Metabolomics of gastric cancer metastasis detected by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry

AIM:To elucidate the underlying mechanisms of metastasis and to identify the metabolomic markers of gastric cancer metastasis.METHODS:Gastric tumors from metastatic and nonmetastatic groups were used in this study.Metabolites and different metabolic patterns were analyzed by gas chromatography,mass spectrometry and principal components analysis (PCA),respectively.Differentiation performance was validated by the area under the curve (AUC) of receiver operating characteristic curves.RESULTS:Twenty-nine metabolites were differentially expressed in animal models of human gastric cancer.Of the 29 metabolites,20 were up-regulated and 9 were down-regulated in metastasis group compared to non-metastasis group.PCA models from the metabolite profiles could differentiate the metastatic from the nonmetastatic specimens with an AUC value of 1.0.These metabolites were mainly involved in several metabolic pathways,including glycolysis (lactic acid,alaline),serine metabolism (serine,phosphoserine),proline metabolism (proline),glutamic acid metabolism,tricarboxylic acid cycle (succinate,malic acid),nucleotide metabolism (pyrimidine),fatty acid metabolism (docosanoic acid,and octadecanoic acid),and methylation(glycine).The serine and proline metabolisms were highlighted during the progression of metastasis.CONCLUSION:Proline and serine metabolisms play an important role in metastasis.The metabolic profiling of tumor tissue can provide new biomarkers for the treatment of gastric cancer metastasis.

Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry based metabolomic study in a murine model of irritable bowel syndrome

AIM To study the role of microbial metabolites in the modulation of biochemical and physiological processes in irritable bowel syndrome(IBS).METHODS In the current study, using a metabolomic approach, we analyzed the key metabolites differentially excreted in the feces of control mice and mice with IBS, with or without Clostridium butyricum(C. butyricum) treatment. C57 BL/6 mice were divided into control, IBS, and IBS + C. butyricum groups. In the IBS and IBS + C. butyricum groups, the mice were subjected to water avoidance stress(WAS) for 1 h/d for ten days. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry(GC-MS) together with multivariate analysis was employed to compare the fecal samples between groups. RESULTS WAS exposure established an appropriate model of IBS in mice, with symptoms of visceral hyperalgesia and diarrhea. The differences in the metabolite profiles between the control group and IBS group significantly changed with the progression of IBS(days 0, 5, 10, and 17). A total of 14 differentially excreted metabolites were identified between the control and IBS groups, and phenylethylamine was a major metabolite induced by stress. In addition, phenylalanine metabolism was found to be the most relevant metabolic pathway. Between the IBS group and IBS + C. butyricum group, 10 differentially excreted metabolites were identified. Among these, pantothenate and coenzyme A(Co A) biosynthesis metabolites, as well as steroid hormone biosynthesis metabolites were identified as significantly relevant metabolic pathways.CONCLUSION The metabolic profile of IBS mice is significantly altered compared to control mice. Supplementation with C. butyricum to IBS mice may provide a considerable benefit by modulating host metabolism.

Detection of Tocopherol in Oilseed Rape (Brassica napus L.) Using Gas Chromatography with Flame Ionization Detector

The variation among Chinese genotypes of Brassica napus L. for seed tocopherols content and their analysis using gas chromatography has not been comprehensively reported till to date. In the present study, the tocopherol contents of four Chinese genotypes of Brassica napus L., namely, Gaoyou 605, Zhejiang 619, Zheshuang 758, and Zheshuang 72, were evaluated using three modified sample preparation protocols （P1, P2, and P3） for tocopherol extraction. These methods were distinguished as follows. Protocol one （P1） included the evaporation of solvent after extraction without silylation. Protocol two （P2） followed the direct supernatant collection after overnight extraction without drying and silylation. Protocol three （P3） included trimethylsilylation with N,O-bis（trimethylsilyl） trifluoroacetamide. Genotypic comparison of tocopherol and its isoforms revealed that Gaoyou 605 was dominant over the other genotypes with （140.5＋ 10.5）, （316.2＋ 9.2）, and （559.1＋ 24.3） ~tg g-~ of seed meal ct-, 7-, and total （T-） tocopherol, respectively, and a 0.44＋0.04 ^- to 7-tocopherol ratio. The comparison of the sample preparation protocols, on the other hand, suggests that P3 is the most suitable method for the tocopherol extraction from Brassica oilseeds and for the analysis of tocopherols using gas chromatography flame ionization detector （GC-FID）. Trimethylsilylation is the key step differentiating P3 from P1 and P2. Variations detected in tocopherol contents among the Chinese rapeseed （B. napus） genotypes signify the need to quantify a wide range of rapeseed germplasm for seed tocopherol dynamics in short and crop improvement in long.

Chromatoprobe as a sample-sparing technique for residual solvent analysis of drug discovery candidates by gas chromatography

In drug discovery research, residual solvent measurement is an integral part of purity analysis for synthesis of a drug candidate before it is used for toxicity testing. This is usually carried out using gas chromatography(GC)with direct injection sample introduction. This method requires testing compounds to be soluble at high concentrations( > 50 mg/mL, usually in DMSO) to achieve acceptable sensitivity, a hurdle which is not always achievable for some samples such as cyclic peptides and oligonucleotides. To overcome the limitation associated with the direct injection approach, a new method using the Chromatoprobe thermal extraction device was developed for quantifying residual solvents of drug discovery compounds. This method not only consumes significantly less material(less than 1 mg), but also shows higher sensitivity than the direct injection approach.In addition, because no diluent is required with the Chromatoprobe thermal extraction, all residual solvents can be detected and measured without further method optimization. In our study, we compared data from GC residual solvent analysis using the Chromatoprobe solid sample introduction to those of the direct injection method for seven in-house samples. Our results showed a good agreement between the data from these two sample introduction methods. Thus, the Chromatoprobe sample introduction method provided a samplesparing alternative to the direct injection method for the measurement of residual solvents in drug discovery.This method can be particularly useful for residual solvent analysis in samples that are available only in limited amounts, poorly soluble, and/or unstable in the diluents used for the direct injection method.

A study on α-ketoadipic aciduria by gas chromatographic-mass spectrometry

INTRODUCTIONα-ketoadipate(α-KA),an intermediate in thecatabolism of L-lysine,hydroxylysine,and L-tryptophan,undergoes oxidative deearboxylation toform glutaryl-CoA and then dehydrogenates to formcrotonyl-CoA,the latter undergoes furtherdegradation and enters in TCA cycle,as shown inFigure 1.α-ketoadipic aciduria (Mckusick 245130)is a rare inborn error in the metabolism of α-KA

Determination of Eight Organophosphorus Pesticide Residues in Pepper by QuEChERS-Gas Chromatography

[ Objectives] This study was conducted to establish a QuEChERS-gas chromatography method for determination of eight kinds of organophosphorus pesticide residues in pepper. [Methods] The samples were extracted by acetonitrile, and anhydrous magnesium sulfate was used for salting out. The extracts were then purified by dispersive solid phase extraction combining with GCB, C18 and PSA. Samples were analyzed by FPD detector. External standard was used as quantitive method. [ Results] The detection limits were in the range of 0. 001 -0. 008 mg/kg, the average recoveries ranged from 83.5% to 101.2% , and the relative standard deviation （RSD） of the eight organophosphorus pesticide residues were below 5%. [ Conclusions] The method is simple, quick, easy and effective for the determination of pepper.

Novel guanidinium-based ionic liquids as stationary phases for capillary gas chromatography

The present study describes guanidinium-based ionic liquids（GBILs） as stationary phases for capillary gas chromatography （CGC） and to the best of our knowledge,no related reports are available up to now.In this study,a hexaalkylguanidinium ionic liquid（DOTMG-NTf;） was synthesized and coated statically onto capillary columns.Selectivity of the stationary phase was evaluated by separating Grob test mixture,test mixture,alcohols mixture,and fatty acid methyl esters mixture,and thermal stability was investigated as well.The present study demonstrates that GBILs as CGC stationary phases exhibit satisfactory selectivity and thermal stability and have a great potential as new candidates for CGC stationary phases.

A novel ionic liquids grafted polysiloxane for capillary gas chromatography

A new ionic liquids grafted polysiloxane used as stationary phase for capillary gas chromatography （CGC） is described. The stationary phase of 1-vinyl-3-hexylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate anchored to polysiloxane （PMHS-[VHIm][PF6]） was synthe- sized, characterized and coated onto capillary columns by static coating. The results show that the present stationary phase exhibits a very good chromatographic resolution and selectivity for Grob test mixture and alcohols with baseline resolution and symmetry peaks. The present work suggests that novel stationary phase has a great potential for further development and application. 2009 Mei Ling Qi. Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Chinese Chemical Society. All rights reserved.

Retention behaviors of novel ionic liquid stationary phases and their selectivity for capillary gas chromatography

One chloride-terminated ionic liquid（CTIL） and two hydroxyl-terminated ionic liquids（HTILs） were synthesized and used as stationary phases for capillary gas chromatography（CGC）.Molecular interactions of these stationary phases were evaluated by Abraham solvation parameter model,indicating that the CTIL exhibits remarkably strong H-bond basicity and the HTILs possess both H-bond basicity and acidity.The molecular interactions were further confirmed by separation of a complex mixture consisting of ketones,aldehydes,esters,alcohols and aromatic compounds.It was found that the obtained solvation parameters correlate well with the chromatographic performances of the analytes in terms of elution order and resolution.The well correlated relationship between the solvation parameters and the selectivity of the CTIL and HTILs stationary phases is quite helpful in predicting and understanding the retention behaviors of different types of analytes on these stationary phases.

Analysis of Residual Solvents in Annatto Extracts Using a Static Headspace Gas Chromatography Method

An analytical method for the quantification of residual solvents in annatto extracts, natural food colorants, was established using a static headspace gas chromatography (HSGC) coupled with a flame ionization detector (FID). As a sample diluent in a headspace sampling, dimethylformamide (DMF) was selected owing to its high capacity for dissolving both bixin-based and norbixin-based annatto extracts. The quantification of residual solvents was performed using the external standard method. The linearity of the calibration curves was assured with relative coefficients (R2) that were greater than 0.999. The recoveries of all standard solvents spiked in the annatto extracts were in the range from 95.1% to 107.1% to verify the accuracy and the relative standard deviation (RSD%) values (n = 3) were in the range from 0.57% to 3.31%. The quantification limits (QL) were sufficiently lower than the limits specified by Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA). With the established HSGC method, six residual solvents (methanol, ethanol, 2-propanol, acetone, ethyl acetate, and hexane) in 23 commercial annatto-extract products that consist of seven bixin-based and 16 norbixin-based products were quantified. The levels of residual ethyl acetate and hexane in all products were lower than the specified limits of JECFA. However, three samples of bixin-based products showed higher levels of residual 2-propanol (approximately 313.9 - 427.7 ppm) than the specified limit. Other bixin products also showed higher concentrations of residual methanol (approximately 166.6 - 394.7 ppm) and residual acetone (approximately 75.2 - 179.8 ppm) than the limits of JECFA. In the case of norbixin-based products, nine samples showed higher levels of residual acetone (approximately 42.6 - 139.5 ppm) than the limits of JECFA. This is the first survey of residual solvents in annatto extracts using the validated HSGC method.

Determination of 8 Diuretics and Probenecid in Human Urine by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry: Confirmation Procedure

A fast and sensitive method for determination of 8 diuretics (acetazolamide, bendroflumethiazide, bumetanide, chlorthalidone, furosemide, hydrochlorothiazide, metolazone, triamterene) and masking agent (probenecid) in human urine using gas-chromatography with mass spectrometric detection is described. The extraction of the substances as function of the nature of organic solvent, mixing time and pH of aqueous phase was studied. The tandem mass spectrometry was used to increase selectivity of diuretics determination due to elimination of background interferences. Fragmentation reactions were studied for each compound and their collision energies were optimized to obtain the best selectivity. The results of method’s validation demonstrate its suitability in routine analysis for confirmation purposes.

Selectivity of guanidinium ionic liquid for capillary gas chromatography

A guanidinium ionic liquid,N,N,N＇,N＇-tetrahexyl-N＂,N＂-dimethylguanidinium bis（trifluoromethane）sulfonylimide（THDMGNTf2）, was synthesized and used as stationary phase for capillary gas chromatography.In comparison with imidazolium ionic liquid stationary phase,the present new stationary phase exhibits quite different selectivity and behaves more like a low polar stationary phase.The guanidinium ionic liquid of THDMG-NTf2 exhibited better separation of Grab test mixture than imidazolium ionic liquid of 1-octyl-3-butylimidazolium bis（trifluoromethane）sulfonylimide（OBIM-NTf2）.Solvation parameter model was also used to evaluate the selectivity of THDMG-NTf2.Additionally,essential oil of Magnolia biondii Pamp was analyzed to further evaluate the selectivity of THDMG-NTf2 for a sample of complicated components.Satisfactory separation of the essential oil was achieved on a THDMG-NTf2 column（10 m） while using a commercial column（30 m） as reference.The present study shows that the guanidinium ionic liquid possesses novel chromatographic selectivity and has great potential for wide applications.

Analysis of residual crosslinking agent content in UV cross-linked poly(ethylene oxide) hydrogels for dermatological application by gas chromatography

Acrylates have been widely used in the synthesis of pharmaceutical polymers. The quantitation of residual acrylate monomers is vital as they are strong irritants and allergens, but after polymerization, are relatively inert, causing no irritation and allergies. Poly(ethylene oxide)(PEO) hydrogels were prepared using pentaerythritol tetra-acrylate(PETRA) as UV crosslinking agent. A simple, accurate, and robust quantitation method was developed based on gas chromatographic techniques(GC), which is suitable for routine analysis of residual PETRA monomers in these hydrogels. Unreacted PETRA was initially identified using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry(GC–MS). The quantitation of analyte was performed and validated using gas chromatography equipped with a flame ionization detector(GC–FID). A linear relationship was obtained over the range of 0.0002%–0.0450%(m/m) with a correlation coefficient(r2)greater than 0.99. The recovery( 4 90%), intra-day precision(%RSD o 0.67), inter-day precision(%RSD o2.5%), and robustness(%RSD o1.62%) of the method were within the acceptable values. The limit of detection(LOD) and limit of quantitation(LOQ) were 0.0001%(m/m) and 0.0002%(m/m), respectively.This assay provides a simple and quick way of screening for residual acrylate monomer in hydrogels.

Gel Permeation Chromatography Purification and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Detection of Multi-Pesticide Residues in Traditional Chinese Medicine

The measurement of 23 organochlorine, organophosphorus, and pyrethroid pesticides in typical traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), flos lonicerae, was made using gel permeation chromatography (GPC) purification and gas chroma- tography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) detection. The pesticides were extracted with ultrasonic device and 5.0 mL mixture of ethyl acetate and cyclohexane (1:1, v/v). Coextractants from sample matrices which may have interfere to the qualitative and quantitative analysis, such as pigments, were removed using GPC purification. Simultaneous full scan and selective ion monitor (scan/SIM) mode for GC-MS was used for qualitative and quantitative analysis, which pro- vided retention time and characteristic fragments ratio for each pesticide so as to positively identify each analyte. Rela- tive standard deviations (RSDs) were within 7.7% (5.0 - 22.5 μg/kg, n = 3). The recoveries of pesticide standards at the spiked concentration of 5.0 - 22.5 μg/kg were between 87.1% and 110.9%. Limits of detection (LODs) for the analytes were 0.16 - 3.2 μg/kg, which could meet the demand of routine analysis and TCM quality control.

Silylated and acetylated β-cyclodextrins for gas chromatographic stationary phases

Two new chiral stationary phases, 2,3 di O acetyl 6 O trimethylsilyl β cyclodextrin (DATBCD) and 2,6 di O trimethylsilyl 3 O acetyl β cyclodextrin(DTABCD), were synthesized, their structures were identified by means of infrared and NMR spectra. Capillary columns were coated with the two stationary phases by dynamic method. The chromatographic properties, and enantiomers separation, such as ketone, esters, alcohols and olefines, were investigated on the silylated and acetylated β cyclodextrin stationary phases. The experimental results show that the silylated and acetylated β cyclodextrins are suitable to be used as capillary gas chromatographic stationary phases, the relative polarity of DATBCD and DTABCD stationary phases is respectively 4143 and 3928, the column efficiencies are respectively 3084 and 4198, and DATBCD is of stronger enantioselectivity than DTABCD, capacity factor of the first eluted enantiomer ( k 1) and separation factor(α)of α phenylethanol on DATBCD stationary phase are respectively 8.23 and 1.019.

Headspace Solid-Phase Micro-Extraction Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry(HS-SPME-GC/MS)-Based Untargeted Metabolomics Analysis for Comparing the Volatile Components from 12 Panax Herbal Medicines

Quality control of ginseng currently is mainly based on ginsenoside analysis,but rarely focuses on the volatile organic components.In the current work,an untargeted metabolomics approach,by headspace solid-phase micro-extraction gas chromatography/mass spectrometry(HS-SPME-GC/MS),was elaborated and further employed to holistically compare the compositional difference of the volatile components simultaneously from 12 Panax herbal medicines,which included P.ginseng(PG),P.quinquefolius(PQ),P.notoginseng(PN),red ginseng(PGR),P.ginseng leaf(PGL),P.quinquefolius leaf(PQL),P.notoginseng leaf(PNL),P.ginseng flower(PGF),P.quinquefolius flower(PQF),P.notoginseng flower(PNF),P.japonicus(PJ),and P.japonicus var.major(PJvm).Chromatographic separation was performed on an HP-5MS elastic quartz capillary column using helium as the carrier gas,enabling good resolution within 1 h.We were able to characterize totally 259 volatile compounds,including 82 terpenes(T),46 alcohols(Alc),29 ketones(K),25 aldehydes(Ald),21 esters(E),and the others.By analyzing 90 batches of ginseng samples based on the untargeted metabolomics workflows,236 differential ions were unveiled,and accordingly 36 differential volatile components were discovered.It is the first report that simultaneously compares the compositional difference of volatile components among 12 Panax herbal medicines,and useful information is provided for the quality control of ginseng aside from the well-known ginsenosides.

Application Progress of Headspace Gas Chromatography in Analytical Chemistry

This paper briefly expounds the basic principle and classification of headspace gas chromatography,summarizes its application in food analysis,environmental analysis and medical analysis,and forecasts the application prospect of headspace gas chromatography in analytical chemistry in the future.

Analyzing crude oils from the Junggar Basin(NW China) using comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry(GC×GC-TOFMS)

As a new technology of analyzing crude oils,comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry(GC×GCTOFMS) has received much research attention.Here we present a case study in the Junggar Basin of NW China.Results show that the hydrocarbons,including saturates and aromatics,were all well-separated without large coelution,which cannot be realized by conventional one-dimensional GC-MS.The GC×GC technique is especially effective for analyzing aromatics and low-to-middlemolecular-weight hydrocarbons,such as diamondoids.The geochemical characteristics of crude oils in the study area were investigated through geochemical parameters extracted by GC×GC-TOFMS,improving upon the understanding obtained by GC-MS.Thus,the work here represents a new successful application of GC×GCTOFMS,showing its broad usefulness in petroleum geochemistry.

Detection of Persistent Organochlorine Pollutants in Eggs of Antarctic Seabirds Based on Gas Chromatography and Their Ecological Environment Significance

By using internal standard method based on gas chromatography-electron capture detector （GC-ECD）, the contents of persistent or- ganochlorine pollutants polychorinated biphenyls （PCBs） and organochlorine pesticides （OCPs） in eggs of seabirds （ Catharacta Ionnbergi, Cathar- acta maccormicki, Pygoscelis papua and Macronectes giganteus） breeding on King George Island, Antarctica were detected, and their ecological environment significance was discussed. The results showed that the recovery of various compounds ranged from 68.6% to 90.8% ; relative stand- ard deviation （RSD） was 3.6%, and the lowest detection limits of PCBs and OCPs were 0.8 - 16 and 2 - 12 pg respectively, which could meet the demands for the residue analysis of trace persistent organochlorine pollutants in the eggs of Antarctic seabirds. The contents of PCBs, DDTs, HCB and HCHs in the eggs of Antarctic seabirds were 0.5 -515.5, 2.0 -304.4,0.5 -70.5, and 0.5 -2.0 ng/g respectively. In addition, the accumula- tion of PCBs and OCPs in the skuas was enhanced gradually through the food chain. The maximums of persistent organochlorine pollutants ap- peared in the eggs of C. Ionnbergi, followed by the eggs of C. maccomicki. The detection of OCPs and PCBs in the eggs of Antarctic seabirds was not interfered by other compounds containing chlorine, showing that the extraction, purification and detection method was suitable for the analysis of OCPs and PCBs in the eggs of Antarctic seabirds and has high sensitivity and reliability.

Synergistic Effect in Mixed Capillary Gas Chromatographic Stationap Phases Containing Heptakis(2,3,6-tri-o-pentyl)-β-cyclodextrin and Dibenzo-18-crown-6

used－silical capillary columns containing heptakis（2、3、6－tri－o－pentyl）-β-cyclodextrinand dibenzo-18-crown-6 were prepared．By studying the selectivity of mixed stationary phases forsome solute pairs.as well as comparing with the heptakis（2．3、6-tri-O-pentyl）-β-cyclodextrin and thedibenzo-18-crown-6 used as individual stationary phase、the synergistic effects were observed.These effects were affected by the column temperature．mixed ratio and linear velocity of carrier gas．