The use of dicationic ion-pairing compounds to enhance the ambient detection of surface lipids in positive ionization mode using desorption electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry

Electromembrane Extraction and Dual-Channel Nanoelectrospray Ionization Coupled with a Miniature Mass Spectrometer: Incorporation of a Dicationic Ionic Liquid-Induced Charge Inversion Strategy

Green analytical chemistry aims at developing analytical methods with minimum use and generation of hazardous substances for the protection of human health and the environment. To address this need, a green analytical protocol has been developed for the analysis of anionic compounds integrating electromembrane extraction (EME), dual-channel nanoelectrospray ionization (nanoESI), and a miniature mass spectrometer. Haloacetic acids (HAAs) have attracted considerable public concern due to their adverse effects on human health and were selected as model analytes for method development. A flat membrane EME device was developed and assembled in-house. Optimization of fundamental operational parameters was performed using single-factor test and response surface methodology. Both the EME acceptor phase and an imidazolium-based dicationic ionic liquid (DIL), 1,1-bis(3-methylimidazolium-1-yl) butylene difluoride (C₄(MIM)₂F₂), were subjected to dual-channel nanoESI and miniature mass spectrometry analysis based on a charge inversion strategy, where positively charged complexes were formed. Enhancement in signal intensity by as much as 2 magnitudes was achieved in the positive-ion mode compared to the negative-ion mode in the absence of the dicationic ion-pairing agent. The developed protocol was validated, obtaining good recoveries ranging from 82.7 to 109.9% and satisfactory sensitivity with limits of detection (LODs) and quantitation (LOQs) in the ranges of 1-5 and 2-10 μg/L, respectively. The greenness of the analytical procedure was assessed with a calculated score of 0.71, indicating a high degree of greenness. The developed method was applied to the analysis of real environmental or municipal water samples (n = 16), exhibiting appealing potential for outside-the-laboratory applications.

Enhancing Metabolomic Coverage in Positive Ionization Mode Using Dicationic Reagents by Infrared Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Electrospray Ionization

Mass spectrometry imaging is a powerful tool to analyze a large number of metabolites with their spatial coordinates collected throughout the sample. However, the significant differences in ionization efficiency pose a big challenge to metabolomic mass spectrometry imaging. To solve the challenge and obtain a complete data profile, researchers typically perform experiments in both positive and negative ionization modes, which is time-consuming. In this work, we evaluated the use of the dicationic reagent, 1,5-pentanediyl-bis(1-butylpyrrolidinium) difluoride (abbreviated to [C5(bpyr)2]F2) to detect a broad range of metabolites in the positive ionization mode by infrared matrix-assisted laser desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry imaging (IR-MALDESI MSI). [C5(bpyr)2]F2 at 10 µM was doped in 50% MeOH/H2O (v/v) electrospray solvent to form +1 charged adducted ions with anionic species (-1 charged) through post-electrospray ionization. This method was demonstrated with sectioned rat liver and hen ovary. A total of 73 deprotonated metabolites from rat liver tissue sections were successfully adducted with [C5(bpyr)2]2+ and putatively identified in the adducted positive ionization polarity, along with 164 positively charged metabolite ions commonly seen in positive ionization mode, which resulted in 44% increased molecular coverage. In addition, we were able to generate images of hen ovary sections showing their morphological features. Following-up tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) indicated that this dicationic reagent [C5(bpyr)2]2+ could form ionic bonds with the headgroup of glycerophospholipid ions. The addition of the dicationic reagent [C5(bpyr)2]2+ in the electrospray solvent provides a rapid and effective way to enhance the detection of metabolites in positive ionization mode.

Post-Chromatographic Dicationic Ionic Liquid-Based Charge Complexation for Highly Sensitive Analysis of Anionic Compounds by Ultra-High-Performance Supercritical Fluid Chromatography Coupled with Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry

A green analytical strategy has been developed for the analysis of 10 perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) incorporating supramolecular solvent (SUPRAS)-based extraction and ultra-high-performance supercritical fluid chromatography (UHPSFC)-tandem mass spectrometry. The SUPRAS was prepared through self-assembly of reverse micelles by mixing heptanol, tetrahydrofuran, and water at optimized volume ratios. An imidazolium-based germinal dicationic ionic liquid (DIL), 1,1-bis(3-methylimidazolium-1-yl) butylene difluoride ([C₄(MIM)₂]F₂), was dissolved in the make-up solvent of UHPSFC and introduced post-column but before the electrospray ionization source. After chromatographic separation on a Torus DIOL analytical column (100 mm × 2.1 mm, 1.7 μm), the PFC analytes associated with the DIL reagent through charge complexation. The formation of positively charged complexes resulted in improved ionization efficiency and analytical sensitivity. Enhancement in signal intensity by one to two magnitudes was achieved in the positive ionization mode compared to the negative ionization mode without using the dicationic ion-pairing reagent. The developed protocol was applied to 32 samples of real textiles and 6 samples of real food packaging materials, which exhibited great potential for the analysis of anionic compounds.

Double Bond Characterization of Free Fatty Acids Directly from Biological Tissues by Ultraviolet Photodissociation

Free fatty acids (FA) are a vital component of cells and are critical to cellular structure and function, so much so that alterations in FA are often associated with cell malfunction and disease. Analysis of FA from biological samples can be achieved by mass spectrometry (MS), but these analyses are often not capable of distinguishing the fine structural alterations within FA isomers and often limited to global profiling of lipids without spatial resolution. Here, we present the use of ultraviolet photodissociation (UVPD) for the characterization of double bond positional isomers of charge inverted dication·FA complexes and the subsequent implementation of this method for online desorption electrospray ionization (DESI) MS imaging of FA isomers from human tissue sections. This method allows relative quantification of FA isomers from heterogeneous biological tissue sections, yielding spatially resolved information about alterations in double bond isomers within these samples. Applying this method to the analysis of the monounsaturated FA 18:1 within breast cancer subtypes uncovered a correlation between double bond positional isomer abundance and the hormone receptor status of the tissue sample, an important factor in the prognosis and treatment of breast cancer patients. This result further validates similar studies that suggest FA synthase activity and FA isomer abundances are significantly altered within breast cancer tissue.

Review and perspectives on the applications of mass spectrometry imaging under ambient conditions

Ambient mass spectrometry (AMS)-based techniques are performed under ambient conditions in which the ionization and desorption occur in the open environment allowing the direct analysis of molecules with minimal or no sample preparation. A selected group of AMS techniques demonstrate imaging capabilities that can provide information about the localization of molecules on complex sample surfaces such as biological tissues. 2D, 3D, and multimodal imaging have unlocked an array of applications to systematically address complex problems in many areas of research such as drug monitoring, natural products, forensics, and cancer diagnostics. In the present review, we summarize recent advances in the field with respect to the implementation of new ambient ionization techniques and current applications in the last 5 years. In more detail, we mainly focus on imaging applications in topics related to animal whole bodies and tissues, single cells, cancer diagnostics and biomarkers, microbial cultures and co-cultures, plant and natural product metabolomics, and forensic applications. Finally, we discuss new areas of research, future perspectives, and the overall direction that the field may take in the years to come.

Sensitive detection of topiramate degradation products by high-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization mass spectrometry using ion-pairing reagents and polarity switching

RATIONALE

The chromatographic analysis of topiramate and its degradation products is challenging due to the absence of chromophoric moieties in their structures, the wide polarity range of the compounds and their ionization differences. This work proposes two new mass spectrometry approaches for evaluating these analytes.

METHODS

Based on the calculated experimental limit of detection (LOD), a highly sensitive high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) paired-ion electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (PIESI-MS) method was developed for the determination of topiramate inorganic degradation products. The influence of different solvent systems on the LODs for topiramate and its main degradation products was determined in both positive/negative ionization modes. In addition, a HPLC method to analyze both organic and inorganic degradation products was proposed by mass spectrometry with positive/negative ion switching electrospray ionization.

RESULTS

A sensitive HPLC/PIESI-MS method was achieved for the efficient separation of topiramate inorganic degradation products. Both sulfate and sulfamate were detected in the positive selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode with an increased sensitivity compared with the negative SIM mode. The HPLC/ESI-MS analysis with positive/negative ion switching allowed the simultaneous separation and detection of the major degradation products of topiramate in a 10-min run using a single column and a single detector.

CONCLUSIONS

Two new alternative MS approaches for analyzing the main degradation products of topiramate were developed. The proposed methods are considered advantageous over the existing methods and can be applied to quality control studies of topiramate.

Reactive Laser Ablation Electrospray Ionization Time-Resolved Mass Spectrometry of Click Reactions

Reactions in confined compartments like charged microdroplets are of increasing interest, notably because of their substantially increased reaction rates. When combined with ambient ionization mass spectrometry (MS), reactions in charged microdroplets can be used to improve the detection of analytes or to study the molecular details of the reactions in real time. Here, we introduce a reactive laser ablation electrospray ionization (reactive LAESI) time-resolved mass spectrometry (TRMS) method to perform and study reactions in charged microdroplets. We demonstrate this approach with a class of reactions new to reactive ambient ionization MS: so-called click chemistry reactions. Click reactions are high-yielding reactions with a high atom efficiency, and are currently drawing significant attention from fields ranging from bioconjugation to polymer modification. Although click reactions are typically at least moderately fast (time scale of minutes to a few hours), in a reactive LAESI approach a substantial increase of reaction time is required for these reactions to occur. This increase was achieved using microdroplet chemistry and followed by MS using the insertion of a reaction tube-up to 1 m in length-between the LAESI source and the MS inlet, leading to near complete conversions due to significantly extended microdroplet lifetime. This novel approach allowed for the collection of kinetic data for a model (strain-promoted) click reaction between a substituted tetrazine and a strained alkyne and showed in addition excellent instrument stability, improved sensitivity, and applicability to other click reactions. Finally, the methodology was also demonstrated in a mass spectrometry imaging setting to show its feasibility in future imaging experiments.

Synthesis and characterization data of monocationic and dicationic ionic liquids or molten salts

Data presented in this article are related with the research paper entitled "Ecotoxicity assessment of dicationic versus monocationic ionic liquids as a more environmentally friendly alternative" [1]. The present article describes the synthesis steps and characterization data of a set of twenty-six imidazolium, pyrrolidinium and pyridinium-based ionic liquids (ILs) or molten salts: nine monocationic and seventeen dicationic. Specifically, the chemical structure of the compounds was confirmed by ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR and ¹⁹F NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry (MS). Other data such as physical state at room temperature, melting point temperature (for solids at room temperature) and thermal decomposition temperature (when melting was not reached before decomposition) of the ILs or molten salts are also reported here.

Using Dicationic Ion-Pairing Compounds To Enhance the Single Cell Mass Spectrometry Analysis Using the Single-Probe: A Microscale Sampling and Ionization Device

A unique mass spectrometry (MS) method has been developed to determine the negatively charged species in live single cells using the positive ionization mode. The method utilizes dicationic ion-pairing compounds through the miniaturized multifunctional device, the single-probe, for reactive MS analysis of live single cells under ambient conditions. In this study, two dicationic reagents, 1,5-pentanediyl-bis(1-butylpyrrolidinium) difluoride (C5(bpyr)2F2) and 1,3-propanediyl-bis(tripropylphosphonium) difluoride (C3(triprp)2F2), were added in the solvent and introduced into single cells to extract cellular contents for real-time MS analysis. The negatively charged (1- charged) cell metabolites, which form stable ion-pairs (1+ charged) with dicationic compounds (2+ charged), were detected in positive ionization mode with a greatly improved sensitivity. We have tentatively assigned 192 and 70 negatively charged common metabolites as adducts with (C5(bpyr)2F2) and (C3(triprp)2F2), respectively, in three separate SCMS experiments in the positive ion mode. The total number of tentatively assigned metabolites is 285 for C5(bpyr)2F2 and 143 for C3(triprp)2F2. In addition, the selectivity of dicationic compounds in the complex formation allows for the discrimination of overlapped ion peaks with low abundances. Tandem (MS/MS) analyses at the single cell level were conducted for selected adduct ions for molecular identification. The utilization of the dicationic compounds in the single-probe MS technique provides an effective approach to the detection of a broad range of metabolites at the single cell level.

High-Resolution Ambient MS Imaging of Negative Ions in Positive Ion Mode: Using Dicationic Reagents with the Single-Probe

We have used the Single-probe, a miniaturized sampling device utilizing in-situ surface microextraction for ambient mass spectrometry (MS) analysis, for the high resolution MS imaging (MSI) of negatively charged species in the positive ionization mode. Two dicationic compounds, 1,5-pentanediyl-bis(1-butylpyrrolidinium) difluoride [C5(bpyr)2F2] and 1,3-propanediyl-bis(tripropylphosphonium) difluoride [C3(triprp)2F2], were added into the sampling solvent to form 1+ charged adducts with the negatively charged species extracted from tissues. We were able to detect 526 and 322 negatively charged species this way using [C5(bpyr)2F2] and [C3(triprp)2F2], respectively, including oleic acid, arachidonic acid, and several species of phosphatidic acid, phosphoethanolamine, phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol, and others. In conjunction with the identification of the non-adduct cations, we have tentatively identified a total number of 1200 and 828 metabolites from mouse brain sections using [C5(bpyr)2F2] and [C3(triprp)2F2], respectively, through high mass accuracy measurements (mass error <5 ppm); MS/MS analyses were also performed to verify the identity of selected species. In addition to the high mass accuracy measurement, we were able to generate high spatial resolution (~17 μm) MS images of mouse brain sections. Our study demonstrated that utilization of dicationic compounds in the surface microextraction with the Single-probe device can perform high mass and spatial resolution ambient MSI measurements of broader types of compounds in tissues. Other reagents can be potentially used with the Single-probe device for a variety of reactive MSI studies to enable the analysis of species that are previously intractable.

Reactive DESI-MS imaging of biological tissues with dicationic ion-pairing compounds

This work illustrates reactive desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (DESI-MS) with a stable dication on biological tissues. Rat brain and zebra fish tissues were investigated with reactive DESI-MS in which the dictation forms a stable bond with biological tissue fatty acids and lipids. Tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) was used to characterize the dication (DC9) and to identify linked lipid-dication compounds formed. The fragment m/z 85 common to both DC9 fragmentation and DC9-lipid fragmentation was used to confirm that DC9 is indeed bonded with the lipids. Lipid signals in the range of m/z 250-350 and phosphoethanolamines (PE) m/z 700-800 observed in negative ion mode were also detected in positive ion mode with reactive DESI-MS with enhanced signal intensity. Reactive DESI-MS imaging in positive ion mode of rat brain and zebra fish tissues allowed enhanced detection of compounds commonly observed in the negative ion mode.