Multivariate approaches for efficient detection of potential metabolites from liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry data

This work describes a novel method for rapid screening of unknown metabolites in urine samples that narrows down the list of potential metabolites. Prior to analysis by liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC/ESI-MS), urine samples were prepared using solid-phase extraction (SPE). Automatic curve resolution was used for deconvolution of the LC/MS data, followed by peak alignment. Preprocessed data were then used for metabolite pattern recognition using principal component analysis (PCA), parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC), and multilinear partial least squares (N-PLS). This approach enabled the rapid detection of metabolites of citalopram in urine by maximizing the information extracted. The metabolites thus identified were compared with earlier studies on the metabolism of citalopram. In addition, new, unreported metabolites were found and characterized by LC/MS/MS and accurate mass measurements. A combination of data from positive and negative ionization enhanced the identification of metabolites.     

Targeted analysis of glycomics liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry data

Hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) is appropriate for all native and reductively aminated glycan classes. HILIC carries the advantage that retention times vary predictably according to oligosaccharide composition. Chromatographic conditions are compatible with sensitive and reproducible glycomics analysis of large numbers of samples. The data are extremely useful for quantitative profiling of glycans expressed in biological tissues. With these analytical developments, the rate-limiting factor for widespread use of HILIC LC/MS in glycomics is the analysis of the data. In order to eliminate this problem, a Java-based open source software tool, Manatee, was developed for targeted analysis of HILIC LC/MS glycan datasets. This tool uses user-defined lists of compositions that specify the glycan chemical space in a given biological context. The program accepts high-resolution LC/MS data using the public mzXML format and is capable of processing a large data file in a few minutes on a standard desktop computer. The program allows mining of HILIC LC/MS data with an output compatible with multivariate statistical analysis. It is envisaged that the Manatee tool will complement more computationally intensive LC/MS processing tools based on deconvolution and deisotoping of LC/MS data. The capabilities of the tool were demonstrated using a set of HILIC LC/MS data on organ-specific heparan sulfates.     

Postcolumn derivatization liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry for detection of chemical-weapons-related compounds

Postcolumn derivatization for liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) analysis was characterized for detection of some compounds related to chemical-weapons (CW) agents using an Atmospheric Pressure Chemical Ionization (APCI) source. The derivatizing reagents were added directly to the LC eluent flow, and the derivatization reactions occurred in the APCI source under typical operating conditions. The compound S-[2-(diisopropylamino)ethyl] methylphosphonothioic acid was methylated using the derivatizing reagent trimethylphenyl ammonium hydroxide (TMPAH). Methylphosphonic acid was doubly derivatized to form dimethyl methylphosphonate, although the signal for the derivatization product was very sensitive to the amount of TMPAH. Arsenic compounds related to the CW agent lewisite, including chlorovinyl arsonous acid and arsenic (III) oxide, were derivatized using 2-mercaptopyridine. The thiol group reacted readily with the arsenic (III) center and provided a significant improvement in sensitivity relative to the underivatized signal using APCI or electrospray ionization. Triethanolamine and ethyl diethanolamine were derivatized with benzoyl chloride, a commonly used LC derivatizing reagent for alcohols, to modify their mass spectra. Postcolumn derivatization using an APCI source gives an alternative for detecting some difficult-to-ionize compounds. It has the limitations that sensitivity was not always improved even though the major mass spectral peaks can be shifted; it is necessary to carefully select the reagent; and some reagents introduced strong interference peaks at specific masses in the spectrum and may suppress the ionization of some derivatized analyte ions. The reagent also produced contamination in the source, which had to be cleaned daily.     

High-performance liquid chromatography/inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and tandem mass spectrometry for the detection of carbon-containing compounds

High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) combined with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS) has been studied as a means for the detection of carbon to provide a 'universal' method for detecting organic compounds in chromatographic eluents. Carbon is particularly difficult to ionise and the amount of carbon present in normal chromatographic systems leads to high backgrounds, making detection a challenge. Novel separation approaches were therefore employed, using either entirely aqueous eluents (at temperatures of 60 and 160 degrees C, dependent on the column used) to eliminate the organic modifier completely, or isotopically enriched solvents. For the aqueous eluents, detection limits for sulphanilamide were found to be 2.26 microg, corresponding to 1.13 micromol (0.47 micromol of carbon), injected on a conventional 4.6 mm i.d. column. The use of a narrow bore column with highly isotopically enriched 12C-methanol (99.95 atom%) as organic modifier for the mobile phase enabled the detection of 86 micromol for 13C-triple-labelled caffeine and 79 micromol for 13C-double-labelled phenacetin. The sensitive detection of 12C-compounds with 13C-enriched methanol as organic modifier proved impractical due to a lower level of isotopic enrichment (99 atom%) of this solvent, with the residual 12C-methanol resulting in significant interference.     

Combination of liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry for the detection of 21 anabolic steroid residues in bovine urine

For the detection of anabolic steroid residues in bovine urine, a highly sensitive liquid chromatographic/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometric (LC/ESI-MS/MS) method was developed using both positive and negative ionization. For four compounds the ESI mode was not sensitive enough and gas chromatographic/mass spectrometric GC/MS detection was therefore still necessary as a complementary method. The sample clean-up consisted of solid-phase extraction (SPE) on a C(18) column followed by enzymatic hydrolysis and a second solid-phase extraction on a combination of a C(18) and a NH(2) column. After this last SPE clean-up, the eluate was split into two equal aliquots. One aliquot was further purified and after derivatization used for GC/MS analysis. The other aliquot was analyzed with LC/MS/MS in both ESI+ and ESI- modes. The method was validated according to the European Commission Decision 2002/657/EC. Decision limits (CCalpha) were between 0.16 and 1 ng ml(-1) for the compounds detected with the LC/MS/MS method. The developed method is used in routine analysis in our laboratory.     

Quantitative liquid chromatography/time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Over the last decade, time-of-flight (TOF) instruments have increasingly been used as quantitation tools. In addition, because of their high resolving power, they can be used for verification of empirical formulas. Historically, TOF instruments have had limited quantitation capabilities because of their narrow dynamic range. However, recent advances have improved these limitations. This review covers the rationale for using TOF for LC detection, and describes the many methods currently in the literature for the quantitation of pharmaceuticals, environmental pollutants, explosives and many phytochemicals.     

Protein open-access liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry

Each year increasing numbers of proteins are submitted for routine characterization by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS). This paper reports a solution that transforms routine LC/MS analysis of proteins into a fully automated process that significantly reduces analyst intervention. The solution developed, protein open-access (OA) LC/MS, consists of web-enabled sample submission and registration, automated data processing, data interpretation, and report generation. Sample submissions and results are recorded in a LIMS that utilizes an Oracle database. The protein sequence is captured during the sample submission process, stored in the database, and utilized to determine the theoretical protein molecular weight. This calculated mass is used to set the parameters for transformation of the mass-to-charge spectra to the mass domain and evaluate the presence or absence of the desired protein. Three protein OA-LC/MS instruments have been deployed in our facility to support protein characterization, purification, and modification efforts.     

Optimization for detection of flunarizine by high performance liquid chromatography/electrospray/mass spectrometry

This paper describes a newly developed high performance liquid chromatography/electrospray/mass spectrometry (HPLC/ES/MS) method for the determination of flunarizine (FZ) in artificial cerebrospinal fluid. The optimization for the detection of FZ in biological fluid by LC/ES/MS was investigated. The effects of solvent composition, the addition of modifier and flow rate on the detection of FZ by ES/MS were examined. The detection limit of this method (0.8 nM) proved to be much better than previously reported methods. Satisfactory accuracy (98.2–106.0%) of this newly developed method was obtained. The application of this method was demonstrated by analyzing FZ in rat microdialysis samples.     

Determination of two oxy-pyrimidine metabolites of diazinon in urine by gas chromatography/mass selective detection and liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization/mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry

An analytical method was developed for the determination in urine of 2 metabolites of diazinon: 6-methyl-2-(1-methylethyl)-4(1H)-pyrimidinone (G-27550) and 2-(1-hydroxy-1-methylethyl)-6-methyl-4(1H)-pyrimidinone (GS-31144). Two of the urine sample preparation procedures presented rely on gas chromatography/mass selective detection (GC/MSD) in the selected ion monitoring mode for determination of G-27550. For fast sample preparation and a limit of quantitation (LOQ) of 1.0 ppb, urine samples were purified by using ENV+ solid-phase extraction (SPE) columns. For analyte confirmation at an LOQ of 0.50 ppb, classical liquid/liquid partitioning was used before further purification in a silica SPE column. An SPE sample preparation procedure and liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization/mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (LC/ESI/MS/MS) were used for both G-27550 and GS-31144. The limit of detection was 0.01 ng for G-27550 with GC/MSD, and 0.016 ng when LC/ESI/MS/MS was used for both G-27550 and GS-31144. The LOQ was 0.50 ppb for G-27550 when GC/MSD and the partitioning/SPE sample preparation procedure were used, and 1.0 ppb for the SPE only sample preparation procedure. The LOQ was 1.0 ppb for both analytes when LC/ESI/MS/MS was used.     

液相色谱/元素分析-同位素比值质谱联用法鉴定蜂蜜掺假

采用液相色谱/元素分析-同位素比值质谱联用法(LC/EA-IRMS)对国内蜂蜜掺假情况进行了研究。基于测定得到的38个纯正蜂蜜样品的碳同位素δ13C值数据,提出了纯正蜂蜜样品的δ13C值要求: 蛋白质和蜂蜜的δ13C差值(Δδ13CP-H)≥~0.95‰,果糖和葡萄糖的δ13C差值(Δδ13CF-G)在~0.64‰至0.53‰范围内,各个组分间的δ13C最大差值(Δδ13Cmax)＜2.09‰。对150个日常检测样品、蜂农和蜂蜜供应商的蜂蜜样品分别采用本文建立的LC/EA-IRMS和国家标准方法(EA-IRMS)进行鉴定,LC/EA-IRMS方法检出58个掺有C3或C4植物糖浆的阳性样品,而EA-IRMS方法仅检出7个掺有C4植物糖浆的阳性样品,可见新方法大大提高了对蜂蜜掺假的鉴别能力。     

New liquid chromatography/electron ionization mass spectrometry methods in water analysis

A method to extract and analyze organic compounds from water is presented. A solid phase micro-trap (micro-SPE) directly connected to the micro-analytical column is used. Sensibility and specificity needed for trace analysis are guaranteed by mass spectrometric electron ionization (EI) detection. A new micro-HPLC/EI-MS interface called Capillary-EI (Cap-EI) is described. The ultimate evolution of this interface is also presented: in this extremely simplified interface the analytes are nebulized, vaporized and ionized in the small volume of the ion source. This interface, called Direct-EI, exploits nano- and micro-HPLC columns with a mobile phase flow rates ranging from 0.3 to 1.5 microL/min. Contemporary use of micro SPE, Cap-EI or Direct-EI gives us a powerful technique to identify and quantify organic pollutants at part per billion level (ppb).     

Two-dimensional liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry separation of water-soluble metabolites

Off-line two-dimensional liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry detection (2D-LC/MS-MS) was used to separate a set of metabolomic species. Water-soluble metabolites were extracted from Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisae cultures and were immediately analyzed using strong cation exchange (SCX)-hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC). Metabolite mixtures are well-suited for multidimensional chromatography as the range of components varies widely with respect to polarity and chemical makeup. Some currently used methods employ two different separations for the detection of positively and negatively ionized metabolites by mass spectrometry. Here we developed a single set of chromatographic conditions for both ionization modes and were able to detect a total of 141 extracted metabolite species, with an overall peak capacity of ca. 2500. We show that a single two-dimensional separation method is sufficient and practical when a pair or more of unidimensional separations are used in metabolomics.     

Monitoring stevioside in soju by high-performance liquid chromatography and liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry

A method using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with UV absorption detection was developed to monitor stevioside in soju, a distilled spirits product that is commercially available. The method uses a single-step dilution for sample preparation. It completely eliminates the time-consuming process of solid-phase extraction. A method using HPLC/mass spectrometry was optimized to confirm the identities of stevioside and other related impurities, including rebaudioside A, rebaudioside C, and dulcoside. The method was validated. The validation parameters included range (10.1-1007.3 ppm), precision, linearity, accuracy, robustness, system suitability, and intermediate precision. Stevioside standard solutions at 6 concentration levels were prepared for the validation work, including the tests for precision, linearity, and accuracy. The solutions were prepared in triplicate for each concentration. The relative standard deviation for the precision test was <3% for all 6 concentration levels. The correlation coefficient for the linearity within the concentration range was determined to be > 0.999. The average recovery ranged from 95.7 to 101.1% for the soju samples spiked with stevioside standard. The detection limit for stevioside was estimated at 75 ppb. The method was used to screen several soju samples; no detectable stevioside was found in the samples.     

Multivariate curve resolution provides a high-throughput data processing pipeline for pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry

We present a data processing pipeline for Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) data that is suitable for high-throughput analysis of lignocellulosic samples. The aproach applies multivariate curve resolution by alternate regression (MCR-AR) and automated peak assignment. MCR-AR employs parallel processing of multiple chromatograms, as opposed to sequential processing used in prevailing applications. Parallel processing provides a global peak list that is consistent for all chromatograms, and therefore does not require tedious manual curation. We evaluated this approach on wood samples from aspen and Norway spruce, and found that parallel processing results in an overall higher precision of peak area from integrated peaks. To further increase the speed of data processing we evaluated automated peak assignment solely based on basepeak mass. This approach gave estimates of the proportion of lignin (as syringyl-, guaiacyl and p-hydroxyphenyl-type lignin) and carbohydrate polymers in the wood samples that were in high agreement with those where peak assignments were based on full spectra. This method establishes Py-GC/MS as a sensitive, robust and versatile high-throughput screening platform well suited to a non-specialist operator.     

High-throughput chiral liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry

Chiral liquid chromatography is a well-established area of bioanalytical chemistry and is often used during the processes of drug discovery and development. The development and use of a chiral drug require the understanding of the pharmacokinetic characteristics of each of the enantiomers, including potential differences in their absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion. Chromatographic techniques coupled to atmospheric pressure ionization-tandem mass spectrometry have shown potential as sensitive and robust tools in the quantitative and qualitative determination of enantiomers in biologic fluids and tissue extracts. However, development of a chiral liquid chromatography method requires time-consuming procedures that are devised empirically. Clearly, there is an incentive to design chromatographic approaches that are easy to use, compatible with mass spectrometry ionization interface conditions, exhibit relatively short run times without compromising sensitivity, and offer a broad analyte specificity. For these reasons, the present paper explores the feasibility of the bonded macrocyclic glycopeptide phases (teicoplanin and vancomycin) for analysis by chiral liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry. Ritalinic acid, pindolol, fluoxetine, oxazepam, propranolol, terbutaline, metoprolol, and nicardipine were tested in this study. Furthermore, an example of a simultaneous chiral LC/MS/MS detection (chromatographic run time approximately 10 min) of four pharmaceutical products resulting in baseline resolutions of all four pairs of enantiomers is presented. Methanol, an MS-compatible mobile phase, was utilized in all the experiments.     

Selective detection of phosphopeptides in complex mixtures by electrospray liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry

A mass spectrometry-based method that does not involve the use of radiolabeling was developed for selective detection of phosphopeptides in complex mixtures. Mixtures of phosphorylated and nonphosphorylated peptides at the low picomole level are analyzed by negative ion electrospray liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry using C-18 packed fused-silica columns (≤320-μm i.d.). Peptides and phosphopeptides in the chromatographic eluant undergo collision-induced dissociation in the free-jet expansion region prior to the mass analyzing quadrupole. Using relatively high collisional excitation potentials, phospho|peptides containing phosphoserine, phosphothreonine, and phosphotyrosine fragment to yield diagnostic ions at m/z 63 and 79 corresponding to PO₂ ^?; and PO₃ ^?, respectively. Chromatographic peaks containing phosphopeptides are indicated where these diagnostic ions maximize. The highest sensitivity for phosphopeptide detection is obtained using selected-ion monitoring for m/z 63 and 79. Full-scan mass spectra that exhibit the diagnostic phosphopeptide fragment ions, together with pseudomolecular ions, may be obtained by stepping the collisional excitation potential from a high value during the portion of each scan in which the low-mass-to-charge ratio diagnostic marker ions are being detected to a lower value while the upper mass-to-charge ratio range is being scanned. Good sensitivity for phosphopeptide detection was achieved using standard trifluoroacetic acid containing mobile phases for reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. Data illustrating the selectivity and sensitivity of the approach are presented for mixtures of peptides and phosphopeptides containing the three commonly phosphorylated amino acids.     

Four interfaces for liquid chromatography/atmospheric-pressure-ionization mass spectrometry.

Mixture analyses are demonstrated using the liquid chromatograph/atmospheric-pressure-ionization mass spectrometric system with four modes. These modes are atmospheric-pressure spray with electron ionization, atmospheric-pressure chemical ionization, atmospheric-pressure spray ionization, and electrospray ionization modes. This system can deal with a wide variety of compounds from hydrocarbons with low polarity to proteins with high polarity.