Separations combined with mass spectrometry

Selective Schiff base formation via gas-phase ion/ion reactions to enable differentiation of isobaric lipids in imaging mass spectrometry

The separation and identification of lipids in complex mixtures are critical to deciphering their cellular functions. Failure to resolve isobaric compounds (e.g., via high mass resolution or tandem mass spectrometry) can result in incorrect identifications in mass spectrometry experiments. In imaging mass spectrometry, unresolved peaks can also result in composite images of multiple compounds, giving inaccurate depictions of molecular distributions. Gas-phase ion/ion reactions can be used to selectively react with specific chemical functional groups on a target analyte, thereby extracting it from a complex mixture and shifting its m/z value to an unobstructed region of the mass range. Herein, we use selective Schiff base formation via a novel charge inversion ion/ion reaction to purify phosphatidylserines from other isobaric (i.e., same nominal mass) lipids and reveal their singular distributions in imaging mass spectrometry. The selective Schiff base formation between singly deprotonated phosphatidylserine (PS) lipid anions and doubly charged N,N,N',N'-tetramethyl-N,N'-bis(6-oxohexyl)hexane-1,6-diaminium (TMODA) cations is performed using a modified commercial dual source hybrid Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FTICR) mass spectrometer. This process is demonstrated using the isobaric lipids [PS 40:6 - H]^- (m/z 834.528) and [SHexCer d38:1 - H]^- (m/z 834.576), which produces [PS 40:6 + TMODA - H - H₂O]⁺ (m/z 1186.879), and [SHexCer d38:1 + TMODA - H]⁺ (m/z 1204.938) product ions following the gas-phase charge inversion reaction. These product ions differ by roughly 18 Da in mass and are easily separated by low mass resolution analysis, while the isobaric precursor ions require roughly 45,000 mass resolving power (full-width at half maximum) to separate. Imaging mass spectrometry using targeted gas-phase ion/ion reactions shows distinct spatial distributions for the separated lipid product ions relative to the composite images of the unseparated precursor ions.

Metabolomics of peripheral artery disease

The science of metabolomics has emerged as a novel tool for studying changes in metabolism that accompany different disease states. Several studies have applied this evolving field to the study of various cardiovascular disease states, which has led to improved understanding of metabolic changes that underlie heart failure and ischemic heart disease. A significant amount of progress has also been made in the identification of novel biomarkers of cardiovascular disease. Another common atherosclerotic disease, peripheral artery disease (PAD) affects arteries of the lower extremities. Although certain aspects of the disease pathophysiology overlap with other cardiovascular diseases in general, PAD patients suffer unique manifestations that lead to significant morbidity and mortality as well as severe functional limitations. Furthermore, because over half of PAD patients are asymptomatic, there is a need for improved diagnostic and screening methods. Identification of metabolites associated with the disease may thus be a promising approach for PAD. However, PAD remains highly understudied. In this chapter, we discuss the application of metabolomics to the study of PAD.

A Review of Portable High-Performance Liquid Chromatography: the Future of the Field?

There is a growing need for chemical analyses to be performed in the field, at the point of need. Tools and techniques often found in analytical chemistry laboratories are necessary in performing these analyses, yet have, historically, been unable to do so owing to their size, cost and complexity. Technical advances in miniaturisation and liquid chromatography are enabling the translation of these techniques out of the laboratory, and into the field. Here we examine the advances that are enabling portable liquid chromatography (LC). We explore the evolution of portable instrumentation from its inception to the most recent advances, highlighting the trends in the field and discussing the necessary criteria for developing in-field solutions. While instrumentation is becoming more capable it has yet to find adoption outside of research.

Recent Advances in Mass Spectrometry for the Identification of Neuro-chemicals and their Metabolites in Biofluids

Recently, mass spectrometric related techniques have been widely applied for the identification and quantification of neurochemicals and their metabolites in biofluids. This article presents an overview of mass spectrometric techniques applied in the detection of neurological substances and their metabolites from biological samples. In addition, the advances of chromatographic methods (LC, GC and CE) coupled with mass spectrometric techniques for analysis of neurochemicals in pharmaceutical and biological samples are also discussed.

Definitions of terms relating to mass spectrometry (IUPAC Recommendations 2013)

This document contains recommendations for terminology in mass spectrometry. Development of standard terms dates back to 1974 when the IUPAC Commission on Analytical Nomenclature issued recommendations on mass spectrometry terms and definitions. In 1978, the IUPAC Commission on Molecular Structure and Spectroscopy updated and extended the recommendations and made further recommendations regarding symbols, acronyms, and abbreviations. The IUPAC Physical Chemistry Division Commission on Molecular Structure and Spectroscopy’s Subcommittee on Mass Spectroscopy revised the recommended terms in 1991 and appended terms relating to vacuum technology. Some additional terms related to tandem mass spectrometry were added in 1993 and accelerator mass spectrometry in 1994. Owing to the rapid expansion of the field in the intervening years, particularly in mass spectrometry of biomolecules, a further revision of the recommendations has become necessary. This document contains a comprehensive revision of mass spectrometry terminology that represents the current consensus of the mass spectrometry community.

Capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry for Peptide analysis: target-based approaches and proteomics/peptidomics strategies

In this chapter, the potential of capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry (CE-MS) for peptide analysis is demonstrated by the presentation of two different strategies typically followed in analysis of these biomolecules by CE-MS. The first one is a target-based approach and it is used to detect a toxic oligopeptide in a complex matrix. Namely, CE-MS using an ion trap MS analyzer is applied to detect and quantify γ-glutamyl-S-ethenyl-cysteine (GEC) bioactive dipeptide in a legume plant. The second one is a shotgun-like methodology used for proteomic analysis. Particularly, CE-MS using a time-of-flight MS analyzer is employed to investigate the substantial equivalence between a genetically modified (GM) variety of soybean and its conventional isogenic counterpart. These generic methods have broad applications for the analysis of peptides in a large variety of matrices, including applications in the area of proteomics and peptidomics.

High-resolution proteome/peptidome analysis of body fluids by capillary electrophoresis coupled with MS

The analysis of proteins and peptides in biological fluids is becoming more important as they are potential sources of diagnostic biomarkers of disease. The complexity of body fluids is such that no single technique can both identify and quantify all the constituents present. It therefore requires pre-concentration of the compounds of interest and hyphenated techniques like capillary electrophoresis (CE) or high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled to a mass spectrometer (MS) to provide the separation, identification, and quantification of the proteins and peptides under investigation. Here we provide protocols for sample preparation of various body fluids, namely, urine, plasma, and cerebrospinal fluid, and how to obtain maximum sensitivity and selectivity of the small proteins and peptides under investigation by CE-MS.

An overview of recent advances in HPLC instrumentation

This review highlights the fundamentals and the most prominent advances in the field of HPLC instrumentation over the last decades. Fundamental aspects and practical considerations of column switching, conventional (heart-cut) and comprehensive two-dimensional LC are presented. Different aspects of microcolumn- and nanoliquid-chromatography are reviewed. Recent progress in column technology and the demands and developments in instrumentation and accessories for miniaturized LC are also discussed. In the field of miniaturization, particularly in chip-based nano-LC systems, some aspects on micro-fluidic chip fabrication, using particle-packed HPLC microchips or polymer-based monoliths, are addressed. An introduction to ultra performance LC (UPLC) is also presented.

Mass spectrometry-based microbial metabolomics

Through the characterization of metabolic pathways, metabolomics is able to illuminate the activities of a cell at the functional level. However, the metabolome, which is comprised of hundreds of chemically diverse metabolites, is rather difficult to monitor. Mass spectrometry (MS)-based profiling methods are increasingly being utilized for this purpose. To this end, MS is often coupled to the separation techniques gas chromatography (GC), liquid chromatography (LC), and capillary electrophoresis (CE). The mass-based selectivity that the MS provides, together with the chromatographic or electrophoretic separation of analytes, creates hyphenated techniques that are ideally suited to the measurement of large numbers of metabolites from microbial extracts. In this chapter, we describe GC-MS, LC-MS, and CE-MS methods that are applicable to microbial metabolomics experiments.

Electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry of ammonium cationized polyethers

Quaternary ammonium salts (Quats) and amines are known to facilitate the MS analysis of high molar mass polyethers by forming low charge state adduct ions. The formation, stability, and behavior upon collision-induced dissociation (CID) of adduct ions of polyethers with a variety of Quats and amines were studied by electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight, quadrupole ion trap, and linear ion trap tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). The linear ion trap instrument was part of an Orbitrap hybrid mass spectrometer that allowed accurate mass MS/MS measurements. The Quats and amines studied were of different degree of substitution, structure, and size. The stability of the adduct ions was related to the structure of the cation, especially the amine's degree of substitution. CID of singly/doubly charged primary and tertiary ammonium cationized polymers resulted in the neutral loss of the amine followed by fragmentation of the protonated product ions. The latter reveals information about the monomer unit, polymer sequence, and endgroup structure. In addition, the detection of product ions retaining the ammonium ion was observed. The predominant process in the CID of singly charged quaternary ammonium cationized polymers was cation detachment, whereas their doubly charged adduct ions provided the same information as the primary and tertiary ammonium cationized adduct ions. This study shows the potential of specific amines as tools for the structural elucidation of high molar mass polyethers.

Continuous flow infrared matrix-assisted laser desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

Continuous flow infrared matrix-assisted laser desorption electrospray ionization (CF IR MALDESI) mass spectrometry was demonstrated for the on-line analysis of liquid samples. Samples in aqueous solution were flowed through a 50 µm i.d. fused-silica capillary at a flow rate of 1-6 µL/min. As analyte aqueous solution flowed through the capillary, a liquid sample bead formed at the capillary tip. A pulsed infrared optical parametric oscillator (OPO) laser with wavelength of 2.94 µm and a 20 Hz repetition rate was focused onto the capillary tip for sample desorption and ablation. The plume of ejected sample was entrained in an electrospray to form ions by MALDESI. The resulting ions were sampled into an ion trap mass spectrometer for analysis. Using CF IR MALDESI, several chemical and biochemical reactions were monitored on-line: the chelation of 1,10-phenanthroline with iron(II), insulin denaturation with 1,4-dithiothreitol, and tryptic digestion of cytochrome c.

Formation of low charge state ions of synthetic polymers using quaternary ammonium compounds

Factors such as high polymer dispersity and variation in elemental composition (of copolymers) often complicate the electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) analysis of synthetic polymers with high molar mass. In the experiments described in this study, quaternary ammonium compounds were observed to facilitate the production of low charge state pseudomolecular ions when added to the spray solution for ESI-MS. This approach was then used for the ESI time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOF-MS) analysis of synthetic polymers. Hexadecyltrimethylammonium chloride permitted the successful analysis of poly(ethylene glycol) of 2-40 kDa, poly(propylene glycol) and poly(tetramethylene glycol) oligomers. Increasing the quaternary ammonium compounds' concentration results in the production of low charge state pseudomolecular ions. A comparison of structurally different quaternary ammonium compounds showed that the best performance is expected from large molecules with specific charge localization, which leaves the charge available for interactions. The applicability of the method for the MS analysis of other polymeric systems was also studied. In the case of poly(tetramethylene glycol), the method not only shifted the distributions to higher m/z values but also allowed the detection of high molecular weight material that was not observed without addition of the modifier to the spray solution.

Screening of filamentous fungi to identify biocatalysts for lupeol biotransformation

The goal of the study was to evaluate the ability of filamentous fungi to biotransform the pentacyclic triterpene lupeol. The microbial transformations were carried out in shake flasks in different media. Experiments were also run with control flasks. Samples of each culture were taken every 24 hours, extracted with ethyl acetate, and analyzed by GC-MS. The biotransformation of lupeol by Aspergillus ochraceus and Mucor rouxii afforded two compounds in each culture, which were detected in the cultures developed for more than seven days only in the Koch’s K1 medium. The obtained data demonstrated that A. ochraceus is a good biocatalyst to introduce double bonds in the lupeol structure, whereas M. rouxii exhibits ability to biocatalyze oxygen insertions in that pentacyclic triterpene. Mass spectrometry was demonstrated to be an efficient analytical method to select promising biocatalysts for the compound investigated in this study. The biotransformation processes were influenced by the culture medium and incubation period. The obtained results open the perspective of using A. ochraceus and M. rouxii in pentacyclic triterpene biotransformations.

Mixed-mode electrokinetic and chromatographic peptide separations in a microvalve-integrated polymer chip

A cycloolefin polymer chip supporting the concatenation of isoelectric focusing (IEF) and reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) is demonstrated for high throughput two dimensional peptide separations. A unique benefit of the mixed-mode platform is the ability of IEF to act as a highly concentrating electrokinetic separation mode for effective isolation of sample components prior to RPLC. The thermoplastic chip contains integrated high pressure microvalves, enabling uniform sample transfer from the IEF channel to multiple parallel RPLC channels, gradient elution from each RPLC column, and hydrodynamic isolation between the separation dimensions. The reusable system is shown to provide efficient 2-D separations together with facile interfacing with MALDI-MS, suggesting a new path towards effective peptide analysis from complex samples.

An editor's view of analytical chemistry (the Discipline)

The author recounts progress observed in analytical chemistry (the discipline) from the vantage point of a 20-year editor of Analytical Chemistry (the journal). The recounting draws liberally from the journal's monthly editorials. A complete listing of the editorials can be found in Supplemental Material .

Gas-phase fragmentation of gamma-lactone derivatives by electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry

Fragmentation reactions of beta-hydroxymethyl-, beta-acetoxymethyl- and beta-benzyloxymethyl-butenolides and the corresponding gamma-butyrolactones were investigated by electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS) using collision-induced dissociation (CID). This study revealed that loss of H(2)O [M+H-8](+) is the main fragmentation process for beta-hydroxymethylbutenolide (1) and beta-hydroxymethyl-gamma-butyrolactone (2). Loss of ketene ([M+H-42](+)) is the major fragmentation process for protonated beta-acetoxymethyl-gamma-butyrolactone (4), but not for beta-acetoxymethylbutenolide (3). The benzyl cation (m/z 91) is the major ion in the ESI-MS/MS spectra of beta-benzyloxymethylbutenolide (5) and beta-benzyloxymethyl-gamma-butyrolactone (6). The different side chain at the beta-position and the double bond presence afforded some product ions that can be important for the structural identification of each compound. The energetic aspects involved in the protonation and gas-phase fragmentation processes were interpreted on the basis of thermochemical data obtained by computational quantum chemistry.

Recent food safety and food quality applications of CE-MS

The first on-line coupling of CE with MS detection more than 20 years ago provided a very powerful technique with a wide variety of applications, among which food analysis is of special interest, especially that dealing with food safety and food quality applications, the major topics of public interest nowadays. With this review article, we would like to show the most recent applications of CE-MS in both fields by recompiling and commenting articles published between January 2004 and October 2008. Although both applications are difficult to separate from each other, we have included in this work two main sections dealing with each specific field. Future trends will also be discussed.

Mass spectrometry-based biomarker discovery: toward a global proteome index of individuality

Biomarker discovery and proteomics have become synonymous with mass spectrometry in recent years. Although this conflation is an injustice to the many essential biomolecular techniques widely used in biomarker-discovery platforms, it underscores the power and potential of contemporary mass spectrometry. Numerous novel and powerful technologies have been developed around mass spectrometry, proteomics, and biomarker discovery over the past 20 years to globally study complex proteomes (e.g., plasma). However, very few large-scale longitudinal studies have been carried out using these platforms to establish the analytical variability relative to true biological variability. The purpose of this review is not to cover exhaustively the applications of mass spectrometry to biomarker discovery, but rather to discuss the analytical methods and strategies that have been developed for mass spectrometry-based biomarker-discovery platforms and to place them in the context of the many challenges and opportunities yet to be addressed.

Optimization of a pressurized liquid junction nanoelectrospray interface between CE and MS for reliable proteomic analysis

A pressurized liquid junction nanoelectrospray interface was designed and optimized for reliable on-line CE-MS coupling. The system was constructed as an integrated device for highly sensitive and selective analyses of proteins and peptides with the separation and spray capillaries fixed in a pressurized spray liquid reservoir equipped with the electrode for connection of the electrospray potential. The electrode chamber on the injection side of the separation capillary and the spray liquid reservoir were pneumatically connected by a Teflon tube filled with pressurized nitrogen. This arrangement provided precisely counterbalanced pressures at the inlet and outlet of the separation capillary. The pressure control system was driven by an electrically operated valve and maintained the optimum flow rate for the electrospray stability. All parts of the interface being in contact with the CEBGE, spray liquid and/or sample were made of glass or Teflon. The use of these materials minimized the electrospray chemical noise often caused by plastic softeners or material degradation. During optimization, the transfer of the separated zones between the separation and electrospray capillaries was monitored by UV absorbance and contactless conductivity detectors placed at the outlet of the separation capillary and inlet of the electrospray tip, respectively. This arrangement allowed independent monitoring of the effects of pressure, CE voltage and geometry of the liquid junction on the spreading and dilution of the separated zones after passage through the interface.

Recent applications in nanoliquid chromatography

Since its first introduction by Karlsson and Novotny in 1988 nano-LC has emerged as a complementary and/or competitive separation method to conventional HPLC, offering several advantages such as higher efficiency, ability to work with minute sample sizes and lower consumption of mobile phases, and better compatibility with MS, etc. Although its use was not so extended initially, in the last years new and interesting applications have appeared which deserve to be carefully considered. The aim of this review is therefore to provide an updated and critical survey of different nano-LC applications in analytical chemistry.

Time-resolved conformational dynamics in hydrocarbon chains

Internal rotation about carbon-carbon bonds allows N,N-dimethyl-2-butanamine (DM2BA) and N,N-dimethyl-3-hexanamine (DM3HA) to assume multiple conformeric structures. We explore the equilibrium composition and dynamics between such conformeric structures using Rydberg fingerprint spectroscopy. Time constants for conformeric interconversion of DM2BA (at 1.79 eV of internal energy) are 19 and 66 ps, and for DM3HA (1.78 eV) 23 and 41 ps. For the first time, a time-resolved and quantitative view of conformational dynamics of flexible hydrocarbon molecules at high temperatures is revealed.

Combining peptide modeling and capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry for characterization of enzymes cleavage patterns: recombinant versus natural bovine pepsin A

Nowadays there is an increasing number of recombinant enzymes made available to industry. Before replacing the use of natural enzymes with their cognate recombinant counterparts, one important issue to address is their actual equivalence. For a given recombinant proteolytic enzyme, its equivalence can be investigated by comparing its cleavage specificity with that obtained from the natural enzyme. This is mostly done by analyzing the fragments (i.e., peptidic map) attained after enzymatic digestion of a given protein used as substrate. The peptidic maps obtained are typically characterized using separation techniques together with MS and MS/MS systems. However, these procedures are known to be difficult and labor-intensive. In this work, the combined use of a theoretical model that relates electrophoretic behavior of peptides to their sequence together with capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry (CE-MS) is proposed to characterize in a very fast and simple way the cleavage specificity of new recombinant enzymes. Namely, the effectiveness of this procedure is demonstrated by analyzing in few minutes the fragments obtained from a protein hydrolysated using recombinant and natural pepsin A. The usefulness of this strategy is further corroborated by CE-MS/MS. The proposed procedure is applicable in many other proteomic studies involving CE-MS of peptides.

Separation and characterization of rabbit liver apothioneins by capillary electrophoresis coupled to electrospray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry

The present study establishes a method for the separation and characterization of rabbit liver metallothionein (MT) subisoforms by capillary electrophoresis coupled to electrospray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (CE-ESI-TOF-MS) via a sheath-flow interface. Directly coupled-CE-MS enables the extraction of specific molecular weight information and thereby facilitates the identification of peaks when no reference materials are available, as in the case of MT subisoforms. The analysis described here revealed the presence of the apothioneins MT-1a, MT-2d, and MT-2e, belonging to MT-I sample, and MT-2a, MT-2b, and MT-2c, belonging to MT-II. Several non-N-acetylated forms were also detected as traces appearing with their respective acetylated forms in both samples. Similar results were found when MALDI-TOF experiments were performed, identifying all the sequenced rabbit liver MTs as apo-MT-forms, as in the CE-ESI-MS coupling.

Microbial metabolomics: past, present and future methodologies

Microbial metabolomics has received much attention in recent years mainly because it supports and complements a wide range of microbial research areas from new drug discovery efforts to metabolic engineering. Broadly, the term metabolomics refers to the comprehensive (qualitative and quantitative) analysis of the complete set of all low molecular weight metabolites present in and around growing cells at a given time during their growth or production cycle. This review focuses on the past, current and future development of various experimental protocols in the rapid developing area of metabolomics in the ongoing quest to reliably quantify microbial metabolites formed under defined physiological conditions. These developments range from rapid sample collection, instant quenching of microbial metabolic activity, extraction of the relevant intracellular metabolites as well as quantification of these metabolites using enzyme based and or modern high tech hyphenated analytical protocols, mainly chromatographic techniques coupled to mass spectrometry (LC-MS(n), GC-MS(n), CE-MS(n)), where n indicates the number of tandem mass spectrometry, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR).

Assays of Endogenous Caspase Activities: A Comparison of Mass Spectrometry and Fluorescence Formats

This paper describes a label-free assay for measuring endogenous caspase protease activities in cell lysates. The assay format, termed SAMDI-MS (self-assembled monolayers for matrix assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry), is based on the enzymatic modification of peptides immobilized to monolayer substrates, followed by direct detection of the products with mass spectrometry. Monolayers presenting peptide substrates for either caspase-3 or -8 were treated with lysates from Jurkat cells that were stimulated with staurosporine and SKW6.4 cells that were stimulated with LzCD95L. In both cases, the SAMDI assays reported on the activation of endogenous caspase enzymes with levels of detection that are similar to those observed using the commonly employed fluorogenic assays. The use of longer peptide substrates, which are not compatible with the fluorogenic assays, provided for a better resolution of the two caspase activities. This work is significant because it demonstrates that the SAMDI assay can be used to measure endogenous enzyme activities and because it avoids the loss of activity and specificity that often accompany label-dependent assay formats.

High-throughput proteomics using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ ionization mass spectrometry

It has become evident that the mystery of life will not be deciphered just by decoding its blueprint, the genetic code. In the life and biomedical sciences, research efforts are now shifting from pure gene analysis to the analysis of all biomolecules involved in the machinery of life. One area of these postgenomic research fields is proteomics. Although proteomics, which basically encompasses the analysis of proteins, is not a new concept, it is far from being a research field that can rely on routine and large-scale analyses. At the time the term proteomics was coined, a gold-rush mentality was created, promising vast and quick riches (i.e., solutions to the immensely complex questions of life and disease). Predictably, the reality has been quite different. The complexity of proteomes and the wide variations in the abundances and chemical properties of their constituents has rendered the use of systematic analytical approaches only partially successful, and biologically meaningful results have been slow to arrive. However, to learn more about how cells and, hence, life works, it is essential to understand the proteins and their complex interactions in their native environment. This is why proteomics will be an important part of the biomedical sciences for the foreseeable future. Therefore, any advances in providing the tools that make protein analysis a more routine and large-scale business, ideally using automated and rapid analytical procedures, are highly sought after. This review will provide some basics, thoughts and ideas on the exploitation of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ ionization in biological mass spectrometry - one of the most commonly used analytical tools in proteomics - for high-throughput analyses.

UV Embossed Polymeric Chip for Protein Separation and Identification Based on Capillary Isoelectric Focusing and MALDI-TOF-MS

This paper demonstrates a ultraviolet (UV)-embossed polymeric chip for protein separation by capillary isoelectric focusing (CIEF) and identification by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS). The polymeric chip was replicated by a UV-embossing technique using a soft rubber mold. Five diverse widely investigated families of UV-cured formulations were examined for MALDI ionization efficiency of bovine serum albumin (BSA) samples spotted on the polymer surfaces. The signal and signal-to-noise ratio from the polyester formulation were each 12 times those obtained with PMMA (a commonly used polymer material for MALDI) at picomole sample concentration. A polyester chip was successfully used to carry out CIEF to separate proteins, followed by MALDI-TOF-MS identification. Issues related to the successful chip fabrication and protein separation and identification are discussed.

Tandem mass spectrometry of coprogen and deferoxamine hydroxamic siderophores

Mechanisms of fragmentation of hydroxamic siderophores are proposed comparing deuterated and nondeuterated samples. Standard siderophores (e.g. deferoxamine and coprogen) were directly injected into both ion trap and linear quadrupole mass spectrometers with electrospray ionization (ESI). Four and two fragmentation steps were carried out for deferoxamine and coprogen (analyzed by positive and negative ESI, respectively). Deferoxamine cleavages occurred in both peptide and hydroxamic bonds while the coprogen fragmentation pattern is more elaborate, since it contains Fe(III) in its structure.

Online hyphenated liquid chromatography-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy-mass spectrometry for drug metabolite and nature product analysis

Screening analysis that aims at rapidly distinguishing new molecules in the presence of a large number of known compounds becomes increasingly important in the fields of drug metabolite profiling and nature product investigation. In the past decade, online-coupled liquid chromatography-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy-mass spectrometry (LC-NMR-MS) has emerged as a powerful tool for the detection and identification of known and, more important, emerging compounds in complex clinical, pharmaceutical samples and nature product extracts, due to the complementary information provided by the two detectors for unambiguous structure elucidation. This review discusses the practical conditions under which LC-NMR-MS is suitable as a routine tool for unknown analysis, as well as the fundamental concepts and their advantage aspects. Particular attention is paid to its major operating parameters that include the instrumental configurations, working modes, NMR probe improvement and LC mobile phase selection. Finally, the recent applications of LC-NMR-MS to clinical metabolite and nature product analysis are summarized which have shown the benefit of this promising hyphenated technique.

Capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry ofSpirulina platensis proteins obtained by pressurized liquid extraction

In this work, the usefulness of CE-MS to monitor and optimize the pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) of proteins from Spirulina platensis microalga is demonstrated. Crude and purified PLE extracts from microalga were analyzed by CE-MS. It was observed that the use of purification protocols of phycobiliproteins (namely, ultrafiltration or precipitation-dialysis-freeze drying) resulted in better CE resolution and MS signals, demonstrating that sample matrix plays an important role in CE-MS of proteins in real samples. Ultrafiltration was found less laborious and much faster than precipitation-dialysis-freeze drying (1 vs. 48 h). Direct analysis of crude extracts was demonstrated to be also possible by CE-MS, providing less-quality information but enough to characterize PLE extracts in a much faster way. Therefore, the latter protocol was selected to monitor and optimize the extraction process of phycobiliproteins from S. platensis. To do that, different extraction conditions were tested, including time, temperature and pressure of extraction, nature of pressurized liquid, distribution of microalga inside the extraction cell, type of packing, etc. It is demonstrated that the combined use of PLE and CE-MS allows the attainment of extracts rich in phycobiliproteins in short extraction times (namely, yields of 20% can be obtained in less than 2 h under the optimum PLE process in an automatic way). To our knowledge, this work shows for the first time the usefulness of CE-MS for monitoring and optimizing a PLE process.

Quantitation in capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry

CE-MS has evolved into a strong alternative to LC-MS. Most of CE-MS applications deal with characterization and identification. However, quantitative aspects have gained importance in, e.g., pharmaceutical and biotechnological applications. Here we summarize and evaluate various methodological aspects in order to achieve sensitive and reproducible results. Similar to LC-MS, aspects of matrix influence on the electrospray process need to be carefully addressed when quantitative results are intended by CE-MS. Due to a more complicated coupling special emphasis needs to be put on the CE-MS interface. Generally linearity over more than three orders of magnitude can be achieved by CE-ESI-MS. Furthermore, a literature survey has been performed in order to give an overview over quantitative measurements performed by CE-MS. The precision can be doubled when changing from a structural related to an isotopically labeled internal standard. Thus a level of precision better than 5% RSD can be achieved.

Capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry in food analysis

This work provides an updated overview (including works published till June 2004) on the principal applications of capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry (CE-MS) together with their main advantages and drawbacks in food science. Thus, analysis of amino acids, peptides, proteins, carbohydrates, or polyphenols by CE-MS in different foods is reviewed. Also, other natural compounds (e.g., alkaloids) and toxins analyzed by CE-MS in foods are revised. Moreover, exogenous substances with a potential risk for human health (e.g., pesticides, drugs) detected in foods by CE-MS are included in this work. The usefulness of CE-MS for food analysis and the information that this coupling can provide in terms of processing, composition, authenticity, quality, or safety of foods is also discussed.

Capillary Electrochromatography−Mass Spectrometry of Zwitterionic Surfactants

This work describes the on-line hyphenation of a packed capillary electrochromatography (CEC) column with an internally tapered tip coupled to electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-mass spectrometry (APCI-MS) for the analysis of betaine-type amphoteric or zwitterionic surfactants (Zwittergent). A systematic investigation of the CEC separation and MS detection parameters comparing ESI and APCI is shown. First, a detailed and optimized manufacturing procedure for fabrication of the CEC-MS column with a reproducible internally tapered tip (7-9 microm) is presented. Next, the optimization of the separation parameters by varying the C(18) stationary-phase particle size (3 versus 1.5 microm), as well as mobile-phase composition including acetonitrile (ACN) volume fraction, ionic strength, and pH is described. The optimized separation is achieved using 3-microm C(18) packing with 75% ACN (v/v), 5 mM Tris at pH 8.0. Optimization for on-line CEC-ESI-MS detection is then done varying both the sheath liquid and spray chamber parameters while evaluating the use of random versus structured factorial table experimental designs. The more structured approach allows fundamental analysis of individual ESI-MS parameters while minimizing CEC and MS equilibration time between settings. A comparison of CEC-ESI-MS to CEC-APCI-MS using similar sheath and spray chamber conditions presents new insight for coupling of CEC to APCI-MS. The sheath liquid flow rate required to maintain adequate sensitivity is much higher in APCI source (50 microL/min) as compared to the ESI source (3 microL/min). The on-line mass spectra obtained in the full scan mode show that fragmentation in the two sources occurs at different positions on the Zwittergent molecules. For ESI-MS, the protonated molecular ion is always highest in abundance with minor fragmentation occurring due to the loss of the alkyl chain. In contrast, the APCI-MS spectra show that the highest abundant ion resulted by elimination of propane sulfonate from the Zwittergent molecule. A comparison of the sensitivity between the two sources in positive ionization SIM mode shows that CEC-ESI-MS provides an impressive limit of detection (LOD) of 5 ng/mL, which is at least 3 orders of magnitude lower than CEC-APCI-MS (LOD 100 microg/mL). Finally, the optimized CEC-MS methods comparing ESI and APCI are applied for separation and structural characterization of a real industrial zwittergent sample, Rewoteric AM CAS.

Mass spectrometry in metabolome analysis

In the post-genomic era, increasing efforts have been made to describe the relationship between the genome and the phenotype in cells and organisms. It has become clear that even a complete understanding of the state of the genes, messages, and proteins in a living system does not reveal its phenotype. Therefore, researchers have started to study the metabolome (or the metabolic complement of functional genomics). Within this context, mass spectrometry (MS) has increasingly occupied a central position in the methodologies developed for determination of the metabolic state. This review is mainly focused on the status of MS in the metabolome field, trying to direct the reader to the main approaches for analysis of metabolites, reviewing basic methodologies in sample preparation, and the most recent MS techniques introduced. Apart from the description of the different methods, this review will try to state a general comparison between the several different techniques that involve MS and metabolite analysis, and will highlight their limitations and preferred applicability.

Characterization of proteins fromSpirulina platensis microalga using capillary electrophoresis-ion trap-mass spectrometry and capillary electrophoresis-time of flight-mass spectrometry

In this work, a new capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry (CE-MS) procedure is developed to analyze proteins in Spirulina platensis microalgae. It is demonstrated that a fine optimization of several separation parameters is essential in order to achieve suitable CE-MS analysis of these proteins in natural extracts from microalgae. Namely, optimization of the composition of the separation buffer, electrospray conditions, and washing routine between runs are required in order to obtain reliable and reproducible CE-MS analyses of the main proteins found in this microalga (namely, allophycocyanin-alpha chain, allophycocyanin-beta, c-phycocyanin-alpha, and c-phycocyanin-beta). The relative molecular mass of these biopolymers is determined using two different MS instruments coupled to CE, i.e., CE-ion trap-MS and CE-time of flight-MS (CE-TOF-MS). A comparison between the results obtained with both instruments is carried out. The high resolution of the TOF-MS enables the distinction of small modifications in proteins and, thus, a more accurate mass determination. Interestingly, molecular mass values obtained by both CE-MS procedures agree very well while these experimental values are only in partial agreement with those theoretically expected (i.e., genetically derived masses). Some protein modifications due to amino acids exchange induced by nucleotide codon mutations are proposed to explain this difference.

Detection and quantitation of a bioactive compound inVicia narbonensis L. seeds by capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry: A comparative study with UV detection

Capillary zone electrophoresis with mass spectrometry (CE-MS) and UV detection (CE-UV) was applied to the quantitative determination of gamma-glutamyl-S-ethenyl-cysteine (GEC), a bioactive and unstable compound present in Vicia narbonensis L. seeds. This compound is responsible for, among other negative effects, palatability reduction and grain toxicity. In order to carry out the quantitative analysis of GEC, different conditions (such as composition, concentration and pH of the background electrolyte, and type and time of extraction) were studied. Also, adequate conditions for electrospray-mass spectrometry of this bioactive compound were investigated. The best extraction conditions of GEC from V. narbonensis L. seeds flour were obtained using ethanol-water (70:30 v/v) for 45 min. The use of a 20 m ammonium hydrogen carbonate at pH 7 provided adequate analytical conditions compatible with the unstable nature of GEC as well as with the requirements of CE-UV and CE-MS analysis. A comparative study was carried out between the different figures of merit of CE-UV and CE-MS for quantitative purposes. Both techniques provided similar limit of detection and can be applied with confidence within the same linear dynamic range. However, reproducibility and speed of analysis were better using CE-UV. The developed methods were readily applied to quantify GEC in seeds of 21 genotypes of V. narbonensis L. A good agreement between CE-MS and CE-UV results was observed corroborating the usefulness of both approaches for quantitative purposes.