Journal
CLINICA CHIMICA ACTA
Volume 413, Issue 19-20, Pages 1689-1695Publisher
ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV
DOI: 10.1016/j.cca.2012.04.016
Keywords
Melamine; Urolithiasis; MALDI-TOF MS; Infrared spectroscopy
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Funding
- Taiwan National Science Council [NSC 96-2314-B-037-15, NSC 97-2314-B-037-32, NSC 98-2314-B-037-030-MY3]
- Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital [KMUH-95-5D41, KMUH97-7R22, KMUH98-8R10]
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Background: The link between melamine-contaminated daily foodstuffs and urolithiasis formation has drawn an international concern. However, detection of melamine levels in urine may not completely represent external melamine exposure. Thus, finding an additional analytical method for the study of environmental melamine exposure and its adverse effect in humans is crucial. Methods: Eleven adult patients diagnosed with uric acid urolithiasis were retrospectively analyzed. Melamine levels in their overnight one-spot urine samples were measured by a triple quadrupole liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The compositions of stone samples were analyzed by the Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrophotometer and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). Results: Seven (63.6%) out of 11 patients had detectable melamine levels in their urine specimens (method of detection limit: 0.8 ng/ml). Three patients (27.3%) were highly suspected of having melamine-containing urolithiasis in MR spectra. In one of those three cases who still had available stored stone specimens, MALDI-TOF MS further confirmed melamine components in this male patient's stone specimens. In contrast, his urinary melamine level was below the detection limit by LC-MS/MS. Conclusions: Direct analysis of melamine in the composition of urolithiasis by MALDI-TOF MS can be an additional analytical method to evaluate for external melamine exposure. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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