Abstract
Short Chain Fatty Acids (SCFAs) are produced by the gut microbiota and are present in varying concentrations in the intestinal lumen, in feces but also in the circulatory system. By interacting with different cell types in the body, they have a great impact on host metabolism and their exact quantification is indispensable. Here, we present a derivatization-free method for the gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) based quantification of SCFAs in plasma, feces, cecum, liver and adipose tissue. SCFAs were extracted using ethanol and concentrated by alkaline vacuum centrifugation. To allow volatility for separation by GC, samples were acidified with succinic acid. Analytes were detected in selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode and quantified using deuterated internal standards and external calibration curves. Method validation rendered excellent linearity (R2 > 0.99 for most analytes), good recovery rates (95–117%), and good reproducibility (RSD: 1–4.5%). Matrix effects were ruled out in plasma, feces, cecum, liver and fat tissues where most abundant SCFAs were detected and accurately quantified. Finally, applicability of the method was assessed using samples derived from conventionally raised versus germ-free mice or mice treated with antibiotics. Altogether, a reliable, fast, derivatization-free GC-MS method for the quantification of SCFAs in different biological matrices was developed allowing for the study of the (patho)physiological role of SCFAs in metabolic health.
Highlights
Short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are fatty acids with six or fewer carbon atoms and are produced by microbial fermentation of indigestible carbohydrates in the colon [1]
Besides their role as energy substrates for colonocytes and hepatocytes, SCFAs are ligands of G-protein coupled receptors (GPRs) and they have recently been shown to be implicated in the regulation of appetite [2,3], development of obesity [4,5] and fatty liver [6]
The exact and reliable quantification of SCFAs is essential for understanding their role and mode of action in the prevention and progression of several diseases
Summary
Short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are fatty acids with six or fewer carbon atoms and are produced by microbial fermentation of indigestible carbohydrates in the colon [1]. The predominant SCFAs are acetic acid, propionic acid and butyric acid. The vast majority of SCFAs are absorbed by colonocytes and only small proportions of SCFAs are excreted with the feces. Besides their role as energy substrates for colonocytes and hepatocytes, SCFAs are ligands of G-protein coupled receptors (GPRs) and they have recently been shown to be implicated in the regulation of appetite [2,3], development of obesity [4,5] and fatty liver [6]. SCFAs can act systemically or in metabolically active tissues, as acetate is able to suppress insulin signaling in adipose tissues via GPR43 [5]. Fast, convenient, accurate and reliable analytical techniques for the quantification of SCFAs are required
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