Determination of acetyl coenzyme A in human whole blood by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Acetyl coenzyme A is involved in several key metabolic pathways. Its concentration can vary considerably in response to physiological or pathological conditions making it a potentially valuable biomarker. However, little information about the measurement and concentration of acetyl CoA in human whole blood is found in the literature. The aim of this study was the development of an accurate method for the determination of acetyl CoA in human whole blood by LC-MS/MS. The method, involving extraction from whole blood by a rapid protein precipitation procedure was thoroughly validated: limit of quantitation was 3.91 ng mL-1. Accuracy and precision were calculated at five concentrations and were within ±15%. The average endogenous level of acetyl CoA in human whole blood was determined in 17 healthy individuals to be 220.9 ng mL-1 (ranging from 124.0 to 308.0 ng mL-1). This represents, to our knowledge, the first report of acetyl CoA levels in human whole blood, and the first practical and reliable method for its determination.