Characterization of polyprenylated xanthones in Garcinia xipshuanbannaensis using liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry

A reliable and sensitive on-line high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with electrospray quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-QTOF-MS/MS/MS) method has been optimized and established for the analysis of polyprenylated xanthones in the plant Garcinia xipshuanbannaensis. Collision induced MS/MS techniques were used to fragment the precursor molecular ions and MS/MS/MS techniques based on cone voltage fragmentation were used to further break down the resulting product ions sequentially. It was found that Retro-Diels-Alder rearrangement occurred from the xanthone skeleton in the MS/MS/MS process and produced characteristic fragment ions, which are useful for differentiating some positional isomers containing the prenyl unit on the A ring or B ring. Complementary fragmentation information, for instance the successive loss of prenyl residues, is also valuable for the identification of this class of xanthones. Under optimized HPLC-MS/MS/MS method, a total of 15 prenylated xanthones could be separated within 10min. This method also provided information about the molecular formula of a precursor molecule and its fragments, which could be used for dereplication of known or likely new prenylated xanthones in Garcinia plants before the purification and structural elucidation process.     

Ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole-orthogonal time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) utilizes sub-2 microm particles with high linear solvent velocities to effect dramatic increases in resolution, sensitivity and speed of analysis. The reduction in particle size to below 2 microm requires instrumentation that can operate at pressures in the 6000-15,000 psi range. The typical peak widths generated by the UPLC system are in the order of 1-2 s for a 10-min separation. In the present work this technology has been applied to the study of in vivo drug metabolism, in particular the analysis of drug metabolites in bile. The reduction in peak width significantly increases analytical sensitivity by three- to five-fold, and the reduction in peak width, and concomitant increase in peak capacity, significantly reduces spectral overlap resulting in superior spectral quality in both MS and MS/MS modes. The application of UPLC/MS resulted in the detection of additional drug metabolites, superior separation and improved spectral quality.     

Chemical profiling of Qingfei Paidu Decoction by triplex off-line two-dimensional liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Qingfei Paidu Decoction is a Chinese medicine formula that has been proved effective in the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019. However, the comprehensive separation and characterization of Qingfei Paidu Decoction are of a great challenge due to the diversity of chemical components in a wide range of polarity. In this study, a triplex off-line two-dimensional liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry is developed for the analysis of Qingfei Paidu Decoction. One reversed-phase liquid chromatography×hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography system and two reversed-phase liquid chromatography×reversed phase liquid chromatography systems were constructed to separate polar components and weak-polar components in Qingfei Paidu Decoction, respectively. Benefiting from the good orthogonality of two-dimensional liquid chromatography and high sensitivity of quadrupole time-of-flight MS, chemical components with different polarities and content were discovered. A total of 749 peaks were detected in positive and negative ionization mode and presented as a four-dimensional data plot. Meanwhile, 498 compounds belonging to 14 categories were tentatively identified. These results provide good supplementary to elucidate the material basis of Qingfei Paidu Decoction. The triplex off-line two-dimensional liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry strategy can be a powerful and efficient tool for the separation and characterization of chemical substances in traditional Chinese medicine formulas.     

Characterization and identification of steroidal alkaloids in Fritillaria species using liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry

Liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (LC/ESI-QTOF-MS/MS) was performed to study the fragmentation behaviors of steroidal alkaloids from Fritillaria species, the antitussive and expectorant herbs widely used in traditional Chinese medicine. We propose, herein, a strategy that combining key diagnostic fragment ions and the relative abundances and amounts of major fragment ions (the ions exceeding 10% in abundance) to distinguish different sub-classes of Fritillaria alkaloids (FAs). It was found that hydrogen rearrangement and induction effects result in ring cleavage of the basic skeletons occurred in the MS/MS process and produced characteristic fragment ions, which are useful for structural elucidation. This method was finally used to investigate the primary steroidal alkaloids in the extracts of eight major Fritillaria species. As a result, 41 steroidal alkaloids (29 cevanine type, 1 jervine type, 6 veratramine type and 5 secosolanidine type alkaloids) were selectively identified in these Fritillaria species. Twenty-six compounds were unambiguously identified by comparing with the reference compounds and 15 compounds were tentatively identified or deduced according to their MS/MS data. Logical fragmentation pathways for different types of FAs have been proposed and are useful for the identification of these types of steroidal alkaloids in natural products especially when there are no reference compounds available.     

Characterization of glutathione conjugates of chloroacetanilide pesticides using ultra-performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography/ion trap mass spectrometry

Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) isolated from maize were used to catalyze the conjugation of glutathione (GSH) with chloroacetanilide herbicides, producing stable conjugates that were structurally characterized using ultra-performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC/QqToF-MS) and liquid chromatography/ion trap mass spectrometry (LC/IT-MS). Enzyme-mediated dechlorination of alachlor, metolachlor, and propachlor resulted during GSH conjugation as revealed by the mass spectra of the conjugates, which was confirmed by the loss of the chlorine isotopic signature and from high accurate mass measurements. Several fragmentation patterns in the mass spectra of the chloroacetanilide-GSH conjugates can be used to verify the identities of the enzyme reaction products, such as characteristic ions corresponding to the neutral loss of glutamic acid residue (129 Da) and water (18 Da) observed in the product ion spectrum. For the first time, data are presented showing detection of chloroacetanilides that are conjugated with two GSH molecules, in addition to the known single GSH conjugates.     

Characterization of chemical components of Periplocae Cortex and their metabolites in rats using ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Periplocae Cortex, named Xiang-Jia-Pi in China, has been widely used to treat autoimmune diseases, especially rheumatoid arthritis. However, the in vivo substances of Periplocae Cortex remain unknown yet. In this study, an ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry was used for profiling the chemical components and related metabolites of Periplocae Cortex. A total of 98 constituents were identified or tentatively characterized in Periplocae Cortex: 42 C21 steroidal glycosides, 10 cardiac glycosides, 23 organic acids, 4 aldehydes, 7 triterpenes, and 12 other types. Among them, 18 components were unambiguously identified by comparison with reference standards. In addition, 176 related xenobiotics (34 prototypes and 142 metabolites) were screened out and characterized in rats’ biosamples (plasma, urine, bile, and feces) after the oral administration of Periplocae Cortex. Moreover, the metabolic fate of periplocoside S-4a, a C21 steroidal glycoside, was proposed for the first time. In summary, phase II reactions (methylation, glucuronidation, and sulfation), phase I reactions (hydrolysis reactions, oxygenation, and reduction), and their combinations were the predominant metabolic reactions of Periplocae Cortex in rat. It is the first report to reveal the in vivo substances and metabolism feature of Periplocae Cortex. This study also provided meaningful information for further pharmacodynamics study of Periplocae Cortex, as well as its quality control research.     

全二维气相色谱-飞行时间质谱联用技术分析重馏分油中芳烃组成

通过对升温速度、二维补偿温度、调制周期等关键实验参数的优化,建立了全二维气相色谱-飞行时间质谱(GC×GC-TOF MS)分析重馏分油中芳烃组分的方法,得到了重馏分油芳烃组分按环数分布的二维点阵图。根据谱库检索、标准化合物对照及文献报道,对重馏分油芳烃组分中菲、甲基菲及芘、苯并蒽等常见多环芳烃(PAH)进行了准确定性,并将该方法应用到重馏分油加氢处理工艺研究中,对菲、芘的加氢处理产物进行了定性分析。该研究为重馏分油芳烃组分的准确定性提供了新的技术手段,为加深对油品加氢规律的认识提供了技术支持。全二维气相色谱与普通一维色谱对比,在重馏分油的芳烃组分分析上体现了极大优势。     

Characterization of carbofuran photodegradation by-products by liquid chromatography/hybrid quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry

The structural elucidation of by-products arising from carbofuran photodegradation using a high-pressure UV lamp has been investigated by liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC/ESI-MS/MS) employing a quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometer. Exact mass measurements of the [M + H]+ ions of the by-products and of product ions allowed the elemental formulae and related structures of seven photodegradation by-products (resulting, respectively, from photo-Fries rearrangement, hydroxylation of the benzene ring, oxidation of the 2,3-dihydrobenzofuran ring, cleavage of the carbamate group, hydrolysis of the ether group and the newly observed radical coupling and decarboxylation processes) to be determined confidently. Accurate mass measurements of product ions allowed ambiguities to be removed concerning neutral losses having the same nominal mass, namely CO and C2H4, allowing the fragmentation patterns to be rationalized.     

High-temperature ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled to hybrid quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry applied to ibuprofen metabolites in human urine

The application of sub-2 microm porous particle liquid chromatography (LC) operated at elevated temperatures, coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MS), to the separation and identification of metabolites of ibuprofen present in human urine following oral administrations is illustrated. The LC/MS system generated a high-resolution analytical separation that, with an analysis time of 20 min, provided a peak capacity in the order of ca. 350. Using this system a total of nine glucuronides of the drug and its metabolites were detected, including a number of isomeric acyl glucuronides of ibuprofen itself, a side-chain-oxidized carboxylic acid acyl glucuronide and a number of acyl glucuronides of various hydroxylated metabolites. The identities of the metabolites were confirmed by their accurate mass values and the presence of the common fragment ions from ibuprofen.     

Analysis of unknown compounds in azithromycin bulk samples with liquid chromatography coupled to ion trap mass spectrometry

A selective reversed-phase liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS(n)) method is described for the identification of azithromycin impurities and related substances in commercial azithromycin samples. Mass spectral data are acquired on an LCQ ion trap mass spectrometer equipped with an atmospheric pressure chemical ionization interface operated in positive ion mode. The LCQ provides on-line LC/MS(n) capability, making it ideally suited for identification purposes. In comparison with UV detection, this hyphenated technique provides as its main advantage efficient identification of novel substances without time-consuming isolation and purification procedures. Using this technique, six novel related substances detected in commercial azithromycin samples have been studied.     

Separation and quantification of four isomers of indole-3-acetyl-myo-inositol in plant tissues using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry

Indole-3-acetyl-myo-inositol (IAInos) is one of the most important auxin conjugates for storage and transportation of auxin. The information of its composition, distribution, and metabolism is particularly desired for elucidating the related signal transduction pathways of the plant hormones. However, separation and quantification of the four individual IAInos isomers in plant tissues have not been reported so far. In this work, we first synthesized and isolated four IAInos isomers using semi-preparative high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The IAInos isomer structures were characterized using liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF/MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR). Using these pure compounds as internal or external standards, an efficient LC-MS method was developed for simultaneous detection of indole-3-acetic acid, methyl indole-3-acetic acid ester, and the four IAInos isomers in plant tissue samples. The linear working range and lower limit of detection for the four IAInos isomers are 10–2,000 ng mL^?1 and 5.0 ng mL^?1, respectively. The stabilities and interconversion pathways of IAInos isomers were studied using our synthetic isomers. It was found that two IAInos isomers existed in Zea mays kernels, while all of the four IAInos isomers were present in the roots of Arabidopsis thaliana. The content of IAInos in A. thaliana roots was much lower than in the Z. mays kernels. The methodology in this article provides useful techniques and methods for systematic study on the phytophysiology and phytochemistry of IAA conjugates and other related plant hormones.

Identification and characterization of impurities of tetracosactide by capillary electrophoresis and liquid chromatography coupled to time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Tetracosactide is a synthetic peptide analogue of the human adrenocorticotropic hormone that stimulates the production of cortisol in the adrenal cortex. The medical use of the compound is primarily the diagnosis of the adrenal cortex function. In order to characterize impurities of the drug, tetracosactide samples were analysed by both liquid chromatography and capillary electrophoresis coupled to a quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometer. The identification of the impurities was carried out based on accurate mass determination and fragment ion spectra. The presence of several peptides of lower and higher masses than tetracosactide could be shown, including N- and C-terminally truncated peptides as well as peptides which still contained protecting groups or additional amino acids. Furthermore, a semi-quantitative estimation of the relative amounts of the impurities in different samples as well as a commercial preparation revealed that the number and the type of the impurities varied between the samples. Comparing the selectivity of liquid chromatography and capillary electrophoresis regarding the separation of tetracosactide impurities, it can be stated that capillary electrophoresis showed a higher suitability for the separation of tetracosactide fragments (smaller peptides) while the larger peptides, i.e. those wearing protecting groups, were separated more efficiently by liquid chromatography.     

Screening of antibiotics in surface and wastewater samples by ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography coupled to hybrid quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry

The potential of ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography (UHPLC) coupled to hybrid quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (QTOF–MS) for the screening and confirmation of antibiotics in water samples is illustrated in this paper. UHPLC presents several advantages over conventional liquid chromatography as it generates narrow peaks (increasing peak height and improving sensitivity) and reduces chromatographic runs. Regarding QTOF–MS, its increased mass resolution, high sensitivity in full-spectrum acquisition mode and mass accuracy, in both MS and MS/MS modes, make this technique ideal for the detection and reliable confirmation of organic contaminants in environmental samples. After a solid-phase extraction using Oasis HLB cartridges, UHPLC–QTOF–MS has been applied in this work to several types of water samples (surface water and influent and effluent wastewaters). Several antibiotics were found in the samples, such as ofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, clarythromycin or erythromycin, among others. Moreover, the full spectrum data provided by TOF–MS acquisition has enabled searching for many other pharmaceuticals that could be present in the samples in a “post-target” way. This approach has allowed the detection and confirmation of paracetamol, omeprazole and codeine, among others. UPLC–QTOF–MS has been shown as an attractive and efficient hyphenated technique for the rapid detection and confirmation of pharmaceuticals in water with very little sample handling.     

Screening and characterization of natural antioxidants in four Glycyrrhiza species by liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry

Licorice, derived from the dried roots and rhizomes of several species of genus Glycyrrhiza L. (Leguminosae family), has been traditionally used in herbal medicine for over 4000 years. In recent years, the interest in antioxidative constituents in licorice has greatly increased. In this work, a new method based on 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH) spiking test combined with HPLC coupled with electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (Q-TOF MS/MS) analysis was developed to screen and identify the antioxidants in licorice. The results of the method validation indicated that the developed method was reliable and repeatable. Compared with DPPH on-line method, the HPLC-Q-TOF MS/MS method combined with DPPH spiking test offered much higher sensitivity and resolution. Using this method, 35 radical scavengers were screened from four Glycyrrhiza species (G. inflata, G. glabra, G. pallidiflora and G. uralensis), and 21 of them were unambiguously or tentatively identified by HPLC-Q-TOF MS/MS. Among the 21 identified flavonoids, 10 compounds had been reported to possess antioxidative activities in the previous studies, and the radical scavenging activities of the other 11 compounds were reported for the first time. The effects of six purified flavonoids on DPPH radical and lipid peroxidation were evaluated for validation of the developed method. The results indicated that HPLC-Q-TOF MS/MS coupled with DPPH treatment is an efficient and powerful method to discover the potential antioxidative compounds from the complex natural product mixtures. In this study, the identified components with free radical scavenging activity, would help to explain the therapeutic benefit of licorice in the treatment of human disease associated with oxidative stress.     

Chiral high-performance liquid chromatography of N-octyl bicycloheptene dicarboximide and confirmatory studies using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy

N-Octyl bicycloheptene dicarboximide (MGK 264) has exo and endo diastereomers. Each structure has a chiral center at the nitrogen side chain. Enantioselective separation of MGK 264 was achieved by normal-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) using cellulose-based Chiralcel OD column with diode-array and optical rotation detectors. Peaks were isolated with the purpose of identifying their stereochemical structures. Molecular mass of the HPLC peaks and their structural information was determined by liquid chromatography-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ES-MS-MS). A two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopic technique was used to establish the structural features. Correlation of the data obtained from chiral separation and NMR facilitated in unambiguous assignment of the HPLC peaks.     

Characterization of imazamox degradation by-products by using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry and high-resolution Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry

The photodecomposition of imazamox, a herbicide of the imidazolinone family, was investigated in pure water. The main photoproducts from the photolysis were followed over time by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry and structures were proposed from exact mass determinations obtained by electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry. The method comprised exact mass determination with better than 0.2 ppm mass accuracy and a corresponding structural visualization taking care of respective isotopes with an adapted van Krevelen diagram that enabled a systematic approach to the characterisation of the elementary composition of each photoproduct. By taking advantage of the high resolving power of FT-ICR MS to make precise formula assignments, the derived 2D van Krevelen diagram (O/C; H/C; m/z) enabled one to structurally differentiate the formed photoproducts and to propose a degradation pathway for imazamox. Figure Overview of applied method to analyse the photolysis process of imazamox herbicide     

Characterization of the aromatic composition of some liquid foods by nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry and liquid chromatography with nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectrometric detection

This paper describes the first application of NMR spectroscopy and LC-NMR/MS to the direct analysis of the aromatic composition of beer, grape juice and a wine phenolic extract. NMR spectroscopy provides non-invasive information on the overall aromatic profile and enables the identification of some compounds. However, a more comprehensive assignment is hindered by the low peak intensity and strong signal overlap in the low-field spectral region, as well as by the inherent lack of scalar coupling information for many aromatic compounds present. LC-NMR/MS can overcome these problems and is shown to aid significantly in the identification of aromatic compounds composing all samples analyzed. Some examples are the identification of several cinnamic acids (e.g. p-coumaric, trans-coutaric and trans-caftaric) in grape juice, the identification of 2-phenylethanol, tyrosol and tryptophol in beer and the detection of phenolics such as catechin, epicatechin, trans-resveratrol, tyrosol and caffeic acid in the wine extract.     

Characterization of an unknown component in Noscapine using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy

Analytical and semipreparative LC methods were used to quantitate and isolate an unknown component (Impurity A) found in samples of bulk Noscapine. This component was also examined by LC-ESI-MS and 1H-NMR. It was concluded that the structure of Impurity A only differed from Noscapine in that it possessed a hydroxyl group at position 21 of the isobenzofuranone moiety.