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Updated: Jun 16, 2026

A High-throughput Method for Measurement of Glomerular Filtration Rate in Conscious Mice
Published on: May 10, 2013
Iothalamate quantification by tandem mass spectrometry to measure glomerular filtration rate
Jesse C Seegmiller1, Bradley E Burns, Abdul H Fauq
1Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA.
Background:
Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) can be determined by measuring renal clearance of the radiocontrast agent iothalamate. Current analytic methods for quantifying iothalamate concentrations in plasma and urine using liquid chromatography or capillary electrophoresis have limitations such as long analysis times and susceptibility to interferences. We developed a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method to overcome these limitations.
Methods:
Urine and plasma samples were deproteinized using acetonitrile and centrifugation. The supernatant was diluted in water and analyzed by LC-MS/MS using a water:methanol gradient. We monitored 4 multiple reaction monitoring transitions: m/z 614.8-487.0, 614.8-456.0, 614.8-361.1, and 614.8-177.1. We compared the results to those obtained via our standard capillary electrophoresis (CE-UV) on samples from 53 patients undergoing clinical GFR testing.
Results:
Mean recovery was 90%-110% in both urine and plasma matrices. Imprecision was
Conclusions:
Iothalamate can be quantified by LC-MS/MS for GFR measurement. This method circumvents potential problems with interfering substances that occasionally confound accurate GFR determinations.
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