Novel theoretical database-assisted UHPLC-Q-TOF/MS strategy for profiling and identifying oxidized triglycerides in pharmaceutical excipient soybean oil

Pharmaceutical excipient soybean oil is widely used in injections. Its main components, triglycerides, are easily oxidized due to their unsaturated fatty acyls, raising safety concerns. However, it is hard to analyze those oxidized triglycerides due to their diverse compositions and low abundance. In this study, all theoretical oxidized triglycerides were predicted and a database consisting of 329 oxidized triglycerides was constructed. Then, a novel theoretical database-assisted ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-TOF/MS) strategy was developed to finely profile and identify oxidized triglycerides in soybean oil. A total of 106 and 116 oxidized triglycerides were identified and relatively quantified in oxidized soybean oil and long-term stored soybean oil and preparations. It was found that oxidized triglycerides containing carbonyl groups were significantly more prevalent than other forms and oxidized triglycerides with two oxidized fatty acyl chains had the highest relative abundance. Fifteen markers indicating the oxidation of soybean oil were discovered. This strategy could rapidly and directly analyze the oxidized triglycerides and assign their fatty acyl compositions for the first time. This study will improve the quality control of soybean oil and its preparations.