ABSTRACT
Amines, including amino acids and biogenic amines are widely recognized as cancer biomarkers for early diagnosis and treatment. But rapid analysis of amines in biological samples with high sensitivity, good durability and low cost is still challenging. Herein, we proposed an ultrafast biological sample preparation method based on in-fiber extraction and derivatization using a homemade needle-tip devise. Under the nanoconfinement effect, the extraction was completed within 2 min in nanofibers, followed by the in-suit derivatization within 3 min under room temperature using pentafluoropropionic anhydride (PFA) as derivatization reagent, then the needle was inserted into the inlet of GC-MS directly for thermal desorption to enable the complete injection. Additionally, the established sample preparation strategy consumed only 20 µL organic solvent and urine sample, and the sensitivity was increased compared with other methods. After systematical optimization and validation, coupled to GC-MS, the established method was successfully applied to quantify twenty amines in urine of healthy people and lung, colorectal and breast cancer patients. The diagnosis biomarkers for each cancer were screened out and accessed by multiple statistical approaches. Then we further constructed the cancer diagnosis model of each cancer through binary logistic regression analysis for clinical use. Taken together, the established nanoconfinement effect based in-fiber extraction and derivatization biological sample preparation strategy in combination with GC-MS was an ultrafast method for biological analysis with high sensitivity, good durability, little organic solvent consumption and low cost. It possesses great potential in clinical cancer screening and treatment.
