At Last – a GC-MS Reference Method for Vitamin D Measurements
Over the past few years, concerns have grown about vitamin D deficiency in the general population. Vitamin D is known to have an important role in the maintenance of human health, and a lack of this vitamin is linked to the development of a number of diseases.
Measuring the serum concentration of 25-hydroxyvitamin D2 and D3 is universally used in the assessment of “vitamin D status” but many assays are inaccurate.
LC-triple quadrupole MS is commonly used for this measurement and while it offers good sensitivity, it is lacking in specificity and there is a need for an alternative analytical approach that offers greater selectivity towards these two compounds.
Jonas Abdel-Khalik, of the College of Medicine at Swansea University is working to develop a reference method which will be widely accepted as giving the accurate values for the concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D2 and D3 in serum.
Jonas’ method is based on solid phase extraction and trimethylsilyl derivatisation followed by stable-isotope dilution mass spectrometry using a high resolution accurate mass Agilent 7200 GC/Q-TOF. Previously quantification of vitamins D metabolites by GC-MS was limited to selected ion monitoring and identification limited to co-elution with authentic standards. This approach offers far greater certainty in identification through the acquisition of full spectral data, and the ability to make accurate mass measurements.
I am pleased to say that Jonas has kindly agreed to present a talk on his work at our GC/Q-TOF Interest Group Meeting on the 11th of June. If you would like to know more about this work, we would love to see you at this meeting. You can find full details here.
The cost of attending the meeting is £155 + VAT, however, If you would like to attend, we have 5 free spaces reserved for analysts working within the healthcare sector. These will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, so if you wish to take advantage of this offer, please email enquiries@anatune.co.uk as soon as possible to avoid being disappointed.