DETERMINATION OF URINARY ACYLCARNITINES BY ESI-MS COUPLED WITH SOLID-PHASE MICROEXTRACTION (SPME)

The determination of selected short-, medium-and long-chain acylcarnit ines by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) is discusse d, The differences in fragmentation behaviour and ionization efficienc y are described in dependence on collision induced dissociation (CID) conditions and mixture composition, A new method combination, solid-ph ase microextraction (SPME)-ESI-MS, is introduced to characterize acylc arnitines in body fluids, This method utilizes SPR IE for pre-concentr ation of acylcarnitines from complex biological samples and ESI-MS for a selective and sensitive detection, The method is presented by stand ard experiments determining of acylcarnitines in aqueous solutions and urine samples from patients with secondary carnitine deficiency syndr omes or related disorders, (C) 1997 John Whey & Sons, Ltd.