A Thin-Layer Electrochemical Flow Cell Coupled On-Line with Electrospray-Mass Spectrometry for the Study of Biological Redox Reactions

Electrochemistry-mass spectrometry bridging the gap between suspect and target screening of valsartan transformation products in wastewater treatment plant effluent

Degradation of xenobiotics in wastewater treatment plants may lead to the formation of transformation products with higher persistence or increased (eco-)toxic potential compared to the parent compounds. Accordingly, the identification of transformation products from wastewater treatment plant effluents has gained increasing attention. Here, we show the potential of electrochemistry hyphenated to liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry for the prediction of oxidative degradation in wastewater treatment plants using the antihypertensive drug valsartan as a model compound. This approach identifies seven electrochemical transformation products of valsartan, which are used to conduct a suspect screening in effluent of the main wastewater treatment plant in the city of Münster in Germany. Apart from the parent compound valsartan, an electrochemically predicted transformation product, the N-dealkylated ETP336, is detected in wastewater treatment plant effluent. Subsequently, a targeted liquid chromatographytandem mass spectrometry method for the detection of valsartan and its electrochemical transformation products is set up. Here, electrochemical oxidation is used to generate reference materials of the transformation products in situ by hyphenating electrochemistry online to a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. Using this setup, multiple reaction monitoring transitions are set up without the need for laborious and costly synthesis and isolation of reference materials for the transformation products. The targeted method is then applied to extracts from wastewater treatment plant effluent and the presence of ETP336 and valsartan in the samples is verified. The presented workflow can be used to set up targeted analysis methods for previously unknown transformation products even without the need for expensive high-resolution mass spectrometers.

Comparison of in vitro approaches for predicting the metabolism of the selective androgen receptor modulator RAD140

The identification of metabolites allows for the expansion of possible targets for anti-doping analysis. Especially for novel substances such as selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs), information on metabolic fate is scarce. Novel approaches such as the organ on a chip technology may provide a metabolic profile that resembles human in vivo samples more closely than approaches that rely on human liver fractions only. In this study, the SARM RAD140 was metabolized by means of subcellular human liver fractions, human liver spheroids in an organ on a chip platform, and electrochemical (EC) conversion. The resulting metabolites were analyzed with LC-HRMS/MS and compared to a human doping control urine sample that yielded an adverse analytical finding for RAD140. A total of 16 metabolites were detected in urine, while 14, 13, and 7 metabolites were detected in samples obtained from the organ on a chip experiment, the subcellular liver fraction, and EC experiments, respectively. All tested techniques resulted in the detection of RAD140 metabolites. In the organ on a chip samples, the highest number of metabolites were detected. The subcellular liver fractions and organ on a chip techniques are deemed complementary to predict metabolites of RAD140, as both techniques produce distinct metabolites that are also found in an anonymized human in vivo urine sample.

Elucidation of the environmental reductive metabolism of the herbicide tritosulfuron assisted by electrochemistry and mass spectrometry

The environmental impact of pesticides and other pollutants is, to a great extent, determined by degradation and accumulation processes. Consequently, degradation pathways of pesticides have to be elucidated before approval by the authorities. In this study, the environmental metabolism of the sulfonylurea-herbicide tritosulfuron was investigated using aerobic soil degradation studies, during which a previously unidentified metabolite was observed using high performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. The new metabolite was formed by reductive hydrogenation of tritosulfuron but the isolated amount and purity of the substance were insufficient to fully elucidate its structure. Therefore, electrochemistry coupled to mass spectrometry was successfully applied to mimic the reductive hydrogenation of tritosulfuron. After demonstrating the general feasibility of electrochemical reduction, the electrochemical conversion was scaled up to the semi-preparative scale and 1.0 mg of the hydrogenated product was synthesized. Similar retention times and mass spectrometric fragmentation patterns proved that the same hydrogenated product was formed electrochemically and in soil studies. Using the electrochemically generated standard, the structure of the metabolite was elucidated by means of NMR spectroscopy, which shows the potential of electrochemistry and mass spectrometry in environmental fate studies.

Thiogenistein-Antioxidant Chemistry, Antitumor Activity, and Structure Elucidation of New Oxidation Products

Isoflavonoids such as genistein (GE) are well known antioxidants. The predictive biological activity of structurally new compounds such as thiogenistein (TGE)–a new analogue of GE–becomes an interesting way to design new drug candidates with promising properties. Two oxidation strategies were used to characterize TGE oxidation products: the first in solution and the second on the 2D surface of the Au electrode as a self-assembling TGE monolayer. The structure elucidation of products generated by different oxidation strategies was performed. The electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) was used for identifying the product of electrochemical and hydrogen peroxide oxidation in the solution. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) with the ATR mode was used to identify a product after hydrogen peroxide treatment of TGE on the 2D surface. The density functional theory was used to support the experimental results for the estimation of antioxidant activity of TGE as well as for the molecular modeling of oxidation products. The biological studies were performed simultaneously to assess the suitability of TGE for antioxidant and antitumor properties. It was found that TGE was characterized by a high cytotoxic activity toward human breast cancer cells. The research was also carried out on mice macrophages, disclosing that TGE neutralized the production of the LPS-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) and exhibits ABTS (2,2′-azino-bis-3-(ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) radical scavenging ability. In the presented study, we identified the main oxidation products of TGE generated under different environmental conditions. The electroactive centers of TGE were identified and its oxidation mechanisms were proposed. TGE redox properties can be related to its various pharmacological activities. Our new thiolated analogue of genistein neutralizes the LPS-induced ROS production better than GE. Additionally, TGE shows a high cytotoxic activity against human breast cancer cells. The viability of MCF-7 (estrogen-positive cells) drops two times after a 72-h incubation with 12.5 μM TGE (viability 53.86%) compared to genistein (viability 94.46%).

Microfluidic Electrochemistry Meets Trapped Ion Mobility Spectrometry and High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry-In Situ Generation, Separation, and Detection of Isomeric Conjugates of Paracetamol and Ethoxyquin

Over the last 3 decades, electrochemistry (EC) has been successfully applied in phase I and phase II metabolism simulation studies. The electrochemically generated phase I metabolite-like oxidation products can react with selected reagents to form phase II conjugates. During conjugate formation, the generation of isomeric compounds is possible. Such isomeric conjugates are often separated by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Here, we demonstrate a powerful approach that combines EC with ion mobility spectrometry to separate possible isomeric conjugates. In detail, we present the hyphenation of a microfluidic electrochemical chip with an integrated mixer coupled online to trapped ion mobility spectrometry (TIMS) and time-of-flight high-resolution mass spectrometry (ToF-HRMS), briefly chipEC-TIMS-ToF-HRMS. This novel method achieves results in several minutes, which is much faster than traditional separation approaches like HPLC, and was applied to the drug paracetamol and the controversial feed preservative ethoxyquin. The analytes were oxidized in situ in the electrochemical microfluidic chip under formation of reactive intermediates and mixed with different thiol-containing reagents to form conjugates. These were analyzed by TIMS-ToF-HRMS to identify possible isomers. It was observed that the oxidation products of both paracetamol and ethoxyquin form two isomeric conjugates, which are characterized by different ion mobilities, with each reagent. Therefore, using this hyphenated technique, it is possible to not only form reactive oxidation products and their conjugates in situ but also separate and detect these isomeric conjugates within only a few minutes.

Combination of electrochemical unit and ESI-MS in fragmentation of flavonoids

INTRODUCTION

Predictive approaches on the activity of natural compounds based on the fragmentation by instrumental techniques are important for consideration of such molecules as drug candidates and defining new structures with promising properties. Since flavonoids are well-known antioxidants, their redox properties can be related to their pharmacological activity.

OBJECTIVES

In this work, the potential of electrochemical unit coupled to electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) was assessed for fragmentation activity relationships studies of selected flavonoids.

METHODOLOGY

Methodology of this research included electrochemical conversion of standards of flavonoids at different pH values and their further analysis with the use of ESI-MS. In addition, signals obtained from the blank samples were also identified and used for interpretation due to electrochemical nature of the ESI source. Half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀ ) values of flavonoids for 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) antioxidant activity assays were analysed for possible correlation with the structures of flavonoids and products of electrochemical conversion.

RESULTS

Fragmentation activity relationships were suggested using the proposed approach and for some of the flavonoids it was not specific enough to determine the input of a particular structural feature to the activity, but for others they were in agreement with those found in the literature. Obtained results showed potential of the proposed approach for application in plant sciences as a fast pre-screening tool for newly isolated bioactive compounds.

In situ monitoring of electrochemical reactions through CNT-assisted paper cell mass spectrometry

A novel method of coupling electrochemistry (EC) with mass spectrometry (MS) is illustrated with a paper-based electrochemical cell supported by carbon nanotubes (CNTs).

Instrumentation and applications of electrochemistry coupled to mass spectrometry for studying xenobiotic metabolism: A review

The knowledge of metabolic pathways and biotransformation of xenobiotics, artificial substances foreign to the entire biological system, is crucial for elucidation of degradation routes of potentially toxic substances. Nowadays, there are many methods to simulate xenobiotic metabolism in the human body in vitro. In this review, the metabolism of various substances in the human body is described, followed by a summary of methods used for prediction of metabolic pathways and biotransformation. Above all, focus is placed on the coupling of electrochemistry to mass spectrometry, which is still a relatively new technique. This promising tool can mimic both oxidative phase I and conjugative phase II metabolism. Different experimental arrangements, with or without a separation step, and various applications of this technique are illustrated and critically reviewed.

Femtomolar Detection of Silver Nanoparticles by Flow-Enhanced Direct-Impact Voltammetry at a Microelectrode Array

We report the femtomolar detection of silver (Ag) nanoparticles by direct-impact voltammetry. This is achieved through the use of a random array of microelectrodes (RAM) integrated into a purpose-built flow cell, allowing combined diffusion and convection to the electrode surface. A coupled RAM-flow cell system is implemented and is shown to give reproducible wall-jet type flow characteristics, using potassium ferrocyanide as a molecular redox species. The calibrated flow system is then used to detect and quantitatively size Ag nanoparticles at femtomolar concentrations. Under flow conditions, it is found the nanoparticle impact frequency increases linearly with the volumetric flow rate. The resulting limit of detection is more than 2 orders of magnitude smaller than the previous detection limit for direct-impact voltammetry (900 fM) [J. Ellison et al. Sens. Actuators, B2014, 200, 47], and is more than 30 times smaller than the previous detection limit for mediated-impact voltammetry (83 fM) [T. M. Alligrant et al. Langmuir2014, 30, 13462].

Unexpected benzimidazole ring formation from a quinoneimide species in the presence of ammonium acetate as supporting electrolyte used in the coupling of electrochemistry with mass spectrometry

RATIONALE

Electrochemistry (EC) coupled to mass spectrometry (MS) has been used to study different phase-I reactions. Despite of the versatility of EC/MS, the effect of the nature of the supporting electrolyte on the formation of oxidation products has seldom been discussed during EC/MS experiments. Here, we present a comparison of two different supporting electrolytes and their effect on the identification of unstable intermediate oxidation species is discussed.

METHODS

The oxidation of acebutolol was performed with a coulometric cell in the presence of two supporting electrolytes namely ammonium acetate and lithium acetate. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC/QTOFMS) using a binary gradient (water/acetonitrile) with positive electrospray ionization was used to identify the oxidation products in the presence and absence of glutathione. Chemical structure elucidations of the oxidation products were performed by high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) and were also supported by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements.

RESULTS

From the electrochemical study and HRMS measurements, we demonstrate that the quinoneimide species resulting from the oxidative hydrolyses of acebutolol gives a benzimidazole ring product in the presence of ammonium acetate. Through the example of the oxidation of acebutolol, a correlation between the supporting electrolyte nature and oxidation product formation was established. The obtained results were supported by quantum mechanical calculations.

CONCLUSIONS

We present here evidence of the side reactions induced by the presence of ammonia as supporting electrolyte during EC/MS measurements. Acebutolol was used as a model to postulate an uncommon and unexpected side reaction leading to benzimidazole ring formation. The findings may help to understand the identification of the intermediate species in the oxidative degradation process.

Mass spectrometric methods for monitoring redox processes in electrochemical cells

Electrochemistry (EC) is a mature scientific discipline aimed to study the movement of electrons in an oxidation-reduction reaction. EC covers techniques that use a measurement of potential, charge, or current to determine the concentration or the chemical reactivity of analytes. The electrical signal is directly converted into chemical information. For in-depth characterization of complex electrochemical reactions involving the formation of diverse intermediates, products and byproducts, EC is usually combined with other analytical techniques, and particularly the hyphenation of EC with mass spectrometry (MS) has found broad applicability. The analysis of gases and volatile intermediates and products formed at electrode surfaces is enabled by differential electrochemical mass spectrometry (DEMS). In DEMS an electrochemical cell is sampled with a membrane interface for electron ionization (EI)-MS. The chemical space amenable to EC/MS (i.e., bioorganic molecules including proteins, peptides, nucleic acids, and drugs) was significantly increased by employing electrospray ionization (ESI)-MS. In the simplest setup, the EC of the ESI process is used to analytical advantage. A limitation of this approach is, however, its inability to precisely control the electrochemical potential at the emitter electrode. Thus, particularly for studying mechanistic aspects of electrochemical processes, the hyphenation of discrete electrochemical cells with ESI-MS was found to be more appropriate. The analytical power of EC/ESI-MS can further be increased by integrating liquid chromatography (LC) as an additional dimension of separation. Chromatographic separation was found to be particularly useful to reduce the complexity of the sample submitted either to the EC cell or to ESI-MS. Thus, both EC/LC/ESI-MS and LC/EC/ESI-MS are common.

An optimized electrochemistry-liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry method for studying guanosine oxidation

Oxidative stress can disrupt the integrity of genetic material. Due to its importance in the pathogenesis of different kinds of disease, including neurodegenerative disease, cardiovascular disease and cancer, major efforts are put into the elucidation of mechanisms involved. Herein, the combination of electrochemistry/liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (EC/LC/MS) is presented as convenient, fast and simple method to study nucleic acids oxidation. Guanosine was selected as test compound. 8-Hydroxyguanosine and (guanosine-H)₂ were identified as primary oxidation products. Oxidation was accomplished in an electrochemical thin-layer cell integrated in the flow path of the autosampler of the chromatographic system. The reaction mixture was separated and mass analyzed by LC/MS. The use of LC was found to be particularly beneficial to resolve isobaric oxidation products. Another advantage of the setup used was the ability to decouple the electrochemical cell and the electrospray ionization source from each other eliminating any kind of cell potential interaction. Separation of EC from LC/MS, furthermore, facilitates method optimization. Experimental parameters were optimized for both techniques independently. Highest yields and best detectability of oxidation products were obtained with 10 mM ammonium formate at physiological pH delivered at a flow rate of 2.5-5 μL/min through the electrochemical cell.

Electrochemical simulation of oxidation processes involving nucleic acids monitored with electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry

Oxidation is commonly involved in the alteration of nucleic acids giving rise to diverse effects including mutation, cell death, malignancy, and aging. We demonstrate that electrochemistry represents an efficient and fast method to mimic oxidative modification of nucleic acids occurring in biological systems. Oxidation reactions were performed in a thin-layer cell employing a conductive diamond electrode as the working electrode and were monitored with electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry. Mass voltammograms were acquired for guanosine, adenosine, cytidine, and uridine. The observed oxidation potentials increased in the order guanosine << adenosine < cytidine < uridine. Oxidation products of guanosine were characterized using high-resolution (tandem) mass spectrometry performed with a quadrupole-quadrupole time-of-flight instrument. On the basis of these experiments, it was concluded that the initial electrode reaction involves a one-electron, one-proton step to give a free radical. The primary oxidation product represents the starting point for a number of follow-up reactions, including guanosine dimerization as well as further oxidation to 8-hydroxyguanosine. Similar results were obtained for guanosine monophosphate and the corresponding dinucleotide. Furthermore, the guanosine radical was identified as an important intermediate for the formation of a covalent adduct with acetaminophen. This observation sheds new light on the mechanism of adduct formation as it demonstrates that oxidative activation of both the nucleobase and the adduct-forming agent is necessary to observe a detectable amount of adduct species.

P450-catalyzed vs. electrochemical oxidation of haloperidol studied by ultra-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

The metabolites formed via the major metabolic pathways of haloperidol in liver microsomes, N-dealkylation and ring oxidation to the pyridinium species, were produced by electrochemical oxidation and characterized by ultra-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (UPLC/ESI-MS). Liver microsomal incubations and electrochemical oxidation in the presence of potassium cyanide (KCN) resulted in two diastereomeric cyano adducts, proposed to be generated from trapping of the endocyclic iminium species of haloperidol. Electrochemical oxidation of haloperidol in the presence of KCN gave a third isomeric cyano adduct, resulting from trapping of the exocyclic iminium species of haloperidol. In the electrochemical experiments, addition of KCN almost completely blocked the formation of the major oxidation products, namely the N-dealkylated products, the pyridinium species and a putative lactam. This major shift in product formation by electrochemical oxidation was not observed for the liver microsomal incubations where the N-dealkylation and the pyridinium species were the major metabolites also in the presence of KCN. The previously not observed dihydropyridinium species of haloperidol was detected in the samples, both from electrochemical oxidation and the liver microsomal incubations, in the presence of KCN. The presence of the dihydropyridinium species and the absence of the corresponding cyano adduct lead to the speculation that an unstable cyano adduct was formed, but that cyanide was eliminated to regenerate the stable conjugated system. The formation of the exocyclic cyano adduct in the electrochemical experiments but not in the liver microsomal incubations suggests that the exocyclic iminium intermediate, obligatory in the electrochemically mediated N-dealkylation, may not be formed in the P450-catalyzed reaction.

A microfluidic chip for electrochemical conversions in drug metabolism studies

We have designed a microfluidic microreactor chip for electrochemical conversion of analytes, containing a palladium reference electrode and platinum working and counter electrodes. The counter electrode is placed in a separate side-channel on chip to prevent unwanted side-products appearing in the measured spectrograms. Using this chip, cyclic voltammograms are measured in volumes of 9.6 nL. Furthermore the conversion efficiency of ferricyanide is characterized using UV/vis-spectroscopy. We have obtained an on-line conversion of 97% using a flow rate of 1 microL/min. We have used the microreactor chip to study the electrochemical metabolism pathway of amodiaquine using electrochemistry (EC)-liquid chromatography (LC)-mass spectrometry (MS). We have compared our results with measurements obtained with commercially available electrochemical flow-through cells. Using our chip it was possible to obtain similar results. Therefore, we have fabricated an electrochemical cell on-chip which is used successfully in EC-UV/vis and EC-LC-MS experiments.

Surface effects and electrochemical cell capacitance in desorption electrospray ionization

Time resolved measurements show that during a desorption electrospray ionization (DESI) experiment, the current initially rises sharply, followed by an exponential decrease to a relatively steady current. When the high voltage on the spray emitter is switched off, the current drops to negative values, suggesting that the direction of current flow in the equivalent DESI circuit is reversed. These data demonstrate that the DESI source behaves as a dc capacitor and that the addition of a surface between the sprayer and the counter electrode in DESI introduces a new electrically active element into the system. The charging and discharging behavior was observed using different surfaces and it could be seen both by making current measurements on a plate at the entrance to the mass spectrometer as well as by measuring ion current in the linear ion trap within the vacuum system of the mass spectrometer. The magnitude of the steady state current obtained without analyte present on the surface is different for different surface materials, and different capacitor time constants of the equivalent RC circuits were calculated for different DESI surfaces. The PTFE surface has by far the greatest time constant and is also able to produce the highest DESI currents. Surface properties play a crucial role in charge transfer during DESI in addition to the effects of the chemical properties of the analyte. It is suggested that surface energy (wettability) is an important factor controlling droplet behavior on the surface. The experimental data are correlated with critical surface tension values of different materials. It is proposed, based on the results presented, that super-hydrophobic materials with extremely high contact angles have the potential to be excellent DESI substrates. It is also demonstrated, using the example of the neurotransmitter dopamine, that the surface charge that develops during a DESI-MS experiment can cause electrochemical oxidation of the analyte.

Generation and Identification of Reactive Metabolites by Electrochemistry and Immobilized Enzymes Coupled On-Line to Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry

The detection of reactive metabolites using conventional in vivo and in vitro techniques is hampered because the intermediately formed reactive species are prone to covalent binding to cellular macromolecules. Therefore, the application of improved methods is required. The on-line coupling of an electrochemical reactor and horseradish peroxidase immobilized on magnetic microparticles with liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (EC/LC/MS or HRP/LC/MS) allows the direct detection of reactive metabolites of the model compounds amodiaquine, amsacrine, and mitoxantrone, which are all known for readily binding to cellular macromolecules after metabolization by cytochrome P450. EC/LC/MS and HRP/LC/MS experiments were compared to rat liver microsome incubations and proved to be valuable complementary methods since reactive quinone, quinone imine, and quinone diimine species could be detected directly and not only after trapping with glutathione. Furthermore, N-dealkylation and N-oxidation of amodiaquine were successfully simulated by electrochemical oxidation reactions, as well as the formation of an aldehyde. Therefore, EC/LC/MS and HRP/LC/MS are promising tools for the identification of both reactive and stable metabolites in drug development.

Simulation of the detoxification of paracetamol using on-line electrochemistry/liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry

On-line electrochemistry/liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry was used to simulate the detoxification mechanism of paracetamol in the body. In an electrochemical flow-through cell, paracetamol was oxidized at a porous glassy carbon working electrode at a potential of 600 mV vs. Pd/H2 with formation of a quinoneimine intermediate. The quinoneimine further reacted with glutathione and/or N-acetylcysteine to form isomeric adducts via the thiol function. The adducts were characterized on-line by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry. These reactions are similar to those occurring between paracetamol and glutathione under catalysis by cytochrome P450 enzymes in the body.

Sensitive determination of ciprofloxacin and norfloxacin in biological fluids using an enzymatic rotating biosensor

The high sensitivity that can be attained using an enzymatic system and mediated by catechol has been verified by on-line interfacing of a rotating biosensor and continuous-flow/stopped-flow/continuous-flow processing. Horseradish peroxidase, HRP, [EC 1.11.1.7], immobilized on a rotating disk, in the presence of hydrogen peroxide catalyzed the oxidation of catechol, whose back electrochemical reduction was detected on glassy carbon electrode surface at -200mV. Thus, when ciprofloxacin (CF) or norfloxacin (NF) was added to the solution, these piperazine-containing compounds participate in Michael addition reactions with catechol to form the corresponding aminoquinone derivative, decreasing the peak current obtained in proportion with the increase of its concentration. CF was used as the model piperazine-containing compound for the study. The influence of indicator composition on the nature of the analytical response has been assessed through examining the electrochemical properties of three derivatives. Interference by electroactive species (ascorbate, urate, and tyrosine) and other physiological constituents (cysteine, glutathione) has also been assessed.