Detection of DNA adducts by electron capture mass spectrometry

The multifaceted roles of mass spectrometric analysis in nucleic acids drug discovery and development

The deceptively simple concepts of mass determination and fragment analysis are the basis for the application of mass spectrometry (MS) to a boundless range of analytes, including fundamental components and polymeric forms of nucleic acids (NAs). This platform affords the intrinsic ability to observe first-hand the effects of NA-active drugs on the chemical structure, composition, and conformation of their targets, which might affect their ability to interact with cognate NAs, proteins, and other biomolecules present in a natural environment. The possibility of interfacing with high-performance separation techniques represents a multiplying factor that extends these capabilities to cover complex sample mixtures obtained from organisms that were exposed to NA-active drugs. This report provides a brief overview of these capabilities in the context of the analysis of the products of NA-drug activity and NA therapeutics. The selected examples offer proof-of-principle of the applicability of this platform to all phases of the journey undertaken by any successful NA drug from laboratory to bedside, and provide the rationale for its rapid expansion outside traditional laboratory settings in support to ever growing manufacturing operations.

DNA adducts: Formation, biological effects, and new biospecimens for mass spectrometric measurements in humans

Hazardous chemicals in the environment and diet or their electrophilic metabolites can form adducts with genomic DNA, which can lead to mutations and the initiation of cancer. In addition, reactive intermediates can be generated in the body through oxidative stress and damage the genome. The identification and measurement of DNA adducts are required for understanding exposure and the causal role of a genotoxic chemical in cancer risk. Over the past three decades, 32 P-postlabeling, immunoassays, gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, and liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) methods have been established to assess exposures to chemicals through measurements of DNA adducts. It is now possible to measure some DNA adducts in human biopsy samples, by LC/MS, with as little as several milligrams of tissue. In this review article, we highlight the formation and biological effects of DNA adducts, and highlight our advances in human biomonitoring by mass spectrometric analysis of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues, untapped biospecimens for carcinogen DNA adduct biomarker research.

Recent technical and biological development in the analysis of biomarker N-deoxyguanosine-C8-4-aminobiphenyl

4-Aminobiphenyl (4-ABP) which is primarily formed during tobacco combustion and overheated meat is a major carcinogen responsible for various cancers. Its adducted form, N-deoxyguanosine-C8-4-aminobiphenyl (dG-C8-4-ABP), has long been employed as a biomarker for assessment of the risk for cancer. In this review, the metabolism and carcinogenisity of 4-ABP will be discussed, followed by a discussion of the current common approaches of analyzing dG-C8-4-ABP. The major part of this review will be on the history and recent development of key methods for detection and quantitation of dG-C8-4-ABP in complex biological samples and their biological applications, from the traditional ²P-postlabelling and immunoassay methods to modern liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) with the latter as the focus. Many vital biological discoveries based on dG-C8-4-ABP have been published by using the nanoLC-MS with column switching platform in our laboratory, which has also been adopted and further improved by many other researchers. We hope this review can provide a perspective of the challenges that had to be addressed in reaching our present goals and possibly bring new ideas for those who are still working on the frontline of DNA adducts area.

Bulky DNA Adducts, Tobacco Smoking, Genetic Susceptibility, and Lung Cancer Risk

The generation of bulky DNA adducts consists of conjugates formed between large reactive electrophiles and DNA-binding sites. The term "bulky DNA adducts" comes from early experiments that employed a ³²P-DNA postlabeling approach. This technique has long been used to elucidate the association between adducts and carcinogen exposure in tobacco smoke studies and assess the predictive value of adducts in cancer risk. Molecular data showed increased DNA adducts in respiratory tracts of smokers vs nonsmokers. Experimental studies and meta-analysis demonstrated that the relationship between adducts and carcinogens was linear at low doses, but reached steady state at high exposure, possibly due to metabolic and DNA repair pathway saturation and increased apoptosis. Polymorphisms of metabolic and DNA repair genes can increase the effects of environmental factors and confer greater likelihood of adduct formation. Nevertheless, the central question remains as to whether bulky adducts cause human cancer. If so, lowering them would reduce cancer incidence. Pooled and meta-analysis has shown that smokers with increased adducts have increased risk of lung cancer. Adduct excess in smokers, especially in prospective longitudinal studies, supports their use as biomarkers predictive of lung cancer.

DNA adductomics

Systems toxicology is a broad-based approach to describe many of the toxicological features that occur within a living system under stress or subjected to exogenous or endogenous exposures. The ultimate goal is to capture an overview of all exposures and the ensuing biological responses of the body. The term exposome has been employed to refer to the totality of all exposures, and systems toxicology investigates how the exposome influences health effects and consequences of exposures over a lifetime. The tools to advance systems toxicology include high-throughput transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and adductomics, which is still in its infancy. A well-established methodology for the comprehensive measurement of DNA damage resulting from every day exposures is not fully developed. During the past several decades, the ³²P-postlabeling technique has been employed to screen the damage to DNA induced by multiple classes of genotoxicants; however, more robust, specific, and quantitative methods have been sought to identify and quantify DNA adducts. Although triple quadrupole and ion trap mass spectrometry, particularly when using multistage scanning (LC–MSⁿ), have shown promise in the field of DNA adductomics, it is anticipated that high-resolution and accurate-mass LC–MSⁿ instrumentation will play a major role in assessing global DNA damage. Targeted adductomics should also benefit greatly from improved triple quadrupole technology. Once the analytical MS methods are fully mature, DNA adductomics along with other -omics tools will contribute greatly to the field of systems toxicology.

The application of mass spectrometry in molecular dosimetry: ethylene oxide as an example

Mass spectrometry plays an increasingly important role in the search for and quantification of novel chemically specific biomarkers. The revolutionary advances in mass spectrometry instrumentation and technology empower scientists to specifically analyze DNA and protein adducts, considered as molecular dosimeters, derived from reactions of a carcinogen or its active metabolites with DNA or protein. Analysis of the adducted DNA bases and proteins can elucidate the chemically reactive species of carcinogens in humans and can serve as risk-associated biomarkers for early prediction of cancer risk. In this article, we review and compare the specificity, sensitivity, resolution, and ease-of-use of mass spectrometry methods developed to analyze ethylene oxide (EO)-induced DNA and protein adducts, particularly N7-(2-hydroxyethyl)guanine (N7-HEG) and N-(2-hydroxyethyl)valine (HEV), in human samples and in animal tissues. GC/ECNCI-MS analysis after HPLC cleanup is the most sensitive method for quantification of N7-HEG, but limited by the tedious sample preparation procedures. Excellent sensitivity and specificity in analysis of N7-HEG can be achieved by LC/MS/MS analysis if the mobile phase, the inlet (split or splitless), and the collision energy are properly optimized. GC/ECNCI-HRMS and GC/ECNCI-MS/MS analysis of HEV achieves the best performance as compared with GC/ECNCI-MS and GC/EI-MS. In conclusion, future improvements in high-throughput capabilities, detection sensitivity, and resolution of mass spectrometry will attract more scientists to identify and/or quantify novel molecular dosimeters or profiles of these biomarkers in toxicological and/or epidemiological studies.

Measurement of the incorporation and repair of exogenous 5-hydroxymethyl-2'-deoxyuridine in human cells in culture using gas chromatography-negative chemical ionization-mass spectrometry

The DNA of all organisms is constantly damaged by oxidation. Among the array of damage products is 5-hydroxymethyluracil, derived from oxidation of the thymine methyl group. Previous studies have established that HmU can be a sensitive and valuable marker of DNA damage. More recently, the corresponding deoxynucleoside, 5-hydroxymethyl-2'-deoxyuridine (HmdU), has proven to be valuable for the introduction of controlled amounts of a single type of damage lesion into the DNA of replicating cells, which is subsequently repaired by the base excision repair pathway. Complicating the study of HmU formation and repair, however, is the known chemical reactivity of the hydroxymethyl group of HmU under conditions used to hydrolyze DNA. In the work reported here, this chemical property has been exploited by creating conditions that convert HmU to the corresponding methoxymethyluracil (MmU) derivative that can be further derivatized to the 3,5-bis-(trifluoromethyl)benzyl analogue. This derivatized compound can be detected by gas chromatography-negative chemical ionization-mass spectrometry (GC-NCI-MS) with good sensitivity. Using isotopically enriched exogenous HmdU and human osteosarcoma cells (U2OS) in culture, we demonstrate that this method allows for the measurement of HmU in DNA formed from the incorporation of exogenous HmdU. We further demonstrate that the addition of isotopically enriched uridine to the culture medium allows for the simultaneous measurement of DNA replication and repair kinetics. This sensitive and facile method should prove valuable for studies on DNA oxidation damage and repair in living cells.

4-(4'-Methyltetrafluorophenyl)-2,3,5,6-tetrafluorobenzyl bromide: a new electrophoric derivatizing reagent

Commercially-available 4,4'-dimethyloctafluorobiphenyl was converted in a single step to 4-(4'-methyltetrafluorophenyl)-2,3,5,6-tetrafluorobenzyl bromide (MTFP-TFBBr) for the purpose of providing a new electrophoric derivatizing reagent. When reacted with this reagent, 2-fluoro-O6-(2'-hydroxyethyl)hypoxanthine, a model analyte, gave a mixture of isomeric products (apparently substituted at N7 and N9, analogous to its known reaction with pentafluorobenzyl bromide), and 53 femtograms of the mixture was detected at S/N = 10 by gas chromatography electron capture mass spectrometry (GC-EC-MS). As intended, the volatility of the MTFB-TFBBr derivative was much less (two-fold) than that of the corresponding pentafluorobenzyl derivative. It is anticipated that MTFB-TFBBr sometimes will be useful in providing an electrophoric derivative that encounters less background noise in analysis by electrophore derivatization/GC-EC-MS.

Targeted chiral lipidomics analysis

Genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics are proving to be very useful techniques, which have impacted significantly on our understanding mechanisms of human disease. However, this systems biology approach has several drawbacks than can be overcome by the integration of metabonomics and lipidomics. We have developed a targeted lipidomics approach that makes it possible to directly analyze chiral lipids generated in cellular systems. Bioactive lipids are usually present in trace amounts as enanatiomers and regioisomers that require separation before they can be analyzed by mass spectrometry. Normal phase chiral chromatography is generally used to resolve bioactive lipid enanatiomers. However, conventional electrospray and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization/tandem mass spectrometry have limited sensitivity when normal phase solvents are used, which makes it difficult to conduct studies when only trace amounts of the bioactive lipids are present. The use of electron capture atmospheric pressure chemical ionization/tandem mass spectrometry overcomes this problem. Enantiomers and regioisomers of targeted bioactive lipids can be quantified using stable isotope dilution methodology coupled with normal phase chiral chromatography and electron capture atmospheric chemical ionization/tandem mass spectrometry. A targeted lipidomics profile from rat epithelial cells transfected with cyclooxygenase-2 and maintained in culture was obtained. Inhibition with the non-selective cyclooxygenase inhibitor aspirin increased the formation of 15(R)-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid in the cells although it completely inhibited formation of the 15(S)-enantiomer and prostaglandin E2. New mass spectrometry instrumentation with an improved atmospheric pressure chemical ionization source was found to be an order of magnitude more sensitive than existing instruments for analysis of bioactive lipids using electron capture methodology. This type of mass spectrometer will permit a more detailed analysis of cellular bioactive lipid production than has been possible previously. It will also permit in vivo targeted lipidomics studies to be conducted using biological fluids derived from animal models and human subjects.

New insights regarding the autoxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids

Free radical-initiated autoxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) has been implicated in numerous human diseases, including atherosclerosis and cancer. This review covers the free radical mechanisms of lipid oxidation and recent developments of analytical techniques to analyze the lipid oxidation products. Autoxidation of PUFAs generates hydroperoxides as primary oxidation products, and further oxidation leads to cyclic peroxides as secondary oxidation products. Characterization of these oxidation products is accomplished by several mass spectrometric techniques. Ag+ coordination ion spray mass spectrometry has proven to be a powerful tool to analyze the intact lipid peroxides. Monocyclic peroxides, bicyclic endoperoxides, serial cyclic peroxides, and a novel class of endoperoxides (dioxolane-isoprostane peroxides) have been identified from the oxidation of arachidonate. Electron capture atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry has been applied to study lipid oxidation products after derivatization. All eight possible diastereomeric isoprostanes are observed from the oxidation of a single hydroperoxide precursor. 5- and 15-series isoprostanes are more abundant than the 8- and 12-series because the precursors that lead to 8- and 12-series compounds can undergo further oxidation and form dioxolane-isoprostane peroxides. Furthermore, formation of isoprostanes from 15-hydroperoxyeicosatetraenoate occurs from beta-fragmentation of the corresponding peroxyl radical to generate a pentadienyl radical rather than a "dioxetane" intermediate, as previously suggested.

Analysis of 7-methylguanine using isotope dilution and gas chromatography/electron-capture negative chemical ionization mass spectrometry

This paper presents results obtained for in vivo endogenous and exogenous 7-methylguanine (7-MG) analyzed using a method incorporating gas chromatography with electron-capture negative chemical ionization mass spectrometry and isotope dilution (GC/EC-ID-MS). 13C4-Labeled 7-MG was synthesized to serve as an internal standard to improve accuracy of quantitation, and was used to analyze 7-MG in livers of control mice and dacarbazine-treated mice. The results confirm that 7-MG in tissue DNA can be measured using this GC/EC-ID-MS method with excellent sensitivity and specificity. Administration of 0, 30, and 60 mg/kg dacarbazine to mice led to dose-dependent increases in the formation of 7-MG. The results indicate that this method could be applied to the analysis of endogenous and exogenous 7-MG in human tissues for future molecular epidemiology studies on potential health effects caused by methylating agents.

Targeted lipidomics using electron capture atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry

There is an increasing need to be able to conduct quantitative lipidomics analyses as a complement to proteomics studies. The highest specificity for proteomics analysis can be obtained using methodology based on electrospray ionization (ESI) or atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) coupled with liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). For lipidomics analysis it is often necessary to be able to separate enantiomers and regioisomers. This can be very challenging when using methodology based on conventional reversed-phase chromatography. Normal-phase chromatography using chiral columns can provide dramatic improvements in the resolution of enantiomers and regioisomers. However, conventional ESI- and APCI-MS/MS has limited sensitivity, which makes it difficult to conduct studies in cell culture systems where only trace amounts of non-esterified bioactive lipids are present. The use of electron capture APCI-MS/MS overcomes this problem. Enantiomers and regioisomers of diverse bioactive lipids can be quantified using stable isotope dilution methodology coupled with normal-phase chiral chromatography and electron capture APCI-MS/MS. This methodology has allowed a lipidomics profile from rat epithelial cells maintained in culture to be delineated and allowed the effect of a non-selective lipoxygenase inhibitor to be assessed.

Applications of mass spectrometry for quantitation of DNA adducts

DNA adducts are formed when electrophilic molecules or free radicals attack DNA. 32P-postlabeling has been the most commonly used assay for quantitation of DNA adducts due mainly to its excellent sensitivity that allows quantitation at concentrations as low as approximately 1 adduct per 10(9) normal bases. Such methods, however, do not have the specificity desired for accurate and reliable quantitation, and are prone to produce false positives and artifacts. In the last decade, mass spectrometry in combination with liquid and gas chromatography has presented itself as a good alternative to these techniques since it can satisfy the need for specificity and reliability through the use of stable isotope-labeled internal standards and highly specific detection modes such as selected reaction monitoring and high-resolution mass spectrometry. In this article, the contribution of mass spectrometry to the quantitation of DNA adducts is reviewed with special emphasis on unique applications of mass spectrometry in the area of DNA adduct quantitation and recent applications with improvements in sensitivity.

Detection of DNA adducts of benzo[a]pyrene using immunoelectrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence. Analysis of A549 cells

Detection of benzo[a]pyrene diol epoxide (BPDE)-damaged DNA in a human lung carcinoma cell line (A549) has been performed using free zone affinity capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence (LIF). Using BPDE as a model carcinogenic compound, the speed, sensitivity and specificity of this technique was demonstrated. Under free zone conditions, an antibody bound adduct was baseline-resolved from an unbound adduct in less than 2 min. The efficiencies of separation were in excess of 6 x 10(5) and 1 x 10(6) plates per meter for the antibody-bound and unbound adducts, respectively. Separation using a low ionic strength buffer permitted the use of a high electric field (830 V/cm) without the loss of resolving power. Using LIF detection, a concentration detection limit of roughly 3 x 10(-10) M was achieved for a 90-mer oligonuleotide containing a single BDPE. The use of formamide in the incubation buffer to enhance denaturing of DNA did not affect the stability of the complex between the antibody and the adducts. Using a fluorescently labeled BPDE-modified DNA adduct probe, a competitive assay was established to determine the levels of BPDE-DNA adducts in A549 cells.

Product ion studies of diastereomeric benzo[ghi]fluoranthene tetraols by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry and post-source decay

The product ion formation characteristics of the four diastereomeric tetrahydroxy benzo[ghi]fluoranthene compounds formed by hydrolysis of the syn and anti diastereomers of trans-3,4-dihydroxy-5,5a-epoxy-3,4,5,5a-tetrahydrobenzo[ghi]fluoranthene are studied using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization and post-source decay (PSD) to determine a correlation between the fragmentation characteristics of these tetraols and the structures of the diol-epoxide diastereomers from which they are hydrolyzed. The tetraols formed by the trans ring opening of the diol epoxides during hydrolysis yield product ion spectra specific for the syn and anti configurations of their precursor diol epoxides. All four diastereomeric tetraols form product ions by the losses of one and/or two water molecules in varying proportions when lithium-cationized molecule ions (m/z 301) are selected for PSD product ion analysis. The differences in the PSD spectra of these four Li+-cationized molecules are rationalized in terms of a water loss mechanism that involves the 1,2 elimination of a hydrogen atom and hydroxyl group that are cis with respect to each other on adjacent carbons.

Quantitative detection of N(7)-(2-hydroxyethyl)guanine adducts in DNA using high-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry

High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was combined with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS) to develop a sensitive and selective method for the quantitative measurement of N(7)-(2-hydroxyethyl)guanine (N(7)-HEG) adducts in DNA obtained from ethylene oxide-exposed biological samples. Selected reaction monitoring (SRM) was used as the detection mode while the fragmentation product ion at m/z 152 generated from the precursor protonated N(7)-HEG (m/z 196) was monitored. The detection limits for N(7)-HEG were estimated by twofold serial dilution and determined to be 4 fmol in neat standard solution and 16 fmol when a matrix effect is considered. When the mass spectrometer was operated in the selected ion monitoring mode using only the first quadrupole (without MS/MS function), the detection limits increased to 128 fmol and 1 pmol (when matrix effect is considered), respectively. A good linear correlation (R(2) = 0.999) was observed for signal intensities obtained by injecting 16 fmol--33 pmol of N(7)-HEG into the HPLC/ESI-MS/MS system. Hep G2 cells were incubated for 8 h with medium containing various concentrations of ethylene oxide (ranging from 0.05 to 5.0 mM). A dose-response relationship was established, indicating that the adduct formation increases with the exposure level. The method shows potential, although the detection limit needs to be lowered for practical applications, for use in monitoring N(7)-HEG formation in other biological systems.

Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry of oligonucleotide complexes with drugs, metals, and proteins

I. Introduction 61 II. Binding of Small Molecules to DNA 62 A. Covalent Binding 62 B. Reversible (Noncovalent) DNA-Binding Agents 65 III. DNA-Metal Ion Complexes 67 A. Platinum Complexes 70 B. Other Metal Ions 73 IV. DNA-Protein Complexes 74 A. Introduction 74 B. ESI-MS of DNA-Protein Complexes 76 C. ESI-MS Analysis of Proteolytic Products of DNA-Protein Complexes 79 D. ESI-MS of Ternary DNA-Protein-Ligand Complexes 80 V. Conclusions 80 Abbreviations 81 References 81 --Interactions of DNA with drugs, metal ions, and proteins are important in a wide variety of biological processes. With the advent of electrospray ionization (ESI) and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI), mass spectrometry (MS) is now a well-established tool for the characterization of the primary structures of biopolymers. The gentle nature of the ESI process, however, means that ESI-MS is also finding application for the study of noncovalent and other fragile biomolecular complexes. We outline here the progress, to date, in the use of ESI-MS for the study of noncovalent drug-DNA and protein-DNA complexes together with strategies that can be employed to examine the binding of small molecules and metal complexes to DNA. In the case of covalent complexes with DNA, sequence information can be derived from ESI-MS used in conjunction with tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) and/or enzymatic digestion. MS/MS can also be used to probe the relative binding affinities of drugs that bind to DNA via noncovalent interactions. Overall, the work in this area, to date has demonstrated that ESI-MS and MS/MS will prove to be valuable complements to other structural methods, offering advantages in terms of speed, specificity, and sensitivity. (c) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Electron-capture mass spectrometry: recent advances

Electron-capture (EC) is a sensitive and selective ionization technique for mass spectrometry (MS). In the most familiar form of EC, a susceptible analyte (electrophore) is detected after eluting from a gas chromatography (GC) column, where a low attomole detection limit for standards is routine. High-performance liquid chromatography can facilitate sample cleanup prior to detection by GC-EC-MS, but carryover and shifts in retention time for the "invisible" analyte can be difficulties. Solid-phase extraction avoids these difficulties, but the degree of cleanup and recovery can be problems. Alternative electrophoric derivatizing reagents are available to help deal with interferences, and new reagents such as "AMACE1" are emerging. Releasable forms of electrophores can be used as tags for labeling macromolecules, motivated by the desire to multiplex ligand-type assays. The conventional, gas-phase ion source for EC is not well-understood, especially the role of wall reactions. Using an electron monochromator to tune the electron energy adds to the selectivity and information provided by EC-MS. High-resolution and tandem EC-MS measurements are emerging. Electron-capture dissociation is a new technique to sequence small- to medium-sized peptides, having the advantage of providing more extensive sequence information relative to other MS techniques. Particle-beam EC-MS tends to be less sensitive than GC-EC-MS, but not always. Recently it was demonstrated that EC-MS can be accomplished on an ordinary laser desorption time-of-flight mass spectrometer, and also by using atmospheric pressure chemical ionization. Two applications are discussed here in detail: bile acids and oxidized phenylalanine. EC-MS is well-established as a useful technique for trace analysis in special cases, and the scope of its usefulness is broadening (qualitative analysis and detection of more polar and larger molecules), based on advances in both the chemical and instrumental aspects of this technique.

Liquid chromatography/electron capture atmospheric pressure chemical ionization/mass spectrometry: analysis of pentafluorobenzyl derivatives of biomolecules and drugs in the attomole range

The corona discharge used to generate positive and negative ions under conventional atmospheric pressure chemical ionization conditions also provides a source of gas-phase electrons. This is thought to occur by displacement of electrons from the nitrogen sheath gas. Therefore, suitable analytes can undergo electron capture in the gas phase in a manner similar to that observed for gas chromatography/electron capture negative chemical ionization/mass spectrometry. This technique, which has been named electron capture atmospheric pressure chemical ionization/mass spectrometry, provided an increase in sensitivity of 2 orders of magnitude when compared with conventional atmospheric pressure chemical ionization methodology. It is a simple procedure to tag many biomolecules and drugs with an electron-capturing group such as the pentafluorobenzyl moiety before analysis. Pentafluorobenzyl derivatives have previously been used as electron capturing derivatives because they undergo dissociative electron capture in the gas phase to generate negative ions through the loss of a pentafluorobenzyl radical. A similar process was found to occur under electron capture atmospheric pressure chemical ionization conditions. By monitoring the negative ions that were formed, it was possible to obtain attomole sensitivity for pentafluorobenzyl derivatives of a representative steroid, steroid metabolite, prostaglandin, thromboxane, amino acid, and DNA-adduct.

AMACE1: versatile aminoacetamide electrophore reagent

Acetamide, 2-amino-N-[[3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]-methyl]-N-methyl-, monohydrochloride, which we have named AMACE1, was synthesized in three steps starting from N-tritylglycine. AMACE1 was coupled via its primary amine group (pKa 8.2) under aqueous conditions to four model analytes for oxidative sugar damage to DNA: glycolate, 3-hydroxy-2-butanone, 3-phenylbutyraldehyde, and alpha-hydroxy-gamma-butyrolactone, relying on cyanoborohydride for coupling to a keto function and a water-soluble carbodiimide for coupling to a carboxyl function. Further reaction with butyric anhydride led to products that could be detected by gas chromatography/electron capture mass spectrometry when 1 microL of ethyl acetate containing essentially 20 amol of each product was injected, on the basis of selected ion monitoring of the analyte characteristic anion fragment from dissociative loss of the 3,5-bis-(trifluoromethyl)phenylmethyl moiety: m/z 215, 289, 299, and 329, respectively. Since many small, organic analytes contain a keto or carboxylic acid group, AMACE1 should be useful in general in the area of trace organic analysis.

Laser-induced electron capture mass spectrometry

Two techniques are reported for detection of electrophorederivatized compounds by laser-induced electron capture time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LI-EC-TOF-MS). In both cases, a nitrogen laser is used to induce the electron capture. The analyte is deposited in a matrix consisting of a compound with a low ionization potential such as benzo[ghi]perylene in the first technique, where the electron for electron capture apparently comes from this matrix. In the second technique, the analyte is deposited on a silver surface in the absence of matrix. It seems that "monoenergetic" ions instantly desorb from the target surface in the latter case, since the peak width in the continuous extraction mode essentially matches the pulse width of the laser (4 ns). Ten picomoles of 3-O-(pentafluorobenzyl)-alpha-estradiol were detected at a S/N > or = 50, where the spot size of the laser was approximately 0.25% of the sample spot. It is attractive that simple conditions can enable sensitive detection of electrophores on routine TOF-MS equipment. The technique can be anticipated to broaden the range of analytes in both polarity and size that can be detected by EC-MS relative to the range for GC/EC-MS.

Analysis of melphalan adducts of 2'-deoxynucleotides in calf thymus DNA hydrolysates by capillary high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry

Melphalan is a bifunctional alkylating agent that covalently binds with intracellular nucleophilic sites. A methodology using electrospray mass spectrometry was developed to detect and identify DNA adducts. Alkylation sites within a particular nucleotide were examined using electrospray tandem mass spectrometry hyphenated to capillary liquid chromatography in combination with a column switching system. In the reaction mixtures resulting from the interaction of 2'-deoxynucleotides and melphalan several base-aklylated adducts were found. In the case of 2'-deoxyadenosine monophosphate, thymidine monophosphate and 2'-deoxyguanosine phosphate alkylation was observed in the mononucleotide reaction mixtures but not in the DNA-hydrolysates. Calf thymus DNA was reacted in vitro with melphalan. The DNA pellet was isolated and enzymatically hydrolyzed with the aid of Nuclease P1. In this hydrolysate both mono-alkylated 2'-deoxynucleotides and dinucleotides were found. The most important adduct found was identified as the N-7 alklylated dGMP adduct. The alkylated dinucleotides were identified as a pdApdT/melphalan and pdGpdC/melphalan the latter being the most important.

Analysis of DNA adduct, S-[2-(N7-guanyl)ethyl]glutathione, by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry

Sensitive and specific isotope dilution liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) and liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) methods were developed for the detection and quantitative analysis of S-[2-(N7-guanyl)ethyl]glutathione as a DNA adduct formed upon exposure of animals to carcinogenic 1,2-dihaloethanes. Separation and analysis were performed using microbore HPLC coupled in-line to an electrospray ionization triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. S-[2-(N7-guanyl)[2H4]-ethyl] glutathione was synthesized and used as internal standard. These methods provide structural confirmation of the adduct as well as quantitative analysis with the accuracy and precision necessary to measure biologically relevant levels in small tissue sample sizes (< 1 g). The sample detection limits in in vivo tissue extracts were 100 pg and 5 pg on-column for LC/MS and LC/MS/MS methods, respectively. Selected-ion monitoring mode was used to monitor the product ions of the doubly charged molecular ion. The application of these methods was demonstrated by measuring the DNA adduct levels in rat and fish samples after exposure to 1,2-dihaloethanes. The method has application in studies of DNA adduct formation as a biological marker of exposure to carcinogens and for environmental monitoring of 1,2-dihaloethanes.