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.

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.

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.

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.

Occurrence of <i>N</i>-Acyl Homoserine Lactones in Extracts of Bacterial Strain of <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i>and in Sputum Sample Evaluated by Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry

This study presents a fast, accurate and sensitive technique using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) for the identification and quantification of N-acyl homoserine lactones (AHLs) in the extracts of bacterial strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and sputum sample of a cystic fibrosis patient. This method involves direct separation and determination of AHLs by using GC-MS as simultaneous separation and characterization of AHLs were possible without any prior derivatiza-tion. Electron ionization resulted in a common fragmentation pattern with the most common fragment ion at m/z 143 and other minor peaks at 73, 57 and 43. The limit of detection for N-butanoyl, N-hexanoyl, N-octanoyl, N-decanoyl, N-dodecanoyl and N-tetradecanoyl homoserine lactones was 2.14, 3.59, 2.71, 2.10, 2.45 and 2.34 μg/L, respectively. The presence of AHLs in the culture of P. aeruginosa strain and spu-tum of a cystic fibrosis patient was achieved in selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode by using the prominent fragment at m/z 143.

Structure Elucidation of a New Toxin from the Mushroom Cortinarius rubellus Using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS)

Cortinarius orellanus (Fries) and C. rubellus (Cooke),which were formerly also known as C. speciosissimus, are poisonous mushrooms containing the toxin orellanine and several degradation products of orellanine,includingorelline and orellinine. Mass intoxication by poisonous mushrooms was observed in Poland in 1952-1957 [1]. In 1957, the cause of these outbreaks was described by Grzymala as poisoning by a member of the Cortinarius family. The toxin orellanine was first isolated from C. orellanusby Grzymala in 1962;the chemical structure of orellanine was later determined to be 3,3',4,4'-tetrahydroxy-2,2'-bipyridine-N,N'-dioxide. Poisoning with C. orellanus and C. rubellus has a very specific character. The first symptoms of intoxication usually do not appear until 2-3 days after ingestion, but in some cases intoxication appears after three weeks. The target organ for the toxin is the kidney. Histologically, it is easy to record the specific damage. The presence of degradation products of orellanine in kidney can be confirmed chromatographically, suggesting that the cause of poisoning is orellanine. However, the presence of orellanine in the blood of intoxicated persons has not been directly detected. A specific model was developed by Brondz et al. for the detection of orellanine, orelline, and orellininein animal stomach fluids [2-4]. The hypothesis that the fungal toxin orellanine as a diglucoside can be transported from the digestive system by the blood to the kidney could not be supported. The toxin orellanine as a diglucoside is very unstable in an aqueous acidic environment.[i1]?However, in the present study, it was possible to record an additional substance in animal stomach fluids using GC-MSafter ingestion ofC. rubellus. This substance, which has been namedrubelline, is part of a toxic mixture inC. orellanusandC. rubellusand is closely related to orellanine. The structure of rubelline is more suitable than orellanine for absorptionfromthe digestive tract and for transport in the blood. The presented hypothesis is that rubellineis absorbed in the digestive tract and transportedin the blood to the kidney, where it is biotransformed to orellanine and accumulatedto toxic levels. The process of biotransformationis in itself also damaging for the kidney and liver.[i2]?GC-MS instrumentation enables the separation of substances in biological samples and in the extract fromC. rubellus. The GC-MS with SMB technique was used to record the mass ion and to record a detailed fragmentation picture.

ANALYSIS OF VOLATILE CONSTITUENTS OF CHINESE MEDICINAL HERBS BY FLASH DISTILLATION/CAPILLARY GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY/MASS SPECTROMETRY

In present work,the volatile constituents of Curcuma longa L.,A.lancea (Thunb.) DC.,Foeniculum vulgare Mill,and Cinnamomun cassia Presl.have been analyzed by flash distillation/capillary gas chro-matography/mass spectrometry.The results are consistent with those obtained by conventional steam distillation extraction method.The optimum condition of flash distillation has been studied.The experimental results showed that this new technique proved to be a simple,rapid and efficient tool for microanalysis of volatile constituents of Chinese medicinal herbs.

The Detection of THCA Using 2-Dimensional Gas Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry in Human Fingernail Clippings: Method Validation and Comparison with Head Hair

Marijuana use as well as abuse is a significant public health and public safety concern in the United States and using hair to identify marijuana users and abusers has been gaining acceptance in a number of venues including workplace, court ordered, and substance abuse treatment monitoring. After the presentation of a fully validated 2-dimensional gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for the detection of 11-nor-9-carboxy-Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THCA), the chief metabolite of the main psychoactive compound in marijuana, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), we evaluated the usefulness of fingernail clippings as an alternative specimen type to hair by the analysis of a set of 60 matched pairs of head hair and fingernail clippings. The limit of detection was 10 fg/mg, the limit of quantitation was 20 fg/mg, and the assay was linear from 20 fg/mg to 500 fg/mg. The intra- and inter-assay imprecision and bias studies at 4 different concentrations (50, 100, 500, and 1000 fg/mg) were acceptable where all % Target observations were within 16% of their expected concentrations and all %CV calculations were less than 13.5%. THCA was detectable in more fingernail specimens (53.3%) than hair specimens (46.7%) and the mean concentrations in nails were on average 4.9 times higher than in hair (1813 fg/mg and 364 fg/mg, respectively). The THCA concentrations in hair and nail were strongly associated (r = 0.974, P < 0.01, n = 60) and the association was significant. The study demonstrated that fingernail clippings are a suitable alternative specimen type to hair to monitor for marijuana use and abuse.

Coupling a Gas Chromatography Unit to an Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer

Although the eminent threat of a terrorist group detonating an improvised nuclear device (IND) in an urban environment is low, it is crucial that countries develop modern nuclear forensic capabilities to expedite response in a post-detonation scenario. In particular, new instruments need to be created to shorten dissolution time, expedite chemical separation, and improve forensic analysis of the nuclear melt glass that is created during the detonation of the device. To expedite this process, an instrument was designed to thermally couple a gas chromatograph (GC) to a time-of-flight inductively coupled plasma time-of-flight mass spectrometer (ICPTOFMS) In order to couple these two instruments, another instrument was designed to provide an isothermal atmosphere between the GC and TOFICPMS to expedite rapid gas separations processes. By using gas separations instead of the current wet chemistry processes, the required separation and analysis time of the melt glass significantly decreases. The new instrument would also provide a more detailed analysis of the elemental and isotopic composition of the melt glass. By completing these tasks simultaneously, this significantly decreases the required time to conduct these separations and improves the elemental and isotopic analysis.

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.

改进和优化黑果枸杞及其制品中花青素测定的pH示差法

建立一种基于美国官方分析化学师协会(Association of Official Analytical Chemists,AOAC)方法检测黑果枸杞及其制品中花青素含量的改进pH示差法。考察了黑果枸杞及其制品中花青素的最佳提取和检测条件,通过液相色谱-三重四级杆串联质谱法鉴别出黑果枸杞中花青素的具体化学结构,并计算出混合花青素的平均摩尔质量。通过分光光度法测得混合花青素的平均摩尔消光系数,对改进后的pH示差法进行方法学验证和花青素的含量测定。结果显示,最佳提取和检测条件如下:黑果枸杞花青素提取溶剂为盐酸-80%(体积分数)乙醇(3∶97,体积比),料液比为1∶100(g∶mL),提取温度为50℃,提取时间为30 min,缓冲溶液稀释5倍后静置平衡20 min。液相色谱-三重四级杆串联质谱法鉴别黑果枸杞中主要以矮牵牛素类花青素为主(占97.96%),黑果枸杞特有的混合花青素平均摩尔质量为912.7 g/mol,平均摩尔消光系数为29591 L/(mol·cm)。pH示差法改进后能够满足方法学验证要求,固体样品和液体样品最低检出限分别为28.2 mg/100 g、0.282 mg/100 mL。方法改进后花青素提取增长率均大于20%,静置平衡20 min后单次检测结果精密度小于0.3%。以矮牵牛素类花青素代替矢车菊素-3-O-葡萄糖苷计算花青素含量平均提高了2.41倍,能真实地反映黑果枸杞及其制品中花青素的含量。

基于电子鼻和气质联用分析萌芽大蒜挥发性物质差异

为探究萌芽期大蒜挥发性物质的差异,采用电子鼻、捕集阱顶空-气质联用仪(Trap head space-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry,HS-Trap-GC-MS)结合正交偏最小二乘法判别分析(Orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis,OPLS-DA)、香气活度值、差异性热图、相关性分析分析大蒜萌芽在0、24、48、72、96 h挥发性物质的差异。电子鼻结合OPLS-DA建立预测模型其预测能力达96.00%。GC-MS分析表明:含硫化合物是不同萌芽期大蒜的主要共有挥发性物质,含硫化合物的相对含量随萌芽时间的延长而呈递减趋势,而种类呈现出递增趋势;二烯丙基二硫醚是样品在萌芽过程中含量降低最多的物质。二烯丙基四硫醚、烯丙硫醇是样品共有关键化合物。差异性热图分析显示:除共有物质含量差异外,硫化丙烯、己醛、叠氮二羧酸二叔丁酯、丙烯醇、6-甲基-2-庚炔、5-甲基噻二唑、2-亚乙基-1,3-二硫烷、2-丙-2-炔基磺酰基丙烷、2,5-二甲基噻吩、2,5-二甲基呋喃、1-戊烯-3-醇、1,3-二噻烷的缺失进一步加大了未萌芽和萌芽大蒜气味的差异。萌芽大蒜主要共有挥发性物质的种类随萌芽时间的延长呈现递增趋势。大蒜主要挥发性物质与电子鼻大多数传感器存在显著相关性。大蒜的气味强度会随萌芽时间的延长而逐步减弱。

创伤性脊髓损伤患者血清和尿液的代谢组学分析

背景:创伤性脊髓损伤在临床上主要依赖于量表评估与影像学检查,但对于损伤程度的预后评估具有一定局限性,利用代谢组学技术进行生物标志物筛选,对于估计病变范围、损伤与恢复程度以及开发新疗法具有重要意义。目的:使用代谢组学技术来表征创伤性脊髓损伤患者的代谢特征,探寻潜在的生物标志物及失调的代谢途径。方法:收集20例创伤性脊髓损伤患者(观察组)和10例健康受试者(对照组)的血清和尿液样本,进行代谢物分析,然后利用多元变量统计分析进行数据处理,筛选差异代谢物。通过MetaboAnalyst软件进行代谢通路富集,应用logistic回归构建生物标志物组合模型,并分析其与美国脊髓损伤协会(ASIA)分级的关系。结果与结论:两组受试者的血清和尿液中分别检测出160种和73种具有显著差异的代谢物。通路富集分析显示,创伤性脊髓损伤后脂质代谢出现明显的紊乱,包括鞘脂类、亚油酸、α-亚麻酸和花生四烯酸代谢以及糖基磷脂酰肌醇生物合成。识别出他索沙坦和葫芦素糖苷这组生物标志物,并且二者构成的代谢物组合在血清和尿液中的水平与ASIA分级存在相关性。由此可见,代谢组学技术为进一步理解创伤性脊髓损伤病理机制、筛选治疗靶点提供帮助。识别出的代谢生物标志物组合可能为评估创伤性脊髓损伤的严重程度提供参考。

紫茎泽兰对钉螺代谢活性影响

为探究紫茎泽兰对钉螺活性的影响,采用超高效液相色谱-四极杆飞行时间质谱联用技术(UPLC-Q-TOF/MS),分别检测紫茎泽兰处理钉螺组、氯硝柳胺处理钉螺对照组和空白对照组的钉螺情况,用主成分分析(PCA)、偏最小二乘法判别分析(PLS-DA)及正交偏最小二乘法判别分析(OPLS-DA)进行联合统计分析,筛选差异代谢物。结果表明紫茎泽兰活性成分可以干预钉螺的生长代谢,共筛选出79种差异显著代谢物,甘氨酸等31个代谢物显著上调,L-苏氨酸等48个代谢物显著下调,并得到18条代谢通路阐明了紫茎泽兰干预钉螺活性的代谢机制,为将紫茎泽兰研发为灭螺剂及灭螺药物靶标筛选奠定了理论基础。

Gas chromatography mass spectrometry based metabolic profiling reveals biomarkers involved in rice-gall midge interactions

The Asian rice gall midge（Orseolia oryzae WoodMason） is a serious pest of rice that causes huge loss in yield.While feeding inside the susceptible host,maggots secrete substances that facilitate the formation of a hollow tube-like structure called gall and prevent panicle formation.The present investigation was carried out to get an account of biochemical changes occurring in the rice plant upon gall midge feeding.Metabolic profiling of host tissues from three rice varieties,namely,TN1,Kavya,and RP2068,exposed to gall midge biotype 1（GMB1）,was carried out using gas chromatography mass spectrometry（GC-MS）.TN1 and GMB1 represented compatible interaction,while Kavya and GMB1 as well as RP2068 and GMB1 represented incompatible interactions.The current study identified several metabolites that could be grouped as resistance,susceptibility,infestation,and host features based on their relative abundance.These may be regarded as biomarkers for insect-plant interaction in general and rice-gall midge interaction in particular.

Identification of petroleum aromatic fraction by comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography with time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry(GC×GC-TOFMS) is commercially available in the 1990s,with the characteristics of large peak capacity,high resolution,high sensitivity,etc.However,its application to the petroleum and geological analyses is just emerging in China and overseas.In this research,the analytical method for petroleum aromatic fraction using GC×GC-TOFMS is set up,via the choice of the column system and optimization of setting parameters,such as temperature programming,modulation time,hot pulse time,flow rate of carrier gas,data acquisition rate and data processing.The results indicate that different polar compounds of aromatic fraction distribute as bands on structured GC×GC chromatogram.Within each band,homologous compounds appear as a roof-tile structure based on the number of substituent residues.The aromatic compounds are identified and characterized according to the GC×GC chromatogram and mass spectra.According to the polarity and the number of rings,aromatic compounds are spatially present on one chromatogram,which directly reflects the distribution characteristics of complex compounds of aromatic hydrocarbons.In addition,quantitative analysis is favored as some overlapped peaks on traditional GC-MS chromatogram have been separated completely on GC×GC.Some heterocyclic atom aromatic compounds at trace level can be clearly identified using this method,for polarity differences from other interfered aromatic compounds.The development of this method and chromatogram recognition offer petroleum geologists a practical example for the application performance of GC×GC-TOFMS.

Qualitative Analysis of A Sulfur-fumigated Chinese Herbal Medicine by Comprehensive Two-Dimensional Gas Chromatography and High-Resolution Time of Flight MassSpectrometry Using Colorized Fuzzy Difference Data Processing

To investigate the chemical transformation of volatile compounds in sulfur-fumigated Radix Angelicae Sinensis. A comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GCxGC) and high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HR-TOF/MS) with colorized fuzzy difference (CFD) method was used to investigate the effect of sulfur-fumigation on the volatile components from Radix Angelicae Sinensis. Twenty-five compounds that were found in sun-dried samples disappeared in sulfur-fumigated samples. Seventeen volatile components including two sulfur-containing compounds were newly generated for the first time in volatile oils of sulfur-fumigated Radix Angelicae Sinensis. The strategy can be successfully applied to rapidly and holistically discriminate sun-dried and sulfur-fumigated Radix Angelicae Sinensis. GCxGC-HR-TOF/MS based CFD is a powerful and feasible approach for the global quality evaluation of Radix Angelicae Sinensis as well as other herbal medicines.

Analysis of nitrobenzene compounds in water and soil samples by graphene composite-based solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry

In this work, solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry was developed to determine trace levels of nitrobenzene compounds in water and soil samples. Graphene was chosen as the extraction material and its composite was coated on a stainless steel wire through sol–gel technique for the solid phase microextraction. The key parameters influencing the extraction efficiency were optimized. Under the optimal conditions, the linearity for the compounds was observed in the range of 0.02–15.0 mg/L for water samples, and 0.2–60.0 mg/kg for soil samples, with the correlation coefficients（r） of 0.9966–0.9987. The limits of detection of the method were 0.0025–0.005 mg/L for water samples, and 0.02–0.04 mg/kg for soil samples. The recoveries for the spiked samples were in the range of 72.0%–113.2%, and the precision, expressed as the relative standard deviations, was less than 12.1%.

Determination of selected semi-volatile organic compounds in water using automated online solid-phase extraction with large-volume injection/gas chromatography/mass spectrometry

A rapid,sensitive,and cost-effective analyticalmethod was developed for the analysis of selected semivolatileorganic compounds in water.The method used anautomated online solid-phase extraction technique coupledwith programmed-temperature vaporization large-volumeinjection gas chromatography/mass spectrometry.Thewater samples were extracted by using a fully automatedmobile rack system based on x-y-z robotic techniquesusing syringes and disposable 96-well extraction plates.The method was validated for the analysis of 30 semivolatileanalytes in drinking water,groundwater,andsurface water.For a sample volume of 10 mL,the linearcalibrations ranged from 0.01 or 0.05 to 2.5μg·L^(-1),and themethod detection limits were less than 0.1μg·L^(-1).For thereagent water samples fortified at 1.0μg·L^(-1)and2.0μg·L^(-1),the obtained mean absolute recoveries were70%-130%with relative standard deviations of less than20%for most analytes.For the drinking water,groundwater,and surface water samples fortified at 1.0μg·L^(-1),theobtained mean absolute recoveries were 50%-130%withrelative standard deviations of less than 20%for mostanalytes.The new method demonstrated three advantages:1)no manipulation except the fortification of surrogatestandards prior to extraction;2)significant cost reductionassociated with sample collection,shipping,storage,andpreparation;and 3)reduced exposure to hazardous solventsand other chemicals.As a result,this new automatedmethod can be used as an effective approach for screeningand/or compliance monitoring of selected semi-volatileorganic compounds in water.