Development of a fast sample treatment for the analysis of free and bonded sterols in human serum by LC‐MS

The analysis of sterols in biological fluids allows the clinical study of cholesterol related diseases. This research is focused on reducing the sample processing time of the determination of free and bonded sterols in human serum. Ten sterols were studied: cholesterol precursors (desmosterol, lanosterol, and cholestanol); phytosterols (stigmasterol, campesterol, sitosterol, and sitostanol) and oxysterols (7‐α‐hydroxy‐4‐cholesten‐3‐one, 24‐hydroxycholesterol, and 27‐hydroxycholesterol). Ultrasound assistance was used to diminish the reaction time during the alkaline hydrolysis for determining total sterols. Different retention mechanisms of solid‐phase extraction were compared, two reversed‐phase sorbents DSC‐18 and polymeric Oasis‐HLB and a novel zirconia‐coated silica phase. DSC‐18 and zirconia‐coated silica were the most suitable sorbents to analyze these metabolites. The resulting extracts were analyzed by liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. The analytical parameters were determined and better values were observed with DSC‐18 cartridges for most sterols. LOQ were in the low ng/mL level. Recoveries were in the range 85–99%. Average intermediate precision was 15%. Accuracy for both cartridges was more than 92%. Zirconia‐coated silica showed better performance for the oxysterols, with recoveries around 90%. The procedure allows the determination of free and bonded sterol precursors, phytosterols, and oxysterols in human serum.