Porous extraction paddle: a solid-phase extraction technique for studying the urine metabolome

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Environmental Science
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Limited resources and distant analysis locations necessitate convenient methods for large-volume urine solid-phase extraction.
• Analysis of the metabolome and xenobiotic exposome requires efficient sample preparation techniques.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a convenient and resource-efficient method for solid-phase extraction of large urine volumes.
• To facilitate metabolome and xenobiotic exposome analysis in remote or resource-limited settings.

Main Methods:

• A porous extraction paddle (PEP) was designed, featuring a porous nylon bag with extraction particles secured between stainless steel meshes.
• Extraction is achieved by motor-driven stirring of the PEP within the urine sample.
• The extraction particles included nonpolar and partly nonpolar compounds to capture a diverse range of analytes.

Main Results:

• The PEP successfully extracted a wide range of compounds from urine, including uric acid and peptides.
• Elution with aqueous methanol and triethylammonium acetate, followed by MALDI-TOF/TOF-MS, confirmed the extraction of diverse chemical species.
• The method demonstrated effective solid-phase extraction of urine analytes.

Conclusions:

• The PEP offers a user-friendly approach for extracting large liquid samples using simple motor activation.
• This technique supports metabolomics and xenobiotic exposome studies by enabling convenient collection of repository samples for future analysis.
• The PEP facilitates the creation of shipment-ready samples for diverse analytical applications, including the isolation of unknown chemicals.