Chromatographic methods for the determination of acyl-CoAs

Acyl-CoAs have been identified in various metabolic pathways, such as -oxidation, biosynthesis and/or remodeling of lipids, fatty acid modification, transcriptional regulation, protein post-translational modification, enzyme regulation, and participation in signaling pathways. Therefore, there is a growing interest in studying these metabolites to grasp a better understanding of how these fatty acid intermediates directly impact these metabolic pathways and induce diseases and cancer progression through their dysregulation. Liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry provides the most robust and reproducible method for the analysis of acyl-CoAs. This review highlights chromatographic methods that have been validated for acyl-CoA determination; however, this review prioritizes LC-MS methods because this approach has recently been utilized more frequently for method development of acyl-CoAs analysis due to its robustness and quantitation applicability. Therefore, the review discusses how current LC-MS methods surpass previous analytical methods for acyl-CoA detection and quantitation, and summarizes the types of mass spectrometers used, preparation approaches for different biological samples, LC conditions for the separation of acyl-CoAs, and potential biomarker applications.