Rapid authentication of different herbal medicines by heating online extraction electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

The rapid and accurate authentication of traditional Chinese medicines(TCMs)has always been a key scientific and technical problem in the field of pharmaceutical analysis.Herein,a novel heating online extraction electrospray ionization mass spectrometry(H-oEESI-MS)was developed for the rapid and direct analysis of extremely complex substances without the requirement for any sample pretreatment or pre-separation steps.The overall molecular profile and fragment structure features of various herbal medicines could be completely captured within 10–15 s,with minimal sample(<0.5 mg)and solvent consumption(<20μL for one sample).Furthermore,a rapid differentiation and authentication strategy for TCMs based on H-oEESI-MS was proposed,including metabolic profile characterization,characteristic marker screening and identification,and multivariate statistical analysis model validation.In an analysis of 52 batches of seven types of Aconitum medicinal materials,20 and 21 key compounds were screened out as the characteristic markers of raw and processed Aconitum herbal medicines,respectively,and the possible structures of all the characteristic markers were comprehensively identified based on Compound Discoverer databases.Finally,multivariate statistical analysis showed that all the different types of herbal medicines were well differentiated and identified(R^(2)X>0.87,R^(2)Y>0.91,and Q^(2)>0.72),which further verified the feasibility and reliability of this comprehensive strategy for the rapid authentication of different TCMs based on H-oEESI-MS.In summary,this rapid authentication strategy realized the ultra-high-throughput,low-cost,and standardized detection of various complex TCMs for the first time,thereby demonstrating wide applicability and value for the development of quality standards for TCMs.

Studies on the Basic Conformation of Lysozyme by Electrospray Ionization-Mass Spectrometry(ESI-MS)

In the present work, 2-mercaptoethanol and dithiothreitol were used to hydrogenise the internal disulfide bond in lysozyme. The experimental results indicate that the charge distribution of the proteins are different in the reaction process. From the calculated molecular weight, the reduction process of the disulfide bond in the molecules can be described, and the number of the disulfide bonds in the molecule can also be determined.

三氯蔗糖ESI正模式中加钠离子[M+Na]^(+)的特征碎片结构分析研究

分析三氯蔗糖在ESI正模式中[M+Na]^(+)的裂解过程,得出裂解路径和产物分子,为建立基于特征碎片结构快速筛查数据库提供参考。通过优化程序及调整流动相等参数,分析三氯蔗糖加钠的前体离子的谱图规律,结合分析特征产物离子的碰撞能量、强度,以及特征中性丢失,确定特征碎片,推测可能裂解路径,最后通过对自然界氯同位素丰度比的计算,验证了所提出的裂解途径和分子式的有效性。在Q1质谱图中主要生成[M+Na]+加钠离子,Q2质谱图中主要生成239 m/z、221 m/z两个产物离子及其他2个次主要离子,而且这两个离子相对丰度高、稳定性好,结合氯同位素在自然界的丰度比进行计算,验证了该推导裂解路径和分子式的存在合理性。结论为三氯蔗糖在ESI正模式下的应用提供了参考,为三氯蔗糖质谱碎裂模式的分析奠定了理论基础。

ESI-MS研究六钼酸盐芳香亚胺衍生物的合成反应及气相稳定性

该文通过合成两种Lindqvist型六钼酸芳香亚胺含氯衍生物TBA_(2)[Mo_(6)O_(18)(N-C_(6)H_(4)-Cl-p)](Ⅰ)和TBA_(2)[Mo_(6)O_(18)(N-C_(6)H_(4)-Cl-o)](Ⅱ),并采用电喷雾质谱法(ESI-MS)实时监测其合成反应过程,对两个反应体系中各物质含量随反应时间的变化趋势进行分析,考察了多酸芳香亚胺衍生物中芳香胺不同取代基的位置对衍生物合成反应速率及结构稳定性的影响。并通过碰撞诱导解离技术(CID)研究了两种衍生物离子的气相裂解反应,获得了其气相裂解途径及结构稳定性信息。ESI-MS实时监测结果显示,两种衍生物合成过程中,0~3 h内产物生成速率较小,而3~6 h期间反应速率最大,6~9 h次之,9~12 h反应速率明显减小。对氯苯胺的pKb小于邻氯苯胺,是衍生物Ⅰ的合成反应速率大于Ⅱ的重要原因。CID结果表明,相较于Ⅰ离子,Ⅱ离子的气相结构稳定性更弱,主要原因是Cl原子取代基的综合电子效应为吸电子效应,其在邻位取代比对位取代距离维系离子稳定性的Mo≡N键更近,导致Ⅱ中Mo≡N键电子云密度下降程度更大,离子的稳定性比Ⅰ更弱。综上,ESI-MS是一种研究多酸有机官能化衍生物的可靠技术,可为该类衍生物结构稳定性的研究及后期的导向设计合成提供基础信息。

Unraveling enhanced membrane lipid biosynthesis in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii starchless mutant sta6 by using an electrospray ionization mass spectrometry-based lipidomics method

The unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii,a well-established model organism,has been widely used in dissecting glycerolipid metabolism in oxygenating photosynthetic organisms.In previous studies,it has been found that shunting carbon precursors from the starch synthesis pathway can lead to a 10-fold increase in TAG content as compared to the wild type,but it is unknown whether inactivation of AGPase may affect membrane lipids biosynthesis.The study aims to investigate global changes in lipid metabolism and homeostasis in the starchless mutant C.reinhardtii sta6.By utilizing an electrospray ionization/mass spectrometry(ESI/MS)-based lipidomics approach,a total of 105 membrane lipid molecules of C.reinhardtii were resolved,including 16 monogalactosyldiacylglycerol(MGDG),16 digalactosyldiacylglycerol(DGDG),11 phosphatidylglycerol(PG),6 sulfoquinovosyldiacylglycerol(SQDG),49 diacylglyceryl-N,N,N-trimethylhomoserine(DGTS),2 phosphatidylethanolamine(PE),and 5 phosphatidylinositol(PI)molecules.The quantitative results indicated that the membrane lipid profiles were similar between the two C.reinhardtii strains grown under both low-and high-light conditions,but the cellular contents of a great number of lipids were altered in sta6 due to the defect in starch biosynthesis.Under low-light conditions,sta6 accumulated more PI,MGDG,DGDG but less amounts of DGTS as compared to WT.Under high light,sta6 cells contained higher content membrane lipids than cc-124,except for PG,which is more or less similar in both strains.Our results demonstrate that the cellular membrane lipid homeostasis underwent profound changes in the starchless mutant,and thereby its physiological impact remains to be explored.

High Performance Liquid Chromatography-Electrospray Ionization-Mass Spectrometric Analysis of Bilobalide and Ginkgolides in Ginkgo biloba L. Leaves

The ginkgo terpenoids including bilobalide and ginkgolides are the main pharmaceutical components in the leaves or extracts of Ginkgo biloba L. In this paper, the analysis of bilobalide and ginkgolides in leaves of Ginkgo biloba L. by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-electrospray ionization (ESI)-mass spectrometry (MS) was carried out. The separation was performed on Inertsil ODS3 column with methanol-water (36:64) as mobile phase, with 1 mL·min -1 of flow rate at 35℃. Then the mass spectrum analysis was conducted by ZMD micromass electrospray ionization (ESI)-mass spectrometer (MS). The HPLC total ion chromatogram and selected ion chromatogram (with 325, 407, 423, 439 of m/z) of the sample and ESI-/MS mass spectra of the peaks in the chromatograms were obtained. So bilobalide, ginkgolide A, B, C and J in Ginkgo biloba L. leaves were identified. The method is easy and rapid, with a good accuracy.

Analysis of Norditerpenoid Alkaloids Extracted from Aconitum sinomantanum Nakai by Electrospray Ionization Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry（ESI-MS） was applied simultaneously in determining norditerpenoid alkaloids from the roots of Aconitum sinomantanum Nakai （RAS） based on molecular mass information. The tandem mass spectra（ ESI-MS^n） provided the alkaloidal structural information, through which the existence of these alkaloids was further confirmed. Accordingly, six known norditerpenoid alkaloids were simultaneously determined on the basis of their ESI-MS^n spectra. Furthermore, based on the diagnostic fragmentation pathways of alkaloidal MS^n, a rapid method for direct detection and characterization of alkaloids from an ethanolic extract of RAS was described.

Liquid Chromatography-electrospray Ionization Tandem Mass Spectrometry for Simultaneous Determination of Metformin and Glimepiride in Beagle Dog Plasma and Bioequivalence Study

A sensitive and selective liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry（LC- ES1-MS/MS） was used for the simultaneous determination of metformin and glimepiride in beagle dog plasma with glipizide as internal standard（IS）. After simplified protein precipitation with methanol, both the analytes and IS were chromatographed on a Zorbax CN column via gradient elution with methanol（containing 5 mmol/L ammonium ace- tate） and 5 mmol/L aqueous ammonium acetate as the mobile phase. Detection was performed by multiple reaction monitoring（MRM） scanning via ESI source operated in positive ionization mode. Specificity, linearity, accuracy, pre- cision, recovery, matrix effect and stability were validated for metformin and glimepiride in beagle dog plasma. The calibration curves were linear in a concentration range of 10-10000 ng/mL for metformin and 4-4000 ng/mL for glimepiride with both correlation coefficients higher than 0.99. The recoveries obtained for the analytes and IS were all between 82.7% and 101.2%. The method exhibited excellent performance in terms of selectivity, robustness, short analytical time and simplicity of sample preparation. Finally, the proposed method was applied to a bioequivalence study of self-made bilayer tablet and commercial formulation containing 500 mg of metformin and 1 mg of glimepi- ride in beagle dogs.

Fast Screening of Chicken Egg Lysozyme in White Wine Products by Extractive Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry

Fast detection of trace lysozyme,one of the most important food allergens in white wine samples,was achieved by extractive electrospray ionization mass spectrometry without sample pretreatment in this study.The multiply-charged ions of m/z1587 were chosen for the quantitative detection of lysozyme in white wine,showing linear dynamic signal responses in a range of 5―75μg/mL with a linearity coefficient of 0.999 and an acceptable relative standard deviation（RSD） of 8.0%―15.0% for directly measuring lysozyme in the complex food samples.The limit of detection for lysozyme in white wine sample was calculated to be 5 μg/mL,which was lower than the amounts that can provoke allergic reactions（oral test with 3 mg or labial test with 1 mg/mL）.A single sample analysis was completed within 1 min.The data demonstrate that extractive electrospray ionization mass spectrometry is a useful tool for fast screening lysozyme in the complex matrix,showing promising application in the rapid detection of food allergen.

The Study on the Noncovalent Complexes of Silver Ion with Xanthone Diglycosides by Electrospray Ionization with Tandem Mass Spectrometry

The silver ionic complexes of xanthone glycosides were studied by ESI-MS/MS in the positive ion mode. The fragmentation pathways of silver ionic complexes under collisioninduced dissociation （CID） were investigated and the differences in MS/MS spectra of different silver ionic complexes of xanthones were correlated to the characterization of saccharide and the coordination pattern of silver ion with xanthones, including the glycosilation position and linkage type of disaccharide （1-2 and 1-6 linkages）.

Reactivity of N-Methylidenemalonates of 3-Arylaminoindoles and p-Dimethylamino-N-Phenylaniline in the Course of Their Analysis by Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry

The behavior of N-methylidenemalonates of 3-arylaminoindoles and p-dimetylamino-N-phenylanyline (M = ANa) was studied during their analysis with ESI mass spectrometer operated in negative (NI) and positive (PI) ion modes. Anions [A] and both [M + H]+ and [M + Na]+ were recorded under conditions of the NI-ESI and PI-ESI, respectively. The fragmentation processes of [A] and [M + H]+ were found that probably occurred as “insource collusion induced dissociation”. The main paths for [A] proved to be elimination of CO2 and breakage of the N-methylidenemalonate bond. A route [A]- - CO2 - ROH (R = Me or Et) was less expressed and occurred for the indolyl-containing compounds with the NH bond only. Experiments employing heavy water demonstrated the isotope exchange to occur involving the hydrogen atom of this bond. This and other facts evidenced that the last fragmentation included abstraction of just this atom. Quantum-chemical calculations allowed picking out a structure for the product ion from the possible ones. The calculations also indicated that the protonation of M occurred at the anionic oxygen atom of the malonate moiety. The fragmentation of [M + H]+ ions included elimination of two water molecules that was supported by their MS2 spectra. A common feature of the NI- and PI-ESI mass spectra was the presence of oligomeric ions, up to tetramers and trimers for the NI- and PI-ESI ones, respectively. The oligomers were formed by interaction of the corresponding ions with neutral molecules. When ions contained extra hydrogen atoms, they were introduced by hydrolysis.

Studies on Fragmentation Pathways of N-Ethoxy(phenyl) phosphoryl Amino Acids by Electrospray Ionization Tandem Mass Spectrometry

The positive and negative ESI-MS/MS spectra of N-ethoxy（phenyl） phosphoryl amino acids（EPP-AA） were investigated by electrospray ionization（ESI） ion trap mass spectrometry. The fragmentation pathways of [ M ＋ Na]^＋ and [ M - H]^- ions are proposed and rationalized. The observation may have some potential applications in the interpretation of the MS/MS spectra of novel N-phosphoryl compounds. The complexity of MS/MS spectra of EPP-AA [ M ＋ Na]^＋ ions is decreased compared with that of N-dialkyloxyphosphoryl amino acid. Therefore, the new phosphonamidate method may be considered one of the superior methods that can be used in sequencing peptides and proteins extensively.

Effects of Temperature and Energy on Stability of Oligomeric Enzyme Probed on Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry

Escherichia coli 3-Deoxy-D-manno-octulosonate 8-phosphate（KDO8P） synthase catalyzed the condensation reaction between D-arabinose 5-phosphate（A5P） and phosphoenolpyruvate（PEP） to form KDO8P and inorganic phosphate（Pi）. The noncovalent tetrameric association ofKDO8P synthase was observed and dissociated in gas phase by means of electrospray ionization mass spectrometry under the very ＂soft＂ conditions. The results indicate that PEP-bound enzyme generated abundant tetrameric species as well as monomeric species at the ＂soft＂ conditions, whereas, the unbound enzyme favored the formation of a dimeric species. The mass spectra of the mixture of the enzyme with one of substrates, PEP, and A5P or one of products, KDO8P and Pi show that the complex of the unbound enzyme with PEP or Pi was prone to the formation of a monomeric species, whereas, that of the unbound enzyme with A5P or KDO8P was similar to the unbound enzyme. The intensity of the dimeric species increased with the increase of temperature at a collision voltage of 10 V. Taken together, the results presented here suggest that mass spectrometry will be a powerful tool to explore subtile conformational changes and/or subunit-subunit interactions of multiprotein assembly induced by ligand-binding and/or the changes of environmental conditions.

Molecular Probes in Tandem Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry: Application to Tracing Chemical Changes of Specific Phospholipid Molecular Species

New ionization and detection techniques in mass spectrometry have been successfully applied for efficient analyses of complex biological systems. It is, however, still difficult to trace structural changes of a specific molecular species in such systems. In the present study, a molecular probe strategy in combination with tandem electrospray ionization mass spectrometry has been examined using synthetic deuterium-labeled phosphatidylcholine hydroperoxide (PC-OOH/D3) and ethyl-labeled phosphatidylcholine having docosahexaenoic acid side chain (DHA-PC/Et). Administration of a mixture of PC-OOH/D3 and DHA-PC/Et to human blood and human skin surface, followed by extraction and analysis with collision-induced tandem electrospray ionization mass spectrometry demonstrated that metabolites of both molecular probes can be detected simultaneously with strict selectivity. The present method is also found to be useful in tracing chemical changes of the unstable docosahexaenoyl group on the surface of processed fish. The activity of phospholipase A2 can also be assessed using a phospholipid molecular probe with a linoleoyl and a deuteriomethyl group via selective detection of the lyso-phospholipid product by mass spectrometry. The advantage of the present method is that no chromatographic separation is required and analysis can be performed under strictly the same condition for different molecular probes, affording multiple data by one experiment. The present strategy may be useful for tracing time-dependent phenomena in dynamic phospholipid biochemistry, and can be widely used for any biological and food systems.

Studies on Fragmentation of Peptide by Nano-electrospray Ionization Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Multi-stage Tandem Mass Spectrometry

The sequence analysis of peptides was performed by nano-electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance tandem mass spectrometry（Nano-ESI-FT-ICR-MSn） and several peptides were chosen as examples. With the aid of the collision induced dissociation（CID）, FT-ICR provides not only precise mass/charge ratio, but also structure information of the selected peptides. The fragment ions were identified according to the observed molecular weights and peptide sequence was determined successfully. So Nano-ESI-FT-ICR-MSn is a useful tool for identification of the amino acid sequence of peptides with high confidence. Besides, a pathway for the dehydration of y ions without amino acids containing carboxylic acid under sustained off-resonance irradiation collision-induced dissociation（SORI-CID） condition was proposed.

Identification,structure elucidation and origin of a common pyridinium-thiocyanate intermediate in electrospray mass spectrometry among the benziamidazole-class proton pump inhibitors

During the analysis of benziamidazole-class irreversible proton pump inhibitors,an unusual mass spectral response with the mass-to-charge ratio at[Mt10]t intrigued us,as it couldn't be assigned to any literature known relevant structure,intermediate or adduct ion.Moreover,this mysterious mass pattern of[Mt10]t has been gradually observed by series of marketed proton pump inhibitors,viz.omeprazole,pantoprazole,lansoprazole and rabeprazole.All the previous attempts to isolate the corresponding component were unsuccessful.The investigation of present work addresses this kind of signal to a pyridinium thiocyanate mass spectral intermediate(10),which is the common fragment ion of series of labile aggregates.The origin of such aggregates can be traced to the reactive intermediates formed by acid-promoted degradation.These reactive intermediates tend to react with each other and give raise series of complicated aggregates systematically in a water/acetonitrile solution by electrospray ionization.The structure of the corresponding pyridinium thiocyanate species of omeprazole(10a)has been eventually characterized with the help of synthetic specimen(10a′).Our structural proposal as well as its origin was supported by in situ nuclear magnetic resonance,chemical derivatization and colorimetric experiments.

HPLC-ESI/MS鉴定十字花科植物中完形硫代葡萄糖甙

采用高效液相色谱 -电喷雾电离串级质谱 (HPLC-ESI/MSn,n=1～ 2 )分别测量羽衣甘蓝及苔菜和样准样品中完型硫代葡萄糖的保留时间和负离子质谱 ,并用这种比较方法确认十字花科植物中 8种未知硫化葡萄糖甙。在 MS质谱中观察到硫代葡萄糖甙峰 [M-K]-,在 MS2 质谱中所有硫代葡萄糖甙都产生 m/z 75和m/z97的碎片峰 ,分别是 [S=C=N-OH]-和 [HSO4]-离子。另外还观察到了和硫代葡萄糖甙侧链有关的 [R-(C=NOH) -S]-离子。

槲皮素与桑色素ESI-MS裂解行为的比较分析

运用量子化学方法辅助解析并比较槲皮素与桑色素在电喷雾离子阱质谱(ESI-MS)负离子模式下的裂解行为。依据密度泛函理论(Density functional theory,DFT),在B3LYP/6-31G(d)水平,对槲皮素与桑色素的分子空间构型进行优化,确定稳定的几何构型与去质子化位点,在RB3LYP/6-31+G(2d,2p)水平,计算相对碎裂电压下的二级质谱中碎片离子处于稳定状态时的能量,通过比较准分子离子稳定构型并结合基组重叠误差(Basis set superposition error,BSSE)校正后的键解离能(Bond dissociation energy,BDE),推导了质谱碎裂过程。结果显示:槲皮素的稳定构型为A,B,C环处于同一平面,桑色素上的2'-OH使得B环与AC环之间翻转一定角度,二面角D(1,2,1',6')为-134.662 4°。槲皮素与桑色素的质谱裂解过程主要通过C环跨环裂解产生,且具有多种开裂方式,开裂先后顺序为:1,2开裂、0,2开裂、1,3开裂、1,4开裂与0,4开裂,分别生成碎片离子1,2A-,0,2A-,1,3A-,1,4A-与0,4A-,并逐步进行后续裂解,而2'-OH的存在促进了桑色素的裂解。该研究为进一步揭示黄酮醇类化合物的质谱裂解规律提供了理论依据。

大黄酸ESI-IT MS质谱行为及碎片离子的量子化学研究

采用电喷雾-离子阱质谱(ESI-IT MS),获取大黄酸分子的一级质谱和多级质谱碰撞诱导解离下的碎片离子,以量子化学计算大黄酸分子及其主要碎片离子的质谱行为。通过对质谱离子几何参数、键断裂能、电荷变化、自旋密度以及前线分子轨道的分析,可得到m/z 282.8、256.9、238.9、210.8、192.8、182.8、166.8离子的稳定构型以及质谱裂解途径,从而较系统地解释了大黄酸分子在ESI-IT MS中的裂解行为。

高粱原花青素的ESI-MS分析及其低聚体的RP-HPLC-MS/MS法分离鉴定

以高粱加工后的副产物——高粱外种皮为原料,采用电子喷雾离子化质谱(electrospray ionization-massspectroscopy,ESI-MS)对ADS-17大孔树脂纯化的高纯度高粱原花青素(sorghum procyanidins,SPC)的组成进行分析,并通过反相高效液相色谱(reverse phase high-performance liquid chromatography,RP-HPLC)-质谱(RP-HPLC-MS/MS)联用对Toyopearl HW-40凝胶色谱分离的SPC-5级分进行分离鉴定。结果显示:SPC为低聚体原花青素,包含有儿茶素/表儿茶素单体、原花青素二～六聚体;SPC-5由8种三聚体和1种二聚体组成。