Fast capillary electrophoresis-time-of-flight mass spectrometry using capillaries with inner diameters ranging from 75 to 5 μm

Fast electrophoretic separations in fused silica capillaries (CE) coupled to time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOF-MS) are presented. CE separations of the model analytes (epinephrine, norepinephrine, dopamine, histidine, and isoproterenol) under conditions of high electric field strengths of up to 1.25 kV cm⁻¹ are completed in 20 s. Coupling of CE with TOF-MS is accomplished using a coaxial sheath liquid electrospray ionization interface. The influence of parameters inherent to the interface and their effects, including suction pressure and dilution, are discussed. In addition to standard capillaries of 75 and 50 μm inner diameter (ID), separations in capillaries with IDs of 25, 15, and 5 μm have been successfully applied to this setup. The analytical performance is compared over this range of capillary dimensions, and both advantages and disadvantages are discussed.     

Identification of the major metabolites of tectorigenin in rat bile by liquid chromatography combined with time-of-flight and ion trap tandem mass spectrometry

A novel methodology for the identification of tetorigenin and its metabolites in rat bile has been created using liquid chromatography (LC) combined with time-of-flight (TOF) and ion trap multiple mass spectrometry (IT-MSn). As a means to discriminate amongst unknown organic compounds in complex biological matrices, the proposed methodology relies upon the combination of LC/TOF-MS to provide accurate mass measurements in generating a molecular formula while benefiting from the complementary structural information provided by the LC/IT-MSn. In this study, the combined approach has been applied to the metabolic fingerprinting chromatograms of rat bile samples before and after tectorigenin administration. All possible metabolites are investigated based on accurate mass data and isotope function using LC/TOF-MS and structural confirmation using LC/IT-MSn. Seven phase II metabolities of tectorigenin in rat bile have been successfully elucidated using this novel LC approach and are being reported for the first time.     

Determination of porphyrins and metalloporphyrins using liquid chromatography-diode array detection and mass spectrometry

A HPLC procedure has been optimized and successfully applied to porphyrins of environmental interest, such as etio and octaethylporphyrins and their VO and Ni compounds. The use of UV-Vis diode array allowed the detection of the analytes within the 5-15 ng/ml range. In order to achieve greater specificity and some structural information, the coupling of liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry was investigated, and the particle beam interface conditions were optimized. Electron impact (EI) spectra, comparable to those reported in the literature were obtained. The entire procedure has been applied to a real marine sediment, previously spiked with porphyrins to resemble oil-contaminated samples. The results pointed out that the method is suitable for such levels of analytes (5-10 microg/ml), allowing their identification and quantification with no need for purification steps.     

Direct measurement of urinary testosterone and epitestosterone conjugates using high-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry

Measurement of the ratio of testosterone (T) and epitestosterone (E) in urine has been used as an indication of 'natural' steroid supplementation for a decade. The direct measurement of the glucuronide and sulfate conjugates of testosterone and epitestosterone by high-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC/MS/MS) should resolve a number of issues regarding unusual metabolism due to either genetic disposition or attempts to avoid detection of abuse. Determination of nanomoles per liter (0.1 ppb) concentrations of analytes in a complex biological matrix by HPLC/MS/MS is complicated by sample matrix-specific ion suppression during ESI. Deuterated internal standards of all compounds were used to overcome the effects of suppression. Comparison of the HPLC/MS/MS method with a two-part gas chromatographic/mass spectrometric method showed statistical equivalence in urine samples. Analysis of urine samples with elevated T-glucuronide to E-glucuronide ratios did not show that a significant number could be explained by an elevated excretion of epitestosterone sulfate. The HPLC/MS/MS method was also used further to characterize genetic and metabolic factors that give rise to unusual T/E ratios.     

Rapid separation and identification of phenolic and diterpenoid constituents from Radix Salvia miltiorrhizae by high-performance liquid chromatography diode-array detection, electrospray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry and electrospray ionization quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometry

High-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection (HPLC-DAD), electrospray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-TOF-MS) and electrospray ionization quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MSn) were used for the isolation, identification and structural analysis of water-soluble phenolic and nonpolar diterpenoid constituents in Dan-shen (Radix Salvia miltiorrhizae) which was prepared by sonication in 70% methanol. Mass spectra were obtained by ESI-TOF-MS and electrospray ionization quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometry (ESI-QIT-MS). A formula database of known constituents in Dan-shen was established and most constituents were rapidly identified by HPLC-DAD/ESI-TOF-MS by matching their accurate molecular masses with the formulae of the compounds in the database. Compounds with the same molecular formula could not be differentiated by TOF-MS; however, QIT-MS could differentiate those compounds and elucidate their structures based on their characteristic fragmentation. HPLC-DAD, HPLC/ESI-TOF-MS and HPLC/ESI-MSn provided complementary information for the identification of the constituents in Dan-shen. Forty constituents were identified in 30 min based on their positive and negative ion ESI mass spectra and liquid chromatographic information. Thus the method described is useful for the rapid analysis of multiple constituents in Dan-shen.     

高效液相色谱-电喷雾银离子诱导电离飞行时间质谱定性分析高沸点多环芳烃

建立了高效液相色谱-电喷雾飞行时间质谱联用技术快速鉴别高沸点多环芳烃的方法。多环芳烃经色谱柱分离后,通过柱后添加AgNO3溶液诱导其在电喷雾离子源中电离,生成多环芳烃[M]+及其复合[M+Ag]+和[2M+Ag]+特征离子,根据所获得的各特征离子的精确分子量和分子式,可实现多环芳烃类化合物的快速鉴别。将本方法用于美国环保局(USEPA)规定的16种优先控制多环芳烃及原油中多环芳烃类化合物的分析鉴别,结果表明,四环以上的PAHs质谱信号良好,说明本方法适用于四环以上的高分子量、高沸点多环芳烃类化合物的分析鉴别。     

A miniature mass spectrometer for liquid chromatography applications

A miniature mass spectrometer capable of detecting analytes eluting from a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) system is described and demonstrated for the first time. The entire instrument, including all pumps and the computer, is contained within a single enclosure that may be conveniently accommodated at the base of the HPLC stack. The microspray ion source, vacuum interface, ion guide, and quadrupole ion filter are all microengineered. These components are fabricated in batches using microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) techniques and considered to be consumables. When coupled to a standard HPLC system using an integrated passive split, the limit of detection for reserpine while scanning the full mass range is 5 ng on-column (1 pg of which is passed to the microspray). The mass range is m/z 100-800, and each spectrum is typically acquired at a rate of 1 scan per second.     

High-performance liquid chromatography coupled to direct analysis in real time mass spectrometry: investigations on gradient elution and influence of complex matrices on signal intensities

Direct analysis in real time (DART) time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOF-MS) has been tested for its suitability as a detector for gradient elution HPLC. Thereby a strong dependency of signal intensity on the amount of organic solvent present in the eluent could be observed. Adding a make-up liquid (iso-propanol) post-column to the HPLC effluent greatly enhanced detection limits for early eluting compounds. Limits of detection achieved employing this approach were in the range of 7-27 μg L(-1) for the parabene test mixture and 15-87 μg L(-1) for the pharmaceuticals. In further investigations DART ionization was compared to several other widely used atmospheric pressure ionization methods with respect to signal suppression phenomena occurring in when samples with problematic matrices are analyzed. For this purpose extracts from environmental and waste water samples were selected as model matrices which were subsequently spiked with a set of six substances commonly present in personal care products as well as six pharmaceuticals at concentration levels between 100 μg L(-1) and 500 μg L(-1) corresponding to 100 ng L(-1) and 500 ng L(-1) respectively in the original sample. With ionization suppression of less than 11% for most analytes investigated, DART ionization showed similar to even somewhat superior behavior compared to atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) and atmospheric pressure photo ionization (APPI) for the Danube river water extract; for the more challenging matrix of the sewage plant effluent extract DART provided better results with ion suppression being less than 11% for 9 out of 12 analytes while values for APCI were lying between 20% and >90%. Electrospray ionization (ESI) was much more affected by suppression effects than DART with values between 26% and 80% for Danube river water; in combination with the sewage plant effluent matrix suppression >50% was observed for all analytes.     

HPLC�CMS�CMS for the Simultaneous Determination of Atorvastatin and Amlodipine in Plasma of Hypertensive Patients

Combination drug products containing amlodipine and atorvastatin are widely marketed and used in the treatment of concomitant hypertension and dyslipidemia. A rapid, simple and sensitive high performance liquid chromatography?Ctandem mass spectrometry (HPLC?CMS?CMS) method for determination of atorvastatin and amlodipine in plasma of hypertensive patients has been developed and validated to be used for therapeutic drug monitoring. The plasma samples were subjected to methanol protein precipitation. Chromatographic separation was performed on a C18 column using a gradient elution. The mobile phase consisted of 0.1% of formic acid in water and 0.1% of formic acid in acetonitrile and was pumped at a flow rate of 0.4 mL min^?1. Detection of analytes was achieved by tandem mass spectrometry with electrospray ionization (ESI) interface in positive ion mode. The calibration curves were linear over the range of 0.46?C1,000 ng mL^?1. The intra- and inter-day precisions were within 12.2%, while the accuracy ranged from 92.7 to 108.1%. The validated LC?CMS?CMS method was successfully applied for the determination of atorvastatin and amlodipine in plasma of hypertensive patients.     

Use of liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for the analysis of pentoxifylline and lisofylline in plasma

A method was developed for the quantitation of pentoxifylline [1-(5-oxohexyl)-3,7-dimethylxanthine] and a primary active metabolite, lisofylline [1-(5-hydroxyhexyl)-3,7-dimethylxanthine], using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-tandem mass spectrometry. This method was developed in order to overcome problems encountered with HPLC-ultraviolet detection. The operating parameters of the electrospray interface (PE SCIEX, TurboIon Spray) and lens voltages of the triple-quadrupole detector (PE SCIEX 365) were optimized in positive ion mode to obtain the best sensitivity of the analytes. Collision-induced dissociation was used to produce fragment ions, and multiple reaction monitoring was used to quantitate pentoxifylline (m/z 279/181) and lisofylline (m/z 263/181). Dichloromethane was used to extract the drug, metabolite, and the internal standard (3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine) from plasma. A reverse-phase C8(2) 150 x 1.0 mm HPLC column was used to resolve all three compounds in less than 6 min. Calibration curves were generated using peak area and were linear from 1 to 1000 ng/mL (R(2) > 0.99). The small sample volume, ease of extraction, and sensitivity provide advantages over more conventional methods of quantitation.     

Employing atmospheric pressure photoionization in liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry to minimize ion suppression and matrix effects for the quantification of venlafaxine and O-desmethylvenlafaxine

During the development of a method for quantitative determination of venlafaxine and its major metabolite O-desmethylvenlafaxine, elevated concentrations of the analyte as well as co-eluting matrix compounds caused ion suppression. This ion suppression was inconsistent and therefore influenced the reproducibility of detection. The use of atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI) in the positive mode was investigated as a tool to circumvent this problem. Employing APPI resulted in negligible ion suppression and increased linearity of the concentration range. A selective, sensitive and rapid liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry method for the determination of venlafaxine and its major metabolite O-desmethylvenlafaxine in human plasma was developed. The analyte was extracted from plasma into tert-butyl methyl ether followed by back extraction into 2% formic acid. An Agilent 1100 high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) system, employing reversed-phase chromatography on a cyano column, coupled to an Applied Biosystems API 3000 triple quadrupole mass spectrometer set to multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode, was used for separation and detection of the analytes. The method was validated between 2.36-605 ng per mL with a mean recovery of approximately 88% for both parent compound and metabolite analytes. APPI technology was employed to improve the reproducibility of detection enabling rapid, selective and sensitive quantification of venlafaxine and O-desmethylvenlafaxine in human plasma samples.     

An overview of analytical applications of time of flight-mass spectrometric (TOF-MS) analyzers and an inductively coupled plasma-TOF-MS technique.

A brief overview of the applications of time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOF-MS) for analytical purposes is presented. The performance of TOF-MS combined with an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) ion source is discussed in detail. The advantages of TOF-MS detectors over the quadrupole mass filters for multi-elemental analysis of fast transient signals are discussed. The applications of ICP-TOF-MS for the detection of signals from laser ablation, electrothermal vaporization, gas and liquid chromatography, capillary electrophoresis and flow-injection analysis are reviewed.     

高效液相色谱-串联质谱法检测乳制品中10种氨基糖苷类抗生素残留

建立了乳制品中链霉素、双氢链霉素、新霉素、卡那霉素、妥布霉素、庆大霉素、安普霉素、潮霉素B、巴龙霉素、阿米卡星等10种氨基糖苷类抗生素(aminoglycosides, AGs)残留的高效液相色谱-串联质谱(HPLC-MS/MS)检测方法。乳制品提取液经亲水-亲脂平衡(hydrophilic- lipophilic balance, HLB)柱净化后,采用反相离子对高效液相色谱分离,电喷雾串联四极杆质谱检测。对样品前处理条件、液相色谱流动相以及质谱条件进行了优化。结果表明: 10种AGs在20～1000 μg/L范围内定量离子的峰面积和样品的质量浓度之间有很好的线性关系;在乳制品中的加标回收率为71.2%～101.7%,相对标准偏差为3.4%～13.8%。该方法简便、灵敏、准确,可用于乳制品中多种AGs残留的同时检测。     

Titania as a chemo-affinity support for the column-switching HPLC analysis of phosphopeptides: application to the characterization of phosphorylation sites in proteins by combination with protease digestion and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry.

A method for the determination of phosphorylation sites in phosphoproteins based on column-switching high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) has been developed. The HPLC system consisted of a titania precolumn for the selective adsorption of phosphopeptides, an anion-exchange analytical column and a UV detector (215 nm). Rabbit muscle phosphorylase a (RPa) and porcine stomach pepsin (PSP) were tested as model phosphoproteins. After protease digestion, the resulting phosphopeptides were successfully isolated by column-switching HPLC. The phosphopeptide fractions were analyzed by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry with a positive or negative ion mode after purification by reversed-phase HPLC. Pseudo-molecular ion peaks corresponding to Gln-Ile-Ser(p)-Val-Arg (MW 681.7) and Glu-Ala-Thr-Ser(p)-Gln-Glu-Leu (MW 856.8) were detected from the tryptic digest of RPa and chymotryptic digest of PSP, respectively, which agreed with the theoretically expected phosphopeptide fragments.     

Photo-induced chemical-vapor generation for sample introduction in atomic spectrometry

Chemical-vapor generation (CVG) is widely used as a sample-introduction technique for atomic spectrometry, with the advantages of efficient matrix separation, high analyte-transport efficiency, and high selectivity and sensitivity. Recently, photo-induced CVG (photo-CVG) was demonstrated to be a powerful alternative to conventional CVG. In photo-CVG, volatile species (including hydrides, elemental, carbonylated and alkylated analytes) are generated from non-volatile precursors by ultraviolet irradiation in the presence of low-molecular-weight organic compounds. Photo-CVG is simple, fast and environmentally friendly with little interference from transition metals. Its analytical applications have been demonstrated in analysis of Hg, conventional hydride-forming elements (As, Bi, Sb, Se, Te), transition metals (Ni, Co, Fe) and non-metals (I). In addition, photo-CVG was developed as a simple, effective interface between high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and atomic spectrometry. This review summarizes the applications of photo-CVG for various analytes and as a novel interface between HPLC and atomic spectrometry. We also discuss current research on the possible reaction mechanism of photo-CVG.     

Quantitative analysis of nine coumarins in rat urine and bile after oral administration of Radix Glehniae extract by high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry

Coumarins are the primary bioactive ingredients in Radix Glehniae, named Beishashen in China, which possesses many pharmacological activities, including anticancer, anti‐inflammation and antivirus activities. In the present study, we employed a sensitive and selective high‐performance liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization–tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC‐ESI‐MS/MS) method for the quantification of nine coumarins in rat urine and bile: scopoletin ( 1 ), xanthotoxol ( 2 ), xanthotoxin ( 3 ), psoralen ( 4 ), isoimpinellin ( 5 ), bergapten ( 6 ), oxypeucedanin ( 7 ), imperatorin ( 8 ) and isoimperatorin ( 9 ). Pimpinellin ( 10 ) was used as the internal standard (IS). The urine and bile samples were pretreated by liquid–liquid extraction with ethyl acetate (EtOAc). The chromatographic separation was carried out on a C₁₈ column with gradient elution. The detection of analytes was performed on a tandem mass system equipped with a turbo ion spray interface in positive mode using multiple‐reaction monitoring (MRM). The specificity, linearity, accuracy, precision, recovery, matrix effect and several stabilities were validated for coumarins in rat urine and bile samples. The results showed that this method is robust, specific and sensitive and it can successfully fulfill the requirements of the excretion study of the nine coumarins in Radix Glehniae. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Tandem mass spectrometry in the clinical analysis of variant hemoglobins

A combination of mass spectrometric techniques (electrospray mass spectrometry, liquid secondary-ion mass spectrometry (LSIMS), tandem mass spectrometry) has been used for variant hemoglobin detection and characterization. Electrospray mass spectrometry allowed analysis of mixtures of intact globins giving the molecular weights (accuracy 1-2 Da), and information about relative amounts of globins present, simultaneously. Abnormal hemoglobins detected in this way and by other means (screening, clinical symptoms) were fractionated by C-4 reverse phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and the separated globin chains (or the mixture of whole precipitated globin) were digested with trypsin. The tryptic peptides were separated by C-18 reverse phase HPLC and analysed by LSIMS to narrow down the mutation site to a single peptide. In some instances, the molecular weight of a variant peptide was sufficient to determine the mutation uniquely. When molecular weight information alone was insufficient to identify the mutation and its site, the peptide was sequenced by tandem mass spectrometry on a 4-sector instrument. In cases where more than one possible mutation site was present in the peptide and the mutation resulted in a change of only 1 Da in the peptide mass, the resolution and mass measurement accuracy of the 4-sector machine were essential in determining the correct sequence. The practical application of the methodologies presented is illustrated by the identification and analysis of Hb G-San Jose, Hb Willamette and D-Iran.     

Automated immobilized metal affinity chromatography/nano-liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization mass spectrometry platform for profiling protein phosphorylation sites

A versatile integrated system has been developed for the automated enrichment and analysis of phosphopeptides by immobilized metal affinity chromatography/nano-liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (IMAC/nano-LC/ESI-MS). This system utilizes two independently controlled high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) pumps, an autosampler and microvalves to prepare and elute samples into an ion trap mass spectrometer. The use of robust reversed-phase HPLC columns with integrated ESI emitter tips enables the reproducible detection and identification of low-femtomole quantities of phosphopeptides. The entire system is coordinated through a simple user interface by customized software. The ruggedness of the system is demonstrated by highly reproducible analyses of single and multi-protein digests, while its utility is demonstrated by the thorough evaluation of the relative immunoprecipitation efficiencies of several commercially available anti-phosphotyrosine antibodies.     

Simultaneous analysis of vitamins and caffeine in energy drinks by surfactant-mediated matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization

As a new approach to rapid small-molecule analysis, surfactant-mediated matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI–TOF-MS) was successfully used in the analysis of caffeine and the vitamins riboflavin, nicotinamide, and pyridoxine in various energy drinks. Of five common MALDI matrices tested (α-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamic acid, sinapinic acid, 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid, dithranol, and 2′,4′,6′-trihydroxyacetophenone), α-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamic acid was found to be most suitable for analysis of high-sugar-containing energy drinks. Cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) surfactant was used as a matrix-ion suppressor, at a matrix:surfactant mole ratio of approximately 500:1. The resulting mass spectra show very few matrix-related ions, while analyte signals were clearly observed. For comparative purposes the same analytes were identified and quantified in energy drinks by LC–ESI–MS with UV detection. Quantitatively the calibration curves of all four analytes showed a marked improvement when the surfactant-mediated method was used compared with traditional MALDI–TOF-MS; correlation coefficients of 0.989 (nicotinamide), 0.991 (pyridoxine), 0.983(caffeine) and 0.987 (riboflavin) were obtained. It was found that in quantitation of the energy drink analytes the surfactant-mediated MALDI–TOF-MS results were comparable with those from LC analysis. In reproducibility experiments RSD values ranged from 9.7 to 18.1%. The work has demonstrated that this mass spectrometric approach can be used as a rapid screening technique for fortified drinks.     

沉香的高效液相色谱-四极杆-飞行时间质谱数字化指纹图谱研究

采用高效液相色谱-四极杆-飞行时间质谱联用(HPLC-Q-TOF-MS)技术,研究构建了一种沉香数字化色谱-质谱指纹图谱的新方法。沉香药材经乙醇提取后,采用HPLC-Q-TOF-MS测定,并同时采集HPLC-Q-TOF-MS及液相色谱-紫外数据,得到液相色谱-紫外检测(HPLC-UV)色谱图和高分辨飞行时间质谱(TOF-MS)总离子流色谱图。对色谱图中的各个色谱峰进行精确质量数识别,建立数字化指纹图谱,以精确质量数结合保留时间表征沉香中的化学成分,即为每个色谱峰给出具有唯一性的数字信息,以数字化的形式反映其化学成分,并根据精确质量及同位素推算出分子式,结合二级质谱及文献资料共鉴定出30个化学成分。该方法对沉香的每种化学成分给出了类似于身份认定的数字化信息,具有唯一性,能全面反映沉香的物质成分,可为沉香的药理、药效及质量标准研究提供科学的数据。