The role of sample preparation in suspect and non-target screening for exposome analysis using human urine

High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry for Human Exposomics: Expanding Chemical Space Coverage

“…As of date, blood and urine are the two most commonly used matrices in biomonitoring (providing internal measures of the exposome), while air, dust, and water were frequently sampled for environmental monitoring (providing external measures of the exposome) (Figure ). , Compared to tissue-type specimens which are sampled from organs or other bodily compartments, biofluids such as urine and blood are generally less heterogeneous while offering broader chemical coverages . While urine offers a timely, integrated snapshot of exposure profiles, blood is preferred in human cohort studies since it is health-indicative, accessible, and importantly, a circulating, uniform, and functional reservoir where environmental exposures and biological responses meet. , The reproducibility challenge remains; a recent meta-analysis of blood and urine exposome studies identified that both pharmacokinetics (mainly the half-life of elimination) and exposure patterns are key to reproducible exposomics results, although these could be compound-dependent and vary from case to case …”

“…The DNS concept goes beyond liquid samples (e.g., urine, saliva) and applies to more complex matrices (e.g., blood, tissues) for which an extra SLE or LLE step is needed upfront to trigger off analyte transfer from matrix to liquid phase (before dilution) . For DNS, a dilution factor of 1:50 might be considered high with demonstrated benefits for certain matrices/compounds but can induce significant sensitivity loss in detecting other chemicals (e.g., pesticides) without mitigating matrix effects further. , DNS has also been applied to GC-MS analysis as the “dilute, evaporate, and shoot” approach, which is commonly used for the analysis of biological specimens like blood . However, this fundamentally weakens the premise of minimal analyte loss.…”

“…As of date, blood and urine are the two most commonly used matrices in biomonitoring (providing internal measures of the exposome), while air, dust, and water were frequently sampled for environmental monitoring (providing external measures of the exposome) (Figure 1). 44,77 compartments, 78 biofluids such as urine and blood 79 are generally less heterogeneous while offering broader chemical coverages. 80 While urine offers a timely, integrated snapshot of exposure profiles, blood is preferred in human cohort studies since it is health-indicative, accessible, and importantly, a circulating, uniform, and functional reservoir where environmental exposures and biological responses meet.…”

“… 122 For DNS, a dilution factor of 1:50 might be considered high with demonstrated benefits for certain matrices/compounds but can induce significant sensitivity loss in detecting other chemicals (e.g., pesticides) without mitigating matrix effects further. 77 , 123 DNS has also been applied to GC-MS analysis as the “dilute, evaporate, and shoot” approach, which is commonly used for the analysis of biological specimens like blood. 122 However, this fundamentally weakens the premise of minimal analyte loss.…”

Sample preparation for suspect and non-target screening of xenobiotics in human biofluids by liquid chromatography—High resolution tandem mass spectrometry

“… Name of your method: Suspect and non-target screening of xenobiotics in human biofluids. Name and reference of original method: The methods described hereinafter have been adapted from previous works of the research group [ [1] , [2] , [3] ]: M. Musatadi, B. González-Gaya, M. Irazola, A. Prieto, N. Etxebarria, M. Olivares, O. Zuloaga, Multi-Target Analysis and Suspect Screening of Xenobiotics in Milk by UHPLC—HRMS/MS, Separations. 8 (2021) 14.…”