Screening of urine by one-dimensional and pulsed-field gradient two-dimensional 1H NMR spectroscopy: intoxication by propylene glycol in an infant patient.

ABSTRACT

1H NMR spectroscopy is a promising method for the analysis of physiological fluids in clinical medicine. In the course of screening the urine of patients by 1D- and pulsed-field gradient 2D 1H NMR spectroscopy at 500 MHz, we encountered a case with a very high excretion of propylene glycol compared to others who received similar doses of the medication. In this case, the propylene glycol was scarcely metabolized by the patient. Propylene glycol is widely used as a safety material which is transformed into pyruvate and lactate in the healthy body. In this paper, we discuss how NMR spectroscopy can be a useful method for screening a patient intoxicated with propylene glycol.