Rapid and sensitive determination of free fatty acids based on in-source microdroplet-driven derivatization coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry

Jiaqi Cui; Jianxun Zhang; Shihao Sun; Wu Fan; Hui Xi; Xiujuan Xu; Lingbo Ji; Shusheng Zhang; Dingzhong Wang; Wuduo Zhao

doi:10.1016/j.aca.2023.341717

Rapid and sensitive determination of free fatty acids based on in-source microdroplet-driven derivatization coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry

Anal Chim Acta. 2023 Oct 16:1278:341717. doi: 10.1016/j.aca.2023.341717. Epub 2023 Aug 15.

Authors

Jiaqi Cui¹, Jianxun Zhang², Shihao Sun², Wu Fan², Hui Xi³, Xiujuan Xu³, Lingbo Ji³, Shusheng Zhang⁴, Dingzhong Wang⁵, Wuduo Zhao⁶

Affiliations

¹ Flavor Research Center, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, China.
² Flavor Research Center, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, China; The Key Laboratory of Tobacco Flavor Basic Research of CNTC, Zhengzhou Tobacco Research Institute, Zhengzhou, 450001, China.
³ The Key Laboratory of Tobacco Flavor Basic Research of CNTC, Zhengzhou Tobacco Research Institute, Zhengzhou, 450001, China.
⁴ Flavor Research Center, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, China; Center of Advanced Analysis and Gene Sequencing, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, China.
⁵ Flavor Research Center, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, China; The Key Laboratory of Tobacco Flavor Basic Research of CNTC, Zhengzhou Tobacco Research Institute, Zhengzhou, 450001, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁶ Flavor Research Center, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, China; Center of Advanced Analysis and Gene Sequencing, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, China. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 37709460
DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2023.341717

Abstract

Accurate and sensitive measurements of free fatty acids (FFAs) in biological samples are valuable for diagnosing and prognosing diseases. In this study, an in-source microdroplet derivation strategy combined with high-resolution mass spectrometry was developed to analyze FFAs in lipid extracts of biological samples directly. FFAs were rapidly derivated with 2-picolylamine (PA) in the microdroplet which is derived by electrospray. With the proposed method, twelve typical FFAs were determined reliably with high sensitivity and acceptable linearities (R² ≥ 0.94). The LODs and LOQs for the twelve FFAs were 9-76 pg mL^-1 and 30-253 pg mL^-1, respectively. The developed method was applied to analyze the alteration of FFAs in liver and kidney samples of rats induced by perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) exposure. The good results demonstrate that the established analysis technique is dependable and has promising applications in detecting FFAs associated with complex biological samples.

Keywords: Free fatty acids (FFAs); High-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS); In-source microdroplet-driven derivatization; Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) exposure; Rapid determination.

MeSH terms

Animals
Fatty Acids, Nonesterified*
Kidney*
Limit of Detection
Liver
Mass Spectrometry
Rats

Substances

Fatty Acids, Nonesterified