Protocol for unified metabolomics and proteomics analysis of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue

Abstract

The use of archival formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue samples for biochemical analyses is problematic because of the formation of a Schiff base, leading to low protein and metabolite yields during analytical extractions. Here, we overcome this issue using a unified protocol on FFPE tissue for metabolomics and proteomics analyses. Using 20 mg of wet mass tissue, this protocol consistently extracted more than 50 metabolites (across 11 classes of metabolites) and over 900 proteins.