Dietrich A. Volmer

‘Wrong-way-round’ Electrospray Ionization of Amino Acids†

‘Wrong-way-round’ electrospray ionization, in the present context, refers to observation of intense [M + H]+ ions electrosprayed from strongly basic solutions and of [M − H]− ions from strongly acidic solutions. Most previous investigations of this phenomenon have been directed at variations in charge-state distributions for polyfunctional peptides and proteins as a function of bulk solution pH. The present work extends that of Hiraoka et al. (J. Mass Spectrom. Soc. Japan43, 127 (1995)) on the pH dependence of absolute mass spectral intensities of ions in electrospray mass spectra of amino acids. This choice of test analyte permits investigation of both positive- and negative-ion mass spectra without potential complications from changes in secondary and tertiary structures as the pH is varied. The intensities of [M + H]+ and [M − H]− ions, over the pH range 3 to 11, varied by factors of 3–5 despite calculated variations of several orders of magnitude in equilibrium concentrations in the bulk solution. The same behaviour was observed for derivatized amino acids such as amides and methyl esters. Measurements of pH of collected spray, and of the total current carried by the charged droplets, confirmed that these observations can not be accounted for in terms of wholesale pH switching from acidic to basic or vice versa by electrochemical reactions at the electrospray needle. Precursors of the ‘wrong-way-round’ ions were sought by conventional precursor-ion scanning experiments but with minimal declustering conditions in the atmospheric-pressure ion-source interface. In the case of added electrolytes, such as ammonia and acetic acid, which are both volatile and capable of Bronsted acid–base behaviour, the observations were consistent with earlier interpretations involving e.g. [M + NH4+] precursors for [M + H]+ ions. Such explanations were not applicable to similar observations made for solutions with added tetramethylammonium hydroxide or hydrochloric acid.

Rapid determination of corticosteroids in urine by combined solid phase microextraction/liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry

Solid-phase microextraction combined with fast short-column liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (SPME/LC/MS) was used for isolating and analysing 11 corticosteroids and 2 steroid conjugates from urine samples. Several SPME parameters such as polarity of fibres, extraction time and effect of ionic strength, were investigated, and their impact on the SPME/LC/MS technique was studied. To demonstrate the potential of the SPME/LC/MS method, its application to the determination of steroids in human urine was investigated. The method was shown to be sensitive with detection limits between 4 and 30 ng/mL and precision between 4.9 and 11.1% RSD through the use of an internal standard technique. The versatility of the method was also exhibited by its excellent linearity in the concentration range of 20 to 20,000 ng/mL in urine for all investigated compounds. A comparison of the SPME/LC/MS method with LC/MS methods utilizing traditional sample preparation techniques, shows that the former offers similar performance in terms of precision, linearity and detection limits, but is clearly easier to use and faster to perform.

Regulation of the brain isoprenoids farnesyl- and geranylgeranylpyrophosphate is altered in male Alzheimer patients

Post-translational modification of small GTPases by farnesyl- (FPP) and geranylgeranylpyrophosphate (GGPP) has generated much attention due to their potential contribution to cancer, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. Prenylated proteins have been identified in numerous cell functions and elevated levels of FPP and GGPP have been previously proposed to occur in Alzheimer disease (AD) but have never been quantified. In the present study, we determined if the mevalonate derived compounds FPP and GGPP are increased in brain grey and white matter of male AD patients as compared with control samples. This study demonstrates for the first time that FPP and GGPP levels are significantly elevated in human AD grey and white matter but not cholesterol, indicating a potentially disease-specific targeting of isoprenoid regulation independent of HMG-CoA-reductase. Further suggesting a selective disruption of FPP and GGPP homeostasis in AD, we show that inhibition of HMG-CoA reductase in vivo significantly reduced FPP, GGPP and cholesterol abundance in mice with the largest effect on the isoprenoids. A tentative conclusion is that if indeed regulation of FPP and GGPP is altered in AD brain such changes may stimulate protein prenylation and contribute to AD neuropathophysiology.

Vitamin D in chronic liver disease.

Chronic liver disease (CLD) and several related extrahepatic manifestations such as hepatic osteodystrophy are associated with deficiency of vitamin D, which has therefore been suggested as therapeutic target. Vitamin D undergoes hepatic 25‐hydroxylation, rendering the liver critical to the metabolic activation of this vitamin. Vitamin D deficiency is highly prevalent in CLD patients, and vitamin D levels are inversely related to the severity of CLD. Declining levels of carrier proteins such as albumin and vitamin D‐binding protein might also be critical in CLD. Intervention studies report improvements of CLD following supplementation, and benefits to health outcomes in particular with respect to hepatitis C virus infection have recently been documented.

High-resolution extracted ion chromatography, a new tool for metabolomics and lipidomics using a second-generation orbitrap mass spectrometer.

Most analytical methods in metabolomics are based on one of two strategies. The first strategy is aimed at specifically analysing a limited number of known metabolites or compound classes. Alternatively, an unbiased approach can be used for profiling as many features as possible in a given metabolome without prior knowledge of the identity of these features. Using high-resolution mass spectrometry with instruments capable of measuring m/z ratios with sufficiently low mass measurement uncertainties and simultaneous high scan speeds, it is possible to combine these two strategies, allowing unbiased profiling of biological samples and targeted analysis of specific compounds at the same time without compromises. Such high mass accuracy and mass resolving power reduces the number of candidate metabolites occupying the same retention time and m/z ratio space to a minimum. In this study, we demonstrate how targeted analysis of phospholipids as well as unbiased profiling is achievable using a benchtop orbitrap instrument after high-speed reversed-phase chromatography. The ability to apply both strategies in one experiment is an important step forward in comprehensive analysis of the metabolome. Copyright

Electrospray ionization and collision-induced dissociation of antibiotic polyether ionophores

A series of polyether ionophores (lasalocid, monensin-A, narasin-A and salinomycin) was investigated by electrospray ionization (ESI) tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). A fast short-column liquid chromatographic (LC) method, using a ternary gradient sequence, was developed to separate the ionophores in less than 4 minutes. Several mobile phase parameters such as pH and solvent additives were investigated, and their impact on both chromatographic and mass spectrometric behavior was studied. The ionophores readily formed stable complexes with various metal cations present as impurities in the solvents. Therefore, a method was developed to convert the ionophores into only sodium adduct species prior to ESI analysis. This procedure maximized both sensitivity and specificity in the subsequent MS/MS step. Low energy collision-induced dissociation (CID) of the sodium adduct ions resulted in a number of structure-diagnostic product ions for all ionophores. The proposed interpretation of these fragment ions is presented in this work. Additionally, the fragmentation of a series of monovalent carboxylic alkali-metal ion complexes of lasalocid was investigated under CID conditions. A comparison of the CID spectra revealed a decreasing degree of fragmentation in the order [M + H]+ approximately [M + NH4]+ > [M + Li]+ > [M-H + 2Li]+ > [M + Na]+ >> [M + Cs]+. To demonstrate the analytical potential of the LC/MS/MS method, its application to the determination of salinomycin in catfood samples was investigated. Salinomycin was recovered from catfood by a microwave solvent extraction procedure, and subsequently analyzed using LC/MS/MS of the sodium adduct ions.

From differentiating metabolites to biomarkers

The current developments in metabolomics and metabolic profiling technologies have led to the discovery of several new metabolic biomarkers. Finding metabolites present in significantly different levels between sample sets, however, does not necessarily make these metabolites useful biomarkers. The route to valid and applicable biomarkers (biomarker qualification) is long and demands a significant amount of work. In this overview, we critically discuss the current state-of-the-art of metabolic biomarker discovery, with highlights and shortcomings, and suggest a pathway to clinical usefulness.

Gas chromatographic and mass spectrometric determination of nitroaromatics in water

Several methods for the extraction of nitroaromatic compounds from water were compared. High recoveries were achieved with discontinuous or continuous extraction of water with dichloromethane and by adsorption on Amberlite XAD-2, -4 and -8 resins (1:1:1) and elution with dichloromethane. The recoveries obtained with solid-phase extraction using cyano-, phenyl- or octadecyl-bonded phases varied, depending on the compounds studied, and were often low. Nitroaromatic compounds were determined by gas chromatography using an electron-capture or a chemiluminescence detector (thermal energy analyser) and by mass spectrometry using electron impact and positive- and negative-ion chemical ionization.

Comprehensive lipidomics analysis of bioactive lipids in complex regulatory networks.

In the present work we describe the development of an analytical technique for simultaneous profiling of over 100 biochemically related lipid mediators in biological samples. A multistep procedure was implemented to extract eicosanoids and other bioactive lipids from the biological matrix, chromatographically separate them using fast reversed-phase liquid chromatography, tentatively identify new candidate eicosanoids through a matching process of retention times, isotope distribution patterns, and high-resolution orbitrap MS/MS fragmentation patterns, and subsequently quantify tentative candidates by means of analytical reference standards. Key new aspects of this profiling technique included the classification of bioactive lipids into 12 groups according to their calculated exact masses and the development of optimized liquid chromatographic conditions for these groups to achieve sufficient separation of the numerous isobaric and isomeric species, many of which exhibited virtually identical collision-induced dissociation behavior. Importantly, no analytical standards were required at this screening stage of the assay, and tentative identifications were achieved by matching results to selected reference species from each of the groups. The analytical figures of merit for the orbitrap assay such as linear dynamic range, limit of detection, limit of quantitation, and precision demonstrated that the performance of the assay was very similar to that of a quadrupole linear ion trap assay, which was used for validation purposes. The method allowed us to examine eicosanoid profiles within the signaling cascade in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cells under basal conditions and following arachidonic acid stimulation. The preliminary screening based on high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry data along with isotope pattern and retention time matching revealed the presence of 15 bioactive lipids, belonging to a range of prostaglandin, leukotriene, and hydroxy and epoxy fatty acid lipid mediators produced by CLL cells.

Metabolism of boswellic acids in vitro and in vivo

Boswellia serrata resin dry extract is among the few herbal remedies designated with an orphan drug status for the treatment of peritumoral brain edema. In addition, boswellic acids (BAs), the main active ingredients of B. serrata extracts, have potent anti-inflammatory properties, and may represent promising agents for the treatment of inflammatory diseases. Pharmacokinetic studies, however, revealed poor bioavailability, especially of 11-keto-β-boswellic acid (KBA) and 3-acetyl-11-keto-β-boswellic acid (AKBA), the most potent BAs. To address the question of whether BAs are extensively metabolized, we determined the metabolic stability of KBA and AKBA in vitro, investigated the in vitro metabolism of BAs, and compared the metabolic profiles of KBA and AKBA with those obtained in rats in vivo. In rat liver microsomes and hepatocytes as well as in human liver microsomes, we found that KBA but not AKBA undergoes extensive phase I metabolism. Oxidation to hydroxylated metabolites is the principal metabolic route. In vitro, KBA yielded metabolic profiles similar to those obtained in vivo in rat plasma and liver, whereas no metabolites of AKBA could be identified in vivo. Furthermore, AKBA is not deacetylated to KBA. This study indicates that the efficacy of B. serrata extract may be enhanced by increasing the bioavailability of AKBA.