Genotoxicity screening using biocatalyst/DNA films and capillary LC-MS/MS

Detection of DNA adducts can serve as a basis for genotoxicty screening of new chemicals and drugs. We report here a simple, sensitive procedure for this purpose using films containing DNA and a biocatalyst to mimic the metabolic action of human liver cytochrome P450s. DNA adducts formed from an in-situ-generated toxic metabolite (styrene oxide) were detected at subpicomole levels after neutral thermal hydrolysis of the DNA films and analysis with capillary liquid chromatography with on-line column preconcentration and MS/MS detection. An on-line column switching system allowed for increased sample loading volume and analyte preconcentration. This approach provides an estimate of the relative rate of DNA damage.     

High-throughput metabolic toxicity screening using magnetic biocolloid reactors and LC-MS/MS

An inexpensive, high-throughput genotoxicity screening method was developed by using magnetic particles coated with cytosol/microsome/DNA films as biocolloid reactors in a 96-well plate format coupled with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Incorporation of both microsomal and cytosolic enzymes in the films provides a broad spectrum of metabolic enzymes representing a range of metabolic pathways for bioactivation of chemicals. Reactive metabolites generated via this process are trapped by covalently binding to DNA in the film. The DNA is then hydrolyzed and nucleobase adducts are collected using filters in the bottom for the 96-well plate of analysis by capillary liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The magnetic particles facilitate simple and rapid sample preparation and workup. Major DNA adducts from ethylene dibromide, N-acetyl-2-aminofluorene and styrene were identified in proof-of-concept studies. Relative formation rates of DNA adducts correlated well with rodent genotoxicity metric TD(50) for the three compounds. This method has the potential for high-throughput genotoxicity screening, providing chemical structure information that is complementary to toxicity bioassays.     

Systematic identification of mitochondrial proteins by LC-MS/MS

In eukaryotic cells, the mitochondrion is the key organelle for cellular respiration. Mitochondrial proteome analysis is difficult to perform by the classical proteomic approach involving two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2DE), because this organelle contains a large number of membrane-associated and highly alkaline proteins usually requiring specific treatments to be successfully analyzed. Here, an alternative approach was evaluated and led to the rapid and sensitive identification of approximately 35% of the yeast mitochondrial proteins. It consists of an SDS-PAGE gel electrophoresis of the total mitochondrial protein in combination with the LC-MS/MS analysis of the digestion products of gel slices. The use of only 40 microg of mitochondrial protein enabled the identification of 179 different gene products divided into similar proportions of membrane and soluble proteins. The distribution of the identified proteins in terms of pI and hydrophobicity revealed that the present analytical strategy is largely unbiased. The identification of 28 proteins of previously unknown subcellular localization demonstrated the ability of SDS-PAGE-LC-MS/MS to rapidly supplement the knowledge of the mitochondrial proteome.     

LC-MS/MS assay for protein amino acids and metabolically related compounds for large-scale screening of metabolic phenotypes

A modified LC-MS/MS method for large-scale screening of metabolic phenotypes was developed and validated. Twenty amino acids and 5 metabolically related compounds are measured within 4 min using multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) transitions selective for each compound. Separation with a short C18 column and rapid gradient using the ion-pairing reagent perfluoroheptanoic acid allows chromatographic resolution of the isomers Ile and Leu and improved chromatographic peak shapes for Lys, Arg, and His. MRM transitions were established with capability to distinguish isomers Leu from Ile and Thr from homoserine even when chromatographic resolution is incomplete. The reproducibility of the assay was tested by adding eight stable isotope-labeled amino acid standards (AA*) to extracts of Arabidopsis thaliana seeds. In intra- and interday assay comparisons, mean coefficients of variation of the peak area ratios of AA/AA* were less than 5% for all but Gly/Gly-D2-15N1. Recoveries of these eight amino acids ranged from 62 to 94% and suppression of signal by the matrix were 31-65%. Dilution of seed extracts reduced ion suppression for early-eluting amino acids but had minimal effects for those eluting later. The intra- and interday accuracies for these eight amino acids were 77-131 and 88-133% of nominal concentrations, respectively.     

Optimization of the coating procedure for a high-throughput 96-blade solid phase microextraction system coupled with LC-MS/MS for analysis of complex samples

Biocompatible C18-polyacrylonitrile (PAN) coating was used as the extraction phase for an automated 96-blade solid phase microextraction (SPME) system with thin-film geometry. Three different methods of coating preparation (dipping, brush painting, and spraying) were evaluated; the spraying method was optimum in terms of its stability and reusability. The high-throughput sample preparation was achieved by using a robotic autosampler that enabled simultaneous preparation of 96 samples in 96-well-plate format. The increased volume of the extraction phase of the C18-PAN thin film coating resulted in significant enhancement in the extraction recovery when compared with that of the C18-PAN rod fibers. Various factors, such as reusability, reproducibility, pH stability, and reliability of the coating were evaluated. The results showed that the C18-PAN 96-blade SPME coating presented good extraction recovery, long-term reusability, good reproducibility, and biocompatibility. The limits of detection and quantitation were in the ranges of 0.1-0.3 and 0.5-1 ng/mL for all four analytes.     

QuaMeter: multivendor performance metrics for LC-MS/MS proteomics instrumentation

LC-MS/MS-based proteomics studies rely on stable analytical system performance that can be evaluated by objective criteria. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) introduced the MSQC software to compute diverse metrics from experimental LC-MS/MS data, enabling quality analysis and quality control (QA/QC) of proteomics instrumentation. In practice, however, several attributes of the MSQC software prevent its use for routine instrument monitoring. Here, we present QuaMeter, an open-source tool that improves MSQC in several aspects. QuaMeter can directly read raw data from instruments manufactured by different vendors. The software can work with a wide variety of peptide identification software for improved reliability and flexibility. Finally, QC metrics implemented in QuaMeter are rigorously defined and tested. The source code and binary versions of QuaMeter are available under Apache 2.0 License at http://fenchurch.mc.vanderbilt.edu.     

LC-MS/MS法测定比格犬血浆中的阿那曲唑

用高效液相色谱-串联质谱法(LC-MS/MS)测定比格犬血浆中阿那曲唑的浓度。以苯磺酸氨氯地平为内标,加入50μL血浆,用甲基叔丁基醚萃取后取上清液以氮气吹干,用50%甲醇水溶液复溶,进样5μL,在电喷雾离子源下进行正离子检测。色谱柱为Agilent XDB C18(50mm×2.1mm×3.5μm),流动相为0.1%甲酸水-0.1%甲酸乙腈(60∶40)。阿那曲唑和内标的质荷比(m/z)分别为294.4和409,阿那曲唑和内标生成的主要碎片离子的质荷比(m/z)分别为255.3和238。阿那曲唑在0.5~500 ng·mL-1内线性良好,检出限为0.5ng·mL-1,提取回收率均大于80%,日内、日间准确度为101%~104%,日内、日间精密度分别小于7.04%和8.69%,已成功检测比格犬血浆中阿那曲唑的血药浓度。所用方法稳定、灵敏度好、分析时间短、提取回收率高,适用于比格犬血浆中阿那曲唑的血药浓度测定。     

辣椒中辣椒素类物质的液相色谱-串联质谱测定方法研究

建立液相色谱-串联质谱联用仪测定辣椒中辣椒素、二氢辣椒素和降二氢辣椒素3种辣椒素类物质的方法。样品用无水乙醇超声提取,经SB-C18色谱柱分离,以0.1%甲酸水溶液-甲醇为流动相进行梯度洗脱,多重反应监测(MRM),外标法定量。结果表明:降二氢辣椒素和辣椒素质量浓度在1.0~10 000.0 ng/m L范围内与峰面积呈现良好线性关系,二氢辣椒素质量浓度在0.5~10 000.0 ng/m L范围内与峰面积呈现良好线性关系。方法的加标回收率为96.8%~104.0%,相对标准偏差均小于5%,检出限为0.075~0.15 mg/kg,定量限为0.25~0.5 mg/kg,具有操作简单、灵敏度高、准确性好、线性范围宽、所用试剂毒性小等优势,可很好地满足辣椒中辣椒素、二氢辣椒素和降二氢辣椒素3种辣椒素类物质的测定。     

氟乙酸钠衍生物LC-MS/MS检验方法研究

本文采用DEPA和DDC对氟乙酸钠进行衍生,通过高分辨质谱系统发现并确定衍生物母离子和大多数子离子后,用串联四级杆复合线性离子阱质谱对其进行参数优化,建立LC-MS/MS的定性方法。随后,分别对水相衍生体系和有机相衍生体系的灵敏度进行评估。实验证明,后者的衍生物提取率只有前者的0.75%。     

茶叶中高氯酸盐的液相色谱-串联质谱测定方法研究

针对茶叶中出现的高氯酸盐污染问题,建立液相色谱-串联质谱联用仪测定方法。样品经100 m L热水提取,于10 000 r/min下离心10 min,上清液经C18固相萃取柱净化,ZORBAX SAX色谱柱分离,以100 mmol/L乙酸铵溶液-甲醇-乙腈为流动相进行梯度洗脱,多重反应监测(MRM),外标法定量。结果表明,高氯酸盐质量浓度在0.5~200.0μg/L范围内与峰面积呈现良好线性关系,方法的加标回收率为98.9%~101.9%,相对标准偏差均6%,检出限为0.004 mg/kg,定量限为0.01 mg/kg,具有操作简单、灵敏度高、稳定性好等优点,可很好地满足茶叶中高氯酸盐的检测和质量监管需要。     

LC-MS/MS analysis of peptides with methanol as organic modifier: improved limits of detection

With the advent of soft ionization methods such as MALDI and ESI, mass spectrometry has become the most important technique for the analysis of proteins and peptides. ESI-MS is often preceded by separation of the peptide sample by reversed-phase liquid chromatography (LC). Acetonitrile (ACN) is the most commonly employed organic solvent in LC-ESI-MS analysis of peptides. In this report, we demonstrate that the use of methanol (MeOH) as the organic modifier improves the detection limits for analysis of peptide mixtures such as those found in tryptic digests of proteins. A nanoLC-ESI-quadrupole ion trap instrument (LCQ Deca, ThermoFinnigan) was used to analyze peptide standards, protein digests of known concentrations, and tryptic digests of 2-DGE-separated proteins. MeOH displayed excellent chromatographic performance (separation and sensitivity), and shorter gradient times were possible for chromatographic separation with MeOH versus ACN. Sensitivity levels of a few hundred attomoles were achieved with MeOH; those levels could not be achieved with ACN. In addition, MeOH-based nanoLC-MS/MS yielded superior results for the analysis of digests of 2-DGE-separated proteins. For the 14 protein spots analyzed, the success rate of protein identification with MeOH-based nanoLC-ESI-MS/MS was 100%, with multiple proteins identified in several of the spots. In contrast, ACN-based procedure failed to identify any proteins in 21% of the spots and overall identified 33% fewer proteins than the MeOH-based procedure. In summary, higher sensitivity and shorter gradient times make MeOH an excellent organic modifier for the use in nanoLC-ESI-MS/MS analysis of peptides.     

Detection of multiphosphorylated peptides in LC-MS/MS analysis under low pH conditions

An improved method of detection of multiphosphorylated peptides by RPLC-MS/MS analysis under low pH conditions (pH approximately 1.7, 3% formic acid) is demonstrated for the model phosphoproteins, bovine alpha- and beta-casein. Changes in the pH conditions from normal (pH approximately 3.0, 0.1% formic acid) to low (pH approximately 1.7, 3% formic acid) significantly improved the detection limit of multiphosphorylated peptides carrying negative (-) solution charge states. In particular, bovine beta-casein tetraphosphorylated peptide, was detected with a loading amount of only 50 fmol of trypsin-digested bovine beta-casein under low pH conditions, which is 200 times lower than necessary to detect the peptide under normal pH conditions. In order to understand the low pH effect, various loading amounts of trypsin-digested bovine alpha- and beta-caseins were analyzed by RPLC-MS/MS analyses under two different pH conditions. The question of whether the low pH condition improves the detection of multiphosphorylated peptides by increasing ionization efficiencies could not be proven in this study because synthetic multiphosphorylated peptides could not be easily obtained by peptide synthesis. Interestingly, increased hydrophilicity resulting from multiple phosphorylation events is shown to negatively affect the peptide retention on reversed-phase column material. It was also demonstrated that the low pH condition could effectively enhance the retention of multiphosphorylated peptides on reversed-phase column material. The usefulness of low pH RPLC analysis was tested using an actual phosphopeptide-enriched sample prepared from mouse brain tissues. Previously, low pH solvents have been used in SCX fractionation and TiO2 enrichment processes to selectively enrich phosphopeptides during the phosphopeptide enrichment procedure, but the improved detection of multiphosphorylated peptides in RPLC-MS/MS analysis under low pH conditions has not been reported before (Ballif, B. A.; Villen, J.; Beausoleil, S. A.; Schwartz, D.; Gygi, S. P. Mol. Cell. Proteomics 2004, 3, 1093-1101. Villen, J.; Beausoleil, S. A.; Gerber, S. A.; Gygi, S. P. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 2007, 104, 1488-1493. Schlosser, A.; Vanselow, J. T.; Kramer, A. Anal. Chem. 2005, 77, 5243-5250.).     

液质联用法测定蔬菜、水果、土壤中的溴氰虫酰胺残留

建立了一种超高效液相色谱-电喷雾电离串联质谱法测定蔬菜、水果和土壤中的溴氰虫酰胺残留的方法。试样经QuEChERS方法前处理,超高效液相色谱-电喷雾电离串联质谱法测定,外标法定量。溴氰虫酰胺在0.5-200μg/L有良好的线性关系,相关系数r0.999,检出限为0.15μg/kg,定量下限为0.5μg/kg,加标回收率在70%-110%,相对标准偏差小于5.0%,该方法简便、可靠、稳定,灵敏度高,可用于分析蔬菜、水果和土壤中溴氰虫酰胺的残留量。     

Clinical pharmacokinetic assessment of an anti-MAdCAM monoclonal antibody therapeutic by LC-MS/MS

Liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) has been shown to be a viable tool for preclinical pharmacokinetic (PK) analysis of monoclonal antibody (mAb) therapeutics. This work describes free and total PK assays for the mAb PF-00547,659 in serum of ulcerative colitis patients in a First-In-Human study [Vermeire, S. et al. Gut2011, 60 (8), 1068-1075]. The assay to measure free PF-00547,659 used immuno-enrichment with a biotinylated anti-idiotypic antibody and streptavidin magnetic beads. The total assay used enrichment by protein G magnetic beads. Following elution of PF-00547,659 from the beads, addition of an extended sequence stable isotope labeled peptide and trypsin digestion, a proteotypic peptide derived from the CDR region of the light chain of PF-00547,659 was quantified by LC-MS/MS. The free assay had a calibration range from 7.03 ng/mL to 450 ng/mL. The assay was precise and accurate with interbatch imprecision <16.5%, and interbatch inaccuracy <13.7% at all concentrations investigated during assay qualification. Results from LC-MS/MS methodologies are compared with historical immunoassay data originally acquired during the course of the clinical study. PK parameter estimates were highly correlated between the two analytical approaches. This work provides precedence that immunoaffinity LC-MS/MS can effectively be used to measure the serum concentrations of mAb therapeutics in clinical studies.     

常用药材中去甲乌药碱的LC-MS/MS测定方法研究

该文建立常用药材中去甲乌药碱的LC-MS/MS测定方法。采用Hypersil Gold-C18柱(100mm×2.1mm,3μm)为色谱柱,流动相A为0.1%甲酸水溶液,流动相B为甲醇,进行梯度洗脱,流量为0.3 mL/min;质谱采用电喷雾电离(ESI+)模式离子化,选择反应监测模式(SRM)扫描。结果表明:去甲乌药碱在3.05~122 ng/mL的浓度范围内线性关系良好(y=1 530.85x-153.164,r=0.999 3);检测限和定量限分别为0.6,3 ng/mL;重复性精密度和中间精密度分别为4.08%和4.73%;平均加样回收率为86.98%;22种常用中药材中仅有4种药材检测出去甲乌药碱,含量(μg/g)分别为细辛(8.66)黄柏(8.216)花椒(5.010)地肤子(4.66)。所建分析方法可快速、灵敏、准确地定量中药材中去甲乌药碱,并提示部分中药材和食材中存在去甲乌药碱,运动员应慎用。     

LC-MS/MS methods for absolute quantification and identification of proteins associated with chimeric plant oil bodies

Oil bodies (OBs) are plant cell organelles that consist of a lipid core surrounded by a phospholipid monolayer embedded with specialized proteins such as oleosins. Recombinant proteins expressed in plants can be targeted to OBs as fusions with oleosin. This expression strategy is attractive because OBs are easily enriched and purified from other cellular components, based on their unique physicochemical properties. For recombinant OBs to be a potential therapeutic agent in biomedical applications, it is necessary to comprehensively analyze and quantify both endogenous and heterologously expressed OB proteins. In this study, a mass spectrometry (MS)-based method was developed to accurately quantify an OB-targeted heterologously expressed fusion protein that has potential as a therapeutic agent. The effect of the chimeric oleosin expression upon the OB proteome in transgenic plants was also investigated, and the identification of new potential OB residents was pursued through a variety of liquid chromatography (LC)-MS/MS approaches. The results showed that the accumulation of the fusion protein on OBs was low. Moreover, no significant differences in the accumulation of OB proteins were revealed between transgenic and wild-type seeds. The identification of five new putative components of OB proteome was also reported.     

Peptide electroextraction for direct coupling of in-gel digests with capillary LC-MS/MS for protein identification and sequencing

An electrophoretic method has been developed for the extraction of peptides following in-gel digests of SDS-PAGE separated proteins. During electroextraction, the peptides are trapped on a strong cation-exchange microcartridge, before analysis by capillary LC--ESI-tandem mass spectrometry. The spectra obtained by tandem mass spectrometry are searched directly against a protein database for identification of the protein from which the peptide originated. By minimizing surface exposure of the peptides during electroextraction, a reduction of the detection limits for protein identification is realized. The performance of the peptide electroextraction was compared directly with the standard extraction method for in-gel protein digests, using a standard dilution series of phosphorylase B and carbonic anhydrase, separated by SDS-PAGE. The lowest gel loading in which phosphorylase B was identified using the standard extraction method was 2.5 ng or 25 fmol, and the lowest gel loading in which phosphorylase B was identified using electroextraction was 1.25 ng or 12.5 fmol. The design of the microextraction cartridge allows for direct interfacing with capillary LC, which is crucial for maintaining low detection limits. Furthermore, this method can be used for high-throughput proteomics since it can be easily multiplexed and requires only voltage control and low pressures (approximately 15 psi) for operation. We believe that peptide electroextraction is a significant advance for identification of proteins separated by one-dimensional or two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, as it can be easily automated and requires less protein than conventional methods.     

固相萃取-液相色谱串联质谱法测定葡萄酒中27种农药残留

建立固相萃取-液相色谱串联质谱的分析方法同时检测葡萄酒中27种农药残留。葡萄酒样品经乙腈超声提取,进行40℃旋转蒸发后,使用CARB/PSA双层SPE小柱进行净化,采用C18色谱柱分离,以含甲酸的乙酸铵缓冲液和乙腈为流动相进行梯度洗脱,在质谱的正离子多反应监测(MRM)模式下进行检测。结果表明:该方法对空白葡萄酒加标水平下27种农药残留的测定线性良好,检测下限(10S/N)在2.5~10μg·kg-1之间,分别在不同3个浓度水平上用标准加入法进行回收试验,平均回收率在60~88%之间,相对标准偏差(n=6)在5.5到16.2%之间。该方法快速准确,灵敏度好,可满足葡萄酒产品的日常检测。     

Method for internal standard introduction for quantitative analysis using on-line solid-phase extraction LC-MS/MS

A novel approach for on-line introduction of internal standard (IS) for quantitative analysis using LC-MS/MS has been developed. In this approach, analyte and IS are introduced into the sample injection loop in different steps. Analyte is introduced into the injection loop using a conventional autosampler (injector) needle pickup from a sample vial. IS is introduced into the sample injection loop on-line from a microreservoir containing the IS solution using the autosampler. As a result, both analyte and IS are contained in the sample loop prior to the injection into the column. Methodology allowed to reliably introduce IS and demonstrated injection accuracy and precision comparable to those obtained using off-line IS introduction (i.e., IS and analyte are premixed before injection) while maintaining chromatographic parameters (i.e., analyte and IS elution time and peak width). This new technique was applied for direct analysis of model compounds in rat plasma using on-line solid-phase extraction (SPE) LC-MS/MS quantification. In combination with on-line SPE, IS serves as a surrogate IS and compensates for signal variations attributed to sample preparation and instrumentation factors including signal suppression. The assays yielded accuracy (85-119%), precision (2-16%), and analyte recovery comparable to those obtained using off-line IS introduction. Furthermore, on-line IS introduction allows for nonvolumetric sample (plasma) collection and direct analysis without the need of measuring and aliquoting a fixed sample volume prior to the on-line SPE LC-MS/MS analysis. Therefore, this methodology enables direct sample (plasma) analysis without any sample manipulation and preparation.