Screening potential mitochondria-targeting compounds from traditional Chinese medicines using a mitochondria-based centrifugal ultrafiltration/liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry method

Mitochondria regulate numerous crucial cell processes, including energy production, apoptotic cell death, oxidative stress, calcium homeostasis and lipid metabolism. Here, we applied an efficient mitochondria-based centrifugal ultrafiltration/liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry（LC/MS） method,also known as screening method for mitochondria-targeted bioactive constituents（SM-MBC）. This method allowed searching natural mitochondria-targeting compounds from traditional Chinese medicines（TCMs）, including Puerariae Radix（PR） and Chuanxiong Radix（CR）. A total of 23 active compounds were successfully discovered from the two TCMs extracts. Among these 23 hit compounds, 17 were identified by LC/MS, 12 of which were novel mitochondria-targeting compounds. Among these, 6 active compounds were analyzed in vitro for pharmacological tests and found able to affect mitochondrial functions. We also investigated the effects of the hit compounds on Hep G2 cell proliferation and on loss of cardiomyocyte viability induced by hypoxia/reoxygenation injury. The results obtained are useful for in-depth understanding of mechanisms underlying TCMs therapeutic effects at mitochondria level and for developing novel potential drugs using TCMs as lead compounds. Finally, we showed that SM-MBC was an efficient protocol for the rapid screening of mitochondria-targeting constituents from complex samples such as PR and CR extracts.

Determination of Voriconazole in Human Plasma by Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry: Application in Therapeutic Drug Monitoring

A sensitive, accurate and robust Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry method has been developed and validated to measure voriconazole trough levels in human plasma. The plasma samples were mixed with fluconazole as an Internal Standard and directed to protein precipitation and drug extraction. An aliquot of 1 μl was injected into the chromatographic system and separated by the Acquity BEH C18 column at a flow rate of 0.30 ml/min in a gradient mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile, Ultrapure water (UPW), methanol and formic acid. Voriconazole was detected by a Triple Quadrupole Detector (TQD) operating on Multiple Reaction Monitoring (MRM) and a positive ion mode Electrospray ionization (ESI) Q1 mass: 350.1 m/z, Q3 mass: 281.1 m/z. Method linearity of the calibration curve (0.10 - 8.00 μg/ml) indicated a correlation coefficient r ≥ 0.99. The intra and inter-assay accuracy was within 85% - 115% and the intra and inter-assay precision was ≤5.76%. Voriconazole recovery percentage was between 97.69 - 119.62%. The method was successively applied in routine voriconazole TDM.

Determination of egg and milk allergen in food products by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry based on signature peptides and isotope-labeled internal standard

The aim of this work was to develop a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for the determination of milk allergen and egg allergen in food products.Signature peptides GGLEPINFQTAADQAR,VGINYWLAHK,VLVLDTDYK,FFVAPFPEVFGK,and NAVPITPTLNR were confirmed and synthesized as the quantitative peptide of ovalbumin,α-lactalbumin,β-lactoglobulin,α_(S1)-casein andα_(S2)-casein,the relative isotope-labeled internal standards were used in the quantitative analysis.Linear range was in the range of0.5-5000.0 nmol/L for egg and milk allergen in bread,cake,cookie,rice crust and wheat flour samples with free from egg and milk,the limits of detection of milk allergens and egg allergen were in the range between0.94 mg/100 g and 56.71 mg/100 g,limits of quantification of milk allergens and egg allergen were in the range between 2.36 mg/100 g and 141.78 mg/100 g.The recoveries ranged from 76.7%to 122.8%,the relative standard deviations were in the range of 1.60%-15.60%.The developed method has been successfully used for the detection of egg and milk allergen in various food samples.

Simultaneous Determination of 14 β-Receptor Agonists Residues in Mutton by High Performance Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS)

[Objectives]A high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(HPLC-MS/MS)method was established for the determination of 14β-receptor agonist residues in mutton.[Methods]Samples were hydrolyzed byβ-glucuronidase and extracted with 5%acetic acid-acetonitrile(1:99,V/V)solution.An Eclipse plus C 18 column was used for separation,and the MRM mode was used for qualitative analysis,and the external standard method was used for quantitative analysis of matrix standard solutions.[Results]Under the optimal conditions,the retention time of the 14 kinds ofβ-receptor agonists ranged from 1.0 to 9.5 min.When the mass concentration was in the range of 0.05-0.50μg/ml,the linear relationship ofβ-receptor agonists was good,with correlation coefficients(r)≥0.9992.The detection limits of the method were in the range of 0.04-0.87μg/kg,and the quantitative limits were in the range of 0.35-1.86μg/kg.The average recovery values were in the range of 82.8%-108.9%,with RSDs(n=6)in the range of 1.9%-6.7%.[Conclusions]The method is simple,sensitive,reproducible,accurate,and can be used for simultaneous determination of the 14 kinds ofβ-receptor agonist residues in mutton.

Determination of Oleuropein in Cosmetics by Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography-Triple Quadrupole Tandem Mass Spectrometry

An ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry(UPLC-MS/MS)was established to quickly and accurately determine the content of oleuropein in cosmetics.The samples were extracted with methanol-aqueous solution,and the mobile phase with methanol-formic acid solution(0.1 mol/L)=40∶60 was separated by Agilent ZORBAX Eclipse Plus C18(2.1 mm×50 mm×1.8μm-Micron)column temperature 30℃,flow rate 0.3 mL/min.The MS end was detected by electrospray negative mode ionization(ESI-)and multiple reaction monitoring(MRM)mode.The results show a good linear relationship in the range of 0.002~5 mg/L,with a correlation coefficient R2 of 0.999,5.Method recovery range from 84.2%~107.6%and the relative standard deviation RSD is 5.8%.The detection time is 5 min,the detection limit is 0.000,6 mg/L,and the limit of quantification is 0.002 mg/L.This method has the advantages of convenient operation,low quantification limit,high precision and good repeatability,and is suitable for measuring the content of oleuropein in many kinds of cosmetics.

Analysis of ganciclovir and its related substances using high performance liquid chromatography and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry methods

Objective High performance liquid chromatography(HPLC)and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry(LC/MS)methods were developed for the determination of ganciclovir and its related substances.Methods A Hypersil ODS2 column(4.6 mm×250 mm,5 μm)was used with a mobile phase of 0.02 M potassium dihydrogen phosphate buffer(pH 6.0)-methanol(92∶8)at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min,and UV detector set at 254 nm was used for monitoring the eluents.Results The method was simple,rapid,selective and capable of separating all related substances at trace level with a detection limit of 0.04 μg/mL.It has been validated with respect to accuracy,precision,linearity,and limits of detection and quantification.The linearity range was 10.2-153.0 μg/mL with r=0.9998.The percentage recoveries ranged from 96.7% to 101.6%,and RSD was 1.24%-1.96%(n=5).Conclusion The method was found to be suitable not only for monitoring the reactions during the process development but also for quality control of ganciclovir.For identification of related substances,LC/MS was used.The mainly related substances of ganciclovir active pharmaceutical ingredients(API)were determined as guanine,(1,3-dioxolan-4-yl)methyl acetate,and diacetyl guanine.

Determination of Ten Kinds of Alpha-2 Agonists Residues in Animal Derived Food by UHPLC-Triple Quadrupole/Composite Linear Ion Trap Mass Spectrometry

[Objectives]The paper was to establish an ultra high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole/linear ion trap complex mass spectrometry for the determination of 10 kinds ofα2-receptor agonists in animal derived food.[Methods]The samples were extracted with sodium carbonate buffer solution and ethyl acetate,and analyzed by mass spectrometry after solid phase extraction and high performance liquid chromatography separation.[Results]Ten kinds ofα2-receptor agonists showed a good linear relationship in the range of 1-100μg/mL,with the average recovery of over 69%and the relative standard deviation less than 8.32%.The detection limit of 10 kinds of α_(2)-receptor agonists was up to 1μg/kg.[Conclusions]The method has good selectivity and strong anti-interference ability,and can meet the requirements of 10 kinds ofα2-receptor agonists residues in animal derived food.

EGFR/cell membrane chromatography-online-high performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry method for screening EGFR antagonists from Radix Angelicae Pubescentis

The intracellular kinase domains of the epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR) in some tumor cells are significant targets for drug discovery.We have developed a new EGFR cell membrane chromatography(EGFR/CMC)-online-high performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry(HPLC/MS) method for screening anti-EGFR antagonists from medicinal herbs such as Radix Angelicae Pubescentis.In this study,the HEK293 EGFR cells with high expression of EGFR were used to prepare cell membrane stationary phase(CMSP) in the EGFR/CMC model.The retention fractions on the EGFR/CMC model were directly analyzed by combining a 10 port columns switcher with a HPLC/MS system online.As a result,osthole from Radix Angelicae Pubescentis was found to be the active component acting on EGFR like dasatinib as the control drug.There was a good relationship between their inhibiting effects on EGFR secretion and HEK293 EGFR cell growth in vitro.This new EGFR/CMC-online-HPLC/MS method can be applied for screening anti-EGFR antagonists from TCMs,for instance,Radix Angelicae Pubescentis.It will be a useful method for drug discovery with natural medicinal herbs as a leading compound resource.

Determination of urine catecholamines and metanephrines by reversed-phase liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

The measurement of urine catecholamine and metanephrine concentrations is important for biochemical screening and diagnosis of pheochromocytoma.The goal of this work was to develop a simple liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(LC-MS/MS)method for determining catecholamines and metanephrines in urine to replace an existing liquid chromatographic method using electrochemical detection.Urine samples were prepared using Oasis weak-cation-exchange cartridges.The eluate was analyzed on an Agilent ZORBAX Eclipse Plus Phenyl-Hexyl column in 3 min.Adrenaline,noradrenaline,dopamine,metanephrine,normetanephrine,and their deuterated internal standards were monitored in positive electrospray ionization mode by multiple reaction monitoring(MRM).No evidence of ion suppression was observed.The assay was linear up to 5μmol/L for adrenaline,5μmol/L for noradrenaline,6.1μmol/L for dopamine,5.6μmol/L for metanephrine,and 34.6μmol/L for normetanephrine,with lower limits of quantification of 5,5,12,6 and 7nmol/L,respectively.The intra-day and inter-day precisions for all analytes ranged from 0.59%to 4.64%and1.98%to 4.80%,respectively.External quality assurance samples were assayed and showed excellent agreement with the target values.This simple method provides an improved assay for determining urine catecholamines and metanephrines.

Offline two-dimensional liquid chromatography coupled with ion mobility-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry enabling fourdimensional separation and characterization of the multicomponents from white ginseng and red ginseng

Inherent complexity of plant metabolites necessitates the use of multi-dimensional information to accomplish comprehensive profiling and confirmative identification.A dimension-enhanced strategy,by offline two-dimensional liquid chromatography/ion mobility-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry(2 D-LC/IM-QTOF-MS)enabling four-dimensional separations(2 D-LC,IM,and MS),is proposed.In combination with in-house database-driven automated peak annotation,this strategy was utilized to characterize ginsenosides simultaneously from white ginseng(WG)and red ginseng(RG).An offline 2 DLC system configuring an Xbridge Amide column and an HSS T3 column showed orthogonality 0.76 in the resolution of ginsenosides.Ginsenoside analysis was performed by data-independent high-definition MSE(HDMSE)in the negative ESI mode on a Vion?IMS-QTOF hybrid high-resolution mass spectrometer,which could better resolve ginsenosides than MSEand directly give the CCS information.An in-house ginsenoside database recording 504 known ginsenosides and 58 reference compounds,was established to assist the identification of ginsenosides.Streamlined workflows,by applying UNIFI?to automatedly annotate the HDMSEdata,were proposed.We could separate and characterize 323 ginsenosides(including 286 from WG and 306 from RG),and 125 thereof may have not been isolated from the Panax genus.The established 2 D-LC/IM-QTOF-HDMSEapproach could also act as a magnifier to probe differentiated components between WG and RG.Compared with conventional approaches,this dimensionenhanced strategy could better resolve coeluting herbal components and more efficiently,more reliably identify the multicomponents,which,we believe,offers more possibilities for the systematic exposure and confirmative identification of plant metabolites.

Simultaneous determination of 15 pesticide residues in Chinese cabbage and cucumber by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry utilizing online turbulent flow chromatography

In this experiment,a liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method was built to determine 15 pesticide residues in Chinese cabbage and cucumber samples based on online turbulent flow chromatography purification.After modified quick,easy,cheap,effective,rugged,and safe(QuEChERS)extraction,extracts were directly injected to the TLX(TurboFlow Liquid Xcalibur)system and brought to TurboFlow™columns for on-line purification and then transferred to analytical column for further separation and analysis.TurboFlow™columns types,transfer flow rate,and transfer time were optimized.Limits of detection and limits of quantification of the method obtained for 15 pesticide residues were ranged between 0.2–1.0μg/kg and 0.5–2.0μg/kg in Chinese cabbage and cucumber samples.Recoveries of pesticide residues were in range of 75.3%–103.7%.Matrix effects for 15 pesticides were in range of 5.6%–106.6%.The developed method has been successfully used for the determination of 15 pesticide residues in real samples.

Rapid analysis of fifteen sulfonamide residues in pork and fish samples by automated on-line solid phase extraction coupled to liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

The aim of this work was to develop an automated on-line solid phase extraction(SPE)with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for the detection of fifteen sulfonamides in pork and fish samples.Samples were extracted with 0.2%formic acid acetonitrile solution,purified by on-line SPE device with HLB column,then separated by XBridge C18 column,using 0.1%formic acid solution and acetonitrile as the mobile phase.Mass spectrometric data was acquired under multiple reaction monitoring(MRM)mode using positive ionization electrospray.Internal standard method was used in the quantification,good linear relationship was got in range of 0.1–100 ng/mL and correlation coefficient was higher than 0.9990.The limits of detection were in the range of 0.125–2.00g/kg and the limits of quantitation were in the range of 0.250–5.00g/kg.Recoveries of the method were in range of 78.3%–99.3%,relative standard deviation were lower than 10%.The method was simple,sensitivity,and could be used for routine supervision and analysis of fifteen sulfonamides in pork and fish.

Detection of 36 antibiotics in coastal waters using high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

Among pharmaceuticals and personal care products released into the aquatic environment, antibiotics are of particular concern, because of their ubiquity and health effects. Although scientists have recently paid more attention to the threat of antibiotics to coastal ecosystems, researchers have often focused on relatively few antibiotics, because of the absence of suitable analytical methods. We have therefore developed a method for the rapid detection of 36 antibiotic residues in coastal waters, including tetracyclines (TCs), sulfanilamides (SAs), and quinolones (QLs). The method consists of solid-phase extraction (SPE) and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis, using electrospray ionization (ESI) in positive mode. The SPE was performed with Oasis HLB and Oasis MCX cartridges. Chromatographic separation on a C18 column was achieved using a binary eluent containing methanol and water with 0.1% formic acid. Typical recoveries of the analytes ranged from 67.4% to 109.3% at a fortification level of 100 ng/L. The precision of the method, calculated as relative standard deviation (RSD), was below 14.6% for all the compounds. The limits of detection (LODs) varied from 0.45 pg to 7.97 pg. The method was applied to determine the target analytes in coastal waters of the Yellow Sea in Liaoning, China. Among the tested antibiotics, 31 were found in coastal waters, with their concentrations between the LOD and 212.5 ng/L. These data indicate that this method is valid for analysis of antibiotics in coastal waters. The study first reports such a large number of antibiotics along the Yellow Sea coast of Liaoning, and should facilitate future comprehensive evaluation of antibiotics in coastal ecosystems.

Establishing a protein expression profile database for the normal human pituitary gland using two-dimensional high-performance liquid chromatography combined with LTQ-Orbitrap mass spectrometry

In this study, we selected adult normal pituitary gland tissues from six patients during operations for pituitary microadenomas via the transsphenoidal approach for extended normal pituitary tissue resection around the tumor, and analyzed the protein expression of human normal pituitary using two-dimensional high-performance liquid chromatography combined with LTQ-Orbitrap mass spectrometry proteomics technology. The ten most highly expressed proteins in normal human pituitary were： alpha 3 type VI collagen isoform 5 precursor （abundance among tall pituitary proteins 1.30%）, fibrinogen beta chain preproprotein （0.99%）, vimentin （0.73%）, prolactin （0.69%）, ATP synthase, H~ transporting and mitochondrial F1 complex beta subunit precursor （0.52%）, keratin I （0.49%）, growth hormone （0.45%）, carbonic anhydrase I （0.40%）, heat shock protein 90 kDa I （0.31%）, and annexin V （0.30%）. Based on the biological function classifications of these proteins, the top three categories by content were neuroendocrine proteins （abundance among all pituitary proteins, 40.1%）, catalytic and metabolic proteins （28.3%）, and cell signal transduction proteins （9.8%）. Based on cell positioning classification, the top three categories were cell organelle （24.5%） membrane （20.8%）, and cytoplasm （13.0%）. Based on biological process classification, the top three categories of proteins are involved in physiological processes （42.9%）, cellular processes （40.4%）, and regulation of biological processes （9.1%）. Our experimental findings indicate that a protein expression profile database of normal human pituitary can be precisely and efficiently established by proteomics technology.

Analysis of keto-enol tautomers of curcumin by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry

curcumin 的 Keto-enol tautomers 被反向阶段的液体证实层析(RPLC )/hybrid 四极离子 trap/time-of-flight 团 spectrometry (QIT/TOFMS ) 。Tautomers 在否定模式给了不同 MS/MS 系列。不同集体系列被氢 / 重氢交换 LC/MS/MS 也在积极模式获得。我们的结果建议那种 enol 形式是在答案(water/acetonitrile ) 的主要形式。

Development of a Liquid Chromatography-tandem Mass Spectrometry Method for Determination of Butoconazole Nitrate in Human Plasma and Its Application to a Pharmacokinetic Study

Summary： A liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry （LC-MS/MS） method was developed and validated for the determination of butoconazole in human plasma. Human plasma samples of 0.2 μL were pretreated by a single step protein precipitation procedure and analyzed using a high performance liquid chromatography （HPLC） electrospray tandem mass spectrometer system. The compounds were eluted isocratically on an Inertsil ODS-SP column （100 min×2.1 mm, 3 μm）, ionized using a positive ion atmospheric pressure electrospray ionization source and analyzed using multiple reaction monitoring （MRM） mode. The ion transitions monitored were m/z 412.8→q65.1 for butoconazole and m/z 453.4→230.3 for the internal standard. The chromatographic run time was 3.5 min per injection, with retention time of 2.47 rain and 2.15 min for butoconazole and repaglinide, respectively. The method was validated to be linear over the range of 20 to 8000 pg/mL （r〉0.999） by using a weighted （1/x2） quadratic regression. The mean recovery rate was more than 86.7%, and the intra- and inter-day precision of the quality control samples （QCs） was less than 8.3% and the accuracy ranged from 96.0% to 110.2%, which indicated that the quantitative method was reliable and accurate. The method is simple, rapid, and has been applied successfully to a pharmacokinetics study of butoconazole nitrate suppositories in healthy Chinese females.

Simultaneous Determination of Bisphenols and Alkylphenols in Water by Solid Phase Extraction and Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography-tandem Mass Spectrometry

To establish an analytical method for determination of four bisphenols （BPA, BPB, BPF, and BPS） and two alkylphenols （4-n-OP, 4-n-NP） in water by ultra performance liquid chromatography- tandem mass spectrometry （UPLC/MS/MS）. The water samples were extracted and condensed with solid-phase extraction （SPE） using C18 cartridges and eluted by acetonitrile. Separation was carried out with Acquity BEH C8 column and detection were performed by UPLC/MS/MS. Quantification was calculated by using the internal standard BPA-d16 and 4-n-NP-d8. The linear correlation coefficients of these compounds in the range of 1.0-100.0μg/L were all over 0.999. The minimum detectable concentrations were 0.75-1.0 ng/L, and the recoveries ranged from 87.0% to 106.9%.

On-line trapping/capillary hydrophilic-interaction liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry for sensitive determination of RNA modifications from human blood

RNA modification has recently been proposed to play important roles in biological regulation. The detection and quantification of RNA modifications generally are challenging tasks since most of the modifications exist in low abundance in vivo. Here we developed an on-line trapping/capillary hydrophilic-interaction liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry(on-line trapping/cHILIC/MS) method for sensitive and simultaneous quantification of RNA modifications of N^6-methyladenosine(m^6A) and 5-methylcytosine(5-mC) from human blood. The hydrophilic organic-silica hybrid monolith was prepared using sol-gel combined with "thiol-ene" click reaction for the separation of nucleosides. A poly(MAA-co-EGDMA) monolithic capillary was used as the on-line trapping column.With the developed on-line trapping/cHILIC/MS analytical platform, the detection limits of m^6A and 5-mC can reach to 0.06 fmol and 0.10 fmol. We then investigated the contents of m^6A and 5-mC in human blood RNA from healthy persons at the age of 6-14 and 60-68 years. Our results showed that both m^6A and 5-mC contents were significantly decreased in elder persons, suggesting the RNA modifications of m^6A and 5-mC are correlated to aging.

A liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry method for quantitating total and unbound ceritinib in patient plasma and brain tumor

A rapid, sensitive, and robust reversed-phase liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and validated for the determination of total and unbound ceritinib, a secondgeneration ALK inhibitor, in patient plasma and brain tumor tissue samples. Sample preparation involved simple protein precipitation with acetonitrile. Chromatographic separation was achieved on a Waters ACQUITY UPLC BEH C_(18) column using a 4-min gradient elution consisting of mobile phase A(0.1% formic acid in water) and mobile phase B(0.1% formic acid in acetonitrile), at a flow rate of 0.4 m L/min. Ceritinib and the internal standard([^(13)C_6]ceritinib) were monitored using multiple reaction monitoring mode under positive electrospray ionization. The lower limit of quantitation(LLOQ) was 1 n M of ceritinib in plasma. The calibration curve was linear over ceritinib concentration range of 1–2000 n M in plasma. The intra-and interday precision and accuracy were within the generally accepted criteria for bioanalytical method( o15%).The method was successfully applied to assess ceritinib brain tumor penetration, as assessed by the unbound drug brain concentration to unbound drug plasma concentration ratio, in patients with brain tumors.

Bio-analytical method development and validation of Rasagiline by high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry detection and its application to pharmacokinetic study

The most suitable bio-analytical method based on liquid liquid extraction has been developed and validated for quantification of Rasagiline in human plasma. Rasagiline-13C3 mesylate was used as an internal standard for Rasagiline. Zorbax Eclipse Plus C18 （2.1 mm × 50 mm, 3.5 um） column provided chromatographic separation of analyte followed by detection with mass spectrometry. The method involved simple isocratic chromatographic condition and mass spectrometric detection in the positive ionization mode using an API-4000 system. The lotal run time was 3.0 min. The proposed method has been validated with the linear range of 5 12000 pg/mL for Rasagiline. The intra-run and inter-run precision values were within 1.3% 2.9% and 1.6% 2.2% respectively for Rasagiline. The overall recovery for Rasagiline and Rasagiline-13C3 mesylate analog was 96.9% and 96.7% respectively. This validated method was successfully applied to the bioequivalence and pharmacokinetic study of human volunteers under fasting condition.