An investigation of bioactive phytochemicals in the leaves of Melicope vitiflora by electrospray ionisation ion trap mass spectrometry

The ethyl acetate extract of the leaves of Melicope vitiflora was separated by column chromatography and the resulting fractions tested for their bioactivity towards methicillin-resistant-Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Micrococcus luteus (ML).The bioactive column chromatography fractions were further separated by preparative TLC and dereplication was carried out on them by first subjecting them to electrospray ionisation-ion trap mass spectrometry (ESI-MSⁿ). The resulting molecular masses, their fragmentation patterns in addition to the chemnet database (www.chemnetbase.com) were used to aid in the structural elucidation of some of the compounds by permitting comparison with known structures of natural origin. Some molecular masses and the corresponding fragmentations were found that did not correlate with any known compounds thus revealing potentially novel natural products that could be investigated on a larger scale and could ultimately find application as new drugs against MRSA and other multi drug resistant microorganisms. Structures are also proposed for known compounds that have not been previously reported for M. vitiflora.     

Characterisation of selected hypnotic drugs and their metabolites using electrospray ionisation with ion trap mass spectrometry and with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry and their determination by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionisation-ion trap mass spectrometry

The electrospray ionisation-ion trap mass spectrometry (ESI-MSⁿ) of selected hypnotic drugs, i.e. zopiclone, zolpidem, flunitrazepam and their metabolites have been investigated. Sequential product ion fragmentation experiments (MSⁿ) have been performed in order to elucidate the degradation pathways for the [M+H]⁺ ions and their predominant fragment ions. These MSⁿ experiments show certain characteristic fragmentations in that functional groups are generally cleaved from the ring systems as neutral molecules such as H₂O, CO, CO₂, NO₂, amines and HF. When an aromatic entity is present in a drug molecule together with a nitrogen-containing saturated ring structure as with zopiclone and its N-desmethyl metabolite fragmentation initially occurs at the latter ring with the former being resistant to fragmentation. The structures of fragment ions proposed for ESI-MSⁿ can be supported by electrospray ionisation-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (ESI-QTOF-MS).These molecules can be identified and determined in mixtures at low ng/ml concentrations by the application of liquid chromatography (LC)-ESI-MSⁿ which can be used for their analysis in saliva samples.This paper includes a tabulation of mass losses/signals at low m/z values for these hypnotic drugs and many others in recent publications which will be of value in the characterisation of drug metabolites of unknown structure and also natural product pharmaceuticals isolated from plants, etc.     

Structural characterization and identification of dibenzocyclooctadiene lignans in Fructus Schisandrae using electrospray ionization ion trap multiple-stage tandem mass spectrometry and electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance multiple-stage tandem mass spectrometry

The electrospray ionization ion trap multiple-stage tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MSⁿ) and electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance multiple-stage tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-FT-ICR-MSⁿ) have been applied successfully to the direct investigation of a number of dibenzocyclooctadiene lignan constituents from the methanol extracts of the Fructus Schisandrae in the positive ion mode. The detailed structural characterization of the same skeleton and different peripheral substituents had been studied and the precise elemental compositions of ions at high mass resolution had been obtained. So the fragmentation mechanisms could be clarified. And the lignan components in Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill. fruits (SCF) and Schisandra sphenanthera Rehd. et Wils. fruits (SSF) were identified by comparing the structural information and fragmentation mechanisms. Then a pair of isobaric compounds was differentiated. Meanwhile these two similar fruits were distinguished. The research results demonstrated that ESI-MSⁿ technique is a sensitive, selective and effective tool for the direct analysis and rapid determination of constituents in complex mixtures from nature products. And these should be useful for the identification of similar compounds and differentiation of similar species from Chinese herbs.     

A study of the analytical behaviour of selected psycho-active drugs using liquid chromatography, ion trap mass spectrometry, gas chromatography and polarography and the construction of an appropriate database for drug characterisation

This paper provides analytical chemical information on a range of psycho-active drugs. This analytical chemical information on liquid chromatography-electrospray ionisation-mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS), ion trap mass spectrometry (ESI-MSⁿ), gas chromatography-flame ionisation detection (GLC-FID) and polarographic behaviour is then incorporated into a database which is of use in drug characterisation. Application is found in the determination of selected drug compounds in hair samples.     

A study of the analytical behaviour of selected synthetic and naturally occurring coumarins using liquid chromatography, ion trap mass spectrometry, gas chromatography and polarography and the construction of an appropriate database for coumarin characterisation

The aim of this paper is to provide analytical chemical information on a range of naturally occurring and synthetic coumarins. This analytical chemical information on liquid chromatography-electrospray ionisation-mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS), ion trap mass spectrometry (ESI-MSⁿ), gas chromatography-flame ionisation detection (GLC-FID) and polarographic behaviour is then incorporated into a database which is of use in identifying unknown coumarins isolated from natural sources. This paper is also concerned with understanding the effect of functional groups in coumarins on their analytical chemical behaviour using the above techniques.     

A study of the analytical behaviour of selected synthetic and naturally occurring quinolines using electrospray ionisation ion trap mass spectrometry, liquid chromatography and gas chromatography and the construction of an appropriate database for quinoline characterisation

Mass spectral fragmentation of quinoline alkaloids of significance in plants has been investigated using electrospray ionisation ion trap mass spectrometry (ESI-MSⁿ) with a view to characterisation of molecules of unknown structure isolated from these natural sources. This investigation has led to the generation of an appropriate database incorporating data from ESI-MSⁿ and also from gas liquid chromatography (GLC) and liquid chromatography (HPLC) for these low molecular mass quinolines. This has been put to practical application in the identification of quinoline alkaloids in a plant extract. Thus, an acid extraction of the leaves of Choisya ternata containing such tertiary alkaloids was analysed by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS) and the resulting behaviour of the quinolines was compared with that of the quinoline alkaloids in the database.     

液相色谱-同位素比质谱法同时测定葡萄酒中甘油和乙醇的δ13C值

采用液相色谱-同位素比质谱(LC-IRMS)技术建立了同时测定葡萄酒中甘油和乙醇δ13C值的分析方法。优化了葡萄酒中影响甘油和乙醇色谱分离的条件。方法的精密度和准确度分别为0.15‰~0.26‰和0.11‰~0.28‰。对40个葡萄酒样品进行了测定,甘油和乙醇的δ13 C值分别为-26.87‰~-32.96‰、-24.06‰~-28.29‰,两者具有较强的相关性(R=0.82)。该方法不需要复杂的样品预处理,在相同条件下同时测定甘油和乙醇的δ13C值,较传统方法简单、快速。     

An evaluation of a single-step extraction chromatography separation method for Sm-Nd isotope analysis of micro-samples of silicate rocks by high-sensitivity thermal ionization mass spectrometry

A single-step separation scheme is presented for Sm–Nd radiogenic isotope system on very small samples (1–3 mg) of silicate rock. This method is based on Eichrom^® LN Spec chromatographic material and affords a straightforward separation of Sm–Nd from complex matrix with good purity and satisfactory blank levels, suitable for thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS).This technique, characterized by high efficiency (single-step Sm–Nd separation) and high sensitivity (TIMS on NdO⁺ ion beam), is able to process rapidly (3–4 h), with low procedure blanks (<10 pg) and very small sample (1–3 mg). Replicate measurements by TIMS on ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd ratios and Sm–Nd concentrations are presented for eleven international silicate rock reference materials, spanning a wide range of Sm–Nd contents and bulk compositions. The analytical results show a good agreement with recommended values within ±0.004% for the ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd isotopic ratio and ±2% for Sm–Nd quantification at the 95% confidence level. It is noted that the uncertainty of this method is about 3 times larger than typical precision achievable with two-stage full separation followed by state-of-the-art conventional TIMS using Nd⁺ ion beams which require much larger amounts of Nd. Hence, our single-step separation followed by NdO⁺ ion beam technique is preferred to the analysis for microsamples.     

液相色谱-四极杆-飞行时间串联质谱法高通量分析美国红参的脑苷脂分子种

利用液相色谱-四极杆-飞行时间串联质谱法(LC-Q-TOF MS/MS)分析美国红参(Parastichopus californicus)脑苷脂的分子种组成。以氯仿-甲醇(2：1,v/v)溶液提取,经皂化和固相萃取柱(SPE)净化后,在正离子模式下,通过自动二级质谱方式同时获取样品脑苷脂分子的一级和二级质谱图。筛取含180 Da中性丢失碎片的分子,再结合二级质谱中的长链碱和脂肪酸碎片,确定每种脑苷脂分子的结构。通过该法一次性共分析出123种美国红参脑苷脂分子种;含有的长链碱共18种,其中植物鞘氨醇型与鞘氨醇型长链碱的相对含量比为1：2;脂肪酸为18~25碳的饱和或单不饱和脂肪酸,以24碳脂肪酸为主,2-羟基脂肪酸占58.62%,饱和与单不饱和脂肪酸的相对含量比约为1：3。LC-Q-TOF MS/MS法分析海参脑苷脂分子种的灵敏度高,准确,简便,为海参脑苷脂的构效关系研究及功能食品开发提供理论依据。     

Development of a method for comprehensive and quantitative analysis of plant hormones by highly sensitive nanoflow liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-ion trap mass spectrometry

In recent plant hormone research, there is an increased demand for a highly sensitive and comprehensive analytical approach to elucidate the hormonal signaling networks, functions, and dynamics. We have demonstrated the high sensitivity of a comprehensive and quantitative analytical method developed with nanoflow liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-ion trap mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-IT-MS/MS) under multiple-reaction monitoring (MRM) in plant hormone profiling. Unlabeled and deuterium-labeled isotopomers of four classes of plant hormones and their derivatives, auxins, cytokinins (CK), abscisic acid (ABA), and gibberellins (GA), were analyzed by this method. The optimized nanoflow-LC-ESI-IT-MS/MS method showed ca. 5-10-fold greater sensitivity than capillary-LC-ESI-IT-MS/MS, and the detection limits (S/N = 3) of several plant hormones were in the sub-fmol range. The results showed excellent linearity (R² values of 0.9937-1.0000) and reproducibility of elution times (relative standard deviations, RSDs, <1.1%) and peak areas (RSDs, <10.7%) for all target compounds. Further, sample purification using Oasis HLB and Oasis MCX cartridges significantly decreased the ion-suppressing effects of biological matrix as compared to the purification using only Oasis HLB cartridge. The optimized nanoflow-LC-ESI-IT-MS/MS method was successfully used to analyze endogenous plant hormones in Arabidopsis and tobacco samples. The samples used in this analysis were extracted from only 17 tobacco dry seeds (1 mg DW), indicating that the efficiency of analysis of endogenous plant hormones strongly depends on the detection sensitivity of the method. Our analytical approach will be useful for in-depth studies on complex plant hormonal metabolism.     

离子交换色谱-基质辅助激光解吸电离串联飞行时间质谱分离鉴定中国人乳中的β-酪蛋白

以新鲜中国人乳为研究对象,在酸性条件下加氯化钙分离酪蛋白,用十二烷基磺酸钠-聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳(SDS-PAGE)法测定分离效果。从pH值、离心力和CaCl2浓度等3个方面对分离效果进行评价。结果表明:当pH=4.3,离心力为10 400 g,CaCl2溶液浓度为60 mmol/L时,分离得到的酪蛋白组分纯度最高。对所得酪蛋白沉淀进行DEAE阴离子交换色谱分离,得到3个洗脱液。对其中第3个峰进行Western-Blot法及基质辅助激光解吸电离串联飞行时间质谱法(MALDI-TOF/TOF MS)鉴定,证明该峰能与人β-酪蛋白抗体特异性结合,确认其为人乳β-酪蛋白;将质谱结果在Mascot数据库中进行数据检索,序列覆盖率为50%,进一步确定其为人乳β-酪蛋白。综上所述,我们建立了能够得到符合蛋白质组学研究要求的人乳β-酪蛋白的方法。     

Study of essential element accumulation in the leaves of a Cu-tolerant plant Elsholtzia splendens after Cu treatment by imaging laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS)

Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) was used for the quantitative imaging of Cu and other essential elements (such as K, Mg, Mn, P, S and B) in the leaves of a Cu-tolerant plant Elsholtzia splendens treated with the enriched ⁶⁵Cu isotope tracer (isotope abundance of 89.2%). The leaves (newly formed, fully grown and oldest) were scanned directly with a focused Nd:YAG laser in the laser ablation chamber. The ablated material was transported with argon as carrier gas to a quadrupole-based ICP-MS (ICP-QMS), and the ion intensities of ⁶⁵Cu⁺, ³⁹K⁺, ²⁴Mg⁺, ⁵⁵Mn⁺, ³¹P⁺, ³⁴S⁺ and ¹¹B⁺ were measured by ICP-QMS to study the accumulation of Cu and other elements of interest. Standard reference material NIST SRM 1515 Apple Leaves doped with known concentrations of analytes (from 0.1 to 2000 mg L⁻¹) was measured together with the samples by LA-ICP-MS and was used for the quantification of the analytical data. Notable accumulation of Cu in the newly formed leaves was clearly identified by imaging LA-ICP-MS. The increased isotope ratios of ⁶⁵Cu/⁶³Cu measured by LA-ICP-MS demonstrated the path of Cu uptake and accumulation via the petiole and main veins in the leaves. Cu stress-induced accumulation of K, Mg, Mn, P and S in the newly formed leaves was observed, while B was not significantly affected. In the present study, the concentrations of K, Mg, Mn, P and S were not obviously changed in the fully grown leaves after short-term treatment. Along with the treatment, a visible decrease of K and P was found in the oldest leaves, while other elements were not influenced by Cu stress.     

超快速液相色谱-四极杆/线性离子阱质谱同时检测猪组织中9种β-受体阻断剂残留

建立了同时检测猪组织中9种β-受体阻断剂(BBs)残留的超快速液相色谱-四极杆/线性离子阱质谱方法。均质试样经β-葡糖醛苷酶/芳基硫酸酯酶水解,乙腈提取,硅藻土与BondElut分散固相萃取填料双重快速净化,以0.1%(v/v)甲酸水溶液-甲醇为流动相使用KinetexTMC18-XB色谱柱(150 mm×2.1 mm,2.6μm)超快速液相色谱分离,优化多反应监测(MRM)离子对后,采用预设定多反应监测(sMRM)-信息依赖性采集(IDA)-增强子离子扫描(EPI)模式检测,在线EPI谱库定性分析,内标法定量。结果表明,9种BBs在线性范围内的线性关系良好(r≥0.995);定量限(LOQ,S/N≥10)均达到0.5μg/kg;3个添加水平(0.5、1.0和5.0μg/kg)下的回收率为87.5%~111.8%;RSD为4.0%~12.5%。该方法快速、准确、灵敏,可有效用于猪组织样品中多种BBs残留的同时测定。     

固相萃取-气相色谱-串联质谱法测定乳胶儿童用品中15种N-亚硝胺及其前体物的迁移量

建立了同时测定乳胶儿童用品中15种N-亚硝胺及其前体物迁移量的固相萃取-气相色谱-串联质谱(SPEGC-MS/MS)分析方法。以人工唾液作为迁移模拟物,以Chromabond Easy固相萃取柱(填料的主要成分是极性修饰的聚乙烯-二乙烯基苯共聚物)对迁移液中的N-亚硝胺分析物进行净化,采用HP-5 MS UI色谱柱分离,MS/MS在多反应监测模式下进行定性及定量分析。15种N-亚硝胺在5~2 000μg/L范围内呈良好的线性关系,相关系数均大于0.998;方法定量限(S/N=10)为0.625~12.50μg/kg,低于欧盟2 009/48/EC指令的限量要求。在低、中、高3个添加水平的回收率为53.8%~116.2%、52.7%~105.1%和49.5%~102.9%;日内精密度分别为1.3%~14.0%(n=6),日间精密度为1.6%~7.6%(n=4)。采用本方法对婴儿奶嘴样品和气球样品进行了测定,其中4件奶嘴和7件气球样品中检出亚硝胺及其前体物,奶嘴和气球中N-亚硝胺的总检出含量分别为0.049 9~0.126mg/kg和0.515~41.2 mg/kg;N-亚硝胺前体物总检出量分别为0.026 4~0.030 0 mg/kg和0.187~12.5mg/kg。     

Strain and phase identification of the U.S. category B agent Coxiella burnetii by matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry and multivariate pattern recognition

Accurate bacterial identification is important in diagnosing disease and in microbial forensics. Coxiella burnetii, a highly infective microorganism causative of the human disease Q fever, is now considered a U.S. category B potential bioterrorism agent. We report here an approach for the confirmatory identification of C. burnetii at the strain level which involves the combined use of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) and supervised pattern recognition via Partial Least Squares-Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA). C. burnetii isolates investigated in this study included the following prototype strains from different geographical and/or historical origins and with different antigenic properties: Nine Mile I, Australian QD, M44, KAV, PAV, Henzerling, and Ohio. After culture and purification following standard protocols, linear MALDI-TOF mass spectra of pure bacterial cultures were acquired in positive ion mode. Mass spectral data were normalized, baseline-corrected, denoised, binarized and modeled by PLS-DA under crossvalidation conditions. Robustness with respect to uncontrolled variations in the sample preparation and MALDI analysis protocol was assessed by repeating the experiment on five different days spanning a period of 6 months. The method was validated by the prediction of unknown C. burnetii samples in an independent test set with 100% sensitivity and specificity for five out of six strain classes.     

超高效液相色谱-三重四极杆质谱法快速同时测定牛奶中53种β-内酰胺类抗生素及其代谢产物的残留

建立了超高效液相色谱-三重四极杆质谱快速测定牛奶中53种β-内酰胺类抗生素及其代谢产物残留的检测方法。牛奶样品经等量乙腈沉淀去蛋白、超滤后,以0.1%(v/v,下同)甲酸水溶液和0.1%甲酸乙腈溶液作为流动相进行梯度洗脱,在ACQUITY BEH C18色谱柱上实现分离,一次进样分析仅需10 min,正离子电喷雾多反应监测(MRM)模式检测,基体工作曲线内标法定量。线性范围从方法的定量限至200μg/kg,相关系数均优于0.991 1,平均加标回收率在71%~121%之间,相对标准偏差为1.7%~19%(n=6)。方法简单、快速,每人每天可处理50多份样品,检出限能够满足我国和欧盟对兽药残留的最高限量要求,适合于牛奶样品中53种β-内酰胺类抗生素及其代谢产物的快速筛查和定量测定。