Multiplatform metabolomic interlaboratory study of a whole human stool candidate reference material from omnivore and vegan donors

Published

November 4, 2024

Author(s)

Sandra Da Silva, William Davis, Tracey Johnston, Amanda Bayless, Stephanie Servetas, Abraham Kuri Cruz

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Human metabolomics has made significant strides in understanding metabolic changes and their implications for human health, with promising applications in diagnostics and treatment, particularly regarding the gut microbiome. However, progress is hampered by issues with data comparability and reproducibility across studies, limiting the translation of these discoveries into practical applications. Objectives This study aims to evaluate the fit-for-purpose of a suite of human stool samples as potential candidate reference materials (RMs) and assess the state of the field regarding harmonizing gut metabolomics measurements. Methods An interlaboratory study was conducted with 18 participating institutions. The study allowed for the use of preferred analytical techniques, including liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC–MS), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS), and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Results Different laboratories used various methods and analytical platforms to identify the metabolites present in human stool RM samples. The study found a 40% to 70% recurrence in the reported top 20 most abundant metabolites across the four materials. In the full annotation list, the percentage of metabolites reported multiple times after nomenclature standardization was 36% (LC–MS), 58% (GC–MS) and 76% (NMR). Out of 9,300 unique metabolites, only 37 were reported across all three measurement techniques. Conclusion This collaborative exercise emphasized the broad chemical survey possible with multi-technique approaches. Community engagement is essential for the evaluation and characterization of common materials designed to facilitate comparability and ensure data quality underscoring the value of determining current practices, challenges, and progress of a field through interlaboratory studies.

Citation

Metabolomics

Issue

20

Pub Type

Journals

Download Paper

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11306-024-02185-0

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Keywords

Human stool · Gut metabolomics · Standards · Feces · Multiplatform analysis· Metabolomics

Citation

Da Silva, S. , Davis, W. , Johnston, T. , Bayless, A. , Servetas, S. and Kuri Cruz, A. (2024), Multiplatform metabolomic interlaboratory study of a whole human stool candidate reference material from omnivore and vegan donors, Metabolomics, [online], https://doi.org/10.1007/s11306-024-02185-0, https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=957059 (Accessed April 27, 2026)

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