A Combined Desorption Ionization by Charge Exchange (DICE) and Desorption Electrospray Ionization (DESI) Source for Mass Spectrometry

A source that couples the desorption ionization by charge exchange (DICE) and desorption electrospray ionization (DESI) techniques together was demonstrated to broaden the range of compounds that can be analyzed in a single mass spectrometric experiment under ambient conditions. A tee union was used to mix the spray reagents into a partially immiscible blend before this mixture was passed through a conventional electrospray (ES) probe capillary. Using this technique, compounds that are ionized more efficiently by the DICE method and those that are ionized better with the DESI procedure could be analyzed simultaneously. For example, hydroquinone, which is not detected when subjected to DESI-MS in the positive-ion generation mode, or the sodium adduct of guaifenesin, which is not detected when examined by DICE-MS, could both be detected in one experiment when the two techniques were combined. The combined technique was able to generate the molecular ion, proton and metal adduct from the same compound. When coupled to a tandem mass spectrometer, the combined source enabled the generation of product ion spectra from the molecular ion and the [M + H]⁺ or [M + metal]⁺ ions of the same compound without the need to physically change the source from DICE to DESI. The ability to record CID spectra of both the molecular ion and adduct ions in a single mass spectrometric experiment adds a new dimension to the array of mass spectrometric methods available for structural studies.     

Direct Visualization of Neurotransmitters in Rat Brain Slices by Desorption Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry Imaging (DESI - MS)

Mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) of neurotransmitters has so far been mainly performed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) where derivatization reagents, deuterated matrix and/or high resolution, or tandem MS have been applied to circumvent problems with interfering ion peaks from matrix and from isobaric species. We herein describe the application of desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry imaging (DESI)-MSI in rat brain coronal and sagittal slices for direct spatial monitoring of neurotransmitters and choline with no need of derivatization reagents and/or deuterated materials. The amino acids γ-aminobutyric (GABA), glutamate, aspartate, serine, as well as acetylcholine, dopamine, and choline were successfully imaged using a commercial DESI source coupled to a hybrid quadrupole-Orbitrap mass spectrometer. The spatial distribution of the analyzed compounds in different brain regions was determined. We conclude that the ambient matrix-free DESI-MSI is suitable for neurotransmitter imaging and could be applied in studies that involve evaluation of imbalances in neurotransmitters levels.

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Screening Anti-Cancer Drugs against Tubulin using Catch-and-Release Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry

Tubulin, which is the building block of microtubules, plays an important role in cell division. This critical role makes tubulin an attractive target for the development of chemotherapeutic drugs to treat cancer. Currently, there is no general binding assay for tubulin–drug interactions. The present work describes the application of the catch-and-release electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (CaR-ESI-MS) assay to investigate the binding of colchicinoid drugs to αβ-tubulin dimers extracted from porcine brain. Proof-of-concept experiments using positive (ligands with known affinities) and negative (non-binders) controls were performed to establish the reliability of the assay. The assay was then used to screen a library of seven colchicinoid analogues to test their binding to tubulin and to rank their affinities.

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基质辅助激光解析电离质谱和电喷雾质谱共同快速确证达托霉素结构

运用基质辅助激光解析电离-飞行时间串联质谱(MALDI-TOF/TOF MS)和电喷雾-四级杆-飞行时间质谱(ESI-Q-TOF MS)快速确证环脂肽达托霉素的结构。首先,ESI检测达托霉素相对分子量为1619.7107,与理论值偏差0.0007。选择其双电荷峰m/z 809.848作为母离子进行ESI串联质谱(MS/MS)测定,成功匹配了达托霉素环外氨基酸序列C9H19CO-Trp-Asn-Asp。其次,优化Li OH裂解达托霉素的实验条件,以MALDITOF/TOF MS监测开环效果,获得95%以上的开环样本后,分别运用MALDI和ESI进行MS/MS测定,达托霉素开环产物的b+和y+全部被匹配,达托霉素全部氨基酸序列得到确证。最后,对开环产物的ESI-MS/MS条件进一步优化,获得了丰富的低端碎片离子,解析了脂肪酸链结构,并绘制了脂肪酸链的裂解图。本方法快速、简便、准确,是确证环脂肽类化合物结构的可靠方法。     

电喷雾解吸电离质谱法用于临床尿样的直接分析

将电喷雾解吸电离质谱(DESI-MS)用于临床尿样的分析, 优化了电喷雾溶剂流速、电喷雾电压和喷雾锥距离等重要参数. 采用普通滤纸作为样品载体, 在不需要样品预处理的前提下同时快速测定了临床尿样中的钾、钠、尿素、尿酸、丙酮酸和肌苷等多种成分, 并对各种成分的主要离子进行了串联质谱鉴定. DESI-MS在进行多组分同时测定时不需要进行样品预处理, 缩短了测定时间, 单个样品的分析时间不到1 min. 同时, 采用内标法对所测定组分进行了半定量分析.     

Characterization of Rhodamine Self-Assembled Films Using Desorption Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry

Growth process information and molecular structure identification are very important for characterization of self-assembled films. Here, we explore the possible application of desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (DESI-MS) that provides the assembled information of rhodamine B (Rh B) and rhodamine 123 (Rh 123) films. With the help of lab-made DESI source, two characteristic ions [Rh B]⁺ and [Rh 123]⁺ are observed directly in the open environment. To evaluate the reliability of this technique, a comparative study of ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy and our method is carried out, and the result shows good correlation. According to the signal intensity of characteristic ions, the layer-by-layer adsorption process of dyes can be monitored, and the thicknesses of multilayer films can also be comparatively determined. Combining the high sensitivity, selectivity, and speed of mass spectrometry, the selective adsorption of similar structure molecules under different pH is recognized easily from extracted ion chronograms. The variation trend of dyes signalling intensity with concentration of polyelectrolyte is studied as well, which reflects the effect of surface charge on dyes deposition. Additionally, the desorption area, surface morphology, and thicknesses of multilayer films are investigated using fluorescence microscope, scanning electron microscope (SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM), respectively. Because the desorption area was approximately as small as 2 mm², the distribution situation of organic dyes in an arbitrary position could be gained rapidly, which means DESI-MS has advantages on in situ analysis.

Comparing the Effects of Additives on Protein Analysis Between Desorption Electrospray (DESI) and Electrospray Ionization (ESI)

It is frequently said that DESI-MS follows a similar ionization mechanism as ESI because of similarities usually observed in their respective mass spectra. However, practical use of DESI-MS for protein analysis is limited to proteins with lower molecular weights (<?25 kDa) due to a mass-dependent loss in signal intensity. Here we investigated commonly used volatile acids and their ammonium salt buffers for DESI-MS analysis of protein. We noticed that, surprisingly, some additives influence the analysis differently in DESI compared to ESI. Improved signal intensities with both DESI and ESI were obtained when acetic and formic acid were added into aqueous methanol spray solvents with both DESI and ESI. On the other hand, while with ESI the addition of ammonium salts into spray solutions strongly reduced both signal and S/N, with DESI signal intensities and S/N were improved dramatically. Ammonium bicarbonate when used with DESI reduced the total amount of adduction and delivered excellent signal-to-noise ratios with high intensity; however, it also denatures protein. When native state protein mass spectra are preferred, ammonium acetate would also deliver reasonable adduct removal and improved S/N. The amount of total adduction of individual adducting species and of all species could not be correlated with differences in either solutions pH values or with proton affinities of the anions. An obvious difference between DESI and ESI mass spectrometry is the effects of protein solubility during droplet pickup (desorption), but differences in the sizes, velocities, and composition of ionizing droplets were also discussed as important factors.

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电喷雾解吸电离质谱快速测定吴茱萸中生物碱

生物碱是许多中草药的活性有效成分,其含量的多少和种类的差异是导致中草药品质差异的重要因素.本文利用电喷雾解吸电离质谱(DESI-MS)能够在不需要样品预处理的前提下进行复杂基体样品分析的特点,采用酸性甲醇-水混合溶液作为喷雾试剂,在优化了的实验条件下快速获得了吴茱萸的DESI-MS指纹谱图,然后利用串联质谱对其中有重要活性的5种生物碱进行了结构鉴定.实验表明,基于固体表面解吸电离质谱分析的方法不需要萃取-分离手续,单个样品测定时间不超过1.5 min,大幅度提高了分析速度,有望在药品品质的在线监测和工艺过程控制中发挥重要作用.     

High Pressure Super-Heated Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry for Sub-Critical Aqueous Solution

The heating of electrospray ion source under atmospheric pressure is limited to the normal boiling point of the solution. The boiling takes place when the vapor pressure of the liquid at a given temperature equals the ambient pressure. By using a high pressure ESI source, which has been developed previously in our laboratory, a stable electrospray ionization of super-heated aqueous solution is performed up to a solution temperature of 180°C. The ion source is pressurized with pure nitrogen to a maximum pressure of 11 atm, and it is coupled to a commercial mass spectrometer via a custom-made ion transport capillary. A booster pump with variable pumping speed is added to the pumping system to regulate the pressure in the first pumping stage at 1?~?1.3 Torr. High pressure mass spectrometry is performed on several peptides and proteins to demonstrate its application in the temperature-controlled thermally induced denaturation and dissociation. Graphical Abstract

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三氟乙酸增强的解吸电喷雾电离质谱成像用于脂质空间分布研究

将三氟乙酸添加到解吸电喷雾电离质谱的喷雾溶剂中,提高了对脂质的成像检测能力,使小鼠脑组织切片中能检测到的脂质种类从59种提高到71种.此外,该方法还可以促进脂质的质子化峰的形成并抑制钠和钾加合物的形成,有利于简化谱图解析过程并实现更好的定量分析.利用该方法实现了小鼠脑组织切片上多种脂质的空间相关性研究,为探索脂质间潜在的代谢途径提供了新手段,在神经学、临床等领域具有巨大的应用前景.     

Toward Depth-Resolved Analysis of Plant Metabolites by Nanospray Desorption Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry

Nanospray desorption electrospray ionization (nano-DESI) is one of the ambient desorption ionization methods for mass spectrometry (MS), and it utilizes a steady-state liquid junction formed between two microcapillaries to directly extract analytes from sample surfaces with minimal sample damage. In this study, we employed nano-DESI MS to perform a metabolite fingerprinting analysis directly from a Hypericum leaf surface. Moreover, we investigated whether changes in metabolite fingerprints with time can be related to metabolite distribution according to depth. From a raw Hypericum leaf, the mass spectral fingerprints of key metabolites, including flavonoids and prenylated phloroglucinols, were successfully obtained using ethanol as a nano-DESI solvent, and the changes in their intensities were observed with time via full mass scan experiments. In addition, the differential extraction patterns of the obtained mass spectral fingerprints were clearly visualized over time through selected ion monitoring and pseudo-selected reaction monitoring experiments. To examine the correlation between the time-dependent changes in the metabolite fingerprints and depth-wise metabolite distribution, we performed a nano-DESI MS analysis against leaves whose surface layers were removed multiple times by forming polymeric gum Arabic films on their surfaces, followed by detaching. The preliminary results showed that the changes in the metabolite fingerprints according to the number of peelings showed a similar pattern with those obtained from the raw leaves over time.     

解析电喷雾质谱法对感冒药中对乙酰氨基酚的快速检测

基于常压质谱的直接、快速、无需样品预处理检测的优势,该文拓展了其在药物质检领域的应用。采用自行搭建的解析电喷雾(DESI)装置,对常用感冒药对乙酰氨基酚片进行快速质谱检测,无需样品预处理,直接获得药片中有效成分的分子结构信息。为克服基质差异对定量分析的影响,以淀粉为基质构建对乙酰氨基酚模拟药片,在优化的基础上进行定量实验。针对实际药片中高浓度对乙酰氨基酚检测的需要,研究了其在较高浓度范围的定量关系,结果显示,方法对0.35～4.52 mg/mm²范围内的对乙酰氨基酚具有较好的线性关系(r²=0.998 2),定量下限为1.903 ng/mm²,检出限为0.237 ng/mm²,加标回收率为102%～114%。对3种市售的对乙酰氨基酚片进行直接检测,与厂家提供的标准数据相比,相对标准偏差(RSD)为7.2%～12%,表明方法具有较好准确度。该工作很好地证明了DESI-MS在药品快检中的优势,从而为药品质检提供了潜在的高效、可靠的检测手段。     

Laser Desorption Ionization Versus Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry: Applications in the Analysis of Cluster Anions

Mass spectra of transition metal carbonyl cluster anions were recorded using laser desorption ionization time-of-flight (LDI-TOF) and electrospray ionization (ESI) techniques. The LDI spectra generally contain peaks corresponding the intact cluster together with extensive CO loss fragments ions whereas the ESI spectra exhibit peaks corresponding the intact cluster together with few (if any) CO loss fragment ions. The parameters of both techniques can be modified to vary the extent of fragmentation. In all cases no fragmentation of the metal core is observed. Overall, ESI is a more informative method for the analysis of these types of cluster anions.     

铼联吡啶配合物的电喷雾质谱研究

利用电喷雾质谱（ESI-MS）对2，2'-联吡啶-4,4'-二羧酸乙酯与过渡金属铼的 系列配合物[（4,4'-(OOEt)_2-bpy)Re(CO)_3RPF_6] [其中bpy = 2,2'-联吡啶，R = 吡啶、4-甲基吡啶、4-羟基吡啶、4-氨基吡啶、10-（4-甲基吡啶基）吩噻嗪（ py-PTZ）进行分析，研究了配合物及其配体在不同源内CID(in-source collision induced dissociation, in-source CID)的相对稳定性。结果表明，随着源内 CID电压的升高，配合物中的配体R容易脱落并形成稳定的联吡啶三羰配位离子[(4, 4'(COOEt)_2-bpy)Re(CO)_3]~+。配体脱落从易到难的顺序为：吡啶 > 4-甲基吡啶 >-甲基吡啶>4-羟基吡啶>4-氨基吡啶>py-PTZ。     

Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry of Palladium(II) Quinolinylaminophosphonate Complexes

The mass spectrometric behavior of palladium(II) halide complexes of three types of quinolinylaminophosphonates, diethyl and dibutyl esters of [α-anilino-(quinolin-2-yl)methyl]phosphonic (L1, L2), [α-anilino-(quinolin-3-yl)methyl]phosphonic (L3, L4), and [α-(quinolin-3-ylamino)-N-benzyl]phosphonic acid (L5, L6), was investigated under positive ion electrospray ionization conditions. Each type of ligand forms complexes with different metal–ligand interactions. Mononuclear dihalide adducts cis-[Pd(L1/L2)X₂] (1–4) and trans-[Pd(L3/L4)₂X₂] (5–8) as well as dinuclear tetrahalide complexes [Pd₂(L5/L6)₃X₄] (9–12) (X = Cl, Br) are formed by metal bonding either through the quinoline or both the quinoline and amino nitrogen atoms. The sodiated molecule [M + Na]⁺ is observed in the mass spectra of all the complexes, and its abundance as well as the fragmentation pathway depend on the type of the complex. In the cis complexes (1–4) the initial decomposition goes under two fragmentation routes: those in which the sodium molecular adduct sequentially loses halides HX/NaX and those in which this loss is in the competition with the loss of dialkyl phosphite. The predominant pathways for decomposition of trans dihalide (5–8) and tetrahalide (9–12) complexes include three competitive reactions; the loss of halides, dialkyl phosphites and the intact phosphonate ligand molecule and its fragments formed by ester dissociation or complete loss of the phosphonate ester moiety. A series of acetonitrile adducts and cluster ions derived from dimolecular clusters [2M + Na]⁺ were also detected. The most important fragmentation patterns are rationalized and supported by the MS ⁿ studies.     

电喷雾解吸电离质谱法直接测定蔬菜表面的莠去津残留

莠去津为一种选择性的高效除草剂,长期以来广泛用于我国东北和华北玉米、高粱、果园地除草.     

Liquid Injection Field Desorption Ionization Mass Spectrometry of Cyclic Metal Carbonyl Complexes with Tetra-Antimony Ligands

Reactions of (norbornadiene)Cr(CO)₄ or cis-(piperidine)₂Mo(CO)₄ with R₂Sb-SbR₂, and cyclo-(R′Sb)_n (R′ = Et, n-Pr; n = 4, 5) give the complexes cyclo-[M(CO)₄(R₂Sb-SbR′- SbR′-SbR₂)] (1: M = Cr, R = Me, R′= Et; 2: M = Mo, R = Et, R′ = Et; 3: M = Mo, R = Et, R′ = n-Pr). Not accessible to established characterization methods, the oily, extremely reactive unpurified mixture of 3 with scrambled ligands was characterized by mass spectrometry using liquid injection field desorption ionization (LIFDI).      

Detection of Attomole Amounts of Analyte by Desorption Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry (DESI-MS) Determined Using Fluorescence Spectroscopy

We report the use of fluorescence spectroscopy to investigate the amount of material removed from a PTFE surface and detected during desorption electrospray ionization (DESI) mass spectrometry measurements. The fluorescence intensity before and after DESI analysis of rhodamine 6G is used to determine the amount of material removed from the surface per mass spectrum. Calculations indicate low attomole amounts are removed per linear ion trap mass spectrum.