Assessment of GC-MS in Detecting Changes in the Levels of Metabolites Using a Spike-in Experiment in Human Plasma

Abstract

Gas Chromatography coupled with Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) has been broadly used for the detection of changes in metabolite levels in complex samples. Internal Standards (IS) spiked into a complex background at different concentrations help assess the capability of GC-MS in detecting changes in metabolite levels. This study uses a Latin square design to evaluate the ability of GC-MS in full scan and Single Ion Monitoring (SIM) modes to detect changes among IS spiked into human plasma samples at varying concentrations. Statistical analysis of the data demonstrates the potential of GC-MS to detect true differences over a wide range of concentration levels.