Development of sheath‐flow probe electrospray ionization (SF‐PESI)

Probe electrospray ionization (PESI) uses a sharp solid needle as electrospray emitter. This method was found to be applicable to the analysis of real‐world samples with high concentrations of salts and detergents without sample pretreatment. Since PESI is only applicable to wet samples but not to dry samples, sheath‐flow PESI (SF‐PESI) has been developed. The metal needle was inserted into the fine plastic capillary with a protrusion of 0.1–0.2 mm from the capillary terminus. The solvent was supplied continuously through the capillary. At the lowest position of the probe, solvent flowing out from the capillary makes the sample wet and extracts the analytes from the surface. The extracted analytes were electrosprayed at the highest position of the needle. SF‐PESI was successfully applied to samples such as narcotics, tablets, bill, fruits, potatoes, etc. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

In situ analysis of soybeans and nuts by probe electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

The probe electrospray ionization (PESI) is an ESI‐based ionization technique that generates electrospray from the tip of a solid metal needle. In the present work, we describe the PESI mass spectra obtained by in situ measurement of soybeans and several nuts (peanuts, walnuts, cashew nuts, macadamia nuts and almonds) using different solid needles as sampling probes. It was found that PESI‐MS is a valuable approach for in situ lipid analysis of these seeds. The phospholipid and triacylglycerol PESI spectra of different nuts and soybean were compared by principal component analysis (PCA). PCA shows significant differences among the data of each family of seeds. Methanolic extracts of nuts and soybean were exposed to air and sunlight for several days. PESI mass spectra were recorded before and after the treatment. Along the aging of the oil (rancidification), the formation of oxidated species with variable number of hydroperoxide groups could be observed in the PESI spectra. The relative intensity of oxidated triacylglycerols signals increased with days of exposition. Monitoring sensitivity of PESI‐MS was high. This method provides a fast, simple and sensitive technique for the analysis (detection and characterization) of lipids in seed tissue and degree of oxidation of the oil samples. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Ambient imaging mass spectrometry by electrospray ionization using solid needle as sampling probe

Although being an atmospheric pressure ion source, electrospray ionization (ESI) has rarely been used directly for ambient imaging mass spectrometry because the sample has to be introduced as liquid solution through the capillary. Instead of capillary, probe electrospray ionization (PESI), which has been developed recently, uses a solid needle as the sampling probe, as well as the electrospray emitter, and has been applied not only for liquid solutions but also for the direct sampling on wet samples. Biological tissues are composed of cells that contain 70–90% water, and when the surface is probed by the needle tip, the biological fluid adhering to the needle can be electrosprayed directly or assisted by additional solvent added onto the needle surface. Here, we demonstrate ambient imaging mass spectrometry of mouse brain section using PESI, incorporated with an auxiliary heated capillary sprayer. The solvent vapor generated from the sprayer condensed on the needle tip, re‐dissolving the adhered sample, and at the same time, providing an indirect means for needle cleaning. The histological sections were prepared by fixation using paraformaldehyde, and the spatial analysis was automated by maintaining an equal sampling depth into the sample in addition to raster scan. Phospholipids and galactosylceramides were readily detected from the mouse brain section in the positive ion mode, and were mapped with 60 µm lateral resolution to form mass spectrometric images. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

电喷雾离子源中样品离子化能量转移理论的初探

电喷雾离子源（electrospray ionization,ESI）不仅可以用于小分子的检测,也能够用于蛋白质、多肽等大分子的研究。本文通过对离子化过程的系统分析,提出了基于能量最低原理的离子化过程能量转移理论。样品分子在由液相转移到气相形成离子化气体的过程中受到静电力、分子间的范德华力等多种力的作用。样品的离子化是多种力共同作用的结果,在不同的离子化阶段,不同形式的力的作用也不尽相同。电荷在样品表面蒸发和多电荷离子的形成之间存在竞争。对不同结构的分子,分子形态、构象改变导致的两相间转移Gibbs自由能变化不同,可能导致离子蒸发、大分子形成多电荷离子、产生链弹射等行为。离子化能量转移理论不仅能够对已有的3种理论加以简化统一,也可以说明溶剂、电解质离子等在离子化过程中的作用,为优化不同结构与形态样品的质谱检测、了解离子化的真实过程提供了一种可能的依据。     

Detection of protein from detergent solutions by probe electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (PESI-MS)

Detergents are necessarily used for different extraction protocols of proteins from biological cells or tissues. After the extraction, elimination of detergent is necessary for the better performance of electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). Elimination of detergents is laborious and time-consuming, and also sample loss may be unavoidable. Probe electrospray ionization (PESI) developed in our laboratory has been found to be tolerant to the presence of salts and buffers in sample solutions. In this report, it was examined whether PESI is applicable to the sample solutions that contain high-concentration of detergents. It was found that PESI is highly tolerant to the presence of sodium dodecyl sulphate, cetyl trimethylamminium bromide, Triton X100 and 3-[(3-cholamidopropyl) dimethylammonio]-1-propanesulfonate compared with conventional ESI and nanoESI. Therefore, PESI can be a potential analytical tool for direct analysis of protein extracts and digests containing high-concentration detergents.     

Direct analysis of biological samples using extractive electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (EESI-MS)

Mass spectrometry (MS) is one of the most widely used techniques for the analysis of biological samples. In the past decade, a novel improvement in MS was the invention of ambient ionization which stands out owing to its unique capability of direct analysis of complex samples with no or minimal pretreatment. In this review, extractive electrospray ionization (EESI), a representative ambient ionization technique, is introduced focusing on its mechanism, instrumentation, and applications in biological analysis. EESI uses a traditional ESI channel to produce primary ions which subsequently ionize neutral chemicals from the sample introduction channel through an online extraction process. When analyzing biological samples, EESI has advantages of rapid analysis, high matrix tolerance, and the ability to perform in vivo analysis. According to previous studies, EESI is able to directly analyze various chemicals in complex biological specimens in liquid, gas, and solid states. EESI can provide a sensitive and selective measurement of biological samples for both qualitative and quantitative purposes. Therefore, it is anticipated that EESI will have promising applications, especially in fields which require the fast and/or in vivo analysis of biological samples with complicated matrixes.     

Application of probe electrospray to direct ambient analysis of biological samples

Recently, we have developed probe electrospray ionization (PESI) that uses a solid needle. In this system, the probe needle moves up and down along the vertical axis by a motor-driven system. At the highest position of the probe needle, electrospray is generated by applying a high voltage. In this study, we applied PESI directly to biological samples such as urine, mouse brain, mouse liver, salmon egg, and fruits (orange, banana, etc.). Strong ion signals for almost all the samples were obtained. The amount of liquid sample picked up by the needle is as small as pL or less, making PESI a promising non-invasive technique for detecting biomolecules in living systems such as cells. Therefore, PESI may be useful as a versatile and ready-to-use semi-online analytical tool in the fields of medicine, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, food science, etc.     

Effects of peptide acetylation and dimethylation on electrospray ionization efficiency

Peptide acetylation and dimethylation have been widely used to derivatize primary amino groups (peptide N‐termini and the ε‐amino group of lysines) for chemical isotope labeling of quantitative proteomics or for affinity tag labeling for selection and enrichment of labeled peptides. However, peptide acetylation results in signal suppression during electrospray ionization (ESI) due to charge neutralization. In contrast, dimethylated peptides show increased ionization efficiency after derivatization, since dimethylation increases hydrophobicity and maintains a positive charge on the peptide under common LC conditions. In this study, we quantitatively compared the ESI efficiencies of acetylated and dimethylated model peptides and tryptic peptides of BSA. Dimethylated peptides showed higher ionization efficiency than acetylated peptides for both model peptides and tryptic BSA peptides. At the proteome level, peptide dimethylation led to better protein identification than peptide acetylation when tryptic peptides of mouse brain lysate were analyzed with LC‐ESI‐MS/MS. These results demonstrate that dimethylation of tryptic peptides enhanced ESI efficiency and provided up to two‐fold improved protein identification sensitivity in comparison with acetylation. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Generation of picoliter droplets of liquid for electrospray ionization with piezoelectric inkjet

We report the association of inkjet and electrospray ionization MS to detect picoliter droplet, where the liquid volume and its position onto the tip can be precisely controlled to form ultrafine droplets for successive ionization of the analyte. Single rectangle pulse was applied to piezoelectric device on inkjet microchip for the ejection of each picoliter droplet, and it was controlled by a computer. The voltage and width of driving pulse for the inkjet were optimized to make reproducible ejection of the solvent with low viscosity. The volume of each droplet was about 600 pl, and a trigger of 10 droplets was selected as the best inlet mode taking relative standard derivation of the droplets into consideration. The target substrate used with high voltage to form ionization was graphite, after several attempts with some materials. High‐speed camera was used to capture the breaking‐up process of a droplet. The distance between the inkjet nozzle and the tip was set at 2 cm to avoid short circuit. The influences on the mass intensity of the diameter of the tip, the volume and the concentration of the sample were examined. The tip with a small diameter performed greater intensity, and the limit of detection decreased, whereas the small volume of liquid played high ionization efficiency. Linear regression in the range between 1 and 200 ppm for caffeine was conducted, where internal standard theobromine was used. Some real samples were also detected with the instrument. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

基质辅助激光解吸电离质谱和电喷雾电离质谱在辣根过氧化物酶糖肽结构分析中的应用

糖链结构的质谱解析是今后糖蛋白分析中的重要研究内容,其中完整糖肽的分析,由于可以同时获得糖基化位点和对应糖链的结构信息,更具有重要意义和研究前景。本工作对质谱软电离技术在完整糖肽分析中的应用进行了研究,其中包括了基质辅助激光解吸电离(matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization, MALDI)和电喷雾电离(electrospray ionization, ESI)技术。通过平行使用两种串联质谱(tandem mass spectrometry, MS/MS)分析策略: MALDI-MS/MS和ESI-MS/MS对目标糖蛋白——辣根过氧化物酶进行分析,并讨论了其互补性。结果表明,MALDI和ESI技术各有优劣,结合串联质谱分析,可获得糖肽的糖链结构信息;两条路线互补使用,在揭示蛋白质糖基化修饰(位点和结构)的研究中十分必要。     

Polarization induced electrospray ionization mass spectrometry for the analysis of liquid,viscous and solid samples

In this study, a polarization‐induced electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI‐MS) was developed. A micro‐sized sample droplet was deposited on a naturally available dielectric substrate such as a fruit or a stone, and then placed close to (~2 mm) the orifice of a mass spectrometer applied with a high voltage. Taylor cone was observed from the sample droplet, and a spray emitted from the cone apex was generated. The analyte ion signals derived from the droplet were obtained by the mass spectrometer. The ionization process is similar to that in ESI although no direct electric contact was applied on the sample site. The sample droplet polarized by the high electric field provided by the mass spectrometer initiated the ionization process. The dielectric sample loading substrate facilitated further the polarization process, resulting in the formation of Taylor cone. The mass spectral profiles obtained via this approach resembled those obtained using ESI‐MS. Multiply charged ions dominated the mass spectra of peptides and proteins, whereas singly charged ions dominated the mass spectra of small molecules such as amino acids and small organic molecules. In addition to liquid samples, this approach can be used for the analysis of solid and viscous samples. A small droplet containing suitable solvent (5–10 µl) was directly deposited on the surface of the solid (or viscous) sample, placed close the orifice of mass spectrometer applied with a high voltage. Taylor cone derived from the droplet was immediately formed followed by electrospray processes to generate gas‐phase ions for MS analysis. Analyte ions derived from the main ingredients of pharmaceutical tablets and viscous ointment can be extracted into the solvent droplet in situ and observed using a mass spectrometer. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Rapid determination of carbendazim in complex matrices by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry with syringe filter needle

The determination of pesticide residues is an indispensable task in controlling food safety and environment protection. Carbendazim is one of the extensive uses of pesticides in the agricultural industry. In this study, a simple method utilizing syringe filter has been applied as electrospray ionization emitter for mass spectrometric identification and quantification of carbendazim in complex matrices including soil, natural water, and fruit juice samples, which contain many insoluble materials. With online syringe filter of the complex samples, most of insoluble materials such as soil were excluded in spray ionization process due to the filter effect, and analytes were subsequently sprayed out from syringe needle for mass spectrometric detection. The pore sizes of filters and diameters of syringe needles also were investigated. The analytical performances, including the linear range (1–200 ng·mL⁻¹), limit of detection (0.2–0.6 ng·mL⁻¹, S/N > 3), limit of quantitation (3.5–8.6 ng·mL⁻¹, S/N > 10), reproducibility (6.4%–12.5%, n = 6), and recoveries (72.1%–91.0%, n = 6) were well acceptable for direct analysis of raw samples. Matrix effect for detection of carbendazim in soil samples also was experimentally investigated. This study demonstrated that syringe filter needle coupled with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry is a simple, efficient, and sensitive method for detection of pesticide residues in water, soil, and fruit juice for risk assessment.     

Portable electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) for analysis of contaminants in the field

Hitherto analysis of chemicals in the field using mass spectrometry (MS) has been limited to analysis of non-polar and thermally stabile organic compounds using either a direct gas leak or a membrane inlet as MS interface. Recently, Professor R. Graham Cooks’ group demonstrated that miniature mass spectrometers operating at elevated pressures (>0.13?Pa (1?·?10^?3??Torr)) can be combined with electrospray ionization (ESI) for analysis of polar as well as thermally labile organic compounds. We present a simple miniaturized ESI unit for analysis of small liquid samples using miniature mass spectrometry. The ESI unit operates without pumps and supplementary sheath gases, which makes it very simple to handle in the field. 20–30?µL of sample solution is simply dropped into a small cavity in the ESI unit, where after the spray is initiated by applying high voltage to it. The miniaturized ESI unit was tested in combination with a miniature mass spectrometer (the Mini 10 developed by Professor R. Graham Cooks, Purdue University, IN) and we found that common herbicides (Atrazine, Prometryne, Terbutryne and Triadimefone) could be detected with detection limits around 1?mg?L^?1 and with a quantitative reproducibility of +/?30%. These characteristics, although high for environmental samples, are comparable to detection limits obtained with other ESI units used with miniature mass spectrometers and represent an early step forward towards a future field instrument. A major advantage of the capillary spray cell is its direct compatibility with micro extraction techniques for sample pre-concentration.     

Rapid analysis of raw solution samples by C18 pipette-tip electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

A C18 pipette-tip electrospray ionization mass spectrometry technique was developed for rapid analysis of raw solution samples. In this technique, a C18 pipette tip was employed for rapid purification and enrichment of analytes in raw sample solutions. The adsorbed analytes were eluted by solvents supplied by a syringe and a syringe pump, and a high voltage was applied onto the syringe needle to induce electrospray ionization at the pipette tip end for mass spectrometric analysis. This technique is simple, easy to assemble, enables generation of stable and reproducible signals, and can be conveniently used for qualitative and quantitative analysis of raw solution samples. Analysis by the technique only involved simple sample preparation procedures followed by direct mass spectrometric detection, all of which could be completed within minutes, while the analytical performances of the technique, including the limit of detection, limit of quantitation, liner range, accuracy and precision, were comparable to those by conventional methods.     

涡流色谱技术在生物样品分析中的应用

生物样品的复杂性使其在进行分析测定前必须经过处理。传统的样品前处理方法(如液-液萃取、固相萃取等)耗时长且操作繁琐。涡流色谱作为在线萃取技术,可以实现生物样品直接进样,减少了样品处理步骤,有效富集纯化了分析物,是一种高通量、高选择性的生物样品前处理方法。为此,本文介绍了涡流色谱技术的原理及优势,并总结了不同涡流柱的特点及其在生物样品分析领域中的应用情况。     

Micelle to solvent stacking of organic cations in capillary zone electrophoresis with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

The direction of the effective electrophoretic mobility of small organic cations in micellar electrokinetic chromatography using sodium dodecyl sulphate in a low-pH electrolyte can be reversed in the presence of organic solvent. This effective electrophoretic mobility change is presented here as a new dimension for on-line sample preconcentration of cations in capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) using a background solution (BGS) modified by an organic solvent. The sample is prepared in a micellar solution without organic solvent. The focusing effect relies on the reversal in the effective electrophoretic mobility at the boundary zone between the micellar matrix and the BGS modified with organic solvent. This on-line sample preconcentration technique, called micelle to solvent stacking (MSS) afforded more than an order of magnitude improvement in concentration sensitivity compared to typical CZE-UV or CZE-electrospray ionization (ESI) MS analysis. The calculated limit of detection (S/N = 3) for pindolol and metoprolol analysed by MSS-CZE-ESI-MS was found to be 0.03 and 0.01 μg/mL, respectively.     

Determination of trace cobalt in fruit samples by resonance ionization mass spectrometry

1-color 2-photon resonance ionization mass spectrometry (RIMS) with a new electro-thermal atomizer equipped with six filaments has been applied for quantitative analysis of trace cobalt in fruit samples. The efficient transition lines for sensitive detection were investigated in the wavelength range of 283-302 nm and a transition at 298.71 nm was chosen as an excited state for the determination of Co. A proper calibration curve for cobalt up to 1 ppb has been constructed with satisfactory results. The minimum detectible amount of cobalt in this RIMS system was identified as less than 5 pg. The content of Co in three different fruits, pear, apple and Korean mandarin orange, have been determined by adopting standard addition to the fruit sample juice. The content of the Co in 5 μl of apple, pear and Korean mandarin juice was identified as 150, 45 and 100 pg, respectively.     

Rapid diagnosis of papillary thyroid carcinoma with machine learning and probe electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

Frozen section examination could provide pathological diagnosis for surgery of thyroid nodules, which is time-consuming, skill- and experience-dependent. This study developed a rapid classification method for thyroid nodules and machine learning. Total 69 tissues were collected including 43 nodules and 26 nodule-adjacent tissues. Intraoperative frozen section was first performed to give accurate diagnosis, and the rest frozen specimen were pretreated for probe electrospray ionization mass measurement. By multivariate analysis of mass scan data, a series compounds were found downregulated in the extraction solution of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), but some were found upregulated by mass spectrometry imaging. m/z 758.5713 ([PC[34:2] + H]⁺), m/z 772.5845 ([PC[32:0] + K]⁺), and m/z 786.6037 ([PC[36:2] + H]⁺) were firstly identified as potential biomarkers for nodular goiter (NG). Machine learning was employed by means of support vector machine (SVM) and random forest (RF) algorithms. For classification of PTC from NG, SVM and RF algorithms exhibited the same performance and the concordance was 94.2% and 94.4% between prediction and pathological diagnosis with positive and negative mass dataset, respectively. For the classification of PTC from PTC adjacent tissues, SVM was better than RF and the concordance was 93.8% and 83.3% with positive and negative mass dataset, respectively. With the identified compounds as training features, the sensitivity and specificity are 87.5% and 88.9% for the test set. The developed method could also correctly predict the malignancy of one medullary thyroid carcinoma and one adenomatous goiter (benign). The diagnosis time is about 10 min for one specimen, and it is very promising for the intraoperative diagnosis of papillary thyroid carcinoma.