Shoujiro Ogawa

Development and validation of a method for determination of plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 3-sulfate using liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry

The quantification of plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 3-sulfate [25(OH)D3S] is expected to be helpful in the assessment of the vitamin D status, especially for infants. In this study, a simple and sensitive method for the quantification of 25(OH)D3S in plasma using liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (LC/ESI-MS/MS) has been developed and validated. The plasma was deproteinized with acetonitrile, purified using an Oasis(®) HLB cartridge, and subjected to LC/ESI-MS/MS operating in the negative-ion mode. Quantification was based on the selected reaction monitoring, and deuterated 25(OH)D3S was used as the internal standard. This method enabled the reproducible (intra- and inter-assay relative standard deviations, 7.9% or lower) and accurate (analytical recovery, 95.8-105.3%) quantification of the plasma 25(OH)D3S using a 20-μL sample, and the limit of quantification was 2.5ng/mL. The developed method was applied to the determination of plasma 25(OH)D3S in infants; the result revealed that preterm infants have lower plasma 25(OH)D3S concentrations.

Detection of Δ4-3-oxo-steroid 5β-reductase deficiency by LC-ESI-MS/MS measurement of urinary bile acids.

The synthesis of bile salts from cholesterol is a complex biochemical pathway involving at least 16 enzymes. Most inborn errors of bile acid biosynthesis result in excessive formation of intermediates and/or their metabolites that accumulate in blood and are excreted in part in urine. Early detection is important as oral therapy with bile acids results in improvement. In the past, these intermediates in bile acid biosynthesis have been detected in neonatal blood or urine by screening with FAB-MS followed by detailed characterization using GC-MS. Both methods have proved difficult to automate, and currently most laboratories screen candidate samples using LC-MS/MS. Here, we describe a new, simple and sensitive analytical method for the identification and characterization of 39 conjugated and unconjugated bile acids, including Δ(4)-3-oxo- and Δ(4,6)-3-oxo-bile acids (markers for Δ(4)-3-oxo-steroid 5β-reductase deficiency), using liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS). In this procedure a concentrated, desalted urinary sample (diluted with ethanol) is injected directly into the LC-ESI-MS/MS, operated with ESI and in the negative ion mode; quantification is obtained by selected reaction monitoring (SRM). To evaluate the performance of our new method, we compared it to a validated method using GC-MS, in the analysis of urine from two patients with genetically confirmed Δ(4)-3-oxo-steroid 5β-reductase deficiency as well as a third patient with an elevated concentration of abnormal conjugated and unconjugated Δ(4)-3-oxo-bile acids. The Δ(4)-3-oxo-bile acids concentration recovered in three patients with 5β-reductase deficiency were 48.8, 58.9, and 49.4 μmol/mmol creatinine, respectively by LC-ESI-MS/MS.

Oxyfunctionalization of unactivated C–H bonds in triterpenoids with tert-butylhydroperoxide catalyzed by meso-5,10,15,20-tetramesitylporphyrinate osmium(II) carbonyl complex

A system consisting of meso-5,10,15,20-tetramesitylporphyrinate osmium(II) carbonyl complex [Os(TMP)CO] as a precatalyst and tert-butylhydroperoxide (TBHP) as an oxygen donor is shown to be an efficient, regioselective oxidant system for the allylic oxidation, ketonization and hydroxylation of unactivated C-H bonds in a series of the peracetate derivatives of penta- and tetracyclic triterpenoids. Treatment of the substrates with this oxidant system afforded a variety of novel or scarce oxygenated derivatives in one-step. Structures of the isolated components, after chromatographic separation, were determined by spectroscopic methods including GC-MS and shift-correlated 2D-NMR techniques. Factors governing the regioselectivity and the possible mechanism for the oxyfunctionalization of the unactivated carbons are also discussed.

(S)-1-(4-Dimethylaminophenylcarbonyl)-3-aminopyrrolidine: a derivatization reagent for enantiomeric separation and sensitive detection of chiral carboxylic acids by LC/ESI-MS/MS.

A novel derivatization reagent, (S)-1-(4-dimethylaminophenylcarbonyl)-3-aminopyrrolidine (1-DAPAP), was developed for increasing the detection sensitivity and enantiomeric separation of chiral carboxylic acids by liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (LC/ESI-MS/MS). 1-DAPAP reacted with carboxylic acids at room temperature within 5min in the presence of 4-(4,6-dimethoxy-1,3,5-triazin-2-yl)-4-methylmorpholinium chloride. The epimerization (racemization) during the derivatization reaction was negligible. The resulting derivatives were highly responsive during the ESI-MS operating in the positive-ion mode and gave a characteristic product ion during the MS/MS, which enabled the sensitive detection using selected reaction monitoring; the detection responses of the 1-DAPAP-derivatives were increased by 10-1100-fold over the intact carboxylic acids and the limits of detection ranged from 0.97 and 5.2fmol on the column. The 1-DAPAP-derivatization was also effective for the enantiomeric separation of chiral carboxylic acids; the resolution values were 1.2-4.3 for the evaluated carboxylic acids. The derivatization procedure was successfully applied to biological sample analyses; the derivatization followed by LC/ESI-MS/MS enabled the separation and detection of trace amounts of ibuprofen and naproxen in human saliva with a simple pretreatment and small sample volume.

Chemical derivatization for enhancing sensitivity during LC/ESI–MS/MS quantification of steroids in biological samples: a review

Sensitive and specific methods for the detection, characterization and quantification of endogenous steroids in body fluids or tissues are necessary for the diagnosis, pathological analysis and treatment of many diseases. Recently, liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (LC/ESI-MS/MS) has been widely used for these purposes due to its specificity and versatility. However, the ESI efficiency and fragmentation behavior of some steroids are poor, which lead to a low sensitivity. Chemical derivatization is one of the most effective methods to improve the detection characteristics of steroids in ESI-MS/MS. Based on this background, this article reviews the recent advances in chemical derivatization for the trace quantification of steroids in biological samples by LC/ESI-MS/MS. The derivatization in ESI-MS/MS is based on tagging a proton-affinitive or permanently charged moiety on the target steroid. Introduction/formation of a fragmentable moiety suitable for the selected reaction monitoring by the derivatization also enhances the sensitivity. The stable isotope-coded derivatization procedures for the steroid analysis are also described.

Isotope-coded ESI-enhancing derivatization reagents for differential analysis, quantification and profiling of metabolites in biological samples by LC/MS: A review

The analysis of the qualitative and quantitative changes of metabolites in body fluids and tissues yields valuable information for the diagnosis, pathological analysis and treatment of many diseases. Recently, liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization-(tandem) mass spectrometry [LC/ESI-MS(/MS)] has been widely used for these purposes due to the high separation capability of LC, broad coverage of ESI for various compounds and high specificity of MS(/MS). However, there are still two major problems to be solved regarding the biological sample analysis; lack of sensitivity and limited availability of stable isotope-labeled analogues (internal standards, ISs) for most metabolites. Stable isotope-coded derivatization (ICD) can be the answer for these problems. By the ICD, different isotope-coded moieties are introduced to the metabolites and one of the resulting derivatives can serve as the IS, which minimize the matrix effects. Furthermore, the derivatization can improve the ESI efficiency, fragmentation property in the MS/MS and chromatographic behavior of the metabolites, which lead to a high sensitivity and specificity in the various detection modes. Based on this background, this article reviews the recently-reported isotope-coded ESI-enhancing derivatization (ICEED) reagents, which are key components for the ICD-based LC/MS(/MS) studies, and their applications to the detection, identification, quantification and profiling of metabolites in human and animal samples. The LC/MS(/MS) using the ICEED reagents is the powerful method especially for the differential analysis (relative quantification) of metabolites in two comparative samples, simultaneous quantification of multiple metabolites whose stable isotope-labeled ISs are not available, and submetabolome profiling.

Enantioselective determination of ibuprofen in saliva by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry with chiral electrospray ionization-enhancing and stable isotope-coded derivatization.

A method was developed and validated for the enantioselective determination of trace ibuprofen (IBU) in saliva using liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (LC/ESI-MS/MS) combined with the derivatization using a chiral ESI-enhancing reagent, (S)-1-(4-dimethylaminophenylcarbonyl)-3-aminopyrrolidine (DAPAP), and its isotope-coded analog, (2)H4-DAPAP (d-DAPAP). The DAPAP-derivatization enabled the highly sensitive detection [detection limit, 0.15fmol (equivalent to 30fg of intact IBU) on the column] and complete separation (resolution 3.1) of the IBU enantiomers. The use of d-DAPAP significantly improved the assay precision and accuracy; the intra- (n=5) and inter-assay (n=5) relative standard deviations did not exceed 6.2%, and good accuracy (101.3-106.1%) was obtained. The developed method was successfully applied to the quantitative analysis of IBU in saliva. Using this method, salivary concentration-time profiles of each enantiomer after a single oral administration of the racemic IBU to healthy subjects were obtained. The area under the salivary concentration-time curve of the (S)-enantiomer was ca. twice that of the (R)-enantiomer due to the unidirectional chiral inversion of the (R)- to (S)-enantiomer in vivo. Thus, saliva-based noninvasive pharmacokinetic analyses of IBU enantiomers were achieved by this method.

Derivatization of chiral carboxylic acids with (S)‐anabasine for increasing detectability and enantiomeric separation in LC/ESI‐MS/MS

A simple and practical derivatization procedure for increasing the detectability and enantiomeric separation of chiral carboxylic acids in LC/ESI-MS/MS has been developed. (S)-Anabasine (ANA) was used as the derivatization reagent and rapidly reacted with carboxylic acids [3-hydroxypalmitic acid (3-OH-PA), 2-(β-carboxyethyl)-6-hydroxy-2,7,8-trimethylchroman (γ-CEHC), and etodolac] in the presence of 4-(4,6-dimethoxy-1,3,5-triazin-2-yl)-4-methylmorpholium chloride. The resulting ANA-derivatives were highly responsive in ESI-MS operating in the positive-ion mode and gave characteristic product ions during MS/MS, which enabled sensitive detection using selected reaction monitoring; the detection responses of the ANA-derivatives were increased by 20-160-fold over those of the intact carboxylic acids and the limits of detection were in the low femtomole range (1.8-11 fmol on the column). The ANA-derivatization was also effective for the enatiomeric separation of the chiral carboxylic acids; the resolution was 1.92, 1.75, and 2.03 for 3-OH-PA, γ-CHEC, and etodolac, respectively. The derivatization procedure was successfully applied to a biological sample analysis; the derivatization followed by LC/ESI-MS/MS enabled the separation and detection of trace amounts of 3-OH-PA in neonatal dried blood spot and γ-CEHC in human saliva with a simple pretreatment and small sample volume.

Correlation between cardiac output and reversibility of rocuronium-induced moderate neuromuscular block with sugammadex.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation between cardiac output (CO) and reversibility of rocuronium‐induced moderate neuromuscular block with sugammadex in elderly patients.

A facile synthesis of C-24 and C-25 oxysterols by in situ generated ethyl(trifluoromethyl)dioxirane

Experiments were performed to compare the regioselective hydroxylation of the isopropyl C-H bond at C-25 in 5alpha-cholestan-3beta-yl acetate by in situ generated dimethyldioxirane, methyl(trifluoromethyl)dioxirane, hexafluoro(dimethyl)dioxirane or ethyl(trifluoromethyl)dioxirane (ETDO). The dioxiranes were generated from the corresponding ketones and potassium peroxymonosulfate in aq. NaHCO(3), pH 7.5-8.0. Of the four dioxiranes examined, partially fluorinated, sterically bulky ETDO displayed the highest reactivity and regioselectivity. Using in situ generated ETDO, a facile, synthesis was developed for two naturally occurring oxysterols, i.e., 25-hydroxycholesterol, as well as its 3-sulfate (overall yield of the sulfate, 24%) and 24-oxocholesterol (16%), starting from cholesterol.