title: The development and validation of a fast and robust dried blood spot based lipid profiling method to study infant metabolism.
abstract: Early life exposures and metabolic programming are associated with later disease risk. In particular lipid metabolism is thought to play a key role in the development of the metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance in later life. Investigative studies of metabolic programming are limited by the ethics and practicalities of sample collection in small infants. Dried blood spots on filter paper, derived from heel pricks are considered as the most suitable option for this age group. We validated a novel lipid profiling method, based on high resolution mass spectrometry to successfully determine the lipid composition of infants using dried blood spots. The spotting and air drying of blood on paper has noticeable effects on many of the lipids, leading to lipid oxidation and hydrolysis, which demand careful interpretation of the obtained data. We compared the lipid profiles from plasma or whole blood samples and the results from dried blood spots to determine if these revealed the same inter-subject differences. The results from dried blood spots were no less reproducible than other lipid profiling methods which required comparatively larger sample volumes. Therefore, lipid profiles obtained from dried blood spots can be successfully used to monitor infancy lipid metabolism and we show significant differences in the lipid metabolism of infants at age 3 versus 12 months.
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council Human Nutrition Research, Elsie Widdowson Laboratory, 120 Fulbourn Road, Cambridge, CB1 9NL UK.
authors.forename: Albert
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Koulman
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Addenbrooke's Hospital, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ UK.
authors.forename: Philippa
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Prentice
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Addenbrooke's Hospital, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ UK.
authors.forename: Max C Y
authors.initials: MCY
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council Human Nutrition Research, Elsie Widdowson Laboratory, 120 Fulbourn Road, Cambridge, CB1 9NL UK.
authors.forename: Lee
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Matthews
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council Human Nutrition Research, Elsie Widdowson Laboratory, 120 Fulbourn Road, Cambridge, CB1 9NL UK.
authors.forename: Nicholas J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Bond
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council Human Nutrition Research, Elsie Widdowson Laboratory, 120 Fulbourn Road, Cambridge, CB1 9NL UK.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Eiden
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council Human Nutrition Research, Elsie Widdowson Laboratory, 120 Fulbourn Road, Cambridge, CB1 9NL UK.
authors.forename: Julian L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Griffin
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Addenbrooke's Hospital, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ UK.
authors.forename: David B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Dunger
keywords: DIMS; Dried blood spots; FTMS; Infant lipid metabolism; Lipidomics