A novel approach of combining thin-layer chromatography with surface-assisted laser desorption/ionization (SALDI) time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Recent advances in inorganic materials for LDI-MS analysis of small molecules

In this review, various inorganic materials were summarized for the analysis of small molecules by laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (LDI-MS).

Laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometric analysis of folic acid, vancomycin and Triton® X-100 on variously functionalized carbon nanotubes

RATIONALE

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been ascertained to constitute versatile assisting matrices for laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometric analysis of different molecules. The functionalization thereof can lead to obtaining laser desorption/ionization assisting surfaces that would allow the detection of molecules at lower concentration and produce spectra with a better signal-to-noise ratio.

METHODS

Pristine, -OH and -COOH functionalized multi-walled CNTs were obtained from commercial suppliers. Gallic or sinapinic acid was attached covalently to the CNT surfaces by forming an ester bond. Folic acid, vancomycin and Triton(®) X-100 were used as analytes to examine properties of these new assisting surfaces. Mass spectrometry analysis was conducted on a matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization quadrupole time-of-flight (MALDIQTOF) mass spectrometer.

RESULTS

The functionalization of CNTs was confirmed with Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The obtained mass spectra revealed that all the assisting surfaces are capable of transferring energy to the analytes; moreover, the presence of carboxyl groups in the structures of CNTs highly enhances their ionization properties. Nevertheless, the presence of sinapinic acid on CNT surfaces does not increase their properties to absorb pulse laser energy.

CONCLUSIONS

The presented assisting surfaces are effective in LDI mass analysis of folic acid, vancomycin and Triton(®) X-100. The appropriate functionalization of CNTs can lead to the production of assisting surfaces that can become highly effective in the ionization of particular types of analytes.

Laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometric analysis of surfactants on functionalized carbon nanotubes

RATIONALE

Recently, unmodified and carboxylated carbon nanotubes have been used as assisting surfaces laser desorption/ionization (LDI) in mass spectrometry. The functionalization of carbon nanotubes with organic compounds should lead to a gamut of other promising LDI-assisting surfaces.

METHODS

Carboxylated carbon nanotubes were functionalized with sinapinic acid either covalently or by creating an ionic macro-complex. Polyether-based surfactants were used as analytes to examine the properties of these new matrices. Mass spectrometric analysis was conducted on a LDI-quadrupole time-of-flight (QTOF) mass spectrometer. Carbon nanotube surfaces were deposited from suspension using the dried-droplet method.

RESULTS

The functionalization of the carbon nanotubes was confirmed with Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The usefulness of each material was examined with two poly(ethylene glycol) hexadecyl ether amphiphiles (Brij® 52 and Brij® 56) and a poly(ethylene glycol) monomethyl ether as analytes. Generally, the mass spectra obtained with carbon nanotubes covalently functionalized with sinapinic acid as a matrix had peaks with higher intensities than those obtained with carbon nanotubes functionalized by ionic macro-complex formation.

CONCLUSIONS

The presented new materials based on functionalized carbon nanotubes are effective in the LDI mass analysis of polyether amphiphiles and poly(ethylene glycol) monomethyl ether. This type of assisting surfaces can be highly modified by appropriate functionalization procedures.

Dihydrobenzoic acid modified nanoparticle as a MALDI-TOF MS matrix for soft ionization and structure determination of small molecules with diverse structures

Efficient structural characterization is important for quality control when developing novel materials. In this study, we demonstrated the soft ionization capability of the hybrid of immobilized silica and 2,5-dihydrobenzoic acid (DHB) on iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles in MALDI-TOF MS with a clean background. The ratio between SiO(2) and DHB was examined and was found to affect the surface immobilization of DHB on the nanoparticle, critically controlling the ionization efficiency and interference background. Compared with commercial DHB, the functionalized nanoparticle-assisted MALDI-TOF MS provided superior soft ionization with production of strong molecular ions within 5 ppm mass accuracy on a variety of new types of synthetic materials used for solar cells, light emitting devices, dendrimers, and glycolipids, including analytes with either thermally labile structures or poor protonation tendencies. In addition, the enhancements of the molecular ion signal also provided high-quality product-ion spectra allowing structural characterization and unambiguous small molecule identification. Using this technique, the structural differences among the isomers were distinguished through their characteristic fragment ions and comprehensive fragmentation patterns. With the advantages of long-term stability and simple sample preparation by deposition on a regular sample plate, the use of DHB-functionalized nanoparticles combined with high-resolution MALDI-TOF MS provides a generic platform for rapid and unambiguous structure determination of small molecules.

Mass spectrometry analysis of new chemical entities for pharmaceutical discovery

In this Section, we review the applications of mass spectrometry for the analysis and purification of new chemical entities (NCEs) for pharmaceutical discovery. Since the speed of synthesis of NCEs has dramatically increased over the last few years, new high throughput analytical techniques have been developed to keep pace with the synthetic developments. In this Section, we review both novel, as well as modifications of commonly used mass spectrometry techniques that have helped increase the speed of the analytical process. Part of the review is devoted to the purification of NCEs, which has undergone significant development in recent years, and the close integral association between characterization and purification to drive high throughput operations. At the end of the Section, we review potential future directions based on promising and exciting new developments.

Phosphopeptide analysis by directly coupling two-dimensional planar electrochromatography/thin-layer chromatography with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry

A novel strategy is presented for the fractionation of complex peptide mixtures using two-dimensional planar electrochromatography/thin-layer chromatography (2D PEC/TLC). Phosphopeptides migrate more slowly in the first dimension, based upon their anionic phosphate residues, and certain predominantly acidic phosphopeptides even migrate in the opposite direction, relative to the bulk of the peptides. Phosphopeptides are further distinguished based upon hydrophilicity in the second dimension. This permits a restricted region of the plate to be directly interrogated for the presence of phosphopeptides by mass spectrometry (MS). Phosphopeptide analysis from the plates by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF)-MS and tandem MS enabled peptide sequencing and identification.

Role of carbon nano-materials in the analysis of biological materials by laser desorption/ionization-mass spectrometry

At present, carbon nano-materials are being utilized in various procedures, especially in laser desorption/ionization-mass spectrometry (LDI-MS) for analyzing a range of analytes, which include peptides, proteins, metabolites, and polymers. Matrix-oriented LDI-MS techniques are very well established, with weak organic acids as energy-absorbing substances. Carbon materials, such as nano-tubes and fullerenes are being successfully applied in the small-mass range, where routine matrices have strong background signals. In addition, the role of carbon nano-materials is very well established in the fractionation and purification fields. Modified diamond powder and surfaces are utilized in binding peptides and proteins from complex biological fluids and analyzed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometry (MS). Polylysine-coated diamond is used for solid-phase extraction to pre-concentrate DNA oligonucleotides. Graphite is useful for desalting, pre-concentration, and as energy-absorbing material (matrix) in desorption/ionization. Carbon nano-tubes in their different derivatized forms are used as matrix materials for the analysis of a range of analytes, such as carbohydrates, amino acids, peptides, proteins, and some environmental samples by LDI-MS. Fullerenes are modified in different ways to bind serum entities analyzed through MALDI/TOF-MS and are subsequently utilized in their identifications. In addition, the fullerenes are a promising matrix in LDI-MS, but improvements are needed.

New method for caffeine quantification by planar chromatography coupled with electropray ionization mass spectrometry using stable isotope dilution analysis

A new high-performance thin-layer chromatography/electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HPTLC/ESI-MS) method for the quantification of caffeine in pharmaceutical and energy drink samples was developed using stable isotope dilution analysis (SIDA). After sample preparation, samples and caffeine standard were applied on silica gel 60 F254 HPTLC plates and over-spotted with caffeine-d3 used for correction of the plunger positioning. After chromatography, densitometric detection was performed by UV absorption at 274 nm. The bands were then eluted by means of a plunger-based extractor into the ESI interface of a single-quadrupole mass spectrometer. For quantification by MS the [M+H]+ ions of caffeine and caffeine-d3 were recorded in the positive ion single ion monitoring (SIM) mode at m/z 195 and 198, respectively. The calibration showed a linear regression with a determination coefficient (R2) of 0.9998. The repeatability (RSD, n=6) in matrix was<or=+/-3.75%. The intermediate precisions (RSD, n=2) for two samples of different brand names were determined three times and ranged between RSD+/-0.68% and+/-2.64% (sample 1) and between+/-3.44% and+/-8.60% (sample 2). The method accuracy was evaluated by comparing the results obtained by HPTLC/SIDA-ESI-MS with those from the validated HPTLC/UV method. The results for pharmaceutical and energy drink samples were (ng/band) 99.82+/-3.75 and 338.09+/-4.87 by HPTLC/SIDA-ESI-MS and 104.74+/-1.51 and 334.86+/-5.63 by HPTLC/UV. According to the F-test (homogeneity of variances) and the t-test (comparison of means) the two methods show no significant difference. The detection and quantification limits were 75 and 250 microg L-1 (0.75 and 2.5 ng/band), respectively, which were a factor of 13 lower than those established for HPTLC/UV. The positioning error (RSD+/-6%) was calculated by comparing HPTLC/SIDA-ESI-MS with HPTLC/ESI-MS. However, using SIDA the positioning error was nullified. HPTLC/SIDA-ESI-MS was demonstrated to be a highly reliable method for the quantification of compounds by planar chromatography coupled online with mass spectrometry.

Determining enediol compounds in tea using surface-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry with titanium dioxide nanoparticle matrices

We describe the use of titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) as selective probes and matrices for the determination of catechins using surface-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (SALDI-MS). The interactions between the enediol compounds and TiO2 NPs were evident by the change in color of the TiO2 NP solution from milky white to orange. Through these interactions, the TiO2 NPs could be used to concentrate enediol compounds, including catechins and ascorbic acid. The limits of detection (LODs) for three catechins--catechin, (-)-epigallocatechin, and (-)-epigallocatechin gallate--at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3 were 0.45, 1.85 and 0.65 microM, respectively. The TiO2 NP matrices provide a number of advantages over conventional organic matrices (e.g. 2',4',6'-trihydroxyacetophenone), including ease of sample preparation, less background noise in the low-mass region, and high repeatability. The applicability of this method was confirmed through the high reproducibility of the determination of the two catechins in tea samples that had not been subjected to any sample preparation procedures (shot-to-shot variation: <10%).

Recent developments in methods and technology for analysis of biological samples by MALDI-TOF-MS

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) is widely used in a variety of fields because it has the characteristics of speed, ease of use, high sensitivity, and wide detectable mass range for obtaining molecular weights and for structural characterization of macromolecules. In this article we summarize recent developments in matrix additives, new matrices, and sample-pretreatment methods using off-probe or on-probe techniques or nanomaterials for MALDI-TOF-MS analysis of biological samples.

Introduction to time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry application in chromatographic analysis

New on-line analytical system coupling thin layer chromatography (TLC) and high selective identification unit-time of flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) is introduced in this article. Chromatographic mixture separation and analyte surface deposition followed with surface TOF-SIMS analysis on-line allows to identify the analytes at trace and ultratrace levels. The selected analytes with different detectability and identification possibility were analysed in this hyphenated unit (Methyl Red indicator, Terpinolen and Giberrelic acid). Here, the chromatographic thin layer plays a universal role: separation unit, analyte depositing surface and TOF-SIMS interface, finally. Two depositing substrates and TOF-SIMS compatible interfaces were tested in above-mentioned interfacing unit: modified aluminium backed chromatographic thin layer and monolithic silica thin layer. The sets of positive and negative ions TOF-SIMS spectra obtained from different SIMS modes of analysis were used for analyte identification purposes. SIMS enables analyte detection with high mass resolution at the concentration level that is not achieved by other methods.

Analysis of small molecules by ultra thin-layer chromatography-atmospheric pressure matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry

The feasibility of ultra thin-layer chromatography atmospheric pressure matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry (UTLC-AP-MALDI-MS) has been studied in the analysis of small molecules. Because of a thinner adsorbent layer, the monolithic UTLC plates provide 10-100 times better sensitivity in MALDI analysis than conventional high performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) plates. The limits of detection down to a low picomole range are demonstrated by UTLC-AP-MALDI-MS. Other advantages of UTLC over HPTLC include faster separations and lower solvent consumption. The performances of AP-MALDI-MS and vacuum MALDI-MS have been compared in the analysis of small drug molecules directly from the UTLC plates. The desorption from the irregular surface of UTLC plates with an external AP-MALDI ion source combined with an ion trap instrument provides clearly less variation in measurements of m/z values when compared with a vacuum MALDI-time-of-flight (TOF) instrument. The performance of the UTLC-AP-MALDI-MS method has been applied successfully to the purity analysis of synthesis products produced by solid-phase parallel synthesis method.

A new interface to couple thin-layer chromatography with laser desorption/atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry for plate scanning

An interface to allow on-line qualitative and quantitative full-plate detection and analysis of compounds separated by thin-layer chromatography (TLC) is presented. A continuous wave diode laser is employed as a desorption source. Atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry ionizes and subsequently identifies the desorbed sample molecules. Besides direct laser desorption on untreated TLC plates, graphite particles were used as a matrix to couple in the laser power and improve the efficiency of desorption.

Oxidized carbon nanotubes as matrix for matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometric analysis of biomolecules

Oxidized carbon nanotubes (CNTs), which can form a stable homogeneous suspension in water close to a solution phase, were synthesized and used for matrix-assisted desorption/ionization mass spectrometric (MALDI-MS) analysis of biomolecules. Infrared (IR) spectra, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and particle size analysis were used for the characterization of the oxidized CNTs. The results indicate that the physical structure of the CNTs was not damaged, but carboxylate groups were introduced onto the surface of the CNTs. In addition, impurities including amorphous carbon, which is one of the main reasons for ion source contamination, were destroyed by the oxidization. The carboxyl groups on the oxidized surface of the CNTs can not only provide an additional proton source, but can also increase the surface polarity and solubility of the CNTs, making it easier to manipulate which is important for MALDI analysis of some biomolecules, especially larger peptides and proteins. The oxidized CNTs were successfully applied to the analysis of neutral oligosaccharides, peptides, and insulin, and thus promise to be an efficient matrix for MALDI-MS analysis of biomolecules.

Carbon nanotubes as affinity probes for peptides and proteins in MALDI MS analysis

Recently, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been reported to be an effective MALDI matrix for small molecules (Anal. Chem.2003, 75, 6191). In a somewhat related study, we have employed CNTs produced by using NaH-treated anodic aluminum oxide (Na@AAO) as a reactive template as the assisting matrix for MALDI analysis upon the addition of high concentrations of citrate buffer. Our results indicate that the mass range can be extended to ca. 12,000 Da and that alkali metal adducts of analytes are effectively reduced. Furthermore, we have employed citric acid-treated CNTs as affinity probes to selectively concentrate traces of analytes from aqueous solutions. High concentrations of salts and surfactants in the sample solutions are also tolerated. This approach is very suitable for the MALDI analysis of small proteins, peptides, and protein enzymatic digest products.

Thin-layer chromatography: challenges and opportunities

The purpose of this article is to identify core technologies with the potential to influence the development of thin-layer chromatography over the next decade or so. Core technologies are identified as: (i) methods to provide a constant and optimum mobile phase velocity (forced flow and electroosmotically-driven flow), (ii) video densitometry for recording multidimensional chromatograms, (iii) in situ scanning mass spectrometry, and (iv) bioactivity monitoring for selective detection. In combination with two-dimensional, multiple development and coupled column-layer separation techniques these core technologies could dramatically increase the use of thin-layer chromatography for the characterization of complex mixtures. It is also demonstrated that thin-layer chromatography has strong potential as a surrogate chromatographic model for estimating biopartitioning properties. To convert these opportunities into practice the current state-of-the-art of the core technologies is described and the principle obstacles to progress identified.