MALDI Plate Research Articles

Genus-level identification of dermatophytes by MALDI-TOF MS after 2days of colony growth.

In this study, a two-step workflow for the identification of clinical dermatophytes using MALDI-TOF analysis and commercially available spectral library was developed. The workflow consists of an initial direct deposition of the sample on the MALDI plate and formic acid protein extraction at 2days of growth culture; if dermatophyte identification is not successful, a complete protein extraction using ethanol-formic acid-acetonitrile is subsequently performed. Using this workflow, the correct isolate identifications increase up to 90%; of these, 27% are identified at the genus-level, providing sufficient information to start an antifungal treatment. The method here proposed represents a fast and useful approach to differentiate dermatophytes grown in culture.

Enhanced protein identification using graphite-modified MALDI plates for offline LC-MALDI-MS/MS bottom-up proteomics

The use of offline liquid chromatography-matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization (LC-MALDI) tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) for bottom-up proteomics offers advantages in terms of cost, ease of use, and the time-decoupled nature of the separation step and the mass analysis. A method was developed to improve the capabilities of LC-MALDI-MS/MS in terms of protein identification in a bottom-up proteomic workflow. Enhanced protein identification is achieved by an increase in the MALDI signal intensity of the precursor peptides brought about by coating the MALDI plate with a thin film of graphite powder. Using the Escherichia coli proteome, it is demonstrated that the graphite-modified MALDI plates used in an offline LC-MALDI-MS/MS bottom-up protocol led to a 50–135% increase in the number of peptide identifications, and a concomitant 21%–105% increase in the number of proteins inferred. We identify factors that lead to improvements in peptide sequence identifications and in the number of unique proteins identified when compared to using an unmodified MALDI plate. These improvements are achieved using a low cost approach that it is easy to implement, requires no hardware/protocol modification, it is compatible with LC and adds no additional analysis time.

Molecular species fingerprinting and quantitative analysis of saffron (Crocus sativus L.) for quality control by MALDI mass spectrometry.

Herein we describe a rapid, simple, and reliable method for the quantitative analysis and molecular species fingerprinting of saffron (Crocus sativus L.) by direct MS and MS/MS analysis. Experimentally, powdered saffron was subjected to a brief treatment with a 0.3% TFA water/acetonitrile solution, and the resulting mixture was directly placed on the MALDI plate for analysis. This approach allowed the detection of the commonly observed crocins C-1–C-6 and flavonols, together with the identification of the unknown highly glycosylated crocins C-7, C-8 and C-9, and carotenoid-derived metabolites. The strategy endorsed the simultaneous detection and characterization of saffron and adulterant markers using crude extracts of the adulterant itself and synthetic sets of adulterated authentic saffron samples. The implementation of the strategy was to measure the amount of an unknown adulterant from the crude extract using curcumin as a non-isotopic isobaric internal standard. The relationship between the saffron and curcumin molar ratios were established with a correlation coefficient of 0.9942. The ANOVA regression model was significant, F(1, 72) = 13 595.82, p < 0.001, y = (0.0116 ± 0.0001)x + (−0.1214 ± 0.0086). No matrix effects were observed and good results were obtained with respect to instrumental repeatability (*RSD% < 2%) and LOD (1.1%). The analysis of commercial samples of saffron using the proposed approach showed the suitability of the method for routine analysis (minimal sample preparation and very short measuring time per sample).

Thermoresponsive Arrays Patterned via Photoclick Chemistry: Smart MALDI Plate for Protein Digest Enrichment, Desalting, and Direct MS Analysis.

Sample desalting and concentration are crucial steps before matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) analysis. Current sample pretreatment approaches require tedious fabrication and operation procedures, which are unamenable to high-throughput analysis and also result in sample loss. Here, we report the development of a smart MALDI substrate for on-plate desalting, enrichment, and direct MS analysis of protein digests based on thermoresponsive, hydrophilic/hydrophobic transition of surface-grafted poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) microarrays. Superhydrophilic 1-thioglycerol microwells are first constructed on alkyne-silane-functionalized rough indium tin oxide substrates based on two sequential thiol-yne photoclick reactions, whereas the surrounding regions are modified with hydrophobic 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorodecanethiol. Surface-initiated atom-transfer radical polymerization is then triggered in microwells to form PNIPAM arrays, which facilitate sample loading and enrichment of protein digests by concentrating large-volume samples into small dots and achieving on-plate desalting through PNIPAM configuration change at elevated temperature. The smart MALDI plate shows high performance for mass spectrometric analysis of cytochrome c and neurotensin in the presence of 1 M urea and 100 mM NaHCO3, as well as improved detection sensitivity and high sequence coverage for α-casein and cytochrome c digests in femtomole range. The work presents a versatile sample pretreatment platform with great potential for proteomic research.

DMF-MALDI: droplet based microfluidic combined to MALDI-TOF for focused peptide detection

We present an automated droplet microfluidic system (DMF) to generate monitored nanoliter aqueous droplets in oil and their deposition on a commercial stainless steel plate for MALDI-TOF analysis of peptides or protein digests. We demonstrate that DMF-MALDI combination focuses the analyte on the MALDI plate, increasing considerably the homogeneity of the dried material. This results in a 30times enhanced MALDI-TOF MS signal for a model peptide, allowing a significant improvement of the detection sensitivity limit (down to few tens of attomoles). Moreover, positive detection can be achieved from sub-nanomolar peptides solutions and better overall protein sequence coverages are obtained from few tens attomoles of protein digest. These results make DMF-MALDI a promising approach for the treatment of peptides samples as well as a key component for an integrated approach in the proteomic field.

Preparation of a TiO2-NH2 modified MALDI plate for on-plate simultaneous enrichment of phosphopeptides and glycopeptides

In this work, a TiO2 film was prepared on a MALDI plate by atomic layer deposition (ALD) technique and then modified with –NH2. The obtained TiO2-NH2 modified plate was applied for on-plate simultaneous enrichment of phosphopeptides and glycopeptides. The ALD TiO2 film displayed quite uniform morphology, and attached firmly to the MALDI plate with rather stable physical and chemical properties, which resulted in fine stability of the plate in performance. The -NH2 groups offered the film better hydrophilicity and affinity toward glycopeptides. The on-plate simultaneous enrichment performance of the TiO2-NH2 modified plate was investigated by β-casein digests, HRP digests and human serum.

Effect of Cationization Agent Concentration on Glycan Detection Using MALDI TOF-MS

The effect of cationization agent concentration on glycan detection via matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-offlight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) was investigated using Na+ ions in the form of NaCl as the cationization agent. NaCl solution concentrations ranging from 1 mM to 1 M were investigated. Glycans from ovalbumin were mixed with the cationization agent solution and the 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid (2,5-DHB) matrix solution in a volume ratio of 1:1:1. The resulting mixture was loaded onto the MALDI plate. Two MALDI-TOF MS instruments (Voyager DE-STR MALDI-TOF MS and Tinkerbell RT MALDITOF MS) were used for detection of glycans. The best detection, in terms of the number of identified glycans, the peak intensity, and the signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio, was obtained with NaCl concentrations of 0.01–0.1 M for both MALDI-TOF MS instruments.

A Nanostructured Matrices Assessment to Study Drug Distribution in Solid Tumor Tissues by Mass Spectrometry Imaging.

The imaging of drugs inside tissues is pivotal in oncology to assess whether a drug reaches all cells in an adequate enough concentration to eradicate the tumor. Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Mass Spectrometry Imaging (MALDI-MSI) is one of the most promising imaging techniques that enables the simultaneous visualization of multiple compounds inside tissues. The choice of a suitable matrix constitutes a critical aspect during the development of a MALDI-MSI protocol since the matrix ionization efficiency changes depending on the analyte structure and its physico-chemical properties. The objective of this study is the improvement of the MALDI-MSI technique in the field of pharmacology; developing specifically designed nanostructured surfaces that allow the imaging of different drugs with high sensitivity and reproducibility. Among several nanomaterials, we tested the behavior of gold and titanium nanoparticles, and halloysites and carbon nanotubes as possible matrices. All nanomaterials were firstly screened by co-spotting them with drugs on a MALDI plate, evaluating the drug signal intensity and the signal-to-noise ratio. The best performing matrices were tested on control tumor slices, and were spotted with drugs to check the ion suppression effect of the biological matrix. Finally; the best nanomaterials were employed in a preliminary drug distribution study inside tumors from treated mice.

Quantitative targeted metabolomics for 15d-deoxy-Δ12, 14-PGJ2 (15d-PGJ2) by MALDI-MS

Prostaglandins (PGs) are lipid mediators that may play important roles in cancer, immunomodulation, and neurodegeneration. So, the quantitative analysis of PGs will therefore be important in order to understand the natural history of a range of diseases and may be used as a tool in the development of new biotherapeutics. However, such an analysis is problematic because of the small quantities of PGs present in the body. Here, we developed a matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS)-based analytical method for rapid and easy quantification of the ketone-containing PGs (15d-PGJ2etc.) as a targeted metabolomics platform. The chemical derivatization with Girard’s reagent P (GP) provided a good linearity (R2 > 0.99) between peak area and quantity of 15d-PGJ2 and highly improved sensitivity (limit of quantitation, LOQ: 1.25 pmol on a spot in MALDI plate). Finally, we utilized this method to directly characterize the interaction between peroxisome proliferatoractivated receptor gamma-ligand binding domain (PPARγ-LBD) and 15d-PGJ2. The 15d-PGJ2 was enriched by PPARγ-LBD and also the binding level of the ligand was dropped considerably by the treatment of PPARγ agonist such as rosiglitazone (about 0.61-fold reduction). Taken together, our MALDI-MS-based targeted metabolomics method for ketone-containing PGs may be applicable to elucidate the protein-metabolite interactions and to identify natural ligands for drug candidates.

A Surface Pattern on MALDI Steel Plate for One-Step In-Situ Self-Desalting and Enrichment of Peptides/Proteins.

We report a novel strategy to achieve simultaneous one-step in-situ self-desalting and enrichment (OISE) of peptides/proteins on a facilely fabricated patterned MALDI steel plate with a circular paraffin-steel-polystyrene structure. The OISE plate could efficiently segregate salts from both analytes and matrices while retaining both analyte and matrix concentrate, and facilitating them to form homogeneous co-crystals on the centrally located polystyrene pattern. With the OISE plate, high quality and reproducible spectra could be obtained for low abundance peptides even in the presence of high salt concentrations (200mM NH4HCO3, 1M NaCl, or 400mM urea). Using this strategy, a significant sensitivity enhancement was gained over traditional MALDI plate. The practical utility of this method was further demonstrated by the successful profiling of BSA digests and human serum. Graphical Abstract ᅟ.

Phosphoprotein Analysis by MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry using On-Probe Tandem Proteolysis and Dephosphorylation

ABSTRACTIn this investigation, methods based on on-probe enzymatic cleavage matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometric (MALDI-TOF-MS) analyses have been developed, allowing the rapid assignment of phosphorylation sites within phosphoproteins. The procedures involved robotic sample deposition of a phosphoprotein, such as intact bovine β-casein, on stainless steel or gold MALDI plates, on-probe proteolysis with trypsin for 10–180 s at 37°C, on-probe dephosphorylation for 1–10 min at 37°C with alkaline phosphatase, followed by differential mass spectrometry with peptide mass mapping. The dephosphorylation conditions were initially optimized using in-solution tryptic digestion of the phosphoprotein performed in the presence of MS-compatible anionic surfactant sodium 3-[(2-methyl-2-undecyl-1,3-dioxolan-4-yl)methoxy]-1-propanesulfonate. Two methods of trypsin deactivation were investigated, cooling and quenching by acidification, which resulted in the surfactant either staying intact or becoming cleaved, respectively. Since the surfactant had no detrimental effects on dephosphorylation of phosphopeptides, the acidification and neutralization steps were not included in the final analytical method. A protocol, comprising on-probe tandem, surfactant-aided proteolysis for 3 min followed by on-probe dephosphorylation for 10 min was thus established, allowing the rapid identification of location and sequence of phosphopeptides within a phosphoprotein by these procedures.

Improved Sensitivity for the Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Active Ricin by MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry.

Ricin is a highly toxic protein which causes cell death by blocking protein synthesis and is considered a potential bioterrorism agent. Rapid and sensitive detection of ricin toxin in various types of sample matrices is needed as an emergency requirement for public health and antibioterrorism response. An in vitro MALDI TOF MS-based activity assay that detects ricin mediated depurination of synthetic substrates was improved through optimization of the substrate, reaction conditions, and sample preparation. In this method, the ricin is captured by a specific polycolonal antibody followed by hydrolysis reaction. The ricin activity is determined by detecting the unique cleavage product of synthetic oligomer substrates. The detection of a depurinated substrate was enhanced by using a more efficient RNA substrate and optimizing buffer components, pH, and reaction temperature. In addition, the factors involved in mass spectrometry analysis, such as MALDI matrix, plate, and sample preparation, were also investigated to improve the ionization of the depurinated product and assay reproducibility. With optimized parameters, the limit of detection of 0.2 ng/mL of ricin spiked in buffer and milk was accomplished, representing more than 2 orders of magnitude enhancement in assay sensitivity. Improving assay's ruggeddness or reproducibility also made it possible to quantitatively detect active ricin with 3 orders of magnitude dynamic range.

Dependence of the quality of SALDI TOF MS analysis on the TiO2 nanocrystals’ size and shape

Titanium dioxide is widely used substrate for laser desorption and ionization [(SA)LDI] mass spectrometry. As the semiconductor with high UV absorbance and rapid energy transfer to analytes, TiO2 provides soft and efficient desorption/ionization of analytes with relatively low degrees of fragmentation in the gas phase. TiO2 nanocrystals are convenient for small molecules (molecular mass <1000 Da) analysis due to low number of background signals. Desorption/ionization processes on TiO2 nanocrystals are related to the physical properties of the substrate, such as the ability to absorb and dissipate energy from the irradiating laser light source. In addition, size and shape of nanocrystals also affect these abilities. The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of shape and size dependant TiO2 nanocrystals/UV laser interaction on the quality of the mass spectra, detectability of analyzed molecules, intensities of the signals and homogeneity of co-crystals onto the MALDI plate, of carbohydrates. It is shown that the size and shape of nanocrystals influenced the way of packing carbohydrates onto plate, and thus affects homogeneity and reproducibility of mass spectrometry analysis.

A Rapid MALDI-TOF Method for Isotyping and Quantitating M-Proteins in a Single Assay: Longitudinal Comparison to Serum Protein Electrophoresis and Hevylite for Monitoring Patients with Monoclonal Gammopathies

Background: Current laboratory methods for detection of monoclonal gammopathies include a panel of serum protein electrophoresis (SPEP), immunofixation electrophoresis (IFE) and serum free light chain quantitation (FLC). Our group has recently described a new assay based on matrix assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry (MS) which is capable of detecting, isotyping and quantitating M-proteins in a single assay. The basic principle of the method involves leveraging the unique mass resulting from light chain (LC) Ig gene rearrangement in B-cells. In a similar fashion to SPEP, the mass distribution of LCs after dissociation from their heavy chains can be examined for the presence of an over expressed light chain. In this study we retrospectively compared the MALDI-TOF MS method to SPEP, IFE and Hevylite ratios for monitoring patients with monoclonal gammopathies.Methods: Serum from patients who had at least 1 diagnostic and 4 serial follow-up samples was enriched for IgG, IgA, IgM, kappa and lambda using nanobodies. After disassociating the heavy and light chains by reduction, the five purified samples were spotted onto a Bruker Microflex MALDI plate. Automated acquisition (~10 seconds/sample) was performed and the five LC mass spectra from each enrichment were overlaid. M-proteins were detected, quantitated and isotyped by the presence of distinct peaks (m-spike) within LC mass to charge regions. The serial patient samples were then measured by MALDI-TOF and a comparison of results was made to previous aquired data. The results were then analyze in light of clinical and lab data in order to evaluate the ability of the MALDI-TOF MS method to monitor patients with monoclonal gammopathies.Results: In M-protein positive patient samples, serial dilution revealed MALDI-TOF MS to have ~10-times lower limit of detection than IFE. M-protein isotype in the cohort by MALDI-TOF MS was 100 percent concordant with the isotype from IFE. The MALDI TOF M-protein quantitation was linear over a clinically acceptable range (0.1 to 6 g/dL) and had improved linearity over SPEP at lower M-protein levels. M-proteins quantitation by MALDI-TOF MS compared well with SPEP with a slope of 1.16 (R2 -0.93). Hevylite Ig ratios for each isotype were statistically similar to those from MALDI-TOF MS demonstrating the ability of the MALDI to measure isotype suppression. For some patients, the MALDI method was able to detect M-proteins in patients with normal Hevylite ratios. Finally, the results for each patient were then compared over the course of monitoring. The time evolution change in M-protein concentration was similar among the three methods with the exception of a few samples in which the MALDI-TOF detected residual M-proteins in treated patients not detected by the other methods.Conclusion: This preliminary study demonstrates that MALDI-TOF MS method can provide detection, quantitation and isotyping data suitable for monitoring patients. This is a significant finding since the MALDI-TOF method is amendable to automation, is rapid and in its current format is cost-competitive with current clinical assays. DisclosuresMurray:Mayo Clinic: Patents & Royalties: Patent Application Filed. Mills:Mayo Clinci: Patents & Royalties: Patent Application Filed. Barnidge:Mayo Clinic: Patents & Royalties: Patent Application Filed.

Development of a Cost-effective Clinical Assay to Simultaneously Screen, Quantitate and Isotype M-proteins in Real-Time Using MALDI-TOF

Background: Current laboratory detection of monoclonal gammopathies includes a panel of serum protein electrophoresis (SPEP), immunofixation electrophoresis (IFE) and serum free light chain quantitation (FLC). In this study we sought to evaluate an emerging clinical platform: matrix assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry (MS) as a cost effective, sensitive method to detect, isotype and quantitate M-proteins. Methods: We developed an immuno-enrichment MALDI-TOF MS assay utilizing nanobodies to detect, quantitate and isotype Mproteins. Residual patient serum was enriched for IgG, IgA, IgM, kappa and lambda using nanobodies. After disassociating the heavy or light chains, five separate samples were spotted onto a Bruker Microflex MALDI plate. Automated acquisition (w10 seconds/ sample) was performed and the mass spectra corresponding to light chains from each nanobody were overlaid. M-proteins were detected, quantitated and isotyped by the presence of distinct peaks (mspike) within light chain m/z regions. Results: In M-protein positive patient samples, serial dilution revealed MALDI-TOF MS to have w10-fold lower limit of detection than IFE. Screening concordance for the MALDI-TOF MS was 97.8% for IFE(+) and 100% for SPEP(+) samples. For IFE(-) samples, the concordance was 88.6% with the MALDI-TOF identifying 4 additional positive patients. In samples positive by both methods (N1⁄487), isotyping concordance was 98.9%. The M-Spike quantitation correlation between SPEP and MALDI-TOF was linear with the MALDI giving slightly lower values. The MALDI-TOF method also had good agreement with the Hevy-LiteTM assay for the all three Ig classes. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that detection, quantitation and isotyping of M-proteins by MALDI-TOF MS is robust and exceeds the sensitivity of IFE. Unlike current methods, the MALDI can also document isotype suppression. This method is amendable to automation, is rapid and in its current format is costcompetitive with current clinical isotyping assays.

Phenylboronic acid-functionalized magnetic nanoparticles for one-step saccharides enrichment and mass spectrometry analysis.

In this work, 2-(2-aminoethoxy) ethanol-blocked phenylboronic acid-functionalized magnetic nanoparticles (blocked PMNPs) were fabricated for selective enrichment of different types of saccharides. The phenylboronic acid was designed for capturing the cis-diols moieties on saccharides molecules, and the 2-(2-aminoethoxy) ethanol can deplete the nonspecific absorption of peptides and proteins which always coexisted with saccharides. For mass spectrometry analysis, the PMNPs bound saccharides can be directly applied onto the MALDI plate with matrix without removing the PMNPs. By PMNPs, the simple saccharide (glucose) could be detected in pmol level. The complex saccharides can also be reliably purified and analyzed; 16 different N-glycans were successfully identified from ovalbumin, and the high-abundance N-glycans can be detected even when the ovalbumin was in very low concentration (2 μg). In human milk, ten different oligosaccharides were identified, and the lactose can still be detected when the human milk concentration was low to 0.01 μL.Graphical Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s41048-015-0002-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Development of a high-speed MALDI-triple quadrupole mass spectrometric method for the determination of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) in oral fluid.

3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, ecstasy) is still a widely used illicit designer drug and its detection in different matrices is of major importance for forensic purposes (e.g. driving under the influence) as well as for workplace drug testing or abstinence control. Established analytical methods for the determination of MDMA are mainly employing high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) or gas chromatography (GC) coupled to mass spectrometric detection. Matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization-triple quadrupole-tandem mass spectrometry (MALDI-QqQ-MS/MS) is so far rarely used in forensics and offers an ultrafast high-throughput platform. The Quantisal™ Oral Fluid Collection Device was used for sample collection. After addition of the deuterated internal standard and a carbonate buffer (0.75 M Na2 CO3 ), oral fluid samples were liquid-liquid extracted (ButOAc/EtOAc, 1:1). As little as 1 microlitre of a mixture of this extract and the MALDI matrix (alpha-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamic acid) was spotted onto the MALDI plate and could directly be analyzed. With MALDI omitting chromatographic separation, very short analysis times of about 10 s per sample were possible. The method was developed and validated according to international guidelines including specificity, recovery, matrix effects, accuracy and precision, stabilities and limit of quantification. All validation criteria were fulfilled except for ion suppression/enhancement. Comparison with a routine liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method showed good agreement of the results. Applicability of the method was shown by analyzing about 250 oral fluid samples collected after controlled administration of 125 mg MDMA in a pharmacokinetic study. The whole lot of samples could be analyzed in less than 1 h, proving the ultra-high-speed of the method.

A sample preparation method for recovering suppressed analyte ions in MALDI TOF MS.

In matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI TOF MS), analyte signals can be substantially suppressed by other compounds in the sample. In this technical note, we describe a modified thin-layer sample preparation method that significantly reduces the analyte suppression effect (ASE). In our method, analytes are deposited on top of the surface of matrix preloaded on the MALDI plate. To prevent embedding of analyte into the matrix crystals, the sample solution were prepared without matrix and efforts were taken not to re-dissolve the preloaded matrix. The results with model mixtures of peptides, synthetic polymers and lipids show that detection of analyte ions, which were completely suppressed using the conventional dried-droplet method, could be effectively recovered by using our method. Our findings suggest that the incorporation of analytes in the matrix crystals has an important contributory effect on ASE. By reducing ASE, our method should be useful for the direct MALDI MS analysis of multicomponent mixtures.

Preparation of on-plate immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography platform via dopamine chemistry for highly selective isolation of phosphopeptides with matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry analysis

In this study, a novel on-plate IMAC technique was developed for highly selective enrichment and isolation of phosphopeptides with high-throughput MALDI-TOF-MS analysis. At first, a MALDI plate was coated with polydopamine (PDA), and then Ti4+ was immobilized on the PDA-coated plate. The obtained IMAC plate was successfully applied to the highly selective enrichment and isolation of phosphopeptides in protein digests and human serum. Because of no loss of samples, the on-plate IMAC platform exhibits excellent selectivity and sensitivity in the selective enrichment and isolation of phosphopeptides, which provides a potential technique for high selectivity in the detection of low-abundance phosphopeptides in biological samples.

Capillary Electrophoretic Determination of Fluoroquinolones in Bovine Milk Followed by Off-Line MALDI-TOF-MS Analysis

A novel appro ach for the determination of ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin and ofloxacin by capillary electrophoresis and off-line capillary electrophoresis–matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight-mass spectrometry coupling for the confirmation of analyte identities is presented. A polymer capillary coating was proposed with the aim to minimize suppression of the MS signal caused by the CE solution components. The fluoroquinolones were successfully separated and determined by CE-UV followed by fractionation onto a MALDI plate and off-line MS characterization. Full-cream and low-fat milk samples were used to illustrate that the proposed method represents an efficient alternative for fluoroquinolone antibiotics determination in milk.