Metabolite fingerprinting by capillary electrophoresis- mass spectrometry

Abstract

Changes in metabolite concentrations in response to specifi c diseases, treatments, diets, or other factors can be used to understand the complex mechanisms that control and regulate the human body and potentially detect the onset of disease prior to the observation of symptoms in a patient. Different analytical and chemometric platforms are necessary to detect as many metabolites as possible in different biological fl uids. Capillary electrophoresis (CE) coupled to mass spectrometry (MS) is a particularly attractive, although still not common, approach for metabolomics for the detection of mainly polar and ionic metabolites. Among its main features, CE provides the capability to separate complex mixtures with high resolution and minimum sample treatment. However, the routine, automated use of CE-MS is not without challenges. In this chapter we describe a well-tested method for fi ngerprinting serum and urine using CE-TOF-MS. We describe below a sensitive and quite robust method for metabolomics with CE-MS including sample treatment, separation conditions, instrumental setup, and identifi cation of 76 metabolites in the profi le. Useful advice for daily practice is also included for every step of the procedure.