Twins labeling-liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry based metabolomics for absolute quantification of tryptophan and its key metabolites

- N-dimethyl-amino naphthalene-1-sulfonyl chloride (Dns-Cl) and N-diethyl-amino naphthalene-1-sulfonyl chloride (Dens-Cl) were used as twins labeling reagents to label metabolites in tryptophan pathway.
- Dens-Cl labeled standards were used as the internal standards for quantification.
- The MS detection sensitivity of tryptophan and its metabolites were greatly improved by 1-2 orders of magnitude after labeling.
- Tryptophan and its metabolites in serum of paralysis ileus rat model were successfully quantified.

Tryptophan metabolism plays a crucial role in mediating gastrointestinal function. Here, in order to absolutely quantify tryptophan and its metabolites, a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) based targeted metabolomics approach was developed using N-dimethyl-/N-diethyl-amino naphthalene-1-sulfonyl chloride (Dns/Dens-Cl) as twins labeling (TL) reagents. Dns-Cl is famous in amine and phenol derivations, and structure is similar with Dens-Cl. The introduction of easily protonated moiety of tertiary ammonium-containing part in the derivatives from Dns to tryptophan and its metabolites not only improved the LC separation but also enhanced their MS response. In addition, the Dens labeled standards were used as internal standards to compensate for matrix effects and ensure accurate quantifications. With the proposed method, twelve metabolites in tryptophan pathway could be detected at sub-ng/mL levels using only 20 μL rat serum (the limit of detection could reach 3 pg/mL for tryptamine, N-acetyl-serotonin and 6-hydroxymelatonin). The sensitivity was enhanced about 1-2 orders of magnitude compared with non-derivatization method. Focusing on tryptophan pathway, the method was successfully applied to determine the absolute serum concentrations of twelve tryptophan metabolites in a vincristine-induced ileus rat model. A significant down-regulation of the tryptophan metabolism along the kynurenine pathway and up-regulation of serotonin pathway were uncovered. Our findings provide a deeper insight into the mechanism of gastrointestinal dysfunction.