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Jiang PY, Yuan L, Liu DX, Yu HL, Bi XJ, Lv Q, Yang Y, Liu CC. Revealing nitrogenous VX metabolites and the whole-molecule VX metabolism in the urine of guinea pigs. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2024; 471:134400. [PMID: 38691927 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.134400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2024] [Revised: 04/21/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/03/2024]
Abstract
VX, a well-known organophosphorus nerve agent (OPNA), poses a significant threat to public safety if employed by terrorists. Obtaining complete metabolites is critical to unequivocally confirm its alleged use/exposure and elucidate its whole-molecular metabolism. However, the nitrogenous VX metabolites containing 2-diisopropylaminoethyl moiety from urinary excretion remain unknown. Therefore, this study applied a newly developed untargeted workflow platform to discover and identify them using VX-exposed guinea pigs as animal models. 2-(N,N-diisopropylamino)ethanesulfonic acid (DiPSA) was revealed as a novel nitrogenous VX metabolite in urine, and 2-(Diisopropylaminoethyl) methyl sulfide (DAEMS) was confirmed as another in plasma, indicating that VX metabolism differed between urine and plasma. It is the first report of a nitrogenous VX metabolite in urine and a complete elucidation of the VX metabolic pathway. DiPSA was evaluated as an excellent VX exposure biomarker. The whole-molecule VX metabolism in urine was characterized entirely for the first time via the simultaneous quantification of DiPSA and two known P-based biomarkers. About 52.1% and 32.4% of VX were excreted in urine as P-based and nitrogenous biomarkers within 24 h. These findings provide valuable insights into the unambiguous detection of OPNA exposure/intoxication and human and environmental exposure risk assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pei-Yu Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of NBC Protection for Civilian, Beijing 102205, China
| | - Ling Yuan
- State Key Laboratory of NBC Protection for Civilian, Beijing 102205, China
| | - Dong-Xin Liu
- State Key Laboratory of NBC Protection for Civilian, Beijing 102205, China
| | - Hui-Lan Yu
- State Key Laboratory of NBC Protection for Civilian, Beijing 102205, China
| | - Xiao-Jing Bi
- State Key Laboratory of NBC Protection for Civilian, Beijing 102205, China
| | - Qiao Lv
- State Key Laboratory of NBC Protection for Civilian, Beijing 102205, China
| | - Yang Yang
- State Key Laboratory of NBC Protection for Civilian, Beijing 102205, China
| | - Chang-Cai Liu
- State Key Laboratory of NBC Protection for Civilian, Beijing 102205, China.
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2
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Murray KJ, Villalta PW, Griffin TJ, Balbo S. Discovery of Modified Metabolites, Secondary Metabolites, and Xenobiotics by Structure-Oriented LC-MS/MS. Chem Res Toxicol 2023; 36:1666-1682. [PMID: 37862059 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrestox.3c00209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
Exogenous compounds and metabolites derived from therapeutics, microbiota, or environmental exposures directly interact with endogenous metabolic pathways, influencing disease pathogenesis and modulating outcomes of clinical interventions. With few spectral library references, the identification of covalently modified biomolecules, secondary metabolites, and xenobiotics is a challenging task using global metabolomics profiling approaches. Numerous liquid chromatography-coupled mass spectrometry (LC-MS) small molecule analytical workflows have been developed to curate global profiling experiments for specific compound groups of interest. These workflows exploit shared structural moiety, functional groups, or elemental composition to discover novel and undescribed compounds through nontargeted small molecule discovery pipelines. This Review introduces the concept of structure-oriented LC-MS discovery methodology and aims to highlight common approaches employed for the detection and characterization of covalently modified biomolecules, secondary metabolites, and xenobiotics. These approaches represent a combination of instrument-dependent and computational techniques to rapidly curate global profiling experiments to detect putative ions of interest based on fragmentation patterns, predictable phase I or phase II metabolic transformations, or rare elemental composition. Application of these methods is explored for the detection and identification of novel and undescribed biomolecules relevant to the fields of toxicology, pharmacology, and drug discovery. Continued advances in these methods expand the capacity for selective compound discovery and characterization that promise remarkable insights into the molecular interactions of exogenous chemicals with host biochemical pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin J Murray
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics, College of Biological Science, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Peter W Villalta
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
- Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Timothy J Griffin
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics, College of Biological Science, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Silvia Balbo
- Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
- Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
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3
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Bressan C, Celma A, Alechaga É, Monfort N, Ventura R, Sancho JV. Effects of structural characteristics of (un)conjugated steroid metabolites in their collision cross section value. Anal Chim Acta 2023; 1254:341128. [PMID: 37005032 DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2023.341128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Revised: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023]
Abstract
In this work, the collision cross section (CCS) value of 103 steroids (including unconjugated metabolites and phase II metabolites conjugated with sulfate and glucuronide groups) was determined by liquid chromatography coupled to traveling wave ion mobility spectrometry (LC-TWIMS). A time of flight (QTOF) mass analyzer was used to perform the analytes determination at high-resolution mass spectrometry. An electrospray ionization source (ESI) was used to generate [M+H]+, [M + NH4]+ and/or [M - H]- ions. High reproducibility was observed for the CCS determination in both urine and standard solutions, obtaining RSD lower than 0.3% and 0.5% in all cases respectively. CCS determination in matrix was in accordance with the CCS measured in standards solution showing deviations below 2%. In general, CCS values were directly correlated with the ion mass and allowed differentiating between glucuronides, sulfates and free steroids although differences among steroids of the same group were less significant. However, more specific information was obtained for phase II metabolites observing differences in the CCS value of isomeric pairs concerning the conjugation position or the α/β configuration, which could be useful in the structural elucidation of new steroid metabolites in the anti-doping field. Finally, the potential of IMS reducing interferences from the sample matrix was also tested for the analysis of a glucuronide metabolite of bolasterone (5β-androstan-7α,17α-dimethyl-3α,17β-diol-3-glucuronide) in urine samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Bressan
- Catalonian Antidoping Laboratory, Doping Control Research Group, Fundació IMIM (Hospital Del Mar Medical Research Institute), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Alberto Celma
- Environmental and Public Health Analytical Chemistry, Research Institute for Pesticides and Water, University Jaume I, Castelló, Spain; Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Élida Alechaga
- Catalonian Antidoping Laboratory, Doping Control Research Group, Fundació IMIM (Hospital Del Mar Medical Research Institute), Barcelona, Spain; Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Nuria Monfort
- Catalonian Antidoping Laboratory, Doping Control Research Group, Fundació IMIM (Hospital Del Mar Medical Research Institute), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Rosa Ventura
- Catalonian Antidoping Laboratory, Doping Control Research Group, Fundació IMIM (Hospital Del Mar Medical Research Institute), Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Juan Vicente Sancho
- Environmental and Public Health Analytical Chemistry, Research Institute for Pesticides and Water, University Jaume I, Castelló, Spain
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4
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Temerdashev A, Nesterenko P, Dmitrieva E, Zhurkina K, Feng YQ. GC-MS/MS Determination of Steroid Hormones in Urine Using Solid-Phase Derivatization as an Alternative to Conventional Methods. Molecules 2022; 27:molecules27185796. [PMID: 36144530 PMCID: PMC9502991 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27185796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2022] [Revised: 08/31/2022] [Accepted: 09/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Solid-phase analytical derivatization (SPAD) is a promising hybrid sample preparation technique combining the clean-up and preconcentration of the sample in a single step. In this work, a novel SPAD method based on the preparation of trimethylsilyl (TMS) derivatives of steroid hormones (testosterone, estrone, DHT, estriol, estradiol, and progesterone) in Phenomenex Strata C18-E (100 mg, 1 mL) cartridges has been developed and applied for their GC-MS/MS determination in human urine samples. The proposed procedure allows the detection and quantification of steroids with limits of 1.0–2.5 and 2.5–5 ng/mL, respectively. These characteristics are comparable with those obtained with a conventional liquid–liquid extraction, while the recovery of analytes in the proposed SPAD procedure is higher. The major advantages of SPAD are a short derivatization time, high efficiency, and the possibility to automatize the procedure. However, its cost-effectiveness in routine practice is still questionable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Azamat Temerdashev
- Analytical Chemistry Department, Kuban State University, Stavropolskaya st., 149, 350040 Krasnodar, Russia
- Correspondence:
| | - Pavel Nesterenko
- Physical Chemistry Department, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory, 1, 119991 Moscow, Russia
| | - Ekaterina Dmitrieva
- Analytical Chemistry Department, Kuban State University, Stavropolskaya st., 149, 350040 Krasnodar, Russia
| | - Kseniya Zhurkina
- Analytical Chemistry Department, Kuban State University, Stavropolskaya st., 149, 350040 Krasnodar, Russia
| | - Yu-Qi Feng
- Department of Chemistry, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
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Vogg N, Müller T, Floren A, Dandekar T, Scherf-Clavel O, Fassnacht M, Kroiss M, Kurlbaum M. Targeted metabolic profiling of urinary steroids with a focus on analytical accuracy and sample stability. J Mass Spectrom Adv Clin Lab 2022; 25:44-52. [PMID: 35910411 PMCID: PMC9334310 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmsacl.2022.07.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2022] [Revised: 07/20/2022] [Accepted: 07/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
A robust and selective LC-MS/MS method for quantification of 11 urinary steroids was developed and validated. Optimized preparation of calibration standards improves method linearity and accuracy. Pre-analytical sample stability was extensively validated.
Introduction Methods Results Conclusions
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Affiliation(s)
- Nora Vogg
- Department of Internal Medicine I, Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes, University Hospital Würzburg, Germany
- Central Laboratory, Core Unit Clinical Mass Spectrometry, University Hospital Würzburg, Germany
| | - Tobias Müller
- Department of Bioinformatics, Biocenter, Am Hubland, University of Würzburg, Germany
| | - Andreas Floren
- Department of Bioinformatics, Biocenter, Am Hubland, University of Würzburg, Germany
| | - Thomas Dandekar
- Department of Bioinformatics, Biocenter, Am Hubland, University of Würzburg, Germany
| | - Oliver Scherf-Clavel
- Institute for Pharmacy and Food Chemistry, Am Hubland, University of Würzburg, Germany
| | - Martin Fassnacht
- Department of Internal Medicine I, Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes, University Hospital Würzburg, Germany
| | - Matthias Kroiss
- Department of Internal Medicine I, Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes, University Hospital Würzburg, Germany
- Department of Internal Medicine IV, University Hospital Munich, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Max Kurlbaum
- Department of Internal Medicine I, Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes, University Hospital Würzburg, Germany
- Central Laboratory, Core Unit Clinical Mass Spectrometry, University Hospital Würzburg, Germany
- Corresponding author at: Department of Internal Medicine I, Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes and Central Laboratory, Core Unit Clinical Mass Spectrometry, University Hospital Würzburg, Oberdürrbacher Str. 6, 97080 Würzburg, Germany.
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Thomas K, Khymenets O, Pozo Ó, McLeod MD. Synthesis of 3α,6β‐Dihydroxyandrostan‐17‐one 3‐Glucuronides for the Detection of Testosterone Misuse. European J Org Chem 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ejoc.202200177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Komba Thomas
- ANU: Australian National University Research School of Chemistry Building 137, Linnaeus WayActon 2601 Canberra AUSTRALIA
| | - Olha Khymenets
- Institut Hospital del Mar d'Investigacions Mèdiques: Institut Hospital del Mar d'Investigacions Mediques Applied Metabolomics Research Group Doctor Aiguader, 8808003 Barcelona 08003 Barcelona SPAIN
| | - Óscar Pozo
- IMIM: Institut Hospital del Mar d'Investigacions Mediques Applied Metabolomics Research Group Doctor Aiguader, 8808003 Barcelona 08003 Barcelona SPAIN
| | - Malcolm Donald McLeod
- ANU: Australian National University Research School of Chemistry Building 137, Linnaeus WayActon 2601 Canberra AUSTRALIA
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Göschl L, Gmeiner G, Gärtner P, Steinacher M, Forsdahl G. Detection of DHCMT long-term metabolite glucuronides with LC-MSMS as an alternative approach to conventional GC-MSMS analysis. Steroids 2022; 180:108979. [PMID: 35183566 DOI: 10.1016/j.steroids.2022.108979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2021] [Revised: 01/19/2022] [Accepted: 02/07/2022] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Dehydrochloromethyltestosterone (DHCMT) is one of the most detected illicit used anabolic-androgenic steroids in professional sports. Therefore, a fast and accurate analysis of this substance is of great importance for a constructive fight against doping abuse. The conventional method for the analysis of this drug, GC-MSMS, is very sensitive and selective but also very time- and resource-consuming. With the presented work, a new approach for simple detection with LC-HRMSMS without any sample preparation is introduced. The method is based on the direct analysis of two newly described phase-II metabolites of the DHCMT long-term metabolite 4-chloro-18-nor-17β-hydroxymethyl-17α-methyl-5β-androst-13-en-3α-ol (M3). LC-HRMSMS, GC-MSMS, fractionation and derivatization experiments are combined to identify and characterize for the first time two different glucuronide-acid conjugates of this metabolite in positive human urine samples. In addition, a third glucuronide metabolite was identified, however without isomeric structure determination. The detection of these metabolites is particularly interesting for confirmation analyses, as the method is rapid and requires little sample material.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorenz Göschl
- Doping Control Laboratory, Seibersdorf Labor GmbH, Seibersdorf, Austria; Department of Pharmacy, University of Tromsø - The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway.
| | - Günter Gmeiner
- Doping Control Laboratory, Seibersdorf Labor GmbH, Seibersdorf, Austria
| | - Peter Gärtner
- Institute of Applied Synthetic Chemistry, Technical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Michael Steinacher
- Institute of Applied Synthetic Chemistry, Technical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Guro Forsdahl
- Doping Control Laboratory, Seibersdorf Labor GmbH, Seibersdorf, Austria; Department of Pharmacy, University of Tromsø - The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
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8
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Solid-phase analytical derivatization as a tool for the quantification of steroid hormones in human urine with HPLC-Q-ToF detection. J Pharm Biomed Anal 2022; 214:114736. [PMID: 35338944 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpba.2022.114736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2022] [Revised: 03/17/2022] [Accepted: 03/18/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
A possibility of application of solid-phase analytical derivatization (SPAD) for the quantification of seven steroid hormones (testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, cortisone, cortisol, progesterone, 11α-hydroxyprogesterone, and estrone) in human urine was evaluated. To prepare urine samples for instrumental analysis, SPAD with hydroxylamine was applied after enzymatic hydrolysis of the sample. To achieve high recovery values, extraction and derivatization conditions were optimized. Cartridges packed with end-capped octadecylsilyl silica sorbent provided optimum extraction of target analytes, while the reaction with hydroxylamine in the cartridge was found as a simple and efficient way for the chemical derivatization of steroids. The obtained derivatives were detected by using reversed-phase ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The proposed procedure was validated and applied to the analysis of real urine samples to prove the applicability of the proposed method for the routine analysis.
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9
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Gomez-Gomez A, Rodríguez-Morató J, Haro N, Marín-Corral J, Masclans JR, Pozo OJ. Untargeted detection of the carbonyl metabolome by chemical derivatization and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry in precursor ion scan mode: Elucidation of COVID-19 severity biomarkers. Anal Chim Acta 2022; 1196:339405. [DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2021.339405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2021] [Revised: 12/17/2021] [Accepted: 12/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
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10
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Fitzgerald CCJ, Hedman R, Uduwela DR, Paszerbovics B, Carroll AJ, Neeman T, Cawley A, Brooker L, McLeod MD. Profiling Urinary Sulfate Metabolites With Mass Spectrometry. Front Mol Biosci 2022; 9:829511. [PMID: 35281273 PMCID: PMC8906285 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2022.829511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2021] [Accepted: 01/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The study of urinary phase II sulfate metabolites is central to understanding the role and fate of endogenous and exogenous compounds in biological systems. This study describes a new workflow for the untargeted metabolic profiling of sulfated metabolites in a urine matrix. Analysis was performed using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-high resolution tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-HRMS/MS) with data dependent acquisition (DDA) coupled to an automated script-based data processing pipeline and differential metabolite level analysis. Sulfates were identified through k-means clustering analysis of sulfate ester derived MS/MS fragmentation intensities. The utility of the method was highlighted in two applications. Firstly, the urinary metabolome of a thoroughbred horse was examined before and after administration of the anabolic androgenic steroid (AAS) testosterone propionate. The analysis detected elevated levels of ten sulfated steroid metabolites, three of which were identified and confirmed by comparison with synthesised reference materials. This included 5α-androstane-3β,17α-diol 3-sulfate, a previously unreported equine metabolite of testosterone propionate. Secondly, the hydrolytic activity of four sulfatase enzymes on pooled human urine was examined. This revealed that Pseudomonas aeruginosa arylsulfatases (PaS) enzymes possessed higher selectivity for the hydrolysis of sulfated metabolites than the commercially available Helix pomatia arylsulfatase (HpS). This novel method provides a rapid tool for the systematic, untargeted metabolic profiling of sulfated metabolites in a urinary matrix.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Rikard Hedman
- Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Acton, ACT, Australia
| | - Dimanthi R. Uduwela
- Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Acton, ACT, Australia
| | - Bettina Paszerbovics
- Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Acton, ACT, Australia
| | - Adam J. Carroll
- Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Acton, ACT, Australia
| | - Teresa Neeman
- Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Acton, ACT, Australia
| | - Adam Cawley
- Australian Racing Forensic Laboratory, Racing NSW, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Lance Brooker
- Australian Sports Drug Testing Laboratory, National Measurement Institute, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Malcolm D. McLeod
- Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Acton, ACT, Australia
- *Correspondence: Malcolm D. McLeod,
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11
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Chen YC, Wu HY, Chang CW, Liao PC. Post-Deconvolution MS/MS Spectra Extraction with Data-Independent Acquisition for Comprehensive Profiling of Urinary Glucuronide-Conjugated Metabolome. Anal Chem 2022; 94:2740-2748. [PMID: 35119834 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.1c03557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Conjugation reactions are of critical significance in human metabolism. Identification of these conjugated metabolites is still challenging. Here, we propose a strategy, post-deconvolution MS/MS spectra extraction with data-independent acquisition (PDMS2E-DIA), to comprehensively profile the glucuronide-conjugated metabolome. PDMS2E-DIA enables the identification of conjugated and unconjugated metabolite pairs through neutral loss filtering combined with a significant change in abundance after the deconjugation reaction. Purified DIA MS/MS spectra were constructed by extracting MS/MS fragments shared between spectra derived from conjugated and unconjugated metabolites. The feasibility of this approach was first demonstrated by the identification of two glucuronide-conjugated metabolite standards spiked in urine samples. For human urine samples, 479 features were structurally annotated as potential glucuronide-conjugated metabolites, resulting in the identification of 211 metabolites. Fragment peaks derived from interferents were found to be removed by PDMS2E-DIA, which increased about 6 times the number of identified urine metabolites compared with those calculated from raw DIA deconvoluted MS/MS spectra. This approach was found to have great potential for identifying glucuronide-conjugated metabolites, as well as other kinds of chemical conjugations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan-Chih Chen
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan
| | - Hsin-Yi Wu
- Instrumentation Center, National Taiwan University, Taipei 106, Taiwan
| | - Chih-Wei Chang
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan
| | - Pao-Chi Liao
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan
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12
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In silico deconjugation of glucuronide conjugates enhances tandem mass spectra library annotation of human samples. Anal Bioanal Chem 2022; 414:2629-2640. [PMID: 35080654 PMCID: PMC8888480 DOI: 10.1007/s00216-022-03899-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2021] [Revised: 11/26/2021] [Accepted: 01/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Abstract
Mass spectral library annotation of liquid chromatography-high resolution tandem mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS/MS) data is a reliable approach for fast identification of organic contaminants and toxicants in complex environmental and biological matrices. While determining the exposure of humans or mammals, it is indispensable to include phase I and phase II metabolites (conjugates) along with the parent compounds, but often, tandem mass spectra for these are unavailable. In this study, we present and evaluate a strategy for annotating glucuronide conjugates in LC-HRMS/MS scans by applying a neutral loss search for detection, then truncating the spectra which we refer to as in silico deconjugation, and finally searching these against mass spectral libraries of the aglycones. The workflow was tested on a dataset of in vitro-generated glucuronides of reference standard mixtures and a dataset of 51 authentic urine samples collected from patients with known medication status, acquired on different instrumentations. A total number of 75 different glucuronidated molecular structures were identified by in silico deconjugation and spectral library annotation. We also identified specific molecular structures (sulfonamides, ether bonds, di-glucuronides), which resulted in slightly different fragmentation patterns between the glucuronide and the unconjugated compound. This led to a decreased spectral matching score and in some cases to a false-negative identification. Still, by applying this method, we revealed a reliable annotation of most common glucuronides, leading to a new strategy reducing the need for deconjugation steps or for recording many reference glucuronide spectra for screening approaches.
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13
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Ishii H, Leung GNW, Yamashita S, Nagata SI, Kushiro A, Sakai S, Toju K, Okada J, Kawasaki K, Kusano K, Kijima-Suda I. Comprehensive metabolic study of nicotine in equine plasma and urine using liquid chromatography/high-resolution mass spectrometry for the identification of unique biomarkers for doping control. J Chromatogr B Analyt Technol Biomed Life Sci 2022; 1190:123100. [PMID: 35032890 DOI: 10.1016/j.jchromb.2022.123100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2021] [Revised: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 01/03/2022] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Nicotine is classified as a stimulant, and its use is banned in horse racing and equestrian sports by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities and the Fédération Équestre Internationale, respectively. Because nicotine is a major alkaloid of tobacco leaves, there is a potential risk that doping control samples may be contaminated by tobacco cigarettes or smoke during sample collection. In order to differentiate the genuine doping and sample contamination with tobacco leaves, it is necessary to monitor unique metabolites as biomarkers for nicotine administration and intake. However, little is known about the metabolic fate of nicotine in horses. This is the first report of comprehensive metabolism study of nicotine in horses. Using liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization high-resolution mass spectrometry, we identified a total of 17 metabolites, including one novel horse-specific metabolite (i.e., 4-hydroxy-4-(3-pyridyl)-N-methylbutanamide), in post-administration urine samples after nasoesophageal administration of nicotine to three thoroughbred mares; eight of these compounds were confirmed based on reference standards. Among these metabolites, N-hydroxymethylnorcotinine was the major urinary metabolite in equine, but it could only be tentatively identified by mass spectral interpretation due to the lack of reference material. In addition, we developed simultaneous quantification methods for the eight target analytes in plasma and urine, and applied them to post-administration samples to establish elimination profiles of nicotine and its metabolites. The quantification results revealed that trans-3'-hydroxycotinine could be quantified for the longest period in both plasma (72 h post-administration) and urine (96 h post-administration). Therefore, this metabolite is the most appropriate monitoring target for nicotine exposure for the purpose of doping control due to its long detection times and the availability of its reference material. Further, we identified trans-3'-hydroxycotinine as a unique biomarker allowing differentiation between nicotine administration and sample contamination with tobacco leaves.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hideaki Ishii
- Drug Analysis Department, Laboratory of Racing Chemistry, 1731-2 Tsuruta-machi, Utsunomiya, Tochigi 320-0851, Japan; Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tohoku University Hospital, 1-1 Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8574, Japan.
| | - Gary Ngai-Wa Leung
- Drug Analysis Department, Laboratory of Racing Chemistry, 1731-2 Tsuruta-machi, Utsunomiya, Tochigi 320-0851, Japan
| | - Shozo Yamashita
- Drug Analysis Department, Laboratory of Racing Chemistry, 1731-2 Tsuruta-machi, Utsunomiya, Tochigi 320-0851, Japan
| | - Shun-Ichi Nagata
- Genetic Analysis Department, Laboratory of Racing Chemistry, 1731-2 Tsuruta-machi, Utsunomiya, Tochigi 320-0851, Japan
| | - Asuka Kushiro
- Equine Research Institute, Research Planning & Coordination Division, JRA, 1400-4, Shiba, Shimotsuke, Tochigi 329-0412, Japan
| | - Satoshi Sakai
- Race Horse Hospital, Miho Training Center, JRA, 2500-2, Oaza-Mikoma, Miho-mura, Inashiki-gun, Ibaraki 300-0493, Japan
| | - Kota Toju
- Race Horse Hospital, Miho Training Center, JRA, 2500-2, Oaza-Mikoma, Miho-mura, Inashiki-gun, Ibaraki 300-0493, Japan
| | - Jun Okada
- Veterinarian Section, Equine Department, JRA, 6-11-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-0003, Japan
| | - Kazumi Kawasaki
- Veterinarian Section, Equine Department, JRA, 6-11-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-0003, Japan
| | - Kanichi Kusano
- Race Horse Hospital, Ritto Training Center, JRA, 1028, Misono, Ritto, Shiga 520-3085, Japan
| | - Isao Kijima-Suda
- Drug Analysis Department, Laboratory of Racing Chemistry, 1731-2 Tsuruta-machi, Utsunomiya, Tochigi 320-0851, Japan
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14
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Davis DE, Leaptrot KL, Koomen DC, May JC, Cavalcanti GDA, Padilha MC, Pereira HMG, McLean JA. Multidimensional Separations of Intact Phase II Steroid Metabolites Utilizing LC-Ion Mobility-HRMS. Anal Chem 2021; 93:10990-10998. [PMID: 34319704 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.1c02163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The detection and unambiguous identification of anabolic-androgenic steroid metabolites are essential in clinical, forensic, and antidoping analyses. Recently, sulfate phase II steroid metabolites have received increased attention in steroid metabolism and drug testing. In large part, this is because phase II steroid metabolites are excreted for an extended time, making them a potential long-term chemical marker of choice for tracking steroid misuse in sports. Comprehensive analytical methods, such as liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), have been used to detect and identify glucuronide and sulfate steroids in human urine with high sensitivity and reliability. However, LC-MS/MS identification strategies can be hindered by the fact that phase II steroid metabolites generate nonselective ion fragments across the different metabolite markers, limiting the confidence in metabolite identifications that rely on exact mass measurement and MS/MS information. Additionally, liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) is sometimes insufficient at fully resolving the analyte peaks from the sample matrix (commonly urine) chemical noise, further complicating accurate identification efforts. Therefore, we developed a liquid chromatography-ion mobility-high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-IM-HRMS) method to increase the peak capacity and utilize the IM-derived collision cross section (CCS) values as an additional molecular descriptor for increased selectivity and to improve identifications of intact steroid analyses at low concentrations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Don E Davis
- Department of Chemistry, Center for Innovative Technology, Institute of Chemical Biology, Institute for Integrative Biosystems Research and Education, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235, United States
| | - Katrina L Leaptrot
- Department of Chemistry, Center for Innovative Technology, Institute of Chemical Biology, Institute for Integrative Biosystems Research and Education, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235, United States
| | - David C Koomen
- Department of Chemistry, Center for Innovative Technology, Institute of Chemical Biology, Institute for Integrative Biosystems Research and Education, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235, United States
| | - Jody C May
- Department of Chemistry, Center for Innovative Technology, Institute of Chemical Biology, Institute for Integrative Biosystems Research and Education, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235, United States
| | - Gustavo de A Cavalcanti
- Brazilian Doping Control Laboratory (LBCD), Chemistry Institute, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21941-598, Brazil
| | - Monica C Padilha
- Brazilian Doping Control Laboratory (LBCD), Chemistry Institute, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21941-598, Brazil
| | - Henrique M G Pereira
- Brazilian Doping Control Laboratory (LBCD), Chemistry Institute, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21941-598, Brazil
| | - John A McLean
- Department of Chemistry, Center for Innovative Technology, Institute of Chemical Biology, Institute for Integrative Biosystems Research and Education, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235, United States
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15
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Podolskiy II, Mochalova ES, Temerdashev AZ, Gashimova EM. Application of Statistical Data Analysis Methods to Test the Degradation of Urine Samples for Doping Control Purposes. JOURNAL OF ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY 2021. [DOI: 10.1134/s1061934821060071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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16
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Göschl L, Gmeiner G, Gärtner P, Stadler G, Enev V, Thevis M, Schänzer W, Guddat S, Forsdahl G. Stanozolol-N-glucuronide metabolites in human urine samples as suitable targets in terms of routine anti-doping analysis. Drug Test Anal 2021; 13:1668-1677. [PMID: 34089570 DOI: 10.1002/dta.3109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2021] [Revised: 06/01/2021] [Accepted: 06/03/2021] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
The exogenous anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS) stanozolol stays one of the most detected substances in professional sports. Its detection is a fundamental part of doping analysis, and the analysis of this steroid has been intensively investigated for a long time. This contribution to the detection of stanozolol doping describes for the first time the unambiguous proof for the existence of 17-epistanozolol-1'N-glucuronide and 17-epistanozolol-2'N-glucuronide in stanozolol-positive human urine samples due to the access to high-quality reference standards. Examination of excretion study samples shows large detection windows for the phase-II metabolites stanozolol-1'N-glucuronide and 17-epistanozolol-1'N-glucuronide up to 12 days and respectively up to almost 28 days. In addition, we present appropriate validation parameters for the analysis of these metabolites using a fully automatic method online solid-phase extraction (SPE) method already published before. Limits of identification (LOIs) as low as 100 pg/ml and other validation parameters like accuracy, precision, sensitivity, robustness, and linearity are given.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorenz Göschl
- Doping Control Laboratory, Seibersdorf Labor GmbH, Seibersdorf, Austria.,Department of Pharmacy, University of Tromsø-The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Günter Gmeiner
- Doping Control Laboratory, Seibersdorf Labor GmbH, Seibersdorf, Austria
| | - Peter Gärtner
- Institute of Applied Synthetic Chemistry, Technical University of Vienna, Austria
| | - Georg Stadler
- Institute of Applied Synthetic Chemistry, Technical University of Vienna, Austria
| | - Valentin Enev
- Institute of Applied Synthetic Chemistry, Technical University of Vienna, Austria
| | - Mario Thevis
- Institute of Biochemistry/Center for Preventive Doping Research, German Sport University Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Wilhelm Schänzer
- Institute of Biochemistry/Center for Preventive Doping Research, German Sport University Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Sven Guddat
- Institute of Biochemistry/Center for Preventive Doping Research, German Sport University Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Guro Forsdahl
- Doping Control Laboratory, Seibersdorf Labor GmbH, Seibersdorf, Austria.,Department of Pharmacy, University of Tromsø-The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
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17
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Valko-Rokytovská M, Očenáš P, Salayová A, Kostecká Z. Breast Cancer: Targeting of Steroid Hormones in Cancerogenesis and Diagnostics. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22115878. [PMID: 34070921 PMCID: PMC8199112 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22115878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2021] [Revised: 05/26/2021] [Accepted: 05/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women with high mortality. Sensitive and specific methods for the detection, characterization and quantification of endogenous steroids in body fluids or tissues are needed for the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of breast cancer and many other diseases. At present, non-invasive diagnostic methods are gaining more and more prominence, which enable a relatively fast and painless way of detecting many diseases. Metabolomics is a promising analytical method, the principle of which is the study and analysis of metabolites in biological material. It represents a comprehensive non-invasive diagnosis, which has a high potential for use in the diagnosis and prognosis of cancers, including breast cancer. This short review focuses on the targeted metabolomics of steroid hormones, which play an important role in the development and classification of breast cancer. The most commonly used diagnostic tool is the chromatographic method with mass spectrometry detection, which can simultaneously determine several steroid hormones and metabolites in one sample. This analytical procedure has a high potential in effective diagnosis of steroidogenesis disorders. Due to the association between steroidogenesis and breast cancer progression, steroid profiling is an important tool, as well as in monitoring disease progression, improving prognosis, and minimizing recurrence.
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18
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Kiousi P, Fragkaki AG, Kioukia-Fougia N, Angelis YS. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry behavior of Girard's reagent T derivatives of oxosteroid intact phase II metabolites for doping control purposes. Drug Test Anal 2021; 13:1822-1834. [PMID: 33942526 DOI: 10.1002/dta.3056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2021] [Revised: 04/27/2021] [Accepted: 04/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Intact phase II steroid metabolites have poor product ion mass spectra under collision-induced dissociation (CID) conditions. Therefore, we present herein the liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/(MS)) behavior of intact phase II metabolites of oxosteroids after derivatization. Based on the fact that Girard's reagent T (GRT), as derivatization reagent, was both convenient and efficient in terms of the enhancement in the ionization efficiency and the production of diagnostic product ions related to the steroid moiety, the latter was preferably selected between methoxamine and hydroxylamine upon the model compounds of androsterone glucuronide and androsterone sulfate. Sixteen different glucuronides and 29 sulfate conjugated metabolites of anabolic androgenic steroids (AASs), available either as pure reference materials or synthesized/extracted from administration studies, were derivatized with GRT, and their product ion spectra are presented. Product ion spectra include in all cases high number of product ions that in some cases are characteristic for certain structures of the steroid backbone. More specifically, preliminary results have shown major differences in fragmentation pattern for 17α/17β-isomers of the sulfate conjugates, but limited differentiation for 17α/17β-isomers of glucuronide conjugates and for 3α/3β- and 5α/5β-stereoisomers of both sulfate and glucuronide conjugates. Further to the suggestion of the current work, application on mesterolone administration studies confirmed-according to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) TD2015IDCR-the presence of seven intact phase II metabolites, one glucuronide and six sulfates with use of LC-ESI-MS/(MS).
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Affiliation(s)
- Polyxeni Kiousi
- Doping Control Laboratory of Athens, Institute of Biosciences and Applications, National Center for Scientific Research "Demokritos", Athens, Greece
| | - Argyro G Fragkaki
- Doping Control Laboratory of Athens, Institute of Biosciences and Applications, National Center for Scientific Research "Demokritos", Athens, Greece
| | - Nassia Kioukia-Fougia
- Doping Control Laboratory of Athens, Institute of Biosciences and Applications, National Center for Scientific Research "Demokritos", Athens, Greece
| | - Yiannis S Angelis
- Doping Control Laboratory of Athens, Institute of Biosciences and Applications, National Center for Scientific Research "Demokritos", Athens, Greece
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19
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Olesti E, Boccard J, Visconti G, González-Ruiz V, Rudaz S. From a single steroid to the steroidome: Trends and analytical challenges. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 2021; 206:105797. [PMID: 33259940 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2020.105797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2020] [Revised: 11/02/2020] [Accepted: 11/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
For several decades now, the analysis of steroids has been a key tool in the diagnosis and monitoring of numerous endocrine pathologies. Thus, the available methods used to analyze steroids in biological samples have dramatically evolved over time following the rapid pace of technology and scientific knowledge. This review aims to synthetize the advances in steroids' analysis, from classical approaches considering only a few steroids or a limited number of steroid ratios, up to the new steroid profiling strategies (steroidomics) monitoring large sets of steroids in biological matrices. In this context, the use of liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry has emerged as the technique of choice for the simultaneous determination of a high number of steroids, including phase II metabolites, due to its sensitivity and robustness. However, the large dynamic range to be covered, the low natural abundance of some key steroids, the selectivity of the analytical methods, the extraction protocols, and the steroid ionization remain some of the current challenges in steroid analysis. This review provides an overview of the different analytical workflows available depending on the number of steroids under study. Special emphasis is given to sample treatment, acquisition strategy, data processing, steroid identification and quantification using LC-MS approaches. This work also outlines how the availability of steroid standards, the need for complementary analytical strategies and the improvement of calibration approaches are crucial for achieving complete steroidome quantification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eulalia Olesti
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Western Switzerland, University of Geneva, Switzerland; School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Geneva, Switzerland; Swiss Centre for Applied Human Toxicology (SCAHT), Switzerland
| | - Julien Boccard
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Western Switzerland, University of Geneva, Switzerland; School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Geneva, Switzerland; Swiss Centre for Applied Human Toxicology (SCAHT), Switzerland
| | - Gioele Visconti
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Western Switzerland, University of Geneva, Switzerland; School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Víctor González-Ruiz
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Western Switzerland, University of Geneva, Switzerland; School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Geneva, Switzerland; Swiss Centre for Applied Human Toxicology (SCAHT), Switzerland
| | - Serge Rudaz
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Western Switzerland, University of Geneva, Switzerland.
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20
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Matos RR, Anselmo CDS, Sardela VF, Pereira HMG. Phase II stanozolol metabolism study using the zebrafish water tank (ZWT) model. J Pharm Biomed Anal 2021; 195:113886. [PMID: 33465533 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpba.2020.113886] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2020] [Revised: 12/22/2020] [Accepted: 12/29/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Stanozolol (STAN) is an androgen anabolic steroid often misused in sports competitions and prohibited at all times by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). It can be long term detected by the analysis of human urine for traces of intact glucuronide metabolites. The Zebrafish Water Tank (ZWT) experimental setup can produce phase I STAN metabolites. In the present study, we investigated the in vivo phase II metabolism of STAN through the ZWT model to determine whether the ZWT produces metabolites relevant for doping control. We added STAN to a 200 mL recipient containing eight fish at 32 ± 1 °C. We analyzed the noninvasive samples (recipient water) both with and without pretreatment using Liquid Chromatography coupled with High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry (LC-HRMS/MS) in positive ionization mode. Our data show that four hydroxylated-sulfate and four hydroxylated-glycoconjugate metabolites were formed, two of the last ones being 3'OH-STAN-Glucuronide and 16β-OH-STAN-Glucuronide. Additionally, two STAN-Glucuronide derivatives were produced: one was confirmed to be 17epi-STAN-N-Glucuronide, and the other was presumed to be STAN-O-Glucuronide. After eight hours of the experiment, STAN-O-Glucuronide was the most intense phase II metabolite produced. The accumulation curves suggest that high concentrations of fish and substrate in water are required to form phase II metabolites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Rodrigues Matos
- Instituto de Química, LBCD-LADETEC, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Avenida Horácio Macedo, no. 1281, Polo de Química, bloco C, Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21941-598, Brazil.
| | - Carina de Souza Anselmo
- Instituto de Química, LBCD-LADETEC, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Avenida Horácio Macedo, no. 1281, Polo de Química, bloco C, Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21941-598, Brazil
| | - Vinícius Figueiredo Sardela
- Instituto de Química, LBCD-LADETEC, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Avenida Horácio Macedo, no. 1281, Polo de Química, bloco C, Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21941-598, Brazil
| | - Henrique Macelo Gualberto Pereira
- Instituto de Química, LBCD-LADETEC, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Avenida Horácio Macedo, no. 1281, Polo de Química, bloco C, Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21941-598, Brazil
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21
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Wang R, Hartmann MF, Wudy SA. Targeted LC-MS/MS analysis of steroid glucuronides in human urine. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 2021; 205:105774. [PMID: 33172831 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2020.105774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2020] [Revised: 09/23/2020] [Accepted: 10/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Conjugation with glucuronic acid is one of the major metabolic reactions in human steroid hormone catabolism. Recently, increasing interest has been raised concerning the biological roles of steroid glucuronides. We have therefore developed and validated a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method for the simultaneous quantification of 15 urinary steroid hormone glucuronides in human urine: androsterone glucuronide (An-G), etiocholanolone glucuronide (Etio-G), epiandrosterone glucuronide (epiAn-G), dihydrotestosterone glucuronide (DHT-G), dehydroepiandrosterone glucuronide (DHEA-G), testosterone glucuronide (T-G), epitestosterone glucuronide (epiT-G), estrone glucuronide (E1-3 G), 17β-estradiol 17-glucuronide (E2-17 G), 17β-estradiol 3-glucuronide (E2-3 G), estriol 16-glucuronide (E3-16 G), pregnenolone glucuronide (Preg-G), tetrahydro-11-deoxycorticosterone 3-glucuronide (THDOC-3 G), cortisol 21-glucuronide (F-G) and pregnanediol glucuronide (PD-G). Sample workup included protein precipitation and solid phase extraction. Internal standards were used to correct for the loss of analytes during sample preparation and analysis. The method showed good linearity (R2≥0.99) and recovery ranged from 89.6 % to 113.8 %. Limit of quantification ranged from 1.9 nmol/L for F-G to 21.4 nmol/L for An-G. Intra-day and inter-day accuracy and precision were below 15 % for all quality controls. The method was successfully applied to 67 urine samples from children and adolescents in whom total concentrations of free and conjugated steroids had been previously determined by GC-MS after enzymatic hydrolysis. Free and sulfated steroids were also measured by LC-MS/MS. In general, the sums of the respective glucuronidated, sulfated and free forms of an analyte corresponded well with its total amount determined after enzymatic hydrolysis by GC-MS. Regarding the most prominent steroid metabolites, the total mean levels of androsterone and etiocholanolone showed an increase up to 5820.0 nmol/L and 4017.8 nmol/L in the group of 15-20 year-old children, respectively. Glucuronide conjugates (4374.3 nmol/L and 3588.5 nmol/L, respectively) dominated. DHEA was excreted mostly as sulfate (0-1 month of age: 184.5 nmol/L; 15-20 years of age: 1618.4 nmol/L) in all age groups. Cortisol was present predominantly as sulfate (mean: 173.8 nmol/L) in newborns. Levels of sulfated cortisol decreased with age, its glucuronidated form increased. The levels of free cortisol were relatively constant throughout childhood. Sex hormones were preferably excreted as glucuronides. In general, steroid hormone metabolites were conjugated to various extents with glucuronic acid or sulfuric acid and their ratio changed over lifetime.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Wang
- Steroid Research & Mass Spectrometry Unit, Laboratory for Translational Hormone Analytics in Pediatric Endocrinology, Pediatric Endocrinology& Diabetology, Center of Child and Adolescent Medicine, Justus-Liebig-University, Giessen, Germany
| | - M F Hartmann
- Steroid Research & Mass Spectrometry Unit, Laboratory for Translational Hormone Analytics in Pediatric Endocrinology, Pediatric Endocrinology& Diabetology, Center of Child and Adolescent Medicine, Justus-Liebig-University, Giessen, Germany
| | - S A Wudy
- Steroid Research & Mass Spectrometry Unit, Laboratory for Translational Hormone Analytics in Pediatric Endocrinology, Pediatric Endocrinology& Diabetology, Center of Child and Adolescent Medicine, Justus-Liebig-University, Giessen, Germany.
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22
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Dmitrieva E, Temerdashev A, Azaryan A, Gashimova E. Quantification of steroid hormones in human urine by DLLME and UHPLC-HRMS detection. J Chromatogr B Analyt Technol Biomed Life Sci 2020; 1159:122390. [PMID: 33126074 DOI: 10.1016/j.jchromb.2020.122390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2020] [Revised: 07/21/2020] [Accepted: 09/20/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
A procedure for the quantification of steroid hormones of various classes in human urine (androgens, estrogens, progestins, corticosteroids) has been described consisting of sample preparation by means of dispersive liquid-liquid extraction after enzymatic hydrolysis with β-glucuronidase from E. Coli followed by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (quadrupole time-of-flight) detection. Both one-variable-at-a-time and multivariate approaches (full factorial and Box-Behnken designs) were applied to optimize sample preparation conditions. The procedure was validated using synthetic urine in the concentration range of 0.25-500 ng/mL. Then, it was applied to the analysis of real urine samples and the results were compared with those of a common liquid-liquid extraction procedure. The results obtained proved its applicability to the quantification of steroid hormones in human urine with high sensitivity and accuracy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ekaterina Dmitrieva
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Kuban State University, 149 Stavropolskaya St., Krasnodar 350040, Russia
| | - Azamat Temerdashev
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Kuban State University, 149 Stavropolskaya St., Krasnodar 350040, Russia.
| | - Alice Azaryan
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Kuban State University, 149 Stavropolskaya St., Krasnodar 350040, Russia
| | - Elina Gashimova
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Kuban State University, 149 Stavropolskaya St., Krasnodar 350040, Russia
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23
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Development and application of analytical procedures for the GC–MS/MS analysis of the sulfates metabolites of anabolic androgenic steroids: The pivotal role of chemical hydrolysis. J Chromatogr B Analyt Technol Biomed Life Sci 2020; 1155:122280. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jchromb.2020.122280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2020] [Revised: 07/21/2020] [Accepted: 07/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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24
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De Wilde L, Roels K, Van Renterghem P, Van Eenoo P, Deventer K. Steroid profiling in urine of intact glucuronidated and sulfated steroids using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. J Chromatogr A 2020; 1624:461231. [DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2020.461231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2019] [Revised: 05/06/2020] [Accepted: 05/10/2020] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
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25
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Göschl L, Gmeiner G, Enev V, Kratena N, Gärtner P, Forsdahl G. Development and validation of a simple online‐SPE method coupled to high‐resolution mass spectrometry for the analysis of stanozolol‐N‐glucuronides in urine samples. Drug Test Anal 2020; 12:1031-1040. [DOI: 10.1002/dta.2805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2019] [Revised: 04/01/2020] [Accepted: 04/11/2020] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Lorenz Göschl
- Doping Control Laboratory, Seibersdorf Labor GmbH Seibersdorf Austria
- Department of Pharmacy University of Tromsø – The Arctic University of Norway Tromsø Norway
| | - Günter Gmeiner
- Doping Control Laboratory, Seibersdorf Labor GmbH Seibersdorf Austria
| | - Valentin Enev
- Institute of Applied Synthetic Chemistry Technical University of Vienna Austria
| | - Nicolas Kratena
- Institute of Applied Synthetic Chemistry Technical University of Vienna Austria
| | - Peter Gärtner
- Institute of Applied Synthetic Chemistry Technical University of Vienna Austria
| | - Guro Forsdahl
- Doping Control Laboratory, Seibersdorf Labor GmbH Seibersdorf Austria
- Department of Pharmacy University of Tromsø – The Arctic University of Norway Tromsø Norway
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26
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Challenges and recommendations in developing LC–MS/MS bioanalytical assays of labile glucuronides and parent compounds in the presence of glucuronide metabolites. Bioanalysis 2020; 12:615-624. [DOI: 10.4155/bio-2020-0055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Glucuronides, especially acyl glucuronides, were often found to be unstable in vitro and in vivo. Acyl glucuronide metabolites can convert back to the parent drugs at physiological pH through hydrolysis. Glucuronides can also undergo in-source fragmentation during MS ionization to form the same ions as those of the parent compounds, which could cause interference to the analysis of the parent compounds. All of these may cause significant challenges in developing LC–MS/MS bioanalytical assays of labile glucuronides or parent compounds in the presence of glucuronide metabolites. In this manuscript, we will discuss these challenges and summarize recommended strategies and practices for fast and efficient method development. Critical considerations in assay development will also be discussed.
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27
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Gray B, Tuckley L, Cutler C, Biddle S, Hudson S, Gower S, Vanhaecke L. Investigations into the analysis of intact drug conjugates in animal sport doping control - Development and assessment of a rapid and economical approach for screening greyhound urine. Drug Test Anal 2020; 12:731-742. [PMID: 32052913 DOI: 10.1002/dta.2779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2019] [Revised: 02/07/2020] [Accepted: 02/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Animal sport doping control laboratories are constantly reviewing ways in which they can improve their service offering whilst ensuring that they remain economically viable. This paper describes the development and assessment of a rapid and economical method for the detection of intact glucuronide conjugates of three anabolic steroids and their metabolites along with three corticosteroids in canine urine. The analysis of intact drug conjugates for animal sport doping control is generally not performed routinely as it presents a number of analytical challenges, not least of which is the lack of availability of appropriate reference standards. Here, we report the development of a UHPLC-MS/MS method using APCI in the negative ion mode for the detection of intact phase II conjugates, including the importance of in vitro incubations in order to provide appropriate reference materials. Cross-validation of the developed method demonstrated that the detection capability of the intact phase II conjugates of stanozolol, boldenone, nandrolone, and their metabolites along with the corticosteroids dexamethasone and methylprednisolone was equivalent to that achieved in routine race-day screens. The new process has been in operation for approximately 2 years and has been used to analyze in excess of 13500 canine urine samples, resulting in a number of positive screening findings. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported use of a routine screen for intact drug conjugates within animal sport doping control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bob Gray
- Bob Gray, LGC Ltd, Newmarket Road, Fordham, Cambridgeshire, UK
- Laboratory of Chemical Analysis, Department of Veterinary Public Health and Food Safety, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Lisa Tuckley
- Bob Gray, LGC Ltd, Newmarket Road, Fordham, Cambridgeshire, UK
| | | | - Simon Biddle
- Bob Gray, LGC Ltd, Newmarket Road, Fordham, Cambridgeshire, UK
| | - Simon Hudson
- Bob Gray, LGC Ltd, Newmarket Road, Fordham, Cambridgeshire, UK
| | - Simon Gower
- Greyhound Board of Great Britain, 6 New Bridge Street, London, UK
| | - Lynn Vanhaecke
- Laboratory of Chemical Analysis, Department of Veterinary Public Health and Food Safety, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
- School of Biological Sciences, Institute for Global Food Security, Queen's University, Belfast, UK
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Ponzetto F, Baume N, Schweizer C, Saugy M, Kuuranne T. Steroidal module of the Athlete Biological Passport. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.coemr.2019.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
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29
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Yang WZ, Shi XJ, Yao CL, Huang Y, Hou JJ, Han SM, Feng ZJ, Wei WL, Wu WY, Guo DA. A novel neutral loss/product ion scan-incorporated integral approach for the untargeted characterization and comparison of the carboxyl-free ginsenosides from Panax ginseng, Panax quinquefolius, and Panax notoginseng. J Pharm Biomed Anal 2019; 177:112813. [PMID: 31472326 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpba.2019.112813] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2019] [Revised: 08/13/2019] [Accepted: 08/14/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Differentiated composition in precursor ions for different subclasses of ginsenosides in the negative electrospray-ionization mode has been reported, which lays a foundation for the sorted and untargeted identification of ginsenosides. Carboxyl-free ginsenosides simultaneously from Panax ginseng, P. quinquefolius, and P. notoginseng, were comprehensively characterized and statistically compared. A neutral loss/product ion scan (NL-PIS) incorporated untargeted profiling approach, coupled to ultra-high performance liquid chromatography, was developed on a linear ion-trap/Orbitrap mass spectrometer for characterizing carboxyl-free ginsenosides. It incorporated in-source fragmentation (ISF) full scan-MS1, mass tag-MS2, and product ion scan-MS3. Sixty batches of ginseng samples were analyzed by metabolomics workflows for the discovery of ginsenoside markers. Using formic acid (FA) as the additive, carboxyl-free ginsenosides (protopanaxadiol-type, protopanaxatriol-type, and octillol-type) gave predominant FA-adducts, while rich deprotonated molecules were observed for carboxyl-containing ginsenosides (oleanolic acid-type and malonylated) when source-induced dissociation (SID) was set at 0 V. Based on the NL transition [M+FA‒H]- > [M-H]- and the characteristic sapogenin product ions, a NL-PIS approach was established. It took advantage of the efficient full-information acquisition of ISF-MS1 (SID: 50 V), the high specificity of mass tag (NL: 46.0055 Da)-induced MS2 fragmentation, and the substructure fragmentation of product ion scan-MS3. We could characterize 216 carboxyl-free ginsenosides, and 21 thereof were potentially diagnostic for the species differentiation. Conclusively, sorted and untargeted characterization of the carboxyl-free ginsenosides was achieved by the established NL-PIS approach. In contrast to the conventional NL or PIS-based survey scan strategies, the high-accuracy MSn data obtained can enable more reliable identification of ginsenosides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen-Zhi Yang
- Shanghai Research Center for Modernization of Traditional Chinese Medicine, National Engineering Laboratory for TCM Standardization Technology, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Haike Road 501, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Xiao-Jian Shi
- Shanghai Research Center for Modernization of Traditional Chinese Medicine, National Engineering Laboratory for TCM Standardization Technology, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Haike Road 501, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Chang-Liang Yao
- Shanghai Research Center for Modernization of Traditional Chinese Medicine, National Engineering Laboratory for TCM Standardization Technology, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Haike Road 501, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Yong Huang
- Shanghai Research Center for Modernization of Traditional Chinese Medicine, National Engineering Laboratory for TCM Standardization Technology, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Haike Road 501, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Jin-Jun Hou
- Shanghai Research Center for Modernization of Traditional Chinese Medicine, National Engineering Laboratory for TCM Standardization Technology, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Haike Road 501, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Su-Mei Han
- Shanghai Research Center for Modernization of Traditional Chinese Medicine, National Engineering Laboratory for TCM Standardization Technology, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Haike Road 501, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Zi-Jin Feng
- Shanghai Research Center for Modernization of Traditional Chinese Medicine, National Engineering Laboratory for TCM Standardization Technology, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Haike Road 501, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Wen-Long Wei
- Shanghai Research Center for Modernization of Traditional Chinese Medicine, National Engineering Laboratory for TCM Standardization Technology, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Haike Road 501, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Wan-Ying Wu
- Shanghai Research Center for Modernization of Traditional Chinese Medicine, National Engineering Laboratory for TCM Standardization Technology, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Haike Road 501, Shanghai 201203, China.
| | - De-An Guo
- Shanghai Research Center for Modernization of Traditional Chinese Medicine, National Engineering Laboratory for TCM Standardization Technology, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Haike Road 501, Shanghai 201203, China.
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30
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Esquivel A, Alechaga É, Monfort N, Yang S, Xing Y, Moutian W, Ventura R. Evaluation of sulfate metabolites as markers of intramuscular testosterone administration in Caucasian and Asian populations. Drug Test Anal 2019; 11:1218-1230. [PMID: 30932347 DOI: 10.1002/dta.2598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2018] [Revised: 03/07/2019] [Accepted: 03/22/2019] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
The introduction of alternative markers to the steroid profile can be an effective approach to improving the screening capabilities for the detection of testosterone (T) misuse. In this work, endogenous steroid sulfates were evaluated as potential markers to detect intramuscular (IM) T administration. Fourteen sulfate metabolites were quantified using mixed-mode solid-phase extraction and analysis by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Urine samples after a single IM injection (100 mg) of T cypionate to six Caucasian and six Asian healthy male volunteers were analyzed. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to characterize the sample cohort and to obtain the most useful markers for discrimination between pre- and post-administration samples. For Caucasian volunteers, a separation between pre- and post-administration samples was observed in PCA, whereas for Asian volunteers no separation was obtained. Seventeen ratios between sulfate metabolites were selected and further considered. Detection times (DTs) of each marker were evaluated using individual thresholds for each volunteer. The best results were obtained using ratios involving T and epitestosterone (E) sulfates in the denominator. The best marker was the ratio androsterone sulfate/testosterone sulfate (A-S/T-S) which prolonged the DT 1.2-2.1 times in respect to those obtained using T/E ratio in all Caucasian volunteers and 1.3-1.5 times in two Asian volunteers. Other ratios between A-S or etiocholanolone sulfate and E-S, and sulfates of etiocholanolone, dehydroandrosterone or epiandrosterone, and T-S were also found adequate. These ratios improve the DT after IM T administration and their incorporation to complement the current steroid profile is recommended.
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Affiliation(s)
- Argitxu Esquivel
- Catalonian Antidoping Laboratory, Doping Control Research Group, Fundació IMIM, Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003, Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Élida Alechaga
- Catalonian Antidoping Laboratory, Doping Control Research Group, Fundació IMIM, Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Nuria Monfort
- Catalonian Antidoping Laboratory, Doping Control Research Group, Fundació IMIM, Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Sheng Yang
- National Anti-Doping Laboratory, China Anti-Doping Agency, 100029, Beijing, China
| | - Yanyi Xing
- National Anti-Doping Laboratory, China Anti-Doping Agency, 100029, Beijing, China
| | - Wu Moutian
- China Anti-Doping Agency, 100029, Beijing, China
| | - Rosa Ventura
- Catalonian Antidoping Laboratory, Doping Control Research Group, Fundació IMIM, Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003, Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003, Barcelona, Spain.,Barcelona Antidoping Laboratory, Doping Control Research Group, IMIM, Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute, Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
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31
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Synthesis and characterization of stanozolol N-glucuronide metabolites. MONATSHEFTE FUR CHEMIE 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s00706-019-02424-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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32
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Pranata A, Fitzgerald CC, Khymenets O, Westley E, Anderson NJ, Ma P, Pozo OJ, McLeod MD. Synthesis of steroid bisglucuronide and sulfate glucuronide reference materials: Unearthing neglected treasures of steroid metabolism. Steroids 2019; 143:25-40. [PMID: 30513322 DOI: 10.1016/j.steroids.2018.11.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2018] [Revised: 10/24/2018] [Accepted: 11/26/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Doubly or bisconjugated steroid metabolites have long been known as minor components of the steroid profile that have traditionally been studied by laborious and indirect fractionation, hydrolysis and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. Recently, the synthesis and characterisation of steroid bis(sulfate) (aka disulfate or bis-sulfate) reference materials enabled the liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) study of this metabolite class and the development of a constant ion loss (CIL) scan method for the direct and untargeted detection of steroid bis(sulfate) metabolites. Methods for the direct LC-MS/MS detection of other bisconjugated steroids, such as steroid bisglucuronide and mixed steroid sulfate glucuronide metabolites, have great potential to reveal a more complete picture of the steroid profile. However, access to steroid bisglucuronide or sulfate glucuronide reference materials necessary for LC-MS/MS method development, metabolite identification or quantification is severely limited. In this work, ten steroid bisglucuronide and ten steroid sulfate glucuronide reference materials were synthesised through an ordered combination of chemical sulfation and/or enzymatic glucuronylation reactions. All compounds were purified and characterised using NMR and MS methods. Chemistry for the preparation of stable isotope labelled steroid {13C6}-glucuronide internal standards has also been developed and applied to the preparation of two selectively mono-labelled steroid bisglucuronide reference materials used to characterise more completely MS fragmentation pathways. The electrospray ionisation and fragmentation of the bisconjugated steroid reference materials has been studied. Preliminary targeted ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) analysis of the reference materials prepared revealed the presence of three steroid sulfate glucuronides as endogenous human urinary metabolites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andy Pranata
- Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
| | | | - Olha Khymenets
- Integrative Pharmacology and Systems Neuroscience Group, IMIM, Hospital del Mar, Doctor Aiguader 88, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Erin Westley
- Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
| | - Natasha J Anderson
- Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
| | - Paul Ma
- Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
| | - Oscar J Pozo
- Integrative Pharmacology and Systems Neuroscience Group, IMIM, Hospital del Mar, Doctor Aiguader 88, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Malcolm D McLeod
- Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.
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33
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Fabregat-Cabello N, Peeters SD, Yilmaz T, Cavalier É, Le Goff CM. Establishment of reference intervals for serum concentrations of androstanediol glucuronide by a newly developed LC-MS/MS method. Steroids 2019; 143:62-66. [PMID: 30625341 DOI: 10.1016/j.steroids.2018.12.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2018] [Revised: 12/13/2018] [Accepted: 12/21/2018] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Androstanediol glucuronide is linked to a range of disorders of peripheral androgen formation and action, such as in hirsutism and acne. Nowadays its accurate quantification is still challenging and there are just a few LC-MS/MS methods available. Besides, their reference intervals for normal European populations by LC-MS/MS, including prepubertal and pubertal children, have not been reported yet. METHODS Validation of the proposed new methodology was performed at 3 levels in triplicate during 3 different days. Calibration curve concentration ranged from 0.1 to 25 µg/L. For method comparison between ELISA and the newly developed LC-MS/MS method, 43 patient samples were tested. A reference interval study was performed with 264 healthy Belgian individuals (108 male and 156 female). RESULTS Validation of the proposed LC-MS/MS method was satisfactorily achieved, with mean imprecision values lower than 7.4%, mean recoveries within 99-108% and a limit of quantification of 0.059 µg/L. Compared to LC-MS/MS, ELISA showed a positive bias in serum samples, providing results 43% higher for the same sample. As a consequence, new reference intervals based on age and gender have been calculated. CONCLUSION An easy, fast and straightforward LC-MS/MS method for the determination of androstanediol glucuronide has been developed and fully validated. Besides, reference interval for normal European populations, including prepubertal and pubertal children has been established for the first time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neus Fabregat-Cabello
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, University of Liège, CHU Sart-Tilman, Liège, Belgium.
| | - Stéphanie D Peeters
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, University of Liège, CHU Sart-Tilman, Liège, Belgium
| | - Tugba Yilmaz
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, University of Liège, CHU Sart-Tilman, Liège, Belgium
| | - Étienne Cavalier
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, University of Liège, CHU Sart-Tilman, Liège, Belgium
| | - Caroline M Le Goff
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, University of Liège, CHU Sart-Tilman, Liège, Belgium
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34
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A review on structural elucidation of metabolites of environmental steroid hormones via liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry. Trends Analyt Chem 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.trac.2018.10.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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35
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Esquivel A, Alechaga É, Monfort N, Ventura R. Sulfate metabolites improve retrospectivity after oral testosterone administration. Drug Test Anal 2018; 11:392-402. [PMID: 30362276 DOI: 10.1002/dta.2529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2018] [Revised: 09/03/2018] [Accepted: 09/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The detection of testosterone (T) misuse is performed using the steroid profile that includes concentrations of T and related metabolites excreted free and glucuronoconjugated, and the ratios between them. In this work, the usefulness of 14 endogenous steroid sulfates to improve the detection capabilities of oral T administration has been evaluated. Quantitation of the sulfate metabolites was performed using solid-phase extraction and analysis by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Urine samples were collected up to 144 hours after a single oral dose of T undecanoate (120 mg) to five Caucasian male volunteers. Detection times (DTs) of each marker were estimated using reference limits based on a population study and also monitoring the individual threshold for each volunteer. High inter-individual variability was observed for sulfate metabolites and, therefore, better DTs were obtained using individual thresholds. Using individual threshold limits, epiandrosterone sulfate (epiA-S) improved the DT with respect to testosterone/epitestosterone (T/E) ratio in all volunteers. Androsterone, etiocholanolone, and two androstanediol sulfates also improved DTs for some volunteers. Principal component analysis was used to characterize the sample cohort, obtaining 13 ratios useful for discrimination. These ratios as well as the ratio epiA-S/dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate were further examined. The most promising results were obtained using ratios between sulfates of epiA, androsterone, or androstanediol 1 and E, and also sulfates of epiA or androstanediol 1, and dehydroandrosterone. These selected ratios prolonged the DT of oral T administration up to 144 hours, which corresponded to a significantly higher retrospectivity compared to those obtained using concentrations or the conventional T/E ratio.
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Affiliation(s)
- Argitxu Esquivel
- Doping Control Research Group, Catalonian Antidoping Laboratory, Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Élida Alechaga
- Doping Control Research Group, Catalonian Antidoping Laboratory, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Nuria Monfort
- Doping Control Research Group, Catalonian Antidoping Laboratory, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Rosa Ventura
- Doping Control Research Group, Catalonian Antidoping Laboratory, Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
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36
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Shi X, Yang W, Huang Y, Hou J, Qiu S, Yao C, Feng Z, Wei W, Wu W, Guo D. Direct screening of malonylginsenosides from nine Ginseng extracts by an untargeted profiling strategy incorporating in-source collision-induced dissociation, mass tag, and neutral loss scan on a hybrid linear ion-trap/Orbitrap mass spectrometer coupled to ultra-high performance liquid chromatography. J Chromatogr A 2018; 1571:213-222. [DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2018.08.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2018] [Revised: 06/25/2018] [Accepted: 08/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
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37
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Kaabia Z, Laparre J, Cesbron N, Le Bizec B, Dervilly-Pinel G. Comprehensive steroid profiling by liquid chromatography coupled to high resolution mass spectrometry. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 2018; 183:106-115. [PMID: 30196848 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2018.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2017] [Revised: 03/26/2018] [Accepted: 06/04/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
A steroidomics workflow has been developed in the objective of monitoring a wide range (n >150) of steroids in urine. The proposed workflow relies on the optimization of an adequate SPE extraction step followed by an UHPLC-HRMS/MS simultaneous analysis of both free and conjugated forms of C18, C19 and C21 steroid hormones. On the basis of 44 selected steroids, representative of main classes of steroids constituting the steroidome, the performances of the developed workflow were evaluated in terms of selectivity, repeatability (< 13%) and linearity (R2> 0.985 in the concentration range [0.01-10 ng/mL]). As metabolites identification and characterization constitute the bottleneck of such profiling approaches, a homemade database was created encompassing a large number of characterized free and conjugated steroids (n> 150) for putative steroid-like biomarkers identification purposes. The efficiency of the workflow in highlighting fine modifications within the urinary steroidome was assessed in the frame of an anabolic treatment involving an intra-muscular administration of boldenone undecylenate (2 mg/kg) to veals (n=6) and the investigation of potential steroid biomarkers. Besides monitoring known phase II metabolites of boldenone in the bovine specie, namely, boldenone glucuronide and sulfate, the applied strategy also permitted to observe, upon boldenone administration, a modified profile of epiboldenone glucuronide. Furthermore, 31 signals corresponding to non-identified steroid species could also be highlighted as impacted upon the exogenous steroid treatment. This study is the first to simultaneously investigate both free and conjugated C18, C19 and C21 steroid hormones in their native form using UHPLC-HRMS/MS and allowing their comprehensive profiling. This strategy was probed in-vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zied Kaabia
- Laberca, Oniris, INRA, Université Bretagne Loire, 44307, Nantes-FR, France
| | - Jérôme Laparre
- Laberca, Oniris, INRA, Université Bretagne Loire, 44307, Nantes-FR, France
| | - Nora Cesbron
- Laberca, Oniris, INRA, Université Bretagne Loire, 44307, Nantes-FR, France
| | - Bruno Le Bizec
- Laberca, Oniris, INRA, Université Bretagne Loire, 44307, Nantes-FR, France
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38
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Shackleton C, Pozo OJ, Marcos J. GC/MS in Recent Years Has Defined the Normal and Clinically Disordered Steroidome: Will It Soon Be Surpassed by LC/Tandem MS in This Role? J Endocr Soc 2018. [PMID: 30094411 DOI: 10.1210/js.2018-00135.] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) has been used for steroid analysis since the 1960s. The advent of protective derivatization, capillary columns, and inexpensive electron ionization bench-top single quadrupole soon made it the method of choice for studying disorders of steroid synthesis and metabolism. However, the lengthy sample workup prevented GC/MS from becoming routine for steroid hormone measurement, which was dominated by radioimmunoassay. It was the emergence of liquid chromatography/tandem MS (LC/MS/MS) that sparked a renewed interest in GC/MS for the multicomponent analysis of steroids. GC/MS is excellent at providing an integrated picture of a person's steroid metabolome, or steroidome, as we term it. We review the recent work on newly described disorders and discuss the technical advances such as GC coupling to triple quadrupole and ion trap analyzers, two-dimensional GC/MS, and alternative ionization and detection systems such as atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) and time of flight. We believe that no novel GC/MS-based technique has the power of GC(electron ionization)/MS/MS as a "discovery tool," although APCI might provide ultimate sensitivity, which might be required in tissue steroidomics. Finally, we discuss the role of LC/MS/MS in steroidomics. This remains a challenge but offers shorter analysis times and advantages in the detection and discovery of steroids with a known structure. We describe recent advances in LC/MS steroidomics of hydrolyzed and intact steroid conjugates and suggest the technique is catching up with GC/MS in this area. However, in the end, both techniques will likely remain complementary and both should be available in advanced analytical laboratories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cedric Shackleton
- Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom.,UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute, Oakland, California
| | - Oscar J Pozo
- Integrative Pharmacology and Systems Neuroscience Research Group, Institut Hospital del Mar d'Investigacions Mèdiques-Hospital del Mar Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Josep Marcos
- Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
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Pozo OJ, Marcos J, Khymenets O, Pranata A, Fitzgerald CC, McLeod MD, Shackleton C. SULFATION PATHWAYS: Alternate steroid sulfation pathways targeted by LC-MS/MS analysis of disulfates: application to prenatal diagnosis of steroid synthesis disorders. J Mol Endocrinol 2018; 61:M1-M12. [PMID: 29459491 DOI: 10.1530/jme-17-0286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2018] [Accepted: 02/19/2018] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
The steroid disulfates (aka bis-sulfates) are a significant but minor fraction of the urinary steroid metabolome that have not been widely studied because major components are not hydrolyzed by the commercial sulfatases commonly used in steroid metabolomics. In early studies, conjugate fractionation followed by hydrolysis using acidified solvent (solvolysis) was used for the indirect detection of this fraction by GC-MS. This paper describes the application of a specific LC-MS/MS method for the direct identification of disulfates in urine, and their use as markers for the prenatal diagnosis of disorders causing reduced estriol production: STSD (steroid sulfatase deficiency), SLOS (Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome) and PORD (P450 oxidoreductase deficiency). Disulfates were detected by monitoring a constant ion loss (CIL) from the molecular di-anion. While focused on disulfates, our methodology included an analysis of intact steroid glucuronides and monosulfates because steroidogenic disorder diagnosis usually requires an examination of the complete steroid profile. In the disorders studied, a few individual steroids (as disulfates) were found particularly informative: pregn-5-ene-3β,20S-diol, pregn-5-ene-3β,21-diol (STSD, neonatal PORD) and 5α-pregnane-3β,20S-diol (pregnancy PORD). Authentic steroid disulfates were synthesized for use in this study as aid to characterization. Tentative identification of 5ξ-pregn-7-ene-3ξ,20S-diol and 5ξ-pregn-7-ene-3ξ,17,20S-triol disulfates was also obtained in samples from SLOS affected pregnancies. Seven ratios between the detected metabolites were applied to distinguish the three selected disorders from control samples. Our results show the potential of the direct detection of steroid conjugates in the diagnosis of pathologies related with steroid biosynthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oscar J Pozo
- Integrative Pharmacology and Systems Neuroscience GroupIMIM, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Josep Marcos
- Department of Experimental and Health SciencesUniversitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
- Cerba InternacionalBarcelona, Spain
| | - Olha Khymenets
- Integrative Pharmacology and Systems Neuroscience GroupIMIM, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Andy Pranata
- Research School of ChemistryAustralian National University, Canberra, Australia
| | | | - Malcolm D McLeod
- Research School of ChemistryAustralian National University, Canberra, Australia
| | - Cedric Shackleton
- Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research (IMSR)University of Birmingham, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, Birmingham, UK
- UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland Research InstituteOakland, California, USA
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40
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Shackleton C, Pozo OJ, Marcos J. GC/MS in Recent Years Has Defined the Normal and Clinically Disordered Steroidome: Will It Soon Be Surpassed by LC/Tandem MS in This Role? J Endocr Soc 2018; 2:974-996. [PMID: 30094411 PMCID: PMC6080058 DOI: 10.1210/js.2018-00135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2018] [Accepted: 07/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) has been used for steroid analysis since the 1960s. The advent of protective derivatization, capillary columns, and inexpensive electron ionization bench-top single quadrupole soon made it the method of choice for studying disorders of steroid synthesis and metabolism. However, the lengthy sample workup prevented GC/MS from becoming routine for steroid hormone measurement, which was dominated by radioimmunoassay. It was the emergence of liquid chromatography/tandem MS (LC/MS/MS) that sparked a renewed interest in GC/MS for the multicomponent analysis of steroids. GC/MS is excellent at providing an integrated picture of a person's steroid metabolome, or steroidome, as we term it. We review the recent work on newly described disorders and discuss the technical advances such as GC coupling to triple quadrupole and ion trap analyzers, two-dimensional GC/MS, and alternative ionization and detection systems such as atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) and time of flight. We believe that no novel GC/MS-based technique has the power of GC(electron ionization)/MS/MS as a “discovery tool,” although APCI might provide ultimate sensitivity, which might be required in tissue steroidomics. Finally, we discuss the role of LC/MS/MS in steroidomics. This remains a challenge but offers shorter analysis times and advantages in the detection and discovery of steroids with a known structure. We describe recent advances in LC/MS steroidomics of hydrolyzed and intact steroid conjugates and suggest the technique is catching up with GC/MS in this area. However, in the end, both techniques will likely remain complementary and both should be available in advanced analytical laboratories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cedric Shackleton
- Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom.,UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute, Oakland, California
| | - Oscar J Pozo
- Integrative Pharmacology and Systems Neuroscience Research Group, Institut Hospital del Mar d'Investigacions Mèdiques-Hospital del Mar Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Josep Marcos
- Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
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Honour JW, Conway E, Hodkinson R, Lam F. The evolution of methods for urinary steroid metabolomics in clinical investigations particularly in childhood. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 2018; 181:28-51. [PMID: 29481855 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2018.02.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2017] [Revised: 02/21/2018] [Accepted: 02/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The metabolites of cortisol, and the intermediates in the pathways from cholesterol to cortisol and the adrenal sex steroids can be analysed in a single separation of steroids by gas chromatography (GC) coupled to MS to give a urinary steroid profile (USP). Steroids individually and in profile are now commonly measured in plasma by liquid chromatography (LC) coupled with MS/MS. The steroid conjugates in urine can be determined after hydrolysis and derivative formation and for the first time without hydrolysis using GC-MS, GC-MS/MS and liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The evolution of the technology, practicalities and clinical applications are examined in this review. The patterns and quantities of steroids changes through childhood. Information can be obtained on production rates, from which children with steroid excess and deficiency states can be recognised when presenting with obesity, adrenarche, adrenal suppression, hypertension, adrenal tumours, intersex condition and early puberty, as examples. Genetic defects in steroid production and action can be detected by abnormalities from the GC-MS of steroids in urine. New mechanisms of steroid synthesis and metabolism have been recognised through steroid profiling. GC with tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) has been used for the tentative identification of unknown steroids in urine from newborn infants with congenital adrenal hyperplasia. Suggestions are made as to areas for future research and for future applications of steroid profiling. As routine hospital laboratories become more familiar with the problems of chromatographic and MS analysis they can consider steroid profiling in their test repertoire although with LC-MS/MS of urinary steroids this is unlikely to become a routine test because of the availability, cost and purity of the internal standards and the complexity of data interpretation. Steroid profiling with quantitative analysis by mass spectrometry (MS) after chromatography now provides the most versatile of tests of adrenal function in childhood.
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Affiliation(s)
- John W Honour
- Institute for Women's Health, University College London, 74 Huntley Street, London, WC1E 6AU, UK.
| | - E Conway
- Clinical Biochemistry, HSL Analytics LLP, Floor 2, 1 Mabledon Place, London, WC1H 9AX, UK
| | - R Hodkinson
- Clinical Biochemistry, HSL Analytics LLP, Floor 2, 1 Mabledon Place, London, WC1H 9AX, UK
| | - F Lam
- Clinical Biochemistry, HSL Analytics LLP, Floor 2, 1 Mabledon Place, London, WC1H 9AX, UK
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42
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Esquivel A, Alechaga É, Monfort N, Ventura R. Direct quantitation of endogenous steroid sulfates in human urine by liquid chromatography‐electrospray tandem mass spectrometry. Drug Test Anal 2018; 10:1734-1743. [DOI: 10.1002/dta.2413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2018] [Revised: 05/03/2018] [Accepted: 05/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Argitxu Esquivel
- Catalonian Antidoping Laboratory, Doping Control Research Group Barcelona Spain
- Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra Barcelona Spain
| | - Élida Alechaga
- Catalonian Antidoping Laboratory, Doping Control Research Group Barcelona Spain
| | - Núria Monfort
- Catalonian Antidoping Laboratory, Doping Control Research Group Barcelona Spain
| | - Rosa Ventura
- Catalonian Antidoping Laboratory, Doping Control Research Group Barcelona Spain
- Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra Barcelona Spain
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43
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Abstract
Urine is a biological matrix that contains hundreds of metabolic end products which constitute the urinary metabolome. The development and advances on LC-MS/MS have revolutionized the analytical study of biomolecules by enabling their accurate identification and quantification in an unprecedented manner. Nowadays, LC-MS/MS is helping to unveil the complexity of urine metabolome, and the results obtained have multiple biomedical applications. This review focuses on the targeted LC-MS/MS analysis of the urine metabolome. In the first part, we describe general considerations (from sample collection to quantitation) required for a proper targeted metabolic analysis. In the second part, we address the urinary analysis and recent applications of four relevant families: amino acids, catecholamines, lipids and steroids.
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44
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Kotronoulas A, Gomez-Gómez À, Fabregat A, Segura J, Yang S, Xing Y, Moutian W, Marcos J, Joglar J, Ventura R, Pozo OJ. Evaluation of markers out of the steroid profile for the screening of testosterone misuse. Part II: Intramuscular administration. Drug Test Anal 2017; 10:849-859. [PMID: 29166551 DOI: 10.1002/dta.2342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2017] [Revised: 10/17/2017] [Accepted: 11/05/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
In the fight against doping, the introduction of alternative markers to the steroid profile can be considered as an effective approach to improve the screening capabilities for the detection of testosterone (T) misuse. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of several T metabolites (cysteinyl conjugated and glucuronoconjugated resistant to enzymatic hydrolysis) to detect both the transdermal and the intramuscular administration of T. In Part I of the study, we studied the potential of these metabolites for the detection of T transdermal administration. Results revealed that resistant glucuronides can be a suitable complement to the current steroid profile. In this, Part II, dedicated to the intramuscular administration, we studied the potential of cysteinyl conjugated, resistant glucuronoconjugated and 1-cyclopentenoylglycine (1-CPG) for the detection of a single intramuscular injection of T cypionate. Possible differences in the excretion profile of all markers were explored between individuals with low basal (n=6) and medium basal (n=6) values of the testosterone/epitestosterone ratio (T/E). The results showed that all tested markers presented low intra-individual stability in basal conditions. Despite this, all glucuronoconjugated markers and 1-CPG, but not the cysteinyl conjugated markers, provided detection windows that were similar or longer than those obtained by markers currently included in the steroid profile. Based on the results obtained from the 2 parts of this study and from previously reported data, the potential applicability and the limitations of including these markers in the steroid profile are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aristotelis Kotronoulas
- Bioanalysis Research Group. IMIM, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Modelling, Institute of Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia, Spanish Council for Scientific Research (IQAC-CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Àlex Gomez-Gómez
- Bioanalysis Research Group. IMIM, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain.,Integrative Pharmacology and Systems Neuroscience Group, IMIM, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain.,Programa De Recerca En Epidemiologia I Salut Pública, ISGlobal, Campus Mar, Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Andreu Fabregat
- Bioanalysis Research Group. IMIM, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain.,Waters Cromatografia SA, MS Applicat Lab, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jordi Segura
- Bioanalysis Research Group. IMIM, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain.,Integrative Pharmacology and Systems Neuroscience Group, IMIM, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain.,Barcelona Antidoping Laboratory, Doping Control Research Group, IMIM, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Sheng Yang
- National Anti-Doping Laboratory, China Anti-Doping Agency, Beijing, China
| | - Yanyi Xing
- National Anti-Doping Laboratory, China Anti-Doping Agency, Beijing, China
| | - Wu Moutian
- National Anti-Doping Laboratory, China Anti-Doping Agency, Beijing, China
| | - Josep Marcos
- Bioanalysis Research Group. IMIM, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain.,Cerba Internacional, Sabadell, Spain
| | - Jesús Joglar
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Modelling, Institute of Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia, Spanish Council for Scientific Research (IQAC-CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Rosa Ventura
- Bioanalysis Research Group. IMIM, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain.,Barcelona Antidoping Laboratory, Doping Control Research Group, IMIM, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Oscar J Pozo
- Bioanalysis Research Group. IMIM, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain.,Integrative Pharmacology and Systems Neuroscience Group, IMIM, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain
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45
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Kotronoulas A, Gomez-Gómez À, Fabregat A, Segura J, Yang S, Xing Y, Moutian W, Marcos J, Joglar J, Ventura R, Pozo OJ. Evaluation of markers out of the steroid profile for the screening of testosterone misuse. Part I: Transdermal administration. Drug Test Anal 2017; 10:821-831. [PMID: 29148228 DOI: 10.1002/dta.2338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2017] [Revised: 10/17/2017] [Accepted: 11/05/2017] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Although the introduction by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) of the steroid module of the athlete biological passport (ABP) marked an important step forward in the screening of testosterone (T) misuse, it still remains one of the most difficult challenges in doping control analysis. The urinary determination of alternative markers has been recently reported as a promising tool for improving the screening of T oral administration. However, their evaluation for other, commonly used, administration routes is still required. The main goal of this study is the evaluation of the potential of 2 groups of metabolites (cysteinyl conjugated and glucuronoconjugated) after transdermal and intramuscular administration of T. Their suitability was evaluated in individuals with both low basal (L-T/E) and medium basal (M-T/E) values of T/E. In this Part I, we evaluated the urinary excretion profile of these 2 groups of T metabolites after the administration of 3 doses of T gel to 12 volunteers (6 L-T/E and 6 M-T/E) for 3 consecutive days. For this purpose, 9 different concentration ratios (5 cysteinyl conjugated and 4 glucuronoconjugated markers) were studied. Both, the intra-individual variability and the detection windows (DW) obtained by each ratio were evaluated. Cysteinyl conjugates showed a general low intra-individual variability and DWs that were shorter than any other tested marker. Despite the relatively large intra-individual variability, the DWs reached by glucuronoconjugates (2-3 days) were similar to those obtained by markers currently included in the ABP. Overall; this evaluation advises for the introduction of additional glucuronoconjugated markers in the screening of transdermal T administration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aristotelis Kotronoulas
- Bioanalysis Research Group. IMIM, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Modelling, Institute of Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia, Spanish Council for Scientific Research (IQAC-CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Àlex Gomez-Gómez
- Bioanalysis Research Group. IMIM, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain.,Integrative Pharmacology and Systems Neuroscience Group, IMIM, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain.,Programa De Recerca En Epidemiologia I Salut Pública, ISGlobal, Campus Mar, Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Andreu Fabregat
- Bioanalysis Research Group. IMIM, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain.,Waters Cromatografia SA, MS Applicat Lab, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jordi Segura
- Bioanalysis Research Group. IMIM, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain.,Integrative Pharmacology and Systems Neuroscience Group, IMIM, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain.,Doping Control Research Group, IMIM, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Sheng Yang
- National Anti-Doping Laboratory, China Anti-Doping Agency, Beijing, China
| | - Yanyi Xing
- National Anti-Doping Laboratory, China Anti-Doping Agency, Beijing, China
| | - Wu Moutian
- National Anti-Doping Laboratory, China Anti-Doping Agency, Beijing, China
| | - Josep Marcos
- Bioanalysis Research Group. IMIM, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain.,Cerba Internacional, Sabadell, Spain
| | - Jesús Joglar
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Modelling, Institute of Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia, Spanish Council for Scientific Research (IQAC-CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Rosa Ventura
- Bioanalysis Research Group. IMIM, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain.,Doping Control Research Group, IMIM, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Oscar J Pozo
- Bioanalysis Research Group. IMIM, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain.,Integrative Pharmacology and Systems Neuroscience Group, IMIM, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain
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46
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Esquivel A, Matabosch X, Kotronoulas A, Balcells G, Joglar J, Ventura R. Ionization and collision induced dissociation of steroid bisglucuronides. JOURNAL OF MASS SPECTROMETRY : JMS 2017; 52:759-769. [PMID: 28732133 DOI: 10.1002/jms.3973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2017] [Revised: 07/14/2017] [Accepted: 07/17/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Studies on steroid metabolism are of utmost importance to improve the detection capabilities of anabolic androgenic steroids (AASs) misuse in sports drug testing. In humans, glucuronoconjugates are the most abundant phase II metabolites of AAS. Bisglucuronidation is a reaction where two separated functional groups on the same molecule are conjugated with glucuronic acid. These metabolites have not been studied in depth for steroids and could be interesting markers for doping control. The aim of the present work was to study the ionization and collision-induced dissociation of steroid bisglucuronides to be able to develop mass spectrometric analytical strategies for their detection in urine samples after AAS administration. Because steroid bisglucuronides are not commercially available, 19 of them were qualitatively synthesized to study their mass spectrometric behavior. Bisglucuronides ionized as [M+NH4 ]+ in positive mode, and as [M-H]- and [M-2H]2- in negative mode. The most specific product ions of steroid bisglucuronides in positive mode resulted from the neutral losses of 387 and 405 Da (corresponding to [M+NH4 -NH3 -2gluc-H2 O]+ and [M+NH4 -NH3 -2gluc-2H2 O]+ , respectively, being "gluc" a dehydrated glucuronide moiety), and in negative mode, the fragmentation of [M-2H]2- showed ion losses of m/z 175 and 75 (gluc- and HOCH2 CO2- , respectively). On the basis of the common behavior, a selected reaction monitoring method was developed to detect bisglucuronide metabolites in urine samples. As a proof of concept, urines obtained after administration of norandrostenediol were studied, and a bisglucuronide metabolite was detected in those urines. The results demonstrate the usefulness of the analytical strategy to detect bisglucuronide metabolites in urine samples, and the formation of these metabolites after administration of AAS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Argitxu Esquivel
- Barcelona Antidoping Laboratory, Doping Control Research Group, IMIM, Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute, Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Xavier Matabosch
- Barcelona Antidoping Laboratory, Doping Control Research Group, IMIM, Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute, Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Aristotelis Kotronoulas
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Modeling, Instituto de Química Avanzada de Cataluña, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (IQAC-CSIC), Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034, Barcelona, Spain
- Integrative Pharmacology and Systems Neurocience Research Group, IMIM, Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute, Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Georgina Balcells
- Barcelona Antidoping Laboratory, Doping Control Research Group, IMIM, Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute, Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jesús Joglar
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Modeling, Instituto de Química Avanzada de Cataluña, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (IQAC-CSIC), Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Rosa Ventura
- Barcelona Antidoping Laboratory, Doping Control Research Group, IMIM, Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute, Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
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47
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Weththasinghe SA, Waller CC, Fam HL, Stevenson BJ, Cawley AT, McLeod MD. Replacing PAPS: In vitro phase II sulfation of steroids with the liver S9 fraction employing ATP and sodium sulfate. Drug Test Anal 2017. [PMID: 28635171 DOI: 10.1002/dta.2224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
In vitro technologies provide the capacity to study drug metabolism where in vivo studies are precluded due to ethical or financial constraints. The metabolites generated by in vitro studies can assist anti-doping laboratories to develop protocols for the detection of novel substances that would otherwise evade routine screening efforts. In addition, professional bodies such as the Association of Official Racing Chemists (AORC) currently permit the use of in-vitro-derived reference materials for confirmation purposes providing additional impetus for the development of cost effective in vitro metabolism platforms. In this work, alternative conditions for in vitro phase II sulfation using human, equine or canine liver S9 fraction were developed, with adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and sodium sulfate in place of the expensive and unstable co-factor 3'-phosphoadenosine-5'-phosphosulfate (PAPS), and employed for the generation of six representative steroidal sulfates. Using these conditions, the equine in vitro phase II metabolism of the synthetic or so-called designer steroid furazadrol ([1',2']isoxazolo[4',5':2,3]-5α-androstan-17β-ol) was investigated, with ATP and Na2 SO4 providing comparable metabolism to reactions using PAPS. The major in vitro metabolites of furazadrol matched those observed in a previously reported equine in vivo study. Finally, the equine in vitro phase II metabolism of the synthetic steroid superdrol (methasterone, 17β-hydroxy-2α,17α-dimethyl-5α-androstan-3-one) was performed as a prediction of the in vivo metabolic profile.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sumudu A Weththasinghe
- Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Christopher C Waller
- Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Han Ling Fam
- Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Bradley J Stevenson
- Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Adam T Cawley
- Australian Racing Forensic Laboratory, Racing NSW, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Malcolm D McLeod
- Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
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48
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Ponzetto F, Boccard J, Baume N, Kuuranne T, Rudaz S, Saugy M, Nicoli R. High-resolution mass spectrometry as an alternative detection method to tandem mass spectrometry for the analysis of endogenous steroids in serum. J Chromatogr B Analyt Technol Biomed Life Sci 2017; 1052:34-42. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jchromb.2017.03.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2016] [Revised: 03/10/2017] [Accepted: 03/14/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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49
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McLeod MD, Waller CC, Esquivel A, Balcells G, Ventura R, Segura J, Pozo ÓJ. Constant Ion Loss Method for the Untargeted Detection of Bis-sulfate Metabolites. Anal Chem 2017; 89:1602-1609. [PMID: 27982580 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.6b03671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The untargeted detection of phase II metabolites is a key issue for the study of drug metabolism in biological systems. Sensitive and selective mass spectrometric (MS) techniques coupled to ultrahigh performance liquid chromatographic (UHPLC) systems are the most effective for this purpose. In this study, we evaluate different MS approaches with a triple quadrupole instrument for the untargeted detection of bis-sulfate metabolites. Bis-sulfates of 23 steroid metabolites were synthesized and their MS behavior was comprehensively studied. Bis-sulfates ionized preferentially as the dianion ([M - 2H]2-) with a small contribution of the monoanion ([M - H]-). Product ion spectra generated from the [M - 2H]2- precursor ions were dominated by the loss of HSO4- to generate two product ions, that is, the ion at m/z 97 (HSO4-) and the ion corresponding to the remaining monosulfate fragment. Other product ions were found to be specific for some structures. As an example, the loss of [CH3 + SO3]- was found to be important for several compounds with unsaturation adjacent to the sulfate. On the basis of the common behavior of the bis-sulfate metabolites two alternatives were evaluated for the untargeted detection of bis-sulfate metabolites (i) a precursor ion scan method using the ion at m/z 97 and (ii) a constant ion loss (CIL) method using the loss of HSO4-. Both methods allowed for the untargeted detection of the model compounds. Eight steroid bis-sulfates were synthesized in high purity in order to quantitatively evaluate the developed strategies. Lower limits of detection (2-20 ng/mL) were obtained using the CIL method. Additionally, the CIL method was found to be more specific in the detection of urinary bis-sulfates. The applicability of the CIL approach was demonstrated by determining progestogens altered during pregnancy and by detecting the bis-sulfate metabolites of tibolone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malcolm D McLeod
- Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University , Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
| | - Christopher C Waller
- Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University , Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
| | - Argitxu Esquivel
- Bioanalysis Research Group. IMIM, Hospital del Mar , Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra , Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Georgina Balcells
- Bioanalysis Research Group. IMIM, Hospital del Mar , Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra , Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Rosa Ventura
- Bioanalysis Research Group. IMIM, Hospital del Mar , Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra , Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jordi Segura
- Bioanalysis Research Group. IMIM, Hospital del Mar , Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra , Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Óscar J Pozo
- Bioanalysis Research Group. IMIM, Hospital del Mar , Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
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50
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Kotronoulas A, Gomez-Gomez A, Segura J, Ventura R, Joglar J, Pozo OJ. Evaluation of two glucuronides resistant to enzymatic hydrolysis as markers of testosterone oral administration. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 2017; 165:212-218. [PMID: 27328448 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2016.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2015] [Revised: 05/11/2016] [Accepted: 06/17/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Testosterone (T) has traditionally been the most commonly reported doping agent by doping control laboratories. The screening of T misuse is performed by the quantification of six endogenous androgenic steroids and the ratio T/E included in the Athlete Biological Passport (ABP). The inclusion of additional metabolites can improve the screening capabilities of ABP. In this study, the potential of 3α-glucuronide-6β-hydroxyandrosterone (6OH-Andros3G) and 3α-glucuronide-6β-hydroxyetiocholanolone (6OH-Etio3G) as markers of T oral administration was evaluated. These glucuronides have been shown to be resistant to enzymatic hydrolysis and their quantification by means of liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was reported as the only way to obtain feasible results. Urine samples were collected from five volunteers before and after the oral administration of 40mg of T undecanoate and were analyzed by a LC-MS/MS method recently developed. Concentration of 6OH-Andros3G and 6OH-Etio3G compounds and those of the glucuronides of T (TG), epitestosterone (EG), androsterone and etiocholanolone were established and different concentration ratios were calculated. The detection windows (DWs) for the T administration obtained by each selected ratio were compared to the one of TG/EG. The results showed that four out of the nine tested markers presented DWs much larger for all volunteers than those obtained by the World Anti-Doping Agency established T/E marker or other alternative markers. The 6OH-Andros3G/EG, 6OH-Etio3G/EG, 6OH-Andros3G/TG and 6OH-Etio3G/TG markers were able to identify the T abuse up to 96h after the administration, extending our detection capability for the misuse up to 84h more than the classic marker. The importance of these markers was also highlighted by their prolonged capacity to detect the T misuse in the case of one volunteer whose TG/EG barely exceeded his individual threshold. As a consequence, the four markers presented in this study seem to have an exceptional potential as biomarkers of T oral administration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aristotelis Kotronoulas
- Bioanalysis Research Group, IMIM, Hospital del Mar, Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain; Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Modelling, Institute of Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia, Spanish Council for Scientific Research (IQAC-CSIC), Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Alex Gomez-Gomez
- Bioanalysis Research Group, IMIM, Hospital del Mar, Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jordi Segura
- Bioanalysis Research Group, IMIM, Hospital del Mar, Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain; Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Rosa Ventura
- Bioanalysis Research Group, IMIM, Hospital del Mar, Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain; Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jesús Joglar
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Modelling, Institute of Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia, Spanish Council for Scientific Research (IQAC-CSIC), Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Oscar J Pozo
- Bioanalysis Research Group, IMIM, Hospital del Mar, Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain.
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