HPLC‐DAD and HPLC‐ESI‐MS separation,determination and identification of the spin‐labeled diastereoisomers of podophyllotoxin

Spin‐labeled nitroxide derivatives of podophyllotoxin had better antitumor activity and less toxicity than that of the parent compounds. However, the 2‐H configurations of these spin‐labeled derivatives cannot be determined by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) methods. In the present paper, a high‐performance liquid chromatography‐diode array detection (HPLC‐DAD) and a high‐performance liquid chromatography‐electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC‐ESI/MS/MS) method were developed and validated for the separation, identification of four pairs of diastereoisomers of spin‐labeled derivatives of podophyllotoxin at C‐2 position. In the HPLC‐ESI/MS spectra, each pair of diastereoisomers of the spin‐labeled derivatives in the mixture was directly confirmed and identified by [M+H]⁺ ions and ion ratios of relative abundance of [M‐ROH+H]⁺ (ion 397) to [M+H]⁺. When the [M‐ROH+H]⁺ ions (at m/z 397) were selected as the precursor ions to perform the MS/MS product ion scan. The product ions at m/z 313, 282, and 229 were the common diagnostic ions. The ion ratios of relative abundance of the [M‐ROH+H]⁺ (ion 397) to [M+H]⁺, [A+H]⁺ (ion 313) to [M‐ROH+H]⁺, [A+H‐OCH₃]⁺ (ion 282) to [M‐ROH+H]⁺ and [M‐ROH‐ArH+H]⁺ (ion 229) to [M‐ROH+H]⁺ of each pair of diastereoisomers of the derivatives specifically exhibited a stereochemical effect. Thus, by using identical chromatographic conditions, the combination of DAD and MS/MS data permitted the separation and identification of the four pairs of diastereoisomers of spin‐labeled derivatives of podophyllotoxin at C‐2 in the mixture.     

Simultaneous Determination Baicalin and Forsythin in Shuanghuanglian Oral Liquid by HPLC/DAD and LC‐ESI‐MS

Rapid, simple and reliable HPLC/DAD and LC‐ESI‐MS methods for the simultaneous determination of baicalin and forsythin in the traditional Chinese medicinal preparation Shuanghuanglian oral liquid were described and validated. The separation condition for HPLC/DAD was optimized using a BDS hypersil C18 column (Thermo, 2.1 × 150 mm, particle size 5 μm) by gradient elution using methanol‐0.2 % ammonium acetate as the mobile phase. The suitable detection wavelength was set at 277 nm for the quantitative analysis of baicalin and forsythin in this method. Some operational parameters of the ESI interface were optimized, negative m/z 445[M?H]^? for baicalin and negative m/z 593[M+CH₃COO]^? for forsythin, positive m/z 447[M+H]⁺ for baicalin and positive m/z 552[M+NH 4]⁺ for forsythin, respectively. These HPLC/DAD and LC‐ESI‐MS methods were validated in terms of recovery, linearity, accuracy and precision (intra‐ and inter‐day validation). These methods can be used as a complementary method for the commercial quality control of Shuanghuanglian oral liquid and its pharmaceutical preparations.     

Diastereochemical differentiation of bicyclic diols using metal complexation and collision‐induced dissociation mass spectrometry

Metal complex formation was investigated for di‐exo‐, di‐endo‐ and trans‐2,3‐ and 2,5‐disubstituted trinorbornanediols, and di‐exo‐ and di‐endo‐ 2,3‐disubstituted camphanediols using different divalent transition metals (Co²⁺, Ni²⁺, Cu²⁺) and electrospray ionization quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometry. Many metal‐coordinated complex ions were formed for cobalt and nickel: [2M+Met]²⁺, [3M+Met]²⁺, [M–H+Met]⁺, [2M–H+Met]⁺, [M+MetX]⁺, [2M+MetX]⁺ and [3M–H+Co]⁺, where M is the diol, Met is the metal used and X is the counter ion (acetate, chloride, nitrate). Copper showed the weakest formation of metal complexes with di‐exo‐2,3‐disubstituted trinorbornanediol yielding only the minor singly charged ions [M–H+Cu]⁺, [2M–H+Cu]⁺ and [2M+CuX]⁺. No clear differences were noted for cobalt complex formation, especially for cis‐2,3‐disubstituted isomers. However, 2,5‐disubstituted trinorbornanediols showed moderate diastereomeric differentiation because of the unidentate nature of the sterically more hindered exo‐isomer. trans‐Isomers gave rise to abundant [3M–H+Co]⁺ ion products, which may be considered a characteristic ion for bicyclo[221]heptane trans‐2,3‐ and trans‐2,5‐diols. To differentiate cis‐2,3‐isomers, the collision‐induced dissociation (CID) products for [3M+Co]²⁺, [M+CoOAc]⁺, [2M–H+Co]⁺ and [2M+CoOAc]⁺ cobalt complexes were investigated. The results of the CID of the monomeric and dimeric metal adduct complexes [M+CoOAc]⁺ and [2M–H+Co]⁺ were stereochemically controlled and could be used for stereochemical differentiation of the compounds investigated. In addition, the structures and relative energies of some complex ions were studied using hybrid density functional theory calculations. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Ion‐pairing high‐performance liquid chromatography‐mass spectrometry of impurities and reduction products of sulphonated azodyes

An HPLC separation method with triethylammonium acetate mobile phase additive developed for the analysis of impurities in polysulphonated azo dyes provides good separation selectivity and compatibility with electrospray ionisation (ESI) mass spectrometry. The negative‐ion ESI mass spectra containing only peaks of deprotonated molecules [M–H]^– for monosulphonic acids, [M–xH]^x–, and sodiated adducts [M–(x + y)H + yNa]^x– for polysulphonic acids allow easy molecular mass determination of unknown impurities. Based on the knowledge of the molecular masses and of the fragment ions in the MS/MS spectra, probable structures of trace impurities in commercial dye samples are proposed. To assist in the interpretation of the mass spectra of complex polysulphonated azodyes, additional information can be obtained after chemical reduction of azodyes to aromatic amines. The structures of the non‐sulphonated reduction products can be determined by reversed‐phase HPLC/MS with positive‐ion atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation and of the sulphonated products by ion‐pairing HPLC/MS with negative‐ion ESI.     

Simultaneous Determination of Tramadol and Acetaminophen in Human Plasma by LC–ESI–MS

This study presents a high-performance liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization–mass spectrometric (LC–ESI–MS) method for the simultaneous determination of tramadol and acetaminophen in human plasma using phenacetinum as the internal standard. After alkalization with saturated sodium bicarbonate, both compounds were extracted from human plasma with ethyl acetate and were separated by HPLC on a Hanbon LiChrospher CN column with a mobile phase of 10 mM ammonium acetate buffer containing 0.5% formic acid–methanol (40:60, v/v) at a flow rate of 1 mL min⁻¹. Analytes were determined using electrospray ionization in a single quadrupole mass spectrometer. LC–ESI–MS was performed in the positive selected-ion monitoring (SIM) mode using target ions at [M+H]⁺ m/z 264.3 for tramadol, [M+H]⁺ m/z 152.2 for acetaminophen and [M+H]⁺ m/z 180.2 for phenacetinum. Calibration curves were linear over the range of 5–600 ng mL⁻¹ for tramadol and 0.03–16 μg mL⁻¹ for acetaminophen. The inter-run relative standard deviations were less than 14.4% for tramadol and 12.3% for acetaminophen. The intra-run relative standard deviations were less than 9.3% for tramadol and 7.9% for acetaminophen. The mean plasma extraction recovery for tramadol and acetaminophen were in the ranges of 82.7–85.9 and 83.6–85.3%. The method was applied to study the pharmacokinetics of a new formulation of tramadol/acetaminophen tablet in healthy Chinese volunteers.     

Sodiation as a tool for enhancing the diagnostic value of MALDI‐TOF/TOF‐MS spectra of complex astaxanthin ester mixtures from Haematococcus pluvialis

The microalga Haematococcus pluvialis produces the pigment astaxanthin mainly in esterified form with a multitude of fatty acids, which results in a complex mixture of carotenol mono‐ and diesters. For rapid fingerprinting of these esters, matrix‐assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI‐TOF/TOF‐MS) might be an alternative to traditional chromatographic separation combined with MS. Investigation of ionization and fragmentation of astaxanthin mono‐ and diester palmitate standards in MALDI‐TOF/TOF‐MS showed that sodium adduct parent masses [M + Na]⁺ gave much simpler MS² spectra than radical / protonated [M]^+● / [M + H]⁺ parents. [M + Na]⁺ fragments yielded diagnostic polyene‐specific eliminations and fatty acid neutral losses, whereas [M]^+● / [M + H]⁺ fragmentation resulted in a multitude of non‐diagnostic daughters. For diesters, a benzonium fragment, formed by polyene elimination, was required for identification of the second fatty acid attached to the astaxanthin backbone. Parents were forced into [M + Na]⁺ ionization by addition of sodium acetate, and best signal‐to‐noise ratios were obtained in the 0.1 to 1.0 mM range. This method was applied to fingerprinting astaxanthin esters in a crude H. pluvialis extract. Prior to MALDI‐TOF/TOF‐MS, the extract was fractionated by normal phase Flash chromatography to obtain fractions enriched in mono‐ and diesters and to remove pheophytin a, which compromised monoester signals. All 12 types of all‐trans esterified esters found in LC were identified with MALDI‐TOF/TOF‐MS, with the exception of two minor monoesters. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Fragmentation pathways of 2,3‐dimethyl‐2,3‐dinitrobutane cations in the gas phase

2,3‐Dimethyl‐2,3‐dinitrobutane (DMNB) is an explosive taggant added to plastic explosives during manufacture making them more susceptible to vapour‐phase detection systems. In this study, the formation and detection of gas‐phase [M+H]⁺, [M+Li]⁺, [M+NH₄]⁺ and [M+Na]⁺ adducts of DMNB was achieved using electrospray ionisation on a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. The [M+H]⁺ ion abundance was found to have a strong dependence on ion source temperature, decreasing markedly at source temperatures above 50°C. In contrast, the [M+Na]⁺ ion demonstrated increasing ion abundance at source temperatures up to 105°C. The relative susceptibility of DMNB adduct ions toward dissociation was investigated by collision‐induced dissociation. Probable structures of product ions and mechanisms for unimolecular dissociation have been inferred based on fragmentation patterns from tandem mass (MS/MS) spectra of source‐formed ions of normal and isotopically labelled DMNB, and quantum chemical calculations. Both thermal and collisional activation studies suggest that the [M+Na]⁺ adduct ions are significantly more stable toward dissociation than their protonated analogues and, as a consequence, the former provide attractive targets for detection by contemporary rapid screening methods such as desorption electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry. Copyright © 2009 Commonwealth of Australia. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Determinations of geniposide using LC/MS/MS methods via forming ammonium and acetate adducts

In this paper, we report method development work to determine geniposide using LC/MS/MS via the formation of positive and negative ion adducts. Geniposide, which has been recognized to have choleretic effects, is the major iridoid glycoside component of Gardenia herbs. To enhance the sensitivity of LC/MS detection of geniposide, a small amount of volatile additives such as ammonium acetate and acetic acid are added into mobile phase solvents to form positive and negative adducts, which can then ionize via electrospray processes. The formation of positive adducts is due to the complexation between geniposide and ammonium ions ([M + NH₄]⁺). The formation of anionic adducts [M + CH₃COO]⁻ is believed to occur via hydrogen bonds bridging acetate ions and glucose groups on the geniposide molecule. Mobile phase solvents containing acetonitrile and aqueous solution (0.2 mM ammonium acetate or 0.1% acetic acid) at the ratio 15: 85 are employed to elute geniposide using C8 reverse phase liquid chromatography columns with electrospray tandem mass spectrometry determinations. Using geniposide standards, the methods are validated at the concentration ranges of 5 to 1000 ng/mL and 20 to 5000 ng/mL using ammonium and acetate adducts respectively. The correlation coefficients of the standard curves are 0.9999 using both ammonium and acetate adducts. The detection limits of using ammonium and acetate adducts are 1 and 5 ng/mL respectively. The measurement accuracy and precision of using ammonium adducts are within 12% and 3% respectively, whereas the accuracy and precision are within 6 and 11% respectively using acetate adducts. When the validated calibration curves of the ammonium adduct of geniposide are used to determine spiked control samples in rat blood dialysates, the determination errors of accuracy and precision are within 12% and 10% respectively.     

Influence of reversed- and normal-phase liquid chromatographic eluents in the fragmentation of selected chlorinated herbicides in thermospray liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry

The effect of two completely different mobile phase compositions, reversed-phase acetonitrile-water + ammonium acetate and normal-phase cyclohexane, were compared in filament-on thermospray liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) for the determination of selected chlorinated herbicides such as chloroatrazines and chlorinated phenoxyacetic acids. By using acetonitrile-water + 0.05 M ammonium acetate mixtures in positive ion mode thermospray LC-MS, the chloroatrazine herbicides showed the acetonitrile adduct ion [M + (CH₃CN)H]⁺ as the base peak, whereas the chlorinated phenoxyacetic acids showed no signal. In contrast, when cyclohexane, which is reported for the first time as an eluent in the thermospray technique, was used as the mobile phase the chlorinated phenoxyacetic acid herbicides exhibited [M – H]⁺, [M – Cl]⁺ and M⁺˙ as the main ions. Negative ion mode thermospray LC-MS showed [M – H]^? as the base peak for the chloroatrazines in the different mobile phases, whereas the chlorinated phenoxyacetic acids exhibited [M + H]^?, [M + Cl]^? or [M – HCl]^? as the base peaks in cyclohexane and [M + acetate]^? in acetonitrile-water-ammonium acetate.     

Quantification of heteroclitin D in rat plasma: validation of an LC/MS/MS method and its application in a preclinical pharmacokinetic study

A rapid, sensitive and specific liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) method was developed and validated for the quantification of heteroclitin D in rat plasma after using gambogic acid as internal standard (IS). Chromatographic separation was done on a Thermo Hypersil GOLD column (30 × 2.1 mm, 3 µm) using a mobile phase consisting of methanol–water–formic acid (80:20:0.1, v/v/v). The mass spectrometer worked with positive electrospray ionization in multiple reaction monitoring mode, using target ions at [M + H]⁺ m/z 483.3 for heteroclitin D and [M + H]⁺ m/z 629.3 for the IS. The standard curve was linear (R² ≥0.995) over the concentration range 9.98–2080 ng/mL and had good back‐calculated accuracy and precision. The intra‐ and interday precision and accuracy determined on three quality control samples (29.94, 166.4 and 1872 ng/mL) were ≤12.8 and –8.9–3.6%, respectively. The extraction recovery was ≥88.2% and the lower limit of quantification was 9.98 ng/mL. The method was successfully applied to evaluate pharmacokinetics of heteroclitin D in Sprague–Dawley rats following a single intravenous bolus injection of 2.0 mg/kg heteroclitin. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The unexpected formation of [M − H]+ species during MALDI and dopant‐free APPI MS analysis of novel antineoplastic curcumin analogues

Unusual ionization behavior was observed with novel antineoplastic curcumin analogues during the positive ion mode of matrix‐assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) and dopant‐free atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI). The tested compounds produced an unusual significant peak designated as [M ? H]⁺ ion along with the expected [M + H]⁺ species. In contrast, electrospray ionization, atmospheric pressure chemical ionization and the dopant‐mediated APPI (dopant‐APPI) showed only the expected [M + H]⁺ peak. The [M ? H]⁺ ion was detected with all evaluated curcumin analogues including phosphoramidates, secondary amines, amides and mixed amines/amides. Our experiments revealed that photon energy triggers the ionization of the curcumin analogues even in the absence of any ionization enhancer such as matrix, solvent or dopant. The possible mechanisms for the formation of both [M ? H]⁺ and [M + H]⁺ ions are discussed in this paper. In particular, three proposed mechanisms for the formation of [M ? H]⁺ were evaluated. The first mechanism involves the loss of H₂ from the protonated [M + H]⁺ species. The other two mechanisms include hydrogen transfer from the analyte radical cation or hydride abstraction from the neutral analyte molecule. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

LC‐MS/MS methods for the determination of edaravone and/or taurine in rat plasma and its application to a pharmacokinetic study

Three liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC‐MS/MS) methods were respectively developed and validated for the simultaneous or independent determination of taurine and edaravone in rat plasma using 3‐methyl‐1‐p‐tolyl‐5‐pyrazolone and sulfanilic acid as the internal standards (IS). Chromatographic separations were achieved on an Agilent Zorbax SB‐Aq (100 × 2.1 mm, 3.5 µm) column. Gradient 0.03% formic acid–methanol, isocratic 0.1% formic acid–methanol (90:10) and 0.02% formic acid–methanol (40:60) were respectively selected as the mobile phase for the simultaneous determination of two analytes, taurine or edaravone alone. The MS acquisition was performed in multiple reaction monitoring mode with a positive and negative electrospray ionization source. The mass transitions monitored were m/z [M + H]⁺ 175.1 → 133.0 and [M + H]⁺ 189.2 → 147.0 for edaravone and its IS, m/z [M ? H]^? 124.1 → 80.0 and [M ? H]^? 172.0 → 80.0 for taurine and its IS, respectively. The validated methods were successfully applied to study the pharmacokinetic interaction of taurine and edaravone in rats after independent intravenous administration and co‐administration with a single dose. Our collective results showed that there were no significant alterations on the main pharmacokinetic parameters (area under concentration–time curve, mean residence time, half‐life and clearance) of taurine and edaravone, implying that the proposed combination therapy was pharmacologically feasible. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Detection of oxygen addition peaks for terpendole E and related indole–diterpene alkaloids in a positive‐mode ESI‐MS

This report describes that a regular positive electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (MS) analysis of terpendoles often causes unexpected oxygen additions to form [M + H + O]⁺ and [M + H + 2O]⁺, which might be a troublesome in the characterization of new natural analogues. The intensities of [M + H + O]⁺ and [M + H + 2O]⁺ among terpendoles were unpredictable and fluctuated largely. Simple electrochemical oxidation in electrospray ionization was insufficient to explain the phenomenon. So we studied factors to form [M + H + O]⁺ and [M + H + 2O]⁺ using terpendole E and natural terpendoles together with some model indole alkaloids. Similar oxygen addition was observed for 1,2,3,4‐tetrahydrocyclopent[b]indole, which is corresponding to the substructure of terpendole E. In tandem MS experiments, a major fragment ion at m/z 130 from protonated terpendole E was assigned to the substructure containing indole. When the [M + H + O]⁺ was selected as a precursor ion, the ion shifted to m/z 146. The same 16 Da shift of fragments was also observed for 1,2,3,4‐tetrahydrocyclopent[b]indole, indicating that the oxygen addition of terpendole E took place at the indole portion. However, the oxygen addition was absent for some terpendoles, even whose structure resembles terpendole E. The breakdown curves characterized the tandem MS features of terpendoles. Preferential dissociation into m/z 130 suggested the protonation tendency at the indole site. Terpendoles that are preferentially protonated at indole tend to form oxygen addition peaks, suggesting that the protonation feature contributes to the oxygen additions in some degrees. © 2014 The Authors. Journal of Mass Spectrometry published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

High field asymmetric waveform ion mobility spectrometry-mass spectrometry: an investigation of leucine enkephalin ions produced by electrospray ionization

High field asymmetric waveform ion mobility spectrometry (FAIMS) provides atmospheric pressure, room temperature, low-resolution separation of gas-phase ions. The FAIMS analyzer acts as an ion filter that can continuously transmit one type of ion, independent of m/z. The combination of FAIMS with electrospray ionization and mass spectrometry (ESI-FAIMS-MS) is a powerful technique and is used in this study to investigate the cluster ions of leucine enkephalin (YGGFL). Separation by FAIMS of leucine enkephalin ions having the same m/z (m/z 556.5), [M + H]⁺ and [2M + 2H]²⁺, was observed. In addition, four complex ions of leucine enkephalin, [2M + H]⁺, [4M + 2H]²⁺, [6M + 3H]³⁺, and [8M + 4H]⁴⁺, all having m/z 1112, were shown to be separated in FAIMS. Fragmentation of ions as the result of harsh conditions within the mass spectrometer interface (FAIMS-MS) was shown to provide similar information to that obtained from MS/MS experiments in conventional ESI-MS.     

Effect of ammonium formate as ionizing additive in thermospray liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry for the determination of triazine,phenylurea and chlorinated phenoxyacetic acid herbicides

A comparison between the use of ammonium acetate and ammonium formate in thermospray liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry with positive and negative ion modes using ‘filament-on’ mode has been applied for the determination of simazine, atrazine, propazine, monuron, diuron, linuron, 2,4,-D, 2,4,5-T and silvex. By using ammonium formate, the positive ion mode showed for triazine and phenylurea herbicides [M + H]⁺ and [M + NH₄]⁺, respectively, and the formation of other adduct ions different from ammonium acetate. In the negative ion mode, chlorinated phenoxyacetic acid herbicides exhibited [M + acetate]^? or [M + formate]^?, depending on the ionizing additive. Applications are reported for the determination of triazine and chlorinated phenoxyacetic acid herbicides in spiked soil and water samples, respectively.     

Development and validation of an LC‐ESI‐MS/MS method for the quantitation of hemslecin A in rhesus monkey plasma and its application in pharmacokinetics

In this study, a new LC‐ESI‐MS/MS‐based method was validated for the quantitation of hemslecin A in rhesus monkey plasma using otophylloside A as internal standard (IS). Hemslecin A and the IS were extracted from rhesus monkey plasma using liquid–liquid extraction as the sample clean‐up procedure, and were subjected to chromatography on a Phenomenex Luna CN column (150 × 2.0 mm, 3.0 µm) with the mobile phase consisting of methanol and 0.02 mol/mL ammonium acetate (55:45, v/v) at a flow rate of 0.2 mL/min. Detection was performed on an Agilent G6410B tandem mass spectrometer by positive ion electrospray ionization in multiple reaction monitoring mode, monitoring the transitions m/z 580.5 [M + NH₄]⁺ → 503.4 and m/z 518.2 [M + NH₄]⁺ → 345.0 for hemslecin A and IS, respectively. The assay was linear over the concentration range of 0.5–200 ng/mL and was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study in rhesus monkeys. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Simple and sensitive LC‐ESI‐MS method for the quantitation of sildenafil in plasma samples

Sildenafil is a selective inhibitor of phosphodiesterase type 5 enzyme. A simple and sensitive LC‐MS assay was developed to determine the concentration of sildenafil in human plasma. Sildenafil and omeprazole (internal standard) were extracted from the plasma with diethyl ether. The extract was evaporated under nitrogen and the residue was constituted with ACN and injected onto Novapak C₁₈ column (75×3.9 mm, 4 μm). The mobile phase consisted of 90% ACN plus 10% ammonium acetate (20 mM) containing 0.02% formic acid and was delivered isocratically at a flow rate of 0.2 mL/min. Sildenafil and omeprazole were monitored using a positive electrospray mode with single‐ion recording set at m/z 475 and 346, respectively, which are consistent with [M+H]⁺ molecular ions, and the run time was less than 5 min. The detection limit of sildenafil was 0.5 ng/mL, and the calibration curve was linear between 0.5 and 2000 ng/mL (R²>0.99). Within‐ and between‐day coefficients of variation were less than 7%. This method has been successfully used to measure sildenafil plasma concentrations in a beagle dog model following an oral administration of the drug.     

Oligonucleotide charge states in negative ionization electrospray-mass spectrometry are a function of solution ammonium ion concentration

The charge state distribution for oligonucleotides detected using negative ionization electro-spray-mass spectrometry has been studied as a function of solution counterion concentration. In the absence of added buffer, an average charge state (Z) of ?7.2 is observed for a 10 µM aqueous solution of a 14mer DNA at pH 7.0, with [M ? 8H]^8? the most abundant ion. As the solution concentration of ammonium acetate increases from 0.1 to 33 mM, Z shifts to ?3.8 with [M ? 4H]^4? the most abundant charge state. The shift in most abundant charge state from [M ? 7H]^7? to [M ? 4H]^4? occurs abruptly between 1.0 and 10 mM NH₄OAc. Above 100 mM NH₄OAc, the value of Z plateaus at ?3.1, with [M ? 3H]^3? the most abundant charge state. The addition of 1–50 mM glycine to the analyte solution does not alter Z, suggesting that the changes in charge state observed by using ammonium acetate result from a solution equilibration of cations around the DNA strand, rather than nonspecific gas-phase proton transfers during the electrospray process. The fraction of neutralized phosphate groups reaches a maximum of 0.79 ± 0.03 independent of length and sequence.     

Simultaneous quantitation of metformin and dapagliflozin in human plasma by LC–MS/MS: Application to a pharmacokinetic study

A single LC–MS/MS assay has been developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of metformin and dapagliflozin in human plasma using ion‐pair solid‐phase extraction. Chromatographic separation of the analytes and their internal standards was carried out on a reversed‐phase ACE 5CN (150 × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) column using acetonitrile–15 mm ammonium acetate, pH 4.5 (70:30, v/v) as the mobile phase. To achieve higher sensitivity and selectivity for the analytes, mass spectrometric analysis was performed using a polarity switching approach. Ion transitions studied using multiple reaction monitoring mode were m/z 130.1 [M + H]⁺/60.1 for metformin and m/z 467.1 [M + CH₃COO]^?/329.1 for dapagliflozin in the positive and negative modes, respectively. The linear calibration range of the assay was established from 1.00 to 2000 ng/mL for metformin and from 0.10 to 200 ng/mL for dapagliflozin to achieve a better assessment of the pharmacokinetics of the drugs. The limit of detection and limit of quantitation for the analytes were 0.39 and 1.0 ng/mL for metformin and 0.03 and 0.1 ng/mL for dapagliflozin, respectively. There was no interference of plasma matrix obtained from different sources, including hemolyzed and lipemic plasma. The method was successfully applied to study the effect of food on the pharmacokinetics of metformin and dapagliflozin in healthy subjects.     

Unique thermospray mass spectrometry of 1,4-benzoquinone and analogs in ammonium acetate solutions

In general, ions corresponding to [M + H]⁺ and/or [M + NH₄]⁺ are observed in thermospray mass spectrometry (TSMS) when using ammonium acetate in the liquid carrier. For several quinones investigated, unique thermospray mass spectra were detected with a mass spectral peak corresponding to an [M + 16]⁺ ion being observed in aqueous ammonium acetate solutions. Investigation of l,4-benzoquinone (BQU) and structurally analogous quinones indicated that amine conjugate formation with BQU and similar quinones was the origin of the unique [M + 16]⁺ ion in TSMS. When methanol was added to the liquid carrier, ions corresponding to methoxy conjugation were detected. High-performance liquid chromatography followed by TSMS or electrochemical detection gave evidence that this amine and methoxy conjugate formation was occurring in the thermospray source area.