Optimized LC-MS/MS Method for the Detection of ppCCK(21-44): A Surrogate to Monitor Human Cholecystokinin Secretion

Rachel E. Foreman, Emily L. Miedzybrodzka, Finnur Freyr Eiríksson, Margrét Thorsteinsdóttir, Christopher Bannon, Robert Wheller, Frank Reimann*, Fiona M. Gribble*, Richard G. Kay*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The hormone cholecystokinin (CCK) is secreted postprandially from duodenal enteroendocrine cells and circulates in the low picomolar range. Detection of this digestion and appetite-regulating hormone currently relies on the use of immunoassays, many of which suffer from insufficient sensitivity in the physiological range and cross-reactivity problems with gastrin, which circulates at higher plasma concentrations. As an alternative to existing techniques, a liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry-based method was developed to measure CCK-derived peptides in cell culture supernatants. The method was initially applied to organoid studies and was capable of detecting both CCK8 and an N-terminal peptide fragment (prepro) ppCCK(21-44) in supernatants following stimulation. Extraction optimization was performed using statistical modeling software, enabling a quantitative LC-MS/MS method for ppCCK(21-44) capable of detecting this peptide in the low pM range in human plasma and secretion buffer solutions. Plasma samples from healthy individuals receiving a standardized meal (Ensure) after an overnight fast were analyzed; however, the method only had sensitivity to detect ppCCK(21-44). Secretion studies employing human intestinal organoids and meal studies in healthy volunteers confirmed that ppCCK(21-44) is a suitable surrogate analyte for measuring the release of CCK in vitro and in vivo.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2950-2958
Number of pages9
JournalJournal of Proteome Research
Volume22
Issue number9
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Sept 2023

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.

Other keywords

  • Biological Transport
  • Bodily Secretions
  • Cholecystokinin
  • Chromatography, Liquid
  • Humans
  • Tandem Mass Spectrometry

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