Development and Validation of Sensitive, Fast and Simple LC-MS/MS Method to Investigate the Association between Adrenocortical Steroidogenesis and the High Intensity Exercise in Elite Athletes

The very high intensity of exercise accompanied by mental stress triggers adaptive mechanisms associated with adrenocortical steroidogenesis. However, the association between adrenocortical steroidogenesis and the high intensity of exercise in elite athletes is poorly studied. A significant obstacle to solving this complex task is the wide range (4-5 orders) of steroid concentrations in serum and limitations related to the amount of biological samples taken from professional athletes. To solve this task, we have developed and validated a non-trivial approach for targeted serum metabolic profiling based on the use of LC-MS/MS with dual-polarity electrospray ionization. The developed method based on the proposed approach allows for the quantitative determination of 14 stress resistance biomarkers in elite athletes using a small amount of specimen within 8.5 min.

Automated summary

The association between adrenocortical steroidogenesis and high intensity exercise in elite athletes is understudied due to the wide range of steroid concentrations in serum and limitations in sampling professional athletes. To overcome this challenge, a novel approach using LC-MS/MS and dual-polarity electrospray ionization was developed and validated for targeted serum metabolic profiling. This method allows for the quantitative determination of 14 stress resistance biomarkers within 8.5 minutes using a small amount of specimen.