LC-MS-Based Global Metabolic Profiles of Alternative Blood Specimens Collected by Microsampling

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Biochemistry
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Blood microsampling (BμS) offers non-invasive analysis of endogenous metabolites.
• BμS technologies, including VAMs and qDBS, are attractive for large-scale metabolomics studies.
• Conventional plasma samples are the standard for blood-based metabolomics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the potential of BμS devices against conventional plasma samples for blood metabolomics.
• To evaluate novel quantitative microsampling devices (Mitra, Capitainer, Whatman) against plasma.
• To assess global untargeted mass spectrometry-based metabolomics profiles.

Main Methods:

• Comparison of three BμS devices (Mitra, Capitainer, Whatman) with plasma using venous blood from 10 healthy individuals.
• Extraction solvent optimization performed on BμS devices prior to main analysis.
• Analysis using reverse-phase LC-TOF MS in positive mode.

Main Results:

• BμS devices, particularly Mitra and Capitainer, yielded equal or superior metabolic profiling information compared to plasma.
• BμS demonstrated comparable or enhanced feature numbers, intensity, precision, and metabolite stability.
• BμS did not capture metabolites crucial for biological sex differentiation.

Conclusions:

• BμS devices show significant potential for blood metabolomics, offering comparable or improved data quality.
• Metabolite-dependent trends necessitate in-depth investigation for specific applications of BμS.
• BμS is a promising alternative to plasma sampling, with performance varying by metabolite and application.