Riccio Giulia, Baroni Silvia, Urbani Andrea, Greco Viviana
Department of Basic Biotechnological Sciences, Intensivological and Perioperative Clinics, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy.
Department of Diagnostic and Laboratory Medicine, Unity of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Clinical Molecular Biology, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy.
Metabolites. 2022 Nov 5;12(11):1072. doi: 10.3390/metabo12111072.
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are a differentiated class of molecules, continuously generated in the human body and released as products of metabolic pathways. Their concentrations vary depending on pathophysiological conditions. They are detectable in a wide variety of biological samples, such as exhaled breath, faeces, and urine. In particular, urine represents an easily accessible specimen widely used in clinics. The most used techniques for VOCs detections are expensive and time-consuming, thus not allowing for rapid clinical analysis. In this perspective, the aim of this study is a comprehensive characterisation of the urine volatilome by the development of an alternative rapid analytical method. Briefly, 115 urine samples are collected; sample treatment is not needed. VOCs are detected in the urine headspace using gas chromatography coupled to ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS) by an extremely fast analysis (10 min). The method is analytically validated; the analysis is sensitive and robust with results comparable to those reported with other techniques. Twenty-three molecules are identified, including ketones, aldehydes, alcohols, and sulphur compounds, whose concentration is altered in several pathological states such as cancer and metabolic disorders. Therefore, it opens new perspectives for fast diagnosis and screening, showing great potential for clinical applications.
挥发性有机化合物（VOCs）是一类独特的分子，在人体内持续产生，并作为代谢途径的产物释放出来。它们的浓度因病理生理状况而异。在多种生物样本中都可检测到它们，如呼出的气体、粪便和尿液。特别是，尿液是临床广泛使用的一种易于获取的标本。最常用的VOCs检测技术昂贵且耗时，因此无法进行快速临床分析。从这个角度来看，本研究的目的是通过开发一种替代的快速分析方法，对尿液挥发性成分进行全面表征。简而言之，收集了115份尿液样本；无需进行样本处理。通过极其快速的分析（10分钟），使用气相色谱-离子迁移谱联用技术（GC-IMS）在尿液顶空中检测VOCs。该方法经过分析验证；分析灵敏且稳健，结果与其他技术报告的结果相当。鉴定出了23种分子，包括酮类、醛类、醇类和硫化合物，它们在癌症和代谢紊乱等几种病理状态下浓度会发生变化。因此，它为快速诊断和筛查开辟了新的前景，显示出巨大的临床应用潜力。
