An integrated derivatization-LC-MS strategy reveals cell-type-specific chiral amino acid profiles

Precise analysis of cellular chiral amino acids is critical for elucidating molecular mechanisms in physiology and pathology, yet remains challenging due to complex biological matrices and limited detection sensitivity. To address this, we developed a LC-MS/MS analytical strategy based on dansyl chloride (Dns-Cl) derivatization. This method significantly enhanced separation and ionization efficiency while minimizing matrix interference, enabling the simultaneous trace-level detection and quantification of 19 amino acid enantiomer pairs (with chiral separation and quantification of 16 d/l pairs). The validated method demonstrated excellent analytical figures of merit: low limits of detection (0.007-0.27 nmol), a broad linear range (0.33-33 nmol), high precision (RSD < 6.16 %), and negligible matrix effects (< 6.59 %). Its robust applicability was confirmed through successful analysis of chiral amino acids in fetal bovine serum and multiple cell lines. Metabolite profiling revealed distinct chiral signatures: the contents of d‑serine (d-Ser), d-proline (d-pro), d-methionine (d-Met) were significantly higher in breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells compared to normal breast MCF-10A cells, suggesting a potential link to malignancy. Furthermore, the d/l enantiomeric ratio of asparagine served as a key discriminant between cancers, with MDA-MB-231 cells enriched in the d-form and HepG2 cells in the l-form. Extracellular chiral amino acid patterns also varied, reflecting cell-type-specific differences in uptake and excretion. Collectively, this work establishes a reliable analytical method and highlights chiral amino acid profiling as a powerful tool for cellular molecular phenotyping, offering novel perspectives for disease mechanism research and biomarker discovery.