An LC/MS/MS method for quantifying testosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate in four different serum samples...

Area of Science:

• Clinical Chemistry
• Analytical Chemistry
• Mass Spectrometry

Background:

• Simultaneous measurement of circulating testosterone (TS) and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) is crucial for men's health assessment.
• Liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (LC/ESI-MS/MS) is a reliable method but requires improved analysis throughput.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an LC/ESI-MS/MS method for parallel quantification of TS and DHEAS in multiple serum samples.
• To enhance the analysis throughput for androgen measurements.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a quadruplicate of Girard reagents for derivatization.
• Developed a method to pretreat, derivatize, and combine four serum samples for single-run LC/ESI-MS/MS analysis.
• Quantified TS and DHEAS in parallel across four samples.

Main Results:

• The developed method demonstrated practical measuring ranges with good precision, accuracy, and negligible matrix effects.
• Analysis of 40 serum samples showed a 60% reduction in post-pretreatment analysis time compared to non-derivatization methods.
• Achieved parallel quantification of androgens from four serum samples in a single run.

Conclusions:

• The novel Girard reagent-based LC/ESI-MS/MS method significantly improves efficiency for TS and DHEAS measurements.
• This method offers a valuable tool for high-throughput clinical assessment of men's health.
• The technique provides a faster and reliable alternative for routine androgen analysis.