Sensitive and quantitative determination of short-chain fatty acids in human serum using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry

Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are increasingly being monitored to elucidate the link between gut health and disease. These metabolites are routinely measured in faeces, but their determination in serum is more challenging due to their low concentrations. A method for the determination of eight SCFAs in serum is described here. High-resolution mass spectrometry and gas chromatography were used to identify the presence of isomeric interferences, which were then overcome through a combination of chromatographic separation and judicious choice of MS fragment ion. The SCFAs were derivatised to form 3-nitrophenylhydrazones before being separated on a reversed-phase column and then detected using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-QQQ-MS). The LODs and LOQs of SCFAs using this method were in the range 1 to 7 ng mL(−1) and 3 to 19 ng mL(−1), respectively. The recovery of the SCFAs in serum ranged from 94 to 114% over the three concentration ranges tested. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00216-021-03589-w.