A multiplexed targeted assay for high-throughput quantitative analysis of serum methylamines by ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled to high resolution mass spectrometry

• A mass spectrometry method for simultaneous assay of methylamines is proposed.
• The analytical method is validated for implementation in clinical settings.
• Correlations between abundance of metabolites in human serum is established.
• Gender differences in abundance of serum metabolites are reported.

Methylamines are biologically-active metabolites present in serum and urine samples, which play complex roles in metabolic diseases. Methylamines can be detected by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), but specific methods remain to be developed for their routine assay in human serum in clinical settings. Here we developed and validated a novel reliable “methylamine panel” method for simultaneous quantitative analysis of trimethylamine (TMA), its major detoxification metabolite trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO), and precursors choline, betaine and l-carnitine in human serum using Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography (UPLC) coupled to High Resolution Mass Spectrometry (HRMS). Metabolite separation was carried out on a HILIC stationary phase. For all metabolites, the assay was linear in the range of 0.25–12.5 μmol/L and enabled to reach limit of detection of about 0.10 μmol/L. Relative standard deviations were below 16% for the three levels of concentrations. We demonstrated the strong reliability and robustness of the method, which was applied to serum samples from healthy individuals to establish the range of concentrations of the metabolites and their correlation relationships and detect gender differences. Our data provide original information for implementing in a clinical environment a MS-based diagnostic method with potential for targeted metabolic screening of patients at risk of cardiometabolic diseases.