Simultaneous identification and quantification of tetrodotoxin in fresh pufferfish and pufferfish-based products using immunoaffinity columns and liquid chromatography/quadrupole-linear ion trap mass spectrometry

In this study, we established a comprehensive method for simultaneous identification and quantification of tetrodotoxin （TTX） in fresh pufferfish tissues and pufferfish-based products using liquid chromatography/quadrupole-linear ion trap mass spectrometry （LC-QqLIT-MS）. TTX was extracted by 1% acetic acid-methanol, and most of the lipids were then removed by freezing lipid precipitation, followed by purification and concentration using immunoaffinity columns （IACs）. Matrix effects were substantially reduced due to the high specificity of the IACs, and thus, background interference was avoided. Quantitation analysis was therefore performed using an external calibration curve with standards prepared in mobile phase. The method was evaluated by fortifying samples at 1, 10, and 100 ng/g, respectively, and the recoveries ranged from 75.8%--107%, with a relative standard deviation of less than 15%. The TTX calibration curves were linear over the range of 1-1 000 ~tg/L, with a detection limit of 0.3 ng/g and a quantification limit of 1 ng/g. Using this method, samples can be further analyzed using an information- dependent acquisition （IDA） experiment, in the positive mode, from a single liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry injection, which can provide an extra level of confirmation by matching the full product ion spectra acquired for a standard sample with those from an enhanced product ion （EPI） library. The scheduled multiple reaction monitoring method enabled TTX to be screened for, and TTX was positively identified using the IDA and EPI spectra. This method was successfully applied to analyze a total of 206 samples of fresh pufferfish tissues and pufferfish-based products. The results from this study show that the proposed method can be used to quantify and identify TTX in a single run with excellent sensitivity and reproducibility, and is suitable for the analysis of complex matrix pufferfish samples.

Preparation and Application of an Immunoaffinity Column for Direct Extraction of Morphine and its Analogs from Opium

A rapid, simple and accurate method using an immunoaffinity column (IAC) and capillary electrophoresis (CE) for the analysis of the major alkaloids in opium is developed. The IAC was synthesized by coupling specific morphine polyclonal antibodies to CNBr-actived Sepharose 4B. The IAC showed high selectivity and obvious enrichment to morphine, codeine, dionin and thebaine. The extraction solution was analyzed by CE with β-cyclodextrin as an additive. Recoveries of the four alkaloids from PBS were between 93%-105% with RSD value less than 5.0%. The result showed that this method was practical for the determination of morphine analogs in opium.