Sample preparation for suspect and non-target screening of xenobiotics in human biofluids by liquid chromatography—High resolution tandem mass spectrometry

Abstract

The concept of exposome covers all the exposures an individual suffers from conception to death, which can be partially assessed through the monitoring of human biofluids. In there, target analytical approaches tend to focus on a limited set of xenobiotics, whereas exposomic studies need broad scopes in search of a full understanding. Given the issue, suspect and non-target screening are feasible alternatives. However, adequate sample preparation procedures should minimize interferences without significantly reducing the number of xenobiotics. Within this context, the present article aims to describe comprehensive sample preparation procedures for suspect or non-target screening of organic xenobiotics in several human biofluids, all coupled to unified separation and detection conditions based on ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-high resolution tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLCHRMS/MS). The referred biofluids consist of human urine, breast milk, saliva and ovarian follicular fluid. • Analytical methods for untargeted analysis of a wide range of xenobiotics in human biofluids are fully described in order to ensure reproducibility. • The sample preparation procedures balance selectivity and sensitivity. • Unified analysis conditions allow simultaneous analysis of diverse biofluids.

Keywords

• Suspect and non-target screening of xenobiotics in human biofluids