Liquid chromatographic/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometric study of the phenolic composition of cocoa (Theobroma cacao)

Liquid chromatography coupled with ionspray mass spectrometry in the tandem mode (LC/MS/MS) with negative ion detection was used for the identification of a variety of phenolic compounds in a cocoa sample. Gradient elution with water and acetonitrile, both containing 0.1% HCOOH, was used. Standard solutions of 31 phenolic compounds, including benzoic and cinnamic acids and flavonoid compounds, were studied in the negative ion mode using MS/MS product ion scans. At low collisional activation, the deprotonated molecule [M - H](-) was observed for all the compounds studied. For cinnamic and benzoic acids, losses of CO(2) or formation of [M - CH(3)](-*) in the case of methoxylated compounds were observed. However, for flavonol and flavone glycosides, the spectra present both the deprotonated molecule [M - H](-) of the glycoside and the ion corresponding to the deprotonated aglycone [A - H](-). The latter ion is formed by loss of the rhamnose, glucose, galactose or arabinose residue from the glycosides. Different fragmentation patterns were observed in MS/MS experiments for flavone-C-glycosides which showed fragmentation in the sugar part. Fragmentation of aglycones provided characteristic ions for each family of flavonoids. The optimum LC/MS/MS conditions were applied to the characterization of a cocoa sample that had been subjected to an extraction/clean-up procedure which involved chromatography on Sephadex LH20 and thin-layer chromatographic monitoring. In addition to compounds described in the literature, such as epicatechin and catechin, quercetin, isoquercitrin (quercetin-3-O-glucoside) and quercetin-3-O-arabinose, other compounds were identified for the first time in cocoa samples, such as hyperoside (quercetin-3-O-galactoside), naringenin, luteolin, apigenin and some O-glucosides and C-glucosides of these compounds.     

Quantitative analysis of the P-glycoprotein inhibitor Elacridar (GF120918) in human and dog plasma using liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometric detection

A liquid chromatographic/tandem mass spectrometric (LC/MS/MS) method for the determination of the P-glycoprotein and breast cancer resistance protein inhibitor Elacridar in human and dog plasma is described. The internal standard was stable isotopically labelled Elacridar. Sample pretreatment involved liquid-liquid extraction with tert-butyl methyl ether. Analysis of Elacridar and internal standard was performed by reversed-phase LC on a basic stable minibore analytical column with an eluent consisting of acetonitrile and aqueous ammonia. An API-2000 triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer with an electrospray ion source was used in the positive-ion multiple reaction monitoring mode. The run time per sample was only 6 min. The method is sensitive and specific, with a dynamic range from 1 to 500 ng ml(-1) from 100 microl of human or dog plasma. The accuracy of the method was within 15% bias and the precision was lower than 15% for all tested concentration levels and in both matrices. The method is simple and the liquid-liquid extraction produces clean samples. This method was successfully applied to support the pharmacokinetics of a clinical trial in which orally applied Elacridar was used as a bioavailability enhancer.     

甘草化学成分的高效液相色谱-串联质谱分析

采用高效液相色谱-质谱联用方法分析了甘草(Glycyrrhiza uralensis)中的化学成分。通过高效液相色谱可将三萜、黄酮及香豆素等50余种化学成分较好的分离。根据紫外光谱可大致判断其化合物类型,由电喷雾质谱得到各成分的分子量,再由串联质谱获得进一步的结构信息,进而推测出其中22个主要成分的可能结构。它们分别是：葡糖基甘草甙、异光果甘草甙、夏拂托甙、甘草素-4′-芹糖甙,甘草甙,6′-乙酰甘草甙,异佛来心甙,异甘草素葡萄糖芹菜甙,甘草糖甙A,甘草糖甙B,甘草素,3．0-[β-D-葡萄糖醛酸甲酯-(1→2)-β-D-葡萄糖醛酸]-24-羟基-甘草内酯,甘草皂甙E2,异甘草素,甘草醇,甘草酸,甘草香豆素,甘草双氢异黄酮,甘草异黄酮甲,乌拉尔甘草皂甙乙,新甘草酚和甘草皂甙B2。     

Identification of four cornua by ultra‐performance liquid chromatography with time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry coupled with principal component analysis

An ultra‐high performance liquid chromatography with quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry method coupled with principal component analysis was developed and applied to the identification of Cornu Antelopis, Cornu Bubali, Cornu Naemorhedi, and Cornu Bovis. The data obtained from the trypsin‐digested samples were subjected to principal component analysis to classify these four cornua. Additionally, marker peptides of the cornua were determined by orthogonal partial least‐squares discriminant analysis, and fragmentation tandem mass spectra of these marker peptides were evaluated. The results from this study indicate that the proposed method is reliable, and it has been successfully applied to the identification of variants of cornua commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine.     

辽东楤木叶中皂苷Congmuyenoside B(2)的分离与鉴定

本研究实现了对辽东楤木叶中Congmuyenoside B(2)的分离与鉴定。研究中采用大孔吸附树脂提取法和硅胶柱层析法对其分离,应用HPLC色谱法和薄层色谱法对纯度进行分析,利用电喷雾多级串联质谱结合核磁共振和红外光谱对该化合物的结构进行分析鉴定。本提取分离法操作简便,提高了分离化合物的纯度。HPLC色谱法灵敏度高,结果准确、减少了质谱及其它色谱中的杂质峰对化合物鉴定的干扰,结构准确,可靠。     

Simultaneous pharmacokinetics and stability studies of physalins in rat plasma and intestinal bacteria culture media using liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry

Physalins are the major steroidal constituent of Physalis plants and display a range of biological activities. For this study, a rapid and sensitive high‐performance liquid chromatography with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry method was developed for the simultaneous quantification of six physalins. Specifically, it was for the quantification of physalin A, physalin B, physalin D, physalin G, 4,7‐didehydroneophysalin B, and isophysalin B in rat plasma and rat intestinal bacteria. After a solid‐phase extraction, analytes and internal standards (prednisolone) were separated on a Shield reverse‐phase C18 column (measuring 3 mm × 150 mm with an internal diameter of 3.5 μm) and determined using multiple reactions in a monitoring mode with a positive‐ion electrospray ionization source. The mobile phase was a mixture of 0.1% formic acid in water (A) and acetonitrile (B) and was used at a flow rate of 0.6 mL/min. The intra‐ and interday precisions were within 15% with accuracies ranging from 86.2 to 114%. The method was validated and successfully applied to pharmacokinetics and stability studies of six physalins in rat plasma and rat intestinal bacteria, respectively. The results showed that physalin B and isophysalin B could not be absorbed by rats, and rat intestinal bacteria could quickly transform physalins.     

Lipemia in the Plasma Sample Affects Fentanyl Measurements by Means of HPLC-MS2 after Liquid-Liquid Extraction

Examination of fentanyl levels is frequently performed in certain scientific evaluations and forensic toxicology. It often involves the collection of very variable blood samples, including lipemic plasma or serum. To date, many works have reported the methods for fentanyl detection, but none of them have provided information about the impact on the assay performance caused by an excessive amount of lipids. This aspect may be, however, very important for highly lipophilic drugs like fentanyl. To address this issue, we developed the liquid chromatography method with mass spectrometry detection and utilized it to investigate the impact of lipids presence in rabbit plasma on the analytical method performance and validation. The validation procedure, conducted for normal plasma and lipemic plasma separately, resulted in good selectivity, sensitivity and linearity. The limits of detection and quantification were comparable between the two matrices, being slightly lower in normal plasma (0.005 and 0.015 µg/L) than in lipemic plasma (0.008 and 0.020 µg/L). Liquid–liquid extraction provided a low matrix effect regardless of the lipid levels in the samples (<10%), but pronounced differences were found in the recovery and accuracy. In the normal plasma, this parameter was stable and high (around 100%), but in the lipemic matrix, much more variable and less efficient results were obtained. Nevertheless, this difference had no impact on repeatability and reproducibility. In the present work, we provided reliable, convenient and sensitive method for fentanyl detection in the normal and lipemic rabbit plasma. However, construction of two separate validation curves was necessary to provide adequate results since the liquid-liquid extraction was utilized. Therefore, special attention should be paid during fentanyl quantification that involves lipemic plasma samples purified by this technique.     

超高效液相色谱-串联质谱法同时测定化妆品中的22种磺胺类药物

建立了同时测定化妆品中22种磺胺类药物(磺胺胍、磺胺、磺胺嘧啶、磺胺二甲异嘧啶、磺胺醋酰、磺胺噻唑、磺胺吡啶、磺胺甲基嘧啶、磺胺对甲氧嘧啶、磺胺二甲噁唑、磺胺二甲嘧啶、磺胺甲噻二唑、磺胺甲氧哒嗪、琥珀酰磺胺噻唑、磺胺氯哒嗪、磺胺甲基异噁唑、磺胺间甲氧嘧啶、磺胺邻二甲氧嘧啶、磺胺二甲异噁唑、磺胺间二甲氧嘧啶、磺胺喹噁啉、磺胺硝苯)的超高效液相色谱-串联质谱分析方法。膏霜、水剂、散粉、香波、唇膏等不同类型的化妆品样品经超声提取后,以Waters ACQUITY UPLC BEH C18色谱柱(50 mm×2.1 mm,1.7μm)分离后进行UPLC/MS/MS多反应监测模式下的定性及定量分析。22种磺胺类药物的方法检出限为3.5~14.1μg/kg;在低、中、高的3个添加水平范围内的平均回收率为80.3%~103.6%;日内精密度均小于12%,日间精密度均小于15%。     

液相色谱串联质谱法测定酒类中甜蜜素含量的探讨和改进

对SN／T1948-2007《进出口食品中环基氨基磺酸钠的检测方法液相色谱-串联质谱》中关于酒类中环己基氨基磺酸钠含量测定方法存在的问题进行探讨和改进。使用氮吹仪去除样品中含有的乙醇,通过C18色谱柱进行分离,以0．1％甲酸水溶液-甲醇作为流动相,在ESI负离子模式下检测。环己基氨基磺酸纳含量在10—10（3ng／mL的范围内与峰面积有良好的线性关系,相关系数r=0．9996,检出限为0．01mg／kg。在两个添加水平下,样品的加标回收率分别为99．5％,99．9％,测定结果的相对标准偏差为0．1％（n=6）。改进后的方法准确、可靠,可用于酒类产品中甜蜜素的定量定性检验。     

Fast analysis of 19 anabolic steroids in bovine tissues by high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry

For the detection of 19 steroid hormones in bovine muscle, a fast and sensitive liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry method was developed using both positive and negative ionization mode. Chromatographic separation on Poroshell 120‐EC C18 column was achieved in less than 10 min using isocratic elution of mobile phase of acetonitrile/methanol/water. The compounds were extracted from muscle tissue using ethyl acetate and quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe technique. The purification of the obtained extract was performed by dispersive solid‐phase extraction with sorbents C18, primary secondary amine and magnesium sulphate. The method was validated in accordance with the Commission Decision 2002/657/EC. For all steroids tested good recoveries were obtained (from 51.2 to 121.4%) in the concentration range from decision limits until 5 µg/kg. The values of decision limits and the detection capabilities for individual compounds were in the range 0.10–0.48 and 0.17–0.95 µg/kg, respectively. The method was characterized by satisfactory linearity for most compounds (correlation coefficients  > 0.99) and the reproducibility was lower than 35%. The elaborated procedure has met the criteria for confirmatory methods and is currently used in the official control of hormones.     

液相色谱-串联质谱法测定头发中10种蛋白同化激素

建立了同时测定头发中10种蛋白同化激素液相色谱-串联质谱(LC/MS/MS)分析方法。头发样品经NaOH消解、戊烷液液提取后,用反相液相色谱分离,电喷雾正离子源进行离子化,用多反应监测方式(MRM)对这10种蛋白同化激素的母离子及子离子进行监测,三重四极杆质谱测定。10种蛋白同化激素的检出限为1~20ng/g;相对标准偏差(RSD)为1.72%~13.77%;回收率为38.20%~110.38%;线性回归系数(R2)为0.9958~0.9999。本方法简便快速、灵敏度高、专属性强,可满足在兴奋剂检测或毒物分析中对毛发中蛋白同化激素测定的要求。     

Plasma lipid analysis by hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry

A novel method for the analysis of endogenous lipids and related compounds was developed employing hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. A hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography with carbamoyl stationary phase achieved clear separation of phosphatidylcholine, lysophosphatidylcholine, sphingomyelin, ceramide, and mono‐hexsosyl ceramide groups with good peak area repeatability (RSD% < 10) and linearity (R² > 0.99). The established method was applied to human plasma assays and a total of 117 endogenous lipids were successfully detected and reproducibly identified. In addition, we investigated the simultaneous detection of small polar metabolites such as amino and organic acids co‐existing in the same biological samples processed in a single analytical run with lipids. Our results show that hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography is a useful tool for human plasma lipidome analysis and offers more comprehensive metabolome coverage.     

Simultaneous quantitation of 17 female sex hormones in illegal products by validated liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry methods

The consumption of food and drugs adulterated with female sex hormones can have an extremely adverse effect on human health. Therefore, developing appropriate monitoring methods for the identification of various exogenous female sex hormones is crucial for minimizing and eliminating the related health risks. Herein, 17 female hormones categorized into two groups: estrogen and progestin, were analyzed using reversed-phase liquid chromatography coupled to Orbitrap or triple quadrupole mass spectrometry. The fragmentation patterns for all compounds were discovered, and fragmented structures were also derived from them through liquid chromatography–high-resolution mass spectrometry followed by qualitative sample analysis. In addition, a quantitative analysis of 67 samples of illicit drugs and dietary supplements was performed using the validated liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method. Female hormone components were detected in two samples of an unauthorized injectable solution and a tablet-type drug. Medroxyprogesterone was detected in the samples in the range of 96.4–206 ng/g. Notably, eight components similar in structure to steroids were simultaneously detected as male sex hormones by confirming their fragmentation ion patterns using liquid chromatography–high-resolution mass spectrometry. The developed methods thus offer a dependable and practically applicable approach for the screening and detection of exogenous female sex hormones in real food and drug samples to ensure public health.     

Quantification of urinary N-acetyl-S- (propionamide)cysteine using an on-line clean-up system coupled with liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry

Acrylamide has been reported to be present in high-temperature processed foods and normal processed food intake could lead to significant acrylamide exposure. Acrylamide in vivo can be conjugated with glutathione in the presence of glutathione transferase. This conjugation product is further metabolized and excreted as N-acetyl-S-(propionamide)cysteine (NASPC) in the urine. NASPC could be considered a biomarker for acrylamide exposure. The objective of this study was to develop a highly specific, rapid and sensitive method to quantify urinary NASPC, serving as a biomarker for acrylamide exposure assessment. Isotope-labeled [13C3]NASPC was successfully synthesized and used as an internal standard. This urine mixture was directly analyzed using a newly developed liquid chromatographic/tandem mass spectrometric method coupled with an on-line clean-up system. The detection limit for this method was estimated as < 5 microg l(-1)(0.4 pmol) on-column. The method was applied to measure the urinary level of NASPC in 70 apparently health subjects. The results showed that the NASPC urinary level was highly associated with smoking. Smokers had a significantly higher urinary NASPC level (135 +/- 88 microg g(-1) creatinine) than non-smokers (76 +/- 30 microg g(-1) creatinine). A highly sensitive and selective LC/MS/MS isotope dilution method was successfully established. With an on-line clean-up system, this system is capable of routine high-throughput analysis and accurate quantitation of NASPC in urine. This could be a useful tool for health surveillance for acrylamide exposure in a population for future study.     

Mass spectrometry in the structural analysis of flavonoids

Flavonoids are very common and widespread secondary plant metabolites. They have a wide range of biological and physiological activities and serve as chemotaxonomic marker compounds. Therefore, they have been extensively investigated both in the past and during recent years. The interest in them is still increasing. In the search for new compounds, and also in quality control, there is a need to have reliable methodology for the analysis of flavonoids. Mass spectrometry can make an invaluable contribution because of its high sensitivity, possibilities of coupling with liquid chromatography and the availability of powerful tandem mass spectrometric techniques. A review of currently available mass spectrometric methodology used in the structure elucidation of flavonoids is presented. Sample preparation, liquid chromatographic/mass spectrometric analysis and tandem mass spectrometric procedures for the characterization of flavonoid aglycones, O-glycosides, C-glycosides and acylated glycosides are considered.     

液相色谱-串联质谱法同时测定人血清中皮质酮与皮质醇

建立了同时测定人血清中皮质酮和皮质醇的液相色谱-串联质谱法。血清经正己烷除脂净化、叔丁基甲醚提取后,以乙腈-0.1%甲酸溶液(含0.01 mol/L甲酸铵)为流动相,流速为0.3 mL/min。用Agilent E-clipse Plus-C18色谱柱(150 mm×2.1 mm,3.5μm)分离,正离子模式下进行串联质谱检测。皮质酮和皮质醇浓度在0.5～200 ng/mL范围内线性关系良好,相关系数(r2)分别为0.999 7、0.999 4。皮质酮和皮质醇分别在5.0、25.0、75.0 ng/mL和0.5、2.5、10.0 ng/mL 3个加标水平下的平均回收率为86.6%～102.7%,相对标准偏差不大于7.1%,检出限分别为0.1 ng/mL和0.05 ng/mL。该方法操作简便、灵敏度高、重现性好、定性定量准确,适用于同时测定血清中的内皮质酮和皮质醇。     

Identification of degradation products of indigoids by tandem mass spectrometry

The study concerns identification of photodegradation products of indigotin, indirubin and isoindigo. Experimental methodology consists of degradation of standard solutions of indigoids in a solar box and analysis of samples taken at different aging time by using capillary high‐performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometric and spectrophotometric detectors. Identification of the formed compounds was based on careful interpretation of the electrospray ionization MS/MS spectra. Apart from the well‐known degradation products of indigoids: isatin, isatoic anhydride and anthranilic acid, another seven species were also identified, and their proposed structures were confirmed by high‐resolution molecular masses measurements; according to the best knowledge of authors, they have not been reported so far. The obtained results formed the basis for postulating mechanism of the process. Moreover, the MRM (Multiple Reaction Monitoring) method was developed for the identification of natural dyes and their degradation products in textiles of historical value. Apart from such colorants as indigotin and flavonoids, also presence of degradation products of indigoids was confirmed. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Simultaneous determination of Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol, 11-hydroxy-Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol and 11-nor-9-carboxy- Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol in human plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry

A rapid and sensitive method for the simultaneous confirmatory analysis of three forensic most relevant cannabinoids, Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), 11-hydroxy-Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (11-OH-THC) and 11-nor-9-carboxy-Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC-COOH), by means of high-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) in human plasma was developed and fully validated. Sample clean-up was performed by automated silica-based solid-phase extraction and the separation was carried out using a PhenylHexyl column (50 x 2 mm i.d., 3 micro m) and acetonitrile-5 mM ammonium acetate gradient elution. Data were acquired with an API 3000 LC/MS/MS system equipped with a turboionspray interface and triple quadrupole mass analyzer using positive electrospray ionization and multiple reaction monitoring. Two MS/MS transitions for each substance were monitored and deuterated analogues of analytes were used as internal standards for quantitation. The limit of quantitation was 0.8 ng ml(-1) for THC, 0.8 ng ml(-1) for 11-OH-THC and 4.3 ng ml(-1) for THC-COOH and linearity with a correlation coefficient r(2) = 0.999 was achieved up to 100 ng ml(-1) for THC and 11-OH-THC and 500 ng ml(-1) for THC-COOH. The limits of detection were 0.2 ng ml(-1) for THC, 0.2 ng ml(-1) for 11-OH-THC and 1.6 ng ml(-1) for THC-COOH. The developed LC/MS/MS method was also successfully used for the determination of THC-COOH-glucuronide, the phase II metabolite of THC-COOH.     

超高效液相色谱-电喷雾串联质谱法同时测定大豆中107种除草剂残留

采用超高效液相色谱-电喷雾串联四极杆质谱仪(UPLC-ESI-MS-MS),在多反应监测(MRM)模式下建立了测定大豆中107种除草剂残留的定性定量分析方法。方法中的除草剂,覆盖了日本"肯定列表"中规定的大部分除草剂。样品分别用乙腈和V(乙腈)∶V(50mmol/LHCl)=7∶3混合液各提取一次,合并提取液,并与N-丙基乙二胺(PSA)混合去除色素,然后通过冷冻离心去除脂肪,再经过500mgC18小柱进一步净化,得到样品溶液。使用ACQuityUPLCTMBEHC18反相柱,流动相为0.2%甲酸溶液和乙腈,在梯度条件下分析;目标分析物使用超高效液相色谱-电喷雾串联质谱进行测定;以保留时间和离子对(母离子和一个碎片离子)信息比较进行定性和定量。该法的定量限为0.1～50μg/kg。添加水平在0.05～2μg/kg范围内,多数除草剂的加标回收率为58%～130%,相对标准偏差为4.3%～23%。本方法简便、有效、灵敏。适合大豆中残留的多种除草剂筛查检测的需要。     

Determination of ivermectin B(1a) in animal plasma by liquid chromatography combined with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

A novel, sensitive and specific method for the quantitative determination of ivermectin B(1a) in animal plasma using liquid chromatography combined with positive electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC/ESI-MS/MS) is presented. Abamectin was used as the internal standard. Extraction of the samples was performed with a deproteinization step using acetonitrile. Chromatographic separation was achieved on a Nucleosil ODS 5 microm column, using gradient elution with 0.2% (v/v) acetic acid in water and 0.2% (v/v) acetic acid in acetonitrile. The method was validated according to the requirements defined by the European Community. Calibration curves using plasma fortified between 1 and 100 ng ml(-1) showed a good linear correlation (r > or = 0.9989, goodness-of-fit coefficient < or =8.1%). The trueness at 2 and 25 ng ml(-1) (n = 6) was +4.2 and -17.1%, respectively. The trueness and between-run precision for the analysis of quality control samples at 25 ng ml(-1) was -4.0 and 11.0%, respectively (n = 16). The limit of quantification of the method was 1.0 ng ml(-1), for which the trueness and precision also fell within acceptable limits. Using a signal-to-noise ratio of 3 : 1, the limit of detection was calculated to be 0.2 ng ml(-1). The specificity was demonstrated with respect to ivermectin B(1b).The method was successfully used for the quantitative determination of ivermectin B(1a) in plasma samples from treated bovines, demonstrating the usefulness of the developed method for application in the field of pharmacokinetics.