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Ma Y, Cao Y, Song X, Min C, Man Z, Li Z. BART: A transferable liquid chromatography retention time library for bile acids. J Chromatogr A 2024; 1715:464602. [PMID: 38159405 DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2023.464602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
Identification of unknown bile acids, especially the distinguishment between isomers, requires retention times of a large number of reference standards, which are often not commercially available. Meanwhile, published retention information cannot be directly transferred across labs due to the differences between liquid chromatography (LC) systems, such as different extra column volume and dwell volume. To improve this situation, a transferrable retention time library for bile acids named BART was developed. BART was composed of isocratic retention models of 272 bile acids and a software tool to predict their gradient retention times on various LC systems. The isocratic retention times of bile acids were acquired on a Waters BEH C18 column with mobile phases of acidic ammonium acetate buffer and acetonitrile, and fit to the quadratic solvent strength model (QSSM). Segmented linear gradient retention times were calculated with holdup time (t0), dwell time (tD) and actual gradient profile corrected using 21 bile acid calibration standards. In addition to the reference system where the isocratic retention times were acquired, this approach has been validated on four other LC-MS systems in four labs with two gradient methods. Average root mean square errors (RMSE) between predicted and experimental retention times were 0.052 and 0.054 min for the two gradients tested, which were 9-fold more accurate than referring to a static retention time library. The library is freely available at https://bafinder.github.io/.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Ma
- National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing 102206, China; Tsinghua Institute of Multidisciplinary Biomedical Research, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.
| | - Yang Cao
- National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Xiaocui Song
- National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Chunyan Min
- Suzhou Institute for Drug Control, Suzhou 215104, China
| | - Zhuo Man
- SCIEX China, Beijing 100015, China
| | - Zhen Li
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Environmental Resilience, College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
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Fitzgerald CCJ, Bowen C, Elbourne M, Cawley A, McLeod MD. Energy-Resolved Fragmentation Aiding the Structure Elucidation of Steroid Biomarkers. JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR MASS SPECTROMETRY 2022; 33:1276-1281. [PMID: 35791638 DOI: 10.1021/jasms.2c00092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The identification and confirmation of steroid sulfate metabolites in biological samples are essential to various fields, including anti-doping analysis and clinical sciences. Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) is the leading method for the detection of intact steroid conjugates in biofluids, but because of the inherent complexity of biological samples and the low concentration of many targets of interest, metabolite identification based solely on mass spectrometry remains a major challenge. The confirmation of new metabolites typically depends on a comparison with synthetically derived reference materials that encompass a range of possible conjugation sites and stereochemistries. Herein, energy-resolved collision-induced dissociation (CID) is used as part of UHPLC-HRMS/MS analysis to distinguish between regio- and stereo-isomeric steroid sulfate compounds. This wholly MS-based approach was employed to guide the synthesis of reference materials to unambiguously confirm the identity of an equine steroid sulfate biomarker of testosterone propionate administration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher C J Fitzgerald
- Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
| | - Christopher Bowen
- Mass Spectrometry Business Unit, Shimadzu Scientific Instruments (Australasia), Rydalmere, New South Wales 2116, Australia
| | - Madysen Elbourne
- Centre for Forensic Science, University of Technology Sydney, Broadway, New South Wales 2007, Australia
| | - Adam Cawley
- Australian Racing Forensic Laboratory, Racing NSW, Sydney, New South Wales 2000, Australia
| | - Malcolm D McLeod
- Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
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3
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Fitzgerald CCJ, McLeod MD. Synthesis of stable isotope labelled steroid bis(sulfate) conjugates and their behaviour in collision induced dissociation experiments. Org Biomol Chem 2022; 20:3311-3322. [PMID: 35354200 DOI: 10.1039/d2ob00375a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Steroid bis(sulfate) metabolites derived from the two-fold sulfation of unconjugated precursors represent an important yet understudied portion of the steroid profile. The investigation of these compounds in fields such as medicine or anti-doping science relies on mass spectrometry (MS) as the principal tool to identify and quantify biomarkers of interest and depends in turn on access to steroid reference materials and their stable isotope labelled (SIL) derivatives. A new [18O] stable isotope label for sulfate metabolites is reported, which allows for the selective, late-stage and 'one-pot' synthesis of a variety of SIL-steroid conjugates suitable as MS probes and internal standards. The method is applied to more comprehensively study the MS behaviour of steroid bis(sulfate) compounds through collision-induced dissociation (CID) experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Malcolm D McLeod
- Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.
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4
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Ma Y, Cao Y, Song X, Zhang Y, Li J, Wang Y, Wu X, Qi X. BAFinder: A Software for Unknown Bile Acid Identification Using Accurate Mass LC-MS/MS in Positive and Negative Modes. Anal Chem 2022; 94:6242-6250. [PMID: 35403420 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.1c05648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Most LC-MS based bile acid analyses target common bile acids. The identification of unknown bile acids remains challenging in untargeted experiments. Here, a software named BAFinder was developed to improve the identification of unknown bile acids from accurate mass LC-MS/MS data in both the positive and negative ESI modes. A wide variety of bile acid structures were covered in BAFinder, including oxidized bile acids and sugar conjugates that were often ignored. The annotation of unknown bile acids was based on a thorough investigation of MS/MS fragmentation patterns of 84 bile acid reference standards in both modes. Specifically, BAFinder took the peak alignment result and MS/MS spectra, grouped candidate features in positive and negative modes, searched their representative MS/MS spectra against a MS/MS library, and used characteristic product ions and neutral losses to annotate bile acids not covered in the library. Finally, the number of hydroxyl groups and double bonds, conjugation, and isomer information of bile acids were reported with four different levels of annotation confidence. The use of BAFinder was demonstrated through successful application to the analysis of human plasma and urine samples, in which a total of 112 and 244 bile acids were annotated and 75 and 111 of them were confirmed with standards or synthesized compounds, respectively. The software is freely available at https://bafinder.github.io/.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Ma
- National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing, Beijing 102206, China.,Tsinghua Institute of Multidisciplinary Biomedical Research, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Yang Cao
- National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Xiaocui Song
- National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Yuanying Zhang
- Department of Endocrinology, Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100020, China
| | - Jing Li
- Department of Endocrinology, Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100020, China
| | - Yankai Wang
- National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Xiaoqing Wu
- National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Xiangbing Qi
- National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing, Beijing 102206, China.,Tsinghua Institute of Multidisciplinary Biomedical Research, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
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Mueller JW, Vogg N, Lightning TA, Weigand I, Ronchi CL, Foster PA, Kroiss M. Steroid Sulfation in Adrenal Tumors. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2021; 106:3385-3397. [PMID: 33739426 DOI: 10.1210/clinem/dgab182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
CONTEXT The adrenal cortex produces specific steroid hormones including steroid sulfates such as dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), the most abundant steroid hormone in the human circulation. Steroid sulfation involves a multistep enzyme machinery that may be impaired by inborn errors of steroid metabolism. Emerging data suggest a role of steroid sulfates in the pathophysiology of adrenal tumors and as potential biomarkers. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION Selective literature search using "steroid," "sulfat*," "adrenal," "transport," "mass spectrometry" and related terms in different combinations. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS A recent study highlighted the tissue abundance of estrogen sulfates to be of prognostic impact in adrenocortical carcinoma tissue samples using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry imaging. General mechanisms of sulfate uptake, activation, and transfer to substrate steroids are reasonably well understood. Key aspects of this pathway, however, have not been investigated in detail in the adrenal; these include the regulation of substrate specificity and the secretion of sulfated steroids. Both for the adrenal and targeted peripheral tissues, steroid sulfates may have relevant biological actions beyond their cognate nuclear receptors after desulfation. Impaired steroid sulfation such as low DHEAS in Cushing adenomas is of diagnostic utility, but more comprehensive studies are lacking. In bioanalytics, the requirement of deconjugation for gas-chromatography/mass-spectrometry has precluded the study of steroid sulfates for a long time. This limitation may be overcome by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry. CONCLUSIONS A role of steroid sulfation in the pathophysiology of adrenal tumors has been suggested and a diagnostic utility of steroid sulfates as biomarkers is likely. Recent analytical developments may target sulfated steroids specifically.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Wolf Mueller
- Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research (IMSR), University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
- Centre for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism (CEDAM), Birmingham Health Partners, Birmingham, UK
| | - Nora Vogg
- Department of Internal Medicine I, Division of Endocrinology and Diabetology, University Hospital Würzburg, University of Würzburg, Würzburg(Germany)
| | - Thomas Alec Lightning
- Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research (IMSR), University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Isabel Weigand
- Department of Medicine IV, University Hospital München, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, München, Germany
| | - Cristina L Ronchi
- Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research (IMSR), University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
- Centre for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism (CEDAM), Birmingham Health Partners, Birmingham, UK
- Department of Internal Medicine I, Division of Endocrinology and Diabetology, University Hospital Würzburg, University of Würzburg, Würzburg(Germany)
| | - Paul A Foster
- Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research (IMSR), University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
- Centre for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism (CEDAM), Birmingham Health Partners, Birmingham, UK
| | - Matthias Kroiss
- Department of Internal Medicine I, Division of Endocrinology and Diabetology, University Hospital Würzburg, University of Würzburg, Würzburg(Germany)
- Department of Medicine IV, University Hospital München, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, München, Germany
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Rousson V, Ackermann D, Ponte B, Pruijm M, Guessous I, d’Uscio CH, Ehret G, Escher G, Pechère-Bertschi A, Groessl M, Martin PY, Burnier M, Dick B, Bochud M, Vogt B, Dhayat NA. Sex- and age-specific reference intervals for diagnostic ratios reflecting relative activity of steroidogenic enzymes and pathways in adults. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0253975. [PMID: 34237094 PMCID: PMC8266106 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0253975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2021] [Accepted: 06/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Diagnostic ratios calculated from urinary steroid hormone metabolites are used as a measure for the relative activity of steroidogenic enzymes or pathways in the clinical investigation of steroid metabolism disorders. However, population-based sex- and age-specific reference intervals and day-night differences in adults are lacking. METHODS Sixty-five diagnostic ratios were calculated from steroid metabolites measured by GC-MS in day- and night-time and in 24-hour urine from 1128 adults recruited within the Swiss Kidney Project on Genes in Hypertension (SKIPOGH), a population-based, multicenter cohort study. Differences related to sex, age and day- and night-time were evaluated and reference curves in function of age and sex were modelled by multivariable linear mixed regression for diagnostic ratios and were compared to values from the literature. RESULTS Most ratios had sex- and age-specific relationships. For each ratio, percentiles were plotted in function of age and sex in order to create reference curves and sex- and age-specific reference intervals derived from 2.5th and 97.5th percentiles were obtained. Most ratios reflected a higher enzyme activity during the day compared to the night. CONCLUSIONS Sex- and age-specific references for 24 hours, day and night urine steroid metabolite ratios may help distinguishing between health and disease when investigating human disorders affecting steroid synthesis and metabolism. The day-night differences observed for most of the diagnostic ratios suggest a circadian rhythm for enzymes involved in human steroid hormones metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentin Rousson
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Systems, Unisanté, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Daniel Ackermann
- Department of Nephrology and Hypertension and Department of Clinical Research, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Belen Ponte
- Department of Specialties of Internal Medicine, Nephrology Service, University Hospital of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Menno Pruijm
- Nephrology Service, University Hospital of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Idris Guessous
- Department of Community Medicine, Primary Care and Emergency Medicine, University Hospital of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Claudia H. d’Uscio
- Department of Nephrology and Hypertension and Department of Clinical Research, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Georg Ehret
- Department of Specialties of Internal Medicine, Cardiology Service, University Hospital of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Geneviève Escher
- Department of Nephrology and Hypertension and Department of Clinical Research, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Antoinette Pechère-Bertschi
- Department of Internal Medicine Specialties, Endocrinology Service, University Hospital of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Michael Groessl
- Department of Nephrology and Hypertension and Department of Clinical Research, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Pierre-Yves Martin
- Department of Specialties of Internal Medicine, Nephrology Service, University Hospital of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Michel Burnier
- Nephrology Service, University Hospital of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Bernhard Dick
- Department of Nephrology and Hypertension and Department of Clinical Research, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Murielle Bochud
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Systems, Unisanté, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Bruno Vogt
- Department of Nephrology and Hypertension and Department of Clinical Research, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Nasser A. Dhayat
- Department of Nephrology and Hypertension and Department of Clinical Research, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- * E-mail:
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7
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De Wilde L, Van Renterghem P, Van Eenoo P. Long-term stability study and evaluation of intact steroid conjugate ratios after the administration of endogenous steroids. Drug Test Anal 2021; 14:851-863. [PMID: 33982451 DOI: 10.1002/dta.3096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2020] [Revised: 05/05/2021] [Accepted: 05/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
The most frequently detected substances prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) belong to the anabolic steroids class. The most challenging compounds among this class are the endogenous anabolic steroids, which are detected by quantitative measurement of testosterone (T) and its metabolites with a so-called "steroid profiling" method. The current steroid profile is based on the concentrations and ratios of the sum of free and glucuronidated steroids. Recently, our group developed a steroid profiling method for the detection of three free steroids and 14 intact steroid conjugates, including both the glucuronic acid conjugated and sulfated fraction. The study aimed at evaluating the long-term stability of steroid conjugate concentrations and ratios, and the influence of different endogenous steroids on this extended steroid profile. A single dose of oral T undecanoate (TU), topical T gel, topical dihydrotestosterone (DHT) gel, and oral dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) was administered to six healthy male volunteers. One additional volunteer with a homozygote deletion of the UGT2B17 gene (del/del genotype) received a single topical dose of T gel. An intramuscular dose of TU was administered to another volunteer. To avoid fluctuation of steroid concentrations caused by variations in urinary flow rates, steroid ratios were calculated and evaluated as possible biomarkers for the detection of endogenous steroid abuse with low doses. Overall, sulfates do not have substantial additional value in prolonging detection times for the investigated endogenous steroids and administration doses. The already monitored glucuronides were overall the best markers and were sufficient to detect the administered steroids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurie De Wilde
- Department Diagnostic Sciences, Doping Control Laboratory (DoCoLab), Ghent University (UGent), Ghent, Belgium
| | - Pieter Van Renterghem
- Department Diagnostic Sciences, Doping Control Laboratory (DoCoLab), Ghent University (UGent), Ghent, Belgium
| | - Peter Van Eenoo
- Department Diagnostic Sciences, Doping Control Laboratory (DoCoLab), Ghent University (UGent), Ghent, Belgium
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Lightning TA, Gesteira TF, Mueller JW. Steroid disulfates - Sulfation double trouble. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2021; 524:111161. [PMID: 33453296 DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2021.111161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2020] [Revised: 12/24/2020] [Accepted: 01/05/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Sulfation pathways have recently come into the focus of biomedical research. For steroid hormones and related compounds, sulfation represents an additional layer of regulation as sulfated steroids are more water-soluble and tend to be biologically less active. For steroid diols, an additional sulfation is possible, carried out by the same sulfotransferases that catalyze the first sulfation step. The steroid disulfates that are formed are the focus of this review. We discuss both their biochemical production as well as their putative biological function. Steroid disulfates have also been linked to various clinical conditions in numerous untargeted metabolomics studies. New analytical techniques exploring the biosynthetic routes of steroid disulfates have led to novel insights, changing our understanding of sulfation in human biology. They promise a bright future for research into sulfation pathways, hopefully too for the diagnosis and treatment of several associated diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Alec Lightning
- Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Tarsis F Gesteira
- College of Optometry, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA; Optimvia, LLC, Batavia, OH, USA
| | - Jonathan Wolf Mueller
- Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK; Centre for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Birmingham Health Partners, Birmingham, UK.
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Olesti E, Boccard J, Visconti G, González-Ruiz V, Rudaz S. From a single steroid to the steroidome: Trends and analytical challenges. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 2021; 206:105797. [PMID: 33259940 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2020.105797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2020] [Revised: 11/02/2020] [Accepted: 11/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
For several decades now, the analysis of steroids has been a key tool in the diagnosis and monitoring of numerous endocrine pathologies. Thus, the available methods used to analyze steroids in biological samples have dramatically evolved over time following the rapid pace of technology and scientific knowledge. This review aims to synthetize the advances in steroids' analysis, from classical approaches considering only a few steroids or a limited number of steroid ratios, up to the new steroid profiling strategies (steroidomics) monitoring large sets of steroids in biological matrices. In this context, the use of liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry has emerged as the technique of choice for the simultaneous determination of a high number of steroids, including phase II metabolites, due to its sensitivity and robustness. However, the large dynamic range to be covered, the low natural abundance of some key steroids, the selectivity of the analytical methods, the extraction protocols, and the steroid ionization remain some of the current challenges in steroid analysis. This review provides an overview of the different analytical workflows available depending on the number of steroids under study. Special emphasis is given to sample treatment, acquisition strategy, data processing, steroid identification and quantification using LC-MS approaches. This work also outlines how the availability of steroid standards, the need for complementary analytical strategies and the improvement of calibration approaches are crucial for achieving complete steroidome quantification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eulalia Olesti
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Western Switzerland, University of Geneva, Switzerland; School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Geneva, Switzerland; Swiss Centre for Applied Human Toxicology (SCAHT), Switzerland
| | - Julien Boccard
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Western Switzerland, University of Geneva, Switzerland; School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Geneva, Switzerland; Swiss Centre for Applied Human Toxicology (SCAHT), Switzerland
| | - Gioele Visconti
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Western Switzerland, University of Geneva, Switzerland; School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Víctor González-Ruiz
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Western Switzerland, University of Geneva, Switzerland; School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Geneva, Switzerland; Swiss Centre for Applied Human Toxicology (SCAHT), Switzerland
| | - Serge Rudaz
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Western Switzerland, University of Geneva, Switzerland.
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Abstract
Sulfur is present in the amino acids cysteine and methionine and in a large range of essential coenzymes and cofactors and is therefore essential for all organisms. It is also a constituent of sulfate esters in proteins, carbohydrates, and numerous cellular metabolites. The sulfation and desulfation reactions modifying a variety of different substrates are commonly known as sulfation pathways. Although relatively little is known about the function of most sulfated metabolites, the synthesis of activated sulfate used in sulfation pathways is essential in both animal and plant kingdoms. In humans, mutations in the genes encoding the sulfation pathway enzymes underlie a number of developmental aberrations, and in flies and worms, their loss-of-function is fatal. In plants, a lower capacity for synthesizing activated sulfate for sulfation reactions results in dwarfism, and a complete loss of activated sulfate synthesis is also lethal. Here, we review the similarities and differences in sulfation pathways and associated processes in animals and plants, and we point out how they diverge from bacteria and yeast. We highlight the open questions concerning localization, regulation, and importance of sulfation pathways in both kingdoms and the ways in which findings from these "red" and "green" experimental systems may help reciprocally address questions specific to each of the systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Süleyman Günal
- Botanical Institute, Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS), University of Cologne, Cologne 50674, Germany
| | - Rebecca Hardman
- Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom
| | - Stanislav Kopriva
- Botanical Institute, Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS), University of Cologne, Cologne 50674, Germany.
| | - Jonathan Wolf Mueller
- Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom; Centre for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism (CEDAM), Birmingham Health Partners, Birmingham B15 2TH, United Kingdom.
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