Aldo Laganà

Recent developments in matrix solid-phase dispersion extraction

Matrix solid-phase dispersion is a sample preparation strategy widely applied to solid, semisolid or viscous samples, including animal tissues and foods with a high lipidic content. The process consists in blending the matrix onto a solid support, allowing the matrix cell disruption and the subsequent extraction of target analytes by means of a suitable elution solvent. First introduced in 1989, MSPD employment and developments are still growing because of the feasibility and versatility of the process, as evidenced by the several reviews that have been published since nineties. Therefore, the aim of the present review is to provide a general overview and an update of the last developments of MSPD.

Identification of changes in Triticum durum L. leaf proteome in response to salt stress by two-dimensional electrophoresis and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry

In order to understand the molecular basis of salt stress response, a proteomic approach, employing two-dimensional electrophoresis and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS), was used to identify proteins affected by salinity in wheat (Triticum durum ‘Ofanto’). Identification of proteins, whose levels were altered, was performed by comparing protein patterns of salt-treated and control plants. A set of control plants was grown without NaCl addition under the same conditions as the salt-treated plants. Proteins were extracted from the leaves of untreated and NaCl-treated plants, and resolved using 24-cm immobilized pH gradient strips with a pH 4–7 linear gradient in the first dimension and a 12.5% sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the second dimension; the gels were stained with Coomassie and image analysis was performed. Quantitative evaluation, statistical analyses and MALDI-TOF MS characterization of the resolved spots in treated and untreated samples enabled us to identify 38 proteins whose levels were altered in response to salt stress. In particular, ten proteins were downregulated and 28 were upregulated. A possible role of these proteins in response to salinity is discussed.

Trace analysis of estrogenic chemicals in sewage effluent using liquid chromatography combined with tandem mass spectrometry

A rapid, selective, sensitive, and reproducible method for the analysis of environmental estrogens, either natural or synthetic, present in samples from sewage treatment works (STW) has been developed. Isolation of these compounds from STWs was performed by applying a simple extraction procedure using an ENVI-CARB cartridge (a graphitized non porous carbon black) as the solid-phase extraction (SPE) system. Liquid chromatography coupled with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) and tandem mass spectrometry was used for detection. For the multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode, the [M + H](+) ion of estrone and the [M + H-H(2)O](+) ions of 17beta-estradiol, estriol and 17alpha-ethynylestradiol were selected as the precursors for collisionally induced dissociation (CID). The average recoveries from sewage final effluent samples ranged from 84 to 93% for low levels, and from 89 to 95% for high levels. The precision of the method ranged from 11 to 8% for low level and from 9 to 7% for high level samples. The lower level of quantitation for these estrogens in STW samples was determined at 0.5 ng/L for 17beta-estradiol and 17alpha-ethynylestradiol, and 1 ng/L for estrone and estriol, based on 1-L aliquots of sewage treatment works water, using the optimum tuning parameters for each individual selected precursor ion/product ion transition. Compared to a previous gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) method for the analysis of ten STW samples, this method was shown to provide higher sensitivity and lower time consumption.

Multiclass mycotoxin analysis in food, environmental and biological matrices with chromatography/mass spectrometry.

Mold metabolites that can elicit deleterious effects on other organisms are classified as mycotoxins. Human exposure to mycotoxins occurs mostly through the intake of contaminated agricultural products or residues due to carry over or metabolite products in foods of animal origin such as milk and eggs, but can also occur by dermal contact and inhalation. Mycotoxins contained in moldy foods, but also in damp interiors, can cause diseases in humans and animals. Nephropathy, various types of cancer, alimentary toxic aleukia, hepatic diseases, various hemorrhagic syndromes, and immune and neurological disorders are the most common diseases that can be related to mycotoxicosis. The absence or presence of mold infestation and its propagation are seldom correlated with mycotoxin presence. Mycotoxins must be determined directly, and suitable analytical methods are necessary. Hundreds of mycotoxins have been recognized, but only for a few of them, and in a restricted number of utilities, a maximum acceptable level has been regulated by law. However, mycotoxins seldom develop alone; more often various types and/or classes form in the same substrate. The co-occurrence might render the individual mycotoxin tolerance dose irrelevant, and therefore the mere presence of multiple mycotoxins should be considered a risk factor. The advantage of chromatography/mass spectrometry (MS) is that many compounds can be determined and confirmed in one analysis. This review illustrates the state-of-the-art of mycotoxin MS-based analytical methods for multiclass, multianalyte determination in all the matrices in which they appear. A chapter is devoted to the history of the long-standing coexistence and interaction among humans, domestic animals and mycotoxicosis, and the history of the discovery of mycotoxins. Quality assurance, although this topic relates to analytical chemistry in general, has been also examined for mycotoxin analysis as a preliminary to the systematic literature excursus. Sample handling is a crucial step to devise a multiclass analytical method; so when possible, it has been treated separately for a better comparison before tackling the instrumental part of the whole analytical method. This structure has resulted sometimes in unavoidable redundancies, because it was also important to underline the interconnection. Most reviews do not deal with all the possible mycotoxin sources, including the environmental ones. The focus of this review is the analytical methods based on MS for multimycotoxin class determination. Because the final purpose to devise multimycotoxin analysis should be the assessment of the danger to health of exposition to multitoxicants of natural origin (and possibly also the interaction with anthropogenic contaminants), therefore also the analytical methods for environmental relevant mycotoxins have been thoroughly reviewed. Finally, because the best way to shed light on actual risk assessment could be the individuation of exposure biomarkers, the review covers also the scarce literature on biological fluids.

Rapid-resolution liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry for determination and quantitation of polyphenols in grape berries.

A rapid-resolution liquid chromatography/mass spectrometric (RRLC/MS) method for detection and quantitation of polyphenols in grape berry skins and seeds has been developed. Pulp-free berry skins were treated with liquid nitrogen and ground; seeds were also ground. Then, 3 g of samples were extracted with 30 mL of a mixture of methanol/water/formic acid 70:30:1 (v/v/v) under sonication and 1 microL of the final extract was injected into two 100 x 2.1 mm i.d., 1.8 microm Zorbax Eclipse plus C18 columns connected in series. Compounds were fractionated using a gradient elution of acidified acetonitrile/methanol 50:50 (v/v)/water. Columns were thermostatted at 70 degrees C. MS was carried out on an Agilent 6410 QqQ instrument equipped with an electrospray ionization source. Positive and negative MS/MS product ion scans were used for compound identification, whereas positive full scan MS in the m/z range 200-1400 was used for quantitation. By means of mass spectra comparison, various flavonols, flavan-3-ols, anthocyanins and stilbenes were identified. Quantitation was performed by external calibration, and concentration values were corrected for matrix effect that was evaluated in separate experiments. Semi-quantitative estimation was performed for compounds for which standards were not commercially available. Recoveries ranged from 90-102% with relative standard deviation (RSD) <5%, whereas the between samples RSD was in the range 4-12%. Two surrogate standards were used for quality control. The developed method was applied to analyze the polyphenol content of three Vitis vinifera table cultivars at physiological maturity and after proper preservation for 6 weeks. Results demonstrated that during preservation about half of the polyphenol content was lost.

Flavonoids: chemical properties and analytical methodologies of identification and quantitation in foods and plants

Flavonoids have been recognised as one of the largest and most widespread groups of plant secondary metabolites, with marked antioxidant properties. The general name flavonoid refers to a class of more than 6500 molecules based upon a 15-carbon skeleton. In this paper a general overview of flavonoids, their classification, structures and analytical methods for their determination is presented.

Evolution of the protein corona of lipid gene vectors as a function of plasma concentration.

The concept that the effective unit of interest in the cell-nanomaterial interaction is the particle and its corona of associated proteins is emerging. Here we investigate the compositional evolution of the protein corona of 1,2-dioleoyl-3-trimethylammonium propane (DOTAP) cationic liposomes (CLs) and DOTAP/DNA lipoplexes over a wide range of plasma concentrations (2.5-80%). The composition of the hard corona of lipoplexes is quite stable, but that of CLs does evolve considerably. We show that the protein corona of CLs is made of both low-affinity and competitive-binding proteins whose relative abundance changes with the plasma concentration. This result may have deep biological implications for the application of lipid-based gene vectors both in vitro and in vivo.

Intact protein separation by chromatographic and/or electrophoretic techniques for top-down proteomics

Mass spectrometry used in combination with a wide variety of separation methods is the principal methodology for proteomics. In bottom-up approach, proteins are cleaved with a specific proteolytic enzyme, followed by peptide separation and MS identification. In top-down approach intact proteins are introduced into the mass spectrometer. The ions generated by electrospray ionization are then subjected to gas-phase separation, fragmentation, fragment separation, and automated interpretation of mass spectrometric and chromatographic data yielding both the molecular weight of the intact protein and the protein fragmentation pattern. This approach requires high accuracy mass measurement analysers capable of separating the multi-charged isotopic cluster of proteins, such as hybrid ion trap-Fourier transform instruments (LTQ-FTICR, LTQ-Orbitrap). Front-end separation technologies tailored for proteins are of primary importance to implement top-down proteomics. This review intends to provide the state of art of protein chromatographic and electrophoretic separation methods suitable for MS coupling, and to illustrate both monodimensional and multidimensional approaches used for LC-MS top-down proteomics. In addition, some recent progresses in protein chromatography that may provide an alternative to those currently employed are also discussed.

Multiclass screening method based on solvent extraction and liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry for the determination of antimicrobials and mycotoxins in egg

A QuEChERS (Quick Easy Cheap Effective Rugged Safe)-like extraction method was developed for the simultaneous analysis of veterinary drugs and mycotoxins in hen eggs by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) with electrospray (ESI) source. Various classes of antimicrobials (tetracyclines, ionophores, coccidiostats, penicillins, cephalosporins, fluoroquinolones, sulfonamides) and mycotoxins (enniatins, beauvericin, ochratoxins, aflatoxins) were considered for the development of this method. Particular attention was devoted to extraction optimization: different solvents (acetone, acetonitrile and methanol), different pH values and different sample to extracting volume ratios were tested and evaluated in terms of recovery, relative standard deviation (RSD) and ESI signal suppression due to matrix effect. Chromatographic and mass spectrometric conditions were optimized to obtain the best instrumental performances for most of the analytes. Quantitative analysis was performed by means of matrix-matched calibration, in a range that varied depending on the analyte and its established maximum limit, when there was one. Recoveries at 100 μg kg(-1) spiking level were >62% (3<RSD<17) for all the antimicrobials except lasalocid A (41±10%) and oxacillin (56±17%). The multiclass method proposed is rapid, simple, and involves a low solvent consumption, in line with QuEChERS features and modern analytical requirements.

Development and validation of a liquid chromatography/atmospheric pressure photoionization-tandem mass spectrometric method for the analysis of mycotoxins subjected to commission regulation (EC) No. 1881/2006 in cereals.

A sensitive and reliable liquid chromatography/photoionization (APPI) tandem mass spectrometry method has been developed for determining nine selected mycotoxins in wheat and maize samples. The analytes were chosen on the basis of the mycotoxins under EU Commission Regulation (EC) No. 1881/2006, i.e., deoxynivalenol (DON), zearalenone (ZON), aflatoxins (AFs), and ochratoxin A (OTA), and considering the possibility of a near future regulation for T-2 and HT-2 toxins. Mycotoxins were extracted from samples by means of an one-step solvent extraction without any cleanup. The developed multi-mycotoxin method permits simultaneous, simple, and rapid determination of several co-existing toxins separated in a single chromatographic run, in which AFs, T-2 and HT-2 toxin are acquired in positive, while OTA, DON and ZON in negative mode. Although a moderate signal suppression was noticeable, matrix effect did not give significant differences at p=0.05. Then, calibration in standard solution were used for quantitation. Based on the EU Commission Decision 2002/657/EC, the method was in-house validated in terms of ruggedness, specificity, linearity, trueness, within-laboratory reproducibility, decision limit (CCalpha) and detection capability (CCbeta). For all the analytes, the regression coefficient r ranged between 0.8752 (DON in wheat) and 0.9465 (ZON in maize), biases related to mean concentrations were from -13% to +12% of the nominal spiking level, and the overall within-laboratory reproducibility ranged 3-16%; finally, CCalpha values did not differ more than 20% and CCbeta not more than 42% from their respective maximum limit. Method quantification limits ranged from 1/20 (AFG1) to 1/4 (AFG2 and OTA) the maximum limit established by European Union in the Commission Regulation (EC) No. 1881/2006 and its subsequent amendments.