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

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Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 1730))

Abstract

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.

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Correspondence to Martin Giera .

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Hoving, L.R., Heijink, M., van Harmelen, V., van Dijk, K.W., Giera, M. (2018). GC-MS Analysis of Short-Chain Fatty Acids in Feces, Cecum Content, and Blood Samples. In: Giera, M. (eds) Clinical Metabolomics. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 1730. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-7592-1_17

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-7592-1_17

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-7591-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-7592-1

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