Volatile carboxylic acid profiling in physiological fluids: direct injection into a gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer

Alternative method for gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis of short-chain fatty acids in faecal samples

Short-chain fatty acids are the major end products of bacterial metabolism in the large bowel. They derive mostly from the bacterial breakdown of carbohydrates and are known to have positive health benefits. Due to the biological relevance of these compounds it is important to develop efficient, cheap, fast, and sensitive analytical methods that enable the identification and quantification of the short-chain fatty acids in a large number of biological samples. In this study, a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry method was developed and validated for the analysis of short-chain fatty acids in faecal samples. These volatile compounds were extracted with ethyl acetate and 4-methyl valeric acid was used as an internal standard. No further cleanup, concentration, and derivatization steps were needed and the extract was directly injected onto the column. Recoveries ranged between 65 and 105%, and no matrix effects were observed. The proposed method has wide linear ranges, good inter- and intraday variability values (below 2.6 and 5.6%, respectively) and limits of detection between 0.49 μM (0.29 μg/g) and 4.31 μM (3.8 μg/g). The applicability of this analytical method was successfully tested in faecal samples from rats and humans.

Rapid determination of short-chain fatty acids in colonic contents and faeces of humans and rats by acidified water-extraction and direct-injection gas chromatography

Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) have attracted much attention recently because of their positive physiological effects. In this work, a rapid and reliable gas chromatographic method for determination of eight SCFAs, in colonic and faecal samples from rats and humans has been developed and validated. The methodology involves extraction of the SCFAs in water before a direct injection procedure on a FFAP capillary column. A stock standard solution containing acetic acid, propionic acid, n-butyric acid, i-butyric acid, n-valeric acid, i-valeric acid, n-caproic acid and n-heptanoic acid was prepared and used. A high linearity (r2 > 0.9990), low quantification limit (2.38-30.14 microm) and high recovery for most acids were obtained. Acidification of faecal samples was found to be crucial for quantitative determination of the SCFAs, and adjustment of pH to 2-3 was regarded as necessary. Glass wool inserted in the glass liner of the injection port proved effective in preventing the contamination of the column by non-volatiles, and 12% formic acid reduced the ghost peak that appeared gradually after several injections. After validation, the methodology was applied on two faecal samples from rats fed diets containing different amount of dietary fibre and one faecal sample from human fed a normal diet to test the accuracy of the developed method.

Headspace solid-phase microextraction profiling of volatile compounds in urine: application to metabolic investigations

Volatile compounds contribute substantially to the metabolic pool in man. Their analysis in body fluids is problematic. We investigated headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) with Carboxen-polydimethylsiloxane fibres and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for profiling urinary volatile components. These fibres were more sensitive for very volatile and sulfur compounds than three other phases tested. We detected a wide range of compounds in normal urine at acid and alkaline pH. Profiles presented for five individuals with metabolic disturbances demonstrate abnormal accumulation of sulfur compounds, fatty acids and plasticisers. HS-SPME can complement profiling of non-volatile compounds in metabolic investigations and could be a useful extension of the diagnostic repertoire.

Occurrence, absorption and metabolism of short chain fatty acids in the digestive tract of mammals

Short chain fatty acids (SCFA) also named volatile fatty acids, mainly acetate, propionate and butyrate, are the major end-products of the microbial digestion of carbohydrates in the alimentary canal. The highest concentrations are observed in the forestomach of the ruminants and in the large intestine (caecum and colon) of all the mammals. Butyrate and caproate released by action of gastric lipase on bovine milk triacylglycerols ingested by preruminants or infants are of nutritional importance too. Both squamous stratified mucosa of rumen and columnar simple epithelium of intestine absorb readily SCFA. The mechanisms of SCFA absorption are incompletely known. Passive diffusion of the unionized form across the cell membrane is currently admitted. In the lumen, the necessary protonation of SCFA anions could come first from the hydration of CO2. The ubiquitous cell membrane process of Na+-H+ exchange can also supply luminal protons. Evidence for an acid microclimate (pH = 5.8-6.8) suitable for SCFA-protonation on the surface of the intestinal lining has been provided recently. This microclimate would be generated by an epithelial secretion of H+ ions and would be protected by the mucus coating from the variable pH of luminal contents. Part of the absorbed SCFA does not reach plasma because it is metabolized in the gastrointestinal wall. Acetate incorporation in mucosal higher lipids is well-known. However, the preponderant metabolic pathway for all the SCFA is catabolism to CO2 except in the rumen wall where about 80% of butyrate is converted to ketone bodies which afterwards flow into bloodstream. Thus, SCFA are an important energy source for the gut mucosa itself.

Metabolic profiling with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and its application to clinical medicine

Nowadays, metabolic profiling is widely applied in clinical medicine for the diagnosis and study of human diseases. The number of these applications and their diversity have increased rapidly in the past few years. This review summarizes recent advances in the methods for sample pretreatment and the clinical application of GC-MS to the study of uraemia, diabetes mellitus, dicarboxylic aciduria and other organic acidurias. High-resolution GC-MS is well suited to the profile analysis of metabolic disorders.

Early identification of isovaleric aciduria using photodiode array detection for liquid chromatographic profiling of urinary carboxylic acids

The 190 nm high performance liquid chromatographic photodiode array profiling of the urinary carboxylic acids of the first urine of a newborn affected with isovaleric aciduria afforded an abnormal peak at 27.8 min. This peak was greatly increased in the carboxylic acid profiling of the 14 h urine sample from the same infant. Isolation of this peak by fraction collecting; solvent extraction of the eluent; trimethylsilyl derivatization of the residue and gas chromatographic/mass spectrometric analysis identified the compound as isovalerylglycine. Correlation of the 190 nm absorbance of isovalerylglycine (y) with concentration (x) afforded a least squares curve: y = 476.4x-13.72 (r = 0.99); run-to-run variation 6.92%; day-to-day variation 8.88% with a minimum detectable concentration of 25 micrograms/ml.