Simultaneous quantification of fat-soluble vitamins A, 25-hydroxylvitamin D and vitamin E in plasma from children using liquid chromatography coupled to Orbitrap mass spectrometry

The fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K are micronutrients essential for physiological activity, metabolism and growth. Accurate and sensitive analytical methods are needed to support growing research into fat-soluble vitamins and their impact on children's growth and health. Here we report the first method for simultaneous quantification of fat-soluble vitamins A (retinol), 25-hydroxylvitamin D2, 25-hydroxylvitamin D3, and vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) using a Q-Exactive Orbitrap mass spectrometer in high-resolution, parallel reaction monitoring mode. This method can select desired ions with high efficiency, potentially making it superior to triplequadrupole mass spectrometers that employ multiple reaction monitoring. The proposed method offers excellent accuracy, specificity, and sensitivity, as demonstrated with plasma samples from healthy children.