Liquid chromatography coupled with time-of-flight and ion trap mass spectrometry for qualitative analysis of herbal medicines

With the expansion of herbal medicine （HM） market, the issue on how to apply up-to- date analytical tools on qualitative analysis of HMs to assure their quality, safety and efficacy has been arousing great attention. Due to its inherent characteristics of accurate mass measurements and multiple stages analysis, the integrated strategy of liquid chromatography （LC） coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry （TOF-MS） and ion trap mass spectrometry （IT-MS） is well-suited to be performed as qualitative analysis tool in this field. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview on the potential of this integrated strategy, including the review of general features of LC-IT-MS and LC-TOF-MS, the advantages of their combination, the common procedures for structure elucidation, the potential of LC-hybrid-IT-TOF/MS and also the summary and discussion of the applications of the integrated strategy for HM qualitative analysis （2006-2011）. The advantages and future developments of LC coupled with IT and TOF-MS are highlighted.

Sensitive and Rapid Quantification of Felodipine by High-performance Liquid Chromatography-tandem Mass Spectrometry(HPLC-MS/MS) and Its Pharmacokinetics in Healthy Chinese Volunteers

To investigate the pharmacokinetics of felodipine in the plasma of healthy Chinese volunteers, 30 healthy volunteers received a single oral dose of 5 mg of extended release felodipine tablets. The felodipine was extracted from the matrix with a liquid-liquid extract procedure and analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry in the multiple reaction monitoring（MRM） mode using an electrospray ion source with positive ion detection. The method was validated over a felodipine concentration range of 0. 05-10.00 ng/mL in human plasma. Its main pharmacokinetic parameters values were： ρmax = （ 1.67 ± 0. 84 ） ng/mL, occurring at （ 3.93 3± 2. 49 ） h; the plasma elimination half-life： （23. 08 3± 9. 48） h and the area under the plasma concentration versus time curve： （29. 94 ± 14. 39） ng · h/mL. The validation results demonstrated that this method showed a satisfactory precision and accuracy across the calibration range. The procedure involved minimal drug administration, sample preparation, and a 2. 5-min chromatographic run time. It was well suited to clinical studies of the drug involving large numbers of samples.

Quantitative analysis of a novel antimicrobial peptide in rat plasma by ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

We described the first results of a quantitative ultra performance liquid chromatographytandem mass spectrometry method for a novel antimicrobial peptide （phylloseptin, PSN-1）. Chromatographic separation was accomplished on a Waters bridged ethyl hybrid （BEH） C18 （50mm× 2.1 mm, 1.7 μm） column with acetonitrile-water （25：75, v/v） as isocratic mobile phase. Mass spectrometry detection was performed in the positive electrospray ionization mode and by monitoring of the transitions at m/z 679.6/120, 509.6/120 （PSN-1） and m/z 340.7/165 （Thymopentin, IS）. Protein precipitation was investigated and the recovery was satisfactory （above 82%）. The method was shown to be reproducible and reliable with intra-day precision below 5.3%, inter-day precision below 14.2%, and linear range from 0.02 to 2 lag/mL with r〉0.994. The method was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study of PSN-1 in rats after intravenous administration.

Current application of proteomics in biomarker discoveryfor inflammatory bowel disease

Recently, the field of proteomics has rapidly expanded in its application towards clinical research with objectives ranging from elucidating disease pathogenesis to discovering clinical biomarkers. As proteins govern and/or reflect underlying cellular processes, the study of proteomics provides an attractive avenue for research as it allows for the rapid identification of protein profiles in a biological sample. Inflammatory bowel disease(IBD) encompasses several heterogeneous and chronic conditions of the gastrointestinal tract. Proteomic technology provides a powerful means of addressing major challenges in IBD today, especially for identifying biomarkers to improve its diagnosis and management. This review will examine the current state of IBD proteomics research and its use in biomarker research. Furthermore, we also discuss the challenges of translating proteomic research into clinically relevant tools. The potential application of this growing field is enormous and is likely to provide significant insights towards improving our future understanding and management of IBD.

Liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method for simultaneous determination of valproic acid and its ene-metabolites in epilepsy patient plasma

A simple and high throughput method was developed and validated for simultaneous determination of valproic acid and its two toxicant ene-metabolites, 2-enevalproic acid and 4-enevalproic acid in epilepsy patient plasma using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Probenecid was used as in- ternal standard and solid-phase extraction was selected for sample preparation. A chromatographic separation was performed on an Agilent Poroshell SB-C18 column （50 mm × 4.6 mm i.d., 2.7μm） by an optimized gradient elution at a flow rate of 0.9 mL/min. The total run time was 7 rain. Electrospray ionization was used in negative ion mode by multiple reaction monitoring of the precursor-to-product ion transitions at m/z 143.0→143.0 for valproic acid, m/z 140.9 →140.9 for 2-enevalproic acid and 4-enevalproic acid for their poor fragments, and m/z 283.9→239,9 for probenecid. The results showed good linearity ofvalproic acid, 2-enevalproic acid and 4-enevalproic acid in their respective linear ranges. The correlation coefficients were more than 0.998, The intra- and inter-day precision of the assay was less than 11.0% and the accuracy ranged from 2% to 12%. This analytical method was successfully applied to assay plasma concentrations of valproic acid and its two ene-metabolites in epilepsy patient plasma and used for therapeutic drug monitoring.

Exploration of Nonlinear Modeling Techniques to Predict the Retention Time of Organic Pollutants in Natural Water and Wastewater

Water pollution affects plants and organisms living in these bodies of water; and, in almost all cases the effect is damaging not only to individual species and populations, but also to the natural biological communities. Genetic algorithm and kernel partial least square （GA-KPLS） and Levenberg- Marquardt artificial neural network （L-M ANN） techniques were used to investigate the correlation between retention time （tR） and descriptors for 150 organic contaminants in natural water and wastewater, which are obtained by gas chromatography coupled to high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometry （GC-TOF MS）. The L-M ANN model gave a significantly better performance than the GA-KPLS model. This indicates that L-M ANN can be used as an alternative modeling toot for quantitative structure-retention relationship （QSRR） studies.

Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for the estimation of adefovir in human plasma:Application to a pharmacokinetic study

An analytical method based on solid phase extraction was developed and validated for analysis of adefovir in human plasma. Adefovir-d4 was used as an internal standard and Synergi MAX RP80A （150rnmx4.6mm. 41am） column provided the desired chromatographic separation of compounds followed by detection with mass spectrometry. The method used simple isocratic chromato- graphic condition and mass spectrometric detection in the positive ionization mode. The calibration cuives were linear over the range of 0.50-42.47 ng/mL with the lower limit of quantitation validated at 0.50 ng/mL. Matrix effect was assessed by post-column infusion experiment to monitor phospholipids and post- extraction addition experiment was performed. The degree of matrix effect for adefovir was determined as 7.5% and ion-enhancement in five different lots of human plasma was 7.1% and had no impact on study samples analysis with 4.5 rain run time. The intra- and inter-day precision values were within 7.7% and 7.8%, respectively, for adefovir at the lower limit of quantification level. Validated bioanalytical method was successfully applied to clinical sample analysis.

Inhibitory effect of eleven herbal extracts on advanced glycation end-products formation and aldose reductase activity

The formation of advanced glycation end-products （AGEs） and aldose reductase （AR） activity have been implicated in the development of diabetic complications. Our study sought to characterize the capacities of eleven herbal extracts against the formation of AGEs and the AR activity. An ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry （UPLC-MS/MS） method was used for the detection of AR activity and the screening of AR inhibitors in this research. The amount of sorbitol from each analyte was directly detected using the multiple reaction monitoring mode and the sorbitol level could be reduced via the addition of an inhibitor. Moreover, the BSA/glucose （fructose） system was applied to investigate their inhibitory activities of AGEs formation in glycation model reactions. Compared with other screened herbs used in our study, Flos Sophorae lrnrnaturus and Radix Scutellariae seemed to be more effective on inhibiting the formation of AGEs and AR activity. The inhibiting capacities of herbal extracts against AR activity and AGEs formation may be correlated with the bioactive components of the herbal extracts. The differences were correlated with the amount of polyphenol and flavonoid components. In the study, we have investigated the potential anti-hyperglycemic bioactivity of eleven herbal extracts in vitro, which could provide a reference for further in vivo research in the prevention and treatment of diabetic complications.

Urinary metabonomics of stomach cancer assessed by rapid resolution liquid chromatography/time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Background Stomach cancer is among the most commonly occurring malignancies worldwide. It would be beneficial to develop a urine-based assay whereby patients with undiagnosed stomach cancer could be screened and their cancer detected in the eadiest stages. Methods A urinary metabonomics method based on ultra-performance liquid chromatography combined with quadruple time-of-flight mass spectrometry was used to analyze urine samples from patients with stomach cancer and healthy controls. Results Statistical analysis revealed a clear separation of patients and healthy controls using the aforementioned methodology. Some significantly changed metabolites were identified. Conclusions Use of the metabonomics method in patients with stomach cancer could effectively detect distinct changes in urinary metabolites and had the capacity to detect cancer; therefore, it may be a valuable tool in earlier diagnosis. Furthermore, the detection and identification of altered metabolites in the current study may help elucidate possible mechanisms involved in stomach cancer.

Low temperature purification method for the determination of abamectin and ivermectin in edible oils by liquid chromatographytandem mass spectrometry

In this study, a method based on low temperature purification （LTP） coupled with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry （LC-MS/MS） was developed for the determination of abamectin （ABA） and ivermectin （IVR） in edible oils. ABA and IVR were extracted using conventional liquid-liquid extraction followed by purification via precipitation of interfering fatty components at low temperature without an additional cleanup step. LTP is simple, easy to use, labour-saving and cost effective, and requires reduced amounts of organic solvent. The linear ranges of ABA and IVR were 5- 1000 t^g/L using matrix-matched standards. Limits of detection （LOD） and limits of quantification （LOQ） were in the range of 0.1-0.4 i^g/kg and 0.3-1.3 p^g/kg, respectively. The LOQs were below the strictest maximum residue limits established by Codex Alimentarius Commission. Recoveries at three spiked levels of 10, 20 and 100 i^g/kg in peanut oil, corn oil, olive oil, soybean oil and lard ranged from 71.1% to 119.3% with relative standard deviations of 3.2%-10.3%, which were in agreement with those obtained by the solid phase extraction method. The proposed method was utilized in the analysis of 10 edible oil samples from local market and neither ABA nor IVR was detected. As far as we know, this is the first time that LTP is applied to the determination of avermectins in edible oils.

Lipidomic profiling analysis reveals the dynamics of phospholipid molecules in Arabidopsis thaliana seedling growth

High-throughput lipidomic profiling provides a sensitive approach for discovering minor lipid species. By using an advance in electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrome- try, a large set of phospholipid molecular species （126 species） with high resolution were identified from Arabidopsis seedling; of them 31 species are newly identified （16 are unique in plants）, including 13 species of phosphatidic acid （PA）, nine phosphati- dylcholine, six phosphatidylinositol and three phosphatidylser- ine. Further analysis of the lipidomic profile reveals dynamics of phospholipids and distinct species alterations during seedling development. PA molecules are found at the lowest levels in imbibition and follow an increasing trend during seedling growth, while phosphatidylethanolamine （PE） molecules show the opposite pattern with highest levels at imbibition and a general decreasing trend at later stages. Of PA molecular species, 34：2-, 34：3-, 36：4, 36：5-, 38：3- and 38：4-PA increase during radicle emergence, and 34：2- and 34：3-PA reach highest levels during hypocotyl and cotyledon emergence from the seed coat. Conversely, molecular species of PE show higher levels in imbibition and decrease in later stages. These results suggest the crucial roles of specific molecular species and homeostasis of phospholipid molecules in seedling growth and provide insights into the mechanisms of how phospholipid molecules are involved in regulating plant development.