title: Determination of ketone bodies in blood by headspace gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.
abstract: A gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method for determination of ketone bodies (β-hydroxybutyrate, acetone, and acetoacetate) in blood is presented. The method is based on enzymatic oxidation of D-β-hydroxybutyrate to acetoacetate, followed by decarboxylation to acetone, which was quantified by the use of headspace GC-MS using acetone-(13)C(3) as an internal standard. The developed method was found to have intra- and total interday relative standard deviations < 10% for acetone+acetoacetate levels (∼25 to 8300 μM) and D-β-hydroxybutyrate levels (∼30 to 16500 μM). Recovery values varied from 98 to 107%, demonstrating the suitability of the method for measuring ketone bodies over a wide concentration range. The method has been applied to cases in which ketoacidosis was suspected as the cause of death in diabetics or chronic alcoholics, as well as to cases in which another cause of death was identified.
authors.affiliation: Section of Forensic Chemistry, Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Health Science, University of Copenhagen, Frederik V's vej 11, DK-2100, Copenhagen, Denmark. Karen.Holm@forensic.ku.dk
authors.forename: Karen Marie Dollerup
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Holm
authors.forename: Kristian
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Linnet
authors.forename: Brian Schou
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Rasmussen
authors.forename: Anders Just
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Pedersen
mesh_terms: D000437:Alcoholism / Q000503:physiopathology; D053000:Analytic Sample Preparation Methods; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000503:physiopathology; D005554:Forensic Medicine / Q000379:methods; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D006801:Humans; D007657:Ketone Bodies / Q000097:blood*; D007662:Ketosis / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D057230:Limit of Detection; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
chemical_list: D007657:Ketone Bodies