TY - JOUR
T1 - GC–MS quantification of fecal short-chain fatty acids and spectrophotometric detection of indole
T2 - Do rectal swabs produce comparable results as stool samples? - A pilot study
AU - Vineetha, K. K.
AU - Archana, P. R.
AU - Rao, Bhamini Krishna
AU - Ballal, Mamatha
AU - Dutta, Babi
AU - Vani Lakshmi, R.
AU - Bhat, Rajeshwari G.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
PY - 2024/12/30
Y1 - 2024/12/30
N2 - Rationale: The exploration of the gut microbiome and related metabolites holds an exciting future in health science. The challenges associated with fecal sample testing are proper sample collection, sterile transportation, optimal transport conditions, and processing as all these factors could potentially change the microbiome composition, further exacerbated by the patient's customary discomfort regarding feces samples. The study aimed to compare the usage of rectal swabs and stool samples for short-chain fatty acid estimation using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and indole estimation using spectrophotometry. Method: From May 2022 to June 2022, three women were recruited from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology (OBG) in a secondary care hospital in coastal Karnataka. During their clinical visit, a rectal swab was collected, and the stool sample was transported to the hospital from the patient's home in sterile containers provided. After the extraction, short-chain fatty acids (acetate, propionate, and butyrate) were quantified using GC–MS. The fecal indole concentration was determined using a hydroxylamine-based assay. Results: The GC–MS analysis failed to detect the concentrations of short-chain fatty acids in rectal swab samples. Indole concentrations in stool and swab samples were significantly different. Conclusion: The study's findings do not support the use of rectal swabs to analyze gut metabolites.
AB - Rationale: The exploration of the gut microbiome and related metabolites holds an exciting future in health science. The challenges associated with fecal sample testing are proper sample collection, sterile transportation, optimal transport conditions, and processing as all these factors could potentially change the microbiome composition, further exacerbated by the patient's customary discomfort regarding feces samples. The study aimed to compare the usage of rectal swabs and stool samples for short-chain fatty acid estimation using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and indole estimation using spectrophotometry. Method: From May 2022 to June 2022, three women were recruited from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology (OBG) in a secondary care hospital in coastal Karnataka. During their clinical visit, a rectal swab was collected, and the stool sample was transported to the hospital from the patient's home in sterile containers provided. After the extraction, short-chain fatty acids (acetate, propionate, and butyrate) were quantified using GC–MS. The fecal indole concentration was determined using a hydroxylamine-based assay. Results: The GC–MS analysis failed to detect the concentrations of short-chain fatty acids in rectal swab samples. Indole concentrations in stool and swab samples were significantly different. Conclusion: The study's findings do not support the use of rectal swabs to analyze gut metabolites.
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U2 - 10.1002/rcm.9923
DO - 10.1002/rcm.9923
M3 - Article
C2 - 39394907
AN - SCOPUS:85206123412
SN - 0951-4198
VL - 38
JO - Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry
JF - Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry
IS - 24
M1 - e9923
ER -