One-shot analysis of polybrominated diphenyl ethers and their hydroxylated and methoxylated analogs in human breast milk and serum using gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

摘要

The presence of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and their hydroxylated (OH-BDE) and methoxylated (MeO-BDE) analogs in humans is an area of high interest to public health due to their neurotoxic and endocrine disrupting effects. Consequently, there is a rise involving the investigation of these three classes of compounds together in order to understand their bioaccumulation patterns in environmental matrices and in humans. Analysis of PBDEs, OH-BDEs, and MeO-BDEs using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) can be accomplished simultaneously, but detection limits for PBDEs and MeO-BDEs in LC-MS is insufficient for trace level quantification. Therefore, fractionation steps of the phenolic (OH-BDEs) and neutral (PBDEs and MeO-BDEs) compounds during sample preparation are typically performed so different detection techniques can be used to achieve the needed sensitivities. However, this approach involves multiple injections, ultimately increasing analysis time. In this study, an analytical method was developed for a “one-shot” analysis of 12 PBDEs, 12 OH-BDEs, and 13 MeO-BDEs using gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS). This overall method includes simultaneous extraction of all analytes via pressurized liquid extraction followed by lipid removal steps to reduce matrix interferences. The OH-BDEs were derivatized using N-(t-butyldimethylsilyl)-N-methyltrifluoroacetamide, producing OH-TMDS derivatives that can be analyzed with PBDEs and MeO-BDEs by GC-MS/MS in “one shot” within a 25-min run. The overall recoveries were generally greater than 65%, and the limits of detection ranged from 2–14 pg in both breast milk and serum. The applicability of the method was successfully validated on four paired human breast milk and serum samples. The mean concentrations of total PBDEs, OH-BDEs, and MeO-BDEs in breast milk were 59, 2.2, and 0.57 ng g⁻¹ lipid, respectively. In serum, the mean total concentrations were 79, 38, and 0.96 ng g⁻¹ lipid, respectively, exhibiting different distribution profiles from levels detected in the breast milk. This GC-MS/MS method will prove useful and cost-effective in large-scale studies needed to further understand the partitioning behavior and ultimately the adverse health effects of these important classes of brominated diphenyl ethers in humans.