A Sugaromics Method for Combined Targeted and Untargeted Sugar Profiling: Fit-for-Purpose Validation of a...

Area of Science:

• Metabolomics
• Analytical Chemistry
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Human biofluid sugar profiles are influenced by diet, health, and lifestyle.
• Accurate sugar quantification aids in identifying health and nutrition biomarkers.
• Existing methods lack the capacity for comprehensive sugar profile assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a comprehensive sugaromics method for simultaneous quantification and identification of sugar compounds in human biofluids.
• To enable a fuller assessment of sugar metabolism and its links to health and nutrition.
• To report novel absolute concentrations of specific sugars in human urine and serum.

Main Methods:

• Development of a comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GCxGC-MS) sugaromics method.
• Utilized a combination of targeted and untargeted approaches for absolute quantification and identification.
• Method validation followed U.S. FDA and ICH guidelines, assessing linearity, quantification limits, precision, and accuracy.

Main Results:

• The developed GCxGC-MS method demonstrated satisfactory performance across key validation parameters.
• Absolute concentrations of seven sugars in urine and 14 sugars in serum from healthy adults were reported for the first time.
• Quantifiable analyte concentrations were observed within expected ranges in applied human urine and serum samples.

Conclusions:

• The novel, comprehensive sugaromics method combining targeted and untargeted approaches is well-validated and suitable for human studies.
• This method offers significant promise for advancing research in human health and nutrition by providing detailed sugar metabolism insights.
• The reported novel sugar concentrations contribute valuable baseline data for future health-related investigations.