Effectiveness of Metabolomics Research Using Gas Chromatograph / Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer with High-Sensitivity and High-Speed Scanning

Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS) has been recognized as a core technology for metabolomics research for the comprehensive analysis of low-molecular weight compounds in living organisms, and is widely used for biomarker discovery and quality assessment. To fulfill the demand for a high-throughput, high-sensitivity analytical system for GC/MS metabolomics research, we developed a high-speed quadrupole mass spectrometer (Q/MS), and conducted studies to determine the effectiveness of this instrument. In an experiment using a standard sample consisting of 10 amino acids, acquisition was possible over a wide quantitation range of 3.5-4.5 orders of magnitude. In analysis of the plasma from a mouse with acute inflammation, identification and quantitation of 168 compounds were possible, and using common inflammation markers, we were able to characterize the convergence process of the acute inflammatory response, which previously was not possible from the perspective of the metabolome. With the advent of this GC-Q/MS, further development in the study of metabolomics can be expected.