Kenneth J. Fountain

Ion-pair reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography analysis of oligonucleotides:: Retention prediction

An ion-pair reversed-phase HPLC method was evaluated for the separation of synthetic oligonucleotides. Mass transfer in the stationary phase was found to be a major factor contributing to peak broadening on porous C18 stationary phases. A small sorbent particle size (2.5 microm), elevated temperature and a relatively slow flow-rate were utilized to enhance mass transfer. A short 50 mm column allows for an efficient separation up to 30mer oligonucleotides. The separation strategy consists of a shallow linear gradient of organic modifier, optimal initial gradient strength, and the use of an ion-pairing buffer. The triethylammonium acetate ion-pairing mobile phases have been traditionally used for oligonucleotide separations with good result. However, the oligonucleotide retention is affected by its nucleotide composition. We developed a mathematical model for the prediction of oligonucleotide retention from sequence and length. We used the model successfully to select the optimal initial gradient strength for fast HPLC purification of synthetic oligonucleotides. We also utilized ion-pairing mobile phases comprised of triethylamine (TEA) buffered by hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP). The TEA-HFIP aqueous buffers are useful for a highly efficient and less sequence-dependent separation of heterooligonucleotides.

Effects of extra-column band spreading, liquid chromatography system operating pressure, and column temperature on the performance of sub-2-μm porous particles

The effects of extra-column band spreading, LC system operating pressure, and separation temperature were investigated for sub-2-microm particle columns using both a conventional HPLC system as well as a UPLC system. The contributions of both volume- and time-based extra-column effects were analyzed in detail. In addition, the performance difference between columns containing 2.5 and 1.7-microm particles (same stationary phase) was studied. The performance of these columns was compared using a conventional HPLC system and a low dead volume UPLC system capable of routine operation up to 1000 bar. The system contribution to band spreading and the pressure limitations of the conventional HPLC system were found to be the main difficulties that prevented acceptable performance of the sub-2-microm particle columns. Finally, an increase in operating temperature needs to be accompanied by an increase in flow rate to prevent a loss of separation performance. Thus, at a fixed column length, an increase in temperature is not a substitute for the need for very high operating pressures.

Influence of stationary phase chemistry and mobile-phase composition on retention, selectivity, and MS response in hydrophilic interaction chromatography.

A comprehensive retention and selectivity characterization of several hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) stationary phases was performed with 28 test probes in order to study the influence of particle type, surface chemistry, and mobile-phase pH on chromatographic retention, selectivity, and MS response. Selectivity differences were compared for columns operated at both low and high pH, while ESI-MS was used to study the effects of mobile-phase pH on signal response. Additionally, acetone was explored as a potential alternative to ACN as the weak HILIC solvent. Moderate differences in selectivity were observed on the same column operated at different pH, mostly due to acidic compounds. In addition, the MS response increased when a high pH mobile phase was used, particularly for analytes that were ionized with negative ESI-MS. Even larger selectivity differences were observed for different stationary phases evaluated with the same mobile phase. Acetone was not a suitable replacement for ACN in routine HILIC separations due to differences in selectivity and MS response. Finally, the data from this study were used to establish guidelines for rapid HILIC method development of polar compounds, which is demonstrated with a mixture of histidine dipeptides and organophosphonate nerve agent metabolites.

Rapid Preparation of Released N-Glycans for HILIC Analysis Using a Labeling Reagent that Facilitates Sensitive Fluorescence and ESI-MS Detection.

N-glycosylation of proteins is now routinely characterized and monitored because of its significance to the detection of disease states and the manufacturing of biopharmaceuticals. At the same time, hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) has emerged as a powerful technology for N-glycan profiling. Sample preparation techniques for N-glycan HILIC analyses have however tended to be laborious or require compromises in sensitivity. To address these shortcomings, we have developed an N-glycan labeling reagent that provides enhanced fluorescence response and MS sensitivity for glycan detection and have also simplified the process of preparing a sample for analysis. The developed labeling reagent rapidly reacts with glycosylamines upon their release from glycoproteins. Within a 5 min reaction, enzymatically released N-glycans are labeled with this reagent comprised of an NHS-carbamate reactive group, a quinoline fluorophore, and a tertiary amine for enhancing ESI+ MS ionization. To further expedite the released N-glycan sample preparation, rapid tagging has been integrated with a fast PNGase F deglycosylation procedure that achieves complete deglycosylation of a diverse set of glycoproteins in approximately 10 min. Moreover, a technique for HILIC-SPE of the labeled glycans has been developed to provide quantitative recovery and facilitate immediate HILIC analysis of the prepared samples. The described approach makes it possible to quickly prepare N-glycan samples and to incorporate the use of a fluorescence and MS sensitivity enhancing labeling reagent. In demonstration of these new capabilities, we have combined the developed sample preparation techniques with UHPLC HILIC chromatography and high sensitivity mass spectrometry to thoroughly detail the N-glycan profile of a monoclonal antibody.

Development of a fast method for direct analysis of intact synthetic insulins in human plasma: the large peptide challenge

BACKGROUND Intact insulins are difficult to analyze by LC-MS/MS due to nonspecific binding and poor sensitivity, solubility and fragmentation. This work aims to provide a simpler, faster LC-MS method and focuses on solving the above issues. RESULTS A novel charged-surface chromatographic column produced peak widths for insulin that were significantly narrower than traditional C18 columns when using formic acid as mobile phase. Mass spectral fragments m/z >700 provided greater specificity, significantly reducing endogenous background. Detection limits in human plasma were 0.2 ng/ml for insulin glargine, glulisine and detemir, and 0.5 ng/ml for insulin aspart. Average accuracy for standard curve and QC samples was 93.4%. CONCLUSION A simple SPE LC-MS analysis was developed for direct, simultaneous quantification of insulin glargine, detemir, aspart and glulisine.

Multidimensional LC-MS/MS enables simultaneous quantification of intact human insulin and five recombinant analogs in human plasma

This work provides a multidimensional method for the simultaneous, direct quantification of intact human insulin and five insulin analogs in human plasma. This investigation solves both the selectivity and sensitivity problems encountered for accurate quantification of insulins in plasma since the former is not possible with conventional assays and the latter with conventional LC-MS/MS. The method uses a mixed-mode SPE and a multidimensional LC method including a solid-core particle column containing an anion exchange stationary phase. Matrix factors for all analogs were calculated in 6 sources of human plasma and CVs of the matrix factors were <15% in all cases supporting the selectivity of the method, while achieving LLOQs of 50-200 pg/mL (1.4-5.6 μIU/mL) for each insulin from 250 μL of human plasma. The average accuracy for the standard curve points in extracted human plasma was 99-100%. Average inter- and intraday accuracies for QC samples were 98% and 94%, respectively. Average inter- and intraday precisions for QC samples were 7.5 and 5.3%, respectively. Patient samples were analyzed in a blind study and results concurred with their diabetes multidosing regimes. The study also demonstrated that the presence of high levels of human insulin and bovine insulin does not interfere with quantification of any of the analyzed analogs. We propose this method for the accurate pharmacokinetic monitoring of diabetic patients, for sport antidoping and forensic toxicology analysis.

High sensitivity LC–MS/MS method for direct quantification of human parathyroid 1–34 (teriparatide) in human plasma

Teriparatide, the 1-34 fragment of human parathyroid hormone, is used to treat osteoporosis patients with a high risk of fracture by stimulating new bone formation. Routinely teriparatide is quantified using radioimmunoassay however the LC-MS/MS described here has the potential to achieve greater accuracy and precision, higher specificity, and is readily implemented in routine bioanalytical laboratories. Hence a complete method combining effective sample prep with appropriate LC separation and selected reaction monitoring (SRM) MS detection was developed to selectively separate teriparatide from closely related endogenous peptides and to reduce interferences. Samples were concentrated without evaporation, minimizing the risk of adsorptive losses. Chromatography was performed on a sub 2μm particle charged surface hybrid column, which provided significantly higher peak capacity than a traditional C18 column when formic acid was used as the mobile phase modifier. Total LC cycle time was 6min. An LOD of 15pg/mL (3.6fmol/mL) from 200μL of human plasma was readily achieved and standard curves were accurate and precise from 15pg/mL to 500pg/mL. Mean QC accuracies ranged from 90% to 106%. Mean QC precision was better than 7%. The CV of matrix factors across 6 sources of human plasma was 5%. The assay presented here is the first LC-MS method which reaches clinically relevant detection limits for teriparatide.

Study of UltraHigh Performance Supercritical Fluid Chromatography to measure free fatty acids with out fatty acid ester preparation

Most lipids are best characterized by their fatty acids which may differ in (a) chain length, (b) degree of unsaturation, (c) configuration and position of the double bonds, and (d) the presence of other functionalities. Thus, a fast, simple, and quantitative analytical technique to determine naturally occurring free fatty acids (FFA) in different samples is very important. Just as for saponified acylglycerols, the determination of FFAs has generally been carried out by high resolution gas chromatography (HRGC). The use of an open tubular capillary column coupled with a flame ionization or mass spectrometric detector provides for both high resolution and quantification of FFAs but only after conversion of all free fatty acids to fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) or pentafluorobenzyl esters. Unfortunately, volatilization of labile ester derivatives of mono- and poly-unsaturated FFAs can cause both thermal degradation and isomerization of the fatty acid during HRGC. The employment of a second generation instrument (here referred to as UltraHigh Performance Supercritical Fluid Chromatograph, UHPSFC) with high precision for modified flow and repeated back pressure adjustment in conjunction with sub-2μm various bonded silica particles (coupled with evaporative light scattering, ELSD, and mass spectrometric, MS, detection) for separation and detection of the following mixtures is described: (a) 31 free fatty acids, (b) isomeric FFAs, and (c) lipophilic materials in two real world fish oil samples. Limits of detection for FFAs via UHPSFC/MS and UHPSFC/ELSD versus detection of FAMEs via HRGC/MS are quantitatively compared.

A scaling rule in supercritical fluid chromatography. I. Theory for isocratic systems.

Scaling is regularly done in chromatography either to transfer a successfully designed method of analysis developed in one system to another system, or to scale-up a separation method developed in analytical scale to preparative scale. For liquid chromatography there are well-tested guidelines for scaling, which makes it a routine job. For supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC), on the other hand, neither do we have any well-understood principles behind scaling nor do we know how far the strategies applied in LC could be applicable to SFC. In this article, we have addressed these issues and proposed a rule applicable for scaling isocratic methods between different SFC systems and column dimensions under commonly used operating temperatures and pressures. We have shown that the scale-up and method transfer techniques used in LC can be applied to SFC, provided we ensure that both the original and the target systems in SFC operate at the same average density. The current article will present the theory, discuss the extents of applicability of this rule, and outline its limitations. In an accompanying article implementation of this rule in various practical situations will be presented.

Hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) for LC–MS/MS analysis of monoamine neurotransmitters

BACKGROUND Hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) is becoming an increasingly popular alternative to traditional reversed-phase chromatography for the analysis of polar compounds. The ability to retain the most polar compounds in HILIC makes it attractive for the analysis of certain large groups of compounds, such as monoamines, which are inherently very polar. RESULTS This paper details the development of a HILIC LC-MS/MS method for the analysis of monoamine neurotransmitters. The emphasis is on method development; in particular, the factors influencing sensitivity, peak shape and resolution. Mobile-phase ionic strength, temperature and stationary phase functionality are shown to be key parameters for the successful development of HILIC methods. CONCLUSION HILIC is shown to be an appropriate and suitable method for the analysis of monoamine neurotransmitters and an attractive alternative to reversed-phase analysis. The most polar analytes, which are essentially unretained by reversed-phase chromatography, demonstrate superior retention and resolution when analyzed by HILIC.