Marek Smoluch

Plasma-based ambient ionization mass spectrometry in bioanalytical sciences

Plasma-based ambient ionization mass spectrometry techniques are gaining growing interest due to their specific features, such as the need for little or no sample preparation, its high analysis speed, and the ambient experimental conditions. Samples can be analyzed in gas, liquid, or solid forms. These techniques allow for a wide range of applications, like warfare agent detection, chemical reaction control, mass spectrometry imaging, polymer identification, and food safety monitoring, as well as applications in biomedical science, e.g., drug and pharmaceutical analysis, medical diagnostics, biochemical analysis, etc. Until now, the main drawback of plasma-based techniques is their quantitative aspect, but a lot of efforts have been done to improve this obstacle.

Dielectric barrier discharge ionization in characterization of organic compounds separated on thin-layer chromatography plates.

A new method for on-spot detection and characterization of organic compounds resolved on thin layer chromatography (TLC) plates has been proposed. This method combines TLC with dielectric barrier discharge ionization (DBDI), which produces stable low-temperature plasma. At first, the compounds were separated on TLC plates and then their mass spectra were directly obtained with no additional sample preparation. To obtain good quality spectra the center of a particular TLC spot was heated from the bottom to increase volatility of the compound. MS/MS analyses were also performed to additionally characterize all analytes. The detection limit of proposed method was estimated to be 100 ng/spot of compound.

Molecular scavengers as carriers of analytes for mass spectrometry identification.

Storage and preconcentration of various molecules by molecular scavengers for thermal desorption and identification by mass spectrometry is presented. A dielectric barrier discharge ionization source combined with a heating element for the chemical characterization of amines and organic acids, initially trapped by molecular scavengers, is described. The developed technique can be applied for preconcentration of minute amounts of molecules in liquid and gaseous phases, as well as their transportation and thorough analysis. The method, operating at ambient pressure, can also be complementary to electron impact ionization, with no need for sample derivatization.

Electrochemical generation of selegiline metabolites coupled to mass spectrometry

The metabolic pathways of selegiline (a drug used for the treatment of early-stage Parkinsons disease) were analyzed by electrochemical oxidation with application of the flow electrochemical cell consisting of three electrodes (ROXY™, Antec, the Netherlands). Two types of working electrodes were applied: glassy carbon (GC) and boron-doped diamond (BDD). The potential applied at working electrode and composition of the solvent were optimized for the best conditions for oxidation and identification processes. All products were directly analyzed on-line by mass spectrometry. For further characterization of electrochemical oxidation products, the novel approach involving reversed phase chromatography linked to mass spectrometry with dielectric barrier discharge ionization (DBDI-MS) was used. In this manuscript, we report a novel technique for simulation of drug metabolism by electrochemical system (EC) connected to liquid chromatography (LC) and dielectric barrier discharge ionization (DBDI) mass spectrometry (MS) for direct on-line detection of electrochemical oxidation products. Here, we linked LC/DBDI-MS system with an electrochemical flow cell in order to study metabolic pathways via identification of drug metabolites generated electrochemically. The DBDI source has never been used before for identification of psychoactive metabolites generated in an electrochemical flow cell. Our knowledge on the biological background of xenobiotics metabolism and its influence on human body is constantly increasing, but still many mechanisms are not explained. Nowadays, metabolism of pharmaceuticals is mainly studied using liver cells prepared from animals or humans. Cytochrome P450, present in microsomes, is primarily responsible for oxidative metabolism of xenobiotics. It was also shown, that breakdown of popular medicines may be successfully simulated by electrochemistry under appropriate conditions. The presented experiments allow for comparison of these two entirely distinct techniques using selegiline as the model xenobiotic with well-described metabolic pathway in human body. The obtained results for selegiline oxidation show that it is possible to generate the most important selegiline metabolites present in human body - some of them with psychoactive properties, such as methamphetamine and amphetamine. These metabolites, serving as an evidence of the xenobiotic intake, can also be produced, among a larger group of metabolites, by incubation of selegiline with rat and human liver microsomes. The EC/LC/DBDI-MS system provides novel, promising platform for drugs screening of the phase I metabolism. The metabolites can be detected directly by MS or collected and separated by liquid chromatography.

Determination of hexabromocyclododecane by flowing atmospheric pressure afterglow mass spectrometry.

The first application of a flowing atmospheric-pressure afterglow ion source for mass spectrometry (FAPA-MS) for the chemical characterization and determination of hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) is presented. The samples of technical HBCD and expanded polystyrene foam (EPS) containing HBCD as a flame retardant were prepared by dissolving the appropriate solids in dichloromethane. The ionization of HBCD was achieved with a prototype FAPA source. The ions were detected in the negative-ion mode. The ions corresponding to a deprotonated HBCD species (m/z 640.7) as well as chlorine (m/z 676.8), nitrite (m/z 687.8) and nitric (m/z 703.8) adducts were observed in the spectra. The observed isotope pattern is characteristic for a compound containing six bromine atoms. This technique is an effective approach to detect HBCD, which is efficiently ionized in a liquid phase, resulting in high detection efficiency and sensitivity.

FAPA mass spectrometry of designer drugs.

Application of a flowing atmospheric-pressure afterglow ion source for mass spectrometry (FAPA-MS) for the analysis of designer drugs is described. In this paper, we present application of FAPA MS for identification of exemplary psychotropic drugs: JWH-122, 4BMC, Pentedrone, 3,4-DNNC and ETH-CAT. We have utilized two approaches for introducing samples into the plasma stream; first in the form of a methanolic aerosol from the nebulizer, and the second based on a release of vapors from the electrically heated crucible by thermal desorption. The analytes were ionized by FAPA and identified in the mass analyzer. The order of release of the compounds depends on their volatility. These methods offer fast and reliable structural information, without pre-separation, and can be an alternative to the Electron Impact, GC/MS, and ESI for fast analysis of designer-, and other psychoactive drugs.

Miniature plasma jet for mass spectrometry

The dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) used to generate low-temperature plasmas at atmospheric pressure are suitable for the atomization of volatile species and can also be served as an ionization source for ambient mass spectrometry and ion mobility spectrometry. The paper presents a source based on a plasma jet established at the end of a capillary dielectric barrier discharge at atmospheric pressure and its application to mass spectrometry. Early results of spectroscopic analysis are given.

The Forty-Sixth Euro Congress on Drug Synthesis and Analysis: Snapshot †

The 46th EuroCongress on Drug Synthesis and Analysis (ECDSA-2017) was arranged within the celebration of the 65th Anniversary of the Faculty of Pharmacy at Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia from 5–8 September 2017 to get together specialists in medicinal chemistry, organic synthesis, pharmaceutical analysis, screening of bioactive compounds, pharmacology and drug formulations; promote the exchange of scientific results, methods and ideas; and encourage cooperation between researchers from all over the world. The topic of the conference, “Drug Synthesis and Analysis,” meant that the symposium welcomed all pharmacists and/or researchers (chemists, analysts, biologists) and students interested in scientific work dealing with investigations of biologically active compounds as potential drugs. The authors of this manuscript were plenary speakers and other participants of the symposium and members of their research teams. The following summary highlights the major points/topics of the meeting.

Online and Offline Sample Fractionation

Fractionation of complex biological samples is necessary to separate a vast number of proteins that need to be separated before they enter further analytical procedures. Several strategies were described in this chapter, including on-line and off-line protocols, stationary phases and mobile phases, their features and drawbacks, and compatibility with mass spectrometry measurements.

Technical note: Air compared to nitrogen as nebulizing and drying gases for electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

In the present study we tested the application of compressed air instead of pure nitrogen as the nebulizing and drying gas, and its influence on the quality of electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectra. The intensities of the signals corresponding to protonated molecules were significantly (twice) higher when air was used. Inspection of signal-to-noise (S/N) ratios revealed that, in both cases, sensitivity was comparable. A higher ion abundance after the application of compressed air was followed by a higher background. Another potential risk of using air in the ESI source is the possibility for sample oxidation due to the presence of oxygen. To test this, we selected five easily oxidizing compounds to verify their susceptibility to oxidation. In particular, the presence of methionine was of interest. For all the compounds studied, no oxidation was observed. Amodiaquine oxidizes spontaneously in water solutions and its oxidized form can be detected a few hours after preparation. Direct comparison of the spectra where nitrogen was used with the corresponding spectra obtained when air was applied did not show significant differences. The only distinction was slightly different patterns of adducts when air was used. The difference concerns acetonitrile, which forms higher signals when air is the nebulizing gas. It is also important that the replacement of nitrogen with air does not affect quantitative data. The prepared calibration curves also visualize an intensity twice as high (independent of concentration within tested range) of the signal where air was applied. We have used our system continuously for three months with air as the nebulizing and drying gas and have not noticed any unexpected signal deterioration caused by additional source contamination from the air. Moreover, compressed air is much cheaper and easily available using oil-free compressors or pumps.