GC-MS Analysis of Short-Chain Fatty Acids in Feces, Cecum Content, and Blood Samples

• DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-7592-1_17
• Publication Date: 2018-01-23T03:54:01Z
• Authors: Lisa R. Hoving; Marieke Heijink; Vanessa van Harmelen; Ko Willems van Dijk; Martin Giera
• Keywords: Valeric acid; Cecum; Hexanoic acid; Short-chain fatty acid; Volatile fatty acids

Short-chain fatty acids, the end products of fermentation of dietary fibers by the gut microbiota, have been shown to exert multiple effects on mammalian metabolism. For the analysis of short-chain fatty acids, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry is a very powerful and reliable method. Here, we describe a fast, reliable, and reproducible method for the separation and quantification of short-chain fatty acids in mouse feces, cecum content, and blood samples (i.e., plasma or serum) using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The short-chain fatty acids analyzed include acetic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid, valeric acid, hexanoic acid, and heptanoic acid.