Metal ion adducts in the structural analysis of ginsenosides by electrospray ionization with multi-stage mass spectrometry

The effect of metal (Li+, Na+, K+, Ag+) cationization on collision-induced dissociation of ginsenosides was investigated by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry combined with multi-stage mass spectrometry (ESI-MSn). The fragments of sodiated and lithiated molecules give valuable structural information regarding the nature of the aglycone and the sequence and linkage information of sugar moieties. However, the number and relative abundances of fragment ions from lithiated ginsenosides are significantly greater than for the sodiated species, The K+ adducts undergo glycosidic cleavages and very limited cross-ring reactions. The silver ion adducts fragment mainly through glycosidic cleavages. Copyright (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Electrospray ionization multiple-stage tandem mass spectrometric analysis of diglycosyldiacylglycerol glycolipids from the bacteria Bacillus pumilus

Electrospray ionization (ESI) combined with multiple-stage tandem mass spectrometry (MSn) was used to directly analyze the glycolipid mixture from bacteria Bacillus pumilus without preliminary separation. Full scan ESI-MS revealed the composition of picomole quantities of glycerolglycolipid species containing C-14-C-19 fatty acids, some of which were monounsaturated, Two main components were identified from their molecular masses and fragmentation pathways. The fragmentation pathway of the known compound compared with the investigated compound verified the proposed structure as 1(3)-acyl-2-pentadecanoyl-3(1)-O-[beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-->6)-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl]-sn-glycerols. A comparison of the multiple tandem mass spectra of the different alkali-metal cation adducts indicates that the intensity of fragments and the dissociation pathways are dependent on the alkali-metal type, The basic structures of glycerolglycolipids were reflected clearly from the fragmentation patterns of the sodium cations, The intense fragments of the sugar residue from the precursor ions were obtained from the lithiated adduct ions. ESI-MSn spectra of [M + K](+) ions did not provide as much fragmentation as [M + Na](+) and [M + Li](+) adducts, but their spectra allow the position of glycerol acylation to be determined. On the basis of MS2 spectra of[M + K](+) ions, it was established that all components have a C-15:0 fatty acid at the sn-2 position of the glycerol backbone and C-14-C-19 acids at the sn-1 position of the glycerol backbone. Copyright (C) 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Studies on electrospray mass spectrometry of some narcotic drugs

Using electrospray ionization (ESI) and tandem mass spectrometry techniques, the protonic positions in protonated molecular ions of some narcotic drugs were studied, The data of ESI/MSn experiments of morphine and deuterium-loaded morphine were first discussed. The protonic position was considered to locate on oxygen atom of cyclic ether in morphine molecular, Compared with the same and different: ions among morphine, codeine, acetylcodeine and dihydrocodeine, the protonic positions in protonated molecular ions of these compounds were further determined. The fragmentation mechanism of morphine in ESI/MSn: experiments was also repored in the paper, and there were similar dehydrolysis mechanism in gas phase or in liquid phase for morphine.

Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry of cyclodextrin complexes with amino acids in incubated solutions and in eluates of gel permeation chromatography

1:1 complexes of beta-cyclodextrin (CD) with three amino acids (Gly, Phe and Trp) have been detected as ions in the gas phase using infusion positive and negative ion electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). In contrast with the positive ion ESI mass spectra of simple aqueous solutions, the aggregates and adducts usually formed in the ESI process did not appear in the positive ion ESI spectra of solutions buffered with ammonium acetate (NH4Ac), even at higher analyte concentrations, These studies suggest that addition of buffer and/or use of a low analyte concentration should be used to overcome formation of aggregates and metal ion adducts in such mass spectrometry studies. Also, the deprotonated complexes are dissociated by collision induced dissociation (CID) to form an abundant product ion, the deprotonated CD, requiring transfer of a proton to the amino acid carboxyl group, To understand formation of complexes in the gas phase, gel permeation chromatography (GPC) was used to separate free amino acids (AAs) from complexes in an incubated solution. The ESI mass spectra of the GPC fractions show the presence of 1:1 complexes of both CD-aromatic amino acids and CD-aliphatic amino acids. Compared with CD-aliphatic amino acid complexes, CD-aromatic amino acid complexes appear to be destabilized in the gas phase, possibly because the hydrophobic interaction which binds the aromatic group of amino acids in the CD cavity in solution may become repulsive when solvent evaporates from the droplets during the electrospray process, whereas those complex ions formed as proton bound dimers are stabilized by electrostatic forces, the major binding force for such complexes in the gas phase. In addition, the GPC technique coupled with off-line ESI-MS can rapidly separate CD complexes by size, and provides some information on the character of the complexes in solution. (C) 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Studies on beta-cyclodextrin amino acids inclusion complexes by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

The positive- and negative-ion electrospray ionization mass spectra of beta-cyclodextrin-amino acids complexes in NH4Ac buffer have been reported in this paper. Compared with positive-ion ESI mass spectra of beta-cyclodextrin-amino acids complexes under the same condition, negative-ion mass spectra obtained for inclusion complexes of beta-cyclodextrin (CD) with tyrosine, phenylalanine and tryptophan, respectively, were completely dominated by deprotonated complex ions and [CD-H](-) ion which is the only daughter ion in collision-induced dissociation (CID) experiment of deprotonated complexes, The results indicated that the charged position for protonated and deprotonated complexes is different from each other. In addition, two complex ions for the same complex have similarly relative dissociation energies, which are higher than that of [CD+NH4](+), indicating that complexes observed in gasphase are not electrostatic adducts at all but complexes formed by hydrogen bonds.

Rapid analysis of steroidal saponin mixture using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry combined with sequential tandem mass spectrometry

Using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (MS) combined with sequential tandem MS(ESI-MSn), two major steroidal saponins extracted from Tribulus terrestris were studied, and considerable useful structural information was obtained. The structure of the proposed known steroidal saponin was verified, and the structure of the unknown saponin was investigated using MSn experiments. Some special fragment ions were also observed, and the corresponding fragmentation mechanisms were investigated which are characteristic for steroidal saponins and can give some information on the linkage position of some sugar groups in saponins. This methodology has been established as a powerful tool for the rapid, comparative analysis of mixtures such as crude plant extracts. (C) 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Determination of tetrodotoxin by liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ion-trap mass spectrometry

Two methods for tetrodotoxin analysis using liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray iontrap mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS) have been established with C,, reversed phase column and hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) column, respectively. Sensitivity and reproducibility of the methods were compared. The method using C-18 column in selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode had a detection limit (S/N = 3) of 120 pg, and a good linearity of the calibration curve was obtained for tetrodotoxin (r = 0. 9992). High reproducibility of the method was observed, with a relative standard deviation (RSD) below 10%. The method using HILIC column in SIM mode and selected reaction monitoring (SRM) mode had detection limits (S/N = 3) of 15 and 3.75 pg, respectively. Good linearity of the calibration curves was obtained for tetrodotoxin (r = 0. 9996 and 0. 9998 in SIM and SRM mode, respectively). T he reproducibility was high in SIM mode but relatively poor in SRM mode. Based on the results, the method using HILIC column in SIM mode was suggested for the analysis of tetrodotoxin with LC-MS system.

LC-DAD-ESI-MS Characterization of Carbohydrates Using a New Labeling Reagent

A novel labeling reagent 1-(2-naphthyl)-3-methyl-5-pyrazolone (NMP) coupling to liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry for the detection of carbohydrates from the derivatized rape bee pollen samples is reported. Carbohydrates are derivatized to their bis-NMP-labeled derivatives. Derivatives showed an intense protonated molecular ion at m/z [M+H](+) in positive-ion detection mode. The mass-to-charge ratios of characteristic fragment ions at m/z 473.0 could be used for the accurately qualitative analysis of carbohydrates. This characteristic fragment ion is from the cleavage of C2-C3 bond in carbohydrate chain giving the specific fragment ions at m/z [MH-CmH2m+1Om-H2O](+) for pentose, hexose and glyceraldehydes and at m/z [MH-CmH2m-1Om+1-H2O](+) for alduronic acids such as galacturonic acid and glucuronic acid (m = n - 2, n is carbon number of carbohydrate). No interferences for all aliphatic and aromatic aldehydes presented in natural environmental samples were observed due to the highly specific parent mass-to-charge ratio and the characteristic fragment ions. The method, in conjunction with a gradient elution, offered a baseline resolution of carbohydrate derivatives on a reversed-phase Hypersil ODS-2 column. The carbohydrates such as mannose, galacturonic acid, glucuronic acid, rhamnose, glucose, galactose, xylose, arabinose and fucose can successfully be detected.

Analysis of carbohydrates in a tibetan medicine using new labeling reagent, 1-(2-naphthyl)-3-methyl-5-pyrazolone, by HPLC with DAD detection and ESI-MS identification

A new labeling reagent, 1-(2-naphthyl)-3-methyl-5-pyrazolone (NMP), coupling with liquid chromatography (LC) with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) for the detection of carbohydrates from a famous Tibetan medicine is reported. Carbohydrates were derivatized to their bis-NMP-labeled derivatives. The method, in conjunction with a gradient elution, offered a baseline resolution of carbohydrate derivatives on a reversed phase Hypersil ODS-2 column. The carbohydrates such as mannose, galacturonic acid, glucuronic acid, rhamnose, glucose, galactose, xylose, arabinose, and fucose could be successfully detected by UV and ESI-MS. Derivatives showed intense protonated molecular ion at m/z [M+H]+ in positive ion mode. The mass to charge ratios of characteristic fragment ions at m/z 473.0 could be used for the accurately qualitative identification of carbohydrates; this characteristic fragment ion was from the cleavage of C2-C3 bond in the carbohydrate chain giving the specific fragment ions at m/z [MH-CmH2m+1Om-H2O](+) for pentose, hexose, and glyceraldehydes, and at m/z [MH-CmH2m-1Om+1-H2O](+) for alduronic acids, such as galacturonic acid and glucuronic acid (m=n-2, n is carbon atom number of carbohydrate). Compared with the traditional 1-phenyl-3-methyl-5-pyrazolone (PMP) reagent, currently synthesized NMP show the advantage of higher sensitivity to carbohydrate compounds with UV and ESI-MS detection.

Development of a sensitive fluorescent derivatization reagent 1,2-benzo-3,4-dihydrocarbazole-9-ethyl chloroformate (BCEOC) and its application for determination of amino acids from seeds and bryophyte plants using high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection and identification with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

A pre-column derivatization method for the sensitive determination of amino acids and peptides using the tagging reagent 1,2-benzo-3,4dihydrocarbazole-9-ethyl chloroformate (BCEOC) followed by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection has been developed. Identification of derivatives was carried out by liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC/ESI-MS/MS). The chromophore of 2-(9-carbazole)-ethyl chloroformate (CEOC) reagent was replaced by 1,2-benzo-3,4-dihydrocarbazole functional group, which resulted in a sensitive fluorescence derivatizing reagent BCEOC. BCEOC can easily and quickly label peptides and amino acids. Derivatives are stable enough to be efficiently analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography. The derivatives showed an intense protonated molecular ion corresponding m/z (M + H)(+) under electrospray ionization (ESI) positive-ion mode with an exception being Tyr detected at negative mode. The collision-induced dissociation of protonated molecular ion formed a product at m/z 246.2 corresponding to the cleavage of C-O bond of BCEOC molecule. Studies on derivatization demonstrate excellent derivative yields over the pH 9.0-10.0. Maximal yields close to 100% are observed with a 3-4-fold molar reagent excess. Derivatives exhibit strong fluorescence and extracted detzvatization solution with n-hexane/ethyl acetate (10:1, v/v) allows for the direct injection with no significant interference from the major fluorescent reagent degradation by-products, such as 1,2-benzo-3,4-dihydrocarbazole-9-ethanol (BDC-OH) (a major by-product), mono- 1,2-benzo-3,4-dihydrocarbazole-9-ethyl carbonate (BCEOC-OH) and bis-(1,2-benzo-3,4-dihydrocarbazole-9-ethyl) carbonate (BCEOC)(2). In addition, the detection responses for BCEOC derivatives are compared to those obtained with previously synthesized 2-(9-carbazole)-ethyl chloroformate (CEOC) in our laboratory. The ratios AC(BCEOC)/AC(CEOC) = 2.05-6.51 for fluorescence responses are observed (here, AC is relative fluorescence response). Separation of the derivatized peptides and amino acids had been optimized on Hypersil BDS C-18 column. Detection limits were calculated from 1.0 pmol injection at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3, and were 6.3 (Lys)-177.6 (His) fmol. The mean interday accuracy ranged from 92 to 106% for fluorescence detection with mean %CV < 7.5. The mean interday precision for all standards was < 10% of the expected concentration. Excellent linear responses were observed with coefficients of > 0.9999. Good compositional data could be obtained from the analysis of derivatized protein hydrolysates containing as little as 50.5 ng of sample. Therefore, the facile BCEOC derivatization coupled with mass spectrometry allowed the development of a highly sensitive and specific method for the quantitative analysis of trace levels of amino acids and peptides from biological and natural environmental samples. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

On-line concentration of proteins in pressurized capillary electrochromatography coupled with electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry

Pressurized capillary electrochromatography (pCEC) and electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) have been hyphenated for protein analysis. Taken cytochrome c, lysozyme, and insulin as samples, the limits of detection (LODs) for absolute concentrations are 10(-11) mol (signal-to-noise ratio S/N = 3) with relative standard deviations (RSDs) of retention time and peak area, respectively, of less than 1.7% and 4.8%. In order to improve the detection sensitivity, on-line concentration by field-enhanced sample-stacking effect and chromatographic zone-sharpening effect has been developed, and parameters affecting separation and detection, such as pH and electrolyte concentration in the mobile phase, separation voltage, as well as enrichment voltage and time, have been studied systematically. Under the optimized conditions, the LODs of the three proteins could be decreased up to 100-fold. In addition, the feasibility of such techniques has been further demonstrated by the analysis of modified insulins at a concentration of 20 mu g/mL.

Quantitative and qualitative analysis of flavonoids in leaves of Adinandra nitida by high performance liquid chromatography with UV and electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry detection

The extract of Adinandra nitida leaves, named as Shiyacha in China, was studied by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-ultraviolet detection-electrospray ionisation (ESI) tandem mass spectrometry (MS). Under the optimized condition, the analysis could be finished in 45 min on a Hypersil C18 column combined with negative ion detection using information-dependent acquisition (IDA) mode of a Q TRAP (TM) instrument. Six flavonoids were identified as epicatechin, rhoifolin, apigenin, quercitrin, camellianin A, and camellianin B among which rhoifolin was for the first time found in Shiyacha. And the fragment pathways of these flavonoids were elucidated. Furthermore, with epicatechin, rhoifolin, and apigenin as markers, the quality control method for Shiyacha and its relevant product was firstly established. Calibration linearity was good (R-2 > 0.9992) over a three to four orders of magnitude concentration range with an S/N = 3 detection limit of 2.5 ng. (c) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

雪莲细胞培养物中黄酮类物质代谢调控及其生物活性成份分析

水母雪莲（Saussurea medusa Maxim.）和新疆雪莲（Saussurea involucrata Karel. et Kir.）是我国珍稀的药用植物资源，具有清热解毒、止痉镇痛、敛伤、消肿及治疗热病、风湿等多种功效。雪莲的主要药用成份为紫丁香甙（Syringin）、芦丁(Rutin)、高车前素（Hispidulin）和Jaceosidin等苯基丙酸类（phenylpropanoid）和黄酮类（flavonoids）物质。最新的药理研究表明，上述物质还具有抗菌消炎、保肝降压、延缓衰老和抑制癌细胞增殖等重要的研发价值。 雪莲生境恶劣，生长缓慢，人工引种困难，加上长期掠夺性采挖，已使雪莲处于灭绝的边缘。为了保存国家珍稀植物品种，保护生态环境，满足临床上对雪莲药物的需求，本研究在雪莲组织培养的基础上，应用诱导子添加技术和毛状根培养技术对雪莲中具有重要药用价值的次生代谢物质进行调控，并对雪莲MYB类转录因子的功能进行了初步探索，为保护珍稀植物资源、维护生态环境、开发野生雪莲替代产品、缩短雪莲药用成份的生产周期奠定了基础。另外，分析了野生雪莲和雪莲培养物中主要生物活性成份的种类及含量，为今后雪莲药理药效研究及品质评价奠定了基础。 为了提高雪莲黄酮的产量，满足工业化生产的需要，在细胞培养水平上，通过添加茉莉酸甲酯（MJ），对雪莲黄酮类物质的代谢进行调控。研究了诱导子的添加时间、添加浓度对水母雪莲红色系悬浮细胞的生物量和总黄酮产量的影响。发现在细胞培养的指数期（第9天）添加5.0 µmol/L的MJ，可以使总黄酮产量提高2.4倍（1134.5 ± 63.86 mg/L），而雪莲细胞干重（dw）仅比对照提高23.8 %（20.4 ±0.27 g/L）。另外，细胞中苯丙氨酸裂解酶（PAL）的活性分析表明，MJ添加后PAL活性的增加与雪莲总黄酮含量增长之间存在相关性。 在器官培养水平上，对雪莲毛状根的诱导频率及其培养条件进行了研究。结果表明，选择发根农杆菌R1601侵染预培养2天的新疆雪莲根段外植体，毛状根的诱导效率可达到83 %。毛状根的冠瘿碱检测、PCR和Southern分析表明，Ri质粒中的T-DNA已整合到植物基因组中并稳定表达。以新疆雪莲毛状根为外植体，能够容易地获得再生芽。在含有1.0 mg/L 6-BA的MS固体培养基上，其再生频率高达91 ± 5.9 %，是其正常根的2.4倍。而水母雪莲在该培养条件下，仅有少量的畸形芽出现。进而对毛状根的培养条件进行初步研究，结果表明在无激素附加的MS液体培养基中，新疆雪莲的HR1601根系在一个培养周期内（32 天），其生物量能够达到接种量的16倍，而紫丁香甙含量（43.5 ± 1.13 mg/g dw）能够达到野生雪莲的83倍。从而显示了雪莲毛状根培养体系的优良特性。 在基因水平上，对雪莲黄酮类物质代谢调控的研究已经展开。玉米P基因编码的Myb类转录因子能够调节黄酮类物质代谢途径关键酶基因的表达。根据P基因的保守序列设计引物，从雪莲细胞培养物中获得了SmP基因。核酸序列分析表明，SmP基因与烟草中涉及苯丙素类物质代谢途径的LBM 1、LBM 3和MybAS 1基因具有较高的一致性，分别为66 %、60 %和61 %。因此为了研究雪莲SmP基因的功能，构建了正义表达载体，并与先前构建好的反义表达载体分别导入烟草，分析了转基因植株的形态特征及黄酮类物质的含量变化。其中，约有30 %转反义SmP基因的株系表现叶片皱缩、叶脉紊乱、主侧脉角度缩小、叶片、花瓣失去对称性以及花粉败育等性状。 另外，通过正交试验设计优化了雪莲提取工艺的条件，并对雪莲细胞提取物进行了分离纯化。正交试验设计结果表明，温度对雪莲黄酮提取效率的影响极为显著，而分批多次提取比一次性浸提，能够收到较好的提取效果。考虑到工业生产中的实际问题，推荐在60 ℃水浴条件下，采用50 %乙醇对雪莲样品连续浸提2次的方案。对雪莲提取物的纯化研究表明，雪莲成份复杂，仅依靠单一的分离手段，往往难以奏效。另外，野生雪莲及雪莲培养物中生物活性成份的比色法、HPLC（High Performance Liquid Chromatography）、LC-ESI-MS（Liquid Chromotagraphy Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry）分析表明，传统的NaNO2-AlCl3 法测定雪莲总黄酮的含量，结果偏高，不利于雪莲黄酮的实验室研究分析与今后工业化生产的质量监控。而AlCl3 法的显色反应较为特异，今后有望取代NaNO2-AlCl3 法，作为雪莲类药材品质评价的标准。而HPLC-DAD结合LC-ESI-MS可以对雪莲中的主要生物活性成份进行较为准确的定性分析，从而解决了由于缺乏相应的雪莲化合物标准品而难以对雪莲中的成份进行定性定量分析及比较的难题。最后综合利用上述分析方法，对雪莲细胞培养物中的花素类物质进行了分析。结果表明，雪莲细胞中至少含有7种花色素类物质，分别为矢车菊素-3-O-葡萄糖甙及其衍生物、天竺葵素糖甙衍生物和芍药色素糖甙衍生物。