Direct Coupling Of Solid-phase Microextraction Research Articles

Perspective on SPME-MS: Green and high-performance methods for rapid screening

The direct coupling of solid-phase microextraction (SPME) with mass spectrometry (MS) offers rapid analysis with high sensitivity and low matrix effects by benefiting from the integration of sampling, high enrichment, and clean-up functions of SPME. Eliminating chromatographic separation reduces the amount of gas/solvent needed for analysis, while direct desorption in SPME-MS consumes none or few microliters of organic solvents per sample, further enhancing the greenness of the SPME technology. Over the past two decades, the rapid evolution of SPME-MS has given rise to numerous novel technologies that employ diverse ionization techniques and interfaces, several of which have already been commercialized. Drawing from an extensive review published earlier this year and our research experience, we provide perspectives on three aspects of these technologies: interface design and automation, integration with state-of-art MS instrumentation, and anticipated future developments.

Comparison of different approaches for direct coupling of solid-phase microextraction to mass spectrometry for drugs of abuse analysis in plasma

The direct coupling of solid-phase microextraction (SPME) to mass spectrometry (MS) (SPME-MS) has proven to be an effective method for the fast screening and quantitative analysis of compounds in complex matrices such as blood and plasma. In recent years, our lab has developed three novel SPME-MS techniques: SPME-microfluidic open interface-MS (SPME-MOI-MS), coated blade spray-MS (CBS-MS), and SPME-probe electrospray ionization-MS (SPME-PESI-MS). The fast and high-throughput nature of these SPME-MS technologies makes them attractive options for point-of-care analysis and anti-doping testing. However, all these three techniques utilize different SPME geometries and were tested with different MS instruments. Lack of comparative data makes it difficult to determine which of these methodologies is the best option for any given application. This work fills this gap by making a comprehensive comparison of these three technologies with different SPME devices including SPME fibers, CBS blades, and SPME-PESI probes and SPME-liquid chromatography-MS (SPME-LC-MS) for the analysis of drugs of abuse using the same MS instrument. Furthermore, for the first time, we developed different desorption chambers for MOI-MS for coupling with SPME fibers, CBS blades, and SPME-PESI probes, thus illustrating the universality of this approach. In total, eight analytical methods were developed, with the experimental data showing that all the SPME-based methods provided good analytical performance with R2 of linearities larger than 0.9925, accuracies between 81% and 118%, and good precision with an RSD% ≤ 13%.

Rapid determination of tacrolimus and sirolimus in whole human blood by direct coupling of solid-phase microextraction to mass spectrometry via microfluidic open interface

Immunosuppressive drugs are administered to decrease immune system activity (e.g. of patients undergoing solid organ transplant). Concentrations of immunosuppressive drugs (ISDs) in circulating blood must be closely monitored during the period of immunosuppression therapy due to adverse effects that take place when concentration levels fall outside of the very narrow therapeutic concentration range of these drugs. This study presents the rapid determination of four relevant immunosuppressive drugs (tacrolimus, sirolimus, everolimus, and cyclosporine A) in whole human blood by directly coupling solid-phase microextraction to mass spectrometry via the microfluidic open interface (Bio-SPME-MOI-MS/MS). The BioSPME-MOI-MS/MS method offers ≤ 10% imprecision of in-house prepared quality controls over a 10-day period, ≤ 10% imprecision of ClinCal® Recipe calibrators over a three-day period, and single total turnaround time of ∼ 60 min (4.5 min for high throughput). The limits of quantification were determined to be 0.8 ng mL−1 for tacrolimus, 0.7 ng mL−1 sirolimus, 1.0 ng mL−1 for everolimus, and 0.8 ng mL−1 for cyclosporine. The limits of detection were determined to be 0.3 ng mL−1 for tacrolimus, 0.2 ng mL−1 for sirolimus, 0.3 ng mL−1 for everolimus, and 0.3 ng mL−1 for cyclosporine A. The R2 values for all analytes were above 0.9992 with linear dynamic range from 1.0 mL−1 to 50.0 ng mL−1 for tacrolimus, sirolimus, and everolimus while from 2.5 ng mL−1 to 500.0 ng mL−1 for cyclosporine A. To further evaluate the performance of the present method, 95 residual whole blood samples of tacrolimus and sirolimus from patients undergoing immunosuppression therapy were used to compare the Bio-SPME-MOI-MS/MS method against a clinically validated reference method based on chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay, showing acceptable results. Our results demonstrated that Bio-SPME-MOI-MS/MS can be considered as a suitable alternative to existing methods for the determination of immunosuppressive drugs in whole blood providing faster analysis, better selectivity and sensitivity, and a wider dynamic range than current existing approaches.

Direct Coupling of Solid-Phase Microextraction with Mass Spectrometry: Sub-pg/g Sensitivity Achieved Using a Dielectric Barrier Discharge Ionization Source.

We report a new strategy for the direct coupling of Solid-Phase Microextraction (SPME) with mass spectrometry, based on thermal desorption of analytes extracted on the fibers, followed by ionization by a dielectric barrier discharge ionization (DBDI) source. Limits of detection as low as 0.3 pg/mL and a linear dynamic range of ≥3 orders of magnitude were achieved, with a very simple and reproducible approach. Different from direct analysis in real time (DART), desorption electrospray ionization (DESI), or low-temperature plasma (LTP), the desorption of the analytes from the SPME devices in our setup is completely separated from the ionization event. This enhances the reproducibility of the method and minimizes ion suppression phenomena. The analytes were quantitatively transferred from the SPME to the DBDI source, and the use of an active capillary ionization embodiment of the DBDI source greatly enhanced the ion transmission to the MS. This, together with the extraordinary sensitivity of DBDI, allowed subpg/mL sensitivities to be reached and to skip conventional and time-consuming chromatographic separation.

Fiber introduction mass spectrometry: determination of pesticides in herbal infusions using a novel sol–gel PDMS/PVA fiber for solid‐phase microextraction

An application of the direct coupling of solid-phase microextraction (SPME) with mass spectrometry (MS), a technique known as fiber introduction mass spectrometry (FIMS), is described to determine organochlorine (OCP) and organophosphorus (OPP) pesticides in herbal infusions of Passiflora L. A new fiber coated with a composite of poly(dimethylsiloxane) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PDMS/PVA) was used. Sensitive, selective, simple and simultaneous quantification of several OCP and OPP was achieved by monitoring diagnostic fragment ions of m/z 266 (chlorothalonil), m/z 195 (alpha-endosulfan), m/z 278 (fenthion), m/z 263 (methyl parathion) and m/z 173 (malathion). Simple headspace SPME extraction (25 min) and fast FIMS detection (less than 40 s) of OCP and OPP from a highly complex herbal matrix provided good linearity with correlation coefficients of 0.991-0.999 for concentrations ranging from 10 to 140 ng ml(-1) of each compound. Good accuracy (80 to 110%), precision (0.6-14.9%) and low limits of detection (0.3-3.9 ng ml(-1)) were also obtained. Even after 400 desorption cycles inside the ionization source of the mass spectrometer, no visible degradation of the novel PDMS/PVA fiber was detected, confirming its suitability for FIMS. Fast (ca 20 s) pesticide desorption occurs for the PDMS/PVA fiber owing to the small thickness of the film and its reduced water sorption.

Fiber introduction mass spectrometry: determination of pesticides in herbal infusions using a novel sol–gel PDMS/PVA fiber for solid‐phase microextraction

An application of the direct coupling of solid-phase microextraction (SPME) with mass spectrometry (MS), a technique known as fiber introduction mass spectrometry (FIMS), is described to determine organochlorine (OCP) and organophosphorus (OPP) pesticides in herbal infusions of Passiflora L. A new fiber coated with a composite of poly(dimethylsiloxane) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PDMS/PVA) was used. Sensitive, selective, simple and simultaneous quantification of several OCP and OPP was achieved by monitoring diagnostic fragment ions of m/z 266 (chlorothalonil), m/z 195 (alpha-endosulfan), m/z 278 (fenthion), m/z 263 (methyl parathion) and m/z 173 (malathion). Simple headspace SPME extraction (25 min) and fast FIMS detection (less than 40 s) of OCP and OPP from a highly complex herbal matrix provided good linearity with correlation coefficients of 0.991-0.999 for concentrations ranging from 10 to 140 ng ml(-1) of each compound. Good accuracy (80 to 110%), precision (0.6-14.9%) and low limits of detection (0.3-3.9 ng ml(-1)) were also obtained. Even after 400 desorption cycles inside the ionization source of the mass spectrometer, no visible degradation of the novel PDMS/PVA fiber was detected, confirming its suitability for FIMS. Fast (ca 20 s) pesticide desorption occurs for the PDMS/PVA fiber owing to the small thickness of the film and its reduced water sorption.

Fiber introduction mass spectrometry: fully direct coupling of solid-phase microextraction with mass spectrometry.

This work describes the first fully direct coupling of solid-phase microextraction (SPME) with mass spectrometry. An inlet system using a septum as the only interface between the ambient and the high-vacuum mass spectrometer was constructed to allow the introduction of the SPME needle directly into the ionization region of a mass spectrometer. The PDMS-coated fiber was then placed and exposed exactly between the two ionization filaments. Uniform heating of the fiber, efficient thermal desorption, and electron ionization of the analytes were achieved. Using this new analytical technique, here termed fiber introduction mass spectrometry (FIMS), we have been able to detect and quantitate several volatile (VOC) and semivolatile (SVOC) organic chemicals (carbon tetrachloride, benzene, toluene, xylenes, gamma-terpinene, diisoamyl ether, chlorobenzene, and many PAHs) and two herbicides (Sylvex and its methyl ether) from aqueous solutions at low-ppb to ppt levels using either SPME headspace or solution extraction. FIMS shows high sensitivity (ng/L), good reproducibility, and accuracy, providing therefore a simple and effective approach to rapid analysis of VOC and SVOC in various matrixes.

Determination of methylmercury by solid-phase microextraction inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry: a new sample introduction method for volatile metal species

Direct coupling of solid-phase microextraction (SPME) with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) is described for methylmercury speciation. A thermal desorption interface, consisting of a heated, glass-lined splitless-type GC injector, was placed directly at the base of the torch to minimize the length of transfer line. This arrangement provides for fast desorption and high sample introduction efficiency. Direct liquid immersion and headspace extraction of methylmercury was studied, including the effect of temperature and time on the extraction efficiency. For clean solutions, immersion sampling SPME provided good sensitivity that was linear over two orders of magnitude whereas headspace sampling showed 15% lower sensitivity, but a linear range of more than three orders of magnitude. The detection limit for headspace methylmercury sampling was 0.2 ng ml−1. Calibration by the method of additions using direct extraction revealed a severe matrix effect with biological tissue samples, diminishing the methylmercury response 70-fold, whereas that obtained by headspace extraction was statistically indistinguishable from signals generated using matrix free standards. Analytical results showed good agreement between certified and measured values for analysis of NRCC DORM-2, (Dogfish muscle) and DOLT-2 (Dogfish liver) reference materials.