Determination of urinary androgen glucuronides by capillary electrophoresis with electrospray tandem mass spectrometry

Capillary electrophoresis–electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (CE‐ESI/MS/MS) is a simple and highly sensitive method for quantifying seven urinary androgen glucuronides. The urine samples were diluted and filtered through a membrane filter, and the filtrate was injected into a CE‐MS/MS system without further sample preparation steps such as extraction and derivatization. The calibration ranges were 0.01–5 µg/mL for glucuronides of androsterone and 11β‐OHAn‐3G, and 5–500 ng/mL for glucuronides of 11‐ketoAn, DHEA, testosterone, epitestosterone and DHT. The linearity of the method was 0.992–0.998, and the limits‐of‐detection at a signal‐to‐noise ratio of 3 were 5–10 ng/mL. The coefficients of variation were in the range of 4.0–9.0% for intra‐day assay and 4.1–9.8% for inter‐day assay. The proposed method may be applicable to metabolic profiling in both quantitative and qualitative analysis. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Ionene-dynamically coated capillary for analysis of urinary and recombinant human erythropoietin by capillary electrophoresis and online electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

In this article, a series of ionene polymers were synthesized and used to coat fused-silica capillaries for the separation of recombinant and urinary human erythropoietin (rhEPO and uEPO) standards by CE. The influence of the charge density of coatings on the separation of rhEPO and uEPO glycoforms was investigated. Then, we further studied the method for fast separation and detection of rhEPO and uEPO standards by CE-ESI-MS. The influence of several CE and MS operating parameters, such as the concentration of CE running buffer, applied external pressure, and the composition and flow rate of sheath liquid on CE-ESI-MS was studied. The results demonstrated that when the capillary was permanently coated with 6,6-ionene and the pH value of acetic acid-ammonium acetate running buffer was 4.80 and 5.50, respectively, a significantly reproducible separation was achieved for rhEPO and uEPO glycoforms. In the online CE-ESI-MS experiments, we not only achieved the online MS signal of uEPO, but also obtained baseline separation of three major rhEPO glycoforms successfully and reproducibly on the 6,6-ionene-coated capillaries. Furthermore, the standard mixture of rhEPO and uEPO was separated, and two incompletely resolved peaks that were identified to be rhEPO and uEPO by the unique MS "fingerprint" were obtained. Additionally, the molecular weight of rhEPO and uEPO were verified and compared to the results by MALDI-TOF-MS. It can be concluded that, in contrast to other indirect methods, the online CE-ESI-MS technique with the combination of the advantages of both CE and MS shows great potential for the separation and detection of rhEPO doping directly in competitive sports.     

毛细管电泳结合电喷雾质谱分析人类癌基因c-myb四链体核酸与活性天然产物的相互作用

药物与靶点间的作用关系直接影响到药理和药效。药物-靶点结合能力、结合计量关系等信息是药物研发过程中必需的表征数据。人类癌基因c-myb在结直肠癌等多种癌症组织中存在过度表达,目前已成为结直肠癌、白血病等癌症疾病潜在的治疗靶点。位于癌基因c-myb启动子区的一段富含鸟嘌呤(G)的DNA序列,通过阳离子的诱导可自发折叠形成分子内G-四链体,而小分子的特异性识别可以稳定该G-四链体,进而调节基因的转录和表达过程。该文采用压力辅助毛细管电泳前沿分析(PACE-FA)结合电喷雾质谱(ESI-MS)研究人类癌基因c-myb启动子G-四链体(G4)与天然产物分子间的相互作用。PACE-FA法在毛细管电泳前沿分析(CE-FA)过程中施加一个与分析物迁移同向的压力,在保证结果准确度的前提下,能够大大加快分析速度。同时结合ESI-MS,可快速解析结合分子与靶点的亲合力和化学计量关系。首先,利用ESI-MS快速筛选出3种有亲合力的天然产物,亲合力大小依次为:土荆皮乙酸>丁溴东莨菪碱>荷叶碱。考虑到溶液相中存在特异性与非特异性结合,接着用PACE-FA法准确分析溶液相中结合的特异性和结合常数。结果...     

毛细管电泳-电致化学发光检测法分离测定中药马尿泡中的托烷类生物碱成分

以铕离子掺杂类普鲁士蓝(Eu-PB)化学修饰铂电极为工作电极,采用毛细管电泳-电致化学发光检测法对4种托烷类生物碱成分（如山莨菪碱、东莨菪碱、阿托品和樟柳碱）进行了分离检测。考察了氧化电位值、运行缓冲液酸度、盐浓度和甲醇含量等实验条件对电泳分离效果及检测灵敏度的影响。在优化的实验条件下,以20 mmol/L的磷酸盐(pH 8.0)-7%(体积分数）甲醇为运行液,各组分在6 min内可达到基线分离,其峰面积的相对标准偏差小于5.0%,迁移时间的相对标准偏差小于1.1% (n=12)。并将该法成功地应用于测定中药马尿泡根茎中的山莨菪碱和东莨菪碱的含量,其含量平均值分别为27.8 g/kg和4.43 g/kg。样品的加标回收率为97.8%～102%。     

Determination of bupivacaine and metabolites in rat urine using capillary electrophoresis with mass spectrometric detection

A method using capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry (CE-MS) was developed for the structural elucidation of bupivacaine and metabolites in rat urine. Prior to CE-MS analysis, solid-phase extraction (SPE) was used for sample cleanup and preconcentration purposes. Exact mass and tandem mass spectrometric (MS/MS) experiments were performed to obtain structural information about the unknown metabolites. Two instruments with different mass analyzers were used for mass spectrometric detection. A quadrupole time-of-flight (Q-TOF) and a magnetic sector hybrid instrument were coupled to CE and used for the analysis of urine extracts. Hydroxybupivacaine as well as five other isomerically different metabolites were detected including methoxylated bupivacaine.     

邻苯二甲酸为背景吸收电解质的毛细管电泳法测定低分子量肝素中的阴离子

在生产和贮存低分子量肝素的过程中,糖链上的硫酸酯基团会被水解而损失活性,因此肝素样品中常可以检测到游离的硫酸根离子,此外在生产过程中还会引入其他阴离子。为了检测低分子量肝素的质量稳定性,常用离子色谱检测低分子量肝素中游离的阴离子。但是相对分子质量较大的低分子量肝素会污染离子色谱柱和抑制器。为此发展了一种灵敏的毛细管电泳方法用于测定低分子量肝素中游离的SO~(2-)_4、Cl~-、F~-、PO~(3-)_4和OAc~-。不同于常用的背景吸收离子铬酸根,采用邻苯二甲酸根作为背景吸收电解质。与铬酸根相比,邻苯二甲酸根与所有待测阴离子电泳淌度匹配得更好,因此可以获得较窄的峰形。而且邻苯二甲酸根在230 nm检测波长下的摩尔吸光系数(4 754 L/(mol·cm))比铬酸根(254 nm,2 400 L/(mol·cm))高。因此,可以将毛细管电泳检测阴离子的灵敏度提高到与离子色谱法相当的水平。通过验证,该方法在0.002~1 mmol/L的浓度范围内具有较好的线性关系,日内(n=6)和日间(n=3)迁移时间和峰面积的相对标准偏差均小于3%。所测阴离子的检出限(S/N=3)和定量限(S/N=10)分别为0.4~0.8μmol/L和2~4μmol/L。该方法可用于监测低分子量肝素的稳定性。     

毛细管电泳-电化学检测法测定黄芪及其制剂中的活性成分

采用毛细管电泳-电化学检测法(CE-ED)对中药黄芪的主要活性成分芦丁、阿魏酸、香草酸、绿原酸、槲皮素和咖啡酸进行了分离和测定。分别考察了工作电极电位、运行缓冲液的pH值和浓度、分离电压和进样时间等实验参数对实验结果的影响。在优化的实验条件下,以直径300 μm的碳圆盘电极为工作电极,检测电位为+0.95 V(相对于饱和甘汞电极),在10 mmol/L硼酸盐(pH 8.2)的运行缓冲溶液中,上述6种活性成分能在17 min内实现很好的基线分离,被测物浓度与峰电流在3个数量级范围呈良好的线性关系,检出限(S/N=3)范围为78～110 μg/L。在不同的加标水平下,6种活性成分的平均回收率为96.0%～103.0%,相对标准偏差为1.9%～3.6%(n=3)。该方法样品处理简单,无需预富集,已应用于实际样品的分析,并获得了令人满意的结果。     

Analysis of microcystins by capillary zone electrophoresis coupling with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

In this paper, a rapid and effective method based on capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) coupled with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) was established for the trace analysis of microcystin (MC) isomers in crude algae sample. The experimental conditions including the composition, acidity and concentration of buffer, separation voltage, injection time, and MS detection parameters were investigated in detail. A capillary separation system was as follows: a uncoated fused-silica capillary tube (50 μm i.d. × 90 cm), 40 mmol L⁻¹ ammonium acetate solution (pH 9.86) as running buffer, 25 kV as separation voltage, 20 kV × 3 s water first and 20 kV × 20 s for sample injection. Mass analysis was performed in ESI source, with sheath gas temperature 150 °C, sheath gas pressure 10 psi, and sheath gas flow 6 L min⁻¹. And sheath liquid was 7.5 mmol L⁻¹ acetic acid in 50% isopropanol-water (3 μL min⁻¹). Protonation and ammonium adduct molecular ions m/z 506.9 (MC-LR) and 532.0 (MC-YR) were used for the quantification of MCs. Under these conditions, two MCs were baseline separated within 9 min, the calibration curves were obtained in the range of 0.11-10.0 μg mL⁻¹ and 0.16-10.5 μg mL⁻¹ for MC-LR and MC-YR, respectively. Meanwhile, limits of detection were 0.05 and 0.08 μg mL⁻¹ for MC-LR and MC-YR, respectively. The recoveries for the two MCs were in the range of 95.8-108%. The developed approach had been successfully applied to the analysis of MCs in crude algae samples.     

Simultaneous detection of zinc dimethyldithiocarbamate and zinc ethylenebisdithiocarbamate in cabbage leaves by capillary electrophoresis with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

We report a simple and highly sensitive method for the simultaneous detection of trace zinc dimethyldithiocarbamate and zinc ethylenebisdithiocarbamate by capillary electrophoresis with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Zinc dimethyldithiocarbamate and zinc ethylenebisdithiocarbamate were chelated with trans‐1,2‐diaminocyclohexane‐N,N,N′,N′‐tetraacetic acid to form a macromolecule complex. Then, these two compounds were separated by α‐cyclodextrin‐modified capillary electrophoresis within 12 min at a separation voltage of 15 kV and measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The developed method is sensitive with detection limit of 1.9 and 3.0 ng Zn/mL for zinc dimethyldithiocarbamate and zinc ethylenebisdithiocarbamate, respectively. By means of ultrasound‐assisted extraction methods, zinc dimethyldithiocarbamate and zinc ethylenebisdithiocarbamate spiked into cabbage leaves were successfully extracted and determined with a relative standard deviation (n  = 5) ≤ 6% and a recovery of 95–107%.     

Direct coupling of supported liquid membranes to capillary electrophoresis for analysis of complex samples: A tutorial

This tutorial provides an overview of direct coupling of extraction techniques based on supported liquid membranes (SLMs) to capillary electrophoresis (CE) for treatment and subsequent analysis of complex samples. Pros and cons of using each of the described instrumental arrangement are addressed and where relevant, comments with personal experience of the authors are presented. Solid porous membrane based extraction techniques coupled directly to CE are also presented in this tutorial and a comprehensive discussion is included on their instrumental set-ups and their possible adaptation for use with SLMs.     

Capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry of intact basic proteins using Polybrene-dextran sulfate-Polybrene-coated capillaries: System optimization and performance

A capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry (CE-MS) method using sheath liquid electrospray ionization interfacing was studied and optimized for the analysis of intact basic proteins. To prevent protein adsorption, capillaries with a noncovalent positively charged coating were utilized. Capillaries were coated by subsequent rinsing with solutions of Polybrene, dextran sulfate and Polybrene. The coating proved to be fully compatible with MS detection, causing no background signals and ionization suppression. The composition of the sheath liquid and BGE was optimized using the model proteins α-chymotrypsinogen A, ribonuclease A, lysozyme and cytochrome c. A sheath liquid of isopropanol-water-acetic acid (75:25:0.1, v/v/v) at 2 μL min⁻¹ resulted in optimal signal intensities for most proteins, but caused dissociation of the heme group of cytochrome c. Optimum protein responses were obtained with a BGE of 50 mM acetic acid (pH 3.0), which allowed a baseline separation of the test protein mixture. Several minor impurities present in the mixture could be detected and provisionally identified using accurate mass and a protein modification database. The selectivity of the CE-MS system was investigated by the analysis of acetylated lysozyme. Eight highly related species, identified as non-acetylated lysozyme and lysozyme acetylated in various degrees, could be distinguished. The CE-MS system showed good reproducibility yielding interday (three weeks period) RSDs for migration time and peak area within 2% and 10%, respectively. With the CE-MS system, determination coefficients (R²) for protein concentration and peak area were higher than 0.996, whereas detection limits were between 11 and 19 nM.     

Determination of resveratrol and piceid in beer matrices by solid-phase extraction and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

Beer is one of the most commonly consumed undistilled alcoholic beverages in many countries. In recent studies, the stilbenes resveratrol and piceid have been found in some hop varieties which are used in the production of beer. Therefore, they could be transferred to beer. The aim of the present work was to validate a method to study the potential content of trans- and cis-resveratrol and piceid in 110 commercial beers from around the world. The resveratrol and piceid contents of 110 beers were analyzed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) after a solid-phase extraction (SPE) using optimized and validated procedures for the beer matrix. The beer matrix effect was also studied. Stilbenes were found in quantifiable amounts in 92 beers, while concentrations below the limit of quantification (LOQ) were found in 18 beers. Resveratrol was found in the range of 1.34-77.0μg/L in 79% of the beers analyzed, and piceid was found in the range of 1.80-27.3μg/L in only 33% of them. The mean of total resveratrol in all the beers was 14.7±20.5μg/L. The content of resveratrol has been compared with other resveratrol containing foods. A serving of beer contains similar amounts of stilbenes as berries, less than chocolate and grape products but more than pistachios, peanuts or tomatoes. Overall, beer is one of the products with the lowest levels of total resveratrol (μg/L), and despite its high consumption it should not be considered as a representative source of resveratrol.     

Determination of Ca, K, Mg, Na, sulfate, phosphate, formate, acetate, propionate, and glycerol in biodiesel by capillary electrophoresis with capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection

In this work, a new method employing capillary electrophoresis (CE) for the determination of several species in biodiesel is introduced. The concentrations of inorganic species (Na⁺, K⁺, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, SO₄²⁻, and PO₄³⁻) and glycerol are of interest to the regulatory authorities due to their ability to form undesirable compounds in engines. Additionally, other species of low molecular weight (e.g., acetate, formate, and propionate) are of interest because they contribute towards increasing the acidity. These species are formed by the degradation of biodiesel and cause damage to engines and the environment. The cation separation was performed in background electrolyte (BGE) composed of 30 mmol L⁻¹ of 2-(n-morpholino)ethanesulfonic acid (MES)/L-histidine (His), pH 6. The separation of anionic species was carried out in similar BGE with 0.2 mmol L⁻¹ cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) added. For glycerol, a neutral species, its oxidation with periodate was employed. This well-known reaction is specific to polyols and generates iodate. The amount of iodate produced by the reaction was determined by CE. The separation was carried out in approximately 1 min using BGE composed of 30 mmol L⁻¹ acetic acid, pH 3. The analytical parameters evaluated were: linearity (r > 0.99), the RSD values for area and migration time were < 3.4% and 0.9%, respectively, and recovery was in the range of 89 to 107%.     

Pressure-assisted electrokinetic injection for on-line enrichment in capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry: a sensitive method for measurement of ten haloacetic acids in drinking water

Haloacetic acids (HAAs) are by-products of the chlorination of drinking water containing natural organic matter and bromide. A simple and sensitive method has been developed for determination of ten HAAs in drinking water. The pressure-assisted electrokinetic injection (PAEKI), an on-line enrichment technique, was employed to introduce the sample into a capillary electrophoresis (CE)–electrospray ionization–tandem mass spectrometry system (ESI-MS/MS). HAAs were monitored in selected reaction monitoring mode. With 3 min of PAEKI time, the ten major HAAs (HAA10) in drinking water were enriched up to 20,000-fold into the capillary without compromising resolution. A simple solid phase clean-up method has been developed to eliminate the influence of ionic matrices from drinking water on PAEKI. Under conditions optimized for mass spectrometry, PAEKI and capillary electrophoresis, detection limits defined as three times ratio of signal to noise have been achieved in a range of 0.013–0.12 μg L⁻¹ for ten HAAs in water sample. The overall recoveries for all ten HAAs in drinking water samples were between 76 and 125%. Six HAAs including monochloro- (MCAA), dichloro- (DCAA), trichloro- (TCAA), monobromo- (MBAA), bromochloro- (BCAA), and bromodichloroacetic acids (BDCAA) were found in tap water samples collected.     

High quality drug screening by capillary electrophoresis: A review

High quality assays are needed in drug discovery to reduce the high attrition rate of lead compounds during primary screening. Capillary electrophoresis (CE) represents a versatile micro-separation technique for resolution of enzyme-catalyzed reactions, including substrate(s), product(s), cofactor(s) and their stereoisomers, which is needed for reliable characterization of biomolecular interactions in free solution. This review article provides a critical overview of new advances in CE for drug screening over the past five years involving biologically relevant enzymes of therapeutic interest, including transferases, hydrolases, oxidoreductases, and isomerases. The basic principles and major configurations in CE, as well as data processing methods needed for rigorous characterization of enzyme inhibition are described. New developments in functional screening of small molecules that modulate the activity of disease-related enzymes are also discussed. Although inhibition is a widely measured response in most enzyme assays, other important outcomes of ligand interactions on protein structure/function that impact the therapeutic potential of a drug will also be highlighted, such as enzyme stabilization, activation and/or catalytic uncoupling. CE offers a selective platform for drug screening that reduces false-positives while also enabling the analysis of low amounts of complex sample mixtures with minimal sample handling.     

Rapid and sensitive methodology for determination of ethyl carbamate in fortified wines using microextraction by packed sorbent and gas chromatography with mass spectrometric detection

This work presents a new methodology to quantify ethyl carbamate (EC) in fortified wines. The presented approach combines the microextraction by packed sorbent (MEPS), using a hand-held automated analytical syringe, with one-dimensional gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry detection (GC–MS). The performance of different MEPS sorbent materials was tested, namely SIL, C2, C8, C18, and M1. Also, several extraction solvents and the matrix effect were evaluated. Experimental data showed that C8 and dichloromethane were the best sorbent/solvent pair to extract EC. Concerning solvent and sample volumes optimization used in MEPS extraction an experimental design (DoE) was carried out. The best extraction yield was achieved passing 300 μL of sample and 100 μL of dichloromethane. The method validation was performed using a matrix-matched calibration using both sweet and dry fortified wines, to minimize the matrix effect. The proposed methodology presented good linearity (R² = 0.9999) and high sensitivity, with quite low limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ), 1.5 μg L⁻¹ and 4.5 μg L⁻¹, respectively. The recoveries varied between 97% and 106%, while the method precision (repeatability and reproducibility) was lower than 7%. The applicability of the methodology was confirmed through the analysis of 16 fortified wines, with values ranging between 7.3 and 206 μg L⁻¹. All chromatograms showed good peak resolution, confirming its selectivity. The developed MEPS/GC–MS methodology arises as an important tool to quantify EC in fortified wines, combining efficiency and effectiveness, with simpler, faster and affordable analytical procedures that provide great sensitivity without using sophisticated and expensive equipment.     

A block copolymer covalent coating acting as surfactants in separation of 2-[hydroxy(4-nitrophenyl)methyl]-cyclopent-2-enone and 4-nitrobenzaldehyde by capillary electrophoresis

An innovative block copolymer capillary coating P(MAn-alt-St)₁₂₇-b-PSt₅₉₂, synthesized by maleic anhydride and styrene, was developed as a new kind of coating for capillary electrophoresis. The covalent bond coating was effectively applied in the separation of raw material (4-nitrobenzaldehyde) and production (2-[hydroxy(4-nitrophenyl)methyl]-cyclopent-2-enone) in a Baylis-Hillman reaction using ammonium acetate with 20% tetrahydrofuran (v/v) as the buffer solution. Electroosmotic flow measurement gave an instantly stable value after 70 times continued injection in 5 days and showed that P(MAn-alt-St)₁₂₇-b-PSt₅₉₂ coatings could suppress electroosmotic flow effectively compared with the bare capillary. The effects of tetrahydrofuran and the pH of buffer on the separation were investigated. The characteristics of the coatings to form micelles similar to surfactants were detected by atomic force microscopy. Moreover, the superiority of this coating was further applied in the separation of four aromatic amines.     

Speciation and detection of arsenic in aqueous samples: A review of recent progress in non-atomic spectrometric methods

Inorganic arsenic (As) displays extreme toxicity and is a class A human carcinogen. It is of interest to both analytical chemists and environmental scientists. Facile and sensitive determination of As and knowledge of the speciation of forms of As in aqueous samples are vitally important. Nearly every nation has relevant official regulations on permissible limits of drinking water As content. The size of the literature on As is therefore formidable. The heart of this review consists of two tables: one is a compilation of principal official documents and major review articles, including the toxicology and chemistry of As. This includes comprehensive official compendia on As speciation, sample treatment, recommended procedures for the determination of As in specific sample matrices with specific analytical instrument(s), procedures for multi-element (including As) speciation and analysis, and prior comprehensive reviews on arsenic analysis. The second table focuses on the recent literature (2005–2013, the coverage for 2013 is incomplete) on As measurement in aqueous matrices. Recent As speciation and analysis methods based on spectrometric and electrochemical methods, inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry, neutron activation analysis and biosensors are summarized. We have deliberately excluded atomic optical spectrometric techniques (atomic absorption, atomic fluorescence, inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry) not because they are not important (in fact the majority of arsenic determinations are possibly carried out by one of these techniques) but because these methods are sufficiently mature and little meaningful innovation has been made beyond what is in the officially prescribed compendia (which are included) and recent reviews are available.     

Capillary zone electrophoresis and capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry for analyzing qualitative and quantitative variations in therapeutic albumin

The present study describes a reproducible and quantitative capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) method, which leads to the separation of nine forms (native, oxidized and glycated) of human serum albumin (HSA). In an attempt to identify the different species separated by this CZE method, the capillary electrophoresis was coupled to mass spectrometry using a sheath liquid interface, an optimized capillary coating and a suitable CE running buffer. CE-MS analyses confirmed the heterogeneity of albumin preparation and revealed new truncated and modified forms such as Advanced Glycation End products (AGEs). Assignment of the CZE peaks was carried out using specific antibodies, carboxypeptidase A or sample reduction before or during the CE separation. Thus, five HSA forms were unambiguously identified. Using this CZE method several albumin batches produced by slightly different fractionation ways could be discriminated. Furthermore, analyses of HSA preparations marketed by five pharmaceutical industries revealed that two therapeutic albumins, including that marketed by LFB, contained the highest proportion of native form and lower levels of oxidized forms.