Ultra-performance Liquid Chromatography-high Resolution Mass Research Articles

UPLC-HRMS-Based Plasma Metabolomic Profiling of Novel Biomarkers by Treatment with KDZI in Cerebral Ischemia Reperfusion Rats

Kudiezi injection (KDZI), also known as Diemailing injection, is a traditional Chinese medicine injection of the composite plant Ixeris sonchifolia Hance (also known as Kudiezi), and has been widely used to treat coronary heart disease, angina pectoris, and cerebral infarction, but its pharmacological mechanisms remain unclear. This study is designed to explore the effects of KDZI on middle cerebral artery occlusion and reperfusion (MCAO/R) rats, and to identify metabolic features of cerebral ischemia reperfusion by using a nontargeted metabolic profiling method based on ultra-performance liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (UPLC-HRMS). In this process, 32 potential biomarkers were found in plasma. KDZI significantly upregulated the levels of taurochenodesoxycholic acid, leucine, l-phenylalanine, l-tryptophan, arachidonic acid (ARA), and phosphatidyl ethanolamines (PE), phosphatidyl cholines (PC) and downregulated the levels of l-valine and 5-hydroxyindole-3-acetic acid (5-HIAA) in plasma. The results indicated that the mechanisms of KDZI on MCAO/R were related to the mechanisms of amino acid and lipid metabolism.

Integrated strategy for identifying minor components in complex samples combining mass defect, diagnostic ions and neutral loss information based on ultra-performance liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry platform: Folium Artemisiae Argyi as a case study

Ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry (UPLC-HRMS) has been used as a powerful tool to profile chemicals in traditional Chinese medicines. However, identification of potentially bioactive compounds is still a challenging work because of the large amount of information contained in the raw UPLC-HRMS data. Especially the ubiquitous matrix interference makes it more difficult to characterize the minor components. Therefore, rapid recognition and efficient extraction of the corresponding parent ions is critically important for identifying the attractive compounds in complex samples. Herein, we propose an integrated filtering strategy to remove un-related or interference MS1 ions from the raw UPLC-HRMS data, which helps to retain the MS features of the target components and expose the compounds of interest as effective as possible. The proposed strategy is based on the use of a combination of different filtering methods, including nitrogen rule, mass defect, and neutral loss/diagnostic fragment ions filtering. The strategy was validated by rapid screening and identification of 16 methoxylated flavonoids and 55 chlorogenic acids analogues from the raw UPLC-HRMS dataset of Folium Artemisiae Argyi. Particularly, successful detection of several minor components indicated that the integrated strategy has obvious advantages over individual filtering methods, and it can be used as a promising method for screening and identifying compounds from complex samples, such as herbal medicines.

Metabotypes with elevated protein and lipid catabolism and inflammation precede clinical mastitis in prepartal transition dairy cows

Clinical mastitis (CM), the most prevalent and costly disease in dairy cows, is diagnosed most commonly shortly after calving. Current indicators do not satisfactorily predict CM. This study aimed to develop a robust and comprehensive mass spectrometry-based metabolomic and lipidomic workflow using untargeted ultra-performance liquid chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometry for predictive biomarker detection. Using a nested case-control design, we measured weekly during the prepartal transition period differences in serum metabolites, lipids, inflammation markers, and minerals between clinically healthy Holstein dairy cows diagnosed with mastitis postcalving (CMP; n = 8; CM diagnosis d 1 = 3 cows, d 2 = 2 cows, d 4 = 1 cow; d 25 = 1 cow, and d 43 = 1 cow that had subclinical mastitis since d 3) or not (control; n = 9). The largest fold differences between CMP and control cows during the prepartal transition period were observed for 3'-sialyllactose in serum. Seven metabolites (N-methylethanolamine phosphate, choline, phosphorylcholine, free carnitine, trimethyl lysine, tyrosine, and proline) and 3 metabolite groups (carnitines, AA metabolites, and water-soluble phospholipid metabolites) could correctly classify cows for their future CM status at both 21 and 14 d before calving. Biochemical analysis using lipid and metabolite-specific commercial diagnostic kits supported our mass spectrometry-based omics results and additionally showed elevated inflammatory markers (serum amyloid A and visfatin) in CMP cows. In conclusion, metabolic phenotypes (i.e., metabotype) with elevated protein and lipid metabolism and inflammation may precede CM in prepartal transition dairy cows. The discovered serum metabolites and lipids may assist in predictive diagnostics, prevention strategies, and early treatment intervention against CM, and thereby improve cow health and welfare.

A novel strategy for extracted ion chromatogram extraction to improve peak detection in UPLC-HRMS

Extracted ion chromatogram (EIC) extraction is the primary and fundamental step in ultraperformance liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (UPLC-HRMS).

Simultaneous Determination and Investigation of Nine Fungicides in Fruits Using Diethylenetriamine-Functional Magnetic Core-Shell Polymer Modified Graphene Oxide as an Efficient Adsorbent Coupled to UPLC-HRMS.

In this study, diethylenetriamine-functional magnetic core-shell polymer modified graphene oxide (DETA-MPs-GO) was prepared via precipitation polymerization and amidation reaction, and it was characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray diffractometer (XRD). Subsequently, a magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) procedure was applied to the as-synthesized DETA-MPs-GO for the detection of nine fungicides in fruit samples, prior to ultra-performance liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (UPLC-HRMS). The homogenized fruit samples, spiked with D-labelled internal standards, were firstly extracted by 5 mL of acetonitrile twice and then purified by DETA-MPs-GO adsorbents. The optimization of the adsorption and elution conditions of DETA-MPs-GO toward fungicides was carried out to attain a satisfactory adsorption performance and desorption efficiency. The adsorption mechanism was carefully investigated, and the results revealed that a synergistic adsorption mechanism, including hydrogen bond and a π–π stacking interaction, was confirmed. Moreover, the limits of quantitation (LOQs) of the proposed approach were in the range of 0.01 to 0.30 μg/kg under the optimum conditions. The average recoveries at three spiking levels were 84.9% to 105.2%, with relative standard deviations (RSDs) varying from 0.8% to 8.2% (n = 6). The developed method was successfully utilized for the screening and detection of fungicides in 81 fruit samples purchased from markets. A detailed survey was carried out about the concentration distribution, types of fungicides, and combined use of fungicides in different fruits.

Confirmation and analysis of the metabolites of pentachlorophenol in loaches using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry

A method for the characterization of the metabolite pentachlorophenol hydrogen sulfate (PCP-SO3H) of pentachlorophenol (PCP) in loaches was developed based on ultra-performance liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (UPLC-HRMS). The loach samples exposed in low concentration of PCP solution were firstly crushed, then extracted by acetonitrile-water solution (70:30, v/v) containing 8% (v/v) triethylamine and purified by mixed anion exchange solid-phase extraction (SPE) cartridges. The chromatographic separation was carried out on a Waters ACQUITY BEH C18 column (100 mm×2.1 mm, 1.7 μm). The qualitative analysis of the metabolites of PCP was operated in a negative electrospray ion mode (ESI-) under full mass-data dependent MS2 (full mass-ddMS2) mode, and the data of quasi-molecular ion, isotope ions, and MS2 fragmentation ions of metabolites were obtained. The results revealed that the sulfonation was the main metabolic pathway for PCP in loaches, not the hydroxylation or glucuronate pathway. And the metabolite was found to be PCP-SO3H. Besides, with the increase of exposure time in PCP solution, the concentration of metabolite PCP-SO3H firstly increased; when the exposure time was up to 36 h, the concentration of metabolite in loach reached a maximum value; and then extending the exposure time, the concentration of PCP-SO3H gradually decreased. When the exposure time was up to 120 h, the concentration of PCP-SO3H in loaches reached a lowest value, and no significant change occurred for further time. The developed UPLC-HRMS method in this study could be used for the investigation of the metabolism of PCP in living beings.

Rapid determination of four phenolic environmental estrogen residues in cooking oil by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry coupled with solid-phase extraction

A fast, sensitive and accurate method for the determination of trace bisphenol S (BPS), bisphenol F (BPF), bisphenol A (BPA) and 4-nonylphenol (4-NP) in cooking oil samples was developed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (UPLC-HRMS) coupled with solid-phase extraction (SPE). Cooking oil samples were extracted by acetonitrile, then the supernatant was purified by SLC SPE cartridges. The chromatographic separation was carried out on a Waters ACQUITY UPLC HSS T3 column (100 mm×2.1 mm, 1.8 μm) with a linear gradient elution procedure using 0.05% (v/v) triethanolamine aqueous solution and methanol as mobile phases. The quantification analysis was operated in a negative electrospray ion (ESI-) source mode under the selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode with internal standard method. The four target analytes showed good linearity with correlation coefficients (r) greater than 0.999. The limits of detection (LODs, S/N=3) and limits of quantification (LOQs, S/N=10) were in the ranges of 0.03-0.11 μg/kg and 0.10-0.36 μg/kg, respectively. The recoveries of the four target analytes spiked in oil samples were in the range of 86.3%-96.1% at spiked levels of 1.0, 10.0 and 80.0 μg/kg, respectively, while the relative standard deviations (RSDs) were in range of 2.2%-8.8% (n=6). No significant matrix interference was found in this method. The proposed method is simple and fast. It can be applied for the rapid determination of trace BPS, BPF, BPA, and 4-NP in cooking oil samples.

Study on acrylamide inhibitory mechanism in Maillard model reaction: Effect of p-coumaric acid

Acrylamide is formed from reducing sugars and asparagine during the heating, however, the key precursor of acrylamide is not well understood. In order to certify key precursor of the acrylamide, the inhibitory mechanism of p-coumaric acid was studied in low-moisture Maillard model system. The qualitative analysis revealed that the p-coumaric acid most likely reacted with an acrylamide precursor (3-oxopropanamide), yielding 2-(propenamide)coumaric acid. And the ultra-performance liquid chromatography–high-resolution mass spectrometry analysis revealed that the inhibitory rate of acrylamide is proportional to the content of 2-(propenamide)coumaric acid under different condition. Furthermore, the maximum inhibitory rate (82.69%) was observed when 0.1mmol p-coumaric acid was added to an equimolar asparagine-glucose (1mmol each) system upon heating at 160°C for 30min, with a 100μL phosphate buffer (0.1mol/L, pH=8.0). Moreover, the p-coumaric acid also effectively reduced the formation of acrylamide by 66.2% in fried potato chips. So the 3-oxopropanamide is considered to be a possible key precursor of the acrylamide. These observations are important for furthering understanding the formation mechanism of acrylamide.

The association of low-molecular-weight hydrophobic compounds with native casein micelles in bovine milk

The agreed biological function of the casein micelles in milk is to carry minerals (calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus) from mother to young along with amino acids for growth and development. Recently, native and modified casein micelles were used as encapsulating and delivery agents for various hydrophobic low-molecular-weight probes. The ability of modified casein micelles to bind certain probes may derive from the binding affinity of native casein micelles. Hence, a study with milk from single cows was conducted to further elucidate the association of hydrophobic molecules into native casein micelles and further understand their biological function. Hydrophobic and hydrophilic extraction followed by ultraperformance liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry analysis were performed over protein fractions obtained from size exclusion fractionation of raw skim milk. Hydrophobic compounds, including phosphatidylcholine, lyso-phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, and sphingomyelin, showed strong association exclusively to casein micelles as compared with whey proteins, whereas hydrophilic compounds did not display any preference for their association among milk proteins. Further analysis using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry detected 42 compounds associated solely with the casein-micelles fraction. Mass fragments in tandem mass spectrometry identified 4 of these compounds as phosphatidylcholine with fatty acid composition of 16:0/18:1, 14:0/16:0, 16:0/16:0, and 18:1/18:0. These results support that transporting low-molecular-weight hydrophobic molecules is also a biological function of the casein micelles in milk.

High-throughput quantitative and qualitative analysis of microsomal incubations by cocktail analysis with an ultraperformance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometer system.

Metabolite identification studies are very resource intensive and also are rarely performed in early discovery. Here, we report the validation of an ultraperformance liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry (UPLC-HRMS) platform for generating high-throughput stability data with structure elucidation in a single injection. Tandem mass spectrometry spectra were obtained for quantitative analysis using a generic information-dependent acquisition method from pooled microsomal samples incubated at low compound concentrations. A good correlation was observed between clearance determined using UPLC-HRMS and UPLC-triple-quadrupole analysis. Structural elucidation performed with MassMetaSite™ (Molecular Discovery, Perugia, Italy) software identified 85% of the major metabolites of eight marketed drugs and over 100 internal compounds under these conditions. For the first time, a high-throughput quantitative-qualitative workflow was established using a cocktail approach for sample analysis with UPLC-HRMS in order to enable metabolite identification in early discovery projects.

Urinary metabolomic analysis of bladder cancer patients based on ultra performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry

Objective Urinary metabolomic analysis was carried out to discover urinary metabolite biomarkers to assist early diagnosis of bladder cancer.Methods Ultra performance liquid chromatographyhigh-resolution mass spectrometry analysis (UPLC-HRMS) was used to analyze and compare the urinary metabolomic fingerprints from 23 patients with bladder cancer and 21 healthy controls.Data were analyzed with orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) to select metabolites with differential abundance.The structure identity of potential markers was investigated by UPLC-QTOF.The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was used to assess the diagnostic performance of each metabolite.Results The urinary metabolomic survey discovered 17 potential markers,5 of which were structurally identified.ROC analysis identified two metabolites with potential diagnostic value:2-Octenedioic acid (FC =4.63,P ＜ 0.01 ; AUC =0.787),Vanillactic acid (FC =0.22,P ＜ 0.01 ; AUC =0.762).The diagnostic performance could be further improved by using the ratio of these two markers (OEA∶ VA,AUC =0.867).Conclusion The Ultra performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS) based urinary metabolomic analysis of bladder cancer patients revealed alteration patterns of metabolites during the pathogenesis of bladder cancer,and identified 2 metabolite markers. Key words: Bladder cancer; Urine ; Metabolomics

A Nano Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography–High Resolution Mass Spectrometry Approach for Global Metabolomic Profiling and Case Study on Drug-Resistant Multiple Myeloma

Global metabolomics relies on highly reproducible and sensitive detection of a wide range of metabolites in biological samples. Here we report the optimization of metabolome analysis by nanoflow ultraperformance liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution orbitrap mass spectrometry. Reliable peak features were extracted from the LC-MS runs based on mandatory detection in duplicates and additional noise filtering according to blank injections. The run-to-run variation in peak area showed a median of 14%, and the false discovery rate during a mock comparison was evaluated. To maximize the number of peak features identified, we systematically characterized the effect of sample loading amount, gradient length, and MS resolution. The number of features initially rose and later reached a plateau as a function of sample amount, fitting a hyperbolic curve. Longer gradients improved unique feature detection in part by time-resolving isobaric species. Increasing the MS resolution up to 120000 also aided in the differentiation of near isobaric metabolites, but higher MS resolution reduced the data acquisition rate and conferred no benefits, as predicted from a theoretical simulation of possible metabolites. Moreover, a biphasic LC gradient allowed even distribution of peak features across the elution, yielding markedly more peak features than the linear gradient. Using this robust nUPLC-HRMS platform, we were able to consistently analyze ~6500 metabolite features in a single 60 min gradient from 2 mg of yeast, equivalent to ~50 million cells. We applied this optimized method in a case study of drug (bortezomib) resistant and drug-sensitive multiple myeloma cells. Overall, 18% of metabolite features were matched to KEGG identifiers, enabling pathway enrichment analysis. Principal component analysis and heat map data correctly clustered isogenic phenotypes, highlighting the potential for hundreds of small molecule biomarkers of cancer drug resistance.

Untargeted Metabolomics from Biological Sources Using Ultraperformance Liquid Chromatography-High Resolution Mass Spectrometry (UPLC-HRMS)

Here we present a workflow to analyze the metabolic profiles for biological samples of interest including; cells, serum, or tissue. The sample is first separated into polar and non-polar fractions by a liquid-liquid phase extraction, and partially purified to facilitate downstream analysis. Both aqueous (polar metabolites) and organic (non-polar metabolites) phases of the initial extraction are processed to survey a broad range of metabolites. Metabolites are separated by different liquid chromatography methods based upon their partition properties. In this method, we present microflow ultra-performance (UP)LC methods, but the protocol is scalable to higher flows and lower pressures. Introduction into the mass spectrometer can be through either general or compound optimized source conditions. Detection of a broad range of ions is carried out in full scan mode in both positive and negative mode over a broad m/z range using high resolution on a recently calibrated instrument. Label-free differential analysis is carried out on bioinformatics platforms. Applications of this approach include metabolic pathway screening, biomarker discovery, and drug development.

Untargeted Metabolomics from Biological Sources Using Ultraperformance Liquid Chromatography-High Resolution Mass Spectrometry (UPLC-HRMS)

Here we present a workflow to analyze the metabolic profiles for biological samples of interest including; cells, serum, or tissue. The sample is first separated into polar and non-polar fractions by a liquid-liquid phase extraction, and partially purified to facilitate downstream analysis. Both aqueous (polar metabolites) and organic (non-polar metabolites) phases of the initial extraction are processed to survey a broad range of metabolites. Metabolites are separated by different liquid chromatography methods based upon their partition properties. In this method, we present microflow ultra-performance (UP)LC methods, but the protocol is scalable to higher flows and lower pressures. Introduction into the mass spectrometer can be through either general or compound optimized source conditions. Detection of a broad range of ions is carried out in full scan mode in both positive and negative mode over a broad m/z range using high resolution on a recently calibrated instrument. Label-free differential analysis is carried out on bioinformatics platforms. Applications of this approach include metabolic pathway screening, biomarker discovery, and drug development.

Development of a novel method for quantification of sterols and oxysterols by UPLC-ESI-HRMS: application to a neuroinflammation rat model

Cholesterol and oxysterols are involved as key compounds in the development of severe neurodegenerative diseases and in neuroinflammation processes. Monitoring their concentration changes under pathological conditions is of interest to get insights into the role of lipids in diseases. For numerous years, liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry has been the method of choice for metabolites identification and quantification in biological samples. However, sterols and oxysterols are relatively apolar molecules poorly adapted to electrospray ionization (ESI). To circumvent this drawback, we developed a novel and robust analytical method involving derivatization of these analytes in cholesteryl N-4-(N,N-dimethylamino)phenyl carbamates under alkaline conditions followed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry analysis (UPLC-HRMS). Optimized UPLC conditions led to the separation of a mixture of 11 derivatized sterols and oxysterols especially side chain substituted derivatives after 6 min of chromatographic run. High sensitivity time-of-flight mass analysis allowed analytes to be detected in the nanomolar range. The method was validated for the analysis of oxysterols and sterols in mice brain in respect of linearity, limits of quantification, accuracy, precision, analyte stability, and recovery according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines. The developed method was successfully applied to investigate the impact of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treatment on the rat cerebral steroidome.