Long time stability of 35 small endogenous biomolecules in dried urine spotted on various surfaces and environmental conditions

Abstract

Analysis of endogenous biomolecules is an important aspect of many forensic investigations especially with focus on DNA analysis for perpetrator/victim identification and protein analysis for body fluid identification. Recently, small endogenous biomolecules have been used for differentiation of synthetic "fake" urine from authentic urine and might be also useful for biofluid identification. Therefore, the aim of this study was to adapt and optimize a method for analysis of small EBs and to investigate long time stability of 35 small endogenous biomolecules (including acylcarnitines with their isomers and metabolites as well as amino acids with their metabolites) in spotted urine samples. Urine samples were spotted on seven different surfaces (Whatman 903 Protein Saver Cards, cotton swabs, cotton glove, denim, underwear, and smooth and rough flagstone) and stored under six environmental conditions (reference condition, sunlight, LED light, 4 °C, 37 °C, humidity of 95%). At certain time points (d0, d7, d28 and d56) samples were analyzed in triplicates by an optimized extraction and LC-HRMS approach. In addition, the urine marker Tamm-Horsfall-Protein was determined on cotton swabs at the same time points using a commercial lateral flow test. Twenty-one of 35 small endogenous biomolecules were stable on most materials/surfaces and under most storage conditions. Significant lower endogenous biomolecule peak areas were found for rough flagstone and underwear as well as for high humidity storage. Kynurenic acid proved to be photo labile. While high long time stabilities were found for 19 of 28 acylcarnitines, nine acylcarnitines showed aberrant stability patterns without evident structural reason. For Tamm-Horsfall-Protein degradation within 28 days was observed even under reference conditions. The presented study demonstrated the value of sensitive LC-HRMS analysis for small endogenous biomolecules / pattern. However, further studies will be indispensable for unambiguous body fluid identification by small endogenous biomolecules.

Keywords: Body fluid identification; Endogenous biomolecule; LC-HRMS; Spotted urine sample; Stability.