Studies to increase robustness, versatility and efficacy for the determination of alanine, carnosine, catecholamines, caffeine and their metabolites in blood and muscle by LC-MS/MS

• Grant number: 22/07258-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: October 01, 2022
• End date: September 30, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Analytical Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Alvaro José dos Santos Neto
• Grantee: Taís Betoni Rodrigues
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química de São Carlos (IQSC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 21/06836-0 - Placebo in sports and exercise: prevalence, conditioning and open-placebo, AP.JP2

Abstract

Individuals who practice physical activity often choose to use nutritional supplements searching for better performance, recovery or muscle gain. Several studies discuss caffeine and ²-alanine as options for better performance in different types of exercise. However, the variability in the results obtained raised the question that supplementation may not be effective for all individuals, justifying the need for studies that can demonstrate which are the determining factors that lead to positive effect of this supplementation. The quantification of these substances, their metabolites and catecholamines in different biological samples is fundamental step for the evaluation of the response of each individual, while challenging from an analytical point of view. The development of a fast, efficient, robust and versatile analytical method to overcome this challenge contributes to technological advances with potential application to various purposes such as diagnosis of diseases and intoxications, therapeutic monitoring, monitoring of the progression of endocrine, psychiatric or neurodegenerative disorders, nutritional assessment and in the food supplement industry. In this context, the aim of this work is to assist the Young Researcher project linked to the achievement of its objectives, through the development and validation of a quantitative method that is easy to perform and high productivity for the nine substances of interest: ²-alanine, carnosine, norepinephrine, epinephrine, dopamine, caffeine, theobromine and paraxanthine. Blood and muscle samples will be analyzed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, through analytical innovations described in this proposal and which aim at the previously mentioned methodological qualities.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

RODRIGUES, TAIS BETONI; CUNHA, RICARDO LEAL; BARCI, PAULO EMILIO PEREIRA; SANTOS-NETO, ALVARO JOSE; LANCAS, FERNANDO MAURO. Analysis of human biological samples using porous graphitic carbon columns and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry: a review. ANALYTICAL AND BIOANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY, v. 416, n. 24, p. 21-pg., 2024-08-19. (17/02147-0, 23/07159-7, 22/07258-2)