Exploring Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy for the Analysis of Dried Blood Spots

06 June 2025, Version 1
This content is a preprint and has not undergone peer review at the time of posting.

Abstract

Dried blood spots (DBS) offer a practical and relatively non-invasive method for sample collection. Here, we evaluate the feasibility of applying ¹H NMR spectroscopy to metabolomic analysis of DBS. Various solvent suppression techniques and extraction protocols were tested using aqueous and methanolic solvents. Methanol was found to provide heightened metabolite recovery with fewer interfering macromolecular signals compared to aqueous buffers, supporting its use as a preferred extraction solvent. Additional experimental variables, such as extraction time and the number of DBS punches, were optimized to improve spectral quality. Potentially interfering contaminations from sampling materials and consumables were identified. As a demonstration of practical application, DBS cards were distributed and returned via international and local transport, and their metabolic profiles were assessed. Despite some variation among transported samples, individual-specific metabolic signatures remained discernible, suggesting a robustness of the method for comparative analyses. Overall, these initial results support the use of NMR as a complementary technique to mass spectrometry for DBS-based metabolomics, particularly when simplicity, reproducibility, and robustness is prioritized, and when overall sensitivity is less of a factor.

Keywords

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
Metabolomics
Dried blood spot

Comments

Comments are not moderated before they are posted, but they can be removed by the site moderators if they are found to be in contravention of our Commenting Policy [opens in a new tab] - please read this policy before you post. Comments should be used for scholarly discussion of the content in question. You can find more information about how to use the commenting feature here [opens in a new tab] .
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy [opens in a new tab] and Terms of Service [opens in a new tab] apply.