. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2016 Mar 17.

Published in final edited form as: Crit Rev Anal Chem. 2016;46(2):93–105. doi: 10.1080/10408347.2014.980775

Table 1. General composition of selected biological matrices.

Components	Matrices
Components	Plasma/Serum	Urine	Breast Milk
Cell			Epithelial, Leukocytes, Lymphocytes, Macrophages, Neutrophils
Ions	Na⁺, K⁺, Ca²⁺, Cl⁻, Mg²⁺, HCO₃⁻, HPO₄²⁻, HSO₄⁻	Na+, K+, Ca2+, Cl−, Mg2+; NH4+, Sulfates, Phosphates	Bicarbonate, Calcium Chloride Citrate Magnesium Phosphate Potassium Sodium Sulfate Trace minerals Chromium Cobalt Copper Fluoride Iodine Iron Manganese Molybdenum Nickel Selenium Zinc
Organic molecules	Urea, Creatinine, Uric Acid, Amino Acids, Glucose, Bilirubin, Insulin	Urea, Creatinine, Uric Acid, Citrate, DNA, Amino Acids	Lactose, Glucose, Nucleotide Sugars, Creatinine, Glucosamine, Urea, Uric Acid, Carotenoids
Protein	Albumins, Globulins, Fibrinogen, Clotting factors	Immunoglobulins, Albumin	Albumins, Immunoglobulins, Lysozymes, Casiens Thyroxine, Amylaze, Lipase, Glycoproteins
Lipid	Phospholipids, Cholesterol, Triglycerides		Triglycerides, Essential Fatty Acids, Glycolipids, Phospholipids
Others		Water-soluble vitamins	Fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K); Water-soluble vitamins, Biotin, Choline, Folate, Inositol, Niacin, Pantothenic acid, Riboflavin, Thiamin