Rapid quantification and characterization of soyasaponins by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray mass spectrometry

A method using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) in the negative mode is presented for the quantification and characterization of different soyasaponins using six authentic soyasaponin standards. This method was successfully applied to the rapid separation of diverse soyasaponins, more than 50, including soyasaponins A in different degrees of acetylation, and soyasaponins B in both their 2,3-dihydro-2,5-dihydroxy-6-methyl-4H-pyran-4-one (DDMP)-conjugated and non-conjugated forms in different samples in one single run for only 30 min. Standard calibration curve was linear over the concentration range of 0.010-1.0 mg/L for each soyasaponin. Within-day and day-to-day relative standard deviations were less than 9.2 and 13.1%, respectively.     

Rapid screening and characterization of metabolites from a marine-derived actinomycete by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry

A rapid and reliable method has been optimized and established for the analysis of the metabolites from a marine actinomycete by high‐performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (HPLC/QTOF MS/MS). From MS/MS spectra, the product ions of [M + H]⁺ were recorded to provide abundant structural information of the mother nucleus and peptide moieties. Using the QTOF MS/MS and in‐source collision‐induced dissociation (in‐source CID) techniques, three main metabolites including actinomycin D, actinomycin V and actinomycin I were determined and characterized by elemental compositions of precursor and product ions (<7 ppm). Additionally, this method provided information about the compositions of the peptide residues and the sequences of the amino acid from a series of fragment ions. It proved useful for the identi?cation of the metabolites in marine samples which have similar structures especially when there were no reference compounds available. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Rapid characterisation and identification of compounds in Saposhnikoviae Radix by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionisation quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Saposhnikoviae Radix (SR), the dried root of Saposhnikovia divaricata (Turcz.) Schischk. (Umbelliferae), is commonly used as a traditional Chinese medicine. In this study, a rapid and accurate method was firstly, developed for the qualitative analysis of SR by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionisation quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-Q-TOF-MS/MS). A total of 45 compounds were identified or tentatively characterised, including 13 chromones, 28 coumarins and four others. Among them, 16 compounds were identified from SR for the first time. In addition, six chromones reference standards, including two isolated compounds of 3′-O-angeloylhamaudol and norcimifugin from the extraction of SR, were used to study the fragmentation pathways of chromones. The developed method was effective for characterising the compounds of SR, and the results of the study enriched the understanding of the chemical connotation.     

A general analytical strategy for the characterization of phenolic compounds in fruit juices by high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection coupled to electrospray ionization and triple quadrupole mass spectrometry

In the present study, a methodology based on liquid chromatography with diode array detection (HPLC/DAD) coupled to an electrospray ionization (ESI) interface and a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer for the simultaneous identification of phenolic compounds in fruit juices has been developed. 72 available phenolic compound standards from diverse families present in fruits have been studied in order to analyze their fragmentation pattern. As a result, a general strategy for the characterization of unknown phenolic compounds in fruit juices was designed: (i) taking into account its UV–visible spectrum and elution order, assign the unknown polyphenol to a polyphenol class, (ii) identify the quasi-molecular ion using positive and negative MS spectra, being supported by adducts generated with solvent or sodium and molecular complexes, (iii) determinate the pattern of glycosylation in positive mode using ESI(+)-CID MS/MS product ion scan experiments, selecting the quasi-molecular ion as precursor ion, and finally, (iv) study the identity of the aglycone through ESI(+)-CID MS/MS product ion spectra from the protonated aglycone, [Y₀]⁺. This strategy was successfully employed for the characterization of known and unknown phenolic compounds in juices from 17 different fruits.     

Rapid characterization of triterpene saponins from Conyza blinii by liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry

Conyza blinii Le'vl is a medicinal herb used for the treatment of inflammation in Chinese folk medicine. Its major bioactive constituents are triterpene saponins, most of which contain 6–8 sugar residues. In this report, electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry fragmentation behaviors of bisdesmosidic triterpene saponins (conyzasaponin A, B, and C) were studied in both positive and negative ion modes with an ion‐trap mass spectrometer. In full scan mass spectrometry, these saponins gave predominant [M–H]^? and [M+Na]⁺ ions, which determined the molecular weights. In tandem mass spectrometry (MSⁿ, n = 2–4), the [M–H]^? and [M+Na]⁺ ions yielded fragments [Y_0α–H]^? and [B_α+Na]⁺, which were diagnostic for the structures of the triterpene skeleton and sugar chains. The structural elucidation was approved by accurate mass data using IT‐TOF‐MS. An interpretation guideline based on MSⁿ (n = 2–4) diagnostic ions was proposed in order to elucidate the chemical structures of unknown triterpene saponins in C. blinii extract. The saponins in C. blinii were separated by liquid chromatography with a methanol/acetonitrile/water solvent system, and then analyzed by ion‐trap and IT‐TOF mass spectrometers. Based on the interpretation guideline, a total of 35 triterpenoid saponins were tentatively identified. Among them, 15 saponins had been previously reported, and the other 20 saponins were reported from Conyza species for the first time. This study indicates that LC/MS is a powerful technology for the rapid characterization of complicated saponins in herbal extracts. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Rapid measurement of sphingolipids from Arabidopsis thaliana by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry

Changes in sphingolipids have been associated with profound effects in cell fate and development in both plants and animals. Sphingolipids as a group consist of a large number of different compound classes of which numerous individual species may vary in response to environmental stimuli to affect cellular responses. The ability to measure all sphingolipids simultaneously is, therefore, essential to an understanding of the biochemical regulation of sphingolipid metabolism and signaling molecules derived from it. In the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, the major sphingolipid classes are glycosylinositolphosphoceramides, glucosylceramides, hydroxyceramides and ceramides. Other minor but potentially important sphingolipids are free long-chain bases and their phosphorylated derivates. By using a single solvent system with reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry detection we have been able to separate and measure 168 sphingolipids from a crude sample. This greatly speeds up and simplifies the analysis of plant sphingolipids and should pave the way for a better understanding of their role in plant performance.     

Rapid characterization of oligonucleotides by capillary liquid chromatography-nano electrospray quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry

A fast quality control method is developed allowing the desalting and characterization of oligonucleotides by capillary liquid chromatography and on-line nano-electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry using column switching. The influence of addition of ammonium acetate, trans-1,2-diaminocyclohexane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid, formic acid or acetic acid to the sample, addition of ammonium acetate to the trapping solvent and variation of the trapping time on the further reduction of cation adduction was studied. Final conditions were the addition of 0.1 M ammonium acetate to the sample, the use of a trapping solvent consisting of 0.4 M aqueous 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2-propanol (HFLP) adjusted to pH 7.0 with triethylamine plus 10 mM ammonium acetate during 8 min and the elution of the oligonucleotides with 0.4 M HFIP in 50% methanol. The potential of the optimized procedure is demonstrated for different synthetic oligonucleotides.     

Arsenic speciation by coupling high-performance liquid chromatography with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

Summary An ICP-MS detector in combination with HPLC has been evaluated for the analysis of six arsenic compounds. The influence of the presence of an organic modifier in the mobile phase on arsenic response and the quality parameters of the analysis are discussed. Detection limits for arsenic species under study range from 10 to 30 pg. The determination of arsenic compounds in solutions simulating fish or sediment extracts has been used to demonstrate the applicability of this technique.     

Determination of nalbuphine using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to photodiode-array detection and gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry.

A procedure involving capillary column gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry and a method involving liquid chromatography coupled to a diode-array detector have been developed for the analysis of nalbuphine. The extraction step is the same for both techniques and involves extraction under alkaline conditions in chloroform-2-propanol-n-heptane (50:17:33, v/v/v) with levallorphan as the internal standard. After purification by acidic extraction and back alkaline extraction, drugs are derivatized with N,O-bis-(trimethylsilyl)trifluoroacetamide with 1% trimethylchlorosilane for gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and directly injected for high-performance liquid chromatography-diode-array detection. The limits of detection are 2.0 and 25.0 ng/mg, respectively.     

Identification and structural characterization of biodegradation products of atenolol and glibenclamide by liquid chromatography coupled to hybrid quadrupole time-of-flight and quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometry

In this paper we report about the biodegradation of the beta-blocker atenolol and the hypoglycaemic agent glibenclamide. The biodegradation tests were performed in batch reactors under aerobic conditions, using as inocculums sewage sludge from a conventional activated sludge treatment and a laboratory-scale membrane bioreactor. Pharmaceuticals were used as sole carbon sources, spiked at 50ng/L and 10mg/L concentrations. Quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry coupled to ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatograph was used for the screening and the structural elucidation of biodegradation products. A microbial metabolite of atenolol with [M+H](+) at 268 was detected in the positive electrospray ionization mode. This new compound was determined to be a product of microbial hydrolysis of the amide of the parent compound. Biodegradation of glibenclamide by activated sludge proceeded via bacterial hydroxylation of the cyclohexyl ring, which resulted in formation of metabolite with a protonated molecule, [M+H](+)=510. MS(3) experiments performed by hybrid quadrupole linear ion trap (QqLIT) mass spectrometry coupled to high-performance liquid chromatography enabled further structural elucidation of the identified metabolites. Moreover, the highly sensitive QqLIT instrument in the MRM mode enabled the detection of parent compounds and one of the microbial metabolites identified in real wastewater samples. The methodology used in this study permitted for the first time the identification and detection of biodegradation product of beta-blocker atenolol in real wastewater samples.     

Determination of biogenic amines in wines by pre-column derivatization and high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry

A new HPLC method for determining biogenic amines in wines is developed. This method is based on pre-column amine derivatization, further separation of derivatives and on-line hyphenation of HPLC to atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry (APCI-MS). Biogenic amines have been derivatized with 1,2-naphthoquinone-4-sulfonate at 65 °C and pH 9.2 for 5 min. The separation of derivatives has been accomplished in a C₁₈ analytical column using an elution gradient based on increasing the percentage of methanol. Derivatives have been ionized in positive mode and detected by selected ion monitoring. The operating conditions of the APCI-MS system (voltages, temperatures and gases) have been thoroughly optimized to obtain the maximum sensitivity for all analytes. In the selected conditions, APCI-MS spectra display little fragmentation and good signal-to-noise ratio. Depending on the amine characteristics, the main spectral peaks are due to mono- and di-derivative products. Figures of merit of the method have been established under the selected conditions using red wine samples. Recoveries ranging from 94% to 106% have been obtained which prove excellent accuracy of the method in the determination of histamine, putrescine, cadaverine, tryptamine, phenylethylamine, tyramine and serotonin in red wines. The proposed method has been applied to the analysis of commercial wines from different Spanish regions.     

Selenium speciation in animal tissues after enzymatic digestion by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

A procedure is described for the enzymatic digestion of tuna and mussel samples that allows the determination of selenium species by high-performance liquid chromatography in conjunction with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The species were extracted by two-step enzymatic hydrolysis with a non-specific protease (subtilisin). The selenium species were separated on a Spherisorb 5 ODS/AMINO column using two different chromatographic conditions, namely phosphate buffers at pH 2.8 and pH 6.0 as mobile phases. The method determines organic (trimethylselenonium, selenocystine, selenomethionine and selenoethionine) and inorganic selenium species (selenite and selenate), but only organic selenium species were found in the samples. The sum of identified selenium species in the sample was about 30% of the total selenium present in the enzymatic extract despite the fact that recoveries of total hydrolysed selenium were 93-102%. Trimethylselenonium ion and selenomethionine were found in both tuna and mussel samples and an unknown selenium species was also found in tuna samples.     

Rapid and sensitive detection of auxins and flavonoids in plant samples by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry

Simultaneous determination of indole-3-acetic acid and methyl indole-3-acetic acid ester in small amounts of plant tissue is essential for elucidating their mutual transformation mechanism and the in vivo function of methyl indole-3-acetic acid ester. Rapid quantification of flavonoids in the same sample is important for clarifying their roles in the transport of auxins and other phytohormones. Herein, we describe a simple method for the simultaneous determination of indole-3-acetic acid and its methyl ester in the roots of the Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings and a protocol for the rapid extraction and quantification of quercetin and kaempferol in these seedlings. High-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry was used for the detection of all the compounds. Negative data for indole-3-acetic acid and positive data for methyl indole-3-acetic acid ester were collected in two successive files with a single injection of the extracted sample. Under optimized conditions, the limit of detection for the four compounds was 2 ng/mL for indole-3-acetic acid, 0.5 ng/mL for methyl indole-3-acetic acid ester, 5 ng/mL for quercetin, and 1 ng/mL for kaempferol, respectively. Because of the high sensitivity of the assay, only 2-10 mg of the plant material was required to obtain quantitative results.     

Rapid quantification of HIV protease inhibitors in human plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry

HIV protease inhibitors are important antiretroviral drugs which have substantially reduced the morbidity and mortality associated with HIV-1 infection. Recent data have shown relationships between plasma concentrations of the protease inhibitors and clinical response, which makes therapeutic drug monitoring valuable. We have developed and validated an assay, using liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS), for the routine quantification of the six licensed protease inhibitors (amprenavir, indinavir, lopinavir, nelfinavir, ritonavir and saquinavir) and the pharmacologically active nelfinavir metabolite M8 in plasma. The sample pretreatment consisted of protein precipitation with a mixture of methanol and acetronitrile using only 100 microl of plasma. Chromatographic separation was performed on an Inertsil ODS3 column (50 x 2.0 mm i.d., particle size 5 microm), with a quick stepwise gradient using an acetate buffer (pH 5) and methanol, at a flow rate of 0.5 ml min(-1). The analytical run time was 5.5 min. The use of a 96-well plate autosampler allowed batch sizes up to 150 patient samples. The triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer was operated in the positive ion mode and multiple reaction monitoring was used for drug quantification. The method was validated over the concentration ranges 0.01-10 microg ml(-1) for indinavir and saquinavir, 0.1-10 microg ml(-1) for amprenavir, 0.05-10 microg ml(-1) for nelfinavir and ritonavir, 0.1-20 microg ml(-1) for lopinavir and 0.01-5 microg ml(-1) for M8. Saquinavir-d(5) and indinavir-d(6) were used as internal standards. The coefficients of variation were always <10% for both intra-day and inter-day precisions for each compound. Mean accuracies were also between the designated limits (+/-15%). The validated concentration ranges proved to be adequate in daily practice. This robust and fast LC/MS/MS assay is now successfully applied for routine therapeutic drug monitoring and pharmacokinetic studies in our hospital.     

Analysis of anthocyanins in commercial fruit juices by using nano-liquid chromatography-electrospray-mass spectrometry and high-performance liquid chromatography with UV-vis detector

Nano-LC and conventional HPLC techniques were applied for the analysis of anthocyanins present in commercial fruit juices using a capillary column of 100 μm id and a 2.1 mm id narrow-bore C(18) column. Analytes were detected by UV-Vis at 518 nm and ESI-ion trap MS with HPLC and nano-LC, respectively. Commercial blueberry juice (14 anthocyanins detected) was used to optimize chromatographic separation of analytes and other analysis parameters. Qualitative identification of anthocyanins was performed by comparing the recorded mass spectral data with those of published papers. The use of the same mobile phase composition in both techniques revealed that the miniaturized method exhibited shorter analysis time and higher sensitivity than narrow-bore chromatography. Good intra-day and day-to-day precision of retention time was obtained in both methods with values of RSD less than 3.4 and 0.8% for nano-LC and HPLC, respectively. Quantitative analysis was performed by external standard curve calibration of cyanidin-3-O-glucoside standard. Calibration curves were linear in the concentration ranges studied, 0.1-50 and 6-50 μg/mL for HPLC-UV/Vis and nano-LC-MS, respectively. LOD and LOQ values were good for both methods. In addition to commercial blueberry juice, qualitative and quantitative analysis of other juices (e.g. raspberry, sweet cherry and pomegranate) was performed. The optimized nano-LC-MS method allowed an easy and selective identification and quantification of anthocyanins in commercial fruit juices; it offered good results, shorter analysis time and reduced mobile phase volume with respect to narrow-bore HPLC.     

Determination of exemestane and 17-hydroxyexemestane by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry and high-resolution mass spectrometry

An approach was developed for determining and confirming the presence of exemestane and its metabolite 17-hydroxyexemestane in urine. It is based on the application of high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization high-resolution mass spectrometry (HPLC-HRMS). To detect hydroxyexemestane, the analysis of the hydrolyzed fraction of urine is preferable. The recovery rates of exemestane and 17-hydroxyexemestane were 83 and 91%, respectively. The detection limits were 1 ng/mL for HPLC-MS/MS and 2.5 ng/mL for HPLC-HRMS. In spite of a considerable effect of ionization suppression, the sensitivity and selectivity of the determination are affected by the selection of the optimal detection conditions in HPLC-MS/MS and by the high accuracy of mass determination in mass spectrometry with orbitrap detection, enabling resolution at a level of 5 ppm. The procedures can be used for screening and confirmatory analysis.     

Characterization of mixtures of biocidal oligoguanidines by capillary electrophoresis and high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry

The polycondensation of guanidine hydrochloride and 2,2′-(ethylenedioxy)bis(ethylamine) leads to various types of oligomeric guanidines exhibiting a broad spectrum of biocidal activities. In the present work a reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method with a gradient consisting of aqueous 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid and acetonitrile as mobile phase has been developed to separate these oligoguanidines according to type and chain length. The combination with electrospray mass spectrometry allowed the identification of the various compounds. By this technique, some structures already suggested in the literature could be confirmed, and several additional oligoguanidines not yet reported could be identified. As a complementary technique, capillary zone electrophoresis was investigated. Best results were obtained with carrier electrolytes consisting of phosphoric acid in water/acetonitrile mixtures. Although the number of peaks that could be separated by the electrophoretic method was considerably lower than in case of the chromatographic method, capillary electrophoresis in combination with UV detection at 195 nm may still be a fast method suitable for quantitation of some of the major compounds and for monitoring the reaction rate during the polycondensation reaction.     

Speciation of arsenic compounds by coupling high-performance liquid chromatography with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

There is considerable evidence that toxicity and physiological behavior of arsenic depends on its chemical forms. Arsenic speciation became therefore the subject of increasing interest in recent years. A sensitive method for the determination of arsenic species has been developed. The proposed procedure involves the use of high-performance liquid chromatography and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HPLC-ICP-MS). Six arsenic compounds were separated by anion-exchange chromatography with isocratic elution using tartaric acid as mobile phase with an elution order: arsenocholine, arsenobetaine, dimethylarsinic acid, methylarsonic acid, arsenous acid and arsenic acid. The chromatographic parameters affecting the separation of the arsenic species were optimized. Analytical characterization of the method has been realized with standard solutions. The detection limits for six arsenic compounds were from 0.04 to 0.6 g/L as As element. The repeatability (expressed by R.S.D) was better than 7% for all investigated compounds. The HPLC-ICP-MS system was successfully applied to the determination of arsenic compounds in environmental and biological samples in g/L level.     

基于非靶标筛查的超高效液相色谱-三重四极杆质谱法检测尿液样品中的酰基肉碱

建立了一种基于母离子扫描模式的超高效液相色谱-三重四极杆质谱检测尿液中酰基肉碱的分析方法。对酰基肉碱类化合物所共有的m/z为60、85和144的碎片离子进行选择性检测,结合化合物母离子扫描的结果及其对应的保留时间,选取一致性较好的化合物进行筛选,再利用高分辨质谱确认,最终检测到37种酰基肉碱化合物,其中有14种尚未被HMDB和LIPID MAPS数据库收录。该方法可应用于其他生物样本(如血液、组织)中酰基肉碱的定性、定量分析,可作为检测酰基肉碱化合物的新选择。     

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.