The effect of ion molecule reactions on peaks in ion mobility spectrometry

The peak width, shape and position are heavily affected by ion–molecule reactions which are inevitable in the drift region of an ion mobility spectrometer. This paper discusses three major types of reactions occurring in drift tube and their effects on the shape and displacement of the peaks. The first reaction is the dissociation of dimer ions during their flight time creating a tail for the monomer peak. The second one is the reaction between the monomer ions with molecules of the same kind in the drift region. Such a process shifts the peak to longer drift times and causes a tail for the peak as well as its broadening. The last one is the reaction of ions with molecules of different types such as dopant which may exist in the drift region. Depending on the reactivity of the ions, this kind of reaction displaces the peaks differently so that peak-to-peak resolution is lost or, in some cases, gained.     

The Effects of Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetes and Insulin Treatment on Carnitine Biosynthesis and Renal Excretion

Carnitine insufficiency is reported in type 1 diabetes mellitus. To determine whether this is accompanied by defects in biosynthesis and/or renal uptake, liver and kidney were obtained from male Sprague-Dawley rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes. Diabetic rats exhibited the metabolic consequences of type 1 diabetes, including hypoinsulinemia, hyperglycemia, and increased urine output. Systemic hypocarnitinemia, expressed as free carnitine levels, was evident in the plasma, liver, and kidney of diabetic rats. Compared to control rats, the low free carnitine in the plasma of diabetic rats was accompanied by decreased expression of γ-butyrobetaine hydroxylase in liver and kidney, suggesting impaired carnitine biosynthesis. Expression of organic cation transporter-2 in kidney was also reduced, indicating impaired renal reabsorption, and confirmed by the presence of elevated levels of free carnitine in the urine of diabetic rats. Insulin treatment of diabetic rats reversed the plasma hypocarnitinemia, increased the free carnitine content in both kidney and liver, and prevented urinary losses of free carnitine. This was associated with increased expression of γ-butyrobetaine hydroxylase and organic cation transporter-2. The results of our study indicate that type 1 diabetes induced with streptozotocin disrupts carnitine biosynthesis and renal uptake mechanisms, leading to carnitine insufficiency. These aberrations in carnitine homeostasis are prevented with daily insulin treatment.     

Quantification of plasma carnitine and acylcarnitines by high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry using online solid-phase extraction

Carnitine is an amino acid derivative that plays a key role in energy metabolism. Endogenous carnitine is found in its free form or esterified with acyl groups of several chain lengths. Quantification of carnitine and acylcarnitines is of particular interest for screening for research and metabolic disorders. We developed a method with online solid-phase extraction coupled to high-performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry to quantify carnitine and three acylcarnitines with different polarity (acetylcarnitine, octanoylcarnitine, and palmitoylcarnitine). Plasma samples were deproteinized with methanol, loaded on a cation exchange trapping column and separated on a reversed-phase C8 column using heptafluorobutyric acid as an ion-pairing reagent. Considering the endogenous nature of the analytes, we quantified with the standard addition method and with external deuterated standards. Solid-phase extraction and separation were achieved within 8 min. Recoveries of carnitine and acylcarnitines were between 98 and 105 %. Both quantification methods were equally accurate (all values within 84 to 116 % of target concentrations) and precise (day-to-day variation of less than 18 %) for all carnitine species and concentrations analyzed. The method was used successfully for determination of carnitine and acylcarnitines in different human samples. In conclusion, we present a method for simultaneous quantification of carnitine and acylcarnitines with a rapid sample work-up. This approach requires small sample volumes and a short analysis time, and it can be applied for the determination of other acylcarnitines than the acylcarnitines tested. The method is useful for applications in research and clinical routine.

Organic reactions at surfaces: A study of carnitine by secondary ion mass spectrometry

Carnitine inner salt, (CH₃)₃N⁺ CH₂CH(OH)CH₂COO^?, and carnitine hydrochloride, (CH₃)₃N⁺CH₂CH (OH)CH₂COOH Cl^?, in the solid state undergo ion-beam-induced intermolecular methyl transfer reactions as shown by (CH₃)₃N⁺ CH₂CH(OH)CH₂COOCH₃ ions at m/z 176 in their positive ion spectra. In the case of carnitine HCl, the product ion is three times as abundant as the intact cation. For the inner salt however, the product is less than one-tenth as abundant as [M + H] ⁺. In both cases, the reaction can be precluded by dissolution of the sample, supporting an intermolecular mechanism. The negative ion spectra for these compounds contain no [M ? CH₃]^? ions, suggesting that simple transmethylation does not occur. Rather it is proposed that the inner salt abstracts a methyl group from the intact carnitine cation to yield [M + CH₃]⁺ and a neutral species, the driving force being a minimization of the total number of charges desorbed into the gas phase. Thermodynamic data favor this mechanism as do data for other carnitine salts. The reaction appears to be inhibited when one reactant is present in excess. This is the case for carnitine HNO₃ and CH₃SO₃H, which tend to liberate the intact cation since the anions are large and polarizable. It is also the case for small, hard anions like fluoride, which appear to favor release of the inner salt, hence the cation at m/z 162 is of low abundance and the transmethylation product (m/z 176) is absent. The extent of the reaction is also dependent on the methods of preparation of the sample, and deposition of the salts from solution greatly reduces the extent of methyl transfer. [M ? CH₃]^? is observed when glycerol is used as a matrix, possibly due to a matrix-analyte methyl transfer reaction.     

Optimization of a rapid capillary electrophoresis ESI-IT tandem mass spectrometry method for the analysis of short-chain carnitines in human plasma

A capillary electrophoresis (CE) method coupled to electrospray ionization ion trap tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-IT-MS/MS) is described for the rapid analysis of carnitine, acetylcarnitine, and propionylcarnitine in human plasma. Optimization of the procedure was achieved by a reduced sample pretreatment and after examining several physicochemical parameters that influence both the CE separation and the MS analytes detection. The analysis of total carnitine in human plasma after hydrolysis of short-chain metabolites is also shown. The analysis of carnitine and metabolites was obtained in less than 10 min using a 200 mM ammonium formate buffer, pH 2.5, with high sensitivity and specificity using the MS detection in product ion scan mode. The method was tested for quantitative recovery using dialyzed human plasma as matrix and showed linearity in the concentrations ranges 20–160, 1–32, and 0.25–8 μM for carnitine, acetylcarnitine, and propionylcarnitine with (squared) correlation coefficients of 0.9984, 0.9995, and 0.9991, respectively. The intraday and intermediate analysis repeatability and accuracy are within 15% of relative standard deviation (RSD) at low, medium, and high concentration and within/or slight exceeding 20% at the lower limit of quantitation (LLOQ). The method is sensitive for determining carnitine and its metabolites in human plasma with high specificity.     

Changing catalytic activity during colloidal platinum nanocatalysis due to shape changes: electron-transfer reaction

The shape distribution of the catalytic nanoparticles and the activation energy of the electron-transfer reaction between hexacyanoferrate (III) and thiosulfate ions were determined at different times during the course of the reaction. The activation energy is found to increase during the reaction when dominantly tetrahedral nanoparticles are used, decreases slightly when dominantly cubic nanoparticles are used, and remains almost unchanged when spherical nanoparticles are used. Corresponding changes in the shape of the tetrahedral and cubic, but not spherical, shape is observed. This is consistent with the changes in the activation energy that are observed. The shape distribution and activation energy of dominantly spherical nanoparticles is found to remain stable during the course of the reaction.     

Morphology of bile salt micelles as studied by computer simulation methods

The relative arrangement of the neighboring bile ions and the shape of the hydrophobic and hydrogen-bonded primary micelles as well of the large secondary micelles formed by these ions are analyzed in detail on the basis of molecular dynamics computer simulations of 30 and 300 mM sodium cholate and sodium deoxycholate solutions. In the lower concentration considered, the systems only contain primary micelles, whereas in both of the 300 mM systems secondary micelles are also present. The simulations performed were long enough that the systems reached thermodynamic equilibrium. It is found that the neighboring cholate ions prefer alignments in which their quasi-planar tetracyclic ring systems are parallel with each other, whereas for deoxycholate an opening of the angle between these planes is observed. The shape of the micelles is characterized by the ratio of their three principal moments of inertia. The primary deoxycholate micelles are found to be rather spherical, whereas in the case of cholate somewhat flattened, disklike or oblate shaped ellipsoidal primary micelles are found, irrespective of whether these micelles are kept together by hydrogen bonds or are of hydrophobic origin. Finally, the secondary micelles are found to exhibit a large variety of shapes, ranging from flattened oblates to rodlike objects through various different irregular shapes, characterized by markedly different values of the three principal moments of inertia. The observed preferences of the relative arrangement of the neighboring ions and of the aggregate shapes as well as the differences observed in the behavior of the two bile ions studied in these respects are traced back to the molecular structure of these ions.     

Quantification of total and free carnitine in human plasma by hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry

Carnitine is an endogenous quaternary amine whose primary function is to shuttle long chain fatty acids to the mitochondrial matrix, where they subsequently undergo beta oxidation. Accurate quantification of total and free carnitine is essential for the accurate diagnosis of a number of inborn errors of metabolism, including disorders of fatty acid oxidation as well as various organic acidurias. Early methods for carnitine measurement were enzyme based. Recently, liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry has become the method of choice for carnitine measurement. Typically, carnitine is derivitized to from a butyl ester, thus improving its ionization and retention characteristics. A potential problem with this approach is that the acidic conditions used to carry out the reaction may hydrolyze other acyl esters, resulting in ex-vivo artifacts. Consequently, we developed a hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HILIC) tandem mass spectrometry method for the quantification of carnitine. The use of HILIC allows for the derivitization step to be circumvented, while still allowing for favorable chromatographic performance. The method was shown to be accurate, precise, and robust.     

Time‐Dependent Surface Plasmon Resonance Spectroscopy of Silver Nanoprisms in the Presence of Halide Ions

Herein, we find that the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) spectra of silver nanoprisms in the presence of halide ions change gradually with reaction time. The changes in the spectra correspond to the shape transformation of silver nanoprisms. There are threshold concentrations of halide ions that initiate the shape‐transformation reaction. The threshold concentrations for Cl^?, Br^?, and I^? are about 3×10^?4 M , 1×10^?6 M , and 1.5×10^?6 M , respectively. Any concentrations of the added halide ions above these thresholds can eventually etch the silver nanoprisms into nanodisks if the reaction time is long enough. The higher the concentration of the halide ions, the higher the etching rate will be. The kinetics of the shape transformation of the silver nanoprisms can be studied by recording their time‐dependent surface plasmon resonance (SPR) spectra on a commercial UV/Vis–NIR spectrometer. The peak positions of in‐plane dipole SPR bands of silver colloids in the presence of chloride and bromide ions can be fitted very well with the biexponential functions. We propose that the fast components of the biexponential behaviors should correlate to the truncating effect on the corners of silver nanoprisms, and the slow component should correlate to the redeposition of the truncated residues onto the basal plane of the nanoplates.     

Intracellular in vitro probe acylcarnitine assay for identifying deficiencies of carnitine transporter and carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1

Mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation (FAO) disorders are caused by defects in one of the FAO enzymes that regulates cellular uptake of fatty acids and free carnitine. An in vitro probe acylcarnitine (IVP) assay using cultured cells and tandem mass spectrometry is a tool to diagnose enzyme defects linked to most FAO disorders. Extracellular acylcarnitine (AC) profiling detects carnitine palmitoyltransferase-2, carnitine acylcarnitine translocase, and other FAO deficiencies. However, the diagnosis of primary carnitine deficiency (PCD) or carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1 (CPT1) deficiency using the conventional IVP assay has been hampered by the presence of a large amount of free carnitine (C0), a key molecule deregulated by these deficiencies. In the present study, we developed a novel IVP assay for the diagnosis of PCD and CPT1 deficiency by analyzing intracellular ACs. When exogenous C0 was reduced, intracellular C0 and total AC in these deficiencies showed specific profiles clearly distinguishable from other FAO disorders and control cells. Also, the ratio of intracellular to extracellular C0 levels showed a significant difference in cells with these deficiencies compared with control. Hence, intracellular AC profiling using the IVP assay under reduced C0 conditions is a useful method for diagnosing PCD or CPT1 deficiency.     

Role of monovalent counterions in the ultrafast dynamics of DNA

This paper examines the contribution of counterion motion to the electric-field dynamics in the interior of DNA. The electric field is measured by a coumarin fluorophore that is synthetically incorporated into an oligonucleotide, where it replaces a native base pair. The DNA is a 17-base-pair oligomer with no A- or G-tracts. Time-resolved Stokes-shift measurements on the coumarin are made from 40 ps to 40 ns with each of the alkali ions and or one of several tetraalkylammonium ions as the DNA counterion. With the possible exception of rubidium, there are no indications of site-specific binding of the counterions. For sodium and other ions with a smaller hydrodynamic radius, the dynamics are identical and are fit to a power law. For larger ions, there is a progressive increase in the rate of shifting after 1 ns. This effect correlates with the hydrodynamic radius of the counterion. The lack of change in the spectral shape of the emission shows that neither the broadly distributed power-law relaxation nor the extra nanosecond dynamics are due to heterogeneity in the relaxation rates of different helices.     

Carnitine in Pregnancy

Summary. By the 12^th week of gestation, mean whole blood and plasma carnitine levels are already significantly (p<0.01) lower than those of controls, with a further significant (p<0.01) decrease up to parturition. Diminished carnitine levels may cause a downregulation of carnitine palmitoyltransferase1 (CPT1), both the liver isoform (CPT1A) and muscle isoform (CPT1B), carnitine palmitoyltransferase2 (CPT2), and carnitine acetyltransferase (CRAT) in white blood cells of pregnant women, as determined by real time PCR using the LightCyclerSYBR Green technology.L-Carnitine-L-tartrate supplementation of 2 g/d resulted in an up to 10-fold increase of the relative mRNA abundances of CPT1B, CPT2, and OCTN2 and a 5-fold increase of CPT1A, and CRAT.There is a relationship between the relative mRNA levels of CPT1A and CPT1B and the FFA plasma levels. The substitution of 2 g L-carnitine-L-tartrate/d resulted in significant (p<0.001) lower FFA levels compared to untreated controls and the groups substituted with 0.5 and 1 g L-carnitine/d although plasma carnitine levels were not significantly increased. The most substantial effect was the reduced portion of acylcarnitines on total carnitine in those women receiving 2 g L-carnitine-L-tartrate.Carnitine substitution resulted in an enhanced excretion of both, free carnitine and acylcarnitines, whereas acetylcarnitine accounts for 50–65% of total acylcarnitines.The results of the present study provide evidence that L-carnitine supplementation in pregnancy in sufficient doses avoids a striking increase of plasma FFAs, which are thought to be the main cause of insulin resistance and consequently gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).     

Orthogonal Dual‐Triggered Shape‐Memory DNA‐Based Hydrogels

DNA‐based shape‐memory hydrogels revealing switchable shape recovery in the presence of two orthogonal triggers are described. In one system, a shaped DNA/acrylamide hydrogel is stabilized by duplex nucleic acids and pH‐responsive cytosine‐rich, i‐motif, bridges. Separation of the i‐motif bridges at pH 7.4 transforms the hydrogel into a quasi‐liquid, shapeless state, that includes the duplex bridges as permanent shape‐memory elements. Subjecting the quasi‐liquid state to pH 5.0 or Ag⁺ ions recovers the hydrogel shape, due to the stabilization of the hydrogel by i‐motif or C‐Ag⁺‐C bridged i‐motif. The cysteamine‐induced transformation of the duplex/C‐Ag⁺‐C bridged i‐motif hydrogel into a quasi‐liquid shapeless state results in the recovery of the shaped hydrogel in the presence of H⁺ or Ag⁺ ions as triggers. In a second system, a shaped DNA/acrylamide hydrogel is generated by DNA duplexes and bridging Pb²⁺ or Sr²⁺ ions‐stabilized G‐quadruplex subunits. Subjecting the shaped hydrogel to the DOTA or KP ligands eliminates the Pb²⁺ or Sr²⁺ ions from the respective hydrogels, leading to shapeless, memory‐containing, quasi‐liquid states that restore the original shapes with Pb²⁺ or Sr²⁺ ions.     

Effect of counterions on the structure of reverse micelles according to the data of molecular-dynamic simulation

Reverse micelles of OT aerosol salts (NaAOT, KAOT, and Ca(AOT)₂) placed into a spherical cell filled with a nonpolar solvent are simulated by the molecular dynamics method. The structure and shape of micelles are analyzed using the data on the radial profiles of partial densities of system components and pair correlation functions. It is shown that, in the presence of larger potassium ions, micelles appear to be more spherical, while, in the presence of calcium ions, substantial deviations from sphericity are observed. For all examined systems, the main contribution to the electrical double layer potential is made by water molecules, whereas the contributions of ions are, to a noticeable extent, mutually compensated for.     

Computer simulation of the ionic atmosphere around Z-DNA

We describe a coarse-grained model for Z-DNA that mimics the DNA shape with a relatively small number of repulsive interaction sites. In addition, negative charges are placed at the phosphate positions. The ionic atmosphere around this grooved Z-DNA model is then investigated with Monte Carlo simulation. Cylindrically averaged concentration profiles as well as the spatial distribution of ions have been calculated. The results are compared to those for other DNA models differing in the repulsive core. This allows the examination of the effect of the DNA shape in the ionic distribution. It is seen that the penetrability of the ions to the DNA groove plays an important role in the ionic distribution. The results are also compared with those reported for B-DNA. In both conformers the ions are structured in alternating layers of positive and negative charge. In Z-DNA the layers are more or less concentric to the molecular axis. Besides, no coions enter into the single groove of this conformer. On the contrary, the alternating layers of B-DNA are also structured along the axial coordinate with some coions penetrating into the major groove. In both cases we have found five preferred locations of the counterions and two for the coions. The concentration of counterions reaches its absolute maximum at the narrow Z-DNA groove and at the minor groove of B-DNA, the value of the maximum being higher in the Z conformer.