A rapid high throughput proteomic method based on profiling of proteolytic free peptides to assess post-delivery degradation of placental tissue

Abstract

A rapid method to determine quality for placental proteomic studies is required due to varying lengths of time between delivery and sampling in routine protocols. We developed a rapid 10 min LC-MS based scanning method to profile free peptides liberated from natural proteolytic degradation. The assay was applied to placenta samples obtained following refrigeration for varying time periods post-delivery (12 h, +24 h, +48 h and +72 h). Analysis reveals time dependant overlapping profiles for groups <24 to +48 h with greatest variation in the +72 h group, indicating that significant proteolysis affects tissue integrity between 48 and 72 h.

Keywords: Free peptide; LC-MS; Multivariate analysis; Placenta; Proteolysis.