Final ProgramCPSA 2011
Science and Technology Coming Together to Make a Difference
October 3 - 6, 2011
Bucks County Sheraton Hotel
Langhorne, PA
Poster Abstract #08
A Direct LC-MS/MS Method for Determination of ß-Alanine in Human Plasma
Critical Path Services, LLC, 3070 McCann Farm Drive, Garnet Valley, PA 19060, USA
Beta-alanine, a non-essential amino acid, is an important factor in building up muscle mass and strength. Abnormal beta-alanine levels in human diet have been reported to cause diseases such as cardiovascular disease, or symptoms such as paraesthesia, resulting from high blood-plasma concentrations of beta-alanine. Therefore, monitoring beta-alanine levels in human plasma samples may play a role in disease diagnosis and prevention. An LC-MS/MS method has been developed for use in this monitoring. The method can detect beta-alanine at level of detection (LOD) of 2 ppb in water. The limit of detection and quantification (LOQ) in plasma will be presented.
Quantitative analysis of molecules below 100 daltons can be a challenge. Most of the existing methods for amino acid analysis involve a derivatization step, which is time-consuming. When electrospray ionization (ESI) is used as the ionization method, plasma samples present an additional challenge as they contain phospholipids which can result in matrix effects, specifically ion suppression.
The rapid resolution method presented here uses an internal standard rather than derivatization for quantitative analysis. The instrument utilized is an Agilent 1200 HPLC and 6410 Triple Quadrupole MS equipped with a hot box upgrade operated in positive mode.