Determination of Multiple Fluorescent Brighteners in Human Plasma Using Captiva EMR-Lipid Clean-Up and LC-MS/MS Analysis

Fluorescent brighteners (FBs) are a class of chemicals extensively used in industrial and consumer products. Their environmental occurrences and potential health risks have raised significant concerns. However, the lack of analytical methods for FBs in human samples has hindered the accurate assessm...

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Main Authors: Yubing Yan, Bowen Liang, Jiawen Yang, Qing Deng, Xiaoying Liang, Hui Chen, Bibai Du, Lixi Zeng
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-04-01
Series:Toxics
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6304/13/5/352
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author Yubing Yan
Bowen Liang
Jiawen Yang
Qing Deng
Xiaoying Liang
Hui Chen
Bibai Du
Lixi Zeng
author_facet Yubing Yan
Bowen Liang
Jiawen Yang
Qing Deng
Xiaoying Liang
Hui Chen
Bibai Du
Lixi Zeng
author_sort Yubing Yan
collection DOAJ
description Fluorescent brighteners (FBs) are a class of chemicals extensively used in industrial and consumer products. Their environmental occurrences and potential health risks have raised significant concerns. However, the lack of analytical methods for FBs in human samples has hindered the accurate assessment of internal exposure levels. Addressing this gap, this study developed and validated a novel method for the simultaneous determination of 13 FBs at trace levels in human plasma using solid-phase extraction combined with HPLC-MS/MS. The method employed EMR-Lipid SPE columns, which can selectively adsorb phospholipids for plasma sample pre-treatment. Detection was achieved through positive ion electrospray ionization (ESI) in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) modes. The results showed that all 13 FBs exhibited good linearity within their respective ranges, with correlation coefficients (R<sup>2</sup>) greater than 0.992. The method quantitation limits (MQLs) of the FBs ranged from 0.012 to 0.348 ng/mL, and the spiked recovery rates ranged from 61% to 98%. The method was successfully applied to analyze 10 adult plasma samples, detecting 10 FBs with total concentrations ranging from 0.221 to 0.684 ng/mL. This study provides a reliable analytical method for determining FBs in human plasma, providing a basis for further research on human internal exposure to FBs and associated health risk assessments.
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institution DOAJ
issn 2305-6304
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spelling doaj-art-e1cee536b9424afa992ebd35d690f1fa2025-08-20T03:12:05ZengMDPI AGToxics2305-63042025-04-0113535210.3390/toxics13050352Determination of Multiple Fluorescent Brighteners in Human Plasma Using Captiva EMR-Lipid Clean-Up and LC-MS/MS AnalysisYubing Yan0Bowen Liang1Jiawen Yang2Qing Deng3Xiaoying Liang4Hui Chen5Bibai Du6Lixi Zeng7Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, College of Environment and Climate, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, ChinaGuangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, College of Environment and Climate, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, ChinaGuangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, College of Environment and Climate, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, ChinaGuangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, College of Environment and Climate, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, ChinaGuangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, College of Environment and Climate, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, ChinaGuangdong Provincial Academy of Environmental Science, Guangzhou 510045, ChinaGuangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, College of Environment and Climate, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, ChinaGuangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, College of Environment and Climate, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, ChinaFluorescent brighteners (FBs) are a class of chemicals extensively used in industrial and consumer products. Their environmental occurrences and potential health risks have raised significant concerns. However, the lack of analytical methods for FBs in human samples has hindered the accurate assessment of internal exposure levels. Addressing this gap, this study developed and validated a novel method for the simultaneous determination of 13 FBs at trace levels in human plasma using solid-phase extraction combined with HPLC-MS/MS. The method employed EMR-Lipid SPE columns, which can selectively adsorb phospholipids for plasma sample pre-treatment. Detection was achieved through positive ion electrospray ionization (ESI) in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) modes. The results showed that all 13 FBs exhibited good linearity within their respective ranges, with correlation coefficients (R<sup>2</sup>) greater than 0.992. The method quantitation limits (MQLs) of the FBs ranged from 0.012 to 0.348 ng/mL, and the spiked recovery rates ranged from 61% to 98%. The method was successfully applied to analyze 10 adult plasma samples, detecting 10 FBs with total concentrations ranging from 0.221 to 0.684 ng/mL. This study provides a reliable analytical method for determining FBs in human plasma, providing a basis for further research on human internal exposure to FBs and associated health risk assessments.https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6304/13/5/352new pollutantfluorescent whitening agentlipid removalsolid-phase extraction (SPE)human bloodhuman exposure
spellingShingle Yubing Yan
Bowen Liang
Jiawen Yang
Qing Deng
Xiaoying Liang
Hui Chen
Bibai Du
Lixi Zeng
Determination of Multiple Fluorescent Brighteners in Human Plasma Using Captiva EMR-Lipid Clean-Up and LC-MS/MS Analysis
Toxics
new pollutant
fluorescent whitening agent
lipid removal
solid-phase extraction (SPE)
human blood
human exposure
title Determination of Multiple Fluorescent Brighteners in Human Plasma Using Captiva EMR-Lipid Clean-Up and LC-MS/MS Analysis
title_full Determination of Multiple Fluorescent Brighteners in Human Plasma Using Captiva EMR-Lipid Clean-Up and LC-MS/MS Analysis
title_fullStr Determination of Multiple Fluorescent Brighteners in Human Plasma Using Captiva EMR-Lipid Clean-Up and LC-MS/MS Analysis
title_full_unstemmed Determination of Multiple Fluorescent Brighteners in Human Plasma Using Captiva EMR-Lipid Clean-Up and LC-MS/MS Analysis
title_short Determination of Multiple Fluorescent Brighteners in Human Plasma Using Captiva EMR-Lipid Clean-Up and LC-MS/MS Analysis
title_sort determination of multiple fluorescent brighteners in human plasma using captiva emr lipid clean up and lc ms ms analysis
topic new pollutant
fluorescent whitening agent
lipid removal
solid-phase extraction (SPE)
human blood
human exposure
url https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6304/13/5/352
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