Methods & Platforms
Key data of our analytical platforms are described below and include PubChem numbers, reported biomarker concentrations, LODs, CVs, ICCs, sample matrix and method description for most of our analytes.*
Analytical platforms
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
Short-chain fatty acids.
Sample volume required: 50 µL
GC-MS/MS
All concentrations are reported in µmol/L.
Amino- and carboxylic acids. TCA metabolites and intermediates.
Sample volume required: 50 µL
GC-MS/MS
All concentrations are reported in µmol/L.
*Sarcosine cannot be measured in EDTA-tubes from some suppliers because of the presence of sarcosine in these tubes; **BCAA, Branched chain amino acid; ***AGE, Advanced glycation end product.
aXiaofei Yin, Orla Prendiville, Aoife E. McNamara, and Lorraine Brennan. Targeted Metabolomic Approach to Assess the Reproducibility of
Plasma Metabolites over a Four Month Period in a Free-Living Population. J. Proteome Res. 2022, 21, 683−690.
Choline derivatives. Charged, methylated or sulfur amino acids.
Sample volume required: 35 µL
LC-MS/MS
All concentrations are reported in µmol/L.
aFloegel A, Drogan D, Wang-Sattler R, Prehn C, Illig T, et al. (2011) Reliability of Serum Metabolite Concentrations over a 4-Month Period Using a
Targeted Metabolomic Approach. PLoS ONE 6(6): e21103. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0021103.
bMeasured in a separate assay involving alkaline hydrolysis of acylcarnitines.
cXiaofei Yin, Orla Prendiville, Aoife E. McNamara, and Lorraine Brennan. Targeted Metabolomic Approach to Assess the Reproducibility of
Plasma Metabolites over a Four Month Period in a Free-Living Population. J. Proteome Res. 2022, 21, 683−690.
Kynurenine pathway and B vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B6), indoles, nicotin, coffee markers, and inflammation markers.
Sample volume required: 60 µL
LC-MS/MS
All concentrations are reported in µmol/L or nmol/L.
Folate species and catabolites.
Sample volume required: 60 µL
LC-MS/MS
All concentrations are reported in nmol/L.
Folate (B9) and cobalamin (B12).
Sample volume required: 15-35 µL
Microbiological assay
All concentrations are reported in nmol/L or pmol/L.
Protein markers.
This platform has been discontinued and will be replaced soon.
All concentrations are reported in µg/ml or %.
*Mass interference of S100A and CnC proteoforms; **ICCs of proteoforms are reported here; *** high sensitive CRP (hs-CRP)
Lipid-soluble vitamins.
Sample volume required: 50-100 µL
LC-MS/MS
All concentrations are reported in µmol/L or nmol/L.
Short-, medium- and long-chain acylcarnitines.
Sample volume required: 60 µL
LC (HILIC)-MS/MS
All concentrations are reported in µmol/L. Read more about acylcarnitines here.
| Metabolites | Abbr | Class | PubChem CID | Reported conc. | LOD | CV Wtn | CV Btw | ICC | Matrix |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butyrobetaine | BB | Quarternary ammonium | 725 | 0.2–2 | 0.01 | 4.3 | 2.5 | s, p | |
| Carnitine | C0 | Carnitine | 288 | 7–90 | 0.50 | 2.7 | 2.4 | 0.69 | s, p |
| Acetylcarnitine | C2 | Acylcarnitine | 7045767 | 1–35 | 0.06 | 3.0 | 2.1 | 0.63 | s, p |
| Propionylcarnitine | C3 | Acylcarnitine | 107738 | 0.1–1.5 | 0.01 | 3.8 | 1.6 | 0.62 | s, p |
| Malonylcarnitine | C3DC | Acylcarnitine | 91825606 | 0–0.5 | 0.05 | 2.8 | 2.4 | s, p | |
| Butyrylcarnitine | C4 | Acylcarnitine | 213144 | 0.04–1.2 | 0.005 | 3.4 | 3.1 | s, p | |
| Hydroxybutyrylcarnitine | C4OH | Acylcarnitine | 90659885 | 0.01–0.5 | 0.01 | 5.3 | 1.6 | s, p | |
| Succinylcarnitine / Methylmalonylcarnitine | C4DC | Acylcarnitine | 131802075 | 0.01–1 | 0.01 | 8.4 | 12.7 | s, p | |
| Isovalerylcarnitine | iC5 | Acylcarnitine | 6426851 | 0.04–0.5 | 0.01 | 2.7 | 1.8 | 0.68 | s, p |
| Glutarylcarnitine | C5DC | Acylcarnitine | 71464488 | 0.01–0.3 | 0.01 | 8.0 | 8.2 | s, p | |
| Methylcrotonylcarnitine / Tiglylcarnitine | C5:1 | Acylcarnitine | 71750254 | 0.005–0.1 | 0.005 | 5.0 | 3.7 | s, p | |
| Hexanoylcarnitine | C6 | Acylcarnitine | 6426853 | 0.005–2.1 | 0.005 | 5.6 | 3.8 | s, p | |
| Octanoylcarnitine | C8 | Acylcarnitine | 123701 | 0.03–1.1 | 0.005 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 0.41 | s, p |
| Decanoylcarnitine | C10 | Acylcarnitine | 10245190 | 0.03–2.1 | 0.005 | 3.2 | 1.7 | s, p | |
| Dodecanoylcarnitine | C12 | Acylcarnitine | 168381 | 0.01–0.5 | 0.01 | 2.3 | 1.4 | s, p | |
| Tetradecanoylcarnitine (Myristoylcarnitine) | C14 | Acylcarnitine | 6426854 | 0.015–0.3 | 0.015 | 5.4 | 2.7 | 0.38 | s, p |
| Hydroxytetradecanoylcarnitine | C14OH | Acylcarnitine | 71464541 | 0.005–0.08 | 0.005 | 7.6 | 4.1 | s, p | |
| Hexadecanoylcarnitine (Palmitoylcarnitine) | C16 | Acylcarnitine | 461 | 0.04–1.3 | 0.01 | 3.1 | 2.6 | 0.49 | s, p |
| Hydroxyhexadecanoylcarnitine | C16OH | Acylcarnitine | 126456228 | 0–0.05 | 0.005 | 5.2 | 4.1 | s, p | |
| Octadecanoylcarnitine (Stearoylcarnitine) | C18 | Acylcarnitine | 52922056 | 0.01–0.5 | 0.006 | 5.0 | 6.6 | 0.4 | s, p |
| Hydroxyoctadecanoylcarnitine | C18OH | Acylcarnitine | 71464560 | 0.01 | 9.9 | 4.6 | s, p | ||
| Octadecenoylcarnitine (Oleylcarnitine) | C18:1 | Acylcarnitine | 46907933 | 0.02–1 | 0.01 | 3.4 | 2.2 | 0.66 | s, p |
| Octadecadienylcarnitine (Linoleylcarnitine) | C18:2 | Acylcarnitine | 6450015 | 0.02–0.3 | 0.01 | 3.5 | 2.4 | s, p |
NAD metabolome.
Sample volume required: 50 µL
LC (HILIC)-MS/MS
All concentrations are reported in µmol/L. Read more about NAD here.
| Metabolites | Abbr | Class | PubChem CID | Reported conc. | LOD | CV Wtn | CV Btw | Matrix |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N1-methylnicotinamide | mNAM | NAD catabolite | 457 | 0.1-3 | 0.01 | 0.9 | 1.5 | w |
| Nicotinamide | NAM | NAD precursor | 936 | 5-25 | 0.075 | 3.5 | 5.6 | w |
| Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (oxidized) | NAD | NAD oxidized | 5893 | 10-50 | 0.25 | 2.6 | 2.4 | w |
| Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (reduced) | NADH | NAD reduced | 439153 | 0.5-3 | 0.15 | 2.1 | 3.1 | w |
| Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (oxidized) | NADP | NADP oxidized | 5886 | 10-40 | 0.25 | 10.2 | 10.9 | w |
| Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (reduced) | NADPH | NADP reduced | 5885 | 1-4 | 0.12 | 8.0 | 10.1 | w |
| Nicotinamide mononucleotide | NMN | NAD biosynthesis intermediate | 14180 | 2-10 | 0.2 | 2.9 | 5.4 | w |
| Nicotinamide N-oxide | NAMO | NAD catabolite | 72661 | 0.005-1.5 | 0.01 | 2.3 | 4.5 | w |
| Nicotinamide riboside | NR | NAD precursor, supplement | 439924 | 0-9 | 5.6 | 2.9 | w | |
| Nicotinic acid | NA | NAD precursor | 938 | 0-0.6 | 0.025 | 1.5 | 2.5 | w |
| Nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide | NAAD | NAD biosynthesis intermediate | 165491 | 0.005-1 | 0.0075 | 8.3 | 11.4 | w |
| Nicotinic acid riboside | NAR | NAD precursor | 161233 | 3-15 | 0.002 | 2.4 | 2.7 | w |
| N-methyl-2-pyridone-5-carboxamide | m2PY | NAD catabolite | 69698 | 0-20 | 0.010 | 1.7 | 2.7 | w |
| N-methyl-4-pyridone-3-carboxamide | m4PY | NAD catabolite | 440810 | 0.0025 | 1.8 | 2.8 | w |
Bile acids.
Sample volume required: 50 µL
LC-MS/MS
All concentrations are reported in µmol/L. Read more about bile acids here.
Short-chain fatty acids.
Sample volume required: 50 µL
GC-MS/MS
All concentrations are reported as µmol/L; CVs (%) shown as within-day (Wtn-day) and between-day (Btw-day) variations; sample matrices: serum (s), plasma (p), cerebrospinal fluid (csf).
Amino- and carboxylic acids. TCA metabolites and intermediates.
Sample volume required: 50 µL
GC-MS/MS
All concentrations are reported as µmol/L; CVs (%) shown as within-day (Wtn-day) and between-day (Btw-day) variations; sample matrices: serum (s), plasma (p), urine (u).
*Sarcosine cannot be measured in EDTA-tubes from some suppliers because of the presence of sarcosine in these tubes; **BCAA, Branched chain amino acid; ***AGE, Advanced glycation end product.
aXiaofei Yin, Orla Prendiville, Aoife E. McNamara, and Lorraine Brennan. Targeted Metabolomic Approach to Assess the Reproducibility of
Plasma Metabolites over a Four Month Period in a Free-Living Population. J. Proteome Res. 2022, 21, 683−690.
Choline derivatives. Charged, methylated or sulfur amino acids.
Sample volume required: 35 µL
LC-MS/MS
All concentrations are reported as µmol/L; CVs (%) shown as within-day (Wtn-day) and between-day (Btw-day) variations; sample matrices: serum (s), plasma (p), urine (u).
aFloegel A, Drogan D, Wang-Sattler R, Prehn C, Illig T, et al. (2011) Reliability of Serum Metabolite Concentrations over a 4-Month Period Using a Targeted Metabolomic Approach. PLoS ONE 6(6): e21103. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0021103.
bMeasured in a separate assay involving alkaline hydrolysis of acylcarnitines.
cXiaofei Yin, Orla Prendiville, Aoife E. McNamara, and Lorraine Brennan. Targeted Metabolomic Approach to Assess the Reproducibility of Plasma Metabolites over a Four Month Period in a Free-Living Population. J. Proteome Res. 2022, 21, 683−690.
Kynurenine pathway and B vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B6), indoles, nicotin, coffee markers, and inflammation markers.
Sample volume required: 60 µL
LC-MS/MS
All concentrations are reported in µmol/L or nmol/L; CVs (%) shown as within-day (Wtn-day) and between-day (Btw-day) variations; sample matrices: serum (s), plasma (p), urine (u), cerebrospinal fluid (csf).
Folate species and catabolites.
Sample volume required: 60 µL
LC-MS/MS
All concentrations are reported as nmol/L. CVs (%) shown as within-day (Wtn-day) and between-day (Btw-day) variations; sample matrices: serum (s), plasma (p).
Folate (B9) and cobalamin (B12).
Sample volume required: 15-35 µL
Microbiological assay
All concentrations are reported as nmol/L or pmol/L. CVs (%) shown as within-day (Wtn-day) and between-day (Btw-day) variations; sample matrices: serum (s), plasma (p), erythrocyte lysate (e).
Protein biomarkers and variants.
Sample volume required: 30 µL
MALDI-TOF MS
*Mass interference of S100A and CnC proteoforms
**ICCs of proteoforms can be found here
*** high sensitive CRP (hs-CRP)
Lipid-soluble vitamins.
Sample volume required: 50-100 µL
LC-MS/MS
All concentrations are reported in µmol/L or nmol/L. CVs (%) shown as within-day (Wtn-day) and between-day (Btw-day) variations; sample matrices: serum (s) or plasma (p).
Short-, medium- and long-chain acylcarnitines.
Sample volume required: 60 µL
LC (HILIC)-MS/MS
All concentrations are reported in µmol/L. Read more about acylcarnitines here.
| Metabolites | Abbr | Class | PubChem CID | Reported conc. | LOD | CV Wtn | CV Btw | ICC | Matrix |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butyrobetaine | BB | Quarternary ammonium | 725 | 0.2–2 | 0.01 | 4.3 | 2.5 | s, p | |
| Carnitine | C0 | Carnitine | 288 | 7–90 | 0.50 | 2.7 | 2.4 | 0.69 | s, p |
| Acetylcarnitine | C2 | Acylcarnitine | 7045767 | 1–35 | 0.06 | 3.0 | 2.1 | 0.63 | s, p |
| Propionylcarnitine | C3 | Acylcarnitine | 107738 | 0.1–1.5 | 0.01 | 3.8 | 1.6 | 0.62 | s, p |
| Malonylcarnitine | C3DC | Acylcarnitine | 91825606 | 0–0.5 | 0.05 | 2.8 | 2.4 | s, p | |
| Butyrylcarnitine | C4 | Acylcarnitine | 213144 | 0.04–1.2 | 0.005 | 3.4 | 3.1 | s, p | |
| Hydroxybutyrylcarnitine | C4OH | Acylcarnitine | 90659885 | 0.01–0.5 | 0.01 | 5.3 | 1.6 | s, p | |
| Succinylcarnitine / Methylmalonylcarnitine | C4DC | Acylcarnitine | 131802075 | 0.01–1 | 0.01 | 8.4 | 12.7 | s, p | |
| Isovalerylcarnitine | iC5 | Acylcarnitine | 6426851 | 0.04–0.5 | 0.01 | 2.7 | 1.8 | 0.68 | s, p |
| Glutarylcarnitine | C5DC | Acylcarnitine | 71464488 | 0.01–0.3 | 0.01 | 8.0 | 8.2 | s, p | |
| Methylcrotonylcarnitine / Tiglylcarnitine | C5:1 | Acylcarnitine | 71750254 | 0.005–0.1 | 0.005 | 5.0 | 3.7 | s, p | |
| Hexanoylcarnitine | C6 | Acylcarnitine | 6426853 | 0.005–2.1 | 0.005 | 5.6 | 3.8 | s, p | |
| Octanoylcarnitine | C8 | Acylcarnitine | 123701 | 0.03–1.1 | 0.005 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 0.41 | s, p |
| Decanoylcarnitine | C10 | Acylcarnitine | 10245190 | 0.03–2.1 | 0.005 | 3.2 | 1.7 | s, p | |
| Dodecanoylcarnitine | C12 | Acylcarnitine | 168381 | 0.01–0.5 | 0.01 | 2.3 | 1.4 | s, p | |
| Tetradecanoylcarnitine (Myristoylcarnitine) | C14 | Acylcarnitine | 6426854 | 0.015–0.3 | 0.015 | 5.4 | 2.7 | 0.38 | s, p |
| Hydroxytetradecanoylcarnitine | C14OH | Acylcarnitine | 71464541 | 0.005–0.08 | 0.005 | 7.6 | 4.1 | s, p | |
| Hexadecanoylcarnitine (Palmitoylcarnitine) | C16 | Acylcarnitine | 461 | 0.04–1.3 | 0.01 | 3.1 | 2.6 | 0.49 | s, p |
| Hydroxyhexadecanoylcarnitine | C16OH | Acylcarnitine | 126456228 | 0–0.05 | 0.005 | 5.2 | 4.1 | s, p | |
| Octadecanoylcarnitine (Stearoylcarnitine) | C18 | Acylcarnitine | 52922056 | 0.01–0.5 | 0.006 | 5.0 | 6.6 | 0.4 | s, p |
| Hydroxyoctadecanoylcarnitine | C18OH | Acylcarnitine | 71464560 | 0.01 | 9.9 | 4.6 | s, p | ||
| Octadecenoylcarnitine (Oleylcarnitine) | C18:1 | Acylcarnitine | 46907933 | 0.02–1 | 0.01 | 3.4 | 2.2 | 0.66 | s, p |
| Octadecadienylcarnitine (Linoleylcarnitine) | C18:2 | Acylcarnitine | 6450015 | 0.02–0.3 | 0.01 | 3.5 | 2.4 | s, p |
NAD metabolome.
Sample volume required: 50 µL
LC (HILIC)-MS/MS
All concentrations are reported in µmol/L. Read more about NAD here.
| Metabolites | Abbr | Class | PubChem CID | Reported conc. | LOD | CV Wtn | CV Btw | Matrix |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N1-methylnicotinamide | mNAM | NAD catabolite | 457 | 0.1-3 | 0.01 | 0.9 | 1.5 | w |
| Nicotinamide | NAM | NAD precursor | 936 | 5-25 | 0.075 | 3.5 | 5.6 | w |
| Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (oxidized) | NAD | NAD oxidized | 5893 | 10-50 | 0.25 | 2.6 | 2.4 | w |
| Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (reduced) | NADH | NAD reduced | 439153 | 0.5-3 | 0.15 | 2.1 | 3.1 | w |
| Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (oxidized) | NADP | NADP oxidized | 5886 | 10-40 | 0.25 | 10.2 | 10.9 | w |
| Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (reduced) | NADPH | NADP reduced | 5885 | 1-4 | 0.12 | 8.0 | 10.1 | w |
| Nicotinamide mononucleotide | NMN | NAD biosynthesis intermediate | 14180 | 2-10 | 0.2 | 2.9 | 5.4 | w |
| Nicotinamide N-oxide | NAMO | NAD catabolite | 72661 | 0.005-1.5 | 0.01 | 2.3 | 4.5 | w |
| Nicotinamide riboside | NR | NAD precursor, supplement | 439924 | 0-9 | 5.6 | 2.9 | w | |
| Nicotinic acid | NA | NAD precursor | 938 | 0-0.6 | 0.025 | 1.5 | 2.5 | w |
| Nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide | NAAD | NAD biosynthesis intermediate | 165491 | 0.005-1 | 0.0075 | 8.3 | 11.4 | w |
| Nicotinic acid riboside | NAR | NAD precursor | 161233 | 3-15 | 0.002 | 2.4 | 2.7 | w |
| N-methyl-2-pyridone-5-carboxamide | m2PY | NAD catabolite | 69698 | 0-20 | 0.010 | 1.7 | 2.7 | w |
| N-methyl-4-pyridone-3-carboxamide | m4PY | NAD catabolite | 440810 | 0.0025 | 1.8 | 2.8 | w |
Bile acids.
Sample volume required: 50 µL
LC-MS/MS
All concentrations are reported as µmol/L. Read more about bile acids here.
*Multianalyte determination is carried out in a single aliquot. Volume requirement is independent of the number of metabolites. Reported concentrations are not strictly normal reference range, which depends on the population, and several factors, including age, gender, ethnicity and procedures for sample handling and analytical technology. Reported concentrations are values that we and others have observed or reported in various cohorts of healthy subjects. For some biomarkers the assay performance may be different from those given in published articles. This is due to continuous improvements of the methods. LODs, CVs, and ICCs are not available for all biomarkers.

