Centre for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism (CEDAM), Institute of Biomedical Research, University of Birmingham, UK.
J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 2010 Aug;121(3-5):481-90. doi: 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2010.02.017. Epub 2010 Feb 25.
Automated rapid HPLC tandem mass spectrometry has become the method of choice for clinical steroid analysis. It is replacing immunoassay techniques in most instances because it has high sensitivity, better reproducibility, greater specificity and can be used to analyze multiple steroids simultaneously. Modern multiplex instruments can analyze thousands of samples per month so even with high instrument costs the price of individual assays can be affordable. The mass spectrometry of steroids goes back decades; the first on-line chromatography/mass spectrometry methods for hormone analysis date to the 1960s. This paper reviews the evolution of mass spectrometric techniques applied to sterol and steroid measurement There have been three eras: (1) gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS), (2) Fast Atom Bombardment (FAB) and (3) HPLC/MS. The first technique is only suitable for unconjugated steroids, the second for conjugated, and the third equally useful for free or conjugated. FAB transformed biological mass spectrometry in the 1980s but in the end was an interim technique; GC/MS retains unique qualities but is unsuited to commercial routine analysis, while LC-MS/MS is rightly stealing the show and has become the dominant method for steroid analysis in endocrinology.
自动化快速高效液相色谱串联质谱已成为临床类固醇分析的首选方法。它在大多数情况下取代了免疫测定技术，因为它具有高灵敏度、更好的重现性、更大的特异性，并且可以同时分析多种类固醇。现代多重仪器可以每月分析数千个样本，因此即使仪器成本高昂，单个检测的价格也可以承受。类固醇的质谱分析可以追溯到几十年前；最早的在线色谱/质谱激素分析方法可以追溯到 20 世纪 60 年代。本文综述了应用于甾体和类固醇测量的质谱技术的发展。有三个时代：（1）气相色谱-质谱（GC/MS），（2）快原子轰击（FAB）和（3）高效液相色谱/质谱（HPLC/MS）。第一种技术仅适用于未结合的类固醇，第二种技术适用于结合的类固醇，第三种技术同样适用于游离或结合的类固醇。FAB 在 20 世纪 80 年代改变了生物质谱学，但最终只是一种过渡技术；GC/MS 保留了独特的品质，但不适合商业常规分析，而 LC-MS/MS 正在正确地抢走风头，已成为内分泌学中类固醇分析的主要方法。
