High-performance Liquid Chromatography-electrospray Mass Spectrometry Research Articles

Column-switching high-performance liquid chromatography electrospray mass spectrometry coupled with on-line of extraction for the determination of mono- and di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate in blood samples.

A novel method based on column-switching high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray mass spectrometry (LC-MS) coupled with an on-line extraction column containing conjugated avidin has been developed for direct injection analysis of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and its metabolite, mono(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP), in blood samples. The sample preparation for on-line extraction involved the mixing of blood samples with internal standards, DEHP-d(4) and MEHP-d(4), in LC glass vials. A linear response was found for column-switching LC-MS when tests were conducted within the validated range of 25 to 1000 ng mL(-1) for DEHP and 5 to 1000 ng mL(-1) for MEHP, with correlation coefficients (r) greater than 0.999. In addition, the recoveries of DEHP and MEHP from human plasma were calculated by using this method with on-line extraction, yielding recoveries of up to 91.2% (RSD<5%). We measured the background levels of DEHP and MEHP in six human plasma samples from healthy volunteers and three fetal bovine serum samples for cell-line culture. DEHP and MEHP were not detected in all human plasma samples (N.D. is <25 ng mL(-1) for DEHP, and N.D. is <5.0 ng mL(-1) for MEHP). In contrast, high DEHP contamination of commercially available fetal bovine serum samples was found by this method.

Cardiolipin deficiency in x-linked cardioskeletal myopathy and neutropenia (barth syndrome, mim 302060): a study in cultured skin fibroblasts

Abstract:We determined cardiolipin concentrations in cultured skin fibroblasts of 5 patients with X-linked cardioskeletal myopathy and neutropenia (Barth syndrome, MIM 302060) and in two groups of control patients. High-performance liquid chromatography–electrospray mass spectrometry was used to quantify total cardiolipin and subclasses of cardiolipin molecular species in cultured skin fibroblasts. Total cardiolipin and cardiolipin subclasses were decreased in patients with Barth syndrome as compared with normal control patients and disease control patients. Patients with Barth syndrome have a specific decrease of various cardiolipin molecular species, foremost tetralineoyl-cardiolipin. Therefore the analysis of cardiolipin in fibroblasts offers a specific biochemical approach to detect this disorder. (J Pediatr 2002;141:729-33)

Analysis and detection of the herbicides dimethenamid and flufenacet and their sulfonic and oxanilic acid degradates in natural water.

Dimethenamid [2-chloro-N-(2,4-dimethyl-3-thienyl)-N-(2-methoxy-1-methylethyl)acetamide] and flufenacet [N-(4-fluorophenyl)-N-(1-methylethyl)-2-(5-(trifluoromethyl)-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-yl)oxy] were isolated by C-18 solid-phase extraction and separated from their ethanesulfonic acid (ESA) and oxanilic acid (OXA) degradates during their elution using ethyl acetate for the parent compound, followed by methanol for the polar degradates. The parent compounds were detected using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry in selected-ion mode. The ESA and OXA degradates were detected using high-performance liquid chromatography--electrospray mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESPMS) in negative-ion mode. The method detection limits for a 123-mL sample ranged from 0.01 to 0.07 microg/L. These methods are compatible with existing methods and thus allow for analysis of 17 commonly used herbicides and 18 of their degradation compounds with one extraction. In a study of herbicide transport near the mouth of the Mississippi River during 1999 and 2000, dimethenamid and its ESA and OXA degradates were detected in surface water samples during the annual spring flushes. For flufenacet, the only detections at the study site were for the ESA degradates in samples collected at the peak of the herbicide spring flush in 2000. The low frequency of detections in surface water likely is due to dimethenamid and flufenacet being relatively new herbicides. In addition, detectable amounts of the stable degradates have not been detected in ground water.

Analysis of N-glycosylation of phospholipase A 2 from venom of individual bees by microbore high-performance liquid chromatography–electrospray mass spectrometry using an ion trap mass spectrometer

The N-linked oligosaccharides were released from the phospholipase A 2 (PLA) with glycopeptidases and reductively aminated with the chromophore, p-aminobenzoic acid ethyl ester (ABEE). The ABEE-labeled oligosaccharides were separated by microbore high-performance liquid chromatography (μ-HPLC) using a reversed-phase column and analyzed by electrospray mass spectrometry. Differentiation between α-1,3 and α-1,6 core-fucosylated glycans was achieved by comparison the glycans released by glycopeptidases peptide- N-glycanase A (PNase A) and peptide- N-glycanase F (PNase F). All N-linked oligosaccharides except 3B and 3C could be identified in this approach. The analysis of PLA oligosaccharides from the venom of individual bees indicated that glycosylation patterns between the younger and the older bees were similar.

Urinary excretion of selegiline N -oxide, a new indicator for selegiline administration in man

1. The metabolism of selegiline (SG) has been studied by investigating the timecourse of urinary excretion of SG and its metabolites using high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC-ESI MS) in combination with solid-phase extraction. 2. The excretion profiles of SG and its four major metabolites, selegiline- N -oxide (SGO), N -desmethylselegiline (DM-SG), methamphetamine (MA) and amphetamine (AP), were investigated in six healthy volunteers after oral administrations of SG hydrochloride in a single dose of 2.5 or 7.5mg, and a repeat twice-daily dose of 5.0 mg day -1 (for 3 days). 3. The cumulative amount of SGO excreted within approximately the first 8-12h was comparable with MA, and the amount in the first 72 h was 2.0-7.8 times larger (2.8-13.2% of the dose) than that of DM-SG. 4. These results demonstrate that SGO can be used in place of DM-SG, which is known to be a main specific metabolite of SG, as a new indicator for the discrimination of SG use compared with MA abuse.

Analysis of nonylphenol and nonylphenol ethoxylates in environmental samples by mixed-mode high-performance liquid chromatography–electrospray mass spectrometry

A new method is described based on mixed-mode high-performance liquid chromatography with electrospray mass spectrometry detection for comprehensive quantitative analysis of nonylphenol (NP) and nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEOs) in wastewater and sediment. Efficient separation, reduced band broadening, and high sensitivity were achieved by employing a methanol–water gradient on a mixed-solvent gel filtration column designed for MS interfacing. Quantitative accuracy and precision of the method were improved by the use of custom-synthesized [ 13C 6]NPEO analogs as isotope-dilution surrogate standards. Method detection limits for NP and individual NPEOs ranged from 1 to 55 pg injected on column.

Hepatic distribution of a phosphorothioate oligodeoxynucleotide within rodents following intravenous administration

The pharmacokinetics of ISIS 1082, a 21-base heterosequence phosphorothioate oligodeoxynucleotide, were characterized within rodent whole liver, and cellular and subcellular compartments. Cross-species comparisons were performed using Sprague-Dawley rat and CD-1 mouse strains. Although whole liver oligonucleotide deposition and the proportion of drug found within parenchymal and nonparenchymal cells were similar between the two rodent species as a function of both time and dose, dramatic differences in subcellular pharmacokinetics were observed. Specifically, within murine hepatocyte nuclei, drug was observed at the 10 mg/kg dose, whereas in the rat nuclear-associated levels required the administration of 25 mg/kg. Under all experimental regimens, murine hepatic nuclear-associated drug concentrations were at least 2-fold higher than those found in rat liver cells. More detailed metabolic analysis was also performed using high performance liquid chromatography/electrospray-mass spectrometry (HPLC/ES-MS) and demonstrated that although the extent of metabolism was similar for rat and mouse, the pattern of n-1 metabolites varied as a function of both species and cell type. While rat and mouse hepatocytes and rat nonparenchymal cellular metabolites were predominantly products of 3′-exonuclease degradation, mouse nonparenchymal cells contained a majority of n-1 metabolites produced by 5′-exonucleolytic activity. Based upon these data, it would appear that subcellular oligonucleotide disposition and metabolism among rodent species are more divergent than whole organ pharmacokinetics might predict.

Rapid quantification of iodopropynyl butylcarbamate as the preservative in cosmetic formulations using high-performance liquid chromatography–electrospray mass spectrometry

A simple, rapid and reproducible method for identification and quantification of iodopropynyl butylcarbamate (IPBC) in different cosmetic formulations is presented. The determination was carried out using a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) procedure on a reversed phase column coupled to a single quadrupole mass spectrometer (MS) via an electrospray ionization (ESI) interface. Detection was performed in the positive selected ion-monitoring mode. In methanol/water extracts from different cosmetic formulations a detection limit between 50 and 100 ng/g could be achieved. A routine analytical procedure could be set up with good quantification reliability (relative standard deviation between 0.9 and 2.9%).

Quantification of mycophenolate mofetil in human skin extracts using high-performance liquid chromatography–electrospray mass spectrometry

A sensitive and selective method for the quantification of mycophenolate mofetil and its active metabolite mycophenolic acid in different human skin layers after dermal administration is presented. The skin layers were separated after in vitro penetration experiments and a methanolic extraction was performed. Positive ion electrospray HPLC–MS in selected ion monitoring mode was used to quantify the substances after isocratic separation by a C 18 analytical column. The minimum detectable concentrations were 850 pg/ml for MMF and 1 ng/ml for MPA. The peak areas depended linearly on the concentration of both drugs over the range of 25–1000 ng/ml ( r 2≥0.996) with accuracy ≤9.8% and precision ≤13.2%. Total imprecision at quantification limits was 15.2% at 10 ng/ml and 16.3% at 1500 ng/ml for MMF and 15.1% at 21.0 ng/ml and 17.5% at 1300 ng/ml for MPA. This HPLC–MS method will be applicable to the profiling of MMF amounts in skin and its conversion to MPA after application of different formulations.

Analysis of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase inhibitors using liquid chromatography–electrospray mass spectrometry

Employing high-performance liquid chromatography–electrospray mass spectrometry, we describe a new assay for monitoring 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase activity. Incubations were carried out with HMG-CoA reductase (rat liver), HMG-CoA and NADPH, and terminated by the addition of HCl. The reaction product, mevalonolactone, and internal standard, were extracted with ethyl acetate, dissolved in methanol, and analyzed by LC–MS. Using an isocratic mobile phase of 10% acetonitrile and 0.1% formic acid (flow-rate, 0.2 ml/min), the protonated molecules of mevalonolactone at m/ z 131 and internal standard, β,β-dimethyl-γ-(hydroxymethyl)-γ-butyrolactone, at m/ z 145, were detected using selected ion monitoring. The limit of detection was approximately 6.5 pg, and the limit of quantitation was approximately 16.3 pg. Extraction recovery was >90%. The relative standard deviations for intra- and inter-day assays were approximately 4.1±2.7 and 9.4±3.4%, respectively. Mevalonolactone was examined over a period of 3 days and found to be stable. Using this assay, lovastatin and mevastatin inhibited HMG-CoA reductase activity with IC 50 values 0.24±0.02 and 2.16±0.31 μ M, respectively. These methods offer some advantages over those reported previously which employ radiolabeled substrate and products, and should be useful in searching for compounds that could lower serum cholesterol or alter cell growth and differentiation.

Determination of parts per trillion levels of benzoylurea pesticides in groundwater by high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

A high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HPLC-ES-MS) method has been developed for the determination of five benzoylurea pesticides, diflubenzuron, flufenoxuron, hexaflumuron, lufenuron, and triflumuron, in groundwater samples. Initially two atmospheric-pressure ionization techniques, electrospray (ES) and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI), both in positive- and negative-ion modes, were compared. Performance data for the method, e. g. recovery, sensitivity, precision, and linearity, show the reliability of the method for analysis of water samples. The lowest detectable concentrations of the pesticides were between 0.3 and 6.0 ng L−1 and recoveries were from 95 to 104% for water samples spiked at 10 ng L−1; relative standard deviations were in the range 5–15%. The HPLC-ES-MS method was applied to the determination of the five compounds in groundwater samples.

Nitric oxide-dependent modification of the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca-ATPase: localization of cysteine target sites

Skeletal muscle contraction and relaxation is modulated through the reaction of sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) protein thiols with reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. Here, we have utilized high-performance liquid chromatography–electrospray mass spectrometry and a specific thiol-labeling procedure to identify and quantify cysteine residues of the SR Ca-ATPase that are modified by exposure to nitric oxide (NO). NO and/or NO-derived species inactivate the SR Ca-ATPase and modify a broad spectrum of cysteine residues with highest reactivities towards Cys 364, Cys 670, and Cys 471. The selectivity of NO and NO-derived species towards the SR Ca-ATPase thiols is different from that of peroxynitrite. The efficiency of NO at thiol modification is significantly higher compared with that of peroxynitrite. Hence, NO has the potential to modulate muscle contraction through chemical reaction with the SR Ca-ATPase in vivo.

Sheath liquid effects in capillary high-performance liquid chromatography–electrospray mass spectrometry of oligonucleotides

Fused-silica capillary columns of 200 μm inner diameter were packed with micropellicular, octadecylated, 2.3 μm poly(styrene–divinylbenzene) particles and applied to the separation of oligonucleotides by ion-pair reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. Oligonucleotides were eluted at 50°C with gradients of 3–13% acetonitrile in 50 m M triethylammonium bicarbonate. Addition of sheath liquid to the column effluent allowed the detection of oligonucleotides by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry using full-scan data acquisition with a detectability comparable to that obtained with UV detection. The signal-to-noise ratios with different sheath liquids increased in the order isopropanol<methanol<acetonitrile. The incorporation of volatile acids or bases such as triethylamine or hexafluoroisopropanol into the sheath liquid was found to influence the charge state distribution of oligonucleotides longer than 20 nucleotide units whereas no significant effect was observed with shorter oligonucleotides. Organic acids and bases in the sheath liquid generally deteriorated the signal-to-noise ratios in the chromatograms and mass spectra mainly because of increased background noise. Only a few charge states were observed in the mass spectra of oligonucleotides because of charge state reduction due to the presence of carbonic acid in the eluent. With triethylammonium hydrogencarbonate as chromatographic eluent and acetonitrile as sheath liquid, very few cation adducts of oligonucleotides were observed in the mass spectra. However, the presence of small amounts of monopotassium adducts enabled the calculation of the charge state of multiply charged ions. With acetonitrile as sheath liquid, 710 amol of a 16-mer oligonucleotide were detected using selected ion monitoring data acquisition with a signal-to-noise ratio of 3:1. Finally, capillary ion-pair reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization mass spectrometry was applied to the separation and characterization of heterooligonucleotide primers.

Rapid and highly sensitive method for the determination of verapamil, [2H7]verapamil and metabolites in biological fluids by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry

A rapid and highly sensitive method for the determination of verapamil [2,8-bis-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-6-methyl-2-isopropyl-6-azaoctanitrile] and [2H7]verapamil and their primary metabolites D-617 [2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-5-methylamino-2-isopropylvaleronitrile], D-703 [2-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-8-(3,4-dimethoxy-phenyl)-6-methyl-2-isopropyl-6-azaoctanitrile], D-702 [2-(3,4-dimethoxy-phenyl)-8-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-6-methyl-2-isopropyl-6-azaoctanitrile], norverapamil [2,8-bis-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-2-isopropyl-6-azaoctanitrile] and secondary metabolites D-620 [2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-5-amino-2-isopropylvaleronitrile], D-717 [2-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-5-amino-2-isopropylvaleronitrile], and D-715 [2-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-8-(3,4-dimethoxy-phenyl)-2-isopropyl-6-azaoctanitrile] has been developed using high-performance liquid chromatography–electrospray mass spectrometry. D-832, the gallopamil analogue of D-617 and [2H3]norverapamil were used as internal standards. The analytes were extracted automatically from plasma and intestinal perfusate using end-capped CN- and C2 solid-phase extraction cartridges. Separation of the eight analytes was achieved on a LUNA C8 analytical column (150×2 mm I.D., 5 μm particle size) with 5 mM ammonium acetate–acetonitrile as the mobile phase run with a gradient from 70:30 to 40:60 and run times of 15 min. With the mass spectrometer operated in the selected-ion monitoring mode, the limits of quantification in plasma and intestinal perfusate were 1 pmol/ml for D-620, D-617, D-702, D-703, norverapamil, verapamil, and [2H7]verapamil and 2.5 pmol/ml for D-717 and D-715 using a sample size of 1 ml plasma and intestinal perfusate. The method described was successfully applied to the determination of verapamil, [2H7]verapamil and their metabolites in human plasma and intestinal fluid in pharmacokinetic studies.

Rapid determination of fumonisin FB 1 in corn products by high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray mass spectrometry

Fumonisin mycotoxins are a group of structurally related secondary metabolites produced by the fungus Fusarium moniliforme. For the quantitative determination of fumonisin FB1 in corn products, a rapid method without any additional clean-up or purification of the sample extract was developed utilizing high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray mass spectrometry. Using labelled fumonisin FB1–D6 as an internal standard the quantification limit for FB1 was set at 20 ng/g sample with a signal-to-noise ratio of 10 : 1.

Optimization for detection of flunarizine by high performance liquid chromatography/electrospray/mass spectrometry

This paper describes a newly developed high performance liquid chromatography/electrospray/mass spectrometry (HPLC/ES/MS) method for the determination of flunarizine (FZ) in artificial cerebrospinal fluid. The optimization for the detection of FZ in biological fluid by LC/ES/MS was investigated. The effects of solvent composition, the addition of modifier and flow rate on the detection of FZ by ES/MS were examined. The detection limit of this method (∼0.8 nM) proved to be much better than previously reported methods. Satisfactory accuracy (98.2–106.0%) of this newly developed method was obtained. The application of this method was demonstrated by analyzing FZ in rat microdialysis samples.

Evaluation of volatile eluents and electrolytes for high-performance liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization mass spectrometry and capillary electrophoresis–electrospray ionization mass spectrometry of proteins: I. Liquid chromatography

Proteins ranging in molecular mass from 14 000 to 80 000 were analyzed by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography–electrospray mass spectrometry (RP-HPLC–ESI-MS) using 60×1.0 mm I.D. microbore-columns packed with 2.3 μm highly crosslinked, octadecylated poly(styrene–divinylbenzene) particles. Proteins were eluted at temperatures of 80–90°C with gradients of acetonitrile in 0.10–0.50% aqueous solutions of trifluoroacetic acid, formic acid or acetic acid. Substitution of trifluoroacetic acid, the most commonly used mobile phase additive for RP-HPLC, by formic acid resulted in a 35–160-fold improvement in analyte detectability at the cost of an only 32–104% increase in peak width at half height of eluting chromatographic peaks. The lower limits of detection for carbonic anhydrase ( M r 29 022.7) in full scan and selected ion monitoring mode were 37 and 2.3 fmol, respectively. Measurement of protein masses by RP-HPLC–ESI-MS was accurate and highly reproducible with maximum mass deviations of 0.025% and relative standard deviations of less than 0.011%. Calibration plots of peak area versus concentration allowed the reliable quantitation of proteins in a concentration range of 0.010–1.0 mg/ml. Finally, the optimized method was applied to the separation, identification and quantification of proteins in real samples such as commercial protein preparations, monoclonal antibody fragments, allergen extracts and whey drinks.

Determination of domperidone in human serum and human breast milk by high-performance liquid chromatography–electrospray mass spectrometry

A sensitive and selective method for the determination of domperidone in human breast milk and serum has been developed. The same method may be successfully applied to both matrices to a lower limit of quantitation of 0.5 ng/ml. Samples are processed by a liquid–liquid extraction, and analyzed by LC–ESI-MS in positive ion mode. There was no interference, on the domperidone quantitation, from over 30 drugs. Samples from patients, at various times post-dose, were analyzed and a large number showed significant levels of domperidone in the breast milk as well as in the serum.

Rapid, highly sensitive method for the determination of morphine and its metabolites in body fluids by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry

A rapid, highly sensitive method for the determination of morphine and its metabolites morphine-3-glucuronide (M3G), morphine-6-glucuronide (M6G) and normorphine has been developed using high-performance liquid chromatography–electrospray mass spectrometry, with the deuterated analogues as internal standards. The analytes were extracted automatically using end-capped C 2 solid-phase extraction cartridges. Baseline separation of morphine, M3G and M6G was achieved on a LiChrospher 100 RP-18 end-capped analytical column (125×3 mm I.D., 5 μm particle size) with water–acetonitrile–tetrahydrofuran–formic acid (100:1:1:0.1, v/v) as the mobile phase. Morphine and normorphine coeluate and were separated mass spectrometrically. The mass spectrometer was operated in the selected-ion monitoring mode using m/ z 272 for normorphine, m/ z 286 for morphine, m/ z 462 for morphine-6-glucuronide. Due to an interfering peak, M3G was measured by tandem mass spectrometry in the daughter-ion mode. The limits of quantitation achieved with this method were 1.3 pmol/ml for morphine, 1.5 pmol/ml for normorphine, 1.0 pmol/ml for M6G and 5.4 pmol/ml for M3G in serum or cerebrospinal fluid. The limits of quantitation achieved in urine were 10 pmol/ml for morphine, 20 pmol/ml for normorphine and M6G and 50 pmol/ml for M3G using a sample size of 100 μl. The method described was successfully applied to the determination of morphine and its metabolites in human serum, cerebrospinal fluid and urine in pharmacokinetic and drug interaction studies.

Identification by high-performance liquid chromatography–diode array detection–mass spectrometry and quantification by high-performance liquid chromatography–UV absorbance detection of active constituents of Hypericum perforatum

Hypericum perforatum is a medicinal plant which has been known in traditional medicine as an anti-inflammatory and healing agent. Nowadays, the alcoholic extract of its aerial parts finds wide application for its antidepressant activity. A high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for the identification of its constituents using a wide pore RP-18 column and a water–methanol–acetonitrile–phosphoric acid mobile phase system was developed. The identification of its flavonoid, naphthodianthrone and phloroglucinol constituents was performed using combined HPLC–diode array detection (DAD) analysis, HPLC–thermospray and HPLC–electrospray mass spectrometry. Chlorogenic acid, quercetin, quercitrin, isoquercitrin, rutin, hyperoside, I3,II8-biapigenin, pseudohypericin, hypericin, hyperforin and adhyperforin were separated by an aqueous phosphoric acid–acetonitrile–methanol gradient within 50 min. The quantification of the above constituents was performed using rutin as an external standard.