An isotope dilution-liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (ID-LC-MS/MS)-based candidate reference measurement procedure (RMP) for the quantification of methotrexate in human serum and plasma.

OBJECTIVES: To develop an isotope dilution-liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry-(ID-LC-MS/MS)-based candidate reference measurement procedure (RMP) for quantification of methotrexate in human serum and plasma. METHODS: Quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance (qNMR) was used to determine absolute methotrexate content in the standard. Separation was achieved on a biphenyl reversed-phase analytical column with mobile phases based on water and acetonitrile, both containing 0.1% formic acid. Sample preparation included protein precipitation in combination with high sample dilution, and method validation according to current guidelines. The following were assessed: selectivity (using analyte-spiked samples, and relevant structural-related compounds and interferences); specificity and matrix effects (via post-column infusion and comparison of human matrix vs. neat samples); precision and accuracy (in a five-day validation analysis). RMP results were compared between two independent laboratories. Measurement uncertainty was evaluated according to current guidelines. RESULTS: The RMP separated methotrexate from potentially interfering compounds and enabled measurement over a calibration range of 7.200-5,700 ng/mL (0.01584-12.54 µmol/L), with no evidence of matrix effects. All pre-defined acceptance criteria were met; intermediate precision was ≤4.3% and repeatability 1.5-2.1% for all analyte concentrations. Bias was -3.0 to 2.1% for samples within the measuring range and 0.8-4.5% for diluted samples, independent of the sample matrix. RMP results equivalence was demonstrated between two independent laboratories (Pearson correlation coefficient 0.997). Expanded measurement uncertainty of target value-assigned samples was ≤3.4%. CONCLUSIONS: This ID-LC-MS/MS-based approach provides a candidate RMP for methotrexate quantification. Traceability of methotrexate standard and the LC-MS/MS platform were assured by qNMR assessment and extensive method validation.

Enhanced specificity due to method specific limits for relative ion intensities in a high-performance liquid chromatography - tandem mass spectrometry method for iohexol in human serum.

Background Accurate assessment of kidney function is needed for a variety of clinical indications and for research. The measurement of the serum clearance of iohexol has emerged as a feasible method to reach this objective. We report the analytical validation and clinical application of a new high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) - tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) assay to quantify iohexol in human serum. Specificity was enhanced due to the use of method specific acceptance limits for relative ion (RI) intensities. Methods The internal standard ioversol was added to 50 µL serum prior to protein precipitation with methanol. Linear gradient elution was performed on a Waters Oasis® HLB column. Three transitions for both iohexol and ioversol were monitored allowing calculation of RIs. Measurements acquired during method validation were used as a training set to establish stricter acceptance criteria for RIs which were then tested retrospectively on clinical routine measurements (86 measurements) and on mathematically simulated interferences. Results The method was linear between 5.0 µg/mL (lower limit of quantification [LLOQ]) and 100.3 µg/mL iohexol. Intraday and interday imprecision were ≤2.6% and ≤3.2%, respectively. Bias was -1.6% to 1.5%. All validation criteria were met, including selectivity, recovery, extraction efficiency and matrix effects. Retrospectively acceptance limits for RIs could be narrowed to ±4 relative standard deviations of the corresponding RIs in the training set. The new limits resulted in an enhanced sensitivity for the simulated interferences. Conclusions Criteria for validation were met and the assay is now used in our clinical routine diagnostics and in research.

Analysis of disease-associated protein expression using quantitative proteomics­fibulin-5 is expressed in association with hepatic fibrosis.

Hepatic fibrosis and cirrhosis are major health problems worldwide. Until now, highly invasive biopsy remains the diagnostic gold standard despite many disadvantages. To develop noninvasive diagnostic assays for the assessment of liver fibrosis, it is urgently necessary to identify molecules that are robustly expressed in association with the disease. We analyzed biopsied tissue samples from 95 patients with HBV/HCV-associated hepatic fibrosis using three different quantification methods. We performed a label-free proteomics discovery study to identify novel disease-associated proteins using a subset of the cohort (n = 27). Subsequently, gene expression data from all available clinical samples were analyzed (n = 77). Finally, we performed a targeted proteomics approach, multiple reaction monitoring (MRM), to verify the disease-associated expression in samples independent from the discovery approach (n = 68). We identified fibulin-5 (FBLN5) as a novel protein expressed in relation to hepatic fibrosis. Furthermore, we confirmed the altered expression of microfibril-associated glycoprotein 4 (MFAP4), lumican (LUM), and collagen alpha-1(XIV) chain (COL14A1) in association to hepatic fibrosis. To our knowledge, no tissue-based quantitative proteomics study for hepatic fibrosis has been performed using a cohort of comparable size. By this means, we add substantial evidence for the disease-related expression of the proteins examined in this study.