samples with high precision represents a valuable tool for screening these metabolites in routine scientific research.

Keywords

LC–MS/MS; acylcarnitine; annotation; bile acid; sterol.

Figures
Products