Sample records for quadrupole time-of-flight liquid

  1. Simultaneous determination of niacin and pyridoxine at trace levels by using diode array high-performance liquid chromatography and liquid chromatography with quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Sel, Sabriye; Öztürk Er, Elif; Bakırdere, Sezgin

    2017-12-01

    A highly sensitive and simple diode-array high-performance liquid chromatography and liquid chromatography with quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry method was developed for the simultaneous determination of niacin and pyridoxine in pharmaceutical drugs, tap water, and wastewater samples. To determine the in vivo behavior of niacin and pyridoxine, analytes were subjected to simulated gastric conditions. The calibration plots of the diode-array high-performance liquid chromatography and liquid chromatography with quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry method showed good linearity over a wide concentration range with close to 1.0 correlation coefficients for both analytes. The limit of detection/limit of quantitation values for liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry analysis were 1.98/6.59 and 1.3/4.4 μg/L for niacin and pyridoxine, respectively, while limit of detection/limit of quantitation values for niacin and pyridoxine in high-performance liquid chromatography analysis were 3.7/12.3 and 5.7/18.9 μg/L, respectively. Recovery studies were also performed to show the applicability of the developed methods, and percentage recovery values were found to be 90-105% in tap water and 94-97% in wastewater for both analytes. The method was also successfully applied for the qualitative and quantitative determination of niacin and pyridoxine in drug samples. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  2. Profiling the indole alkaloids in yohimbe bark with ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with ion mobility quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    An ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-ion mobility- quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-IM-QTOF-MS) method was developed for profiling the indole alkaloids in yohimbe bark. Many indole alkaloids with the yohimbine core structure, plus methylated, oxidized, and reduced speci...

  3. [Qualitative and quantitative analysis of amygdalin and its metabolite prunasin in plasma by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry and ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem triple quadrupole mass spectrometry].

    PubMed

    Gao, Meng; Wang, Yuesheng; Wei, Huizhen; Ouyang, Hui; He, Mingzhen; Zeng, Lianqing; Shen, Fengyun; Guo, Qiang; Rao, Yi

    2014-06-01

    A method was developed for the determination of amygdalin and its metabolite prunasin in rat plasma after intragastric administration of Maxing shigan decoction. The analytes were identified by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry and quantitatively determined by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem triple quadrupole mass spectrometry. After purified by liquid-liquid extraction, the qualitative analysis of amygdalin and prunasin in the plasma sample was performed on a Shim-pack XR-ODS III HPLC column (75 mm x 2.0 mm, 1.6 microm), using acetonitrile-0.1% (v/v) formic acid aqueous solution. The detection was performed on a Triple TOF 5600 quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometer. The quantitative analysis of amygdalin and prunasin in the plasma sample was performed by separation on an Agilent C18 HPLC column (50 mm x 2.1 mm, 1.7 microm), using acetonitrile-0.1% (v/v) formic acid aqueous solution. The detection was performed on an AB Q-TRAP 4500 triple quadrupole mass spectrometer utilizing electrospray ionization (ESI) interface operated in negative ion mode and multiple-reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. The qualitative analysis results showed that amygdalin and its metabolite prunasin were detected in the plasma sample. The quantitative analysis results showed that the linear range of amygdalin was 1.05-4 200 ng/mL with the correlation coefficient of 0.999 0 and the linear range of prunasin was 1.25-2 490 ng/mL with the correlation coefficient of 0.997 0. The method had a good precision with the relative standard deviations (RSDs) lower than 9.20% and the overall recoveries varied from 82.33% to 95.25%. The limits of detection (LODs) of amygdalin and prunasin were 0.50 ng/mL. With good reproducibility, the method is simple, fast and effective for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of the amygdalin and prunasin in plasma sample of rats which were administered by Maxing shigan decoction.

  4. Comprehensive blood plasma lipidomics by liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Sandra, Koen; Pereira, Alberto Dos Santos; Vanhoenacker, Gerd; David, Frank; Sandra, Pat

    2010-06-18

    A lipidomics strategy, combining high resolution reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) with high resolution quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (QqTOF), is described. The method has carefully been assessed in both a qualitative and a quantitative fashion utilizing human blood plasma. The inherent low technical variability associated with the lipidomics method allows to measure 65% of the features with an intensity RSD value below 10%. Blood plasma lipid spike-in experiments demonstrate that relative concentration differences smaller than 25% can readily be revealed by means of a t-test. Utilizing an advanced identification strategy, it is shown that the detected features mainly originate from (lyso-)phospholipids, sphingolipids, mono-, di- and triacylglycerols and cholesterol esters. The high resolution offered by the up-front RPLC step further allows to discriminate various isomeric species associated with the different lipid classes. The added value of utilizing a Jetstream electrospray ionization (ESI) source over a regular ESI source in lipidomics is for the first time demonstrated. In addition, the application of ultra high performance LC (UHPLC) up to 1200bar to extend the peak capacity or increase productivity is discussed. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Fast analysis of doping agents in urine by ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. II: Confirmatory analysis.

    PubMed

    Badoud, F; Grata, E; Perrenoud, L; Saugy, M; Rudaz, S; Veuthey, J-L

    2010-06-18

    For doping control, analyses of samples are generally achieved in two steps: a rapid screening and, in the case of a positive result, a confirmatory analysis. A two-step methodology based on ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography coupled to a quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QTOF-MS) was developed to screen and confirm 103 doping agents from various classes (e.g., beta-blockers, stimulants, diuretics, and narcotics). The screening method was presented in a previous article as part I (i.e., Fast analysis of doping agents in urine by ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Part I: screening analysis). For the confirmatory method, basic, neutral and acidic compounds were extracted by a dedicated solid-phase extraction (SPE) in a 96-well plate format and detected by MS in the tandem mode to obtain precursor and characteristic product ions. The mass accuracy and the elemental composition of precursor and product ions were used for compound identification. After validation including matrix effect determination, the method was considered reliable to confirm suspect results without ambiguity according to the positivity criteria established by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Moreover, an isocratic method was developed to separate ephedrine from its isomer pseudoephedrine and cathine from phenylpropanolamine in a single run, what allowed their direct quantification in urine. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Characterization of goat colostrum oligosaccharides by nano-liquid chromatography on chip quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry and hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography-quadrupole mass spectrometry

    PubMed Central

    Martín-Ortiz, A.; Salcedo, J.; Barile, D.; Bunyatratchata, A.; Moreno, F.J.; Martin-García, I.; Clemente, A.; Sanz, M.L.; Ruiz-Matute, A.I.

    2016-01-01

    A detailed qualitative and quantitative characterization of goat colostrum oligosaccharides (GCO) has been carried out for the first time. Defatted and deproteinized colostrum samples, previously treated by size exclusion chromatography (SEC) to remove lactose, were analyzed by nanoflow liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry (Nano-LC-Chip-Q-TOF MS). Up to 78 oligosaccharides containing hexose, hexosamine, fucose, N-acetylneuraminic acid or N-glycolylneuraminic acid monomeric units were identified in the samples, some of them detected for the first time in goat colostra. As a second step, a hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (HILIC-MS) methodology was developed for the separation and quantitation of the main GCO, both acidic and neutral carbohydrates. Among other experimental chromatographic conditions, mobile phase additives and column temperature were evaluated in terms of retention time, resolution, peak width and symmetry of target carbohydrates. Narrow peaks (wh: 0.2–0.6 min) and good symmetry (As: 0.8–1.4) were obtained for GCO using an acetonitrile:water gradient with 0.1% ammonium hydroxide at 40 °C. These conditions were selected to quantify the main oligosaccharides in goat colostrum samples. Values ranging from 140 to 315 mg L−1 for neutral oligosaccharides and from 83 to 251 mg L−1 for acidic oligosaccharides were found. The combination of both techniques resulted to be useful to achieve a comprehensive characterization of GCO. PMID:26427327

  7. Characterization of goat colostrum oligosaccharides by nano-liquid chromatography on chip quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry and hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography-quadrupole mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Martín-Ortiz, A; Salcedo, J; Barile, D; Bunyatratchata, A; Moreno, F J; Martin-García, I; Clemente, A; Sanz, M L; Ruiz-Matute, A I

    2016-01-08

    A detailed qualitative and quantitative characterization of goat colostrum oligosaccharides (GCO) has been carried out for the first time. Defatted and deproteinized colostrum samples, previously treated by size exclusion chromatography (SEC) to remove lactose, were analyzed by nanoflow liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry (Nano-LC-Chip-Q-TOF MS). Up to 78 oligosaccharides containing hexose, hexosamine, fucose, N-acetylneuraminic acid or N-glycolylneuraminic acid monomeric units were identified in the samples, some of them detected for the first time in goat colostra. As a second step, a hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (HILIC-MS) methodology was developed for the separation and quantitation of the main GCO, both acidic and neutral carbohydrates. Among other experimental chromatographic conditions, mobile phase additives and column temperature were evaluated in terms of retention time, resolution, peak width and symmetry of target carbohydrates. Narrow peaks (wh: 0.2-0.6min) and good symmetry (As: 0.8-1.4) were obtained for GCO using an acetonitrile:water gradient with 0.1% ammonium hydroxide at 40°C. These conditions were selected to quantify the main oligosaccharides in goat colostrum samples. Values ranging from 140 to 315mgL(-1) for neutral oligosaccharides and from 83 to 251mgL(-1) for acidic oligosaccharides were found. The combination of both techniques resulted to be useful to achieve a comprehensive characterization of GCO. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. Study of the in vitro metabolism of TJ0711 using ultra high performance liquid chromatography with quadrupole time-of-flight and ultra fast liquid chromatography with quadrupole linear ion trap mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Hu, Lei; Lv, Zhenhua; Li, Gao; Xu, Xiaolong; Zhang, Chenghao; Cao, Peng; Huang, Jiangeng; Si, Luqin

    2015-06-01

    TJ0711 (1-[4-(2-methoxyethyl)phenoxy]-3-[2-(2-methoxyphenoxy)ethylamino]-2-propanol) is a novel β-adrenoreceptor blocker with vasodilating activity. The aim of this study was to investigate the in vitro metabolic properties of TJ0711 from both qualitative and quantitative aspects using mouse, rat, dog, and human liver microsomes as well as rat hepatocytes. Two modern liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry systems, ultra high performance liquid chromatography with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry and ultra fast liquid chromatography with quadrupole linear ion trap mass spectrometry, were utilized for the analysis. To better characterize the metabolic pathways of TJ0711, two major metabolites were incubated under the same conditions as that for TJ0711. TJ0711 was extensively metabolized in vitro, and a total of 34 metabolites, including 19 phase I and 15 phase II metabolites, were identified. Similar metabolite profiles were observed among species, and demethylation, hydroxylation, carboxylic acid formation, and glucuronidation were proposed as the major metabolic routes. Significant interspecies differences were observed in the metabolic stability studies of TJ0711. Furthermore, gender differences were significant in mice, rats, and dogs, but were negligible in humans. The valuable information provided in this work will be useful in planning and interpreting further pharmacokinetic, in vivo metabolism and toxicological studies of this novel β-blocker. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  9. Metabolism studies of benzbromarone in rats by high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Wu, Haiqing; Peng, Ying; Wang, Shaojie; Wang, Kai; Zhao, Xunchen; Jiang, Fan

    2012-12-12

    A high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry (HPLC-QTOF-MS) method was employed in investigation of benzbromarone metabolites in rat plasma, urine, feces and bile samples. Meanwhile, the metabolic pathways of benzbromarone in rats were discussed. The identification was achieved on a reversed-phase C(18) column with mobile phase gradient method. The QTOF-MS was operated under full scan of MS or MS/MS in negative mode. The fragments were acquired by raising collision induced dissociation (CID) energy for speculating the structures of parent ions. According to the information from the chromatograms and mass spectra, 17 metabolites were obtained. Among them, the deoxidized phase I metabolites and an array of phase II metabolites-sulfate conjugates detected in the biological samples made the work more significant. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Chiral separation and chemical profile of Dengzhan Shengmai by integrating comprehensive with multiple heart-cutting two-dimensional liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Sheng, Ning; Zheng, Hao; Xiao, Yao; Wang, Zhe; Li, Menglin; Zhang, Jinlan

    2017-09-29

    Chemical profile for Chinese medicine formulas composed of several herbs is always a challenge due to a big array of small molecules with high chemical diversity so much as isomers. The present paper develops a feasible strategy to characterize and identify complex chemical constituents of a four-herb traditional Chinese medicine formula, Denzhan Shenmai (DZSM) by integrating comprehensive two-dimensional liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC×LC-qTOF-MS) with multiple heart-cutting two-dimensional liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MHC-qTOF-MS). DZSM was separated by C8×C18 HPLC column system for comprehensive two-dimensional liquid chromatography system and 283 compounds most of which belonged to phenolic acid, flavonoid, saponin and lignan families were characterized and identified within 75min. Some isomers and compounds at low level were analyzed on C8×Chiral HPLC column system for multiple heart-cutting two-dimensional liquid chromatography system with 1D and 2D optimized gradient elution program. These 1D cutting fractions were successively separated on 2D chiral chromatographic column under extended the 2D gradient elution time from 30s to 5.0min. 12 pairs of isomer compounds were separated with good resolution. The combination of LC×LC and MHC system provides a powerful technique for global chemical profiling of DZSM and provided feasible strategy for other complex systems. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Comparison between triple quadrupole, time of flight and hybrid quadrupole time of flight analysers coupled to liquid chromatography for the detection of anabolic steroids in doping control analysis.

    PubMed

    Pozo, Oscar J; Van Eenoo, Peter; Deventer, Koen; Elbardissy, Hisham; Grimalt, Susana; Sancho, Juan V; Hernandez, Felix; Ventura, Rosa; Delbeke, Frans T

    2011-01-17

    Triple quadrupole (QqQ), time of flight (TOF) and quadrupole-time of flight (QTOF) analysers have been compared for the detection of anabolic steroids in human urine. Ten anabolic steroids were selected as model compounds based on their ionization and the presence of endogenous interferences. Both qualitative and quantitative analyses were evaluated. QqQ allowed for the detection of all analytes at the minimum required performance limit (MRPL) established by the World Anti-Doping Agency (between 2 and 10 ng mL(-1) in urine). TOF and QTOF approaches were not sensitive enough to detect some of the analytes (3'-hydroxy-stanozolol or the metabolites of boldenone and formebolone) at the established MRPL. Although a suitable accuracy was obtained, the precision was unsatisfactory (RSD typically higher than 20%) for quantitative purposes irrespective of the analyser used. The methods were applied to 30 real samples declared positives either for the misuse of boldenone, stanozolol and/or methandienone. Most of the compounds were detected by every technique, however QqQ was necessary for the detection of some metabolites in a few samples. Finally, the possibility to detect non-target steroids has been explored by the use of TOF and QTOF. The use of this approach revealed that the presence of boldenone and its metabolite in one sample was due to the intake of androsta-1,4,6-triene-3,17-dione. Additionally, the intake of methandienone was confirmed by the post-target detection of a long-term metabolite. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. New Potential Biomarker for Methasterone Misuse in Human Urine by Liquid Chromatography Quadrupole Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Jianli; Lu, Jianghai; Wu, Yun; Wang, Xiaobing; Xu, Youxuan; Zhang, Yinong; Wang, Yan

    2016-09-24

    In this study, methasterone urinary metabolic profiles were investigated by liquid chromatography quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF-MS) in full scan and targeted MS/MS modes with accurate mass measurement. A healthy male volunteer was asked to take the drug and liquid-liquid extraction was employed to process urine samples. Chromatographic peaks for potential metabolites were hunted out with the theoretical [M - H](-) as a target ion in a full scan experiment and actual deprotonated ions were studied in targeted MS/MS experiment. Fifteen metabolites including two new sulfates (S1 and S2), three glucuronide conjugates (G2, G6 and G7), and three free metabolites (M2, M4 and M6) were detected for methasterone. Three metabolites involving G4, G5 and M5 were obtained for the first time in human urine samples. Owing to the absence of helpful fragments to elucidate the steroid ring structure of methasterone phase II metabolites, gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was employed to obtain structural information of the trimethylsilylated phase I metabolite released after enzymatic hydrolysis and the potential structure was inferred using a combined MS method. Metabolite detection times were also analyzed and G2 (18-nor-17β-hydroxymethyl-2α, 17α-dimethyl-androst-13-en-3α-ol-ξ-O-glucuronide) was thought to be new potential biomarker for methasterone misuse which can be detected up to 10 days.

  13. Alkaloid profiling of the traditional Chinese medicine Rhizoma corydalis using high performance liquid chromatography-tandem quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry

    PubMed Central

    Sun, Mingqian; Liu, Jianxun; Lin, Chengren; Miao, Lan; Lin, Li

    2014-01-01

    Since alkaloids are the major active constituents of Rhizoma corydalis (RC), a convenient and accurate analytical method is needed for their identification and characterization. Here we report a method to profile the alkaloids in RC based on liquid chromatography-tandem quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC–Q-TOF-MS/MS). A total of 16 alkaloids belonging to four different classes were identified by comparison with authentic standards. The fragmentation pathway of each class of alkaloid was clarified and their differences were elucidated. Furthermore, based on an analysis of fragmentation pathways and alkaloid profiling, a rapid and accurate method for the identification of unknown alkaloids in RC is proposed. The method could also be useful for the quality control of RC. PMID:26579385

  14. Profiling of nonvolatiles in whiskeys using ultra high pressure liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QTOF MS).

    PubMed

    Collins, Thomas S; Zweigenbaum, Jerry; Ebeler, Susan E

    2014-11-15

    Commercial samples of 63 American whiskeys, including bourbon whiskeys, Tennessee whiskeys, rye whiskeys and other blended whiskeys were analysed using ultra high pressure liquid chromatography (UHPLC) coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight (QTOF) mass spectrometry (MS). The non-volatile composition of the whiskeys was used to model differences among the samples using discriminant analysis. The blended American whiskeys were readily distinguished from the remaining types. Additionally, most Tennessee whiskeys could be differentiated from bourbon and rye whiskeys. Similarly, younger (<4 years old) and older (>8 years old) whiskeys could be separated. The compounds important for differentiating among these whiskeys included wood derived phenolic compounds, lignan derived compounds and several C8 and larger lipids. A number of additional compounds differentiated the whiskeys but could not be identified using MS and MS/MS data alone. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Phenolic profiling of the skin, pulp and seeds of Albariño grapes using hybrid quadrupole time-of-flight and triple-quadrupole mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Di Lecce, Giuseppe; Arranz, Sara; Jáuregui, Olga; Tresserra-Rimbau, Anna; Quifer-Rada, Paola; Lamuela-Raventós, Rosa M

    2014-02-15

    This paper describes for the first time a complete characterisation of the phenolic compounds in different anatomical parts of the Albariño grape. The application of high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with two complementary techniques, hybrid quadrupole time-of-flight and triple-quadrupole mass spectrometry, allowed the phenolic composition of the Albariño grape to be unambiguously identified and quantified. A more complete phenolic profile was obtained by product ion and precursor ion scans, while a neutral loss scan at 152 u enabled a fast screening of procyanidin dimers, trimers and their galloylated derivatives. The compounds were confirmed by accurate mass measurements in QqToF-MS and QqToF-MS/MS modes at high resolution, and good fits were obtained for all investigated ions, with errors ranging from 0.2 to 4.5 mDa. To the best of our knowledge, two flavanol monomer hexosides were detected in the grape berry for the first time. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Comparative metabolites profiles of osthole in normal and osteoporosis rats using liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Wang, Nani; Wang, Xuping; Zhang, Yang; Zhang, Qiaoyan; Xu, Pingcui; Xin, Hailiang; Wu, Renjie; Shou, Dan; Qin, Luping

    2018-05-30

    Osthole is a derivative of coumnarin, which has been used to treat several diseases, including osteoporosis. To investigate the metabolite profile of osthole in osteoporosis rats was utilized to understand its underlying mechanisms of its anti-osteoporosis effect. In this study, plasma samples were collected from normal and osteoporosis rats after oral administration of osthole and analyzed to identify the metabolites of osthole by high performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. By comparing the molecular weight and MS fragmentation of the metabolites with those of parent drug and reference standards, a total of 36 metabolites in plasma were identified. Demethylation, hydroxylation, hydroxymethylene loss and reduction, and subsequent glucuronidation, methylation and sulfation were the major metabolic pathways of osthole in both normal and osteoporosis rats. A specific hydration metabolic pathway was found in osteoporosis rats. These results provided a meaningful basis for studying the underlying mechanism of the anti-osteoporosis effect of osthole. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. Characterization of carbonyl by-products during Uniblu-A ozonation by liquid chromatography/hybrid quadrupole time-of-flight/mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Amorisco, A; Locaputo, V; Mascolo, G

    2011-07-15

    The structural elucidation of carbonyl-containing by-products arising from Uniblu-OH ozonation has been investigated by liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC/ESI-MS/MS) employing a quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometer. The by-products were derivatized with 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine, allowing the formation of [M-H](-) ions of the derivatives in the electrospray source. Exact mass measurements of both the [M-H](-) ions and their product ions allowed the elemental formulae and related structures of ten by-products to be determined confidently. The main degradation pathway were decarboxylation followed by further oxidation. It is noteworthy that the experimental procedure employed allowed the identification of both nitrogen- and sulphur-containing carbonyl by-products during Uniblu-OH ozonation. This result is of environmental relevance for monitoring the balance of organic nitrogen and sulphur during the ozonation of organic pollutants. These atoms, in fact, do not undergo complete mineralization. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  18. Identification of pesticide transformation products in agricultural soils using liquid chromatography/quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Padilla-Sánchez, Juan A; Michael Thurman, E; Plaza-Bolaños, Patricia; Ferrer, Imma

    2012-05-15

    A study of pesticide transformation products (TPs) was carried out in soils of agricultural areas working under integrated pest management programs (IPMs). Bupirimate and cyromazine were the pesticides detected in soils after an initial pre-screening. The aim of this work was the identification of relevant TPs of these two pesticides. Soil samples were extracted by pressurized liquid extraction (PLE), using a mixture of ethyl acetate/methanol (3:1, v/v), and analyzed by ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography coupled to hybrid quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QTOF-MS). For confirmation purposes, tandem mass spectrometry (MS(2) ) experiments were carried out using QTOF-MS, obtaining specific fragment structures of the pesticides and their degradates. Retention times and exact masses of the protonated molecules were used for the identification of the pesticides bupirimate (m/z 317.1642) and cyromazine (m/z 167.1040) and their respective TPs, namely ethirimol (m/z 210.1601) and melamine (m/z 127.0727). A novel strategy using pseudo-MS(3) experiments was developed to confirm the structure of bupirimate TP (ethirimol). This strategy consists of generating the particular TP in the ion source, via collision-induced fragmentation, and then performing MS/MS to the fragment ion formed in-source. Ethirimol and melamine were identified as degradation products of bupirimate and cyromazine, respectively. The study was applied to the analysis of 15 agricultural soil samples finding bupirimate and ethirimol in seven samples, cyromazine in one sample and melamine in four samples. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  19. Qualitative and quantitative characterization of secondary metabolites and carbohydrates in Bai-Hu-Tang using ultraperformance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry and ultraperformance liquid chromatography coupled with photodiode array detector.

    PubMed

    Zhong, Wei-Fang; Tong, Wing-Sum; Zhou, Shan-Shan; Yip, Ka-Man; Li, Song-Lin; Zhao, Zhong-Zhen; Xu, Jun; Chen, Hu-Biao

    2017-10-01

    Bai-Hu-Tang (BHT), a classic traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formula used for clearing heat and promoting body fluid, consists of four traditional Chinese medicines, i.e., Gypsum Fibrosum (Shigao), Anemarrhenae Rhizoma (Zhimu), Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma Praeparata cum Melle (Zhigancao), and nonglutinous rice (Jingmi). The chemical composition of BHT still remains largely elusive thus far. To qualitatively and quantitatively characterize secondary metabolites and carbohydrates in BHT, here a combination of analytical approaches using ultraperformance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry and ultraperformance liquid chromatography coupled with photodiode array detector was developed and validated. A total of 42 secondary metabolites in BHT were tentatively or definitely identified, of which 10 major chemicals were quantified by the extracting ion mode of quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Meanwhile, polysaccharides, oligosaccharides, and monosaccharides in BHT were also characterized via sample pretreatment followed by sugar composition analysis. The quantitative results indicated that the determined chemicals accounted for 35.76% of the total extract of BHT, which demonstrated that the study could be instrumental in chemical dissection and quality control of BHT. The research deliverables not only laid the root for further chemical and biological evaluation of BHT, but also provided a comprehensive analytical strategy for chemical characterization of secondary metabolites and carbohydrates in traditional Chinese medicine formulas. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  20. Profiling of Arabidopsis secondary metabolites by capillary liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    von Roepenack-Lahaye, Edda; Degenkolb, Thomas; Zerjeski, Michael; Franz, Mathias; Roth, Udo; Wessjohann, Ludger; Schmidt, Jürgen; Scheel, Dierk; Clemens, Stephan

    2004-02-01

    Large-scale metabolic profiling is expected to develop into an integral part of functional genomics and systems biology. The metabolome of a cell or an organism is chemically highly complex. Therefore, comprehensive biochemical phenotyping requires a multitude of analytical techniques. Here, we describe a profiling approach that combines separation by capillary liquid chromatography with the high resolution, high sensitivity, and high mass accuracy of quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. About 2000 different mass signals can be detected in extracts of Arabidopsis roots and leaves. Many of these originate from Arabidopsis secondary metabolites. Detection based on retention times and exact masses is robust and reproducible. The dynamic range is sufficient for the quantification of metabolites. Assessment of the reproducibility of the analysis showed that biological variability exceeds technical variability. Tools were optimized or established for the automatic data deconvolution and data processing. Subtle differences between samples can be detected as tested with the chalcone synthase deficient tt4 mutant. The accuracy of time-of-flight mass analysis allows to calculate elemental compositions and to tentatively identify metabolites. In-source fragmentation and tandem mass spectrometry can be used to gain structural information. This approach has the potential to significantly contribute to establishing the metabolome of Arabidopsis and other model systems. The principles of separation and mass analysis of this technique, together with its sensitivity and resolving power, greatly expand the range of metabolic profiling.

  1. Assessment of benzophenone-4 reactivity with free chlorine by liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Negreira, N; Rodríguez, I; Rodil, R; Cela, R

    2012-09-19

    The stability of the UV filter benzophenone-4 (BP-4) in free chlorine-containing water was investigated, for the first time, by liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-QqTOF-MS). High mass accuracy and resolution capabilities of this hybrid mass spectrometer were used for the reliable assignation of empirical formulae and chemical structures of BP-4 derivatives. Time-course profiles of the parent compound and its by-products were simultaneously recorded by direct injection of sample aliquots, after quenching the excess of chlorine, in the LC-QqTOF-MS system. At neutral pHs, in excess of chlorine, BP-4 showed a limited stability fitting a pseudo-first-order degradation kinetics. A noticeable reduction in the half-lives of BP-4 was observed when increasing the sample pH between 6 and 8 units and also in presence of bromide traces. The reaction pathway of this UV filter involved a first electrophilic substitution of hydrogen per chlorine (or bromide) in the phenolic ring, followed by oxidation of the carbonyl moiety to an ester group, which induced a further electrophilic substitution in the same aromatic ring. Above reactions were also noticed when mixing a BP-4 containing personal care product with chlorinated tap water and in chlorinated swimming pool and sewage water, previously spiked with a BP-4 standard. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. An efficient approach to identify different chemical markers between fibrous root and rhizome of Anemarrhena asphodeloides by ultra high-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry with multivariate statistical analysis.

    PubMed

    Wang, Fang-Xu; Yuan, Jian-Chao; Kang, Li-Ping; Pang, Xu; Yan, Ren-Yi; Zhao, Yang; Zhang, Jie; Sun, Xin-Guang; Ma, Bai-Ping

    2016-09-10

    An ultra high-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry approach coupled with multivariate statistical analysis was established and applied to rapidly distinguish the chemical differences between fibrous root and rhizome of Anemarrhena asphodeloides. The datasets of tR-m/z pairs, ion intensity and sample code were processed by principal component analysis and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis. Chemical markers could be identified based on their exact mass data, fragmentation characteristics, and retention times. And the new compounds among chemical markers could be isolated rapidly guided by the ultra high-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry and their definitive structures would be further elucidated by NMR spectra. Using this approach, twenty-four markers were identified on line including nine new saponins and five new steroidal saponins of them were obtained in pure form. The study validated this proposed approach as a suitable method for identification of the chemical differences between various medicinal parts in order to expand medicinal parts and increase the utilization rate of resources. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Profiling the indole alkaloids in yohimbe bark with ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with ion mobility quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Sun, Jianghao; Baker, Andrew; Chen, Pei

    2011-09-30

    An ultra-performance liquid chromatography/ion mobility quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC/IM-QTOF-MS) method was developed for profiling the indole alkaloids in yohimbe bark. Many indole alkaloids with the yohimbine or ajmalicine core structure, plus methylated, oxidized and reduced species, were characterized. Common fragments and mass differences are described. It was shown that the use of IMS could provide another molecular descriptor, i.e. molecular shape by rotationally averaged collision cross-section; this is of great value for identification of constituents when reference materials are usually not available. Using the combination of high resolution (~40000) accurate mass measurement with time-aligned parallel (TAP) fragmentation, MS(E) (where E represents collision energy), ion mobility mass spectrometry (IMS) and UPLC chromatography, a total 55 indole alkaloids were characterized and a few new indole alkaloids are reported for the first time. Published in 2011 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  4. Liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry determination of six pharmaceuticals in vegetal biota. Uptake study in Lavandula dentata.

    PubMed

    Barreales-Suárez, Sofía; Callejón-Mochón, Manuel; Azoulay, Stéphane; Bello-López, Miguel Ángel; Fernández-Torres, Rut

    2018-05-01

    A procedure based on microwave assisted extraction for the determination of 6 pharmaceuticals in samples of Lavandula dentata, Salicornia ramosissima and Juncus sp. by liquid chromatography-quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF/MS) was optimized and validated. Best results were obtained using microwave assisted extraction of 1.0g of homogeneous lyophilized samples and 5mL of a mixture ACN:H 2 O (1:1 v/v) as extracting solvent. Analytical recoveries ranged from 60 to 107% with relative standard deviation (RSD) lower than 15%. Limits of quantitation (LOQ) for the 6 pharmaceuticals flumequine (FLM), carbamazepine (CBZ), ciprofloxacin (CPR), enrofloxacin (ENR), diclofenac (DCL), and ibuprofen (IBU) were in the range 20.8-125ngg -1 . The method was satisfactory applied for an uptake study in Lavandula dentata samples finding quantifying concentrations of FLM and CBZ in roots, leaf and stem. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Characterization of isochlorogenic acid A metabolites in rats using high-performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Wang, Jing; Cao, Guoxiu; Wang, Hong; Ye, Hui; Zhong, Yunxi; Wang, Guangji; Hao, Haiping

    2017-08-01

    Isochlorogenic acid A is widely present in fruits, vegetables and herbal medicines, and is characterized by anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective and antiviral properties. However, little is known about its metabolic fate and pharmacokinetic properties. This study is thus designed to investigate the metabolic fate of isochlorogenic acid A. An analytical method based on high-performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HPLC/Q-TOF MS) was established to characterize the metabolites of isochlorogenic acid A in the plasma, urine and feces of rats. A total of 32 metabolites were identified. The metabolic pathways mainly include hydrolyzation, dehydroxylation, hydrogenation and conjugation with methyl, glucuronic acid, glycine, sulfate, glutathione and cysteine. Moreover, the pharmacokinetic profiles of all the circulating metabolites were investigated. M11 resulting from hydrolyzation, dehydroxylation and hydrogenation was the dominant circulating metabolite after the intragastric administration of isochlorogenic acid A. The results obtained will be useful for further study of elucidating potential bioactive metabolites which can provide better explanation of the pharmacological and/or toxicological effects of this compound. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  6. Identification and quantification of nitrofurazone metabolites by ultraperformance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight high-resolution mass spectrometry with precolumn derivatization.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Shuai; Li, PeiPei; Yan, Zhongyong; Long, Ju; Zhang, Xiaojun

    2017-03-01

    An ultraperformance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight high-resolution mass spectrometry method was developed and validated for the determination of nitrofurazone metabolites. Precolumn derivatization with 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine and p-dimethylaminobenzaldehyde as an internal standard was used successfully to determine the biomarker 5-nitro-2-furaldehyde. In negative electrospray ionization mode, the precise molecular weights of the derivatives were 320.0372 for the biomarker and 328.1060 for the internal standard (relative error 1.08 ppm). The matrix effect was evaluated and the analytical characteristics of the method and derivatization reaction conditions were validated. For comparison purposes, spiked samples were tested by both internal and external standard methods. The results show high precision can be obtained with p-dimethylaminobenzaldehyde as an internal standard for the identification and quantification of nitrofurazone metabolites in complex biological samples. Graphical Abstract A simplified preparation strategy for biological samples.

  7. Profiling and characterizing skin ceramides using reversed-phase liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    t'Kindt, Ruben; Jorge, Lucie; Dumont, Emmie; Couturon, Pauline; David, Frank; Sandra, Pat; Sandra, Koen

    2012-01-03

    An LC-MS based method for the profiling and characterization of ceramide species in the upper layer of human skin is described. Ceramide samples, collected by tape stripping of human skin, were analyzed by reversed-phase liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry operated in both positive and negative electrospray ionization mode. All known classes of ceramides could be measured in a repeatable manner. Furthermore, the data set showed several undiscovered ceramides, including a class with four hydroxyl functionalities in its sphingoid base. High-resolution MS/MS fragmentation spectra revealed that each identified ceramide species is composed of several skeletal isomers due to variation in carbon length of the respective sphingoid bases and fatty acyl building blocks. The resulting variety in skeletal isomers has not been previously demonstrated. It is estimated that over 1000 unique ceramide structures could be elucidated in human stratum corneum. Ceramide species with an even and odd number of carbon atoms in both chains were detected in all ceramide classes. Acid hydrolysis of the ceramides, followed by LC-MS analysis of the end-products, confirmed the observed distribution of both sphingoid bases and fatty acyl groups in skin ceramides. The study resulted in an accurate mass retention time library for targeted profiling of skin ceramides. It is furthermore demonstrated that targeted data processing results in an improved repeatability versus untargeted data processing (72.92% versus 62.12% of species display an RSD < 15%). © 2011 American Chemical Society

  8. Determination of Grayanotoxins from Rhododendron brachycarpum in Dietary Supplements and Homemade Wine by Liquid Chromatography-Quadrupole Time-of-Flight-Mass Spectrometry and Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Hwang, Taeik; Noh, Eunyoung; Jeong, Ji Hye; Park, Sung-Kwan; Shin, Dongwoo; Kang, Hoil

    2018-02-28

    A sensitive and specific high-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight-mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF-MS) method combined with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was developed for the determination of grayanotoxins I and III in dietary supplements and homemade wine. Grayanotoxins I and III were successfully extracted using solid-phase extraction cartridges, characterized by LC-QTOF-MS, and quantitated by LC-MS/MS. The LC-MS/MS calibration curves were linear over concentrations of 10-100 ng/mL (grayanotoxin I) and 20-400 ng/mL (grayanotoxin III). Grayanotoxins I and III were found in 51 foodstuffs, with quantitative determinations revealing total toxin concentrations of 18.4-101 000 ng/mL (grayanotoxin I) and 15.3-56 000 ng/mL (grayanotoxin III). The potential of the validated method was demonstrated by successful quantitative analysis of grayanotoxins I and III in dietary supplements and homemade wine; the method appears suitable for the routine detection of grayanotoxins I and III from Rhododendron brachycarpum.

  9. Rapid characterisation and identification of compounds in Saposhnikoviae Radix by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionisation quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Chen, Luxiao; Chen, Xiangyang; Su, Lei; Jiang, Yanyan; Liu, Bin

    2018-04-01

    Saposhnikoviae Radix (SR), the dried root of Saposhnikovia divaricata (Turcz.) Schischk. (Umbelliferae), is commonly used as a traditional Chinese medicine. In this study, a rapid and accurate method was firstly, developed for the qualitative analysis of SR by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionisation quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-Q-TOF-MS/MS). A total of 45 compounds were identified or tentatively characterised, including 13 chromones, 28 coumarins and four others. Among them, 16 compounds were identified from SR for the first time. In addition, six chromones reference standards, including two isolated compounds of 3'-O-angeloylhamaudol and norcimifugin from the extraction of SR, were used to study the fragmentation pathways of chromones. The developed method was effective for characterising the compounds of SR, and the results of the study enriched the understanding of the chemical connotation.

  10. Fenofibrate Metabolism in the Cynomolgus Monkey using Ultraperformance Liquid Chromatography-Quadrupole Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry-Based MetabolomicsS⃞

    PubMed Central

    Liu, Aiming; Patterson, Andrew D.; Yang, Zongtao; Zhang, Xinying; Liu, Wei; Qiu, Fayang; Sun, He; Krausz, Kristopher W.; Idle, Jeffrey R.; Gonzalez, Frank J.; Dai, Renke

    2009-01-01

    Fenofibrate, widely used for the treatment of dyslipidemia, activates the nuclear receptor, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α. However, liver toxicity, including liver cancer, occurs in rodents treated with fibrate drugs. Marked species differences occur in response to fibrate drugs, especially between rodents and humans, the latter of which are resistant to fibrate-induced cancer. Fenofibrate metabolism, which also shows species differences, has not been fully determined in humans and surrogate primates. In the present study, the metabolism of fenofibrate was investigated in cynomolgus monkeys by ultraperformance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOFMS)-based metabolomics. Urine samples were collected before and after oral doses of fenofibrate. The samples were analyzed in both positive-ion and negative-ion modes by UPLC-QTOFMS, and after data deconvolution, the resulting data matrices were subjected to multivariate data analysis. Pattern recognition was performed on the retention time, mass/charge ratio, and other metabolite-related variables. Synthesized or purchased authentic compounds were used for metabolite identification and structure elucidation by liquid chromatographytandem mass spectrometry. Several metabolites were identified, including fenofibric acid, reduced fenofibric acid, fenofibric acid ester glucuronide, reduced fenofibric acid ester glucuronide, and compound X. Another two metabolites (compound B and compound AR), not previously reported in other species, were characterized in cynomolgus monkeys. More importantly, previously unknown metabolites, fenofibric acid taurine conjugate and reduced fenofibric acid taurine conjugate were identified, revealing a previously unrecognized conjugation pathway for fenofibrate. PMID:19251819

  11. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of poly(amidoamine) dendrimers in an aqueous matrix by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-hybrid quadrupole/time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-QTOF-MS).

    PubMed

    Uclés, A; Ulaszewska, M M; Hernando, M D; Ramos, M J; Herrera, S; García, E; Fernández-Alba, A R

    2013-07-01

    This work introduces a liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-hybrid quadrupole/time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-QTOF-MS)-based method for qualitative and quantitative analysis of poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimers of generations 0 to 3 in an aqueous matrix. The multiple charging of PAMAM dendrimers generated by means of ESI has provided key advantages in dendrimer identification by assignation of charge state through high resolution of isotopic clusters. Isotopic distribution in function of abundance of isotopes (12)C and (13)C yielded valuable and complementarity data for confident characterization. A mass accuracy below 3.8 ppm for the most abundant isotopes (diagnostic ions) provided unambiguous identification of PAMAM dendrimers. Validation of the LC-ESI-QTOF-MS method and matrix effect evaluation enabled reliable and reproducible quantification. The validation parameters, limits of quantification in the range of 0.012 to 1.73 μM, depending on the generation, good linear range (R > 0.996), repeatability (RSD < 13.4%), and reproducibility (RSD < 10.9%) demonstrated the suitability of the method for the quantification of dendrimers in aqueous matrices (water and wastewater). The added selectivity, achieved by multicharge phenomena, represents a clear advantage in screening aqueous mixtures due to the fact that the matrix had no significant effect on ionization, with what is evidenced by an absence of sensitivity loss in most generations of PAMAM dendrimers. Fig Liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-hybrid quadrupole/time of flight mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-QTOF-MS) based method for qualitative and quantitative analysis of PAMAM dendrimers in aqueous matrix.

  12. Chemical profiling of Qixue Shuangbu Tincture by ultra-performance liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization quadrupole-time-of-flight high-definition mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF/MS).

    PubMed

    Chen, Lin-Wei; Wang, Qin; Qin, Kun-Ming; Wang, Xiao-Li; Wang, Bin; Chen, Dan-Ni; Cai, Bao-Chang; Cai, Ting

    2016-02-01

    The present study was designed to develop and validate a sensitive and reliable ultra high performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF/MS) method to separate and identify the chemical constituents of Qixue Shuangbu Tincture (QXSBT), a classic traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) prescription. Under the optimized UPLC and QTOF/MS conditions, 56 components in QXSBT, including chalcones, triterpenoids, protopanaxatriol, flavones and flavanones were identified and tentatively characterized within a running time of 42 min. The components were identified by comparing the retention times, accurate mass, and mass spectrometric fragmentation characteristic ions, and matching empirical molecular formula with that of the published compounds. In conclusion, the established UPLC-QTOF/MS method was reliable for a rapid identification of complicated components in the TCM prescriptions. Copyright © 2016 China Pharmaceutical University. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Serum metabolic profiling study of lung cancer using ultra high performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Li, Yanjie; Song, Xue; Zhao, Xinjie; Zou, Lijuan; Xu, Guowang

    2014-09-01

    Lung cancer is currently the leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. It is, therefore, important to enhance understanding and add a new auxiliary detection tool of lung cancer. In this work, serum metabolic characteristics of lung cancer were investigated with a non-targeted metabolomics method. The metabolic profiling of 23 patients with lung cancer and 23 healthy controls were analyzed using ultra high performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry (UPLC/Q-TOF MS). Partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) model of the metabolic data allowed the clear separation of the lung cancer patients from the healthy controls. In total, 27 differential metabolites were identified, which were mostly related to the perturbation of lipid metabolism, including choline, free fatty acids, lysophosphatidylcholines, etc. Choline and linoleic acid were defined as one combinational biomarker using binary logistic regression, which was supported by the validation with a smaller sample-set (9 patients and 9 healthy controls). These findings show that LC/MS-based serum metabolic profiling has potential application in complementary identification of lung cancer patients, and could be a powerful tool for cancer research. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Multi-analysis strategy for metabolism of Andrographis paniculata in rat using liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Li, Wenlan; Sun, Xiangming; Xu, Ying; Wang, Xuezhi; Bai, Jing; Ji, Yubin

    2015-07-01

    Compared with chemical drugs, it is a huge challenge to identify active ingredients of multicomponent traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). For most TCMs, metabolism investigation of absorbed constituents is a feasible way to clarify the active material basis. Although Andrographis paniculata (AP) has been extensively researched by domestic and foreign scholars, its metabolism has seldom been fully addressed to date. In this paper, high-performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry was applied to analysis and characterization of AP metabolism in rat urine and feces samples after oral administration of ethanol extract. The differences in metabolites and metabolic pathways between the two biological samples were further compared. The chemical structures of 20 components were tentatively identified from drug-treated biological samples, including six prototype components and 14 metabolites, which underwent such main metabolic pathways as hydrolyzation, hydrogenation, dehydroxylation, deoxygenation, methylation, glucuronidation, sulfonation and sulfation. Two co-existing components were found in urine and feces samples, suggesting that some ingredients' metabolic processes were not unique. This study provides a comprehensive report on the metabolism of AP in rats, which will be helpful for understanding its mechanism. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  15. Polyphenolic profile of butterhead lettuce cultivar by ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography coupled online to UV-visible spectrophotometry and quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Viacava, Gabriela E; Roura, Sara I; López-Márquez, Diana M; Berrueta, Luis A; Gallo, Blanca; Alonso-Salces, Rosa M

    2018-09-15

    In the present study, the butterhead lettuce cultivar was analyzed by ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) coupled online to diode array detection (DAD), electrospray ionization (ESI) and quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (QToF/MS) in the positive and negative ion mode in order to characterize its polyphenolic profile for the first time. The instrument acquisition mode MS E was used to collect automatic and simultaneous information of exact mass at high and low collision energies of precursor ions as well as other ions produced as a result of their fragmentation. One hundred eleven phenolic compounds were identified in the acidified hydromethanolic extract of freeze-dried leaves of butterhead lettuce cultivar: 40 hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives, 21 hydroxybenzoic acid derivatives, 2 hydroxyphenylacetic acid derivatives, 18 flavonols, 9 flavones, one flavanone, 7 coumarins, one hydrolysable tannin and 12 lignans. Forty-seven of these compounds have been tentatively identified for the first time in lettuce. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Rapid Quadrupole-Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry Method Quantifies Oxygen-Rich Lignin Compound in Complex Mixtures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Boes, Kelsey S.; Roberts, Michael S.; Vinueza, Nelson R.

    2018-03-01

    Complex mixture analysis is a costly and time-consuming task facing researchers with foci as varied as food science and fuel analysis. When faced with the task of quantifying oxygen-rich bio-oil molecules in a complex diesel mixture, we asked whether complex mixtures could be qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed on a single mass spectrometer with mid-range resolving power without the use of lengthy separations. To answer this question, we developed and evaluated a quantitation method that eliminated chromatography steps and expanded the use of quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry from primarily qualitative to quantitative as well. To account for mixture complexity, the method employed an ionization dopant, targeted tandem mass spectrometry, and an internal standard. This combination of three techniques achieved reliable quantitation of oxygen-rich eugenol in diesel from 300 to 2500 ng/mL with sufficient linearity (R2 = 0.97 ± 0.01) and excellent accuracy (percent error = 0% ± 5). To understand the limitations of the method, it was compared to quantitation attained on a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer, the gold standard for quantitation. The triple quadrupole quantified eugenol from 50 to 2500 ng/mL with stronger linearity (R2 = 0.996 ± 0.003) than the quadrupole-time-of-flight and comparable accuracy (percent error = 4% ± 5). This demonstrates that a quadrupole-time-of-flight can be used for not only qualitative analysis but also targeted quantitation of oxygen-rich lignin molecules in complex mixtures without extensive sample preparation. The rapid and cost-effective method presented here offers new possibilities for bio-oil research, including: (1) allowing for bio-oil studies that demand repetitive analysis as process parameters are changed and (2) making this research accessible to more laboratories. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

  17. Rapid Quadrupole-Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry Method Quantifies Oxygen-Rich Lignin Compound in Complex Mixtures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Boes, Kelsey S.; Roberts, Michael S.; Vinueza, Nelson R.

    2017-12-01

    Complex mixture analysis is a costly and time-consuming task facing researchers with foci as varied as food science and fuel analysis. When faced with the task of quantifying oxygen-rich bio-oil molecules in a complex diesel mixture, we asked whether complex mixtures could be qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed on a single mass spectrometer with mid-range resolving power without the use of lengthy separations. To answer this question, we developed and evaluated a quantitation method that eliminated chromatography steps and expanded the use of quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry from primarily qualitative to quantitative as well. To account for mixture complexity, the method employed an ionization dopant, targeted tandem mass spectrometry, and an internal standard. This combination of three techniques achieved reliable quantitation of oxygen-rich eugenol in diesel from 300 to 2500 ng/mL with sufficient linearity (R2 = 0.97 ± 0.01) and excellent accuracy (percent error = 0% ± 5). To understand the limitations of the method, it was compared to quantitation attained on a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer, the gold standard for quantitation. The triple quadrupole quantified eugenol from 50 to 2500 ng/mL with stronger linearity (R2 = 0.996 ± 0.003) than the quadrupole-time-of-flight and comparable accuracy (percent error = 4% ± 5). This demonstrates that a quadrupole-time-of-flight can be used for not only qualitative analysis but also targeted quantitation of oxygen-rich lignin molecules in complex mixtures without extensive sample preparation. The rapid and cost-effective method presented here offers new possibilities for bio-oil research, including: (1) allowing for bio-oil studies that demand repetitive analysis as process parameters are changed and (2) making this research accessible to more laboratories. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

  18. Rapid Quadrupole-Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry Method Quantifies Oxygen-Rich Lignin Compound in Complex Mixtures.

    PubMed

    Boes, Kelsey S; Roberts, Michael S; Vinueza, Nelson R

    2018-03-01

    Complex mixture analysis is a costly and time-consuming task facing researchers with foci as varied as food science and fuel analysis. When faced with the task of quantifying oxygen-rich bio-oil molecules in a complex diesel mixture, we asked whether complex mixtures could be qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed on a single mass spectrometer with mid-range resolving power without the use of lengthy separations. To answer this question, we developed and evaluated a quantitation method that eliminated chromatography steps and expanded the use of quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry from primarily qualitative to quantitative as well. To account for mixture complexity, the method employed an ionization dopant, targeted tandem mass spectrometry, and an internal standard. This combination of three techniques achieved reliable quantitation of oxygen-rich eugenol in diesel from 300 to 2500 ng/mL with sufficient linearity (R 2 = 0.97 ± 0.01) and excellent accuracy (percent error = 0% ± 5). To understand the limitations of the method, it was compared to quantitation attained on a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer, the gold standard for quantitation. The triple quadrupole quantified eugenol from 50 to 2500 ng/mL with stronger linearity (R 2 = 0.996 ± 0.003) than the quadrupole-time-of-flight and comparable accuracy (percent error = 4% ± 5). This demonstrates that a quadrupole-time-of-flight can be used for not only qualitative analysis but also targeted quantitation of oxygen-rich lignin molecules in complex mixtures without extensive sample preparation. The rapid and cost-effective method presented here offers new possibilities for bio-oil research, including: (1) allowing for bio-oil studies that demand repetitive analysis as process parameters are changed and (2) making this research accessible to more laboratories. Graphical Abstract ᅟ.

  19. Screening of Intestinal Bacterial Metabolites of Platycodin D Using Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography/Quadrupole Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Wei; Qian, Shi-Hui; Qian, Da-Wei; Li, Song-Lin

    2016-01-01

    Platycodin D (PD), a bioactive triterpenoid saponin isolated from Platycodi Radix (PR), possesses a vast range of biological activities. Although the pharmacological activities and pharmacokinetics of PD have been well demonstrated, information regarding the intestinal metabolisms of PD is very limited. In this study, human and rat fecal microflora were prepared and anaerobically incubated with PD at 37[Formula: see text]C for 48[Formula: see text]h, respectively. A highly sensitive and specific ultra performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF/MS) was developed for the analysis of PD and related metabolites in the reaction samples. A Liquid-liquid extraction method was used for sample pretreatment and the chromatographic separation was performed on a 1.7 [Formula: see text]m particle size Syncronis C[Formula: see text] column using gradient elution system. Finally, a total of seven metabolites were detected and tentatively identified, such as the demethylation metabolite (M1), deoxidation metabolites (M3, M7) and hydrolysis at the C-28 oligosaccharide metabolites (M5, M6), which were first discovered in this experiment. The results indicate that hydrolysis, demethylation, dehydroxylation, and acetylation were the major metabolic pathways of PDin vitro. Additionally, four bacterial strains from human feces including Enterococcus sp.41, Bacillus sp.46, Escherichia sp.49 A and Escherichia sp.64 were detected and further identified with 16S rRNA gene sequencing due to their relatively strong metabolic capacity toward PD. The present study provides important information about the metabolism of PD, which will help elucidate the impact of intestinal bacteria on this active component.

  20. Characterization by high-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry of the lipid fraction of Spirulina platensis pressurized ethanol extract.

    PubMed

    Herrero, Miguel; Vicente, María J; Cifuentes, Alejandro; Ibáñez, Elena

    2007-01-01

    Microalgae have been suggested as a potential source for new functional ingredients, making possible the development of new functional foods from natural origin. Among the natural ingredients, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have generally been identified as an interesting group of compounds with biological activity, mainly related to their anti-inflammatory properties. In this regard, the use of environmentally friendly extraction procedures (e.g. pressurized liquid extraction, PLE) to obtain such natural ingredients is also becoming necessary. In this work, an exhaustive characterization of the lipid fraction of a pressurized ethanolic extract of the microalga Spirulina platensis is carried out. To achieve this objective high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled to quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (QTOF-MS) is employed. The use of the QTOF analyzer allows the selection and isolation of precursor ions as well as providing the high efficiency, sensitivity and mass accuracy required. By means of this powerful hyphenated technique, it was possible to identify several polar lipids in an extract of S. platensis (some of them, to our knowledge, described for the first time in this work), including four free fatty acids, four monogalactosyl monoacylglycerols, three phosphatidylglycerols and two sulfoquinovosyl diacylglycerols.

  1. Metabolomic approaches for orange origin discrimination by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Díaz, Ramon; Pozo, Oscar J; Sancho, Juan V; Hernández, Félix

    2014-08-15

    In this work, hybrid quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometer (QTOF MS) coupled to ultra high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) has been used for biomarkers identification for correct authentication of Valencia (Spain) oranges. Differentiation from foreign Argentinean, Brazilian and South African oranges has been carried out using XCMS application and multivariate analysis to UHPLC-(Q)TOF MS data acquired in both, positive and negative ionisation modes. Several markers have been found and corroborated by analysing two seasons samples. A seasonal independent marker was found and its structure elucidated using accurate mass data and MS(E) fragmentation spectrum information. Empirical formula was searched in Reaxys database applying sub-structure filtering from the fragments obtained. Three possible structures were found and citrusin D, a compound present in sweet oranges, has been identified as the most plausible as it fits better with the product ion scan performed for this compound. As a result of data obtained in this work, citrusin D is suggested as a potential marker to distinguish the geographic origin of oranges. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Ultra performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry for determination of avicularin metabolites produced by a human intestinal bacterium.

    PubMed

    Zhao, Min; Xu, Jun; Qian, Dawei; Guo, Jianming; Jiang, Shu; Shang, Er-xin; Duan, Jin-ao; Yang, Jing; Du, Le-yue

    2014-02-15

    Intestinal bacteria from human were screened to isolate the specific bacteria involved in the metabolism of avicularin. A Gram-positive anaerobic bacterium, strain 46, capable of metabolizing avicularin (quercetin-3-O-arabinoside) was isolated for the first time. Its 16S rRNA gene sequence showed 99% similarity with that of Bacillus. Then strain 46 was identified as a species of the genus Bacillus, and was named to be Bacillus sp. 46. Additionally, the metabolites were analyzed by ultra performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC/Q-TOF-MS) technique combined with Metabolynx™ software. The structure of these metabolites were proposed and confirmed by comparing the UPLC retention time and MS/MS spectrum with that of authentic standards. Parent compound and six metabolites were detected in the isolated bacterial samples compared with blank samples. Avicularin (M1) was anaerobic metabolized to its aglycone quercetin (M2) and methoxylated avicularin (M3, M4), then quercetin was converted to quercetin glycosides: quercetin-3-O-rhamnoside (M5), quercetin-3-O-glucoside (M6) and quercetin-7-O-glucoside (M7) by Bacillus sp. 46. The metabolic pathway and metabolites of avicularin by the intestinal bacterium Bacillus sp. 46 were reported for the first time. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Liquid chromatography/quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry with metabolic profiling of human urine as a tool for environmental analysis of dextromethorphan.

    PubMed

    Thurman, E Michael; Ferrer, Imma

    2012-10-12

    We use the combination of liquid chromatography/quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC/Q-TOF-MS) and urine metabolic profiling to find and identify the metabolites of dextromethorphan, a common over-the-counter (OTC) cough suppressant. Next, we use the combination of ion masses, their MS/MS fragmentation, and retention times to determine dextromethorphan and its metabolites in surface water impacted by wastewater. Prior to this study, neither dextromethorphan nor its metabolites have been reported in surface water; in spite of its common use in over 100 various OTC medications. We found that the concentration of the dextrorphan metabolite in surface water greatly exceeded the parent compound by factors of 5-10 times, which reflects the urine profile, where parent compound is approximately <2% of the total excreted drug based on ion intensities. Urine profiling also indicated that glucuronide metabolites are major phase 2 products (92% of the total) in urine and then are completely hydrolyzed in wastewater to dextrorphan and N-demethyldextrorphan, which are phase 1 metabolites-a "kind of reversal" of human metabolism. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Urinary metabolomic profiling in rats exposed to dietary di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) using ultra-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC/Q-TOF-MS).

    PubMed

    Dong, Xinwen; Zhang, Yunbo; Dong, Jin; Zhao, Yue; Guo, Jipeng; Wang, Zhanju; Liu, Mingqi; Na, Xiaolin; Wang, Cheng

    2017-07-01

    Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is an omnipresent environmental chemical with widespread nonoccupational human exposure through multiple ways. Although considerable efforts have been invested to investigate mechanisms of DEHP toxicity, the key metabolic biomarkers of DEHP toxicity remain to be identified. The aim of this study was to assess the urinary metabonomics of dietary DEHP in rats using the technique of ultra-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC/Q-TOF-MS). Fourteen female Wistar rats were divided into two groups and given increasing dietary doses of DEHP for 30 consecutive days. The urinary metabolite profile was studied using ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry. Principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) enabled clusters to be clearly separated. Eleven principal urinary metabolites were identified as contributing to the clusters. The clusters in the positive electrospray ionization (ESI) mode were xanthurenic acid, kynurenic acid, nonate, N6-methyladenosine, and L-isoleucyl-L-proline. The clusters in the negative ESI mode were hippuric acid, tetrahydrocortisol, citric acid, phenylpropionylglycine, cPA(18:2(9Z, 12Z)/0:0), and LysoPC(14:1(9Z)). The urinary metabonomic changes indicated that exposure to dietary DEHP can affect energy-related metabolism, liver and renal function, fatty acid metabolism, and cause DNA damage in rats. The findings of this study on the urinary metabolites and metabolic pathways of DEHP may form the basis for future studies on the mechanisms of toxicity of this commonly found environmental chemical.

  5. Peptide profiling of Internet-obtained Cerebrolysin using high performance liquid chromatography - electrospray ionization ion trap and ultra high performance liquid chromatography - ion mobility - quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Gevaert, Bert; D'Hondt, Matthias; Bracke, Nathalie; Yao, Han; Wynendaele, Evelien; Vissers, Johannes Petrus Cornelis; De Cecco, Martin; Claereboudt, Jan; De Spiegeleer, Bart

    2015-09-01

    Cerebrolysin, a parenteral peptide preparation produced by controlled digestion of porcine brain proteins, is an approved nootropic medicine in some countries. However, it is also easily and globally available on the Internet. Nevertheless, until now, its exact chemical composition was unknown. Using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled to ion trap and ultra high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) coupled to quadrupole-ion mobility-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (Q-IM-TOF MS), combined with UniProt pig protein database search and PEAKS de novo sequencing, we identified 638 unique peptides in an Internet-obtained Cerebrolysin sample. The main components in this sample originate from tubulin alpha- and beta-chain, actin, and myelin basic protein. No fragments of known neurotrophic factors like glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), neurotrophin nerve growth factor (NGF), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) were found, suggesting that the activities reported in the literature are likely the result of new, hitherto unknown cryptic peptides with nootropic properties. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  6. Multi-constituent determination and fingerprint analysis of Scutellaria indica L. using ultra high performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Liang, Xianrui; Zhao, Cui; Su, Weike

    2015-11-01

    An ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry method integrating multi-constituent determination and fingerprint analysis has been established for quality assessment and control of Scutellaria indica L. The optimized method possesses the advantages of speediness, efficiency, and allows multi-constituents determination and fingerprint analysis in one chromatographic run within 11 min. 36 compounds were detected, and 23 of them were unequivocally identified or tentatively assigned. The established fingerprint method was applied to the analysis of ten S. indica samples from different geographic locations. The quality assessment was achieved by using principal component analysis. The proposed method is useful and reliable for the characterization of multi-constituents in a complex chemical system and the overall quality assessment of S. indica. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  7. [Determination of six plant growth regulator residues in strawberry by liquid chromatography-quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry].

    PubMed

    Liu, Jingjing; Gong, Ping; Zhang, Xiaomei; Wang, Jianhua; Wang, Jingtang

    2012-10-01

    A novel method was established for the determination of six plant growth regulators (PGRs), 2,4-dichlorophenoxy acetic (2,4-D), 4-chlorophenoxy-acetic acid (CAP), 4-(3-indolyl)-butyric acid (BAA), forchlorfenuron (CPPU), abscisic acid (ABA) and trans-zeatin (ZT) in strawberry using liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry (LC-Q TOF MS). The Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged and Safe method (QuEChERS) has been validated for the extraction. In this QuEChERS method, the sample was extracted by acetonitrile and cleaned up with C18 adsorbent. The extract was measured directly by LC-Q TOF MS with electrospray ionization in negative mode. The compounds were separated on an Eclipse XDB-C8 column (150 mm x 4.6 mm, 5 microm) with acetonitrile-5 mmol/L ammonium acetate-0. 1% formic acid as mobile phase under gradient elution. The confirmatory analysis was carried out by determining the accurate masses of all compounds and fragment ions upon Target MS/MS. The limits of detection (LODs) were between 1 microg/kg and 5 microg/kg. The linear range was 0.005-1.0 mg/L for each analyte. The recoveries ranged from 87% to 107% with the relative standard deviations (RSDs) less than 10% (n = 6). The method was proved to be simple and accurate.

  8. Liquid chromatographic/electrospray ionization quadrupole/time of flight tandem mass spectrometric study of polyphenolic composition of different Vaccinium berry species and their comparative evaluation.

    PubMed

    Ancillotti, Claudia; Ciofi, Lorenzo; Rossini, Daniele; Chiuminatto, Ugo; Stahl-Zeng, Jianru; Orlandini, Serena; Furlanetto, Sandra; Del Bubba, Massimo

    2017-02-01

    Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry with both negative and positive ionization was used for comprehensively investigating the phenolic and polyphenolic compounds in berries from three spontaneous or cultivated Vaccinium species (i.e., Vaccinium myrtillus, Vaccinium uliginosum subsp. gaultherioides, and Vaccinium corymbosum). More than 200 analytes, among phenolic and polyphenolic compounds belonging to the classes of anthocyanins, monomeric and oligomeric flavonols, flavanols, dihydrochalcones, phenolic acids, together with other polyphenolic compounds of mixed structural characteristics, were identified. Some of the polyphenols herein investigated, such as anthocyanidin glucuronides and malvidin-feruloyl-hexosides in V. myrtillus, or anthocyanindin aldopentosides and coumaroyl-hexosides in V. uliginosum subsp. gaultherioides and a large number of proanthocyanidins with high molecular weight in all species, were described for the first time in these berries. Principal component analysis applied on original LC-TOF data, acquired in survey scan mode, successfully discriminated the three Vaccinium berry species investigated, on the basis of their polyphenolic composition, underlying one more time the fundamental role of mass spectrometry for food characterization.

  9. An improved pseudotargeted metabolomics approach using multiple ion monitoring with time-staggered ion lists based on ultra-high performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Wang, Yang; Liu, Fang; Li, Peng; He, Chengwei; Wang, Ruibing; Su, Huanxing; Wan, Jian-Bo

    2016-07-13

    Pseudotargeted metabolomics is a novel strategy integrating the advantages of both untargeted and targeted methods. The conventional pseudotargeted metabolomics required two MS instruments, i.e., ultra-high performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole-time- of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC/Q-TOF MS) and UHPLC/triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (UHPLC/QQQ-MS), which makes method transformation inevitable. Furthermore, the picking of ion pairs from thousands of candidates and the swapping of the data between two instruments are the most labor-intensive steps, which greatly limit its application in metabolomic analysis. In the present study, we proposed an improved pseudotargeted metabolomics method that could be achieved on an UHPLC/Q-TOF/MS instrument operated in the multiple ion monitoring (MIM) mode with time-staggered ion lists (tsMIM). Full scan-based untargeted analysis was applied to extract the target ions. After peak alignment and ion fusion, a stepwise ion picking procedure was used to generate the ion lists for subsequent single MIM and tsMIM. The UHPLC/Q-TOF tsMIM MS-based pseudotargeted approach exhibited better repeatability and a wider linear range than the UHPLC/Q-TOF MS-based untargeted metabolomics method. Compared to the single MIM mode, the tsMIM significantly increased the coverage of the metabolites detected. The newly developed method was successfully applied to discover plasma biomarkers for alcohol-induced liver injury in mice, which indicated its practicability and great potential in future metabolomics studies. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Characterization and quantitative analysis of surfactants in textile wastewater by liquid chromatography/quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    González, Susana; Petrović, Mira; Radetic, Maja; Jovancic, Petar; Ilic, Vesna; Barceló, Damià

    2008-05-01

    A method based on the application of ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) coupled to hybrid quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (QqTOF-MS) with an electrospray (ESI) interface has been developed for the screening and confirmation of several anionic and non-ionic surfactants: linear alkylbenzenesulfonates (LAS), alkylsulfate (AS), alkylethersulfate (AES), dihexyl sulfosuccinate (DHSS), alcohol ethoxylates (AEOs), coconut diethanolamide (CDEA), nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEOs), and their degradation products (nonylphenol carboxylate (NPEC), octylphenol carboxylate (OPEC), 4-nonylphenol (NP), 4-octylphenol (OP) and NPEO sulfate (NPEO-SO4). The developed methodology permits reliable quantification combined with a high accuracy confirmation based on the accurate mass of the (de)protonated molecules in the TOFMS mode. For further confirmation of the identity of the detected compounds the QqTOF mode was used. Accurate masses of product ions obtained by performing collision-induced dissociation (CID) of the (de)protonated molecules of parent compounds were matched with the ions obtained for a standard solution. The method was applied for the quantitative analysis and high accuracy confirmation of surfactants in complex mixtures in effluents from the textile industry. Positive identification of the target compounds was based on accurate mass measurement of the base peak, at least one product ion and the LC retention time of the analyte compared with that of a standard. The most frequently surfactants found in these textile effluents were NPEO and NPEO-SO4 in concentrations ranging from 0.93 to 5.68 mg/L for NPEO and 0.06 to 4.30 mg/L for NPEO-SO4. AEOs were also identified.

  11. Effect of heating strategies on whey protein denaturation--Revisited by liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Akkerman, M; Rauh, V M; Christensen, M; Johansen, L B; Hammershøj, M; Larsen, L B

    2016-01-01

    Previous standards in the area of effect of heat treatment processes on milk protein denaturation were based primarily on laboratory-scale analysis and determination of denaturation degrees by, for example, electrophoresis. In this study, whey protein denaturation was revisited by pilot-scale heating strategies and liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometer (LC/MC Q-TOF) analysis. Skim milk was heat treated by the use of 3 heating strategies, namely plate heat exchanger (PHE), tubular heat exchanger (THE), and direct steam injection (DSI), under various heating temperatures (T) and holding times. The effect of heating strategy on the degree of denaturation of β-lactoglobulin and α-lactalbumin was determined using LC/MC Q-TOF of pH 4.5-soluble whey proteins. Furthermore, effect of heating strategy on the rennet-induced coagulation properties was studied by oscillatory rheometry. In addition, rennet-induced coagulation of heat-treated micellar casein concentrate subjected to PHE was studied. For skim milk, the whey protein denaturation increased significantly as T and holding time increased, regardless of heating method. High denaturation degrees were obtained for T >100°C using PHE and THE, whereas DSI resulted in significantly lower denaturation degrees, compared with PHE and THE. Rennet coagulation properties were impaired by increased T and holding time regardless of heating method, although DSI resulted in less impairment compared with PHE and THE. No significant difference was found between THE and PHE for effect on rennet coagulation time, whereas the curd firming rate was significantly larger for THE compared with PHE. Micellar casein concentrate possessed improved rennet coagulation properties compared with skim milk receiving equal heat treatment. Copyright © 2016 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Metabolomic study of corticosterone-induced cytotoxicity in PC12 cells by ultra performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole/time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Hongye; Zheng, Hua; Zhao, Gan; Tang, Chaoling; Lu, Shiyin; Cheng, Bang; Wu, Fang; Wei, Jinbin; Liang, Yonghong; Ruan, Junxiang; Song, Hui; Su, Zhiheng

    2016-03-01

    Glucocorticoids (GCs) have been proved to be an important pathogenic factor of some neuropsychiatric disorders. Usually, a classical injury model based on corticosterone-induced cytotoxicity of differentiated rat pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells was used to stimulate the state of GC damage of hippocampal neurons and investigate its potential mechanisms involved. However, up to now, the mechanism of corticosterone-induced cytotoxicity in PC12 cells was still looking forward to further elucidation. In this work, the metabolomic study of the biochemical changes caused by corticosterone-induced cytotoxicity in differentiated PC12 cells with different corticosterone concentrations was performed for the first time, using the ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q/TOF MS). Partial least squares-discriminate analysis (PLS-DA) indicated that metabolic profiles of different corticosterone treatment groups deviated from the control group. A total of fifteen metabolites were characterized as potential biomarkers involved in corticosterone-induced cytotoxicity, which were corresponding to the dysfunctions of five pathways including glycerophospholipid metabolism, sphingolipid metabolism, oxidation of fatty acids, glycerolipid metabolism and sterol lipid metabolism. This study indicated that the rapid and holistic cell metabolomics approach might be a powerful tool to further study the pathogenesis mechanism of corticosterone-induced cytotoxicity in PC12 cells.

  13. Metabolite characterization of a novel anti-cancer agent, icotinib, in humans through liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Liu, Dongyang; Jiang, Ji; Zhang, Li; Tan, Fenlai; Wang, Yingxiang; Hu, Pei

    2011-08-15

    Icotinib is a novel anti-cancer drug that has shown promising clinical efficacy and safety in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). At this time, the metabolic fate of icotinib in humans is unknown. In the present study, a liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (LC/Q-TOF MS) method was established to characterize metabolites of icotinib in human plasma, urine and feces. In addition, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) detection was utilized to determine the connection between side-chain and quinazoline groups for some complex metabolites. In total, 29 human metabolites (21 isomer metabolites) were characterized, of which 23 metabolites are novel compared to the metabolites in rats. This metabolic study revealed that icotinib was extensively metabolized at the 12-crown-4 ether moiety (ring-opening and further oxidation), carbon 15 (hydroxylation) and an acetylene moiety (oxidation) to yield 19 oxidized metabolites and to further form 10 conjugates with sulfate acid or glucuronic acid. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the human metabolic profile of icotinib. Study results indicated that significant attention should be paid to the metabolic profiles of NSCLC patients during the development of icotinib. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  14. Chemical fingerprint of Ganmaoling granule by double-wavelength ultra high performance liquid chromatography and ultra high performance liquid chromatography with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Lou, Qiong; Ye, Xiaolan; Zhou, Yingyi; Li, Hua; Song, Fenyun

    2015-06-01

    A method incorporating double-wavelength ultra high performance liquid chromatography with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry was developed for the investigation of the chemical fingerprint of Ganmaoling granule. The chromatographic separations were performed on an ACQUITY UPLC HSS C18 column (2.1 × 50 mm, 1.8 μm) at 30°C using gradient elution with water/formic acid (1%) and acetonitrile at a flow rate of 0.4 mL/min. A total of 11 chemical constituents of Ganmaoling granule were identified from their molecular weight, UV spectra, tandem mass spectrometry data, and retention behavior by comparing the results with those of the reference standards or literature. And 25 peaks were selected as the common peaks for fingerprint analysis to evaluate the similarities among 25 batches of Ganmaoling granule. The results of principal component analysis and orthogonal projection to latent structures discriminant analysis showed that the important chemical markers that could distinguish the different batches were revealed as 4,5-di-O-caffeoylquinic acid, 3,5-di-O-caffeoylquinic acid, and 4-O-caffeoylquinic acid. This is the first report of the ultra high performance liquid chromatography chemical fingerprint and component identification of Ganmaoling granule, which could lay a foundation for further studies of Ganmaoling granule. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  15. A target and nontarget strategy for identification or characterization of the chemical ingredients in Chinese herb preparation Shuang-Huang-Lian oral liquid by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Feng-Xiang; Li, Min; Yao, Zhi-Hong; Li, Chang; Qiao, Li-Rui; Shen, Xiu-Yu; Yu, Kate; Dai, Yi; Yao, Xin-Sheng

    2018-03-01

    A target and nontarget strategy based on in-house chemical components library was developed for rapid and comprehensive analysis of complicated components from traditional Chinese medicine preparation Shuang-Huang-Lian oral liquid. The sample was analyzed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry using generic acquisition parameters. Automated detection and data filtering were performed on the UNIFI™ software and the detected peaks were evaluated against an in-house library. As a result, a total of 170 chemical components (110 target compounds and 60 nontarget ones) were identified or tentatively characterized, including 54 flavonoids, 30 phenylethanoid glycosides, 16 iridoid glycosides, 14 lignans, 32 organic acids, 19 triterpenoid saponins and five other types of compounds. Among them, 44 compounds were further confirmed by comparison with reference standards. It was demonstrated that this systematical approach could be successfully applied for rapid identification of multiple compounds in traditional Chinese medicine and its preparations. Furthermore, this work established the foundation for the further investigation on the metabolic fates of multiple ingredients in Shuang-Huang-Lian oral liquid. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  16. Determination of thyroid hormones in placenta using isotope-dilution liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Li, Zhong-Min; Giesert, Florian; Vogt-Weisenhorn, Daniela; Main, Katharina Maria; Skakkebæk, Niels Erik; Kiviranta, Hannu; Toppari, Jorma; Feldt-Rasmussen, Ulla; Shen, Heqing; Schramm, Karl-Werner; De Angelis, Meri

    2018-01-26

    The transplacental passage of thyroid hormones (THs) is of great significance since the maternal THs are vitally important in ensuring the normal fetal development. In this paper, we determined the concentrations of seven THs, viz. L-thyroxine (T 4 ), 3,3',5-triiodo-l-thyronine (T 3 ), 3,3',5'-triiodo-l-thyronine (rT 3 ), 3,3'-diiodo-l-thyronine (T 2 ), 3,5-diiodo-l-thyronine (rT 2 ), 3-iodo-l-thyronine (T 1 ) and 3-iodothyronamine (T 1 AM), in placenta using isotope dilution liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. We optimized the method using isotopically labeled quantification standards ( 13 C 6 -T 4 , 13 C 6 -T 3 , 13 C 6 -rT 3 and 13 C 6 -T 2 ) and recovery standard ( 13 C 12 -T 4 ) in combination with solid-liquid extraction, liquid-liquid extraction and solid phase extraction. The linearity was obtained in the range of 0.5-150 pg uL -1 with R 2 values >0.99. The method detection limits (MDLs) ranged from 0.01 ng g -1 to 0.2 ng g -1 , while the method quantification limits (MQLs) were between 0.04 ng g -1 and 0.7 ng g -1 . The spike-recoveries for THs (except for T 1 and T 1 AM) were in the range of 81.0%-112%, with a coefficient of variation (CV) of 0.5-6.2%. The intra-day CVs and inter-day CVs were 0.5%-10.3% and 1.19%-8.88%, respectively. Concentrations of the THs were 22.9-35.0 ng g -1  T 4 , 0.32-0.46 ng g -1  T 3 , 2.86-3.69 ng g -1 rT 3 , 0.16-0.26 ng g -1  T 2 , and < MDL for other THs in five human placentas, and 2.05-3.51 ng g -1  T 4 , 0.37-0.62 ng g -1  T 3 , 0.96-1.3 ng g -1 rT 3 , 0.07-0.13 ng g -1  T 2 and < MDL for other THs in five mouse placentas. The presence of T 2 was tracked in placenta for the first time. This method with improved selectivity and sensitivity allows comprehensive evaluation of TH homeostasis in research of metabolism and effects of environmental contaminant exposures. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. Identification of metabolites of vindoline in rats using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Yuqian; Sun, Yupeng; Mu, Xiyan; Yuan, Lin; Wang, Qiao; Zhang, Lantong

    2017-08-15

    Vindoline (VDL) is an indole alkaloid, possessing hypoglycemic and vasodilator effects, and it is also the prodrug of many vinca alkaloids. In this paper, we analyzed in vivo (including plasma, urine, bile and faeces) and in vitro metabolic profile of VDL in rat with ultra-high performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS). The chromatographic separation was performed on a C 18 column with a mobile phase consisted of 3mM ammonium acetate buffer and acetonitrile at a flow rate of 300μL/min. The mass spectral analysis was conducted in a positive electrospray ionization mode, and on-line data acquisition method multiple mass defect filter (MMDF) combined with dynamic background subtraction (DBS) were used in the biological samples analysis to trace all the potential metabolites of VDL. Twenty-five metabolites of VDL were detected by comparing with the blank sample, of which there were 2 sulfate conjugates. These data suggested that the biotransformation of VDL was deacetylation, oxidation, deoxidization, methylation, dealkylation and sulfate conjugation. This study provides useful information for further study of the pharmacology and mechanism of VDL, meanwhile, the research method can be widely applied to speculate structural features of the metabolites of other vinca alkaloids. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Quantification of 2'-deoxy-2'-β-fluoro-4'-azidocytidine in rat and dog plasma using liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight and liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry: Application to bioavailability and pharmacokinetic studies.

    PubMed

    Peng, Youmei; Cheng, Tiefeng; Dong, Lihong; Zhang, Yuhai; Chen, Xiaojing; Jiang, Jinhua; Zhang, Jingmin; Guo, Xiaohe; Guo, Mintong; Chang, Junbiao; Wang, Qingduan

    2014-09-01

    2'-Deoxy-2'-β-fluoro-4'-azidocytidine (FNC) is a novel pyrimidine analog that inhibits not only the replication of the hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV) and HIV but also the replication of lamivudine-resistant HBV, 4'-azidocytidine or 2'-β-methylcytidine-resistant HCV, and nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitor-resistant HIV variants. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the absolute oral bioavailability of FNC in rats and the pharmacokinetic properties of FNC after intragastric administration of single and multiple doses in rats and dogs. A sensitive high-performance liquid chromatography tandem quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HPLC/Q-TOF MS) method and a reliable high-performance liquid chromatography tandem triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (HPLC/QqQ MS/MS) method were established for the determination of FNC in the rat and dog plasmas, respectively. The sample preparation involved a protein-precipitation method with methanol after the addition of lamivudine as an internal standard. FNC was analyzed by LC using a YMC-Pack Pro C18 column (150mm×4.6mm, 3μm) with methanol (containing 0.3% formic acid): 10mM ammonium acetate (containing 0.3% formic acid, pH 2.8) (35:65, v/v) as the mobile phase. Both mass spectrometers were equipped with an electrospray ionization interface in the positive-ion mode. The linear range was from 2.00 to 2000.00ngmL(-1) in rat plasma and 0.50 to 400.00ngmL(-1) in dog plasma. The intraday and interday precision were less than 10.55%, and the accuracy was in the range of -5.86 to 5.13%. The mean recoveries were greater than 82.70% and 82.97% for FNC and IS, respectively. The HPLC/Q-TOF MS and HPLC/QqQ MS/MS methods were both successfully applied in the pharmacokinetic studies of FNC in rats and dogs. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Novel fluorinated surfactants tentatively identified in firefighters using liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry and a case-control approach.

    PubMed

    Rotander, Anna; Kärrman, Anna; Toms, Leisa-Maree L; Kay, Margaret; Mueller, Jochen F; Gómez Ramos, María José

    2015-02-17

    Fluorinated surfactant-based aqueous film-forming foams (AFFFs) are made up of per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) and are used to extinguish fires involving highly flammable liquids. The use of perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and other perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) in some AFFF formulations has been linked to substantial environmental contamination. Recent studies have identified a large number of novel and infrequently reported fluorinated surfactants in different AFFF formulations. In this study, a strategy based on a case-control approach using quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (QTOF-MS/MS) and advanced statistical methods has been used to extract and identify known and unknown PFAS in human serum associated with AFFF-exposed firefighters. Two target sulfonic acids [PFOS and perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS)], three non-target acids [perfluoropentanesulfonic acid (PFPeS), perfluoroheptanesulfonic acid (PFHpS), and perfluorononanesulfonic acid (PFNS)], and four unknown sulfonic acids (Cl-PFOS, ketone-PFOS, ether-PFHxS, and Cl-PFHxS) were exclusively or significantly more frequently detected at higher levels in firefighters compared to controls. The application of this strategy has allowed for identification of previously unreported fluorinated chemicals in a timely and cost-efficient way.

  20. Nontarget analysis of polar contaminants in freshwater sediments influenced by pharmaceutical industry using ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Terzic, Senka; Ahel, Marijan

    2011-02-01

    A comprehensive analytical procedure for a reliable identification of nontarget polar contaminants in aquatic sediments was developed, based on the application of ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography (UHPLC) coupled to hybrid quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (QTOFMS). The procedure was applied for the analysis of freshwater sediment that was highly impacted by wastewater discharges from the pharmaceutical industry. A number of different contaminants were successfully identified owing to the high mass accuracy of the QTOFMS system, used in combination with high chromatographic resolution of UHPLC. The major compounds, identified in investigated sediment, included a series of polypropylene glycols (n=3-16), alkylbenzene sulfonate and benzalkonium surfactants as well as a number of various pharmaceuticals (chlorthalidone, warfarin, terbinafine, torsemide, zolpidem and macrolide antibiotics). The particular advantage of the applied technique is its capability to detect less known pharmaceutical intermediates and/or transformation products, which have not been previously reported in freshwater sediments. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Analysis of 100 pharmaceuticals and their degradates in water samples by liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Ferrer, Imma; Thurman, E Michael

    2012-10-12

    A straightforward methodology for the chromatographic separation and accurate mass identification of 100 pharmaceuticals including some of their degradation products was developed using liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC/Q-TOF-MS). A table compiling the protonated or deprotonated exact masses for all compounds, as well as the exact mass of several fragment ions obtained by MS-MS is included. Excellent chromatographic separation was achieved by using 3.5 μm particle size columns and a slow and generic 30-min gradient. Isobaric and isomeric compounds (same nominal mass and same exact mass, respectively) were distinguished by various methods, including chromatography separation, MS-MS fragmentation, and isotopic signal identification. Method reporting limits of detection ranged from 1 to 1000 ng/L, after solid-phase extraction of 100mL aqueous samples. The methodology was successfully applied to the analysis of surface water impacted by wastewater effluent by identifying many of the pharmaceuticals and metabolites included in the list. Examples are given for some of the most unusual findings in environmental samples. This paper is meant to serve as a guide for those doing analysis of pharmaceuticals in environmental samples, by providing exact mass measurements of several well known, as well as newly identified and environmentally relevant pharmaceuticals in water samples. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. Characterization of organic gunshot residues in lead-free ammunition using a new sample collection device for liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Benito, Sandra; Abrego, Zuriñe; Sánchez, Alicia; Unceta, Nora; Goicolea, M Aranzazu; Barrio, Ramón J

    2015-01-01

    The identification of characteristic organic gunshot residues (OGSR) provides conclusive evidence in the elucidation of elemental profiles when lead-free ammunition is fired. OGSR also prevents false negatives. Toward this aim, a quick and efficient method based on liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF) was developed to detect and identify 18 gunpowder additives in gunshot residues (GSR). The unequivocal identification of target analytes was assured by using MS/MS mode. Swabs were compared with home-modified tape lift supports covered with a PTFE layer to determine the better sampling technique. The modified tape lift provided better extraction recoveries and enabled the analysis of inorganic and organic GSR simultaneously. The developed method was applied to the analysis of GSR from four different lead-free ammunitions. Diphenylamine and its nitrated degradation products and centralites were identified in all samples, providing strong evidence of GSR. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Characterization of Compounds in Psoralea corylifolia Using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Diode Array Detection, Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry and Quadrupole Ion Trap Mass Spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Tan, Guangguo; Yang, Tiehong; Miao, Huayan; Chen, Hao; Chai, Yifeng; Wu, Hong

    2015-10-01

    High-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection (HPLC-DAD), time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HPLC-TOFMS) and quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometry (HPLC-QITMS) were used for separation and identification of multi-components in Psoralea corylifolia. Benefiting from combining the accurate mass measurement of HPLC-TOFMS to generate elemental compositions, the complementary multilevel structural information provided by HPLC-QITMS and the characteristic UV spectra obtained from HPLC-DAD, 24 components in P. corylifolia were identified. The five groups of isomers were differentiated based on the fragmentation behaviors in QITMS and UV spectra. It can be concluded that an effective method based on the combination of HPLC-DAD, HPLC-TOFMS and HPLC-QITMS for identification of chemical components in P. corylifolia was established. The results provide essential data for further pharmacological and clinical studies of P. corylifolia and facilitate the rapid quality control of the crude drug. © Crown copyright 2015.

  4. Comprehensive quantitative analysis of Chinese patent drug YinHuang drop pill by ultra high-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Wong, Tin-Long; An, Ya-Qi; Yan, Bing-Chao; Yue, Rui-Qi; Zhang, Tian-Bo; Ho, Hing-Man; Ren, Tian-Jing; Fung, Hau-Yee; Ma, Dik-Lung; Leung, Chung-Hang; Liu, Zhong-Liang; Pu, Jian-Xin; Han, Quan-Bin; Sun, Han-Dong

    2016-06-05

    YinHuang drop pill (YHDP) is a new preparation, derived from the traditional YinHuang (YH) decoction. Since drop pills are one of the newly developed forms of Chinese patent drugs, not much research has been done regarding the quality and efficacy. This study aims to establish a comprehensive quantitative analysis of the chemical profile of YHDP. ultra high-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS) was used to identify 34 non-sugar small molecules including 15 flavonoids, 9 phenolic acids, 5 saponins, 1 iridoid, and 4 iridoid glycosides in YHDP samples, and 26 of them were quantitatively determined. Sugar composition of YHDP in terms of fructose, glucose and sucrose was examined via a high performance liquid chromatography-evaporative light scattering detector on an amide column (HPLC-NH2P-ELSD). Macromolecules were examined by high performance gel permeation chromatography coupled with ELSD (HPGPC-ELSD). The content of the drop pill's skeleton component PEG-4000 was also quantified via ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with charged aerosol detector (UHPLC-CAD). The results showed that up to 73% (w/w) of YHDP could be quantitatively determined. Small molecules accounted for approximately 5%, PEG-4000 represented 68%, while no sugars or macromolecules were found. Furthermore, YHDP showed no significant differences in terms of daily dosage, compared to YinHuang granules and YinHuang oral liquid; however, it has a higher small molecules content compared to YinHuang lozenge. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Characterization of the multiple components of Acanthopanax Senticosus stem by ultra high performance liquid chromatography with quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Sun, Hui; Liu, Jianhua; Zhang, Aihua; Zhang, Ying; Meng, Xiangcai; Han, Ying; Zhang, Yingzhi; Wang, Xijun

    2016-02-01

    Acanthopanax Senticosus Harms. has been used widely in traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of chronic bronchitis, neurasthenia, hypertension and ischemic heart disease. However, the in vivo constituents of the stem of Acanthopanax Senticosus remain unknown. In this paper, ultra high performance liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry and the MarkerLynx(TM) software combined with multiple data processing approach were used to study the constituents in vitro and in vivo. The aqueous extract from the Acanthopanax Senticosus stem and the compositions in rat serum after intragastric administration were completely analyzed. Consequently, 115 compounds in the aqueous extract from Acanthopanax Senticosus stem and 41 compounds absorbed into blood were characterized. Of the 115 compounds in vitro, 54 were reported for first time, including sinapyl alcohol, sinapyl alcohol diglucoside, and 1-O-sinapoyl-β-D-glucose. In the 41 compounds in vivo, 7 were prototype components and 34 were metabolites which were from 21 components of aqueous extract from Acanthopanax Senticosus stem, and the metabolic pathways of the metabolites were elucidated for first time. The results narrowed the range of screening the active components and provided a basis for the study of action mechanism and pharmacology. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  6. Metabolic profiles of physalin A in rats using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Feng, Xinchi; Liu, Hongxia; Chai, Liwei; Ding, Liqin; Pan, Guixiang; Qiu, Feng

    2017-03-01

    Physalin A, one of the major active components isolated from the calyces of Physalis alkekengi var. franchetii is considered to be a promising natural product due to its anti-inflammatory and excellent antitumor activities. Until now, only one paper is available from our group concerning identification of two sulfonate metabolites from rat feces after physalin A treatment. All the other researches related to physalin A were focused on its extraction, separation and biological activities. In this research, a rapid and reliable ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC/Q-TOF-MS/MS) method was developed and employed for the comprehensive study of the metabolism of physalin A in vivo for the first time. A total of 24 proposed metabolites were identified in plasma, bile, urine and feces of rats after oral administration of physalin A. The results indicated that sulfonation, reduction and hydroxylation were the major metabolic pathways of physalin A in vivo. Furthermore, this research provides scientific and reliable support for full understanding of the metabolism of physalin A and the results could help to elucidate the safety and efficacy of physalin A, as well as other physalins. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. Accurate determination of 3-alkyl-2-methoxypyrazines in wines by gas chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry following solid-phase extraction and dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction.

    PubMed

    Fontana, Ariel; Rodríguez, Isaac; Cela, Rafael

    2017-09-15

    A new reliable method for the determination 3-alkyl-2-methoxypyrazines (MPs) in wine samples based on the sequential combination of solid-phase extraction (SPE), dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) and gas chromatography (GC) quadrupole time-of-flight accurate tandem mass spectrometry (QTOF-MS/MS) is presented. Primary extraction of target analytes was carried out by using a reversed-phase Oasis HLB (200mg) SPE cartridge combined with acetonitrile as elution solvent. Afterwards, the SPE extract was submitted to DLLME concentration using 0.06mL carbon tetrachloride (CCl 4 ) as extractant. Under final working conditions, sample concentration factors above 379 times and limits of quantification (LOQs) between 0.3 and 2.1ngL -1 were achieved. Moreover, the overall extraction efficiency of the method was unaffected by the particular characteristics of each wine; thus, accurate results (relative recoveries from 84 to 108% for samples spiked at concentrations from 5 to 25ngL -1 ) were obtained using matrix-matched standards, without using standard additions over every sample. Highly selective chromatographic records were achieved considering a mass window of 5mDa, centered in the quantification product ion corresponding to each compound. Twelve commercial wines, elaborated with grapes from different varieties and geographical origins, were processed with the optimized method. The 2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine (IBMP) was determined at levels above the LOQs of the method in half of the samples. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. Ultra high performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry for the rapid analysis of constituents in the traditional Chinese medicine formula Wu Ji Bai Feng Pill.

    PubMed

    Duan, Shengnan; Qi, Wen; Zhang, Siwen; Huang, Kunkun; Yuan, Dan

    2017-10-01

    An ultra high performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry method in both positive and negative ion modes was established in order to comprehensively investigate the major constituents in Wu Ji Bai Feng Pill. Briefly, a Waters ACQUITY UPLC HSS C 18 column was used to separate the aqueous extract of Wu Ji Bai Feng Pill. A total of 0.1% formic acid in acetonitrile and 0.1% aqueous formic acid v/v were used as the mobile phase. All analytes were determined using quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry with electrospray ionization source in positive and negative ion modes. At length, a total of 173 components including flavones and their glycosides, monoterpene glycosides, triterpene saponins, phenethylalchohol glycosides, iridoid glycosides, phthalides, tanshinones, phenolic acids, sesquiterpenoids and cyclopeptides were identified or tentatively characterized in Wu Ji Bai Feng Pill in an analysis of 16.0 min based on the accurate mass and tandem mass spectrometry behaviors. The developed method is rapid and highly sensitive to characterize the chemical constituents of Wu Ji Bai Feng Pill, which could not only be used for chemical standardization and quality control of Wu Ji Bai Feng Pill, but also be helpful for further study in vivo metabolism of Wu Ji Bai Feng Pill. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  9. Determination of exogenous epigallocatechin gallate peracetate in mouse plasma using liquid chromatography with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Chu, Kai On; Man, Gene Chi Wai; Chan, Kwok Ping; Chu, Ching Yan; Chan, Tak Hang; Pang, Chi Pui; Wang, Chi Chiu

    2014-12-01

    A robust method for the quantitation of epigallocatechin gallate peracetate in plasma for pharmacokinetic studies is lacking. We have developed a validated method to quantify this compound using liquid chromatography with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry with isopropanol and tert-butyl methyl ether (3:10) extraction and thin-layer chromatography purification. The epigallocatechin gallate peracetate-1-(13) C8 isotope was used as an internal standard. The linear range (r(2) > 0.9950) was from 0.05 to 100.00 μg/mL. The lower limit of quantification of the method was 0.05 μg/mL. Reproducibility, coefficient of variation, was between 0.7 and 12.6% (n = 6), accuracy between 83.7 and 104.6% (n = 5), and recovery ranged from 82.4 to 109.0% (n = 4). Ion suppression was approximately 40%. No mass spectral peaks were found to interfere between the standard and internal standard or the blank plasma extracts. Epigallocatechin gallate peracetate in plasma was stably stored at -80°C over three months even after three freeze-thaw cycles. Extracts were stable in the sampler at 4°C for over 48 h. Plasma levels were maintained at 1.36 μg/mL for 360 min after intraorbital intravenous injection at 50 mg/kg in mice. This method can be used to reliably measure epigallocatechin gallate peracetate in plasma for pharmacokinetic studies. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  10. Identification of non-volatile compounds and their migration from hot melt adhesives used in food packaging materials characterized by ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Vera, Paula; Canellas, Elena; Nerín, Cristina

    2013-05-01

    The identification of unknown non-volatile migrant compounds from adhesives used in food contact materials is a very challenging task because of the number of possible compounds involved, given that adhesives are complex mixtures of chemicals. The use of ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/QTOF) is shown to be a successful tool for identifying non-targeted migrant compounds from two hot melt adhesives used in food packaging laminates. Out of the seven migrants identified and quantified, five were amides and one was a compound classified in Class II of the Cramer toxicity. None of the migration values exceeded the recommended Cramer exposure values.

  11. Determination of flubendiamide in honey at trace levels by using solid phase extraction and liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Ares, Ana M; Valverde, Silvia; Bernal, José L; Toribio, Laura; Nozal, María J; Bernal, José

    2017-10-01

    In this study, a new method has been developed to determine flubendiamide in honey using liquid chromatography coupled to a selective mass spectrometry detector (quadrupole-time-of-flight). An efficient sample treatment involving a solid phase extraction with a C 18 sorbent was proposed (average analyte recoveries were between 94 and 104%). Chromatographic analysis (9min) was performed on a C 18 column (Gemini C 18 , 50×2.0mm, 3µm, 110Å). The mobile phase consisted of water and acetonitrile, with a flow rate of 0.5mL/min in gradient elution mode. The method was fully validated in terms of selectivity, limits of detection and quantification, matrix effect, linearity, trueness and precision. Low limits of detection and quantification were obtained, ranging from 0.1 to 0.2µg/kg and 0.4 to 0.6µg/kg, respectively. The method was applied to analyze flubendiamide in honey from different botanic origins (multifloral, rosemary and heather). Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Comprehensive Characterization of Extractable and Nonextractable Phenolic Compounds by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Electrospray Ionization-Quadrupole Time-of-Flight of a Grape/Pomegranate Pomace Dietary Supplement.

    PubMed

    Pérez-Ramírez, Iza F; Reynoso-Camacho, Rosalía; Saura-Calixto, Fulgencio; Pérez-Jiménez, Jara

    2018-01-24

    Grape and pomegranate are rich sources of phenolic compounds, and their derived products could be used as ingredients for the development of functional foods and dietary supplements. However, the profile of nonextractable or macromolecular phenolic compounds in these samples has not been evaluated. Here, we show a comprehensive characterization of extractable and nonextractable phenolic compounds of a grape/pomegranate pomace dietary supplement using high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-quadrupole time-of-flight (HPLC-ESI-QTOF) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI)-TOF techniques. The main extractable phenolic compounds were several anthocyanins (principally malvidin 3-O-glucoside) as well as gallotannins and gallagyl derivatives; some phenolic compounds were reported in grape or pomegranate for the first time. Additionally, there was a high proportion of nonextractable phenolic compounds, including vanillic acid, and dihydroxybenzoic acid. Unidentified polymeric structures were detected by MALDI-TOF MS analysis. This study shows that mixed grape and pomegranate pomaces are a source of different classes of phenolic compounds including a high proportion of nonextractable phenolic compounds.

  13. Urinary metabolomic study of non-small cell lung carcinoma based on ultra high performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Wu, Qian; Wang, Yan; Gu, Xue; Zhou, Junyi; Zhang, Huiping; Lv, Wang; Chen, Zhe; Yan, Chao

    2014-07-01

    Metabolic profiles from human urine reveal the significant difference of carnitine and acylcarnitines levels between non-small cell lung carcinoma patients and healthy controls. Urine samples from cancer patients and healthy individuals were assayed in this metabolomic study using ultra high performance liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The data were normalized by the sum of all intensities and creatinine calibration, respectively, before orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis. Twenty differential metabolites were identified based on standard compounds or tandem mass spectrometry fragments. Among them, some medium-/long-chain acylcarnitines, for example, cis-3,4-methylene heptanoylcarnitine, were found to be downregulated while carnitine was upregulated in urine samples from the cancer group compared to the control group. Receiver operating characteristic analysis of the two groups showed that the area under curve for the combination of carnitine and 11 selected acylcarnitines was 0.958. This study suggests that the developed carnitine and acylcarnitines profiling method has the potential to be used for screening non-small cell lung carcinoma. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  14. Characterization of metabolic profile of honokiol in rat feces using liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry and (13)C stable isotope labeling.

    PubMed

    Dong, Yinfeng; Tang, Minghai; Song, Hang; Li, Rong; Wang, Chunyu; Ye, Haoyu; Qiu, Neng; Zhang, Yongkui; Chen, Lijuan; Wei, Yuquan

    2014-03-15

    As fecal excretion is one of important routes of elimination of drugs and their metabolites, it is indispensable to investigate the metabolites in feces for more comprehensive information on biotransformation in vivo. In this study, a sensitive and reliable approach based on ultra-performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole-time-of-flight-mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS) was applied to characterize the metabolic profile of honokiol in rat feces after the administration of an equimolar mixture of honokiol and [(13)C6]-labeled honokiol. Totally 42 metabolites were discovered and tentatively identified in rat feces samples, 26 metabolites were first reported, including two novel classes of metabolites, methylated and dimeric metabolites of honokiol. Moreover, this study provided basic comparative data on the metabolites in rat plasma, feces and urine, which gave better understanding of the metabolic fate of honokiol in vivo. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Tentative Structural Assignment of a Glucuronide Metabolite of Methyltestosterone in Tilapia Bile by Liquid Chromatography-Quadrupole-Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Nishshanka, Upul; Chu, Pak-Sin; Evans, Eric; Reimschuessel, Renate; Hasbrouck, Nicholas; Amarasinghe, Kande; Jayasuriya, Hiranthi

    2015-06-24

    Methyltestosterone (MT), a strong androgenic steroid, is not approved for use in fish aquaculture in the United States. It is used in the U.S. under an investigational new animal drug exemption (INAD) only during the early life stages of fish. There is a possibility that farmers feed fish with MT to enhance production for economic gains. Therefore, there is a need to develop methods for the detection of MT and its metabolite residues in fish tissue for monitoring purposes. Previously, our laboratory developed a liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight (LC-QTOF) method for characterization of 17-O-glucuronide metabolite (MT-glu) in bile of tilapia dosed with MT. The system used was an Agilent 6530 Q-TOF equipped with electrospray jet stream technology, operating in positive ion mode. Retrospective analysis of the data generated in that experiment by a feature-finding algorithm, combined with a search against an in-house library of possible MT-metabolites, resulted in the discovery of a major glucuronide metabolite of MT in the bile extracts. Preliminary data indicate it to be a glucuronide of a hydroxylated MT (OHMT-glu) which persists in tilapia bile for at least 2 weeks after dosing. We present the tentative structural assignment of the OHMT-glu in tilapia bile and time course of development. This glucuronide can serve as a marker to monitor illegal use of MT in tilapia culture.

  16. Use of ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight MS to discover the presence of pesticide metabolites in food samples.

    PubMed

    Hernández, Félix; Grimalt, Susana; Pozo, Oscar J; Sancho, Juan V

    2009-07-01

    In this paper we illustrate the use of two different methodologies to investigate the presence of pesticide metabolites in parent pesticide-positive food samples, using ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography coupled to hybrid quadrupole time-of-flight (UHPLC-QTOF) mass spectrometry. First, a common fragmentation pathway between the parent pesticide and its metabolites has been considered to search for metabolites in two positive market samples (imazalil in lemon, chlorpyrifos in grape). Secondly, olive oil samples from field residue trials were used for automated application of comparative software (MetaboLynx), which was used with treated and untreated samples to search for expected and unexpected metabolites of phosmet. One of the main objectives when using these approaches was to avoid the tedious manual searching for potential metabolites within the huge amount of information contained in the total ion chromatogram acquired by TOF MS. The common fragmentation approach applied to TOF MS full-acquisition data, considering an enhanced fragmentation in the collision cell, has allowed the discovery of two metabolites of imazalil (1-[2-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)-2-hydroxyethyl]-1H-imidazole and 1-[2-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)-2-oxoethyl]-1H-imidazole) in a lemon positive sample, as well as another two metabolites of chlorpyrifos (chlorpyrifos-oxon and 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol) in a grape positive sample. Moreover, MetaboLynx application to TOF MS data, without promoting fragmentation, from treated and untreated olive oil samples has been helpful in detecting the metabolite phosmet-oxon. In both strategies, every metabolite detected by TOF MS was confirmed using QTOF and/or triple quadrupole instruments. Accurate masses given by TOF MS together with the valuable information on product ions given by QTOF MS/MS experiments were crucial for the unambiguous identification of metabolites.

  17. Quantitative analysis of veterinary drugs in bovine muscle and milk by liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Saito-Shida, Shizuka; Sakai, Takatoshi; Nemoto, Satoru; Akiyama, Hiroshi

    2017-07-01

    A simple and reliable multiresidue method for quantitative determination of veterinary drugs in bovine muscle and milk using liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF-MS) was developed. Critical MS parameters such as capillary voltage, cone voltage, collision energy, desolvation gas temperature and extraction mass window were carefully optimised to obtain the best possible sensitivity. Analytical samples were prepared using extraction with acetonitrile and hexane in the presence of anhydrous sodium sulphate and acetic acid, followed by ODS cartridge clean-up. The developed method was validated for 82 veterinary drugs in bovine muscle and milk at spike levels of 0.01 and 0.1 mg kg - 1 . With the exception of cefoperazone and phenoxymethylpenicillin, all these compounds exhibited sufficient signal intensity at 0.01 μg ml -1 (equivalent to 0.01 mg kg - 1 ), indicating the high sensitivity of the developed method. For most targets, the determined accuracies were within 70-120%, with repeatability and reproducibility being below 20% at both levels. Except for sulfathiazole in bovine muscle, no interfering peaks at target compound retention times were detected in the blank extract, indicating that the developed method is highly selective. The absence of sulfathiazole in bovine muscle was confirmed by simultaneous acquisition at low and high collision energies to afford exact masses of molecular adduct and fragment ions. Satisfactory linearity was observed for all compounds, with matrix effects being negligible for most targets in bovine muscle and milk at both spike levels. Overall, the results suggest that the developed LC-QTOF-MS method is suitable for routine regulatory-purpose analysis of veterinary drugs in bovine muscle and milk.

  18. Lysophosphatidylcholine and amide as metabolites for detecting alzheimer disease using ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry-based metabonomics.

    PubMed

    Cui, Yu; Liu, Xiuqin; Wang, Maoqing; Liu, Liyan; Sun, Xiaohong; Ma, Lan; Xie, Wei; Wang, Chao; Tang, Sisi; Wang, Decai; Wu, Qunhong

    2014-10-01

    Alzheimer disease (AD) can be diagnosed by clinical and neuropsychologic tests and at autopsy, but there are no simple effective diagnostic methods for detecting biomarkers in patients at early stages of cognitive impairment. Early metabolic alterations that may facilitate AD diagnosis have not been thoroughly explored. We applied a nontargeted metabonomic approach using ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry to analyze serum and urine samples from 46 patients with AD and 36 healthy controls. Metabolite profiles were processed using multivariate analysis to identify potential metabolites, which were further confirmed using tandem mass spectrometry. Ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry methods were additionally used to quantify potentially important biomarkers. Independent samples were then selected to validate the identified biomarkers. There was a clear separation between healthy controls and AD patients; AD patient samples had disordered amino acid and phospholipid metabolism and dysregulated palmitic amide. Receiver operator characteristic curve and quantification suggested that palmitic amide, lysophosphatidylcholine (LysoPC, 18:0), LysoPC(18:2), L-glutamine, and 5-L-glutamylglycine were the optimal metabolites. In addition, areas under the curve from the palmitic amide, LysoPC(18:2), and 5-L-glutamylglycine in the validation study were 0.714, 0.996, and 0.734, respectively. These data elucidate the metabolic alterations associated with AD and suggest new biomarkers for AD diagnosis, thereby permitting early intervention designed to prevent disease progression.

  19. Metabolic Profile of Skimmianine in Rats Determined by Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography Coupled with Quadrupole Time-of-Flight Tandem Mass Spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Huang, Aihua; Xu, Hui; Zhan, Ruoting; Chen, Weiwen; Liu, Jiawei; Chi, Yuguang; Chen, Daidi; Ji, Xiaoyu; Luo, Chaoquan

    2017-03-23

    Skimmianine is a furoquinoline alkaloid present mainly in the Rutaceae family. It has been reported to have analgesic, antispastic, sedative, anti-inflammatory, and other pharmacologic activities. Despite its critical pharmacological function, its metabolite profiling is still unclear. In this study, the in vivo metabolite profiling of skimmianine in rats was investigated using ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC/Q-TOF-MS). The metabolites were predicted using MetabolitePilot TM software. These predicted metabolites were further analyzed by MS² spectra, and compared with the detailed fragmentation pathway of the skimmianine standard and literature data. A total of 16 metabolites were identified for the first time in rat plasma, urine, and feces samples after oral administration of skimmianine. Skimmianine underwent extensive Phase I and Phase II metabolism in rats. The Phase I biotransformations of skimmianine consist of epoxidation of olefin on its furan ring (M1) followed by the hydrolysis of the epoxide ring (M4), hydroxylation (M2, M3), O -demethylation (M5-M7), didemethylation (M14-M16). The Phase II biotransformations include glucuronide conjugation (M8-M10) and sulfate conjugation (M11-M13). The epoxidation of 2,3-olefinic bond followed by the hydrolysis of the epoxide ring and O -demethylation were the major metabolic pathways of skimmianine. The results provide key information for understanding the biotransformation processes of skimmianine and the related furoquinoline alkaloids.

  20. Use of liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry to investigate pesticide residues in fruits.

    PubMed

    Grimalt, Susana; Pozo, Oscar J; Sancho, Juan V; Hernández, Félix

    2007-04-01

    In this paper, the potential of coupling liquid chromatography with hybrid quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF) for the determination of pesticides in a variety of fruit samples (orange peel and flesh, banana skin and flesh, strawberry and pear) has been explored. The quantitative application at residue levels has been proven for two insecticides (buprofezin and hexythiazox), which were satisfactorily determined at three concentration levels, 0.1, 1, and 5 mg/kg, obtaining a suitable linearity range (correlation coefficient>0.99) of more than 2 orders of magnitude. Satisfactory recoveries have been obtained for both compounds at the three levels tested in all sample matrices, with lowest calibration levels (LCL) of 0.075 and 0.01 mg/kg. The excellent potential of QTOF for identification purposes is illustrated by the high number of identification points (IPs) earned, up to 21, at the highest concentration of 5 mg/kg, or between 11 and 21 at the 0.1 and 1 mg/kg levels. The application of LC-QTOF MS to real samples revealed the presence of several positives at concentrations close to the LCL, all of which were confirmed with more than 11 IPs. The potential of QTOF for elucidation of nontarget analytes has also been demonstrated by the finding of one transformation product (TP) of buprofezin in a banana skin sample. This TP was identified by obtaining the full scan product ion spectra at different collision energies with acceptable accurate mass deviation. The work performed in this paper illustrates the suitability and excellent confirmatory potential of LC-QTOF MS for pesticides residues analysis in food samples.

  1. Analysis of veterinary drug residues in frog legs and other aquacultured species using liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Turnipseed, Sherri B; Clark, Susan B; Storey, Joseph M; Carr, Justin R

    2012-05-09

    A liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight (Q-TOF) mass spectrometry method was developed to analyze veterinary drug residues in frog legs and other aquacultured species. Samples were extracted using a procedure based on a method developed for the analysis of fluoroquinolones (FQs) in fish. Briefly, the tissue was extracted with dilute acetic acid and acetonitrile with added sodium chloride. After centrifugation, the extracts were evaporated and reconstituted in mobile phase. A molecular weight cutoff filter was used to clean up the final extract. A set of target compounds, including trimethoprim, sulfamethoxazole, chloramphenicol, quinolones, and FQs, was used to validate the method. Screening of residues was accomplished by collecting TOF (MS¹) data and comparing the accurate mass and retention times of compounds to a database containing information for veterinary drugs. An evaluation of the MS data in fortified frog legs indicated that the target compounds could be consistently detected at the level of concern. The linearity and recoveries from matrix were evaluated for these analytes to estimate the amount of residue present. MS/MS data were also generated from precursor ions, and the mass accuracy of the product ions for each compound was compared to theoretical values. When the method was used to analyze imported frog legs, many of these residues were found in the samples, often in combination and at relatively high concentrations (>10 ng/g). The data from these samples were also evaluated for nontarget analytes such as residue metabolites and other chemotherapeutics.

  2. Structural characterization of monoterpene indole alkaloids in ethanolic extracts of Rauwolfia species by liquid chromatography with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Kumar, Sunil; Singh, Awantika; Bajpai, Vikas; Srivastava, Mukesh; Singh, Bhim Pratap; Kumar, Brijesh

    2016-12-01

    Rauwolfia species (Apocynaceae) are medicinal plants well known worldwide due to its potent bioactive monoterpene indole alkaloids (MIAs) such as reserpine, ajmalicine, ajmaline, serpentine and yohimbine. Reserpine, ajmalicine and ajmaline are powerful antihypertensive, tranquilizing agents used in hypertension. Yohimbine is an aphrodisiac used in dietary supplements. As there is no report on the comparative and comprehensive phytochemical investigation of the roots of Rauwolfia species, we have developed an efficient and reliable liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method for ethanolic root extract of Rauwolfia species to elucidate the fragmentation pathways for dereplication of bioactive MIAs using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS) in positive ion mode. We identified and established diagnostic fragment ions and fragmentation pathways using reserpine, ajmalicine, ajmaline, serpentine and yohimbine. The MS/MS spectra of reserpine, ajmalicine, and ajmaline showed C -ring-cleavage whereas E -ring cleavage was observed in serpentine via Retro Diels Alder (RDA). A total of 47 bioactive MIAs were identified and characterized on the basis of their molecular formula, exact mass measurements and MS/MS analysis. Reserpine, ajmalicine, ajmaline, serpentine and yohimbine were unambiguously identified by comparison with their authentic standards and other 42 MIAs were tentatively identified and characterized from the roots of Rauwolfia hookeri, Rauwolfia micrantha, Rauwolfia serpentina, Rauwolfia verticillata, Rauwolfia tetraphylla and Rauwolfia vomitoria . Application of LC-MS followed by principal component analysis (PCA) has been successfully used to discriminate among six Rauwolfia species.

  3. Characterization and classification of seven citrus herbs by liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry and genetic algorithm optimized support vector machines.

    PubMed

    Duan, Li; Guo, Long; Liu, Ke; Liu, E-Hu; Li, Ping

    2014-04-25

    Citrus herbs have been widely used in traditional medicine and cuisine in China and other countries since the ancient time. However, the authentication and quality control of Citrus herbs has always been a challenging task due to their similar morphological characteristics and the diversity of the multi-components existed in the complicated matrix. In the present investigation, we developed a novel strategy to characterize and classify seven Citrus herbs based on chromatographic analysis and chemometric methods. Firstly, the chemical constituents in seven Citrus herbs were globally characterized by liquid chromatography combined with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF-MS). Based on their retention time, UV spectra and MS fragmentation behavior, a total of 75 compounds were identified or tentatively characterized in these herbal medicines. Secondly, a segmental monitoring method based on LC-variable wavelength detection was developed for simultaneous quantification of ten marker compounds in these Citrus herbs. Thirdly, based on the contents of the ten analytes, genetic algorithm optimized support vector machines (GA-SVM) was employed to differentiate and classify the 64 samples covering these seven herbs. The obtained classifier showed good prediction performance and the overall prediction accuracy reached 96.88%. The proposed strategy is expected to provide new insight for authentication and quality control of traditional herbs. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Online extraction-high performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector-quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry for rapid flavonoid profiling of Fructus aurantii immaturus.

    PubMed

    Tong, Runna; Peng, Mijun; Tong, Chaoying; Guo, Keke; Shi, Shuyun

    2018-03-01

    Chemical profiling of natural products by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was critical for understanding of their clinical bioactivities, and sample pretreatment steps have been considered as a bottleneck for analysis. Currently, concerted efforts have been made to develop sample pretreatment methods with high efficiency, low solvent and time consumptions. Here, a simple and efficient online extraction (OLE) strategy coupled with HPLC-diode array detector-quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-DAD-QTOF-MS/MS) was developed for rapid chemical profiling. For OLE strategy, guard column inserted with ground sample (2 mg) instead of sample loop was connected with manual injection valve, in which components were directly extracted and transferred to HPLC-DAD-QTOF-MS/MS system only by mobile phase without any extra time, solvent, instrument and operation. By comparison with offline heat-reflux extraction for Fructus aurantii immaturus (Zhishi), OLE strategy presented higher extraction efficiency perhaps because of the high pressure and gradient elution mode. A total of eighteen flavonoids were detected according to their retention times, UV spectra, exact mass, and fragmentation ions in MS/MS spectra, and compound 9, natsudaidain-3-O-glucoside, was discovered in Zhishi for the first time. It is concluded that the developed OLE-HPLC-DAD-QTOF-MS/MS system offers new perspectives for rapid chemical profiling of natural products. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  5. Systematic chemical profiling of Citrus grandis 'Tomentosa' by ultra-fast liquid chromatography/diode-array detector/quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Li, Pan-lin; Liu, Meng-hua; Hu, Jie-hui; Su, Wei-wei

    2014-03-01

    Citrus grandis 'Tomentosa', as the original plant of the traditional Chinese medicine "Huajuhong", has been used as antitussive and expectorant in clinic for thousands of years. The fruit epicarp and whole fruit of this plant were both literarily recorded and commonly used. In the present study, an ultra-fast liquid chromatography coupled with diode-array detection and quadrupole/time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UFLC-DAD-Q-TOF-MS/MS) based chemical profiling method was developed for rapid holistic quality evaluation of C. grandis 'Tomentosa', which laid basis for chemical comparison of two medicinal parts. As a result, forty-eight constituents, mainly belonging to flavonoids and coumarins, were unambiguously identified by comparison with reference standards and/or tentatively characterized by elucidating UV spectra, quasi-molecular ions and fragment ions referring to information available in literature. Both of the epicarp and whole fruit samples were rich in flavonoids and coumarins, but major flavonoids contents in whole fruit were significantly higher than in epicarp (P<0.5). The proposed method could be useful in quality control and standardization of C. grandis 'Tomentosa' raw materials and its products. Results obtained in this study will provide a basis for quality assessment and further study in vivo. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Comprehensive analysis of a multidimensional liquid chromatography mass spectrometry dataset acquired on a quadrupole selecting, quadrupole collision cell, time-of-flight mass spectrometer: I. How much of the data is theoretically interpretable by search engines?

    PubMed

    Chalkley, Robert J; Baker, Peter R; Hansen, Kirk C; Medzihradszky, Katalin F; Allen, Nadia P; Rexach, Michael; Burlingame, Alma L

    2005-08-01

    An in-depth analysis of a multidimensional chromatography-mass spectrometry dataset acquired on a quadrupole selecting, quadrupole collision cell, time-of-flight (QqTOF) geometry instrument was carried out. A total of 3269 CID spectra were acquired. Through manual verification of database search results and de novo interpretation of spectra 2368 spectra could be confidently determined as predicted tryptic peptides. A detailed analysis of the non-matching spectra was also carried out, highlighting what the non-matching spectra in a database search typically are composed of. The results of this comprehensive dataset study demonstrate that QqTOF instruments produce information-rich data of which a high percentage of the data is readily interpretable.

  7. Quantification of suvorexant in blood using liquid chromatography-quadrupole/time of flight (LC-Q/TOF) mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Skillman, Britni; Kerrigan, Sarah

    2018-08-01

    Suvorexant is a novel drug for the treatment of insomnia that is marketed under the trade name Belsomra®. Unlike other hypnotics, suvorexant is a dual orexin receptor antagonist that is believed to have a lower abuse potential compared to other therapeutics. Although sedative hypnotics feature prominently in forensic toxicology investigations, there have been limited reports that describe the analysis of suvorexant in biological samples. Following a 10-mg oral dose, peak concentrations are typically <200 ng/mL. A highly sensitive assay is required because forensic toxicology laboratories are often required to identify a drug several hours after a single dose. A new analytical procedure for the quantification of suvorexant in whole blood was developed that will aid in the identification of this new drug in forensic toxicology casework. A simple acidic/neutral liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) was used to isolate suvorexant from whole blood followed by liquid chromatography-quadrupole/time of flight (LC-Q/TOF) mass spectrometry analysis using positive electrospray ionization (ESI). The extraction efficiencies of various solvents in blood were evaluated in addition to limit of detection, limit of quantitation, precision, accuracy and bias, calibration model, matrix effects, interferences, and carryover. The recovery of suvorexant was evaluated using four different extraction solvents (N-butyl chloride, ether/toluene (1:1), hexane/ethyl acetate (9:1), and methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE). Although no significant differences in analytical recovery were observed, N-butyl chloride demonstrated improved reproducibility, efficiency and convenience. A weighted (1/x) quadratic calibration model was selected over a range of 2-200 ng/mL (R 2  = 0.995). Using only 0.5 mL whole blood, limits of detection and quantification were 0.5 ng/mL. Intra-assay (n = 5) and inter-assay (n = 15) precision (% CV) were ≤ 13% and bias ranged from -5 to 2% at concentrations

  8. Structural Characterization of New Peptide Variants Produced by Cyanobacteria from the Brazilian Atlantic Coastal Forest Using Liquid Chromatography Coupled to Quadrupole Time-of-Flight Tandem Mass Spectrometry

    PubMed Central

    Sanz, Miriam; Andreote, Ana Paula Dini; Fiore, Marli Fatima; Dörr, Felipe Augusto; Pinto, Ernani

    2015-01-01

    Cyanobacteria from underexplored and extreme habitats are attracting increasing attention in the search for new bioactive substances. However, cyanobacterial communities from tropical and subtropical regions are still largely unknown, especially with respect to metabolite production. Among the structurally diverse secondary metabolites produced by these organisms, peptides are by far the most frequently described structures. In this work, liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization coupled to high resolution quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry with positive ion detection was applied to study the peptide profile of a group of cyanobacteria isolated from the Southeastern Brazilian coastal forest. A total of 38 peptides belonging to three different families (anabaenopeptins, aeruginosins, and cyanopeptolins) were detected in the extracts. Of the 38 peptides, 37 were detected here for the first time. New structural features were proposed based on mass accuracy data and isotopic patterns derived from full scan and MS/MS spectra. Interestingly, of the 40 surveyed strains only nine were confirmed to be peptide producers; all of these strains belonged to the order Nostocales (three Nostoc sp., two Desmonostoc sp. and four Brasilonema sp.). PMID:26096276

  9. Reaction of β-blockers and β-agonist pharmaceuticals with aqueous chlorine. Investigation of kinetics and by-products by liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Quintana, José Benito; Rodil, Rosario; Cela, Rafael

    2012-06-01

    The degradation of two β-blockers (atenolol and propranolol) and one β-receptor agonist (salbutamol) during water chlorination was investigated by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). An accurate-mass quadrupole time-of-flight system (QTOF) was used to follow the time course of the pharmaceuticals and also used in the identification of the by-products. The degradation kinetics of these drugs was investigated at different concentrations of chlorine, bromide and sample pH by means of a Box-Behnken experimental design. Depending on these factors, dissipation half-lives varied in the ranges 68-145 h for atenolol, 1.3-33 min for salbutamol and 42-8362 min for propranolol. Normally, an increase in chlorine dosage and pH resulted in faster degradation of these pharmaceuticals. Moreover, the presence of bromide in water samples also resulted in a faster transformation of atenolol at low chlorine doses. The use of an accurate-mass high-resolution LC-QTOF-MS system permitted the identification of a total of 14 by-products. The transformation pathway of β-blockers/agonists consisted mainly of halogenations, hydroxylations and dealkylations. Also, many of these by-products are stable, depending on the chlorination operational parameters employed.

  10. Metabolic Profiling of Hoodia, Chamomile, Terminalia Species and Evaluation of Commercial Preparations Using Ultrahigh-Performance Liquid Chromatography Quadrupole-Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Avula, Bharathi; Wang, Yan-Hong; Isaac, Giorgis; Yuk, Jimmy; Wrona, Mark; Yu, Kate; Khan, Ikhlas A

    2017-11-01

    Ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QToF-MS) profiling was used for the identification of marker compounds and generation of metabolic patterns that could be interrogated using chemometric modeling software. UHPLC-QToF-MS was used to generate comprehensive fingerprints of three botanicals ( Hoodia, Terminalia , and chamomile), each having different classes of compounds. Detection of a broad range of ions was carried out in full scan mode in both positive and negative modes over the range m/z 100-1700 using high-resolution mass spectrometry. Multivariate statistical analysis was used to extract relevant chemical information from the data to easily differentiate between Terminalia species, chamomile varieties, and quality control of Hoodia products. Using nontargeted analysis, identification of 37 compounds contributed to the differences between Terminalia species, 26 flavonoids were identified to show the differences between German and Roman chamomile, and 43 pregnane glycosides were identified from Hoodia gordonii samples. The UHPLC-QToF-MS-based chemical fingerprinting with principal component analysis was able to correctly distinguish botanicals and their commercial products. This work can be used as a basis to assure the quality of botanicals and commercial products. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

  11. Metabonomics study on the hot syndrome of traditional Chinese medicine by rapid resolution liquid chromatography combined with quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Wang, Yang; Ma, Li; Sun, Yi; Yang, Liman; Yue, Hao; Liu, Shuying

    2014-07-01

    The hot syndrome refers to any feverish conditions during a pathological development, a sub-health phenomenon, and is a potential risk for human health. The metabonomics study on the hot syndrome may provide insight into understanding of its pathology and play a role in the prevention and treatment of its related diseases. In this paper, the rats were dosed with the hot syndrome prescription, ginseng and water. The corresponding urine samples were identified by rapid resolution liquid chromatography combined with quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry. More than 1,000 metabolic compounds from different urine samples could be further differentiated by principal component analysis. As a result, the rat body temperature and weight were recognized as the hot syndrome related factors. Some specific metabolites have been discovered as a pattern of the potential biomarkers for the hot syndrome. The results showed that ginseng cannot cause the hot syndrome in a reasonable dose, but the hot syndrome prescription can. It is suggested that ginseng cannot be used only as a tradition Chinese medicine but also as a nutrient. The work showed metabonomics method is a valuable tool in studying mechanism of the hot syndrome.

  12. Determination of perfluorinated alkyl acids in corn, popcorn and popcorn bags before and after cooking by focused ultrasound solid-liquid extraction, liquid chromatography and quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Moreta, Cristina; Tena, María Teresa

    2014-08-15

    An analytical method is proposed to determine ten perfluorinated alkyl acids (PFAAs) [nine perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCAs) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS)] in corn, popcorn and microwave popcorn packaging by focused ultrasound solid-liquid extraction (FUSLE) and ultra high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) coupled to quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry (QTOF-MS/MS). Selected PFAAs were extracted efficiently in only one 10-s cycle by FUSLE, a simple, safe and inexpensive technique. The developed method was validated for microwave popcorn bags matrix as well as corn and popcorn matrices in terms of linearity, matrix effect error, detection and quantification limits, repeatability and recovery values. The method showed good accuracy with recovery values around 100% except for the lowest chain length PFAAs, satisfactory reproducibility with RSDs under 16%, and sensitivity with limits of detection in the order of hundreds picograms per gram of sample (between 0.2 and 0.7ng/g). This method was also applied to the analysis of six microwave popcorn bags and the popcorn inside before and after cooking. PFCAs contents between 3.50ng/g and 750ng/g were found in bags, being PFHxA (perfluorohexanoic acid) the most abundant of them. However, no PFAAs were detected either corn or popcorn, therefore no migration was assumed. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Triple Quadrupole Versus High Resolution Quadrupole-Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry for Quantitative LC-MS/MS Analysis of 25-Hydroxyvitamin D in Human Serum

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Geib, Timon; Sleno, Lekha; Hall, Rabea A.; Stokes, Caroline S.; Volmer, Dietrich A.

    2016-08-01

    We describe a systematic comparison of high and low resolution LC-MS/MS assays for quantification of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 in human serum. Identical sample preparation, chromatography separations, electrospray ionization sources, precursor ion selection, and ion activation were used; the two assays differed only in the implemented final mass analyzer stage; viz. high resolution quadrupole-quadrupole-time-of-flight (QqTOF) versus low resolution triple quadrupole instruments. The results were assessed against measured concentration levels from a routine clinical chemiluminescence immunoassay. Isobaric interferences prevented the simple use of TOF-MS spectra for extraction of accurate masses and necessitated the application of collision-induced dissociation on the QqTOF platform. The two mass spectrometry assays provided very similar analytical figures of merit, reflecting the lack of relevant isobaric interferences in the MS/MS domain, and were successfully applied to determine the levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D for patients with chronic liver disease.

  14. Global chemical profiling based quality evaluation approach of rhubarb using ultra performance liquid chromatography with tandem quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Li; Liu, Haiyu; Qin, Lingling; Zhang, Zhixin; Wang, Qing; Zhang, Qingqing; Lu, Zhiwei; Wei, Shengli; Gao, Xiaoyan; Tu, Pengfei

    2015-02-01

    A global chemical profiling based quality evaluation approach using ultra performance liquid chromatography with tandem quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry was developed for the quality evaluation of three rhubarb species, including Rheum palmatum L., Rheum tanguticum Maxim. ex Balf., and Rheum officinale Baill. Considering that comprehensive detection of chemical components is crucial for the global profile, a systemic column performance evaluation method was developed. Based on this, a Cortecs column was used to acquire the chemical profile, and Chempattern software was employed to conduct similarity evaluation and hierarchical cluster analysis. The results showed R. tanguticum could be differentiated from R. palmatum and R. officinale at the similarity value 0.65, but R. palmatum and R. officinale could not be distinguished effectively. Therefore, a common pattern based on three rhubarb species was developed to conduct the quality evaluation, and the similarity value 0.50 was set as an appropriate threshold to control the quality of rhubarb. A total of 88 common peaks were identified by their accurate mass and fragmentation, and partially verified by reference standards. Through the verification, the newly developed method could be successfully used for evaluating the holistic quality of rhubarb. It would provide a reference for the quality control of other herbal medicines. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  15. Systematic forensic toxicological analysis by liquid-chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry in serum and comparison to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Grapp, Marcel; Kaufmann, Christoph; Streit, Frank; Binder, Lutz

    2018-06-01

    Comprehensive screening procedures for psychoactive agents in body fluids are an essential task in clinical and forensic toxicology. With the continuous emergence and adaption of new psychoactive substances (NPS) keeping a screening method up to date is challenging. To meet these demands, hyphenated high-resolution mass spectrometry has gained interest as extensive and expandable screening approach. Here we present a comprehensive method for systematic toxicological analysis of serum by liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF-MS) with data independent acquisition. The potential of this method was demonstrated by analysis of 247 authentic serum- and 12 post-mortem femoral blood samples. Thus 950 compounds, comprising 185 different drugs and metabolites could be identified. For the detected substances, including pharmaceutical substances, illicit drugs as well as NPS, serum concentrations were confirmed ranging from traces to toxic values indicating the capability for forensic toxicological requirements. Positive identification of drugs was achieved by accurate mass measurement (±5ppm for [M+H] + ; ±10ppm for [M-H] - ), retention time (±0.35min), isotopic pattern match (less than 10 m/z RMS [ppm]), isotope match intensity (less than 20% RMS) and the presence of at least two fragment ions. The LC-QTOF-MS procedure was shown to be superior to serum screening by GC-MS, since 240% (335 versus 141) more drugs were identified in serum samples compared to GC-MS. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Development and Application of an MSALL-Based Approach for the Quantitative Analysis of Linear Polyethylene Glycols in Rat Plasma by Liquid Chromatography Triple-Quadrupole/Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Zhou, Xiaotong; Meng, Xiangjun; Cheng, Longmei; Su, Chong; Sun, Yantong; Sun, Lingxia; Tang, Zhaohui; Fawcett, John Paul; Yang, Yan; Gu, Jingkai

    2017-05-16

    Polyethylene glycols (PEGs) are synthetic polymers composed of repeating ethylene oxide subunits. They display excellent biocompatibility and are widely used as pharmaceutical excipients. To fully understand the biological fate of PEGs requires accurate and sensitive analytical methods for their quantitation. Application of conventional liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) is difficult because PEGs have polydisperse molecular weights (MWs) and tend to produce multicharged ions in-source resulting in innumerable precursor ions. As a result, multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) fails to scan all ion pairs so that information on the fate of unselected ions is missed. This Article addresses this problem by application of liquid chromatography-triple-quadrupole/time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-Q-TOF MS) based on the MS ALL technique. This technique performs information-independent acquisition by allowing all PEG precursor ions to enter the collision cell (Q2). In-quadrupole collision-induced dissociation (CID) in Q2 then effectively generates several fragments from all PEGs due to the high collision energy (CE). A particular PEG product ion (m/z 133.08592) was found to be common to all linear PEGs and allowed their total quantitation in rat plasma with high sensitivity, excellent linearity and reproducibility. Assay validation showed the method was linear for all linear PEGs over the concentration range 0.05-5.0 μg/mL. The assay was successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic study in rat involving intravenous administration of linear PEG 600, PEG 4000, and PEG 20000. It is anticipated the method will have wide ranging applications and stimulate the development of assays for other pharmaceutical polymers in the future.

  17. Fast analysis of doping agents in urine by ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry I. Screening analysis.

    PubMed

    Badoud, F; Grata, E; Perrenoud, L; Avois, L; Saugy, M; Rudaz, S; Veuthey, J-L

    2009-05-15

    The general strategy to perform anti-doping analyses of urine samples starts with the screening for a wide range of compounds. This step should be fast, generic and able to detect any sample that may contain a prohibited substance while avoiding false negatives and reducing false positive results. The experiments presented in this work were based on ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography coupled to hybrid quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Thanks to the high sensitivity of the method, urine samples could be diluted 2-fold prior to injection. One hundred and three forbidden substances from various classes (such as stimulants, diuretics, narcotics, anti-estrogens) were analysed on a C(18) reversed-phase column in two gradients of 9min (including two 3min equilibration periods) for positive and negative electrospray ionisation and detected in the MS full scan mode. The automatic identification of analytes was based on retention time and mass accuracy, with an automated tool for peak picking. The method was validated according to the International Standard for Laboratories described in the World Anti-Doping Code and was selective enough to comply with the World Anti-Doping Agency recommendations. In addition, the matrix effect on MS response was measured on all investigated analytes spiked in urine samples. The limits of detection ranged from 1 to 500ng/mL, allowing the identification of all tested compounds in urine. When a sample was reported positive during the screening, a fast additional pre-confirmatory step was performed to reduce the number of confirmatory analyses.

  18. Multi-ingredients determination and fingerprint analysis of leaves from Ilex latifolia using ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Fan, Chunlin; Deng, Jiewei; Yang, Yunyun; Liu, Junshan; Wang, Ying; Zhang, Xiaoqi; Fai, Kuokchiu; Zhang, Qingwen; Ye, Wencai

    2013-10-01

    An ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF-MS) method integrating multi-ingredients determination and fingerprint analysis has been established for quality assessment and control of leaves from Ilex latifolia. The method possesses the advantages of speediness, efficiency, accuracy, and allows the multi-ingredients determination and fingerprint analysis in one chromatographic run within 13min. Multi-ingredients determination was performed based on the extracted ion chromatograms of the exact pseudo-molecular ions (with a 0.01Da window), and fingerprint analysis was performed based on the base peak chromatograms, obtained by negative-ion electrospray ionization QTOF-MS. The method validation results demonstrated our developed method possessing desirable specificity, linearity, precision and accuracy. The method was utilized to analyze 22 I. latifolia samples from different origins. The quality assessment was achieved by using both similarity analysis (SA) and principal component analysis (PCA), and the results from SA were consistent with those from PCA. Our experimental results demonstrate that the strategy integrated multi-ingredients determination and fingerprint analysis using UPLC-QTOF-MS technique is a useful approach for rapid pharmaceutical analysis, with promising prospects for the differentiation of origin, the determination of authenticity, and the overall quality assessment of herbal medicines. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Metabolic Profile of Zearalenone in Liver Microsomes from Different Species and Its in Vivo Metabolism in Rats and Chickens Using Ultra High-Pressure Liquid Chromatography-Quadrupole/Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Yang, Shupeng; Zhang, Huiyan; Sun, Feifei; De Ruyck, Karl; Zhang, Jinzhen; Jin, Yue; Li, Yanshen; Wang, Zhanhui; Zhang, Suxia; De Saeger, Sarah; Zhou, Jinhui; Li, Yi; De Boevre, Marthe

    2017-12-27

    To explore differences of zearalenone (ZEN) metabolism between various species, phase I and II metabolism by liver microsomes of animals and human were investigated using ultra high-pressure liquid chromatography-quadrupole/time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q/TOF MS). A total of 24 metabolites were identified, among which 12 were reported for the first time. Reduction, hydroxylation, and glucuronidation were the major metabolic pathways of ZEN, and significant differences in various species were also observed. Reduction was the main reaction in swine and human, whereas hydroxylation was predominant in rats, chickens, goats, and cows in in vitro systems. Furthemore, in vivo metabolism of ZEN in rats and chickens was investigated, and 23 and 6 metabolites were identified in each species, respectively. Reduction, hydroxylation, and glucuronidation were the major metabolic pathways in rats, while reduction and sulfation predominated in chickens. These results further enrich the biotransformation profile of ZEN, providing a helpful reference for assessing the risks to animals and humans.

  20. Metabolic profiling of nuciferine in rat urine, plasma, bile and feces after oral administration using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Wu, Xiao-Lei; Wu, Ming-Jiang; Chen, Xin-Ze; Ma, Hao-Ling; Ding, Li-Qin; Qiu, Feng; Pan, Qin; Zhang, De-Qin

    2017-06-05

    Nuciferine, a major alkaloid found in Nelumbinis Folium, exhibits a broad spectrum of bioactivities, such as antiobesity, anti-diabetes and anti-inflammatory. However, many research regarding nuciferine focused on the extraction, isolation and biological activity, the metabolism is not comprehensively explained in vivo. Thence, the present of this paper is to establish a simple method for speculating metabolites of nuciferine. A total of 15 metabolites were detected and tentatively identified through ultra high performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-DAD-QTOF-MS), including 7 new metabolites. Among them, we also discovered a previously unmentioned metabolically active site at the C 1 -OCH 3 position. These metabolites suggested that demethylation, oxidation, glucuronidation and sulfation were major metabolic pathways. This study provided significant experiment basis for its safety estimate and valuable information about the metabolism of nuciferine, which will be advantageous for new drug development. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Metabolomic analysis of swine urine treated with β2-agonists by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Wu, Yuping; Bi, Yanfeng; Bingga, Gali; Li, Xiaowei; Zhang, Suxia; Li, Jiancheng; Li, Hui; Ding, Shuangyang; Xia, Xi

    2015-06-26

    The illegal use of β2-agonists in livestock production was previously detected by efficient methods based on mass spectrometry to control the residues of these drugs. Nevertheless, such methods still remain a challenging task for authorities who monitor these residues because the use of "cocktails" composed of mixtures of low amounts of several substances as well as the synthesis of new compounds of unknown structure prevent efficient prevention of illegal use of growth-promoting agents. Here, we outlined a metabolomics-based strategy for detecting the use of "cocktails" composed of mixtures of low amounts of three β2-agonists via urine profiling. Urine profiles of controls and swine treated with mixture of low amounts of three substances (clenbuterol, salbutamol, and ractopamine) were analyzed with ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The metabolic differences between controls and β2-agonists-treated groups were compared using multivariate data analysis. Fourteen metabolites were identified related with the β2-agonists treatment, while two co-biomarkers, 2-indolecarboxylic acid and fluorometholone acetate, either in single or "cocktails" of low-dose mixture of clenbuterol, salbutamol, and ractopamine, could be considered as diagnostic markers for the detection of illegal use of β2-agonists. The results of depletion study demonstrated that it is practical to use the markers for monitoring of β2-agonists. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. [Determination of three exogenous plant hormone residues in bean sprout by high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry].

    PubMed

    Xie, Hanbing; Zhou, Mingying; Zhao, Haifeng; Wang, Yigang; Jiang, Wanfeng; Zhao, Shan

    2014-05-01

    This study was aimed to the establishment of an analytical method for the determination of three exogenous plant hormone residues in bean sprout by high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry (HPLC-Q-TOF-MS). The target compounds were gibberellins, 6-benzylaminopurine and parachlorophenoxyacetic acid. The QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe) method was used for sample preparation. The analytes were extracted with a solution containing 1% (v/v, if not specified) acetic, 50% ethanol, 49% acetonitrile, and cleaned-up by dispersive solid-phase extraction with diatomite dispersant, then degreased by hexane. The three target compounds were separated on an Eclipse Plus C18 column (100 mm x 3.0 mm, 1.8 microm) with mobile phases A (water containing 0.1% formic acid) and B (methanol) by gradient elution within 15 min, and detected under negative electrospray ionization (ESI) mode. The quantitative analysis was carried out by extracting the peak area with accurate mass. The confirmatory analysis of the target compounds was performed with the qualitative fragments. The results showed that the limits of quantification (LOQs, S/N = 10) for the three target compounds were from 5.0 microg/kg to 10 microg/kg. The respective mean recoveries were found to be in the range of 79.1%-96.1%, and the RSDs were 5.7%-10.4%. It was applicable to the analysis of the three exogenous plant hormones in bean sprout samples. This method is simple, fast and efficient.

  3. Use of an online extraction liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry method for the characterization of polyphenols in Citrus paradisi cv. Changshanhuyu peel.

    PubMed

    Tong, Chaoying; Peng, Mijun; Tong, Runna; Ma, Ruyi; Guo, Keke; Shi, Shuyun

    2018-01-19

    Chemical profiling of natural products by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was critical for understanding of their clinical bioactivities, and sample pretreatment steps have been considered as a bottleneck for analysis. Currently, concerted efforts have been made to develop sample pretreatment methods with high efficiency, low solvent and time consumptions. Here, a simple and efficient online extraction (OLE) strategy coupled with HPLC-diode array detector-quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-DAD-QTOF-MS/MS) was developed for rapid chemical profiling. For OLE strategy, guard column inserted with ground sample (2 mg) instead of sample loop was connected with manual injection valve, in which components were directly extracted and transferred to HPLC-DAD-QTOF-MS/MS system only by mobile phase without any extra time, solvent, instrument and operation. By comparison with offline heat-reflux extraction of Citrus paradisi cv. Changshanhuyu (Changshanhuyu) peel, OLE strategy presented higher extraction efficiency perhaps because of the high pressure and gradient elution mode. A total of twenty-two secondary metabolites were detected according to their retention times, UV spectra, exact mass, and fragmentation ions in MS/MS spectra, and nine of them were discovered in Changshanhuyu peel for the first time to our knowledge. It is concluded that the developed OLE-HPLC-DAD-QTOF-MS/MS system offers new perspectives for rapid chemical profiling of natural products. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Alkaloids Profiling of Fumaria capreolata by Analytical Platforms Based on the Hyphenation of Gas Chromatography and Liquid Chromatography with Quadrupole-Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Contreras, María Del Mar; Bribi, Noureddine; Gómez-Caravaca, Ana María; Gálvez, Julio; Segura-Carretero, Antonio

    2017-01-01

    Two analytical platforms, gas chromatography (GC) coupled to quadrupole-time-of-flight (QTOF) mass spectrometry (MS) and reversed-phase ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) coupled to diode array (DAD) and QTOF detection, were applied in order to study the alkaloid profile of Fumaria capreolata . The use of these mass analyzers enabled tentatively identifying the alkaloids by matching their accurate mass signals and suggested molecular formulae with those previously reported in libraries and databases. Moreover, the proposed structures were corroborated by studying their fragmentation pattern obtained by both platforms. In this way, 8 and 26 isoquinoline alkaloids were characterized using GC-QTOF-MS and RP-UHPLC-DAD-QTOF-MS, respectively, and they belonged to the following subclasses: protoberberine, protopine, aporphine, benzophenanthridine, spirobenzylisoquinoline, morphinandienone, and benzylisoquinoline. Moreover, the latter analytical method was selected to determine at 280 nm the concentration of protopine (9.6 ± 0.7 mg/g), a potential active compound of the extract. In conclusion, although GC-MS has been commonly used for the analysis of this type of phytochemicals, RP-UHPLC-DAD-QTOF-MS provided essential complementary information. This analytical method can be applied for the quality control of phytopharmaceuticals containing Fumaria extracts currently found in the market.

  5. Alkaloids Profiling of Fumaria capreolata by Analytical Platforms Based on the Hyphenation of Gas Chromatography and Liquid Chromatography with Quadrupole-Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry

    PubMed Central

    Bribi, Noureddine; Gómez-Caravaca, Ana María

    2017-01-01

    Two analytical platforms, gas chromatography (GC) coupled to quadrupole-time-of-flight (QTOF) mass spectrometry (MS) and reversed-phase ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) coupled to diode array (DAD) and QTOF detection, were applied in order to study the alkaloid profile of Fumaria capreolata. The use of these mass analyzers enabled tentatively identifying the alkaloids by matching their accurate mass signals and suggested molecular formulae with those previously reported in libraries and databases. Moreover, the proposed structures were corroborated by studying their fragmentation pattern obtained by both platforms. In this way, 8 and 26 isoquinoline alkaloids were characterized using GC-QTOF-MS and RP-UHPLC-DAD-QTOF-MS, respectively, and they belonged to the following subclasses: protoberberine, protopine, aporphine, benzophenanthridine, spirobenzylisoquinoline, morphinandienone, and benzylisoquinoline. Moreover, the latter analytical method was selected to determine at 280 nm the concentration of protopine (9.6 ± 0.7 mg/g), a potential active compound of the extract. In conclusion, although GC-MS has been commonly used for the analysis of this type of phytochemicals, RP-UHPLC-DAD-QTOF-MS provided essential complementary information. This analytical method can be applied for the quality control of phytopharmaceuticals containing Fumaria extracts currently found in the market. PMID:29348751

  6. Simultaneous qualitative and quantitative analysis of flavonoids and alkaloids from the leaves of Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn. using high-performance liquid chromatography with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Guo, Yujie; Chen, Xi; Qi, Jin; Yu, Boyang

    2016-07-01

    A reliable method, combining qualitative analysis by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry and quantitative assessment by high-performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detection, has been developed to simultaneously analyze flavonoids and alkaloids in lotus leaf extracts. In the qualitative analysis, a total of 30 compounds, including 12 flavonoids, 16 alkaloids, and two proanthocyanidins, were identified. The fragmentation behaviors of four types of flavone glycoside and three types of alkaloid are summarized. The mass spectra of four representative components, quercetin 3-O-glucuronide, norcoclaurine, nuciferine, and neferine, are shown to illustrate their fragmentation pathways. Five pairs of isomers were detected and three of them were distinguished by comparing the elution order with reference substances and the mass spectrometry data with reported data. In the quantitative analysis, 30 lotus leaf samples from different regions were analyzed to investigate the proportion of eight representative compounds. Quercetin 3-O-glucuronide was found to be the predominant constituent of lotus leaf extracts. For further discrimination among the samples, hierarchical cluster analysis, and principal component analysis, based on the areas of the eight quantitative peaks, were carried out. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  7. Early Metabolome Profiling and Prognostic Value in Paraquat-Poisoned Patients: Based on Ultraperformance Liquid Chromatography Coupled To Quadrupole Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Hu, Lufeng; Hong, Guangliang; Tang, Yahui; Wang, Xianqin; Wen, Congcong; Lin, Feiyan; Lu, Zhongqiu

    2017-12-18

    Paraquat (PQ) has caused countless deaths throughout the world. There remains no effective treatment for PQ poisoning. Here we study the blood metabolome of PQ-poisoned patients using ultraperformance liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC/Q-TOF MS). Patients were divided into groups according to blood PQ concentration. Healthy subjects served as controls. Metabolic features were statistically analyzed using multivariate pattern-recognition techniques to identify the most important metabolites. Selected metabolites were further compared with a series of clinical indexes to assess the prognostic value. PQ-poisoned patients showed substantial differences compared with healthy subjects. Based on variable of importance in the project (VIP) values and statistical analysis, 17 metabolites were selected and identified. These metabolites well-classified low PQ-poisoned patients, high PQ-poisoned patients, and healthy subjects, which was better than that of a complete blood count (CBC). Among the 17 metabolites, 20:3/18:1-PC (PC), LPA (0:0/16:0) (LPA), 19-oxo-deoxycorticosterone (19-oxo-DOC), and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) had prognostic value. In particular, EPA was the most sensitive one. Besides, the levels of EPA was correlated with LPA and 19-oxo-DOC. If EPA was excessively consumed, then prognosis was poor. In conclusion, the serum metabolome is substantially perturbed by PQ poisoning. EPA is the most important biomarker in early PQ poisoning.

  8. Quantitative analysis of flavanones from citrus fruits by using mesoporous molecular sieve-based miniaturized solid phase extraction coupled to ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography and quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Cao, Wan; Ye, Li-Hong; Cao, Jun; Xu, Jing-Jing; Peng, Li-Qing; Zhu, Qiong-Yao; Zhang, Qian-Yun; Hu, Shuai-Shuai

    2015-08-07

    An analytical procedure based on miniaturized solid phase extraction (SPE) and ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry was developed and validated for determination of six flavanones in Citrus fruits. The mesoporous molecular sieve SBA-15 as a solid sorbent was characterised by Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Additionally, compared with reported extraction techniques, the mesoporous SBA-15 based SPE method possessed the advantages of shorter analysis time and higher sensitivity. Furthermore, considering the different nature of the tested compounds, all of the parameters, including the SBA-15 amount, solution pH, elution solvent, and the sorbent type, were investigated in detail. Under the optimum condition, the instrumental detection and quantitation limits calculated were less than 4.26 and 14.29ngmL(-1), respectively. The recoveries obtained for all the analytes were ranging from 89.22% to 103.46%. The experimental results suggested that SBA-15 was a promising material for the purification and enrichment of target flavanones from complex citrus fruit samples. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Strategy for Comprehensive Profiling and Identification of Acidic Glycosphingolipids Using Ultra-High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Coupled with Quadrupole Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Hu, Ting; Jia, Zhixin; Zhang, Jin-Lan

    2017-07-18

    Acidic glycosphingolipids (AGSLs), which mainly consist of ganglioside and sulfatide moieties, are highly concentrated in the central nervous system. Comprehensive profiling of AGSLs has historically been challenging because of their high complexity and the lack of standards. In this study, a novel strategy was developed to comprehensively profile AGSLs using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Ganglioside isomers with different glycan chains such as GD1a/GD1b were completely separated on a C18 column for the first time to our knowledge, facilitated by the addition of formic acid in the mobile phase. A mathematical model was established to predict the retention times (RTs) of all theoretically possible AGSLs on the basis of the good logarithmic relationship between the ceramide carbon numbers of the AGSLs in the reference material and their RTs. A data set was created of 571 theoretically possible AGSLs, including the ceramide carbon numbers, RTs, and high-resolution quasi-molecular ions. A novel fast identification strategy was established for global AGSL profiling by comparing the high-resolution quasi-molecular ions and RTs of the tested peaks to those in the data set of 571 AGSLs. Using this strategy, 199 AGSL candidates were identified in rat brain tissue. MS/MS fragments were further collected for these 199 candidates to confirm their identity as AGSLs. This novel strategy was employed to profile AGSLs in brain tissue samples from control rats and model rats with bilateral common carotid artery (2-VO) cerebral ischemia. Forty AGSLs were significantly different between the control and model groups, and these differences were further interpreted.

  10. Rapid screening and determination of 11 new psychoactive substances by direct analysis in real time mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Nie, Honggang; Li, Xianjiang; Hua, Zhendong; Pan, Wei; Bai, Yanping; Fu, Xiaofang

    2016-08-01

    With the amounts and types of new psychoactive substances (NPSs) increasing rapidly in recent years, an excellent high-throughput method for the analysis of these compounds is urgently needed. In this article, a rapid screening method and a quantitative analysis method for 11 NPSs are described and compared, respectively. A simple direct analysis in real time mass spectrometry (DART-MS) method was developed for the analysis of 11 NPSs including three categories of these substances present on the global market such as four cathinones, one phenylethylamine, and six synthetic cannabinoids. In order to analyze these compounds quantitatively with better accuracy and sensitivity, another rapid analytical method with a low limit of detection (LOD) was also developed using liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC/QTOFMS). The 11 NPSs could be determined within 0.5 min by DART-MS. Furthermore, they could also be separated and determined within 5 min by the LC/QTOFMS method. The two methods both showed good linearity with correlation coefficients (r(2) ) higher than 0.99. The LODs for all these target NPSs by DART-MS and LC/QTOFMS ranged from 5 to 40 ng mL(-1) and 0.1 to 1 ng mL(-1) , respectively. Confiscated samples, named as "music vanilla" and "bath salt", and 11 spiked samples were firstly screened by DART-MS and then determined by LC/QTOFMS. The identification of NPSs in confiscated materials was successfully achieved, and the proposed analytical methodology could offer rapid screening and accurate analysis results. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  11. Lipidomic analysis of plasma in patients with lacunar infarction using normal-phase/reversed-phase two-dimensional liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Yang, Li; Lv, Pu; Ai, Wanpeng; Li, Linnan; Shen, Sensen; Nie, Honggang; Shan, Yabing; Bai, Yu; Huang, Yining; Liu, Huwei

    2017-05-01

    Stroke is a major cause of mortality and long-term disability worldwide. The study of biomarkers and pathogenesis is vital for early diagnosis and treatment of stroke. In the present study, a continuous-flow normal-phase/reversed-phase two-dimensional liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (NP/RP 2D LC-QToF/MS) method was employed to measure lipid species in human plasma, including healthy controls and lacunar infarction (LI) patients. As a result, 13 lipid species were demonstrated with significant difference between the two groups, and a "plasma biomarker model" including glucosylceramide (38:2), phosphatidylethanolamine (35:2), free fatty acid (16:1), and triacylglycerol (56:5) was finally established. This model was evaluated as an effective tool in that area under the receiver operating characteristic curve reached 1.000 in the discovery set and 0.947 in the validation set for diagnosing LI patients from healthy controls. Besides, the sensitivity and specificity of disease diagnosis in validation set were 93.3% and 96.6% at the best cutoff value, respectively. This study demonstrates the promising potential of NP/RP 2D LC-QToF/MS-based lipidomics approach in finding bio-markers for disease diagnosis and providing special insights into the metabolism of stroke induced by small vessel disease. Graphical abstract Flow-chart of the plasma biomarker model establishment through biomarker screening and validation.

  12. Metabolic profiling of Hoodia, Chamomile, Terminalia Species and evaluation of commercial preparations using Ultra-High Performance Quadrupole Time of Flight-Mass Spectrometry

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Ultra-High Performance-Quadrupole Time of Flight Mass Spectrometr(UHPLC-QToF-MS)profiling has become an impattant tool for identification of marker compounds and generation of metabolic patterns that could be interrogated using chemometric modeling software. Chemometric approaches can be used to ana...

  13. Profiling and multivariate statistical analysis of Panax ginseng based on ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Wu, Wei; Sun, Le; Zhang, Zhe; Guo, Yingying; Liu, Shuying

    2015-03-25

    An ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS) method was developed for the detection and structural analysis of ginsenosides in white ginseng and related processed products (red ginseng). Original neutral, malonyl, and chemically transformed ginsenosides were identified in white and red ginseng samples. The aglycone types of ginsenosides were determined by MS/MS as PPD (m/z 459), PPT (m/z 475), C-24, -25 hydrated-PPD or PPT (m/z 477 or m/z 493), and Δ20(21)-or Δ20(22)-dehydrated-PPD or PPT (m/z 441 or m/z 457). Following the structural determination, the UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS-based chemical profiling coupled with multivariate statistical analysis method was applied for global analysis of white and processed ginseng samples. The chemical markers present between the processed products red ginseng and white ginseng could be assigned. Process-mediated chemical changes were recognized as the hydrolysis of ginsenosides with large molecular weight, chemical transformations of ginsenosides, changes in malonyl-ginsenosides, and generation of 20-(R)-ginsenoside enantiomers. The relative contents of compounds classified as PPD, PPT, malonyl, and transformed ginsenosides were calculated based on peak areas in ginseng before and after processing. This study provides possibility to monitor multiple components for the quality control and global evaluation of ginseng products during processing. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Resveratrol Metabolism in a Non-Human Primate, the Grey Mouse Lemur (Microcebus murinus), Using Ultra-High-Performance Liquid Chromatography–Quadrupole Time of Flight

    PubMed Central

    Menet, Marie-Claude; Marchal, Julia; Dal-Pan, Alexandre; Taghi, Méryam; Nivet-Antoine, Valérie; Dargère, Delphine; Laprévote, Olivier; Beaudeux, Jean-Louis; Aujard, Fabienne; Epelbaum, Jacques; Cottart, Charles-Henry

    2014-01-01

    The grey mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus) is a non-human primate used to study the ageing process. Resveratrol is a polyphenol that may increase lifespan by delaying age-associated pathologies. However, no information about resveratrol absorption and metabolism is available for this primate. Resveratrol and its metabolites were qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed in male mouse-lemur plasma (after 200 mg.kg−1 of oral resveratrol) by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC), coupled to a quadrupole-time-of-flight (Q-TOF) mass spectrometer used in full-scan mode. Data analyses showed, in MSE mode, an ion common to resveratrol and all its metabolites: m/z 227.072, and an ion common to dihydro-resveratrol metabolites: m/z 229.08. A semi-targeted study enabled us to identify six hydrophilic resveratrol metabolites (one diglucurono-conjugated, two monoglucurono-conjugated, one monosulfo-conjugated and two both sulfo- and glucurono-conjugated derivatives) and three hydrophilic metabolites of dihydro-resveratrol (one monoglucurono-conjugated, one monosulfo-conjugated, and one both sulfo- and glucurono-conjugated derivatives). The presence of such metabolites has been already detected in the mouse, rat, pig, and humans. Free resveratrol was measurable for several hours in mouse-lemur plasma, and its two main metabolites were trans-resveratrol-3-O-glucuronide and trans-resveratrol-3-sulfate. Free dihydro-resveratrol was not measurable whatever the time of plasma collection, while its hydrophilic metabolites were present at 24 h after intake. These data will help us interpret the effect of resveratrol in mouse lemurs and provide further information on the inter-species characteristics of resveratrol metabolism. PMID:24663435

  15. Determination of enantiomeric vigabatrin by derivatization with diacetyl-l-tartaric anhydride followed by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Zhao, Jing; Shin, Yujin; Jin, Yan; Jeong, Kyung Min; Lee, Jeongmi

    2017-01-01

    Vigabatrin, one of the most widely used antiepileptic drugs, is marketed and administered as a racemic mixture, while only S-enantiomer is therapeutically effective. In the present study, diacetyl-l-tartaric acid anhydride was used as an inexpensive and effective chiral derivatization reagent to produce tartaric acid monoester derivatives of vigabatrin enantiomers that could be readily resolved by reversed phase chromatography. Derivatization conditions were statistically optimized by response surface methodology, resulting in an optimal reaction temperature of 44°C and an optimal reaction time of 30min. The derivatized diastereomers of vigabatrin and internal standard (gabapentin) were analyzed using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry. For this analysis, an Agilent ZORBAX Rapid Resolution High Definition Eclipse Plus C18 column (100mm×2.1mm, 1.8μm) was employed for chromatographic separation using 10mM ammonium formate (pH 3.0) and methanol as mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.2mLmin -1 . The established method was validated in terms of specificity, linearity, precision, accuracy, dilution integrity, recovery, matrix effect, stability, and incurred sample reanalysis. It was linear over a range of 0.25-100.0mgL -1 for both S- and R-enantiomers (R 2 ≥0.9987 for both). Intra- and inter-day precisions and accuracies were within acceptable ranges. The method was successfully applied to determine the levels of vigabatrin enantiomers in mouse serum after administration of vigabatrin racemate. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Identification of absorbed constituents and in vivo metabolites in rats after oral administration of Physalis alkekengi var. franchetii by ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Feng, Xinchi; Huo, Xiaoguang; Liu, Hongxia; Chai, Liwei; Ding, Liqin; Qiu, Feng

    2018-03-01

    The calyces of Physalis alkekengi var. franchetii (Chinese Lantern, JDL) are well-known as traditional Chinese medicine owing to its various therapeutic effects. However, the bioactive constituents responsible for the pharmacological effects of JDL and their metabolites in vivo are still unclear to date. In this paper, an ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC/Q-TOF-MS/MS) method was established to identify absorbed constituents and in vivo metabolites in rat biological fluids after oral administration of JDL. Based on the proposed strategy, 33 compounds were observed in dosed rat biosamples. Twelve of 33 compounds were indicated as prototype components of JDL, and 21 compounds were predicted to be metabolites of JDL. Finally, the metabolic pathways were proposed, which were glucuronidation, sulfation, methylation and dehydroxylation for flavonoid constituents and sulfonation and hydroxylation for physalin consitituents. This is the first systematic study on the absorbed constituents and metabolic profiling of JDL and will provide a useful template for screening and characterizing the ingredients and metabolites of traditional Chinese medicine. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  17. Application of characteristic ion filtering with ultra-high performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time of flight tandem mass spectrometry for rapid detection and identification of chemical profiling in Eucommia ulmoides Oliv.

    PubMed

    He, Mingzhen; Jia, Jia; Li, Junmao; Wu, Bei; Huang, Wenping; Liu, Mi; Li, Yan; Yang, Shilin; Ouyang, Hui; Feng, Yulin

    2018-06-15

    Efficient targeted identification of chemical constituents from traditional Chinese medicine is still a major challenge. In this study, we used a characteristic ion filtering strategy to characterize compounds of Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time of flight tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-ESI-Q-TOF-MS/MS). By using the ion filtering approach, target constituents of Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. were easily tentatively identified from the enormous LC/MS data set. The strategy consisted of the following three steps: 1) To establishing a characteristic ion database by diagnostic product ions or neutral loss fragments; 2) To evaluate the structural information of the compounds by high-resolution diagnostic characteristic ion filtering; 3) To confirm the different classes by chemical profiling according to their MS/MS spectra. In this study, characteristic ions are summarized as five major groups of compounds in Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. In total, 113 compounds were tentatively identified, including 23 potentially novel compounds. The results form a foundation for the quality control and chemical basis of Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Gas chromatographic quadrupole time-of-flight full scan high resolution mass spectrometric screening of human urine in antidoping analysis.

    PubMed

    Abushareeda, Wadha; Lyris, Emmanouil; Kraiem, Suhail; Wahaibi, Aisha Al; Alyazidi, Sameera; Dbes, Najib; Lommen, Arjen; Nielen, Michel; Horvatovich, Peter L; Alsayrafi, Mohammed; Georgakopoulos, Costas

    2017-09-15

    This paper presents the development and validation of a high-resolution full scan (FS) electron impact ionization (EI) gas chromatography coupled to quadrupole Time-of-Flight mass spectrometry (GC/QTOF) platform for screening anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) in human urine samples. The World Antidoping Agency (WADA) enlists AAS as prohibited doping agents in sports, and our method has been developed to comply with the qualitative specifications of WADA to be applied for the detection of sports antidoping prohibited substances, mainly for AAS. The method also comprises of the quantitative analysis of the WADA's Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) endogenous steroidal parameters. The applied preparation of urine samples includes enzymatic hydrolysis for the cleavage of the Phase II glucuronide conjugates, generic liquid-liquid extraction and trimethylsilyl (TMS) derivatization steps. Tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) acquisition was applied on few selected ions to enhance the specificity and sensitivity of GC/TOF signal of few compounds. The full scan high resolution acquisition of analytical signal, for known and unknown TMS derivatives of AAS provides the antidoping system with a new analytical tool for the detection designer drugs and novel metabolites, which prolongs the AAS detection, after electronic data files' reprocessing. The current method is complementary to the respective liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (LC/MS) methodology widely used to detect prohibited molecules in sport, which cannot be efficiently ionized with atmospheric pressure ionization interface. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Suspect screening of maternal serum to identify new environmental chemical biomonitoring targets using liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Gerona, Roy R; Schwartz, Jackie M; Pan, Janet; Friesen, Matthew M; Lin, Thomas; Woodruff, Tracey J

    2018-03-01

    The use and advantages of high-resolution mass spectrometry (MS) as a discovery tool for environmental chemical monitoring has been demonstrated for environmental samples but not for biological samples. We developed a method using liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight MS (LC-QTOF/MS) for discovery of previously unmeasured environmental chemicals in human serum. Using non-targeted data acquisition (full scan MS analysis) we were able to screen for environmental organic acids (EOAs) in 20 serum samples from second trimester pregnant women. We define EOAs as environmental organic compounds with at least one dissociable proton which are utilized in commerce. EOAs include environmental phenols, phthalate metabolites, perfluorinated compounds, phenolic metabolites of polybrominated diphenyl ethers and polychlorinated biphenyls, and acidic pesticides and/or predicted acidic pesticide metabolites. Our validated method used solid phase extraction, reversed-phase chromatography in a C18 column with gradient elution, electrospray ionization in negative polarity and automated tandem MS (MS/MS) data acquisition to maximize true positive rates. We identified "suspect EOAs" using Agilent MassHunter Qualitative Analysis software, to match chemical formulas generated from each sample run with molecular formulas in our unique database of 693 EOAs assembled from multiple environmental literature sources. We found potential matches for 282 (41%) of the EOAs in our database. Sixty-five of these suspect EOAs were detected in at least 75% of the samples; only 19 of these compounds are currently biomonitored in National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. We confirmed two of three suspect EOAs by LC-QTOF/MS using a targeted method developed through LC-MS/MS, reporting the first confirmation of benzophenone-1 and bisphenol S in pregnant women's sera. Our suspect screening workflow provides an approach to comprehensively scan environmental chemical exposures in humans. This

  20. Determination of homocysteine in human saliva by liquid chromatography and electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry: profiles in healthy adults.

    PubMed

    Abaye, Daniel A; Nielsen, Birthe; Boateng, Joshua S

    2013-12-01

    Homocysteine (Hcys) is a non-essential amino acid associated with a range of diseased and abnormal metabolic conditions. Hcys concentration in saliva is routinely determined by enzyme assays, which are broadly specific, but can be expensive and suffer from cross-reactivity. Total Hcys (tHcys) concentrations in eight healthy adults were determined to establish the inter-day variation during resting, normal and intensive physical activity, using the more sensitive analytical techniques of liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry without prior derivatization. Saliva (~ 1.5 mL) was collected over four days; early morning (EA), normal activity (NA) and during physical activity (PA). Samples were processed by disulphide reduction, acetonitrile precipitation and then centrifugation-filtration. Extracts were chromatographically resolved and analysed on a quadrupole time- of-flight (QToF) mass spectrometer. The protonated [M+H]+, m/z 136.101 and product ([M+H]+- HCOOH) m/z 90.103 ions were then monitored against an internal standard (13CHcys) and external set of calibration standards. Mean tHcys concentration for the whole group, including exercise was 6.6 ± 8.0 (range 0.2 - 29.6 nmol/mL). Overall, concentration of tHcys was greater in males than the females but not significantly (p > 0.05). The mean EA concentration was significantly (p < 0.05) greater than NA for both males (p = 0340) and females (p = 0.0045). There were large within-subject variations (coefficient of variation; CV%; 24% to 103%). The limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) were 0.07 and 0.22 nmol/mL, respectively. The procedure potentially provides a convenient means of analyzing salivary Hcys as a diagnostic disease marker.

  1. Comprehensive Analysis of Tiamulin Metabolites in Various Species of Farm Animals Using Ultra-High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Coupled to Quadrupole/Time-of-Flight.

    PubMed

    Sun, Feifei; Yang, Shupeng; Zhang, Huiyan; Zhou, Jinhui; Li, Yi; Zhang, Jinzhen; Jin, Yue; Wang, Zhanhui; Li, Yanshen; Shen, Jianzhong; Zhang, Suxia; Cao, Xingyuan

    2017-01-11

    Tiamulin is an antimicrobial widely used in veterinary practice to treat dysentery and pneumonia in pigs and poultry. However, knowledge about the metabolism of tiamulin is very limited in farm animals. To better understand the biotransformation of tiamulin, in the present study, in vitro and in vivo metabolites of tiamulin in rats, chickens, swine, goats, and cows were identified and elucidated using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole/time-of-flight. As a result, a total of 26 metabolites of tiamulin, identified in vitro and in vivo, and majority of metabolites were revealed for the first time. In all farm animals, tiamulin undergoes phase I metabolic routes of hydroxylation in the mutilin part (the ring system), S-oxidation and N-deethylation on side chain, and no phase II metabolite was detected. Among these, 2β- and 8α-hydroxylation and N-deethylation were the main metabolic pathways of tiamulin in farm animals. In addition, we have put forward that 8a-hydroxy-tiamulin and 8a-hydroxy-N-deethyl-tiamulin could be hydroxylated into 8a-hydroxy-mutilin, the marker residue of tiamulin in swine. Furthermore, a significant interspecies difference was observed on the metabolism of tiamulin among various farm animals. The possible marker residues for tiamulin in swine were 8α-hydroxy-tiamulin, N-deethyl-tiamulin, and 8α-hydroxy-N-deethyl-tiamulin, which were consistent with the hypothesis proposed by the European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products. However, results in present study indicated that three metabolites (2β-hydroxy-tiamulin, N-deethyl-tiamulin, and 2β-hydroxy-N-deethyl-tiamulin) of tiamulin in chickens had larger yields, which implied that 2β-hydroxy-mutilin or N-deethyl-tiamulin was more likely to be regarded as the potential marker residue of tiamulin in chickens.

  2. Metabolomics study on primary dysmenorrhea patients during the luteal regression stage based on ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry

    PubMed Central

    Fang, Ling; Gu, Caiyun; Liu, Xinyu; Xie, Jiabin; Hou, Zhiguo; Tian, Meng; Yin, Jia; Li, Aizhu; Li, Yubo

    2017-01-01

    Primary dysmenorrhea (PD) is a common gynecological disorder which, while not life-threatening, severely affects the quality of life of women. Most patients with PD suffer ovarian hormone imbalances caused by uterine contraction, which results in dysmenorrhea. PD patients may also suffer from increases in estrogen levels caused by increased levels of prostaglandin synthesis and release during luteal regression and early menstruation. Although PD pathogenesis has been previously reported on, these studies only examined the menstrual period and neglected the importance of the luteal regression stage. Therefore, the present study used urine metabolomics to examine changes in endogenous substances and detect urine biomarkers for PD during luteal regression. Ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry was used to create metabolomic profiles for 36 patients with PD and 27 healthy controls. Principal component analysis and partial least squares discriminate analysis were used to investigate the metabolic alterations associated with PD. Ten biomarkers for PD were identified, including ornithine, dihydrocortisol, histidine, citrulline, sphinganine, phytosphingosine, progesterone, 17-hydroxyprogesterone, androstenedione, and 15-keto-prostaglandin F2α. The specificity and sensitivity of these biomarkers was assessed based on the area under the curve of receiver operator characteristic curves, which can be used to distinguish patients with PD from healthy controls. These results provide novel targets for the treatment of PD. PMID:28098892

  3. Identification of AB-FUBINACA metabolites in authentic urine samples suitable as urinary markers of drug intake using liquid chromatography quadrupole tandem time of flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Vikingsson, Svante; Gréen, Henrik; Brinkhagen, Linda; Mukhtar, Shahzabe; Josefsson, Martin

    2016-09-01

    Synthetic cannabinoids are a group of psychoactive drugs presently widespread among drug users in Europe. Analytical methods to measure these compounds in urine are in demand as urine is a preferred matrix for drug testing. For most synthetic cannabinoids, the parent compounds are rarely detected in urine. Therefore urinary metabolites are needed as markers of drug intake. AB-FUBINACA was one of the top three synthetic cannabinoids most frequently found in seizures and toxicological drug screening in Sweden (2013-2014). Drug abuse is also reported from several other countries such as the USA and Japan. In this study, 28 authentic case samples were used to identify urinary markers of AB-FUBINACA intake using liquid chromatography quadrupole tandem time of flight mass spectrometry and human liver microsomes. Three metabolites suitable as markers of drug intake were identified and at least two of them were detected in all but one case. In total, 15 urinary metabolites of AB-FUBINACA were reported, including hydrolxylations on the indazole ring and the amino-oxobutane moiety, dealkylations and hydrolysis of the primary amide. No modifications on the fluorobenzyl side-chain were observed. The parent compound was detected in 54% of the case samples. Also, after three hours of incubation with human liver microsomes, 77% of the signal from the parent compound remained. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  4. A not-stop-flow online normal-/reversed-phase two-dimensional liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry method for comprehensive lipid profiling of human plasma from atherosclerosis patients.

    PubMed

    Li, Min; Tong, Xunliang; Lv, Pu; Feng, Baosheng; Yang, Li; Wu, Zheng; Cui, Xinge; Bai, Yu; Huang, Yining; Liu, Huwei

    2014-11-03

    A not-stop-flow online two-dimensional (2D) liquid chromatography (LC) method was developed for comprehensive lipid profiling by coupling normal- and reversed-phase LC with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (QToF-MS), which was then applied to separate and identify the lipid species in plasma, making its merits in quality and quantity of the detection of lipids. Total 540 endogenous lipid species from 17 classes were determined in human plasma, and the differences in lipid metabolism products in human plasma between atherosclerosis patients and control subjects were explored in detail. The limit of detections (LODs) of 19 validation standards could all reach ng/mL magnitude, and the RSDs of peak area and retention time ranged 0.4-8.0% and 0.010-0.47%, respectively. In addition, a pair of isomers, galactosylceramides (GalC) and glucosylceramides (GluC), was successfully separated, showing that only the levels of GalC in atherosclerosis patients were significantly increasing, rather than GluC, compared with the controls (controls vs. patients: the ratio was 1.5-2.8-fold increasing). It would be helpful to the further research of the atherosclerosis. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Development and validation of an ultra-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry method for rapid quantification of free amino acids in human urine.

    PubMed

    Joyce, Richard; Kuziene, Viktorija; Zou, Xin; Wang, Xueting; Pullen, Frank; Loo, Ruey Leng

    2016-01-01

    An ultra-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-qTOF-MS) method using hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography was developed and validated for simultaneous quantification of 18 free amino acids in urine with a total acquisition time including the column re-equilibration of less than 18 min per sample. This method involves simple sample preparation steps which consisted of 15 times dilution with acetonitrile to give a final composition of 25 % aqueous and 75 % acetonitrile without the need of any derivatization. The dynamic range for our calibration curve is approximately two orders of magnitude (120-fold from the lowest calibration curve point) with good linearity (r (2) ≥ 0.995 for all amino acids). Good separation of all amino acids as well as good intra- and inter-day accuracy (<15 %) and precision (<15 %) were observed using three quality control samples at a concentration of low, medium and high range of the calibration curve. The limits of detection (LOD) and lower limit of quantification of our method were ranging from approximately 1-300 nM and 0.01-0.5 µM, respectively. The stability of amino acids in the prepared urine samples was found to be stable for 72 h at 4 °C, after one freeze thaw cycle and for up to 4 weeks at -80 °C. We have applied this method to quantify the content of 18 free amino acids in 646 urine samples from a dietary intervention study. We were able to quantify all 18 free amino acids in these urine samples, if they were present at a level above the LOD. We found our method to be reproducible (accuracy and precision were typically <10 % for QCL, QCM and QCH) and the relatively high sample throughput nature of this method potentially makes it a suitable alternative for the analysis of urine samples in clinical setting.

  6. Metabolites identification of harmane in vitro/in vivo in rats by ultra-performance liquid chromatography combined with electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Li, Shuping; Liu, Wei; Teng, Liang; Cheng, Xuemei; Wang, Zhengtao; Wang, Changhong

    2014-04-01

    Harmane, a β-carboline alkaloid with a wide spectrum of pharmacological activities, is naturally present in the human diet, in numerous foodstuffs and in hallucinogenic plants such as Peganum harmala, Banisteriopsis caapi and Tribulus terrestris. However, the precise metabolic fate of harmane remains unknown. In order to know whether harmane is extensively metabolized, a rapid and sensitive method using ultra-performance liquid chromatography combined with electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC/ESI-QTOF-MS) was used to analyze the metabolic profile of harmane in vitro and in vivo in rats. A total of 21 metabolites were identified from the rat liver microsomes and rat liver S9 (9), rat urine (11), feces (16), bile (16), and plasma (10) after a single oral administration of harmane using MetaboLynx™ and MassFragment ™ software tools. It indicated that the biliary and faecal clearance were the major excretion routes for harmane as well as its metabolites. The specific CLogP values combined with different acidic and alkaline mobile phase were helpful and useful for distinguishing N-oxidation and monohydroxylation metabolites. The metabolic transformation pathways of harmane included monohydroxylation, dihydroxylation, N-oxidation, O-glucuronide conjugation, O-sulphate conjugation, and glutathione conjugation. In conclusion, this study showed an insight into the metabolism of harmane. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. A network pharmacology-integrated metabolomics strategy for clarifying the difference between effective compounds of raw and processed Farfarae flos by ultra high-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Ding, Mingya; Li, Zhen; Yu, Xie-An; Zhang, Dong; Li, Jin; Wang, Hui; He, Jun; Gao, Xiu-Mei; Chang, Yan-Xu

    2018-07-15

    This study aimed to clarify the difference between the effective compounds of raw and processed Farfarae flos using a network pharmacology-integrated metabolomics strategy. First, metabolomics data were obtained by ultra high-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-TOF/MS). Then, metabolomics analysis was developed to screen for the influential compounds that were different between raw and processed Farfarae flos. Finally, a network pharmacology approach was applied to verify the activity of the screened compounds. As a result, 4 compounds (chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, rutin and isoquercitrin) were successfully screened, identified, quantified and verified as the most influential effective compounds. They may synergistically inhibit the p38, JNK and ERK-mediated pathways, which would induce the inhibition of the expression of the IFA virus. The results revealed that the proposed network pharmacology-integrated metabolomics strategy was a powerful tool for discovering the effective compounds that were responsible for the difference between raw and processed Chinese herbs. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. Structural elucidation of new urinary tamoxifen metabolites by liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Lu, Jianghai; He, Chunji; He, Genye; Wang, Xiaobing; Xu, Youxuan; Wu, Yun; Dong, Ying; Ouyang, Gangfeng

    2014-07-01

    In this study, tamoxifen metabolic profiles were investigated carefully. Tamoxifen was administered to two healthy male volunteers and one female patient suffering from breast cancer. Urinary extracts were analyzed by liquid chromatography quadruple time-of-flight mass spectrometry using full scan and targeted MS/MS techniques with accurate mass measurement. Chromatographic peaks for potential metabolites were selected by using the theoretical [M + H](+) as precursor ion in full-scan experiment and m/z 72, 58 or 44 as characteristic product ions for N,N-dimethyl, N-desmethyl and N,N-didesmethyl metabolites in targeted MS/MS experiment, respectively. Tamoxifen and 37 metabolites were detected in extraction study samples. Chemical structures of seven unreported metabolites were elucidated particularly on the basis of fragmentation patterns observed for these metabolites. Several metabolic pathways containing mono- and di-hydroxylation, methoxylation, N-desmethylation, N,N-didesmethylation, oxidation and combinations were suggested. All the metabolites were detected in the urine samples up to 1 week. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  9. Indirect enantioseparation of fluoxetine in mouse serum by derivatization with 1R-(-)-menthyl chloroformate followed by ultra high performance liquid chromatography and quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Zhao, Jing; Jin, Yan; Shin, Yujin; Jeong, Kyung Min; Lee, Jeongmi

    2016-03-01

    Here we describe a simple and sensitive analytical method for the enantioselective quantification of fluoxetine in mouse serum using ultra high performance liquid chromatography with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The sample preparation method included a simple deproteinization with acetonitrile in 50 μL of serum, followed by derivatization of the extracts in 50 μL of 2 mM 1R-(-)-menthyl chloroformate at 45ºC for 55 min. These conditions were statistically optimized through response surface methodology using a central composite design. Under the optimized conditions, neither racemization nor kinetic resolution occurred. The derivatized diastereomers were readily resolved on a conventional sub-2 μm C18 column under a simple gradient elution of aqueous methanol containing 0.1% formic acid. The established method was validated and found to be linear, precise, and accurate over the concentration range of 5.0-1000.0 ng/mL for both R and S enantiomers (r(2) > 0.993). Stability tests of the prepared samples at three different concentration levels showed that the R- and S-fluoxetine derivatives were relatively stable for 48 h. No significant matrix effects were observed. Last, the developed method was successfully used for enantiomeric analysis of real serum samples collected at a number of time points from mice administered with racemic fluoxetine. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  10. Simultaneous quantitative determination of 11 sesquiterpene lactones in Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.) leaves by ultra high performance liquid chromatography with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Yuan, Xiaoyan; Yang, Qianxu

    2017-04-01

    A method of ultra high performance liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry was developed for the simultaneous quantification of 11 sesquiterpene lactones in 11 Jerusalem artichoke leaf samples harvested in a number of areas at different periods. The optimal chromatographic conditions were achieved on a ZORBAX Eclipse Plus C 18 column (3.0 × 150 mm, 1.8 μm) with linear gradient elution of methanol and water in 8 min. Quantitative analysis was carried out under selective ion monitoring mode. All of the sesquiterpene lactones showed good linearity (R 2 ≥ 0.9949), repeatability (relative standard deviations < 4.66%), and intra- and interday precisions (relative standard deviations < 4.52%) with an accuracy of 95.24-104.84%. The recoveries measured at three concentration levels varied from 95.07 to 104.87% with relative standard deviations less than 4.9%. The limit of detection and limit of quantitation for this method were 0.89-5.05 and 1.12-44.33 ng/mL, respectively. The results showed that the contents of sesquiterpene lactones varied significantly in the Jerusalem artichoke leaf samples from different areas. Among them, the content of sesquiterpene lactones in the sample collected from Dalian, Liaoning province was the highest and the early flowering period was considered to be the optimal harvest time. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  11. Identification of allocryptopine and protopine metabolites in rat liver S9 by high-performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Huang, Ya-Jun; Xiao, Sa; Sun, Zhi-Liang; Zeng, Jian-Guo; Liu, Yi-Song; Liu, Zhao-Ying

    2016-07-15

    Allocryptopine (AL) and protopine (PR) have been extensively studied because of their anti-parasitic, anti-arrhythmic, anti-thrombotic, anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial activity. However, limited information on the pharmacokinetics and metabolism of AL and PR has been reported. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to investigate the in vitro metabolism of AL and PR in rat liver S9 using a rapid and accurate high-performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HPLC/QqTOFMS) method. The incubation mixture was processed with 15% trichloroacetic acid (TCA). Multiple scans of AL and PR metabolites and accurate mass measurements were automatically performed simultaneously through data-dependent acquisition in only a 30-min analysis. The structural elucidations of these metabolites were performed by comparing their changes in accurate molecular masses and product ions with those of the precursor ion or metabolite. Eight and five metabolites of AL and PR were identified in rat liver S9, respectively. Among these metabolites, seven and two metabolites of AL and PR were identified in the first time, respectively. The demethylenation of the 2,3-methylenedioxy, the demethylation of the 9,10-vicinal methoxyl group and the 2,3-methylenedioxy group were the main metabolic pathways of AL and PR in liver S9, respectively. In addition, the cleavage of the methylenedioxy group of the drugs and subsequent methylation or O-demethylation were also the common metabolic pathways of drugs in liver S9. In addition, the hydroxylation reaction was also the metabolic pathway of AL. This was the first investigation of in vitro metabolism of AL and PR in rat liver S9. The detailed structural elucidations of AL and PR metabolites were performed using a rapid and accurate HPLC/QqTOFMS method. The metabolic pathways of AL and PR in rat were tentatively proposed based on these characterized metabolites and early reports. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley

  12. Application of Ultra-performance Liquid Chromatography with Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry for the Rapid Analysis of Constituents and Metabolites from the Extracts of Acanthopanax senticosus Harms Leaf

    PubMed Central

    Zhang, Yingzhi; Zhang, Aihua; Zhang, Ying; Sun, Hui; Meng, Xiangcai; Yan, Guangli; Wang, Xijun

    2016-01-01

    Acanthopanax senticosus (Rupr and Maxim) Harms (AS), a member of Araliaceae family, is a typical folk medicinal herb, which is widely distributed in the Northeastern part of China. Due to lack of this resource caused by the extensive use of its root, this work studied the chemical constituents of leaves of this plant with the purpose of looking for an alternative resource. In this work, a fast and optimized ultra-performance liquid chromatography method with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF-MS) has been developed for the analysis of constituents in leaves extracts. A total of 131 compounds were identified or tentatively characterized including triterpenoid saponins, phenols, flavonoids, lignans, coumarins, polysaccharides, and other compounds based on their fragmentation behaviors. Besides, a total of 21 metabolites were identified in serum in rats after oral administration, among which 12 prototypes and 9 metabolites through the metabolic pathways of reduction, methylation, sulfate conjugation, sulfoxide to thioether and deglycosylation. The coupling of UPLC-QTOF-MS led to the in-depth characterization of the leaves extracts of AS both in vitro and in vivo on the basis of retention time, mass accuracy, and tandem MS/MS spectra. It concluded that this analytical tool was very valuable in the study of complex compounds in medicinal herb. HIGHLIGHT OF PAPER A fast UPLC-QTOF-MS has been developed for analysis of constituents in leaves extractsA total of 131 compounds were identified in leaves extractsA total of 21 metabolites including 12 prototypes and 9 metabolites were identified in vivo. SUMMARY Constituent’s analysis of Acanthopanax senticosus Harms leaf by ultra-performance liquid chromatography method with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Abbreviations used: AS: Acanthopanax senticosus (Rupr and Maxim) Harms, TCHM: Traditional Chinese herbal medicine, UPLC-QTOF-MS: Ultra-performance liquid chromatography method with time-of-flight

  13. Determination of Vasopressin and Desmopressin in urine by means of liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry for doping control purposes.

    PubMed

    Thomas, A; Solymos, E; Schänzer, W; Baume, N; Saugy, M; Dellanna, F; Thevis, M

    2011-11-30

    The anti-diuretic neurohypophysial hormone Vasopressin (Vp) and its synthetic analogue Desmopressin (Dp, 1-desamino-vasopressin) have received considerable attention from doping control authorities due to their impact on physiological blood parameters. Accordingly, the illicit use of Desmopressin in elite sport is sanctioned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the drug is classified as masking agent. Vp and Dp are small (8-9 amino acids) peptides administered orally as well as intranasally. Within the present study a method to determine Dp and Vp in urinary doping control samples by means of liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole high resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometry was developed. After addition of Lys-Vasopressin as internal standard and efficient sample clean up with a mixed mode solid phase extraction (weak cation exchange), the samples were directly injected into the LC-MS system. The method was validated considering the parameters specificity, linearity, recovery (80-100%), accuracy, robustness, limit of detection/quantification (20/50 pg mL(-1)), precision (inter/intra-day<10%), ion suppression and stability. The analysis of administration study urine samples collected after a single intranasal or oral application of Dp yielded in detection windows for the unchanged target analyte for up to 20 h at concentrations between 50 and 600 pg mL(-1). Endogenous Vp was detected in concentrations of approximately 20-200 pg mL(-1) in spontaneous urine samples obtained from healthy volunteers. The general requirements of the developed method provide the characteristics for an easy transfer to other anti-doping laboratories and support closing another potential gap for cheating athletes. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Biotransformation and metabolic profile of caudatin-2,6-dideoxy-3-O-methy-β-d-cymaropyranoside with human intestinal microflora by liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Wei; Peng, Yun-ru; Ding, Yong-fang

    2015-11-01

    In our previous studies, caudatin-2,6-dideoxy-3-O-methy-β-d- cymaropyranoside (CDMC) was for the first time isolated from Cynanchum auriculatum Royle ex Wightand and was reported to possess a wide range of biological activities. However, the routes and metabolites of CDMC produced by intestinal bacteria are not well understood. In this study, ultra-performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS) technique combined with Metabolynx(TM) software was applied to analyze metabolites of CDMC by human intestinal bacteria. The incubated samples collected for 48 h in an anaerobic incubator and extracted with ethyl acetate were analyzed by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS within 12 min. Eight metabolites were identified based on MS and MS/MS data. The results indicated that hydrolysis, hydrogenation, demethylation and hydroxylation were the major metabolic pathways of CDMC in vitro. Seven strains of bacteria including Bacillus sp. 46, Enterococcus sp. 30 and sp. 45, Escherichia sp. 49A, sp. 64, sp. 68 and sp. 75 were further identified using 16S rRNA gene sequencing owing to their relatively strong metabolic capacity toward CDMC. The present study provides important information about metabolic routes of CDMC and the roles of different intestinal bacteria in the metabolism of CDMC. Moreover, those metabolites might influence the biological effect of CDMC in vivo, which affects the clinical effects of this medicinal plant. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  15. Solid-phase extraction followed by liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry for the selective determination of fungicides in wine samples.

    PubMed

    Fontana, A R; Rodríguez, I; Ramil, M; Altamirano, J C; Cela, R

    2011-04-22

    In this work, a reliable and selective procedure for the determination of thirteen fungicides in red and white wine samples is proposed. Solid-phase extraction (SPE) and liquid chromatography (LC) tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS), based on a hybrid quadrupole time-of-flight (QTOF) system, were used as sample preparation and determination techniques, respectively. Extraction and purification of target analytes was carried out simultaneously by using a reversed-phase Oasis HLB (200mg) SPE cartridge combined with acetonitrile as elution solvent. Fungicides were determined operating the electrospray source in the positive ionization mode, with MS/MS conditions adjusted to obtain at least two intense product ions per compound, or registering two transitions per species when a single product was noticed. High selective MS/MS chromatograms were extracted using a mass window of 20 ppms for each product ion. Considering external calibration as quantification technique, the overall recoveries (accuracy) of the procedure ranged between 81% and 114% for red and white wine samples (10-20 mL), spiked at different concentrations between 5 and 100 ng mL(-1). Relative standard deviations of the above data stayed below 12% and the limits of quantification (LOQs) of the method, calculated for 10 mL of wine, varied between 0.1 ng mL(-1) for cyprodinil (CYP) and 0.7 ng mL(-1) for myclobutanil (MYC). The optimized method was applied to seventeen commercial wines produced in Spain and obtained from local supermarkets. Nine fungicides were determined, at levels above the LOQs of the method, in the above samples. The maximum concentrations and the highest occurrence frequencies corresponded to metalaxyl (MET) and iprovalicarb (IPR). Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Site-specific N-glycosylation analysis: matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization quadrupole-quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectral signatures for recognition and identification of glycopeptides.

    PubMed

    Krokhin, Oleg; Ens, Werner; Standing, Kenneth G; Wilkins, John; Perreault, Hélène

    2004-01-01

    The identification of glycosylation sites in proteins is often possible through a combination of proteolytic digestion, separation, mass spectrometry (MS) and tandem MS (MS/MS). Liquid chromatography (LC) in combination with MS/MS has been a reliable method for detecting glycopeptides in digestion mixtures, and for assigning glycosylation sites and glycopeptide sequences. Direct interfacing of LC with MS relies on electrospray ionization, which produces ions with two, three or four charges for most proteolytic peptides and glycopeptides. MS/MS spectra of such glycopeptide ions often lead to ambiguous interpretation if deconvolution to the singly charged level is not used. In contrast, the matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) technique usually produces singly charged peptide and glycopeptide ions. These ions require an extended m/z range, as provided by the quadrupole-quadrupole time-of-flight (QqTOF) instrument used in these experiments, but the main advantages of studying singly charged ions are the simplicity and consistency of the MS/MS spectra. A first aim of the present study is to develop methods to recognize and use glycopeptide [M+H]+ ions as precursors for MS/MS, and thus for glycopeptide/glycoprotein identification as part of wider proteomics studies. Secondly, this article aims at demonstrating the usefulness of MALDI-MS/MS spectra of N-glycopeptides. Mixtures of diverse types of proteins, obtained commercially, were prepared and subjected to reduction, alkylation and tryptic digestion. Micro-column reversed-phase separation allowed deposition of several fractions on MALDI plates, followed by MS and MS/MS analysis of all peptides. Glycopeptide fractions were identified after MS by their specific m/z spacing patterns (162, 203, 291 u) between glycoforms, and then analyzed by MS/MS. In most cases, MS/MS spectra of [M+H]+ ions of glycopeptides featured peaks useful for determining sugar composition, peptide sequence, and thus probable

  17. High-resolution liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry combined with liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry to identify polyphenols from grape antioxidant dietary fiber.

    PubMed

    Touriño, Sonia; Fuguet, Elisabet; Jáuregui, Olga; Saura-Calixto, Fulgencio; Cascante, Marta; Torres, Josep Lluís

    2008-11-01

    Grape antioxidant dietary fiber (GADF) is a dietary supplement that combines the benefits of both fiber and antioxidants that help prevent cancer and cardiovascular diseases. The antioxidant polyphenolic components in GADF probably help prevent cancer in the digestive tract, where they are bioavailable. Mass spectrometry coupled to liquid chromatography is a powerful tool for the analysis of complex plant derivatives such as GADF. We use a combination of MS techniques, namely liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC/ESI-TOF-MS) and liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC/ESI-MS/MS) on a triple quadrupole, for the identification of the polyphenolic constituents of the soluble fraction of GADF. First, we separated the mixture into four fractions which were tested for phenolic constituents using the TOF system in the full scan mode. The high sensitivity and resolution of the TOF detector over the triple quadrupole facilitate the preliminary characterization of the fractions. Then we used LC/ESI-MS/MS to identify the individual phenols through MS/MS experiments (product ion scan, neutral loss scan, precursor ion scan). Finally, most of the identities were unequivocally confirmed by accurate mass measurements on the TOF spectrometer. LC/ESI-TOF-MS combined with MS/MS correctly identifies the bioactive polyphenolic components from the soluble fraction of GADF. High-resolution TOF-MS is particularly useful for identifying the structure of compounds with the same LC/ESI-MS/MS fragmentation patterns.

  18. Quantification and semiquantification of multiple representative components for the holistic quality control of Allii Macrostemonis Bulbus by ultra high performance liquid chromatography with quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Qin, Zifei; Lin, Pei; Dai, Yi; Yao, Zhihong; Wang, Li; Yao, Xinsheng; Liu, Liyin; Chen, Haifeng

    2016-05-01

    Allii Macrostemonis Bulbus (named Xiebai in China) is a folk medicine with medicinal values for the treatment of thoracic obstruction and cardialgia, and a food additive as well. However, there is even no quantitative standard for Allii Macrostemonis Bulbus recorded in the current edition of the Chinese Pharmacopeia. Hence, simultaneous assay of multiple components is urgent. In this study, chemometric methods were firstly applied to discover the components with significant fluctuation among multiple Allii Macrostemonis Bulbus samples based on optimized fingerprints. Meanwhile, the major components and main absorbed components in rats were all selected as its representative components. Subsequently, a sensitive method was established for the simultaneous determination of 54 components (15 components for quantification and 39 components for semiquantification) by ultra high performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry. Moreover, the validated method was successfully applied to evaluate the quality of multiple samples on the market. It became known that multiple Allii Macrostemonis Bulbus samples varied significantly and showed poor consistency. This work illustrated that the proposed approach could improve the quality of Allii Macrostemonis Bulbus, and it also provided a feasible method for quality evaluation of other traditional Chinese medicines. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  19. Rapid and sensitive screening and selective quantification of antibiotics in human urine by two-dimensional ultraperformance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Wang, He-Xing; Wang, Bin; Zhou, Ying; Jiang, Qing-Wu

    2014-12-01

    A rapid and sensitive method for the screening and selective quantification of antibiotics in urine by two-dimensional ultraperformance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry was developed. This method allowed the injection of 200 μL urine extract. The 200-μL injection volume used in this method increased the absolute sensitivity for target antibiotics in solvent by an average 13.3 times, with a range from 8.4 to 28.5 times, compared with the 10-μL conventional injection volume. A 96-well solid phase extraction procedure was established to eliminate the contamination on the chromatographic column resulting from the large-volume injection and increase the throughput of sample preparation. Fourteen target antibiotics from six common categories (β-lactams, quinolones, tetracyclines, macrolides, sulfonamides, and chloramphenicols) were selected as model compounds, and a database containing an additional 74 antibiotics was compiled for posttarget screening. The limit of detection of the target antibiotics, defined as a signal-to-noise ratio of 3, ranged from 0.04 to 1.99 ng/mL. The mean interday recoveries ranged between 79.6 and 121.3 %, with a relative standard deviation from 2.9 to 18.3 % at three spiking levels of 20 ng/mL, 50 ng/mL, and 100 ng/mL. This method was successfully applied in 60 real urine samples from schoolchildren aged 8-11 years, and four target antibiotics (azithromycin, sulfadiazine, trimethoprim, and oxytetracycline) and two posttarget antibiotics (sulfadimidine and cefaclor) were found in the urine samples. This method can be used as a large-scale biomonitoring tool for exposure of the human population to antibiotics.

  20. Ultra-high-performance supercritical fluid chromatography with quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPSFC/QTOF-MS) for analysis of lignin-derived monomeric compounds in processed lignin samples.

    PubMed

    Prothmann, Jens; Sun, Mingzhe; Spégel, Peter; Sandahl, Margareta; Turner, Charlotta

    2017-12-01

    The conversion of lignin to potentially high-value low molecular weight compounds often results in complex mixtures of monomeric and oligomeric compounds. In this study, a method for the quantitative and qualitative analysis of 40 lignin-derived compounds using ultra-high-performance supercritical fluid chromatography coupled to quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPSFC/QTOF-MS) has been developed. Seven different columns were explored for maximum selectivity. Makeup solvent composition and ion source settings were optimised using a D-optimal design of experiment (DoE). Differently processed lignin samples were analysed and used for the method validation. The new UHPSFC/QTOF-MS method showed good separation of the 40 compounds within only 6-min retention time, and out of these, 36 showed high ionisation efficiency in negative electrospray ionisation mode. Graphical abstract A rapid and selective method for the quantitative and qualitative analysis of 40 lignin-derived compounds using ultra-high-performance supercritical fluid chromatography coupled to quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPSFC/QTOF-MS).

  1. The Impact II, a Very High-Resolution Quadrupole Time-of-Flight Instrument (QTOF) for Deep Shotgun Proteomics*

    PubMed Central

    Beck, Scarlet; Michalski, Annette; Raether, Oliver; Lubeck, Markus; Kaspar, Stephanie; Goedecke, Niels; Baessmann, Carsten; Hornburg, Daniel; Meier, Florian; Paron, Igor; Kulak, Nils A.; Cox, Juergen; Mann, Matthias

    2015-01-01

    Hybrid quadrupole time-of-flight (QTOF) mass spectrometry is one of the two major principles used in proteomics. Although based on simple fundamentals, it has over the last decades greatly evolved in terms of achievable resolution, mass accuracy, and dynamic range. The Bruker impact platform of QTOF instruments takes advantage of these developments and here we develop and evaluate the impact II for shotgun proteomics applications. Adaption of our heated liquid chromatography system achieved very narrow peptide elution peaks. The impact II is equipped with a new collision cell with both axial and radial ion ejection, more than doubling ion extraction at high tandem MS frequencies. The new reflectron and detector improve resolving power compared with the previous model up to 80%, i.e. to 40,000 at m/z 1222. We analyzed the ion current from the inlet capillary and found very high transmission (>80%) up to the collision cell. Simulation and measurement indicated 60% transfer into the flight tube. We adapted MaxQuant for QTOF data, improving absolute average mass deviations to better than 1.45 ppm. More than 4800 proteins can be identified in a single run of HeLa digest in a 90 min gradient. The workflow achieved high technical reproducibility (R2 > 0.99) and accurate fold change determination in spike-in experiments in complex mixtures. Using label-free quantification we rapidly quantified haploid against diploid yeast and characterized overall proteome differences in mouse cell lines originating from different tissues. Finally, after high pH reversed-phase fractionation we identified 9515 proteins in a triplicate measurement of HeLa peptide mixture and 11,257 proteins in single measurements of cerebellum—the highest proteome coverage reported with a QTOF instrument so far. PMID:25991688

  2. Short-term toxicity assessments of an antibiotic metabolite in Wistar rats and its metabonomics analysis by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Han, Hongxing; Xiao, Hailong; Lu, Zhenmei

    2016-02-15

    4-Epi-oxytetracycline (4-EOTC), one of main oxytetracycline (OTC) metabolites, can be commonly detected in food and environment. The toxicity and effects of OTC on animals have been well characterized; however, its metabolites have never been studied systemically. This study aims to investigate 15-day oral dose toxicity and urine metabonomics changes of 4-EOTC after repeated administration in Wistar rats at daily doses of 0.5, 5.0 and 50.0mg/kg bw (bodyweight). Hematology and clinical chemistry parameters, including white blood cell count, red blood cell count, total protein, globulin and albumin/globulin, were obviously altered in rats of 5.0 and 50.0mg/kg bw. Histopathology changes of kidney and liver tissues were also observed in high-dose groups. Urinary metabolites from all groups were analyzed using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF/MS). Seventeen metabolites contributing to the clusters were identified as potential biomarkers from multivariate analysis, including aminoadipic acid, 6-phosphogluconate, sebacic acid, pipecolic acid, etc. The significant changes of these biomarkers demonstrated metabonomic variations in treated rats, especially lysine and purine metabolism. For the first time in this paper, we combined the results of toxicity and metabonomics induced by 4-EOTC for the serious reconsideration of the safety and potential risks of antibiotics and its degradation metabolites. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Hybrid quadrupole mass filter/quadrupole ion trap/time-of-flight-mass spectrometer for infrared multiple photon dissociation spectroscopy of mass-selected ions

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Gulyuz, Kerim; Stedwell, Corey N.; Wang Da

    2011-05-15

    We present a laboratory-constructed mass spectrometer optimized for recording infrared multiple photon dissociation (IRMPD) spectra of mass-selected ions using a benchtop tunable infrared optical parametric oscillator/amplifier (OPO/A). The instrument is equipped with two ionization sources, an electrospray ionization source, as well as an electron ionization source for troubleshooting. This hybrid mass spectrometer is composed of a quadrupole mass filter for mass selection, a reduced pressure ({approx}10{sup -5} Torr) quadrupole ion trap (QIT) for OPO irradiation, and a reflectron time-of-flight drift tube for detecting the remaining precursor and photofragment ions. A helium gas pulse is introduced into the QIT to temporarilymore » increase the pressure and hence enhance the trapping efficiency of axially injected ions. After a brief pump-down delay, the compact ion cloud is subjected to the focused output from the continuous wave OPO. In a recent study, we implemented this setup in the study of protonated tryptophan, TrpH{sup +}, as well as collision-induced dissociation products of this protonated amino acid [W. K. Mino, Jr., K. Gulyuz, D. Wang, C. N. Stedwell, and N. C. Polfer, J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2, 299 (2011)]. Here, we give a more detailed account on the figures of merit of such IRMPD experiments. The appreciable photodissociation yields in these measurements demonstrate that IRMPD spectroscopy of covalently bound ions can be routinely carried out using benchtop OPO setups.« less

  4. Separation and characterization of chemical constituents in Ginkgo biloba extract by off-line hydrophilic interaction×reversed-phase two-dimensional liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Ji, Shuai; He, Dan-Dan; Wang, Tian-Yun; Han, Jie; Li, Zheng; Du, Yan; Zou, Jia-Hui; Guo, Meng-Zhe; Tang, Dao-Quan

    2017-11-30

    Ginkgo biloba extract (GBE), derived from the leaves of Ginkgo biloba L., is one of the most widely used traditional Chinese medicines worldwide. Due to high structural diversity and low abundance of chemical constituents in GBE, conventional reversed-phase liquid chromatography has limited power to meet the needs of its quality control. In this study, an off-line hydrophilic interaction×reversed-phase two-dimensional liquid chromatography (HILIC×RP 2D-LC) system coupled with diode array detection (DAD) and quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (qTOF-MS) was established to comprehensively analyze the chemical constituents of GBE. After optimizing the chromatographic columns and mobile phase of 2D-LC, a Waters XBridge Amide column using acetonitrile/water/formic acid as the mobile phase was selected as the first dimension to fractionate GBE, and the obtained fractions were further separated on an Agilent Zorbax XDB-C18 column with methanol/water/formic acid as the mobile phase. As a result, a total of 125 compounds were detected in GBE. The orthogonality of the 2D-LC system was 69.5%, and the practical peak capacity was 3864 and 2994, respectively, calculated by two different methods. The structures of 104 compounds were tentatively characterized by qTOF-MS analysis, and 21 of them were further confirmed by comparing with reference standards. This established HILIC×RP 2D-LC-qTOF/MS system can greatly improve the separation and characterization of natural products in GBE or other complicated herbal extracts. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Unbiased metabolite profiling by liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry and multivariate data analysis for herbal authentication: classification of seven Lonicera species flower buds.

    PubMed

    Gao, Wen; Yang, Hua; Qi, Lian-Wen; Liu, E-Hu; Ren, Mei-Ting; Yan, Yu-Ting; Chen, Jun; Li, Ping

    2012-07-06

    Plant-based medicines become increasingly popular over the world. Authentication of herbal raw materials is important to ensure their safety and efficacy. Some herbs belonging to closely related species but differing in medicinal properties are difficult to be identified because of similar morphological and microscopic characteristics. Chromatographic fingerprinting is an alternative method to distinguish them. Existing approaches do not allow a comprehensive analysis for herbal authentication. We have now developed a strategy consisting of (1) full metabolic profiling of herbal medicines by rapid resolution liquid chromatography (RRLC) combined with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (QTOF MS), (2) global analysis of non-targeted compounds by molecular feature extraction algorithm, (3) multivariate statistical analysis for classification and prediction, and (4) marker compounds characterization. This approach has provided a fast and unbiased comparative multivariate analysis of the metabolite composition of 33-batch samples covering seven Lonicera species. Individual metabolic profiles are performed at the level of molecular fragments without prior structural assignment. In the entire set, the obtained classifier for seven Lonicera species flower buds showed good prediction performance and a total of 82 statistically different components were rapidly obtained by the strategy. The elemental compositions of discriminative metabolites were characterized by the accurate mass measurement of the pseudomolecular ions and their chemical types were assigned by the MS/MS spectra. The high-resolution, comprehensive and unbiased strategy for metabolite data analysis presented here is powerful and opens the new direction of authentication in herbal analysis. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Simultaneous Qualitative and Quantitative Analyses of Triterpenoids in Ilex pubescens by Ultra-High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Coupled with Quadrupole Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Cao, Di; Wang, Qing; Jin, Jing; Qiu, Maosong; Zhou, Lian; Zhou, Xinghong; Li, Hui; Zhao, Zhongxiang

    2018-03-01

    Ilex pubescens Hook et Arn mainly contains triterpenoids that possess antithrombotic, anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects. Quantitative and qualitative analyses of the triterpenoids in I. pubescens can be useful for determining the authenticity and quality of raw materials and guiding its clinical preparation. To establish a method for rapid and comprehensive analysis of triterpenoids in I. pubescens using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionisation and quadrupole time-of-flight-mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS), which will also be applied to evaluate the contents of nine triterpenoids among root, root heartwood and root bark of I. pubescens to judge the value of the root bark to avoid wastage. UPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS data from the extracts of I. pubescens in negative mode were analysed using Peakview and Masterview software that provided molecular weight, mass errors, isotope pattern fit and MS/MS fragments for the identification of triterpenoids. The quantification of nine investigated compounds of I. pubescens was accomplished using MultiQuant software. A total of 33 triterpenoids, five phenolic acids, two lignans and a flavonol were characterised in only 14 min. The total content of the nine compounds in the root bark was generally slightly higher than that of the root and root heartwood, which has not been reported before. The developed UPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS method was proven to be rapid and comprehensive for simultaneous qualitative and quantitative analyses of the characteristic triterpenoids in I. pubescens. The results may provide a basis for holistic quality control and metabolic studies of I. pubescens, as well as serve as a reference for the analysis of other Ilex plants. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  7. Determination of selected non-authorized insecticides in peppers by liquid chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry and tandem mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Mezcua, Milagros; Ferrer, Carmen; García-Reyes, Juan F; Martínez-Bueno, María Jesús; Albarracín, Micaela; Claret, María; Fernández-Alba, Amadeo R

    2008-05-01

    In this work, two analytical methods based on liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC/ESI-TOFMS) and tandem mass spectrometry (LC/ESI-MS/MS) are described for the identification, confirmation and quantitation of three insecticides non-authorized in the European Union (nitenpyram, isocarbophos and isofenphos-methyl) but detected in recent monitoring programmes in pepper samples. The proposed methodologies involved a sample extraction procedure using liquid-liquid partition with acetonitrile followed by a cleanup step based on dispersive solid-phase extraction. Recovery studies performed on peppers spiked at different fortification levels (10 and 50 microg kg(-1)) yielded average recoveries in the range 76-100% with relative standard deviation (RSD) (%) values below 10%. Identification, confirmation and quantitation were carried out by LC/TOFMS and LC/MS/MS using a hybrid triple quadrupole linear ion trap (QqLIT) instrument in multiple-reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. The obtained limits of quantitation (LOQs) were in the range 0.1-5 microg kg(-1), depending on each individual technique. Finally, the proposed methods were successfully applied to the analysis of suspected pepper samples. Copyright (c) 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  8. Fast and automated characterization of major constituents in rat biofluid after oral administration of Abelmoschus manihot extract using ultra-performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry and MetaboLynx.

    PubMed

    Guo, Jianming; Shang, Er-Xin; Duan, Jin-Ao; Tang, Yuping; Qian, Dawei; Su, Shulan

    2010-02-01

    In drug metabolism research, the setting up of a complex series of mass spectrometry experiments and the subsequent analysis of the large amounts of data produced are often time-consuming. In this paper, we describe a strategy using ultra-performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC/QTOFMS) with automated data analysis software (MetaboLynx) for fast analysis of the metabolic profile of flavonoids in Abelmoschus manihot. Rat plasma and urine samples collected 1 h and 0-12 h after oral administration of Abelmoschus manihot were analyzed by UPLC/QTOFMS within 15 min. The post-acquisition data were processed using MetaboLynx. With key parameters carefully set, MetaboLynx is able to show the presence of a wide range of metabolites with only a limited requirement for manual intervention and data interpretation time. A total of 16 and 38 metabolites were identified in plasma and urine compared with blank samples. The results indicated that methylation and glucuronidation after deglycosylation were the major metabolic pathways of flavonoid glycosides in Abelmoschus manihot. The present study provided important information about the metabolism of flavonoid glycosides in Abelmoschus manihot which will be helpful for fully understanding the mechanism of action of this herb. Furthermore, this work demonstrated the potential of the UPLC/QTOFMS approach using MetaboLynx for fast and automated identification of metabolites from Chinese herbal medicines. Copyright (c) 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  9. Sensitive characterization of polyphenolic antioxidants in Polygonatum odoratum by selective solid phase extraction and high performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector-quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Hu, Xin; Zhao, Huading; Shi, Shuyun; Li, Hui; Zhou, Xiaoling; Jiao, Feipeng; Jiang, Xinyu; Peng, Dongming; Chen, Xiaoqin

    2015-08-10

    The complexity of natural products always leads to the co-elution of interfering compounds with bioactive compounds, which then has a detrimental effect on structural elucidation. Here, a new method, based on selective solid phase extraction combined with 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH) spiking and high performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector-quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-DAD-QTOF-MS/MS), is described for sensitive screening, selective extraction and identification of polyphenolic antioxidants in Polygonatum odoratum. First, 25 polyphenolic antioxidants (1-25) were screened by DPPH spiking with HPLC. Second, polydopamine coated Fe3O4 microspheres (Fe3O4@PDA) were prepared to selectively extract target antioxidants with extraction efficiency from 55% to 100% when the amount of Fe3O4@PDA, extraction time, desorption solvent and time were 10mg, 20 min, acetonitrile, and 5 min. Third, 25 antioxidants (10 cinnamides and 15 homoisoflavanones) were identified by HPLC-DAD-QTOF-MS/MS. Furthermore, the DPPH scavenging activities of purified compounds (IC50, 1.6-32.8 μg/mL) validated the method. Among the identified antioxidants, four of them (12, 13, 18 and 19) were new compounds, four of them (2, 4, 8 and 14) were first obtained from family Liliaceae, five of them (1, 3, 5, 7 and 9) were first reported in genus Polygonatum, while one compound (24) was first identified in this species. The results indicated that the proposed method was an efficient and sensitive approach to explore polyphenolic antioxidants from complex natural products. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Comparison of veterinary drug residue results in animal tissues by ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography coupled to triple quadrupole or quadrupole-time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry after different sample preparation methods, including use of a commercial lipid removal product.

    PubMed

    Anumol, Tarun; Lehotay, Steven J; Stevens, Joan; Zweigenbaum, Jerry

    2017-04-01

    Veterinary drug residues in animal-derived foods must be monitored to ensure food safety, verify proper veterinary practices, enforce legal limits in domestic and imported foods, and for other purposes. A common goal in drug residue analysis in foods is to achieve acceptable monitoring results for as many analytes as possible, with higher priority given to the drugs of most concern, in an efficient and robust manner. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has implemented a multiclass, multi-residue method based on sample preparation using dispersive solid phase extraction (d-SPE) for cleanup and ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-tandem quadrupole mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QQQ) for analysis of >120 drugs at regulatory levels of concern in animal tissues. Recently, a new cleanup product called "enhanced matrix removal for lipids" (EMR-L) was commercially introduced that used a unique chemical mechanism to remove lipids from extracts. Furthermore, high-resolution quadrupole-time-of-flight (Q/TOF) for (U)HPLC detection often yields higher selectivity than targeted QQQ analyzers while allowing retroactive processing of samples for other contaminants. In this study, the use of both d-SPE and EMR-L sample preparation and UHPLC-QQQ and UHPLC-Q/TOF analysis methods for shared spiked samples of bovine muscle, kidney, and liver was compared. The results showed that the EMR-L method provided cleaner extracts overall and improved results for several anthelmintics and tranquilizers compared to the d-SPE method, but the EMR-L method gave lower recoveries for certain β-lactam antibiotics. QQQ vs. Q/TOF detection showed similar mixed performance advantages depending on analytes and matrix interferences, with an advantage to Q/TOF for greater possible analytical scope and non-targeted data collection. Either combination of approaches may be used to meet monitoring purposes, with an edge in efficiency to d-SPE, but greater instrument robustness and less matrix effects when

  11. Analysis and improved characterization of minor antioxidants from leaves of Malus doumeri using a combination of major constituents' knockout with high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector-quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Zhao, Huading; Hu, Xin; Chen, Xiaoqin; Shi, Shuyun; Jiang, Xinyu; Liang, Xuejuan; Chen, Wei; Zhang, Shuihan

    2015-06-12

    Due to the complexity of natural products, efficient identification of bioactive compounds, especially for minor compounds, would require a huge effort. Here, we developed an effective strategy based on combining major constituents' knockout with high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector-quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-DAD-QTOF-MS/MS) to comprehensively identify minor antioxidants in Malus doumeri, one of the longest known and most used tonic plant in Taiwan. First, five major compounds (I-V) in M. doumeri were knocked out by two-step stepwise high-speed countercurrent chromatography (HSCCC). Second, minor antioxidants were screened by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical-HPLC (DPPH-HPLC) assay. Third, structures of thirty minor antioxidants, including 11 dihydrochalcones, 4 flavanones, 3 flavonols, 2 flavones, 3 aurones and 7 phenolic acids, were unambiguously or tentatively identified by matching their characteristic UV spectra, accurate mass signals and key diagnostic fragment ions with standards or previously reported compounds. Twenty-six of them, as far as was known, were discovered from M. doumeri for the first time. The results indicated that the proposed method was a useful approach to explore minor bioactive compounds from complex natural products. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. Simultaneous detection and identification of precursors, degradation and co-products of chemical warfare agents in drinking water by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Tak, Vijay; Purohit, Ajay; Pardasani, Deepak; Goud, D Raghavender; Jain, Rajeev; Dubey, D K

    2014-11-28

    Environmental markers of chemical warfare agents (CWAs) comprise millions of chemical structures. The simultaneous detection and identification of these environmental markers poses difficulty due to their diverse chemical properties. In this work, by using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QTOF), a generic analytical method for the detection and identification of wide range of environmental markers of CWAs (including precursors, degradation and co-products of nerve agents and sesqui-mustards) in drinking water, was developed. The chromatographic analysis of 55 environmental markers of CWAs including isomeric and isobaric compounds was accomplished within 20 min, using 1.8 μm particle size column. Subsequent identification of the compounds was achieved by the accurate mass measurement of either protonated molecule [M+H](+) or ammonium adduct [M+NH4](+) and fragment ions. Isomeric and isobaric compounds were distinguished by chromatographic retention time, characteristic fragment ions generated by both in-source collision induced dissociation (CID) and CID in the collision cell by MS/MS experiments. The exact mass measurement errors for all ions were observed less than 3 ppm with internal calibration. The method limits of detection (LODs) and limits of quantification (LOQs) were determined in drinking water and found to be 1-50 ng mL(-1) and 5-125 ng mL(-1), respectively. Applicability of the proposed method was proved by determining the environmental markers of CWAs in aqueous samples provided by Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons during 34th official proficiency test. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. General unknown screening in hair by liquid chromatography-hybrid quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF-MS).

    PubMed

    Broecker, Sebastian; Herre, Sieglinde; Pragst, Fritz

    2012-05-10

    The retrospective investigation of the exposure to toxic substances by general unknown screening of hair is still a difficult task because of the large number of possible poisons, the low sample amount and the difficult sample matrix. In this study the use of liquid chromatography-hybrid quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF-MS) was tested as a promising technique for this purpose. In the optimized procedure, 20mg hair were decontaminated with water and acetone and two times extracted by 18h incubation with 0.5ml of a mixture of methanol/acetonitrile/H(2)O/ammonium formate at 37°C. A mixture of deuterated standards from different drug groups was added for quantification and method control. The united extracts were evaporated to a residue of 0.5ml and 5μl were injected without clean-up for LC-QTOF-MS measurement (instrument Agilent 6530) with positive electrospray ionization and in data dependent acquisition mode. For peak identification the accurate mass data base and spectral library of the authors was used which contains accurate mass CID spectra of more than 2500 and theoretically calculated accurate mass data of more than 7500 toxicologically relevant substances. Validation at the example of 24 illegal drugs, their metabolites and benzodiazepines resulted in limits of detection of 0.003-0.015ng/mg, and limits of quantification of 0.006-0.021ng/mg with good accuracy and intra- and interday reproducibility. The matrix effect by ion suppression/enhancement was 72-107% for basic drugs and 42-75% for benzodiazepines. Yields of the hair extraction above 90% were determined for 59 drugs or metabolites. The method was applied to hair samples from 30 drug fatalities and from 60 death cases with known therapeutic drug intake at life time. Altogether 212 substances were identified with a frequency per drug of 1-40 (mean 4.2) and per case of 2-33 (mean 10.2), between them 35 illegal drug related substances and 154 therapeutic drugs. Comparison with the

  14. Use of a Designed Peptide Array To Infer Dissociation Trends for Nontryptic Peptides in Quadrupole Ion Trap and Quadrupole Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry

    DOE PAGES

    Gaucher, Sara P.; Morrow, Jeffrey A.; Faulon, Jean-Loup M.

    2007-09-14

    Observed peptide gas-phase fragmentation patterns are a complex function of many variables. In order to systematically probe this phenomenon, an array of 40 peptides was synthesized for study. The array of sequences was designed to hold certain variables (peptide length) constant and randomize or balance others (peptide amino acid distribution and position). A high-quality tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) data set was acquired for each peptide for all observed charge states on multiple MS instruments, quadrupole-time-of-flight and quadrupole ion trap. The data were analyzed as a function of total charge state and number of mobile protons. Previously known dissociation trends weremore » observed, validating our approach. In addition, the general influence of basic amino acids on dissociation could be determined because, in contrast to the more widely studied tryptic peptides, the amino acids H, K, and R were positionally distributed. Interestingly, our results suggest that cleavage at all basic amino acids is suppressed when a mobile proton is available. Cleavage at H becomes favored only under conditions where a partially mobile proton is present, a caveat to the previously reported trend of enhanced cleavage at H. In conclusion, all acquired data were used as a benchmark to determine how well these sequences would have been identified in a database search using a common algorithm, Mascot.« less

  15. Sensitive screening of abused drugs in dried blood samples using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-ion booster-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Chepyala, Divyabharathi; Tsai, I-Lin; Liao, Hsiao-Wei; Chen, Guan-Yuan; Chao, Hsi-Chun; Kuo, Ching-Hua

    2017-03-31

    An increased rate of drug abuse is a major social problem worldwide. The dried blood spot (DBS) sampling technique offers many advantages over using urine or whole blood sampling techniques. This study developed a simple and efficient ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-ion booster-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-IB-QTOF-MS) method for the analysis of abused drugs and their metabolites using DBS. Fifty-seven compounds covering the most commonly abused drugs, including amphetamines, opioids, cocaine, benzodiazepines, barbiturates, and many other new and emerging abused drugs, were selected as the target analytes of this study. An 80% acetonitrile solvent with a 5-min extraction by Geno grinder was used for sample extraction. A Poroshell column was used to provide efficient separation, and under optimal conditions, the analytical times were 15 and 5min in positive and negative ionization modes, respectively. Ionization parameters of both electrospray ionization source and ion booster (IB) source containing an extra heated zone were optimized to achieve the best ionization efficiency of the investigated abused drugs. In spite of their structural diversity, most of the abused drugs showed an enhanced mass response with the high temperature ionization from an extra heated zone of IB source. Compared to electrospray ionization, the ion booster (IB) greatly improved the detection sensitivity for 86% of the analytes by 1.5-14-fold and allowed the developed method to detect trace amounts of compounds on the DBS cards. The validation results showed that the coefficients of variation of intra-day and inter-day precision in terms of the signal intensity were lower than 19.65%. The extraction recovery of all analytes was between 67.21 and 115.14%. The limits of detection of all analytes were between 0.2 and 35.7ngmL -1 . The stability study indicated that 7% of compounds showed poor stability (below 50%) on the DBS cards after 6 months of storage at

  16. Rapid resolution liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry-based metabolomics approach to study the effects of jieduquyuziyin prescription on systemic lupus erythematosus.

    PubMed

    Ding, Xinghong; Hu, Jinbo; Wen, Chengping; Ding, Zhishan; Yao, Li; Fan, Yongsheng

    2014-01-01

    Jieduquyuziyin prescription (JP), a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) prescription, has been widely used for the clinical treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). However, the complex chemical constituents of JP and the multifactorial pathogenesis of SLE make research on the therapeutic mechanism of JP in SLE challenging. In this paper, a serum metabolomics approach based on rapid resolution liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (RRLC-Q-TOF/MS) was employed to acquire the metabolic characteristics of serum samples obtained from mice in the SLE model group, JP-treated group, prednisone acetate (PA)-treated group and control group. The orthogonal partial least squares (OPLS) was applied to recognize metabolic patterns, and an obvious separation of groups was obtained. Thirteen metabolites, namely, phosphatidylethanolamine (PE 20:3), hepoxilin B3, lyso- phosphatidylethanolamine (lyso-PE 22:6), 12S-hydroxypentaenoic acid (12S-HEPE), traumatic acid, serotonin, platelet-activating factor (PAF), phosphatidylcholine (PC 20:5),eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), 12(S)-hydroxyei- cosatetraenoic acid (12S-HETE), 14-hydroxy docosahexaenoic acid (14-HDOHE), lyso-phosphatidylcholine (lyso-PC 20:4), and indole acetaldehyde, were identified and characterized as differential metabolites involved in the pathogenesis of SLE. After treatment with JP, the relative content of 12(S)-HETE, PAF, 12(S)-HEPE, EPA, PE (20:3), Lyso-PE(22:6), and 14-HDOHE were effectively regulated, which suggested that the therapeutic effects of JP on SLE may involve regulating disturbances to the metabolism of unsaturated fatty acid, tryptophan and phospholipid. This research also demonstrated that metabolomics is a powerful tool for researching complex disease mechanisms and evaluating the mechanism of action of TCM.

  17. The Profiling and Identification of the Absorbed Constituents and Metabolites of Guizhi Decoction in Rat Plasma and Urine by Rapid Resolution Liquid Chromatography Combined with Quadrupole-Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Xiang, Hongjun; Zhang, Lishi; Song, Jiannan; Fan, Bin; Nie, Yinglan; Bai, Dong; Lei, Haimin

    2016-09-12

    Guizhi decoction (GZD), a well-known traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) prescription consisting of Ramulus Cinnamomi, Radix Paeoniae Alba, Radix Glycyrrhizae, Fructus Jujubae and Rhizoma Zingiberis Recens, is usually used for the treatment of common colds, influenza, and other pyretic conditions in the clinic. However, the absorbed ingredients and metabolic compounds of GZD have not been reported. In this paper, a method incorporating rapid resolution liquid chromatography (RRLC) with quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (Q-TOF-MS) was used to identify ingredients after oral administration of GZD. Identification of the primary components in GZD, drug-containing serum and urine samples was carried out in order to investigate the assimilation and metabolites of the decoction in vivo. By comparing the total ion chromatograms (TICs) of GZD, a total of 71 constituents were detected or characterized. By comparing TICs of blank and dosed rat plasma, a total of 15 constituents were detected and identified as prototypes according to their retention time (tR) and MS, MS/MS data. Based on this, neutral loss scans of 80 and 176 Da in samples of rat plasma and urine helped us to identify most of the metabolites. Results showed that the predominant metabolic pathways of (epi) catechin and gallic acid were sulfation, methylation, glucuronidation and dehydroxylation; the major metabolic pathways of flavone were hydrolysis, sulfation and glucuronidation. Furthermore, degradation, oxidation and ring fission were found to often occur in the metabolism process of GZD in vivo.

  18. The Profiling and Identification of the Absorbed Constituents and Metabolites of Guizhi Decoction in Rat Plasma and Urine by Rapid Resolution Liquid Chromatography Combined with Quadrupole-Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry

    PubMed Central

    Xiang, Hongjun; Zhang, Lishi; Song, Jiannan; Fan, Bin; Nie, Yinglan; Bai, Dong; Lei, Haimin

    2016-01-01

    Guizhi decoction (GZD), a well-known traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) prescription consisting of Ramulus Cinnamomi, Radix Paeoniae Alba, Radix Glycyrrhizae, Fructus Jujubae and Rhizoma Zingiberis Recens, is usually used for the treatment of common colds, influenza, and other pyretic conditions in the clinic. However, the absorbed ingredients and metabolic compounds of GZD have not been reported. In this paper, a method incorporating rapid resolution liquid chromatography (RRLC) with quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (Q-TOF-MS) was used to identify ingredients after oral administration of GZD. Identification of the primary components in GZD, drug-containing serum and urine samples was carried out in order to investigate the assimilation and metabolites of the decoction in vivo. By comparing the total ion chromatograms (TICs) of GZD, a total of 71 constituents were detected or characterized. By comparing TICs of blank and dosed rat plasma, a total of 15 constituents were detected and identified as prototypes according to their retention time (tR) and MS, MS/MS data. Based on this, neutral loss scans of 80 and 176 Da in samples of rat plasma and urine helped us to identify most of the metabolites. Results showed that the predominant metabolic pathways of (epi) catechin and gallic acid were sulfation, methylation, glucuronidation and dehydroxylation; the major metabolic pathways of flavone were hydrolysis, sulfation and glucuronidation. Furthermore, degradation, oxidation and ring fission were found to often occur in the metabolism process of GZD in vivo. PMID:27626411

  19. Comprehensive identification and structural characterization of target components from Gelsemium elegans by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry based on accurate mass databases combined with MS/MS spectra.

    PubMed

    Liu, Yan-Chun; Xiao, Sa; Yang, Kun; Ling, Li; Sun, Zhi-Liang; Liu, Zhao-Ying

    2017-06-01

    This study reports an applicable analytical strategy of comprehensive identification and structure characterization of target components from Gelsemium elegans by using high-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-QqTOF MS) based on the use of accurate mass databases combined with MS/MS spectra. The databases created included accurate masses and elemental compositions of 204 components from Gelsemium and their structural data. The accurate MS and MS/MS spectra were acquired through data-dependent auto MS/MS mode followed by an extraction of the potential compounds from the LC-QqTOF MS raw data of the sample. The same was matched using the databases to search for targeted components in the sample. The structures for detected components were tentatively characterized by manually interpreting the accurate MS/MS spectra for the first time. A total of 57 components have been successfully detected and structurally characterized from the crude extracts of G. elegans, but has failed to differentiate some isomers. This analytical strategy is generic and efficient, avoids isolation and purification procedures, enables a comprehensive structure characterization of target components of Gelsemium and would be widely applicable for complicated mixtures that are derived from Gelsemium preparations. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  20. Quantification of sterol lipids in plants by quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry

    PubMed Central

    Wewer, Vera; Dombrink, Isabel; vom Dorp, Katharina; Dörmann, Peter

    2011-01-01

    Glycerolipids, sphingolipids, and sterol lipids constitute the major lipid classes in plants. Sterol lipids are composed of free and conjugated sterols, i.e., sterol esters, sterol glycosides, and acylated sterol glycosides. Sterol lipids play crucial roles during adaption to abiotic stresses and plant-pathogen interactions. Presently, no comprehensive method for sterol lipid quantification in plants is available. We used nanospray ionization quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (Q-TOF MS) to resolve and identify the molecular species of all four sterol lipid classes from Arabidopsis thaliana. Free sterols were derivatized with chlorobetainyl chloride. Sterol esters, sterol glycosides, and acylated sterol glycosides were ionized as ammonium adducts. Quantification of molecular species was achieved in the positive mode after fragmentation in the presence of internal standards. The amounts of sterol lipids quantified by Q-TOF MS/MS were validated by comparison with results obtained with TLC/GC. Quantification of sterol lipids from leaves and roots of phosphate-deprived A. thaliana plants revealed changes in the amounts and molecular species composition. The Q-TOF method is far more sensitive than GC or HPLC. Therefore, Q-TOF MS/MS provides a comprehensive strategy for sterol lipid quantification that can be adapted to other tandem mass spectrometers. PMID:21382968

  1. A metabolic way to investigate related hurdles causing poor bioavailability in oral delivery of isoacteoside in rats employing ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Cui, Qingling; Pan, Yingni; Yan, Xiaowei; Qu, Bao; Liu, Xiaoqiu; Xiao, Wei

    2017-02-28

    Isoacteoside (ISAT), a phenylethanoid glycoside that acts as the principal bioactive component in traditional Chinese medicines, possesses broad pharmacological effects such as neuroprotective, antihypertensive and hepatoprotective activities. However, its pharmaceutical development has been severely limited due to the poor oral bioavailability. It is essential and significant to investigate related hurdles leading to the poor bioavailability of isoacteoside. Whole animal metabolism studies were conducted in rats, followed by metabolic mechanism including gastrointestinal stability, intestinal flora metabolism and intestinal enzyme metabolism employing the powerful method ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography combined with quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC/QTOF-MS/MS). A simple, rapid and sensitive method has been developed which comprehensively revealed the underlying cause of poor bioavailability of ISAT in a metabolic manner. The prototype of ISAT and its combined metabolites have not been detected in plasma. Furthermore, the residual content of the parent compound in in vitro experiments was approximately 59%, 5% and barely none in intestinal bacteria, intestinal S9 and simulated intestinal juice at 6 h, respectively. The present work has demonstrated that the factors causing the poor bioavailability of isoacteoside should be attributed to the metabolism. In general, the metabolism that resulted from intestinal flora and intestinal enzymes were predominant reasons giving rise to the poor bioavailability of ISAT, which also suggested that metabolites might be responsible for the excellent pharmacological effect of ISAT. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  2. Identification of phase I and II metabolites of the new designer drug α-pyrrolidinohexiophenone (α-PHP) in human urine by liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF-MS).

    PubMed

    Paul, Michael; Bleicher, Sergej; Guber, Susanne; Ippisch, Josef; Polettini, Aldo; Schultis, Wolfgang

    2015-11-01

    Pyrrolidinophenones represent one emerging class of newly encountered drugs of abuse, also known as 'new psychoactive substances', with stimulating psychoactive effects. In this work, we report on the detection of the new designer drug α-pyrrolidinohexiophenone (α-PHP) and its phase I and II metabolites in a human urine sample of a drug abuser. Determination and structural elucidation of these metabolites have been achieved by liquid chromatography electrospray ionisation quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-QTOF-MS). By tentative identification, the exact and approximate structures of 19 phase I metabolites and nine phase II glucuronides were elucidated. Major metabolic pathways revealed the reduction of the ß-keto moieties to their corresponding alcohols, didesalkylation of the pyrrolidine ring, hydroxylation and oxidation of the aliphatic side chain leading to n-hydroxy, aldehyde and carboxylate metabolites, and oxidation of the pyrrolidine ring to its lactam followed by ring cleavage and additional hydroxylation, reduction and oxidation steps and combinations thereof. The most abundant phase II metabolites were glucuronidated ß-keto-reduced alcohols. Besides the great number of metabolites detected in this sample, α-PHP is still one of the most abundant ions together with its ß-keto-reduced alcoholic dihydro metabolite. Monitoring of these metabolites in clinical and forensic toxicology may unambiguously prove the abuse of the new designer drug α-PHP. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  3. Metabonomics study of the therapeutic mechanism of fenugreek galactomannan on diabetic hyperglycemia in rats, by ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Jiang, Wenyue; Gao, Lu; Li, Pengdong; Kan, Hong; Qu, Jiale; Men, Lihui; Liu, Zhiqiang; Liu, Zhongying

    2017-02-15

    Fenugreek is a traditional plant for the treatment of diabetes. Galactomannan, an active major component in fenugreek seeds, has shown hypoglycemic activity. The present study was performed to investigate the therapeutic mechanism underlying fenugreek galactomannan (F-GAL) in treating diabetes, using a metabonomics approach based on ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF/MS). The F-GAL used for study was highly purified, and its yield, purity, and galactose/mannose ratio were characterized by capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) and a modified phenol-sulfuric acid method. After treatment of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats with F-GAL for 28days, urine and serum samples were analyzed by UPLC-QTOF/MS. Multivariate statistical approaches such as principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal projection to latent structures squares-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) were applied to distinguish the non-diabetic/untreated, diabetic/untreated, and diabetic/F-GAL-treated groups. Then, potential biomarkers were identified that may help elucidate the underlying therapeutic mechanism of F-GAL in diabetes. The results demonstrated that there was a clear separation among the three groups in the PCA model. Fourteen potential biomarkers were identified by OPLS-DA, and they were determined to be produced in response to the therapeutic effects of F-GAL. These biomarkers were involved in histidine metabolism, tryptophan metabolism, energy metabolism, phenylalanine metabolism, sphingolipid metabolism, glycerophospholipid metabolism, and arachidonic acid metabolism. In conclusion, our study demonstrates that a metabonomics approach is a powerful, novel tool that can be used to evaluate the underlying therapeutic mechanisms of herb extracts. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Identification of multiple constituents in the traditional Chinese medicine formula Zhi-zi-chi decoction and rat plasma after oral administration by liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Zhao, Xu; Long, Zhimin; Dai, Jinna; Bi, Kaishun; Chen, Xiaohui

    2012-10-30

    Liquid chromatography (LC) coupled to positive electrospray ionization (ESI) tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) employing a time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometer was established to identify multi-components of Zhi-zi-chi decoction, a traditional Chinese medicine formula, and the constituents in rat plasma after oral administration of Zhi-zi-chi decoction. The LC separation was achieved on a C(18) column. The mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile/0.2% formic acid with gradient program. The quadrupole time-of-flight (Q-TOF) mass spectrometer was operated in the positive ion mode with an electrospray ionization source (ESI+). The capillary voltage of the ion source was set at 4500 V and the capillary exit was 90 V. The nebulizer pressure was maintained at 1.2 bar. Hexapole radio frequencies 1 and 2 were set to 200 Vpp and 250 Vpp, respectively. A total 47 compounds in the Zhi-zi-chi decoction and 24 constituents in rat plasma after oral administration of Zhi-zi-chi decoction were identified. Of the 47 detected compounds in the Zhi-zi-chi decoction, 15 were identified by comparing the retention time and MS data with that of reference compounds and the rest were identified by MS analysis and retrieving the reference literature. Of the identified 24 compounds in rat plasma, 19 were the original form of the compounds absorbed from the 47 detected compounds, and the other five were the metabolites of the compounds existing in the Zhi-zi-chi decoction. A fast and sensitive LC/Q-TOF MS method has been developed and successfully utilized to screen the active ingredients of a Chinese medical formula, Zhi-zi-chi decoction, for the first time. The results indicated that the 24 compounds identified in rat plasma were the potential active ingredients of Zhi-zi-chi decoction, which provided helpful chemical information for further pharmacology and active mechanism research on Zhi-zi-chi decoction and other traditional Chinese medicines. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  5. Structural elucidation and identification of a new derivative of phenethylamine using quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Sekuła, Karolina; Zuba, Dariusz

    2013-09-30

    In recent years, the phenomenon of uncontrolled distribution of new psychoactive substances that were marketed without prior toxicological studies has been observed. Because many designer drugs are related in chemical structure, the potential for misidentifying them is an important problem. It is therefore essential to develop an analytical procedure for unequivocal elucidation of the structures of these compounds. The issue has been discussed in the context of 25I-NBMD [2-(4-iodo-2,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-N-[(2,3-methylenedioxyphenyl)methyl]ethanamine], a psychoactive substance first discovered on the drug market in 2012. The substance was extracted from blotter papers with methanol. Separation was achieved via liquid chromatography. Analysis was conducted by electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (ESI-QTOFMS). Identification of the psychoactive component was supported by electron impact gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/EI-MS). The high accuracy of the LC/ESI-QTOFMS method allowed the molecular mass of the investigated substance (M(exp) = 441.0438 Da; mass error, ∆m = 0.2 ppm) and the formulae of ions formed during fragmentation to be determined. The main ions were recorded at m/z = 135.0440, 290.9876 and 305.9981. Structures of the obtained ions were elucidated in the tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) experiments by comparing them to mass spectra of previously detected derivatives of phenethylamine. The performed study indicated the potential for using LC/QTOFMS method to identify new designer drugs. This technique can be used supplementary to standard GC/MS. Prior knowledge of the fragmentation mechanisms of phenethylamines allowed to predict the mass spectra of the novel substance--25I-NBMD. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  6. [Separation and identification of bovine lactoferricin by high performance liquid chromatography-matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight/ time of flight mass spectrometry].

    PubMed

    An, Meichen; Liu, Ning

    2010-02-01

    A high performance liquid chromatography-matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight/time of flight mass spectrometry (HPLC-MALDI-TOF/TOF MS) method was developed for the separation and identification of bovine lactoferricin (LfcinB). Bovine lactoferrin was hydrolyzed by pepsin and then separated by ion exchange chromatography and reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RP-LC). The antibacterial activities of the fractions from RP-LC separation were determined and the protein concentration of the fraction with the highest activity was measured, whose sequence was indentified by MALDI-TOF/TOF MS. The relative molecular mass of LfcinB was 3 124.89 and the protein concentration was 18.20 microg/mL. The method of producing LfcinB proposed in this study has fast speed, high accuracy and high resolution.

  7. Monitoring protein glycation by electrospray ionization (ESI) quadrupole time-of-flight (Q-TOF) mass spectrometer.

    PubMed

    Akıllıoğlu, H Gül; Çelikbıçak, Ömür; Salih, Bekir; Gökmen, Vural

    2017-02-15

    In this study electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight (ESI-Q-TOF) mass spectrometry was used to investigate protein glycation. The glycated species of cytochrome C, lysozyme, and β-casein formed during glycation with d-glucose were identified and monitored in binary systems heated at 70°C under dry and aqueous conditions. Cytochrome C had multiple charges in non-glycated state, primarily changing from +13 to +17 positive charges, whereas β-casein had charge states up to +30. Upon heating with glucose at 70°C in aqueous state, attachment of one glucose molecule onto proteins was observed in each charge state. However, heating in dry state caused much more glucose attachment, leading to the formation of multiple glycoforms of proteins. By using ESI-QTOF-MS technique, formation of glycated cytochrome C containing up to 12 glucose moieties were observed, while glycated species containing 6 and 8 glucose moieties were observed for lysozyme and β-casein, respectively in various heating conditions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Chemical Profiling of Re-Du-Ning Injection by Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography Coupled with Electrospray Ionization Tandem Quadrupole Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry through the Screening of Diagnostic Ions in MSE Mode

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Zhenzhong; Geng, Jianliang; Dai, Yi; Xiao, Wei; Yao, Xinsheng

    2015-01-01

    The broad applications and mechanism explorations of traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions (TCMPs) require a clear understanding of TCMP chemical constituents. In the present study, we describe an efficient and universally applicable analytical approach based on ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization tandem quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-Q/TOF-MS) with the MSE (E denotes collision energy) data acquisition mode, which allowed the rapid separation and reliable determination of TCMP chemical constituents. By monitoring diagnostic ions in the high energy function of MSE, target peaks of analogous compounds in TCMPs could be rapidly screened and identified. “Re-Du-Ning” injection (RDN), a eutherapeutic traditional Chinese medicine injection (TCMI) that has been widely used to reduce fever caused by viral infections in clinical practice, was studied as an example. In total, 90 compounds, including five new iridoids and one new sesquiterpene, were identified or tentatively characterized by accurate mass measurements within 5 ppm error. This analysis was accompanied by MS fragmentation and reference standard comparison analyses. Furthermore, the herbal sources of these compounds were unambiguously confirmed by comparing the extracted ion chromatograms (EICs) of RDN and ingredient herbal extracts. Our work provides a certain foundation for further studies of RDN. Moreover, the analytical approach developed herein has proven to be generally applicable for profiling the chemical constituents in TCMPs and other complicated mixtures. PMID:25875968

  9. Investigation of the Effect of Rice Wine on the Metabolites of the Main Components of Herbal Medicine in Rat Urine by Ultrahigh-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Quadrupole/Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry: A Case Study on Cornus officinalis.

    PubMed

    Cao, Gang; Cai, Hao; Yue, Xianke; Tu, Sicong; Cai, Baochang; Xu, Zhiwei

    2013-01-01

    Ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole/time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF/MS) was developed for rapid and sensitive analysis of the effect of rice wine on the metabolites of the main components of herbal medicine in rat urine. Using Cornus officinalis as a model of herbal medicine, the metabolite profiles of crude and processed (steaming the crude drug presteeped in rice wine) Cornus officinalis extracts in rat urine were investigated. The metabolites of Cornus officinalis were identified by using dynamic adjustment of the fragmentor voltage to produce structure-relevant fragment ions. In this work, we identified the parent compounds and metabolites of crude and processed Cornus officinalis in rats. In total, three parent compounds and seventeen new metabolites of Cornus officinalis were found in rats. The contents of the parent compounds and metabolites in vivo varied significantly after intragastric (i.g.) administration of aqueous extracts of crude and processed Cornus officinalis. Data from this study suggests that UPLC-QTOF/MS could be used as a potential tool for uncovering the effects of excipients found in the metabolites of the main components of herbal medicine, in vivo, to predict and discover the processing mechanisms of herbal medicine.

  10. Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole/time of flight mass spectrometry based chemical profiling approach for the holistic quality control of complex Kang-Jing formula preparations.

    PubMed

    Yang, Xiao-Huan; Cheng, Xiao-Lan; Qin, Bing; Cai, Zhuo-Ya; Cai, Xiong; Liu, Shao; Wang, Qi; Qin, Yong

    2016-05-30

    The Kang-Jing (KJ) formula is a compound preparation made from 12 kinds of herbs. So far, four different methods (M1-M4) have been documented for KJ preparation, but the influence of preparation methods on the holistic quality of KJ have remained unknown. In this study, a strategy was proposed to investigate the influence of different preparation methods on the holistic quality of KJ using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole/time of flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QTOF-MS/MS) based chemical profiling. A total of 101 compounds mainly belonging to flavonoids, tanshinones, monoterpene glycosides, triterpenoid saponins, alkaloids, phenolic acids and volatile oils, were identified. Among these compounds, glaucine was detected only in M3/M4 samples, while two dehydrocorydaline isomers merely detected in M2/M3/M4 samples. Tetrahydrocolumbamine, ethylic lithospermic acid, salvianolic acid E and rosmarimic acid were only detected in M1/M3/M4 samples. In the subsequent quantitative analysis, 12 major compounds were determined by UHPLC-MS/MS. The proposed method was validated with respect to linearity, accuracy, precision and recovery. It was found that the contents of marker compounds varied significantly in samples prepared by different methods. These results demonstrated that preparation method does significantly affect the holistic quality of KJ. UHPLC-QTOF-MS/MS based chemical profiling approach is efficient and reliable for comprehensive quality evaluation of KJ. Collectively, this study provide the chemical evidence for revealing the material basis of KJ, and establish a simple and accurate chemical profiling method for its quality control. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Simultaneous characterization of prenylated flavonoids and isoflavonoids in Psoralea corylifolia L. by liquid chromatography with diode-array detection and quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Xu, Mei-Juan; Wu, Bin; Ding, Tao; Chu, Ji-Hong; Li, Chang-Yin; Zhang, Jun; Wu, Ting; Wu, Jian; Liu, Shi-Jia; Liu, Shen-Lin; Ju, Wen-Zheng; Li, Ping

    2012-10-15

    Prenylated flavonoids and isoflavonoids are widely distributed throughout the plant kingdom, with many biological effects. Psoralea corylifolia, which contains many kinds of prenylated components, has been widely used as a medicinal plant in Asia and India for thousands of years. The goal of this study was to characterize the components in P. corylifolia using a liquid chromatography with diode-array detection and quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-DAD/Q-TOF-MS) method, and to elucidate the fragmentation behavior of the different prenyl substituent groups and their appropriate characteristic pathways in positive ion mode. The calculated accurate masses of the protonated molecules, the fragment ions, the retention behavior, and the data from UV spectra were used for identification of the components in P. corylifolia. A total of 45 compounds, including 43 prenylated components, were identified or tentatively identified in P. corylifolia. Different diagnostic fragment ions and neutral losses were observed in different prenyl substructures: neutral loss of 56 Da (C(4)H(8)) and a fragment ion at m/z 69 (C(5)H(9)(+)) were generated by a prenyl chain; neutral losses of 42 Da (C(3)H(6)), 54 Da (C(4)H(6)), 15 Da (CH(3•)) and 16 Da (CH(4)) were observed in a ring-closed prenyl group; neutral losses of 72 Da (C(4)H(8)O), 60 Da (C(2)H(4)O(2)), 58 Da (C(3)H(6)O) and 18 Da (H(2)O) were detected in a 2,2-dimethyl-3,4-dihydroxydihydropyran ring; neutral losses of 72 Da (C(4)H(8)O), 60 Da (C(3)H(8)O) and 18 Da (H(2)O) were yielded from a 2,2-dimethyl-3-hydroxydihydropyran ring, a 2-(1-hydroxy-1-methylethyl)dihydrofuran ring or a 1-hydroxy-3-methylbut-3-enyl chain. This method can be applied for analysis of prenylated components in P. corylifolia and other herbal medicines. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  12. Screening for in vitro metabolites of kakkalide and irisolidone in human and rat intestinal bacteria by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Guozhe; Gong, Tianxing; Kano, Yoshihiro; Yuan, Dan

    2014-02-01

    Kakkalide and irisolidone, the main isoflavones of Flos Puerariae, exhibit a wide spectrum of bioactivities. Intestinal bacteria biotransformation plays an important role in the metabolic pathways of flavones, and is directly related to the bioactivities of the prodrugs after oral administration. To the best of our knowledge, the metabolic pathways of kakkalide and irisolidone in vitro have not been comprehensively studied yet. This paper describes the strategy using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC/Q-TOF MS) for the rapid analysis of the metabolic profiles of kakkalide and irisolidone after incubated with human and rat intestinal bacteria. Bacteria incubated samples were prepared and analyzed after incubated under anaerobic conditions for 48 h. A total of 17 metabolites, including parent compounds, were detected in human and rat intestinal bacteria incubated samples. The results obtained indicate that hydrolysis, dehydroxylation, demethoxylation, demethylation, hydroxylation, decarbonylation, and reduction were the detected metabolic pathways of kakkalide and irisolidone in vitro. The conversion rate of irisolidone in human and rat bacteria was 8.57% and 6.51%, respectively. Biochanin A was the relatively main metabolite of irisolidone, and the content of biochanin A in human and rat bacteria was 3.68% and 4.25%, respectively. The conversion rate of kakkalide in human and rat bacteria was 99.92% and 98.58%, respectively. Irisolidone was the main metabolite of kakkalide, and the content of irisolidone in human and rat bacteria was 89.58% and 89.38%, respectively. This work not only provides the evidence of kakkalide and irisolidone metabolites in vivo, but also demonstrates a simple, fast, sensitive, and inexpensive method for identification of metabolites of other compounds transformed by intestinal bacteria. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. A new ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection coupled to electrospray ionization and quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry analytical strategy for fast analysis and improved characterization of phenolic compounds in apple products.

    PubMed

    Ramirez-Ambrosi, M; Abad-Garcia, B; Viloria-Bernal, M; Garmon-Lobato, S; Berrueta, L A; Gallo, B

    2013-11-05

    A new, rapid, selective and sensitive ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection coupled to electrospray ionization and quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-DAD-ESI-Q-ToF-MS) strategy using automatic and simultaneous acquisition of exact mass at high and low collision energy, MS(E), has been developed to obtain polyphenolic profile of apples, apple pomace and apple juice from Asturian cider apples in a single run injection of 22 min. MS(E) spectral data acquisition overcomes chromatographic co-elution problems, performing simultaneous collection of precursor ions as well as other ions produced as a result of their fragmentation, which allows resolving complex spectra from mixtures of precursor ions in an unsupervised way and eases their interpretation. Using this technique, 52 phenolic compounds of five different classes were readily characterized in these apple extracts in both positive and negative ionization modes. The spectral data for phenolic compounds obtained using this acquisition mode are comparable to those obtained by conventional LC-MS/MS as exemplified in this work. Among the 52 phenolic compounds identified in this work, 2 dihydrochalcones and 3 flavonols have been tentatively identified for the first time in apple products. Moreover, 2 flavanols, 4 dihydrochalcones, 9 hydroxycinnamic acids and 4 flavonols had not been previously reported in apple by ToF analysis to our knowledge. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Untargeted metabolomic analysis using liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry for non-volatile profiling of wines.

    PubMed

    Arbulu, M; Sampedro, M C; Gómez-Caballero, A; Goicolea, M A; Barrio, R J

    2015-02-09

    The current study presents a method for comprehensive untargeted metabolomic fingerprinting of the non-volatile profile of the Graciano Vitis vinifera wine variety, using liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-QTOF). Pre-treatment of samples, chromatographic columns, mobile phases, elution gradients and ionization sources, were evaluated for the extraction of the maximum number of metabolites in red wine. Putative compounds were extracted from the raw data using the extraction algorithm, molecular feature extractor (MFE). For the metabolite identification the WinMet database was designed based on electronic databases and literature research and includes only the putative metabolites reported to be present in oenological matrices. The results from WinMet were compared with those in the METLIN database to evaluate how much the databases overlap for performing identifications. The reproducibility of the analysis was assessed using manual processing following replicate injections of Vitis vinifera cv. Graciano wine spiked with external standards. In the present work, 411 different metabolites in Graciano Vitis vinifera red wine were identified, including primary wine metabolites such as sugars (4%), amino acids (23%), biogenic amines (4%), fatty acids (2%), and organic acids (32%) and secondary metabolites such as phenols (27%) and esters (8%). Significant differences between varieties Tempranillo and Graciano were related to the presence of fifteen specific compounds. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Dual enzyme activities assay by quantitative electrospray ionization quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Cai, Tingting; Zhang, Li; Wang, Haoyang; Zhang, Jing; Wang, Rong; Zhang, Yurong; Guo, Yinlong

    2012-01-01

    A practical and rapid method based on electrospray ionization quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry (ESI-Q-ToF MS) was developed for detecting activities of both acetylcholinesterase IAChEI and glutathione S-transferase (GST). The simultaneous study of these two enzyme activities is significant for studying human bio-functions, especially for those who take in toxic compounds and have a risk of disease. Here, the enzyme activities were represented by the conversion of enzymatic substrates and determined by quantitatively analyzing enzymatic substrates. Different internal standards were used to quantify each enzymatic substrate and the good linearity of calibration curves demonstrated the feasibility of the internal standards. The Michaelis-Menten constants (Km) of both GST and AChE were measured by this method and were consistent with values previously reported. Furthermore, we applied this approach to detect GST and AChE activities of whole bloods from four deceased and healthy people. The variation in enzyme activity was in accord with information from gas chromatography mass spectrometry [GC/MS). The screening of AChE and GST provided reliable results and strong forensic evidence. This method offers an alternative choice for detecting enzyme activities and is anticipated to have wide applications in pharmaceutical research and prevention in toxic compounds.

  16. Urine testing for designer steroids by liquid chromatography with androgen bioassay detection and electrospray quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry identification.

    PubMed

    Nielen, Michel W F; Bovee, Toine F H; van Engelen, Marcel C; Rutgers, Paula; Hamers, Astrid R M; van Rhijn, J Hans A; Hoogenboom, L Ron A P

    2006-01-15

    New anabolic steroids show up occasionally in sports doping and in veterinary control. The discovery of these designer steroids is facilitated by findings of illicit preparations, thus allowing bioactivity testing, structure elucidation using NMR and mass spectrometry, and final incorporation in urine testing. However, as long as these preparations remain undiscovered, new designer steroids are not screened for in routine sports doping or veterinary control urine tests since the established GC/MS and LC/MS/MS methods are set up for the monitoring of a few selected ions or MS/MS transitions of known substances only. In this study, the feasibility of androgen bioactivity testing and mass spectrometric identification is being investigated for trace analysis of designer steroids in urine. Following enzymatic deconjugation and a generic solid-phase extraction, the samples are analyzed by gradient LC with effluent splitting toward two identical 96-well fraction collectors. One well plate is used for androgen bioactivity detection using a novel robust yeast reporter gene bioassay yielding a biogram featuring a 20-s time resolution. The bioactive wells direct the identification efforts to the corresponding well numbers in the duplicate plate. These are subjected to high-resolution LC using a short column packed with 1.7-microm C18 material and coupled with electrospray quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC/QTOFMS) with accurate mass measurement. Element compositions are calculated and used to interrogate electronic substance databases. The feasibility of this approach for doping control is demonstrated via the screening of human urine samples spiked with the designer anabolic steroid tetrahydrogestrinone. Application of the proposed methodology, complementary to the established targeted urine screening for known anabolics, will increase the chance of finding unknown emerging designer steroids, rather then being solely dependent on findings of the illicit

  17. Analysis of psychoactive substances in water by information dependent acquisition on a hybrid quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometer.

    PubMed

    Andrés-Costa, María Jesús; Andreu, Vicente; Picó, Yolanda

    2016-08-26

    Emerging drugs of abuse, belonging to many different chemical classes, are attracting users with promises of "legal" highs and easy access via internet. Prevalence of their consumption and abuse through wastewater-based epidemiology can only be realized if a suitable analytical screening procedure exists to detect and quantify them in water. Solid-phase extraction and ultra-high performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight-mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QqTOF-MS/MS) was applied for rapid suspect screening as well as for the quantitative determination of 42 illicit drugs and metabolites in water. Using this platform, we were able to identify amphetamines, tryptamines, piperazines, pyrrolidinophenones, arylcyclohexylamines, cocainics, opioids and cannabinoids. Additionally, paracetamol, carbamazepine, ibersartan, valsartan, sulfamethoxazole, terbumeton, diuron, etc. (including degradation products as 3-hydroxy carbamazepine or deethylterbuthylazine) were detected. This method encompasses easy sample preparation and rapid identification of psychoactive drugs against a database that cover more than 2000 compounds that ionized in positive mode, and possibility to identify metabolites and degradation products as well as unknown compounds. The method for river water, influent and effluents samples was fully validated for the target psychoactive substances including assessment of matrix effects (-88-67.8%), recovery (42-115%), precision (<19%) and limits of quantification (1-100ngL(-1)). Method efficiency was thoroughly investigated for a wide range of waste and surface waters. Robust and repeatable functioning of this platform in the screening, identification and quantification of traditional and new psychoactive drugs biomarkers and other water contaminants is demonstrated. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Liquid chromatography coupled to different atmospheric pressure ionization sources-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry and post-column addition of metal salt solutions as a powerful tool for the metabolic profiling of Fusarium oxysporum.

    PubMed

    Cirigliano, Adriana M; Rodriguez, M Alejandra; Gagliano, M Laura; Bertinetti, Brenda V; Godeas, Alicia M; Cabrera, Gabriela M

    2016-03-25

    Fusarium oxysporum L11 is a non-pathogenic soil-borne fungal strain that yielded an extract that showed antifungal activity against phytopathogens. In this study, reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) coupled to different atmospheric pressure ionization sources-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (API-QTOF-MS) was applied for the comprehensive profiling of the metabolites from the extract. The employed sources were electrospray (ESI), atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) and atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI). Post-column addition of metal solutions of Ca, Cu and Zn(II) was also tested using ESI. A total of 137 compounds were identified or tentatively identified by matching their accurate mass signals, suggested molecular formulae and MS/MS analysis with previously reported data. Some compounds were isolated and identified by NMR. The extract was rich in cyclic peptides like cyclosporins, diketopiperazines and sansalvamides, most of which were new, and are reported here for the first time. The use of post-column addition of metals resulted in a useful strategy for the discrimination of compound classes since specific adducts were observed for the different compound families. This technique also allowed the screening for compounds with metal binding properties. Thus, the applied methodology is a useful choice for the metabolic profiling of extracts and also for the selection of metabolites with potential biological activities related to interactions with metal ions. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Identification and analysis of chemical constituents and rat serum metabolites in Suan-Zao-Ren granule using ultra high performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry combined with multiple data processing approaches.

    PubMed

    Du, Yiyang; He, Bosai; Li, Qing; He, Jiao; Wang, Di; Bi, Kaishun

    2017-07-01

    Suan-Zao-Ren granule is widely used to treat insomnia in China. However, because of the complexity and diversity of the chemical compositions in traditional Chinese medicine formula, the comprehensive analysis of constituents in vitro and in vivo is rather difficult. In our study, an ultra high performance liquid chromatography with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry and the PeakView® software, which uses multiple data processing approaches including product ion filter, neutral loss filter, and mass defect filter, method was developed to characterize the ingredients and rat serum metabolites in Suan-Zao-Ren granule. A total of 101 constituents were detected in vitro. Under the same analysis conditions, 68 constituents were characterized in rat serum, including 35 prototype components and 33 metabolites. The metabolic pathways of main components were also illustrated. Among them, the metabolic pathways of timosaponin AI were firstly revealed. The bioactive compounds mainly underwent the phase I metabolic pathways including hydroxylation, oxidation, hydrolysis, and phase II metabolic pathways including sulfate conjugation, glucuronide conjugation, cysteine conjugation, acetycysteine conjugation, and glutathione conjugation. In conclusion, our results showed that this analysis approach was extremely useful for the in-depth pharmacological research of Suan-Zao-Ren granule and provided a chemical basis for its rational. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  20. Method development and application of offline two-dimensional liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry-fast data directed analysis for comprehensive characterization of the saponins from Xueshuantong Injection.

    PubMed

    Yang, Wenzhi; Zhang, Jingxian; Yao, Changliang; Qiu, Shi; Chen, Ming; Pan, Huiqin; Shi, Xiaojian; Wu, Wanying; Guo, Dean

    2016-09-05

    Xueshuantong Injection (XSTI), derived from Notoginseng total saponins, is a popular traditional Chinese medicine injection for the treatment of thrombus-resultant diseases. Current knowledge on its therapeutic basis is limited to five major saponins, whereas those minor ones are rarely investigated. We herein develop an offline two-dimensional liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry-fast data directed analysis (offline 2D LC/QTOF-Fast DDA) approach to systematically characterize the saponins contained in XSTI. Key parameters affecting chromatographic separation in 2D LC (including stationary phase, mobile phase, column temperature, and gradient elution program) and the detection by QTOF MS (involving spray voltage, cone voltage, and ramp collision energy) were optimized in sequence. The configured offline 2D LC system showed an orthogonality of 0.84 and a theoretical peak capacity of 8976. Total saponins in XSTI were fractionated into eleven samples by the first-dimensional hydrophilic interaction chromatography, which were further analyzed by reversed-phase UHPLC/QTOF-Fast DDA in negative ion mode. The fragmentation features evidenced from 36 saponin reference standards, high-accuracy MS and Fast-DDA-MS(2) data, elemental composition (C<80, H<120, O<50), double-bond equivalent (DBE 5-15), and searching an in-house library of Panax notoginseng, were simultaneously utilized for structural elucidation. Ultimately, 148 saponins were separated and characterized, and 80 have not been isolated from P. notoginseng. An in-depth depiction of the chemical composition of XSTI was achieved. The results obtained would benefit better understanding of the therapeutic basis and significant promotion on the quality standard of XSTI as well as other homologous products. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  1. Metabolites profile of Gualou Xiebai Baijiu decoction (a classical traditional Chinese medicine prescription) in rats by ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Lin, Pei; Qin, Zifei; Yao, Zhihong; Wang, Li; Zhang, Weiyang; Yu, Yang; Dai, Yi; Zhou, Hua; Yao, Xinsheng

    2018-05-15

    Gualou Xiebai Baijiu decoction (GLXB), a well-known classic traditional Chinese medicine prescription, has been widely used to treat coronary heart diseases for thousands of years in Eastern Asian countries due to its remarkable clinical effect. However, due to lack of in vivo metabolism research, the chemical components responsible for the therapeutic effects still remain unclear. In this work, a reliable "representative structure based homologous xenobiotics identification" (RSBHXI) strategy based on ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC/Q-TOF-MS) were applied to investigate the chemical components in GLXB extracts. As a result, 133 chemical components were characterized based on summarized fragmentation patterns, of which 41 components were confirmed unambiguously with authentic standards. Furthermore, a total of 138 GLXB-related xenobiotics were identified or tentatively characterized after oral administration of GLXB extracts. Moreover, to better understand the metabolic pathways of characteristic components in GLXB, metabolites profiles of five steroidal saponins and two flavonoids were performed, respectively. Since the metabolic pathways of five representative saponins had been finished in our previous study, we focused on the in vivo metabolism of two flavonoids. A total of 36 and 20 metabolites were detected in rat biological samples after oral administration of luteolin-7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside and rutin, respectively. The results indicated that dehydration, hydrolysis, hydroxylation, methylation, glucuronidation and sulfation were the main metabolic reactions, following the metabolic soft spots of GLXB-related flavonoids. Taken altogether, this study would be helpful for the further pharmacokinetics, pharmacological evaluation and quality control of GLXB. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  2. The Rhic Azimuth Quadrupole:. "perfect Liquid" or Gluonic Radiation?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Trainor, Thomas A.

    Large elliptic flow at RHIC seems to indicate that ideal hydrodynamics provides a good description of Au-Au collisions, at least at the maximum RHIC energy. The medium formed has been interpreted as a nearly perfect (low-viscosity) liquid, and connections have been made to gravitation through string theory. Recently, claimed observations of large flow fluctuations comparable to participant eccentricity fluctuations seem to confirm the ideal hydro scenario. However, determination of the azimuth quadrupole with 2D angular autocorrelations, which accurately distinguish "flow" (quadrupole) from "nonflow" (minijets), contradicts conventional interpretations. Centrality trends may depend only on the initial parton geometry, and methods used to isolate flow fluctuations are sensitive instead mainly to minijet correlations. The results presented in this paper suggest that the azimuth quadrupole may be a manifestation of gluonic multipole radiation.

  3. Implementation of dipolar direct current (DDC) collision-induced dissociation in storage and transmission modes on a quadrupole/time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometer.

    PubMed

    Webb, Ian K; Londry, Frank A; McLuckey, Scott A

    2011-09-15

    Means for effecting dipolar direct current collision-induced dissociation (DDC CID) on a quadrupole/time-of-flight in a mass spectrometer have been implemented for the broadband dissociation of a wide range of analyte ions. The DDC fragmentation method in electrodynamic storage and transmission devices provides a means for inducing fragmentation of ions over a large mass-to-charge range simultaneously. It can be effected within an ion storage step in a quadrupole collision cell that is operated as a linear ion trap or as ions are continuously transmitted through the collision cell. A DDC potential is applied across one pair of rods in the quadrupole collision cell of a QqTOF hybrid mass spectrometer to effect fragmentation. In this study, ions derived from a small drug molecule, a model peptide, a small protein, and an oligonucleotide were subjected to the DDC CID method in either an ion trapping or an ion transmission mode (or both). Several key experimental parameters that affect DDC CID results, such as time, voltage, low mass cutoff, and bath gas pressure, are illustrated with protonated leucine enkephalin. The DDC CID dissociation method gives a readily tunable, broadband tool for probing the primary structures of a wide range of analyte ions. The method provides an alternative to the narrow resonance conditions of conventional ion trap CID and it can access more extensive sequential fragmentation, depending upon conditions. The DDC CID approach constitutes a collision analog to infrared multiphoton dissociation (IRMPD). Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  4. Urinary metabonomic study of Panax ginseng in deficiency of vital energy rat using ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Lin, He; Pi, Zifeng; Men, Lihui; Chen, Weijia; Liu, Zhiqiang; Liu, Zhongying

    2016-05-26

    Deficiency of vital energy (DE) is called Qi-deficiency, a traditional Chinese medicine syndrome. It is an indicator of a disease emerging though fuzzy, dynamic, complex, nonspecific and subjective. Ginseng is regarded as the king of herbs. It is famous for the function of replenishing qi in traditional Chinese medicine. It has treatment potential for DE caused by various reasons. This study aimed to investigate the mechanism of ginseng treating symptom DE with the method of metabolomics. Thirty-five rats were randomly divided into three groups: normal control group, DE model group and ginseng treatment group. The DE model rats were administered daily with ginseng decoctiondecoctiondecoction intragastrically and others with water for 15 days. Urine was analyzed with ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS). Principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal projection to latent structures squares-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) were built to distinguish the three groups in this study and find potential biomarkers. The three groups are clearly separated and find out their metabolic distinction in PCA score plots. It showed that the metabolic profile of ginseng treatment group was changed to normal control group after administration of ginseng. Fifteen potential biomarkers are identified by OPLS-DA including Xanthurenic acid, kynurenic acid, Pantothenic acid, which are chiefly involved in tryptophan metabolism, taurine and hypotaurine metabolism, citric acid cycle, bile acid biosynthesis, alpha linolenic acid and linoleic acid metabolism. These biomarkers and the networks of their corresponding pathways will help to explain the mechanism of DE and ginseng treatment. The results of blood biochemical indicators routine and urinary metabonomic reveal that ginseng have good abilities to regulate the energy metabolism, immune function and antioxidant activities. And UPLC-Q-TOF-MS-based metabolomics can

  5. Polymer Analysis by Liquid Chromatography/Electrospray Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Nielen, M W; Buijtenhuijs, F A

    1999-05-01

    Hyphenation of liquid chromatography (LC) techniques with electrospray ionization (ESI) orthogonal acceleration time-of-flight (oa-TOF) mass spectrometry (MS) provides both MS-based structural information and LC-based quantitative data in polymer analysis. In one experimental setup, three different LC modes are interfaced with MS:  size-exclusion chromatography (SEC/MS), gradient polymer elution chromatography (GPEC/MS), and liquid chromatography at the critical point of adsorption (LCCC/MS). In SEC/MS, both absolute mass calibration of the SEC column based on the polymer itself and determination of monomers and end groups from the mass spectra are achieved. GPEC/MS shows detailed chemical heterogeneity of the polymer and the chemical composition distribution within oligomer groups. In LCCC/MS, the retention behavior is primarily governed by chemical heterogeneities, such as different end group functionalities, and quantitative end group calculations can be easily made. The potential of these methods and the benefit of time-of-flight analyzers in polymer analysis are discussed using SEC/MS of a polydisperse poly(methyl methacrylate) sample, GPEC/MS of dipropoxylated bisphenol A/adipic acid polyester resin, LCCC/MS of alkylated poly(ethylene glycol), and LCCC/MS of terephthalic acid/neopentyl glycol polyester resin.

  6. Analysis of time-of-flight spectra

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Gibson, E.M.; Foxon, C.T.; Zhang, J.

    1990-07-01

    A simplified method of data analysis for time of flight measurements of the velocity of molecular beams sources is described. This method does not require the complex data fitting previously used in such studies. The method is applied to the study of Pb molecular beams from a true Knudsen source and has been used to show that a VG Quadrupoles SXP300H mass spectrometer, when fitted with an open cross-beam ionizer, acts as an ideal density detector over a wide range of operating conditions.

  7. Strategies to avoid false negative findings in residue analysis using liquid chromatography coupled to time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Kaufmann, Anton; Butcher, Patrick

    2006-01-01

    Liquid chromatography coupled to orthogonal acceleration time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC/TOF) provides an attractive alternative to liquid chromatography coupled to triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) in the field of multiresidue analysis. The sensitivity and selectivity of LC/TOF approach those of LC/MS/MS. TOF provides accurate mass information and a significantly higher mass resolution than quadrupole analyzers. The available mass resolution of commercial TOF instruments ranging from 10 000 to 18 000 full width at half maximum (FWHM) is not, however, sufficient to completely exclude the problem of isobaric interferences (co-elution of analyte ions with matrix compounds of very similar mass). Due to the required data storage capacity, TOF raw data is commonly centroided before being electronically stored. However, centroiding can lead to a loss of data quality. The co-elution of a low intensity analyte peak with an isobaric, high intensity matrix compound can cause problems. Some centroiding algorithms might not be capable of deconvoluting such partially merged signals, leading to incorrect centroids.Co-elution of isobaric compounds has been deliberately simulated by injecting diluted binary mixtures of isobaric model substances at various relative intensities. Depending on the mass differences between the two isobaric compounds and the resolution provided by the TOF instrument, significant deviations in exact mass measurements and signal intensities were observed. The extraction of a reconstructed ion chromatogram based on very narrow mass windows can even result in the complete loss of the analyte signal. Guidelines have been proposed to avoid such problems. The use of sub-2 microm HPLC packing materials is recommended to improve chromatographic resolution and to reduce the risk of co-elution. The width of the extraction mass windows for reconstructed ion chromatograms should be defined according to the resolution of the TOF instrument

  8. A peptidomic approach for monitoring and characterising peptide cyanotoxins produced in Italian lakes by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation and quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Ferranti, Pasquale; Nasi, Antonella; Bruno, Milena; Basile, Adriana; Serpe, Luigi; Gallo, Pasquale

    2011-05-15

    In recent years, the occurrence of cyanobacterial blooms in eutrophic freshwaters has been described all over the world, including most European countries. Blooms of cyanobacteria may produce mixtures of toxic secondary metabolites, called cyanotoxins. Among these, the most studied are microcystins, a group of cyclic heptapeptides, because of their potent hepatotoxicity and activity as tumour promoters. Other peptide cyanotoxins have been described whose structure and toxicity have not been thoroughly studied. Herein we present a peptidomic approach aimed to characterise and quantify the peptide cyanotoxins produced in two Italian lakes, Averno and Albano. The procedure was based on matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) analysis for rapid detection and profiling of the peptide mixture complexity, combined with liquid chromatography/electrospray ionisation quadrupole time-of- flight tandem mass spectrometry (LC/ESI-Q-TOF-MS/MS) which provided unambiguous structural identification of the main compounds, as well as accurate quantitative analysis of microcystins. In the case of Lake Averno, a novel variant of microcystin-RR and two novel anabaenopeptin variants (Anabaenopeptins B(1) and Anabaenopeptin F(1)), presenting homoarginine in place of the commonly found arginine, were detected and characterised. In Lake Albano, the peculiar peptide patterns in different years were compared, as an example of the potentiality of the peptidomic approach for fast screening analysis, prior to fine structural analysis and determination of cyanotoxins, which included six novel aeruginosin variants. This approach allows for wide range monitoring of cyanobacteria blooms, and to collect data for evaluating possible health risks to consumers, through the panel of the compounds produced along different years. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  9. Rapid wide-scope screening of drugs of abuse, prescription drugs with potential for abuse and their metabolites in influent and effluent urban wastewater by ultrahigh pressure liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight-mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Hernández, Félix; Bijlsma, Lubertus; Sancho, Juan V; Díaz, Ramon; Ibáñez, María

    2011-01-17

    This work illustrates the potential of hybrid quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (QTOF MS) coupled to ultrahigh pressure liquid chromatography (UHPLC) to investigate the presence of drugs of abuse in wastewater. After solid-phase extraction with Oasis MCX cartridges, seventy-six illicit drugs, prescription drugs with potential for abuse, and metabolites were investigated in the samples by TOF MS using electrospray interface under positive ionization mode, with MS data acquired over an m/z range of 50-1000Da. For 11 compounds, reference standards were available, and experimental data (e.g., retention time and fragmentation data) could be obtained, facilitating a more confident identification. The use of a QTOF instrument enabled the simultaneous application of two acquisition functions with different collision energies: a low energy (LE) function, where none or poor fragmentation took place, and a high energy (HE) function, where fragmentation in the collision cell was promoted. This approach, known as MS(E), enabled the simultaneous acquisition of full-spectrum accurate mass data of both protonated molecules and fragment ions in a single injection, providing relevant information that facilitates the rapid detection and reliable identification of these emerging contaminants in the sample matrices analyzed. In addition, isomeric compounds, like the opiates, morphine and norcodeine, could be discriminated by their specific fragments observed in HE TOF MS spectra, without the need of reference standards. UHPLC-QTOF MS was proven to be a powerful and efficient technique for rapid wide-scope screening and identification of many relevant drugs in complex matrices, such as influent and effluent urban wastewater. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Profiling of steroid metabolites after transdermal and oral administration of testosterone by ultra-high pressure liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Badoud, F; Boccard, J; Schweizer, C; Pralong, F; Saugy, M; Baume, N

    2013-11-01

    The screening of testosterone (T) misuse for doping control is based on the urinary steroid profile, including T, its precursors and metabolites. Modifications of individual levels and ratio between those metabolites are indicators of T misuse. In the context of screening analysis, the most discriminant criterion known to date is based on the T glucuronide (TG) to epitestosterone glucuronide (EG) ratio (TG/EG). Following the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) recommendations, there is suspicion of T misuse when the ratio reaches 4 or beyond. While this marker remains very sensitive and specific, it suffers from large inter-individual variability, with important influence of enzyme polymorphisms. Moreover, use of low dose or topical administration forms makes the screening of endogenous steroids difficult while the detection window no longer suits the doping habit. As reference limits are estimated on the basis of population studies, which encompass inter-individual and inter-ethnic variability, new strategies including individual threshold monitoring and alternative biomarkers were proposed to detect T misuse. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential of ultra-high pressure liquid chromatography (UHPLC) coupled with a new generation high resolution quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometer (QTOF-MS) to investigate the steroid metabolism after transdermal and oral T administration. An approach was developed to quantify 12 targeted urinary steroids as direct glucuro- and sulfo-conjugated metabolites, allowing the conservation of the phase II metabolism information, reflecting genetic and environmental influences. The UHPLC-QTOF-MS(E) platform was applied to clinical study samples from 19 healthy male volunteers, having different genotypes for the UGT2B17 enzyme responsible for the glucuroconjugation of T. Based on reference population ranges, none of the traditional markers of T misuse could detect doping after topical administration of T, while the

  11. Identification of multiple constituents in Chinese medicinal prescription Shensong Yangxin capsule by ultra-fast liquid chromatography combined with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Liu, Minyan; Zhao, Shaohua; Wang, Yufeng; Liu, Ting; Li, Song; Wang, Hongtao; Tu, Pengfei

    2015-02-01

    A practical method using ultra-fast liquid chromatography in tandem with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry combined with dynamic background subtraction technology was developed for the rapid separation and identification of the complicated constituents in the Shensong Yangxin capsule (SSYX). The chromatographic separation was performed on a C18 column (2.1 × 100 mm, 2.6 μm) with a gradient elution program using methanol and 0.1% formic acid aqueous solution as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.4 mL min(-1). Accurate mass measurements of the molecular ions in the full scan and the characteristic fragment ions triggered by information-dependent acquisition provided reliable identification criteria. Thus, 99 compounds, including saponins, phenolic acids, tanshinones, lignans, terpenoids, alkaloids and flavonoids, were unambiguously or tentatively identified in 40 min by comparing their retention times and accurate mass measurements for each molecular ion and its subsequent fragment ions with those of authentic standards or literature data. Simultaneously, all the compounds were further assigned to the individual raw materials. In conclusion, these results will provide a basis for quality control and further study of SSYX, and the proposed technique based on high-resolution mass spectrometry would be expected to be adaptable to the analysis of complicated constituents in various complex matrices. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  12. Development of a systematic strategy for the global identification and classification of the chemical constituents and metabolites of Kai-Xin-San based on liquid chromatography with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry combined with multiple data-processing approaches.

    PubMed

    Wang, Xiaotong; Liu, Jing; Yang, Xiaomei; Zhang, Qian; Zhang, Yiwen; Li, Qing; Bi, Kaishun

    2018-03-30

    To rapidly identify and classify complicated components and metabolites for traditional Chinese medicines, a liquid chromatography with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry method combined with multiple data-processing approaches was established. In this process, Kai-Xin-San, a widely used classic traditional Chinese medicine preparation, was chosen as a model prescription. Initially, the fragmentation patterns, diagnostic product ions and neutral loss of each category of compounds were summarized by collision-induced dissociation analysis of representative standards. In vitro, the multiple product ions filtering technique was utilized to identify the chemical constituents for globally covering trace components. With this strategy, 108 constituents were identified, and compounds database was successfully established. In vivo, the prototype compounds were extracted based on the established database, and the neutral loss filtering technique combined with the drug metabolism reaction rules was employed to identify metabolites. Overall, 69 constituents including prototype and metabolites were characterized in rat plasma and nine constituents were firstly characterized in rat brain, which may be the potential active constituents resulting in curative effects by synergistic interaction. In conclusion, this study provides a generally applicable strategy to global metabolite identification for the complicated components in complex matrix and a chemical basis for further pharmacological research of Kai-Xin-San. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  13. The challenges of developing a generic extraction procedure to analyze multi-class veterinary drug residues in milk and honey using ultra-high pressure liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Wang, Jian; Leung, Daniel

    2012-08-01

    This paper discusses the analytical challenges to develop a generic extraction procedure to analyze or screen multi-class veterinary drugs in milk and honey using ultra-high pressure liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC QqTOF MS). The veterinary drugs in this study included aminoglycosides, endectocides, fluoroquinolones, ionophores, β-lactams or penicillins, macrolides, NSAIDs, phenicols, sulfonamides and tetracyclines. Veterinary drugs were extracted using a QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe) method, which entailed the use of acetonitrile containing 1% acetic acid, sodium acetate, ethylenediaminetetra acetic acid disodium (EDTA) and magnesium sulfate, and no clean-up was performed. Chromatographic separation was achieved on a reversed-phase Acquity UPLC BEH C(18) , 100 × 2.1 mm, 1.7 µm column with 0.1% formic acid and 10 mM ammonium formate in water, and acetonitrile as mobile phases. Due to poor chromatographic retention, aminoglycosides were first dropped from the list, and because of poor extractability, β-lactams and tetracyclines were also excluded from the method. The method was able to quantify 31 or screen up to 54 drugs (unbound) in honey, and to quantify 34 or screen up to 59 drugs in milk. UHPLC QqTOF data were acquired in TOF MS full-scan mode that allowed both quantification and confirmation of veterinary drugs and identification of their degradation products in samples. The method could achieve detection limits as low as 1 µg/kg with analytical range from 1 to 100 µg/kg. The developed method was intended to be used for screening of as many analytes as possible in one single analysis, or unequivocal confirmation of positive findings and degradation product identification based on accurate mass measurement and isotopic patterns. © Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada 2012. Reproduced with the permission of the Minister of Agriculture.

  14. Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole/time of flight mass spectrometry based chemical profiling approach to rapidly reveal chemical transformation of sulfur-fumigated medicinal herbs, a case study on white ginseng.

    PubMed

    Li, Song-Lin; Shen, Hong; Zhu, Ling-Ying; Xu, Jun; Jia, Xiao-Bin; Zhang, Hong-Mei; Lin, Ge; Cai, Hao; Cai, Bao-Chang; Chen, Shi-Lin; Xu, Hong-Xi

    2012-03-30

    Sulfur-fumigation may induce chemical transformation of medicinal herbs. Development of rapid method to reveal potential sulfur-fumigation induced chemical transformation of herbs is a very important issue for efficacy and safety of herb application. In present study, a new strategy was proposed to rapidly reveal chemical transformation of sulfur-fumigated herbs by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole/time of flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QTOF-MS/MS) based chemical profiling approach. The non-fumigated herb was water-wetted and further treated with burning sulfur to get sulfur-fumigated herb. Then the chemical fingerprints of both non-fumigated and sulfur-fumigated samples were compared by UHPLC-QTOF-MS/MS analysis. The identities of all detected peaks, in particular those newly generated in sulfur-fumigated samples were confirmed by comparing the mass spectra and retention times of peaks with that of reference compounds, and/or tentatively assigned by matching empirical molecular formula with that of published compounds, and/or elucidating quasi-molecular ions and fragment ions referring to available literature information. The identification could be rationalized through deducing possible reactions involved in the generation of these newly detected compounds. The proposed strategy was extensively investigated in the case of white ginseng. Total 82 components were detected in non-fumigated and sulfur-fumigated white ginseng samples, among them 35 sulfur-containing compounds detected only in sulfur-fumigated white ginseng and its decoction were assigned to be sulfate or sulfite derivatives of original ginsenosides, and were deduced to be generated via reactions of esterification, addition, hydrolysis and dehydration during sulfur-fumigation and decocting of white ginseng. The established approach was applied to discriminate sulfur-fumigated white ginseng among commercial samples from America, Canada, and Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR and Mainland of

  15. Analysis of 44 drugs of abuse and metabolites in wastewater and river water using a hybrid quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Andres-Costa, M. Jesus; Andreu, Vicente; Picó, Yolanda

    2016-04-01

    The presence of drugs of abuse in the aquatic environment has been recognized as an important issue for the ecosystem due their possible negative effect on it (Richardson, 2011). Incomplete removal of these substances during wastewater treatment could be one of the causes of their release in the environment (Zuccato and Castiglioni, 2009). Pollution by illicit drug residues at very low concentrations is generalized in populated areas, with potential risks for human health and the environment (Zuccato, 2008; Castiglioni et al 2007).The aim of this study was to screen and quantify 44 drugs of abuse and metabolites of wastewater samples using a hybrid quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry and furthermore carry out a post-target screening to identify additional compounds present in the water samples. Wastewater samples were collected from the influent and effluent of three wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Valencia and river water samples form Turia River Basin. Illicit drugs were extracted by solid-phase extraction (SPE). The chromatography was performed with an Agilent 1260 Infinity ultra high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC). The UHPLC system was coupled to a hybrid quadrupole time-of-flight ABSciex Triple TOFTM 5600. All analytes were analyzed in positive mode. Acquiring full scan MS data was employed for quantification of drugs of abuse, and automatic data dependent information product ion spectra (IDA-MS/MS) was checked for identifying emerging illicit drugs and other compounds in water samples. The use of a database containing 1212 compounds achieved high confidence results for a wide number of contaminants. In the present study, the presence of compounds that belong to amphetamines group (amphetamine, methamphetamine, ephedrine, MDMA, MDA and MDEA), tryptamines (bufotenine), pirrolidinophenone group (α-PVP and 4'-MePHP), arylcyclohexylamines (ketamine), cocainics (cocaine, benzoylecgonine, cocaethylene and ecgonine methyl ester) and

  16. Method for the elucidation of the elemental composition of low molecular mass chemicals using exact masses of product ions and neutral losses: application to environmental chemicals measured by liquid chromatography with hybrid quadrupole/time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Suzuki, Shigeru; Ishii, Tetsuko; Yasuhara, Akio; Sakai, Shinichi

    2005-01-01

    A method for elucidating the elemental compositions of low molecular weight chemicals, based primarily on mass measurements made using liquid chromatography (LC) with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOFMS) and quadrupole/time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC/QTOFMS), was developed and tested for 113 chemicals of environmental interest with molecular masses up to approximately 400 Da. As the algorithm incorporating the method is not affected by differences in the instrument used, or by the ionization method and other ionization conditions, the method is useful not only for LC/TOFMS, but also for all kinds of mass spectra measured with higher accuracy and precision (uncertainties of a few mDa) employing all ionization methods and on-line separation techniques. The method involves calculating candidate compositions for intact ionized molecules (ionized forms of the sample molecule that have lost or gained no more than a proton, i.e., [M+H](+) or [M-H](-)) as well as for fragment ions and corresponding neutral losses, and eliminating those atomic compositions for the molecules that are inconsistent with the corresponding candidate compositions of fragment ions and neutral losses. Candidate compositions were calculated for the measured masses of the intact ionized molecules and of the fragment ions and corresponding neutral losses, using mass uncertainties of 2 and 5 mDa, respectively. Compositions proposed for the ionized molecule that did not correspond to the sum of the compositions of a candidate fragment ion and its corresponding neutral loss were discarded. One, 2-5, 6-10, 11-20, and >20 candidate compositions were found for 65%, 39%, 1%, 1%, and 0%, respectively, for the 124 ionized molecules formed from the 113 chemicals tested (both positive and negative ions were obtained from 11 of the chemicals). However, no candidate composition was found for 2% of the test cases (i.e., 3 chemicals), for each of which the measured mass of one of the product ions was in

  17. Simultaneous determination of organophosphorus pesticides in fruits and vegetables using atmospheric pressure gas chromatography quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Cheng, Zhipeng; Dong, Fengshou; Xu, Jun; Liu, Xingang; Wu, Xiaohu; Chen, Zenglong; Pan, Xinglu; Gan, Jay; Zheng, Yongquan

    2017-09-15

    This paper describes the application of atmospheric pressure gas chromatography quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry for the simultaneous determination of organophosphorus pesticides in apple, pear, tomato, cucumber and cabbage. Soft ionization with atmospheric pressure ionization source was compared with traditional electron impact ionization (EI). The sensitivity of GC coupled to atmospheric pressure ionization (APGC) for all the analytes was enhanced by 1.0-8.2 times. The ionization modes with atmospheric pressure ionization source was studied by comparing the charge-transfer and proton-transfer conditions. The optimized QuEChERs method was used to pretreat the samples. The calibration curves were found linear from 10 to 1000μg/L, obtaining correlation coefficients higher than 0.9845. Satisfactory mean recovery values, in the range of 70.0-115.9%, and satisfactory precision, with all RSD r <19.7% and all RSD R values <19.5% at the three fortified concentration levels for all the fifteen OPPs. The results demonstrate the potential of APGC-QTOF-MS for routine quantitative analysis of organophosphorus pesticide in fruits and vegetables. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Performance optimisation of a new-generation orthogonal-acceleration quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometer.

    PubMed

    Bristow, Tony; Constantine, Jill; Harrison, Mark; Cavoit, Fabien

    2008-04-01

    Orthogonal-acceleration quadrupole time-of-flight (oa-QTOF) mass spectrometers, employed for accurate mass measurement, have been commercially available for well over a decade. A limitation of the early instruments of this type was the narrow ion abundance range over which accurate mass measurements could be made with a high degree of certainty. Recently, a new generation of oa-QTOF mass spectrometers has been developed and these allow accurate mass measurements to be recorded over a much greater range of ion abundances. This development has resulted from new ion detection technology and improved electronic stability or by accurate control of the number of ions reaching the detector. In this report we describe the results from experiments performed to evaluate the mass measurement performance of the Bruker micrOTOF-Q, a member of the new-generation oa-QTOFs. The relationship between mass accuracy and ion abundance has been extensively evaluated and mass measurement accuracy remained stable (+/-1.5 m m/z units) over approximately 3-4 orders of magnitude of ion abundance. The second feature of the Bruker micrOTOF-Q that was evaluated was the SigmaFit function of the software. This isotope pattern-matching algorithm provides an exact numerical comparison of the theoretical and measured isotope patterns as an additional identification tool to accurate mass measurement. The smaller the value, the closer the match between theoretical and measured isotope patterns. This information is then employed to reduce the number of potential elemental formulae produced from the mass measurements. A relationship between the SigmaFit value and ion abundance has been established. The results from the study for both mass accuracy and SigmaFit were employed to define the performance criteria for the micrOTOF-Q. This provided increased confidence in the selection of elemental formulae resulting from accurate mass measurements.

  19. Reversed-phase ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry as a powerful tool for metabolic profiling of vegetables: Lactuca sativa as an example of its application.

    PubMed

    Abu-Reidah, I M; Contreras, M M; Arráez-Román, D; Segura-Carretero, A; Fernández-Gutiérrez, A

    2013-10-25

    Lettuce (Lactuca sativa), a leafy vegetal widely consumed worldwide, fresh cut or minimally processed, constitutes a major dietary source of natural antioxidants and bioactive compounds. In this study, reversed-phase ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-UHPLC) coupled to electrospray ionization-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (ESI-QTOF-MS) was applied for the comprehensive profiling of polar and semi-polar metabolites from three lettuce cultivars (baby, romaine, and iceberg). The UHPLC systems allowed the use of a small-particle-size C18 column (1.8 μm), with very fine resolution for the separation of up to seven isomers, and the QTOF mass analyzer enabled sensitive detection with high mass resolution and accuracy in full scan. Thus, a total of 171 compounds were tentatively identified by matching their accurate mass signals and suggested molecular formula with those previously reported in family Asteraceae. Afterwards, their structures were also corroborated by the MS/MS data provided by the QTOF analyzer. Well-known amino acids, organic acids, sesquiterpene lactones, phenolic acids and flavonoids were characterized, e.g. lactucin, lactucopicrin, caftaric acid, chlorogenic acid, caffeoylmalic acid, chicoric acid, isochlorogenic acid A, luteolin, and quercetin glycosides. For this plant species, this is the first available report of several isomeric forms of the latter polyphenols and other types of components such as nucleosides, peptides, and tryptophan-derived alkaloids. Remarkably, 10 novel structures formed by the conjugation of known amino acids and sesquiterpene lactones were also proposed. Thus, the methodology applied is a useful option to develop an exhaustive metabolic profiling of plants that helps to explain their potential biological activities and folk uses. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Characterization of metabolite profiles from the leaves of green perilla (Perilla frutescens) by ultra high performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry and screening for their antioxidant properties.

    PubMed

    Lee, Yeon Hee; Kim, Bokyeong; Kim, Soyoung; Kim, Min-Sun; Kim, Hyunji; Hwang, Seung-Ryul; Kim, Kyun; Lee, Jin Hwan

    2017-10-01

    The objective of this research was to access the determination of metabolite profiles and antioxidant properties in the leaves of green perilla (Perilla frutescens), where these are considered functional and nutraceutical substances in Korea. A total of 25 compositions were confirmed as six phenolic acids, two triterpenoids, eight flavonoids, seven fatty acids, and two glucosides using an ultra high performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-Q-TOF-MS/MS) technique from the methanol extract of this species. The individual and total compositions exhibited significant differences, especially rosmarinic acid (10), and linolenic acids (22 and 23) were detected as the predominant metabolites. Interestingly, rosmarinic acid (10) was observed to have considerable differences with various concentrations in three samples (Doryong, 6.38 μg/g; Sinseong, 317.60 μg/g; Bongmyeong, 903.53 μg/g) by UPLC analysis at 330 nm. The scavenging properties against 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) radicals also showed potent effects with remarkable differences at a concentration of 100 μg/mL, and their abilities were as follows: Sinseong (DPPH, 86%; ABTS, 90%) > Bongmyeong (71% and 84%, respectively) > Doryong (63% and 73%, respectively). Our results suggest that the antioxidant activities of green perilla leaves are correlated with metabolite contents, especially the five major compositions 10 and 22-25. Moreover, this study may be useful in evaluating the relationship between metabolite composition and antioxidant activity. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  1. Biotransformation and metabolic profile of Xian-Ling-Gu-Bao capsule, a traditional Chinese medicine prescription, with rat intestinal microflora by ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry analysis.

    PubMed

    Gao, Meng-Xue; Tang, Xi-Yang; Zhang, Feng-Xiang; Yao, Zhi-Hong; Yao, Xin-Sheng; Dai, Yi

    2018-04-01

    Xian-Ling-Gu-Bao capsule (XLGB), a well-known traditional Chinese medicine prescription, has been used for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. The safety and efficacy of XLGB have been confirmed based on the principle of evidence-based medicine. XLGB is usually administered orally, after which its multiple components are brought into contact with intestinal microflora in the alimentary tract and biotransformed. However, investigations on the comprehensive metabolic profile of XLGB are absent. In this study, 12 representative compounds bearing different typical structures (including iridoid glycosides, prenylated flavonol glycosides, prenylated flavonoids, triterpenoid saponins, steroidal saponins, coumarins and monoterpene phenols) were selected and then investigated for their biotransformation in rat intestinal microflora. In addition, the metabolic profile of XLGB in rat intestinal microflora was investigated by ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry. As a result, a total of 87 biotransformation components were identified from incubated solutions of 12 representative compounds and XLGB, which underwent 16 metabolic reactions (including deglycosylation, glycosylation, dehydrogenation, hydrogenation, oxidation, epoxidation, hydroxylation, dehydration, hydration, hydrolysis, methylation, isomerization, cyclization, pyrolysis reaction, amino acid conjugation and nucleophilic addition reaction with NH 3 ). This demonstrated that the deglycosylation reaction by cleavage of the sugar moieties is the main metabolic pathway of a variety of glycosides, including prenylated flavonol glycosides, coumarin glycosides, iridoid glycosides and saponins. In addition, compared with the biotransformation of 12 representative compounds, a different biotransformed fate was observed in the XLGB incubated samples of rat intestinal microflora. It is worth noting that the amino acid conjugation was first discovered

  2. A novel approach to rapidly explore analytical markers for quality control of Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae extract granules by robust principal component analysis with ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Song, Jing-Zheng; Li, Song-Lin; Zhou, Yan; Qiao, Chun-Feng; Chen, Shi-Lin; Xu, Hong-Xi

    2010-11-02

    In a well-controlled experiment, outliers discriminated by robust principal component analysis (RPCA) represent contents in samples which are of particular quality distinguishable from the rest of the others, therefore chemical constituents in a natural product causing discrimination between outliers and the majority of samples could be considered as analytical markers for quality control. Based on this strategy, a novel approach for rapidly exploring characteristic analytical markers was proposed for the quality control of extract granules of Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae (EGRSM). In this study, large sizes of samples were analyzed via high-throughput ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-UV-Q-Tof MS). RPCA was first performed on the three groups of samples: RSM (the raw material), the in-house prepared aqueous extract of Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae (AERSM) and commercial product of EGRSM, to determine the variation of specific constituents between raw material and the final products as well as the effect of manufacturing process on the overall quality. Then RPCA was performed on the commercial products of EGRSM to explore the applicability of identified characteristic markers for the quality control of EGRSM. Candidate markers were extracted by RPCA, and their molecular formulae were determined by high resolution electrospray ionization-mass spectrometric (ESI-MS) analysis. The suitability of identified markers was then evaluated by determining the relationship between quantities of the identified markers with their antioxidant activities biologically, and further confirmed in a variety of samples. In conclusion, the combination of RPCA with UHPLC-UV-Q-Tof MS is a reliable means to identify chemical markers for evaluating quality of herbal medicines. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Screening of 485 Pesticide Residues in Fruits and Vegetables by Liquid Chromatography-Quadrupole-Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry Based on TOF Accurate Mass Database and QTOF Spectrum Library.

    PubMed

    Pang, Guo-Fang; Fan, Chun-Lin; Chang, Qiao-Ying; Li, Jian-Xun; Kang, Jian; Lu, Mei-Ling

    2018-03-22

    This paper uses the LC-quadrupole-time-of-flight MS technique to evaluate the behavioral characteristics of MSof 485 pesticides under different conditions and has developed an accurate mass database and spectra library. A high-throughput screening and confirmation method has been developed for the 485 pesticides in fruits and vegetables. Through the optimization of parameters such as accurate mass number, time of retention window, ionization forms, etc., the method has improved the accuracy of pesticide screening, thus avoiding the occurrence of false-positive and false-negative results. The method features a full scan of fragments, with 80% of pesticide qualitative points over 10, which helps increase pesticide qualitative accuracy. The abundant differences of fragment categories help realize the effective separation and qualitative identification of isomer pesticides. Four different fruits and vegetables-apples, grapes, celery, and tomatoes-were chosen to evaluate the efficiency of the method at three fortification levels of 5, 10, and 20 μg/kg, and satisfactory results were obtained. With this method, a national survey of pesticide residues was conducted between 2012 and 2015 for 12 551 samples of 146 different fruits and vegetables collected from 638 sampling points in 284 counties across 31 provincial capitals/cities directly under the central government, which provided scientific data backup for ensuring pesticide residue safety of the fruits and vegetables consumed daily by the public. Meanwhile, the big data statistical analysis of the new technique also further proves it to be of high speed, high throughput, high accuracy, high reliability, and high informatization.

  4. Analysis of human plasma lipids by using comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography with dual detection and with the support of high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometry for structural elucidation.

    PubMed

    Salivo, Simona; Beccaria, Marco; Sullini, Giuseppe; Tranchida, Peter Q; Dugo, Paola; Mondello, Luigi

    2015-01-01

    The main focus of the present research is the analysis of the unsaponifiable lipid fraction of human plasma by using data derived from comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography with dual quadrupole mass spectrometry and flame ionization detection. This approach enabled us to attain both mass spectral information and analyte percentage data. Furthermore, gas chromatography coupled with high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometry was used to increase the reliability of identification of several unsaponifiable lipid constituents. The synergism between both the high-resolution gas chromatography and mass spectrometry processes enabled us to attain a more in-depth knowledge of the unsaponifiable fraction of human plasma. Additionally, information was attained on the fatty acid and triacylglycerol composition of the plasma samples, subjected to investigation by using comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography with dual quadrupole mass spectrometry and flame ionization detection and high-performance liquid chromatography with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization quadrupole mass spectrometry, respectively. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  5. Antioxidant activity and ultra-performance LC-electrospray ionization-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry for phenolics-based fingerprinting of Rose species: Rosa damascena, Rosa bourboniana and Rosa brunonii.

    PubMed

    Kumar, Neeraj; Bhandari, Pamita; Singh, Bikram; Bari, Shamsher S

    2009-02-01

    Roses are one of the most important groups of ornamental plants and their fruits and flowers are used in a wide variety of food, nutritional products and different traditional medicines. The antioxidant activity of methanolic extracts from fresh flowers of three rose species (Rosa damascena, Rosa bourboniana and Rosa brunonii) was evaluated by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) free-radical method. The ability to scavenge DPPH radical was measured by the discoloration of the solution. The methanolic extract from R. brunonii exhibited maximum free-radical-scavenging activity (64.5+/-0.38%) followed by R. bourboniana (51.8+/-0.46%) and R. damascena (43.6+/-0.25%) at 100 microg/ml. Simultaneously, ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS) was used to study phenolic composition in the methanolic extracts from the fresh flowers of rose species. The phenolic constituents were further investigated by direct infusion-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS in negative ion mode. Characteristic Electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS) spectra with other diagnostic fragment ions generated by retro Diels-Alder (RDA) fragmentation pathways were recorded for the flavonoids. Distinct similarities were observed in the relative distribution of polyphenolic compounds among the three species. The dominance of quercetin, kaempferol and their glycosides was observed in all the three species.

  6. A multi-residue method for 17 anticoccidial drugs and ractopamine in animal tissues by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Matus, Johanna L; Boison, Joe O

    2016-05-01

    A new and sensitive multi-residue liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight-mass spectrometry (LC-QToF-MS) method was developed and validated for the determination and confirmation of residues of 17 anticoccidials, plus free ractopamine in poultry muscle and liver, and bovine muscle, liver, and kidney tissues. The 17 anticoccidials are lasalocid, halofuginone, narasin, monensin, semduramicin, ethopabate, robenidine, buquinolate, toltrazuril as its sulfone metabolite, maduramicin, salinomycin, diclazuril, amprolium, decoquinate, dinitolmide, clopidol, and the nicarbazin metabolite DNC (N,N1-bis(4-nitrophenyl)urea). The analytes were extracted and cleaned up within a 3-hour period by simply extracting the analytes into a solvent mixture with salts followed by centrifugation, dilution, and filtration. The validated method was used in a pilot study for the analysis of 173 samples that included quail liver, bovine kidney, liver, muscle, and horse muscle. The predominant residues found in this study were monensin, ractopamine, and lasalocid. The results of this pilot study showed that this new method is applicable to real samples, and is fit for use in a regulatory testing programme. © 2016 Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada. Drug Testing and Analysis. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. © 2016 Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada. Drug Testing and Analysis. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  7. Triacylglycerol compositions of sunflower, corn and soybean oils examined with supercritical CO2 ultra-performance convergence chromatography combined with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Gao, Boyan; Luo, Yinghua; Lu, Weiying; Liu, Jie; Zhang, Yaqiong; Yu, Liangli Lucy

    2017-03-01

    A supercritical CO 2 ultra-performance convergence chromatography (UPC 2 ) system was utilized with a quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (Q-TOF MS) to examine the triacylglycerol compositions of sunflower, corn and soybean oils. UPC 2 provided an excellent resolution and separation for the triacylglycerols, while the high performance Q-TOF MS system was able to provide the molecular weight and fragment ions information for triacylglycerol compound characterization. A total of 33 triacylglycerols were identified based on their elementary compositions and MS 2 fragment ion profiles, and their levels in the three oils were estimated. The combination of UPC 2 and Q-TOF MS may determine triacylglycerol compositions for oils and fats, and provide sn-position information for fatty acids, which may be important for food nutritional value and stability. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Determination of doping peptides via solid-phase microelution and accurate-mass quadrupole time-of-flight LC-MS.

    PubMed

    Cuervo, Darío; Loli, Cynthia; Fernández-Álvarez, María; Muñoz, Gloria; Carreras, Daniel

    2017-10-15

    A complete analytical protocol for the determination of 25 doping-related peptidic drugs and 3 metabolites in urine was developed by means of accurate-mass quadrupole time-of-flight (Q-TOF) LC-MS analysis following solid-phase extraction (SPE) on microplates and conventional SPE pre-treatment for initial testing and confirmation, respectively. These substances included growth hormone releasing factors, gonadotropin releasing factors and anti-diuretic hormones, with molecular weights ranging from 540 to 1320Da. Optimal experimental conditions were stablished after investigation of different parameters concerning sample preparation and instrumental analysis. Weak cation exchange SPE followed by C18 HPLC chromatography and accurate mass detection provided the required sensitivity and selectivity for all the target peptides under study. 2mg SPE on 96-well microplates can be used in combination with full scan MS detection for the initial testing, thus providing a fast, cost-effective and high-throughput protocol for the processing of a large batch of samples simultaneously. On the other hand, extraction on 30mg SPE cartridges and subsequent target MS/MS determination was the protocol of choice for confirmatory purposes. The methodology was validated in terms of selectivity, recovery, matrix effect, precision, sensitivity (limit of detection, LOD), cross contamination, carryover, robustness and stability. Recoveries ranged from 6 to 70% (microplates) and 17-95% (cartridges), with LODs from 0.1 to 1ng/mL. The suitability of the method was assessed by analyzing different spiked or excreted urines containing some of the target substances. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Rapid screening of 35 new psychoactive substances by ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) and direct analysis in real time (DART) coupled to quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (QTOF-MS).

    PubMed

    Gwak, Seongshin; Almirall, Jose R

    2015-10-01

    The recent propagation of new psychoactive substances (NPS) has led to the development of new techniques for the rapid characterization of controlled substances in this category. A commercial bench-top ion mobility spectrometer (IMS) with a (63) Ni ionization source and a direct analysis in real time (DART) coupled to quadrupole time-of-flight (QTOF) were used for the rapid characterization of 35 NPS. The advantages of these techniques are fast response, ease of operation, and minimal sample preparation. The characteristic reduced mobilities of each substance are reported as are the mass spectra of the 35 compounds. The acquired product ion scan mass spectra were also compared to a library database constructed by QTOF with a electrospray ionization (ESI) source and showed a consistent relative abundance for each peak over time. A total of four seized drug samples provided by the local forensic laboratory were analyzed in order to demonstrate the utility of this approach. The results of this study suggest that both IMS and DART-QTOF are promising alternatives for the rapid screening and characterization of these new psychoactive substances. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  10. Use of quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry to determine proposed structures of transformation products of the herbicide bromacil after water chlorination.

    PubMed

    Ibáñez, María; Sancho, Juan V; Pozo, Oscar J; Hernández, Félix

    2011-10-30

    The herbicide bromacil has been extensively used in the Spanish Mediterranean region, and although plant protection products containing bromacil have been withdrawn by the European Union, this compound is still frequently detected in surface and ground water of this area. However, the fast and complete disappearance of this compound has been observed in water intended for human consumption, after it has been subjected to chlorination. There is a concern about the possible degradation products formed, since they might be present in drinking water and might be hazardous. In this work, the sensitive full-spectrum acquisition, high resolution and exact mass capabilities of hybrid quadrupole time-of-flight (QTOF) mass spectrometry have allowed the discovery and proposal of structures of transformation products (TPs) of bromacil in water subjected to chlorination. Different ground water samples spiked at 0.5 µg/mL were subjected to the conventional chlorination procedure applied to drinking waters, sampling 2-mL aliquots at different time intervals (1, 10 and 30 min). The corresponding non-spiked water was used as control sample in each experiment. Afterwards, 50 μL of the water was directly injected into an ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography (UHPLC)/electrospray ionization (ESI)-(Q)TOF system. The QTOF instrument enabled the simultaneous recording of two acquisition functions at different collision energies (MS(E) approach): the low-energy (LE) function, fixed at 4 eV, and the high-energy (HE) function, with a collision energy ramp from 15 to 40 eV. This approach enables the simultaneous acquisition of both parent (deprotonated and protonated molecules) and fragment ions in a single injection. The low mass errors observed for the deprotonated and protonated molecules (detected in LE function) allowed the assignment of a highly probable molecular formula. Fragment ions and neutral losses were investigated in both LE and HE spectra to elucidate the

  11. High energy collisions on tandem time-of-flight mass spectrometers†

    PubMed Central

    Cotter, Robert J.

    2013-01-01

    Long before the introduction of matrix-assisted laser desorption (MALDI), electrospray ionization (ESI), Orbitraps and any of the other tools that are now used ubiquitously for proteomics and metabolomics, the highest performance mass spectrometers were sector instruments, providing high resolution mass measurements by combining an electrostatic energy analyzer (E) with a high field magnet (B). In its heyday, the four sector mass spectrometer (or EBEB) was the crown jewel, providing the highest performance tandem mass spectrometry using single, high energy collisions to induce fragmentation. During a time in which quadrupole and tandem triple quadrupole instruments were also enjoying increased usage and popularity, there were nonetheless some clear advantages for sectors over their low collision energy counterparts. Time-of-flight mass spectrometers are high voltage, high vacuum instruments that have much in common with sectors and have inspired the development of tandem instruments exploiting single high energy collisions. In this retrospective we recount our own journey to produce high performance time-of-flights and tandems, describing the basic theory, problems and the advantages for such instruments. An experiment testing impulse collision theory (ICT) underscores the similarities with sector mass spectrometers where this concept was first developed. Applications provide examples of more extensive fragmentation, side chain cleavages and charge-remote fragmentation, also characteristic of high energy sector mass spectrometers. Moreover, the so-called curved-field reflectron has enabled the design of instruments that are simpler, collect and focus all of the ions, and may provide the future technology for the clinic, for tissue imaging and the characterization of microorganisms. PMID:23519928

  12. Laser ablation synthesis of arsenic-phosphide Asm Pn clusters from As-P mixtures. Laser desorption ionisation with quadrupole ion trap time-of-flight mass spectrometry: The mass spectrometer as a synthesizer.

    PubMed

    Kubáček, Pavel; Prokeš, Lubomír; Pamreddy, Annapurna; Peña-Méndez, Eladia María; Conde, José Elias; Alberti, Milan; Havel, Josef

    2018-05-30

    Only a few arsenic phosphides are known. A high potential for the generation of new compounds is offered by Laser Ablation Synthesis (LAS) and when Laser Desorption Ionization (LDI) is coupled with simultaneous Time-Of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (TOFMS), immediate identification of the clusters can be achieved. LAS was used for the generation of arsenic phosphides via laser ablation of phosphorus-arsenic mixtures while quadrupole ion trap time-of-flight mass spectrometry (QIT-TOFMS) was used to acquire the mass spectra. Many new As m P n ± clusters (479 binary and 369 mono-elemental) not yet described in the literature were generated in the gas phase and their stoichiometry determined. The likely structures for some of the observed clusters arbitrary selected (20) were computed by density functional theory (DFT) optimization. LAS is an advantageous approach for the generation of new As m P n clusters, while mass spectrometry was found to be an efficient technique for the determination of cluster stoichiometry. The results achieved might inspire the synthesis of new materials. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  13. Quantification of short- and medium-chain chlorinated paraffins in environmental samples by gas chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Gao, Wei; Wu, Jing; Wang, Yawei; Jiang, Guibin

    2016-06-24

    Chlorinated paraffins (CPs) are technical products produced and used in bulk for a number of purposes. However, the analysis of CPs is challenging, as they are complex mixtures of compounds and isomers. We herein report the development of an analytical method for the analysis of short-chain CPs (SCCPs) and medium-chain CPs (MCCPs) using quadrupole time-of-flight high-resolution mass spectrometry (GC-NCI-qTOF-HRMS). This method employs gas chromatography with a chemical ionization source working in negative mode. The linear relationship between chlorination and the CP total response factors was applied to quantify the CP content and the congener group distribution patterns. In a single injection, 24 SCCP formula groups and 24 MCCP formula groups were quantified. Extraction of accurate masses using qTOF-HRMS allowed the SCCPs and MCCPs to be distinguished, with interference from other chemicals (e.g., PCBs) being largely avoided. The SCCP and MCCP detection limits were 24-81ng/mL and 27-170ng/mL, respectively. Comparison of the obtained results with analytical results from gas chromatography coupled with electron capture negative ionization low-resolution mass spectrometry (GC-ECNI-LRMS) indicate that the developed technique is a more accurate and convenient method for the analysis of CPs in samples from a range of matrices. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Metabolic characterization of (±)-praeruptorin A in vitro and in vivo by high performance liquid chromatography coupled with hybrid triple quadrupole-linear ion trap mass spectrometry and time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Song, Yue-Lin; Jing, Wang-Hui; Yan, Ru; Wang, Yi-Tao

    2014-03-01

    (±)-Praeruptorin A (PA) is the major bioactive component in Peucedani Radix (Chinese name: Qian-hu), and exhibits dramatically anti-hypertensive effect typically through acting as a calcium channel blocker. The current study aims on the characterization of the metabolic profiles of PA in vitro and in vivo using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with hybrid triple quadrupole-linear ion trap mass spectrometry (Q-trap-MS) and time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOF-MS). A total of 12 phase I metabolites (M1-12) in rat liver microsomes (RLMs), 9 phase I metabolites (M1-3, M5-6 and M9-12) in human liver microsomes (HLMs), 2 hydrolyzed products in rat plasma (M11 and M12), none metabolite in human plasma, none metabolite in rat intestinal bacteria, 7 metabolites (M1, M4-7, M13 and M15) in PA-treated rat urine and 6 metabolites (M1, M4-7 and M15) in PA-treated feces were detected and tentatively identified using predictive multiple reaction monitoring-information dependent acquisition-enhanced product ion (predictive MRM-IDA-EPI) mode in combination with enhanced mass spectrum-information dependent acquisition-enhanced product ion (EMS-IDA-EPI) mode in the mass spectrometer domain, respectively, while TOF-MS was adopted to confirm the identification. Further, 2 glucuronidated metabolites (M13-14) in RLMs and none metabolite in HLMs of cis-khellactone (CKL), which was the main actual form of PA in vivo, were generated, while its sulfated product was not observed in either rat liver S9 fractions (RS9) or human liver S9 fractions (HS9). Oxidation, hydrolysis, intra-molecular acyl migration and glucuronidation were demonstrated to be the predominant metabolic types for PA in vitro and in vivo. Judging from the decrement of peak areas, PA was metabolized quickly in both RLMs and HLMs, indicating extensively hepatic first-pass elimination. Taken together, the metabolic fates of (±)-praeruptorin A in vitro and in vivo were elucidated in current study, and Q

  15. Comprehensive characterization of ethoxyquin transformation products in fish feed by traveling-wave ion mobility spectrometry coupled to quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Negreira, Noelia; Regueiro, Jorge; Valdersnes, Stig; Berntssen, Marc H G; Ørnsrud, Robin

    2017-05-01

    Feed additives are typically used in intensive farming production over long periods, and hence, they can accumulate in farmed animal tissues. Concerns regarding the use of ethoxyquin as an antioxidant feed additive, have recently arisen due to its potential conversion into a series of transformation products (TPs). The aim of this work was to characterize the TPs of ethoxyquin in fish feed by a novel approach based on the use of traveling-wave ion mobility spectrometry (TWIMS) coupled to high-resolution quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (QTOFMS). First, ethoxyquin was oxidized under controlled conditions and the generated TPs were added to a comprehensive database. Atlantic salmon feeds were then screened for ethoxyquin TPs using both targeted and untargeted approaches. Twenty-seven TPs were tentatively identified during the oxidation experiments, fifteen of them also being present in the feed samples. In addition, ten other potential TPs were detected in fish feed following the untargeted approach. Thirty-one of these TPs have been reported for the first time in this work through the oxidation experiments and the feed samples. Therefore, this study provides valuable information on the oxidative fate of ethoxyquin in feed, which can be used for future evaluations of potential risk related to this additive. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Identification and evaluation of the chemical similarity of Yindan xinnaotong samples by ultra high performance liquid chromatography with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry fingerprinting.

    PubMed

    Gong, Leilei; Haiyu, Xu; Wang, Lan; Xiaojie, Yin; Huijun, Yuan; Songsong, Wang; Cheng, Long; Ma, Xiaojing; Gao, Shuangrong; Liang, Rixin; Yang, Hongjun

    2016-02-01

    Yindan xinnaotong, a compound preparation used in traditional Chinese medicine, is composed of eight herbs: Ginkgo biloba leaf (yinxingye), Salvia miltiorrhizae (danshen), Herba gynostemmatis (jiaogulan), Erigerontis herba (dengzhanxixin), Allii sativi bulbus (dasuan), Notoginseng radixe rhizoma (sanqi), Crataegi fructus (shanzha), and Borneolum (tianranbingpian). Yindan xinnaotong is primarily used to treat cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. However, to date, no scientific methods have been established to assess the quality of Yindan xinnaotong. Therefore, a combinatorial method was developed based on chemical constituent identification and fingerprint analysis to assess the consistency of Yindan xinnaotong quality. In this study, ultra high performance liquid chromatography coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry was used to identify the chemical components of Yindan xinnaotong soft capsules. Approximately 74 components were detected, of which 70, including flavonoids, ginkgolide, phenolic acid, diterpenoid tanshinones, and ginsenoside, were tentatively identified. A fingerprint analysis was also conducted to evaluate the uniformity of the quality of Yindan xinnaotong soft capsules. Ten batches of Yindan xinnaotong soft capsules were analyzed. All of the resulting chromatograms were imported into the "Similarity Evaluation System for Chromatographic Fingerprints of TCM" (Chinese Pharmacopoeia Commission, version 2004A). The similarity scores of common peaks from these samples ranged from 0.903-1.000, indicating that samples from different batches were highly correlated. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  17. Liquid Motion Experiment Flight Test Results

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chato David J.; Dalton, Penni J.; Dodge, Franklin T.; Green, Steve

    1998-01-01

    The Liquid Motion Experiment (LME), designed to study the effects of liquid motion in rotating tanks, was flown on STS 84. LME was essentially a spin table that created a realistic nutation motion of scale-model tanks containing liquid. TWo spherical and two cylindrical transparent tanks were tested simultaneously, and three sets of such tanks were employed to vary liquid viscosity, fill level, and propellant management device (PMD) design. All the tanks were approximately 4.5 inches diameter. The primary test measurements were the radial and tangential torques exerted on the tanks by the liquid. Resonant frequencies and damping of the liquid oscillations were determined by sine sweep tests. For a given tank shape, the resonant frequency depended on fill level. For the cylindrical tanks, the resonances had somewhat different frequencies for the tangential axis (0.55 to 0.75 times spin rate) and the radial axis (0.73 to 0.78 times spin rate), and the tangential axis resonance agreed more closely with available analytical models. For the spherical tanks, the resonant frequencies were between 0.74 to 0.77 times the spin rate and were the same for the tangential and radial axes. The damping coefficients varied from about I% to 3% of critical, depending on tank shape, fill level, and liquid viscosity. 'Me viscous energy dissipation rates of the liquid oscillations were determined from sine dwell tests. The LME energy dissipation rates varied from 0.3 to 0.5 times the estimates obtained from scaling previous ground tests and spacecraft flight data. The PNDs sometimes enhanced the resonances and energy dissipation rates and sometimes decreased them, which points out the need to understand better the effects of PMD on liquid motion as a function of PMD and tank design.

  18. Real-time monitoring of Lévy flights in a single quantum system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Issler, M.; Höller, J.; Imamoǧlu, A.

    2016-02-01

    Lévy flights are random walks where the dynamics is dominated by rare events. Even though they have been studied in vastly different physical systems, their observation in a single quantum system has remained elusive. Here we analyze a periodically driven open central spin system and demonstrate theoretically that the dynamics of the spin environment exhibits Lévy flights. For the particular realization in a single-electron charged quantum dot driven by periodic resonant laser pulses, we use Monte Carlo simulations to confirm that the long waiting times between successive nuclear spin-flip events are governed by a power-law distribution; the corresponding exponent η =-3 /2 can be directly measured in real time by observing the waiting time distribution of successive photon emission events. Remarkably, the dominant intrinsic limitation of the scheme arising from nuclear quadrupole coupling can be minimized by adjusting the magnetic field or by implementing spin echo.

  19. Profiling analysis of low molecular weight heparins by multiple heart-cutting two dimensional chromatography with quadruple time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Ouyang, Yilan; Zeng, Yangyang; Rong, Yinxiu; Song, Yue; Shi, Lv; Chen, Bo; Yang, Xinlei; Xu, Naiyu; Linhardt, Robert J; Zhang, Zhenqing

    2015-09-01

    Low molecular weight heparins (LMWHs) are polydisperse and microheterogenous mixtures of polysaccharides used as anticoagulant drugs. Profiling analysis is important for obtaining deeper insights into the structure of LMWHs. Previous oligosaccharide mapping methods are relatively low resolution and are unable to show an entire picture of the structural complexity of LMWHs. In the current study a profiling method was developed relying on multiple heart-cutting, two-dimensional, ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography with quadruple time-of-flight mass spectrometry. This represents an efficient, automated, and robust approach for profiling LMWHs. Using size-exclusion chromatography and ion-pairing reversed-phase chromatography in a two-dimensional separation, LMW components of different sizes and LMW components of the same size but with different charges and polarities can be resolved, providing a more complete picture of a LMWH. Structural information on each component was then obtained with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. More than 80 and 120 oligosaccharides were observed and unambiguously assigned from the LMWHs, nadroparin and enoxaparin, respectively. This method might be useful for quality control of LMWHs and as a powerful tool for heparin-related glycomics.

  20. Assessment of dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction conditions for gas chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry identification of organic compounds in honey.

    PubMed

    Moniruzzaman, M; Rodríguez, I; Rodríguez-Cabo, T; Cela, R; Sulaiman, S A; Gan, S H

    2014-11-14

    The suitability of the dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) technique for gas chromatography (GC) characterization of minor organic compounds in honey samples is evaluated. Under optimized conditions, samples were pre-treated by liquid-liquid extraction with acetonitrile followed by DLLME using carbon tetrachloride (CCl4, 0.075 mL) as extractant. The yielded settled phase was analyzed by GC using high resolution time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometry (MS). The whole sample preparation process is completed in approximately 10 min, with a total consumption of organic solvents below 4 mL, relative standard deviations lower than 12% and with more than 70 organic compounds, displaying linear retention index in the range from 990 to 2900, identified in the obtained extracts. In comparison with HS SPME extraction, higher peak intensities were attained for most volatile and semi-volatile compounds amenable to both extraction techniques. Furthermore, other species such as highly polar and water soluble benzene acids, long chain fatty acids, esters and flavonoids, which are difficult to concentrate by HS SPME, could be identified in DLLME extracts. Some of the compounds identified in DLLME extracts have been proposed as useful for samples classification and/or they are recognized as markers of honeys from certain geographic areas. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Simultaneous and enantioselective determination of cis-epoxiconazole and indoxacarb residues in various teas, tea infusion and soil samples by chiral high performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Xinzhong; Luo, Fengjian; Lou, Zhengyun; Lu, Meiling; Chen, Zongmao

    2014-09-12

    A novel and sensitive method for simultaneous enantiomeric analysis of two pesticides-cis-epoxiconazole and indoxacarb-in various teas, black tea infusion, and soil samples has been developed. The samples were initially subjected to acetonitrile extraction followed by cleanup using lab-made florisil/graphitized carbon black mixed solid phase extraction (SPE) column (for the different teas and soil samples) and a BondElut C18-SPE column (for the black tea infusion samples). Separation of the analytes was performed on a chiral stationary phase using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) under a reversed-phase isocratic elution mode followed by tandem quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (Q-TOF/MS) detection. The mobile phase components, mobile phase ratios, flow rates, column temperatures, and MS parameters were all optimized to reach high sensitivity and selectivity, good peak shape, and satisfactory resolution. The performance of the method was evaluated based on the sensitivity, linearity, accuracy, precision, and matrix effects. Under optimal conditions, for the various teas (green tea, black tea, and puer tea), fresh tea leaf, soil and black tea infusion samples spiked at low, medium, and high levels, the mean recoveries for the four enantiomers ranged from 61.0% to 129.7% with most relative standard deviations (RSDs) being 17.1% or below. Good linearity can be achieved with regression coefficients (R) of 0.9915 or above for all target enantiomers, and matrix-matched calibration concentration ranging from 5.0 to 1000μg/L. The limits of detection (LODs) for all four target enantiomers were 1.4μg/kg or below in the different teas and soil samples and 0.05μg/kg or below in the black tea infusion, whereas the limits of quantification (LOQs) for those did not exceed 5.0μg/kg and 0.2μg/L, respectively. The proposed method is convenient and reliable and has been applied to real tea samples screening. It has also been extended for studies on the

  2. Broad-spectrum drug screening of meconium by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry and time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Ristimaa, Johanna; Gergov, Merja; Pelander, Anna; Halmesmäki, Erja; Ojanperä, Ilkka

    2010-09-01

    Analysis of the major drugs of abuse in meconium has been established in clinical practice for detecting fetal exposure to illicit drugs, particularly for the ready availability of the sample and ease of collection from diapers, compared with neonatal hair and urine. Very little is known about the occurrence and detection possibilities of therapeutic and licit drugs in meconium. Meconium specimens (n = 209) were collected in delivery hospitals, from infants of mothers who were suspected to be drug abusers. A targeted analysis method by liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was developed for abused drugs: amphetamine, methamphetamine, 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, morphine, codeine, 6-monoacetylmorphine, oxycodone, methadone, tramadol, buprenorphine, and norbuprenorphine. A separate LC-MS/MS method was developed for 11-nor-∆(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid. A screening method based on LC coupled to time-of-flight MS was applied to a broad spectrum of drugs. As a result, a total of 77 different compounds were found. The main drug findings in meconium were as follows: local anesthetics 82.5% (n = 172), nicotine or its metabolites 61.5% (n = 129), opioids 48.5% (n = 101), stimulants 21.0% (n = 44), hypnotics and sedatives 19.0% (n = 40), antidepressants 18.0% (n = 38), antipsychotics 5.5% (n = 11), and cannabis 3.0% (n = 5). By revealing drugs and metabolites beyond the ordinary scope, the present procedure helps the pediatrician in cases where maternal denial is strong but the infant seems to suffer from typical drug-withdrawal symptoms. Intrapartum drug administration cannot be differentiated from gestational drug use by meconium analysis, which affects the interpretation of oxycodone, tramadol, fentanyl, pethidine, and ephedrine findings.

  3. A homemade high-resolution orthogonal-injection time-of-flight mass spectrometer with a heated capillary inlet

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Guo Changjuan; Huang Zhengxu; Gao Wei

    2008-01-15

    We describe a homemade high-resolution orthogonal-injection time-of-flight (O-TOF) mass spectrometer combing a heated capillary inlet. The O-TOF uses a heated capillary tube combined with a radio-frequency only quadrupole (rf-only quadrupole) as an interface to help the ion transmission from the atmospheric pressure to the low-pressure regions. The principle, configuration of the O-TOF, and the performance of the instrument are introduced in this paper. With electrospray ion source, the performances of the mass resolution, the sensitivity, the mass range, and the mass accuracy are described. We also include our results obtained by coupling atmospheric pressure matrix-assisted laser deporption ionization with thismore » instrument.« less

  4. Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with photo-diode array and quadrupole/time-of-flight mass spectrometry based chemical profiling approach to evaluate the influence of preparation methods on the holistic quality of Qiong-Yu-Gao, a traditional complex herbal medicine.

    PubMed

    Xu, Jin-Di; Mao, Qian; Shen, Hong; Zhu, Ling-Ying; Li, Song-Lin; Yan, Ru

    2013-08-23

    Qiong-Yu-Gao (QYG), consisting of Rehmanniae Radix (RR), Poriae (PO) and Ginseng Radix (GR), is a commonly used tonic traditional complex herbal medicine (CHM). So far, three different methods have been documented for preparation of QYG, i.e. method 1 (M1): mixing powders of GR and PO with decoction of RR; method 2 (M2): combining the decoction of RR and PO with the decoction of GR; method 3 (M3): decocting the mixture of RR, GR and PO. In present study, an ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with photo-diode array and quadrupole/time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-PDA-QTOF-MS/MS) based chemical profiling approach was developed to investigate the influence of the three preparation methods on the holistic quality of QYG. All detected peaks were unambiguously identified by comparing UV spectra, accurate mass data/characteristic mass fragments and retention times with those of reference compounds, and/or tentatively assigned by matching empirical molecular formula with that of known compounds, and/or elucidating quasi-molecular ions and fragment ions referring to information available in literature. A total of 103 components, mainly belonging to ginsenosides, phenethylalcohol glycosides, iridoid glycosides and triterpenoid acids, were identified, of which 5 degraded ginsenosides were putatively determined to be newly generated during preparation procedures of QYG samples. Triterpenoid acids and malonyl-ginsenosides were detected only in M1 samples, while degraded ginsenosides were merely detectable in M2/M3 samples. The possible reasons for the difference among chemical profiles of QYG samples prepared with three methods were also discussed. It could be concluded that preparation method do significantly affect the holistic quality of QYG. The influence of the altered chemical profiles on the bioactivity of QYG needs further investigation. The present study demonstrated that UHPLC-PDA-QTOF-MS/MS based chemical profiling approach is efficient and

  5. Preventive doping control screening analysis of prohibited substances in human urine using rapid-resolution liquid chromatography/high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Vonaparti, A; Lyris, E; Angelis, Y S; Panderi, I; Koupparis, M; Tsantili-Kakoulidou, A; Peters, R J B; Nielen, M W F; Georgakopoulos, C

    2010-06-15

    Unification of the screening protocols for a wide range of doping agents has become an important issue for doping control laboratories. This study presents the development and validation of a generic liquid chromatography/time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC/TOFMS) screening method of 241 small molecule analytes from various categories of prohibited substances (stimulants, narcotics, diuretics, beta(2)-agonists, beta-blockers, hormone antagonists and modulators, glucocorticosteroids and anabolic agents). It is based on a single-step liquid-liquid extraction of hydrolyzed urine and the use of a rapid-resolution liquid chromatography/high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometric system acquiring continuous full scan data. Electrospray ionization in the positive mode was used. Validation parameters consisted of identification capability, limit of detection, specificity, ion suppression, extraction recovery, repeatability and mass accuracy. Detection criteria were established on the basis of retention time reproducibility and mass accuracy. The suitability of the methodology for doping control was demonstrated with positive urine samples. The preventive role of the method was proved by the case where full scan acquisition with accurate mass measurement allowed the retrospective reprocessing of acquired data from past doping control samples for the detection of a designer drug, the stimulant 4-methyl-2-hexanamine, which resulted in re-reporting a number of stored samples as positives for this particular substance, when, initially, they had been reported as negatives. Copyright (c) 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  6. Laser-desorption tandem time-of-flight mass spectrometry with continuous liquid introduction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Williams, Evan R.; Jones, Glenn C., Jr.; Fang, LiLing; Nagata, Takeshi; Zare, Richard N.

    1992-05-01

    A new method to combine aqueous sample introduction with matrix assisted laser desorption mass spectrometry (MS) for interfacing liquid-chromatographic techniques, such as capillary electrophoresis, to MS is described. Aqueous sample solution is introduced directly into the ion source of a time-of-. flight (TOF) mass spectrometer through a fused silica capillary; evaporative cooling results in ice formation at the end of the capillary. The ice can be made to extrude continuously by using localized resistive heating. With direct laser desorption, molecular ions from proteins as large as bovine insulin (5734 Da) can be produced. Two-step desorption/photoionization with a variety of wavelengths is demonstrated, and has the advantages of improved resolution and shot-to-shot reproducibility. Ion structural information is obtained using surface-induced dissociation with an in-line collision device in the reflectron mirror of the TOF instrument. Product ion resolution of ~70 is obtained at m/z77. Extensive fragmentation can be produced with dissociation efficiencies between 7-15% obtained for molecular ions of small organic molecules. Efficiencies approaching 30% are obtained for larger peptide ions.

  7. Low-molecular weight protein profiling of genetically modified maize using fast liquid chromatography electrospray ionization and time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Koc, Anna; Cañuelo, Ana; Garcia-Reyes, Juan F; Molina-Diaz, Antonio; Trojanowicz, Marek

    2012-06-01

    In this work, the use of liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-TOFMS) has been evaluated for the profiling of relatively low-molecular weight protein species in both genetically modified (GM) and non-GM maize. The proposed approach consisted of a straightforward sample fractionation with different water and ethanol-based buffer solutions followed by separation and detection of the protein species using liquid chromatography with a small particle size (1.8 μm) C(18) column and electrospray-time-of-flight mass spectrometry detection in the positive ionization mode. The fractionation of maize reference material containing different content of transgenic material (from 0 to 5% GM) led to five different fractions (albumins, globulins, zeins, zein-like glutelins, and glutelins), all of them containing different protein species (from 2 to 52 different species in each fraction). Some relevant differences in the quantity and types of protein species were observed in the different fractions of the reference material (with different GM contents) tested, thus revealing the potential use of the proposed approach for fast protein profiling and to detect tentative GMO markers in maize. © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  8. A strategy for screening of α-glucosidase inhibitors from Morus alba root bark based on the ligand fishing combined with high-performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometer and molecular docking.

    PubMed

    Wang, Zhen; Li, Xiaoqing; Chen, Menghan; Liu, Feiyan; Han, Chao; Kong, Lingyi; Luo, Jianguang

    2018-04-01

    A new method based on ligand fishing combined with high-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometer and molecular docking was established to screen α-glucosidase inhibitors from a traditional Chinese medicine Morus alba root bark. α-Glucosidase was immobilized on magnetic nanoparticles, used as a solid support to incubate with crude extract. After ligand fishing, the eluates were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometer, obtaining eleven ligands (1-4, 6-12) eventually. In order to discriminate the non-specific binders and discover powerful enzyme inhibitors, molecular docking was further performed and three of the eleven ligands were optimized to be excellent α-glucosidase inhibitors by the confirmation of isolation and bioassay of individual compounds. These three ligands, sanggenons G (6), O (7) and sanggenol G (12) exhibited striking inhibitory activities with extremely low IC 50 values. The results suggest that established method will be applied to a wide range of target protein to screen potential bioactive constituents from herbal medicines. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Evaluation of a direct high-capacity target screening approach for urine drug testing using liquid chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Saleh, Aljona; Stephanson, Niclas Nikolai; Granelli, Ingrid; Villén, Tomas; Beck, Olof

    2012-11-15

    In this study a rapid liquid chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry method was developed, validated and applied in order to evaluate the potential of this technique for routine urine drug testing. Approximately 800 authentic patient samples were analyzed for amphetamines (amphetamine and methamphetamine), opiates (morphine, morphine-3-glucuronide, morphine-6-glucuronide, codeine and codeine-6-glucuronide) and buprenorphines (buprenorphine and buprenorphine-glucuronide) using immunochemical screening assays and mass spectrometry confirmation methods for comparison. The chromatographic application utilized a rapid gradient with high flow and a reversed phase column with 1.8 μm particles. Total analysis time was 4 min. The mass spectrometer operated with an electrospray interface in positive mode with a resolution power of >10,000 at m/z 956. The applied reporting limits were 100 ng/mL for amphetamines and opiates, and 5 ng/mL for buprenorphines, with lower limits of quantification were 2.8-41 ng/mL. Calibration curves showed a linear response with coefficients of correlation of 0.97-0.99. The intra- and interday imprecision in quantification at the reporting limits were <10% for all analytes but for buprenorphines <20%. Method validation data met performance criteria for a qualitative and quantitative method. The liquid chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry method was found to be more selective than the immunochemical method by producing lower rates of false positives (0% for amphetamines and opiates; 3.2% for buprenorphines) and negatives (1.8% for amphetamines; 0.6% for opiates; 0% for buprenorphines). The overall agreement between the two screening methods was between 94.2 and 97.4%. Comparison of data with the confirmation (LC-MS) results for all individual 9 analytes showed that most deviating results were produced in samples with low levels of analytes. False negatives were mainly related to failure of detected peak to meet mass accuracy

  10. Protein separations using enhanced-fluidity liquid chromatography.

    PubMed

    Bennett, Raffeal; Olesik, Susan V

    2017-11-10

    Enhanced-fluidity liquid chromatography (EFLC) methods using methanol/H 2 O/CO 2 and hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) were explored for the separation of proteins and peptides. EFLC is a separation mode that uses a mobile phase made of conventional solvents combined with liquid carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) in subcritical conditions. The addition of liquid CO 2 enhances diffusivity and decreases viscosity while maintaining mixture polarity, which typically results in reduced time of analysis. TFA additive and elevated temperature were leveraged as key factors in the separation of a 13-analyte intact protein mixture in under 5min. Under these conditions EFLC showed modest improvement in terms of peak asymmetry and analysis time over the competing ACN/H 2 O separation. Protein analytes detected by electrospray ionization - quadrupole time of flight, were shown to be unaffected by the addition of CO 2 in the mobile phase. Herein, the feasibility of separating hydrophilic proteins up to 80kDa (with transferrin) is demonstrated for CO 2 -containing mobile phases. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Quality classification of Spanish olive oils by untargeted gas chromatography coupled to hybrid quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization and metabolomics-based statistical approach.

    PubMed

    Sales, C; Cervera, M I; Gil, R; Portolés, T; Pitarch, E; Beltran, J

    2017-02-01

    The novel atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) source has been used in combination with gas chromatography (GC) coupled to hybrid quadrupole time-of-flight (QTOF) mass spectrometry (MS) for determination of volatile components of olive oil, enhancing its potential for classification of olive oil samples according to their quality using a metabolomics-based approach. The full-spectrum acquisition has allowed the detection of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in olive oil samples, including Extra Virgin, Virgin and Lampante qualities. A dynamic headspace extraction with cartridge solvent elution was applied. The metabolomics strategy consisted of three different steps: a full mass spectral alignment of GC-MS data using MzMine 2.0, a multivariate analysis using Ez-Info and the creation of the statistical model with combinations of responses for molecular fragments. The model was finally validated using blind samples, obtaining an accuracy in oil classification of 70%, taking the official established method, "PANEL TEST", as reference. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Atmospheric pressure gas chromatography quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry for simultaneous determination of fifteen organochlorine pesticides in soil and water.

    PubMed

    Cheng, Zhipeng; Dong, Fengshou; Xu, Jun; Liu, Xingang; Wu, Xiaohu; Chen, Zenglong; Pan, Xinglu; Zheng, Yongquan

    2016-02-26

    In this study, the application of atmospheric pressure gas chromatography quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (APGC-QTOF-MS) has been investigated for simultaneous determination of fifteen organochlorine pesticides in soil and water. Soft ionization of atmospheric pressure gas chromatography was evaluated by comparing with traditional more energetic electron impact ionization (EI). APGC-QTOF-MS showed a sensitivity enhancement by approximately 7-305 times. The QuEChERs (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe) method was used to pretreat the soil samples and solid phase extraction (SPE) cleanup was used for water samples. Precision, accuracy and stability experiments were undertaken to evaluate the feasibility of the method. The results showed that the mean recoveries for all the pesticides from the soil samples were 70.3-118.9% with 0.4-18.3% intra-day relative standard deviations (RSD) and 1.0-15.6% inter-day RSD at 10, 50 and 500 μg/L levels, while the mean recoveries of water samples were 70.0-118.0% with 1.1-17.8% intra-day RSD and 0.5-12.2% inter-day RSD at 0.1, 0.5 and 1.0 μg/L levels. Excellent linearity (0.9931 ≦ r(2)≤ 0.9999) was obtained for each pesticides in the soil and water matrix calibration curves within the range of 0.01-1.0mg/L. The limits of detection (LOD) for each of the 15 pesticides was less than 3.00 μg/L, while the limit of quantification (LOQ) was less than 9.99 μg/L in soil and water. Furthermore, the developed method was successfully applied to monitor the targeted pesticides in real soil and water samples. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Use of liquid chromatography hybrid triple-quadrupole mass spectrometry for the detection of emodin metabolites in rat bile and urine.

    PubMed

    Wu, Songyan; Zhang, Yaqing; Zhang, Zunjian; Song, Rui

    2017-10-01

    Emodin is the representative form of rhubarb, which is widely used in traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of purgative, anti-inflammatory, antioxidative and antiviral, etc. Previous reports demonstrated that emodin glucuronide was the major metabolite in plasma. Owing to the extensive conjugation reactions of polyphenols, the aim of this study was to identify the metabolites of emodin in rat bile and urine. Neutral loss and precursor ion scan methods of triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer revealed 13 conjugated metabolites in rat bile and 22 metabolites in rat urine, which included four phase I and 18 phase II metabolites. The major metabolites in rat biosamples were emodin glucuronoconjugates. Moreover, rhein monoglucuronide, chrysophanol monoglucuronide and rhein sulfate were proposed for the first time after oral administration of emodin. Overall, liquid chromatography hybrid triple-quadrupole mass spectrometry analysis leads to the discovery of several novel emodin metabolites in rat bile and urine and underscores that conjugated with glucuronic acid is the main metabolic pathway. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  14. Generic sample preparation combined with high-resolution liquid chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry for unification of urine screening in doping-control laboratories.

    PubMed

    Peters, R J B; Oosterink, J E; Stolker, A A M; Georgakopoulos, C; Nielen, M W F

    2010-04-01

    A unification of doping-control screening procedures of prohibited small molecule substances--including stimulants, narcotics, steroids, beta2-agonists and diuretics--is highly urgent in order to free resources for new classes such as banned proteins. Conceptually this may be achieved by the use of a combination of one gas chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry method and one liquid chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry method. In this work a quantitative screening method using high-resolution liquid chromatography in combination with accurate-mass time-of-flight mass spectrometry was developed and validated for determination of glucocorticosteroids, beta2-agonists, thiazide diuretics, and narcotics and stimulants in urine. To enable the simultaneous isolation of all the compounds of interest and the necessary purification of the resulting extracts, a generic extraction and hydrolysis procedure was combined with a solid-phase extraction modified for these groups of compounds. All 56 compounds are determined using positive electrospray ionisation with the exception of the thiazide diuretics for which the best sensitivity was obtained by using negative electrospray ionisation. The results show that, with the exception of clenhexyl, procaterol, and reproterol, all compounds can be detected below the respective minimum required performance level and the results for linearity, repeatability, within-lab reproducibility, and accuracy show that the method can be used for quantitative screening. If qualitative screening is sufficient the instrumental analysis may be limited to positive ionisation, because all analytes including the thiazides can be detected at the respective minimum required levels in the positive mode. The results show that the application of accurate-mass time-of-flight mass spectrometry in combination with generic extraction and purification procedures is suitable for unification and expansion of the window of screening methods of

  15. Fragmentation pathways of 2-substituted pyrrole derivatives using electrospray ionization ion trap and electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Liang, Xianrui; Guo, Zili; Yu, Chuanming

    2013-10-30

    Pyrrole derivatives are of considerable importance and are present in a wide range of natural products and used extensively in drug discovery. Fragmentation pathway studies play an important role in the structural identification of pyrrole derivatives. As a part of our ongoing work on heterocycles, fragmentation pathways of 2-substituted pyrrole derivatives were investigated by mass spectrometry (MS). Twelve pyrrole derivatives were synthesized and analyzed. Low-resolution fragmentation ions of all the compounds were generated by ion trap mass spectrometry (ITMS(n) ) with an electrospray ionization (ESI) source in positive mode. Hybrid quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (QTOFMS) was used to determine the elemental compositions of the resultant product ions. The side-chain substituents at the 2-position influence the fragmentation pathways. Typical losses of H2 O, aldehydes and pyrrole moieties from the [M + H](+) ion are observed for the compounds with side chains bearing aromatic groups at the 2-position of the pyrrole. However, losses of H2 O, alcohols and C3 H6 are the main cleavage pathways for compounds 6 and 12 with nonphenyl-substituted side chains at the 2-position. Typical fragmentation mechanisms of 2-substituted pyrrole derivatives are proposed and elucidated based on the observations of ITMS(n) and QTOFMS spectra. The results showed that the fragmentation pathways were remarkably influenced by the side-chain substituents at the 2-position of pyrrole. This investigation should have value in the structural identification of this series of molecules or compounds with similar structures. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  16. A fragmentation study of dihydroquercetin using triple quadrupole mass spectrometry and its application for identification of dihydroflavonols in Citrus juices.

    PubMed

    Abad-García, Beatriz; Garmón-Lobato, Sergio; Berrueta, Luis A; Gallo, Blanca; Vicente, Francisca

    2009-09-01

    A mass spectrometric method using electrospray ionization with triple quadrupole and quadrupole time-of-flight hybrid (Q-Tof) mass spectrometry has been applied to the structural characterization of dihydroflavonols. This family of compounds has been studied by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) for the first time in this work. A comprehensive study of the product ion MS spectra of the [M+H](+) ion of a commercially available standard has been performed. The most useful fragmentations in terms of structural identification are those that involve cleavage of the C-ring, resulting in diagnostic ions of dihydroflavonol family: (1,3)A(0) (+), (1,2)B(0) (+), (1,2)B(0) (+)-CO, (0,2)A(0) (+), (0,2)A(0) (+)-H(2)O, (0,2)A(0) (+)-CO, and (0,2)A(0) (+)-H(2)O-CO, that allow the characterization of the substituents in the A- and B-rings. In addition to those ions, other product ions due to losses of H(2)O and CO molecules from the Y(0) (+) ion were observed. Their fragmentation mechanisms and ion structures have been proposed. The established fragmentation patterns have been used to successfully identity three dihydroflavonols found in tangerine juices for the first time. Copyright (c) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  17. Simultaneous Determination of Ten Constituents in Chaiqin Qingning Capsule by High-performance Liquid Chromatography Coupled with Triple-quadrupole Mass Spectrometry

    PubMed Central

    Li, Ting Yu; Huo, Xiao Kui; Zheng, Lu; Wang, Chao; Cong, Hai Jian; Xiang, Ting; Zhang, Lin; Zhang, Bao Jing; Huang, Shan Shan; Wu, Bin; Li, Xin Yu

    2017-01-01

    Background: Chaiqin Qingning Capsule (CQQNC) was a prescription of Traditional Chinese Medicine with the effects of clearing away heat and removing toxin, harmonizing the exterior and interior, it was widely used in Asian, for example, China and Japan, different batches of the raws materials and different processing time may be the vital factor which raised a challenge to control the quality of the CQQNC. Experimental Methods: In this experiment, a high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/MS (HPLC-MS/MS) method was developed to simultaneously determine ten bioactive components for the quality control of CQQNC. Chromatographic separation was achieved using an XBridge BEH C18 column (150 mm × 4.6 mm, 2.5 μm) with a mobile phase composed of 10 mm aqueous ammonium acetate and acetonitrile using a gradient elution in 20 min. This study was conducted by multiple reaction monitoring mode through electrospray ionization resource with a negative ionization mode. Results: The established method was validated with good performance of precision, accuracy, stability, and reproducibility and was utilized to simultaneously quantify ten constituents of CQQNC obtained from seven different batches. Conclusion: It is the first time to report the rapid and simultaneous analysis of the ten compounds in CQQNC by HPLC-MS/MS and apply to determine 10 constituents in 7 batches of CQQNC bought from drug store in china. This method could be considered as good quality criteria to control the quality of CQQNC. SUMMARY In this paper, a simple, specific, and rapid high-performance liquid chromatogram coupled with triple-quadrupole mass spectrometry method for simultaneous quantification of ten constituents in Chaiqin Qingning Capsule has been developed for the first time. This method could be considered as good quality criteria to control the quality of CQQNC. Abbreviations used: CHM: Chinese herbal medicine; TCM: Traditional Chinese Medicine; CQQNC: Triple-quadrupole mass

  18. Simultaneous Determination of Ten Constituents in Chaiqin Qingning Capsule by High-performance Liquid Chromatography Coupled with Triple-quadrupole Mass Spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Li, Ting Yu; Huo, Xiao Kui; Zheng, Lu; Wang, Chao; Cong, Hai Jian; Xiang, Ting; Zhang, Lin; Zhang, Bao Jing; Huang, Shan Shan; Wu, Bin; Li, Xin Yu

    2017-01-01

    Chaiqin Qingning Capsule (CQQNC) was a prescription of Traditional Chinese Medicine with the effects of clearing away heat and removing toxin, harmonizing the exterior and interior, it was widely used in Asian, for example, China and Japan, different batches of the raws materials and different processing time may be the vital factor which raised a challenge to control the quality of the CQQNC. In this experiment, a high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/MS (HPLC-MS/MS) method was developed to simultaneously determine ten bioactive components for the quality control of CQQNC. Chromatographic separation was achieved using an XBridge BEH C18 column (150 mm × 4.6 mm, 2.5 μm) with a mobile phase composed of 10 mm aqueous ammonium acetate and acetonitrile using a gradient elution in 20 min. This study was conducted by multiple reaction monitoring mode through electrospray ionization resource with a negative ionization mode. The established method was validated with good performance of precision, accuracy, stability, and reproducibility and was utilized to simultaneously quantify ten constituents of CQQNC obtained from seven different batches. It is the first time to report the rapid and simultaneous analysis of the ten compounds in CQQNC by HPLC-MS/MS and apply to determine 10 constituents in 7 batches of CQQNC bought from drug store in china. This method could be considered as good quality criteria to control the quality of CQQNC. In this paper, a simple, specific, and rapid high-performance liquid chromatogram coupled with triple-quadrupole mass spectrometry method for simultaneous quantification of ten constituents in Chaiqin Qingning Capsule has been developed for the first time. This method could be considered as good quality criteria to control the quality of CQQNC. Abbreviations used: CHM: Chinese herbal medicine; TCM: Traditional Chinese Medicine; CQQNC: Triple-quadrupole mass spectrometry Chaiqin Qingning Capsules; HPLC-MS/MS: High liquid

  19. Analysis of ibuprofen and its main metabolites in roots, shoots, and seeds of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp) using liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry: uptake, metabolism, and translocation.

    PubMed

    Picó, Yolanda; Alvarez-Ruiz, Rodrigo; Wijaya, Leonard; Alfarhan, Ahmed; Alyemeni, Mohammed; Barceló, Damià

    2018-01-01

    A liquid chromatography quadruple time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-QqTOF-MS/MS) method was developed for simultaneous quantitative analysis of ibuprofen (IBU), 1- and 2-hydroxyibuprofen (1-OH IBU and 2-OH IBU), and carboxyibuprofen (CBX IBU) while preserving the ability of the instrument to get precursor and product ion mass spectra of non-target compounds. The trigger was the precursor ions reaching 100 cps intensity. Sample preparation was carried out by ultrasound solid-liquid extraction with methanol as extraction solvent at pH < 2 followed by solid-phase extraction (SPE) clean-up using STRATA-X cartridges and methanol as an eluent. Linearity was obtained in the range 50-10,000 ng mL -1 for IBU, each OH IBU and CBX IBU (r ≥ 0.99). The proposed method was satisfactorily validated showing absolute recoveries of > 70% for all target analytes at low and high concentration levels. The lowest limit of quantification was < 50 ng g -1 in plant. This method was applied to investigate IBP behavior in cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp) treated at high IBU concentrations and its presence in vegetables irrigated with treated water. Up to 46 metabolites, mostly hydroxylated metabolites and conjugates with hexosides and amino acids, were identified. The most abundant metabolites were also identified in an eggplant sample. Graphical Abstract ᅟ Ibuprofen metabolite identification.

  20. NEGATIVE ION ELECTROSPRAY OF BROMO- AND CHLORACETIC ACIDS AND AN EVALUATION OF EXACT MASS MEASUREMENTS WITH A BENCH-TOP TIME-OF-FLIGHT MASS SPECTROMETER

    EPA Science Inventory

    The negative ion electrospray mass spectra of six bromo- and chloroacetic acids were measured using two different electrospray interfaces and single quadrupole and bench-top time-of-flight mass spectrometers. With each acid at 50 ug/mL in aqueous methanol at pH 10, the anions ob...

  1. 17O nuclear quadrupole coupling constants of water bound to a metal ion: A gadolinium(III) case study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yazyev, Oleg V.; Helm, Lothar

    2006-08-01

    Rotational correlation times of metal ion aqua complexes can be determined from O17 NMR relaxation rates if the quadrupole coupling constant of the bound water oxygen-17 nucleus is known. The rotational correlation time is an important parameter for the efficiency of Gd3+ complexes as magnetic resonance imaging contrast agents. Using a combination of density functional theory with classical and Car-Parrinello molecular dynamics simulations we performed a computational study of the O17 quadrupole coupling constants in model aqua ions and the [Gd(DOTA)(H2O)]- complex used in clinical diagnostics. For the inner sphere water molecule in the [Gd(DOTA)(H2O)]- complex the determined quadrupole coupling parameter χ√1+η2/3 of 8.7MHz is very similar to that of the liquid water (9.0MHz ). Very close values were also predicted for the the homoleptic aqua ions of Gd3+ and Ca2+. We conclude that the O17 quadrupole coupling parameters of water molecules coordinated to closed shell and lanthanide metal ions are similar to water molecules in the liquid state.

  2. Atmospheric pressure gas chromatography coupled to quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry as a powerful tool for identification of non intentionally added substances in acrylic adhesives used in food packaging materials.

    PubMed

    Canellas, E; Vera, P; Domeño, C; Alfaro, P; Nerín, C

    2012-04-27

    Acrylic adhesives are used to manufacture multilayer laminates that are used in food packaging to form the geometric shape of the package as well as to stick labels on the packages. Once applied on the packaging adhesives can supply potential migrants that could endanger the packaged food. Adhesives are complex matrices where intentionally and non intentionally added substances are present, but the identification of the migrants is required by law. In this study atmospheric pressure gas chromatography coupled to a quadrupole hyphenated to a time of flight mass spectrometer (APGC-MS/Q-TOF) has been explored for identification of unknowns coming from three different acrylic adhesives. The results are compared to those obtained by conventional GC-MS-Q (quadrupole). Sixteen compounds were identified by GC-MS/Q and five of them were confirmed by APGC-MS/Q-TOF as their molecular ions were found. Moreover, additional three new compounds were identified and their structure was elucidated working with the spectra obtained by APGC-MS/Q-TOF. This finding was very relevant as these compounds were biocides suspected to be allergenic and cytotoxic in humans. Migration studies were carried out using Tenax as solid food simulant and the results showed that the three acrylic adhesives tested in this work were safe for being used in food packaging materials since the migration of compounds previously identified was below the limit established in the current legislation. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Comparative Proteomic Analysis of Three Gelatinous Chinese Medicines and Their Authentications by Tryptic-digested Peptides Profiling using Matrix-assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization-time of Flight/Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Yang, Huan; Zheng, Jie; Wang, Hai-Yan; Li, Nan; Yang, Ya-Ya; Shen, Yu-Ping

    2017-01-01

    used: GCMs: Gelatinous Chinese medicines, COI: Cytochrome c oxidase I, SDS-PAGE: Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, 2-DE: Two-dimensional electrophoresis, MALDI-TOF/TOF-MS: Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight/time of flight mass spectrometry, LC: Liquid chromatography, ChP: Chinese Pharmacopoeia, HPLC: High performance liquid chromatography, LC-ESI + -MS: Liquid chromatography-electro spray ionization-mass spectrometry, IEF: isoelectric focusing, HCCA: α-Cyano-4-hydroxycinnamic acid.

  4. Multi-Pass Quadrupole Mass Analyzer

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Prestage, John D.

    2013-01-01

    Analysis of the composition of planetary atmospheres is one of the most important and fundamental measurements in planetary robotic exploration. Quadrupole mass analyzers (QMAs) are the primary tool used to execute these investigations, but reductions in size of these instruments has sacrificed mass resolving power so that the best present-day QMA devices are still large, expensive, and do not deliver performance of laboratory instruments. An ultra-high-resolution QMA was developed to resolve N2 +/CO+ by trapping ions in a linear trap quadrupole filter. Because N2 and CO are resolved, gas chromatography columns used to separate species before analysis are eliminated, greatly simplifying gas analysis instrumentation. For highest performance, the ion trap mode is used. High-resolution (or narrow-band) mass selection is carried out in the central region, but near the DC electrodes at each end, RF/DC field settings are adjusted to allow broadband ion passage. This is to prevent ion loss during ion reflection at each end. Ions are created inside the trap so that low-energy particles are selected by low-voltage settings on the end electrodes. This is beneficial to good mass resolution since low-energy particles traverse many cycles of the RF filtering fields. Through Monte Carlo simulations, it is shown that ions are reflected at each end many tens of times, each time being sent back through the central section of the quadrupole where ultrahigh mass filtering is carried out. An analyzer was produced with electrical length orders of magnitude longer than its physical length. Since the selector fields are sized as in conventional devices, the loss of sensitivity inherent in miniaturizing quadrupole instruments is avoided. The no-loss, multi-pass QMA architecture will improve mass resolution of planetary QMA instruments while reducing demands on the RF electronics for high-voltage/high-frequency production since ion transit time is no longer limited to a single pass. The

  5. High mass resolution time of flight mass spectrometer for measuring products in heterogeneous catalysis in highly sensitive microreactors

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Andersen, T.; Jensen, R.; Christensen, M. K.

    2012-07-15

    We demonstrate a combined microreactor and time of flight system for testing and characterization of heterogeneous catalysts with high resolution mass spectrometry and high sensitivity. Catalyst testing is performed in silicon-based microreactors which have high sensitivity and fast thermal response. Gas analysis is performed with a time of flight mass spectrometer with a modified nude Bayard-Alpert ionization gauge as gas ionization source. The mass resolution of the time of flight mass spectrometer using the ion gauge as ionization source is estimated to m/{Delta}m > 2500. The system design is superior to conventional batch and flow reactors with accompanying product detectionmore » by quadrupole mass spectrometry or gas chromatography not only due to the high sensitivity, fast temperature response, high mass resolution, and fast acquisition time of mass spectra but it also allows wide mass range (0-5000 amu in the current configuration). As a demonstration of the system performance we present data from ammonia oxidation on a Pt thin film showing resolved spectra of OH and NH{sub 3}.« less

  6. High mass resolution time of flight mass spectrometer for measuring products in heterogeneous catalysis in highly sensitive microreactors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Andersen, T.; Jensen, R.; Christensen, M. K.; Pedersen, T.; Hansen, O.; Chorkendorff, I.

    2012-07-01

    We demonstrate a combined microreactor and time of flight system for testing and characterization of heterogeneous catalysts with high resolution mass spectrometry and high sensitivity. Catalyst testing is performed in silicon-based microreactors which have high sensitivity and fast thermal response. Gas analysis is performed with a time of flight mass spectrometer with a modified nude Bayard-Alpert ionization gauge as gas ionization source. The mass resolution of the time of flight mass spectrometer using the ion gauge as ionization source is estimated to m/Δm > 2500. The system design is superior to conventional batch and flow reactors with accompanying product detection by quadrupole mass spectrometry or gas chromatography not only due to the high sensitivity, fast temperature response, high mass resolution, and fast acquisition time of mass spectra but it also allows wide mass range (0-5000 amu in the current configuration). As a demonstration of the system performance we present data from ammonia oxidation on a Pt thin film showing resolved spectra of OH and NH3.

  7. High mass resolution time of flight mass spectrometer for measuring products in heterogeneous catalysis in highly sensitive microreactors.

    PubMed

    Andersen, T; Jensen, R; Christensen, M K; Pedersen, T; Hansen, O; Chorkendorff, I

    2012-07-01

    We demonstrate a combined microreactor and time of flight system for testing and characterization of heterogeneous catalysts with high resolution mass spectrometry and high sensitivity. Catalyst testing is performed in silicon-based microreactors which have high sensitivity and fast thermal response. Gas analysis is performed with a time of flight mass spectrometer with a modified nude Bayard-Alpert ionization gauge as gas ionization source. The mass resolution of the time of flight mass spectrometer using the ion gauge as ionization source is estimated to m/Δm > 2500. The system design is superior to conventional batch and flow reactors with accompanying product detection by quadrupole mass spectrometry or gas chromatography not only due to the high sensitivity, fast temperature response, high mass resolution, and fast acquisition time of mass spectra but it also allows wide mass range (0-5000 amu in the current configuration). As a demonstration of the system performance we present data from ammonia oxidation on a Pt thin film showing resolved spectra of OH and NH(3).

  8. Multiclass screening of >200 pharmaceutical and other residues in aquatic foods by ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-Orbitrap mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Kong, Cong; Wang, Yang; Huang, Yuanfei; Yu, Huijuan

    2018-05-11

    A quick screening method of more than 200 pharmaceutical and other residues in aquatic foods based on ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-Orbitrap mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q/Orbitrap MS) was established. In this method, after the addition of 200 μL of 1 M EDTA-Na 2 , 2 g of each sample homogenate was extracted successively with 10 mL of acetonitrile and 10 mL of ethyl acetate. The extracts were combined, dried under nitrogen flow, and redissolved in 0.1% formic acid in acetonitrile/water (4:6, v/v) for analysis. The prepared samples were analyzed by UHPLC- Q/Orbitrap MS system in Full MS/ddMS 2 (full-scan data-dependent MS/MS) mode. Compound identification was performed through comparison of the sample data with the database for standard chemicals, including the retention time, precursor ion, product ions, and isotope pattern for all 206 compounds. Five different aquatic food matrices (carp, shrimp, crab, eel, and mussel) spiked with the analytes at 1, 10, and 50 ng/g were evaluated to assess recoveries, precision, matrix effects, stability, and detection limits using the method. UHPLC analyses required 25 min, and 178-200 analytes met identification criteria at 50 ng/g depending on the matrix. Furthermore, practical application of this method for real samples displayed strong screening capability. Graphical abstract A quick screening method of >200 pharmaceutical and other residues in aquatic foods based on ultrahighperformance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-Orbitrap mass spectrometer was established. Fivedifferent aquatic food matrices, including carp, shrimp, crab, eel and mussel, were studied to evaluatescreen limit at 1, 10 and 50 μg·kg-1 level. Results suggest the high reliability, high time-efficiency and goodsimplicity of the method.

  9. Quantitative Determination of Bioactive Constituents in Noni Juice by High-performance Liquid Chromatography with Electrospray Ionization Triple Quadrupole Mass Spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Yan, Yongqiu; Lu, Yu; Jiang, Shiping; Jiang, Yu; Tong, Yingpeng; Zuo, Limin; Yang, Jun; Gong, Feng; Zhang, Ling; Wang, Ping

    2018-01-01

    of Noni juiceThis method is simple, sensitive, reliable, accurate, and efficient method with strong specificity, good precision, and high recovery rate and provides a reliable basis for quality control of Noni juice. Abbreviations used: HPLC-ESI-MS/MS: High-performance liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization triple quadrupole mass spectrometry, LOD: Limit of detection, LOQ: Limit of quantitation, S/N: Signal-to-noise ratio, RSD: Relative standard deviations, DP: Declustering potential, CE: Collision energy, MRM: Multiple reaction monitoring, RT: Retention time.

  10. Quantitative Determination of Bioactive Constituents in Noni Juice by High-performance Liquid Chromatography with Electrospray Ionization Triple Quadrupole Mass Spectrometry

    PubMed Central

    Yan, Yongqiu; Lu, Yu; Jiang, Shiping; Jiang, Yu; Tong, Yingpeng; Zuo, Limin; Yang, Jun; Gong, Feng; Zhang, Ling; Wang, Ping

    2018-01-01

    the quality control of eight batches of commercially available samples of Noni juiceThis method is simple, sensitive, reliable, accurate, and efficient method with strong specificity, good precision, and high recovery rate and provides a reliable basis for quality control of Noni juice. Abbreviations used: HPLC-ESI-MS/MS: High-performance liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization triple quadrupole mass spectrometry, LOD: Limit of detection, LOQ: Limit of quantitation, S/N: Signal-to-noise ratio, RSD: Relative standard deviations, DP: Declustering potential, CE: Collision energy, MRM: Multiple reaction monitoring, RT: Retention time. PMID:29576704

  11. Electrospray ionization and time-of-flight mass spectrometric method for simultaneous determination of spermidine and spermine.

    PubMed

    Samejima, Keijiro; Otani, Masahiro; Murakami, Yasuko; Oka, Takami; Kasai, Misao; Tsumoto, Hiroki; Kohda, Kohfuku

    2007-10-01

    A sensitive method for the determination of polyamines in mammalian cells was described using electrospray ionization and time-of-flight mass spectrometer. This method was 50-fold more sensitive than the previous method using ionspray ionization and quadrupole mass spectrometer. The method employed the partial purification and derivatization of polyamines, but allowed a measurement of multiple samples which contained picomol amounts of polyamines. Time required for data acquisition of one sample was approximately 2 min. The method was successfully applied for the determination of reduced spermidine and spermine contents in cultured cells under the inhibition of aminopropyltransferases. In addition, a new proper internal standard was proposed for the tracer experiment using (15)N-labeled polyamines.

  12. Improved ultra-performance liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization quadrupole-time-of-flight high-definition mass spectrometry method for the rapid analysis of the chemical constituents of a typical medical formula: Liuwei Dihuang Wan.

    PubMed

    Wang, Ping; Lv, Hai tao; Zhang, Ai hua; Sun, Hui; Yan, Guang li; Han, Ying; Wu, Xiu hong; Wang, Xi jun

    2013-11-01

    Liuwei Dihuang Wan (LDW), a classic Chinese medicinal formula, has been used to improve or restore declined functions related to aging and geriatric diseases, such as impaired mobility, vision, hearing, cognition, and memory. It has attracted increasing attention as one of the most popular and valuable herbal medicines. However, the systematic analysis of the chemical constituents of LDW is difficult and thus has not been well established. In this paper, a rapid, sensitive, and reliable ultra-performance LC with ESI quadrupole TOF high-definition MS method with automated MetaboLynx analysis in positive and negative ion mode was established to characterize the chemical constituents of LDW. The analysis was performed on a Waters UPLC™ HSS T3 using a gradient elution system. MS/MS fragmentation behavior was proposed for aiding the structural identification of the components. Under the optimized conditions, a total of 50 peaks were tentatively characterized by comparing the retention time and MS data. It is concluded that a rapid and robust platform based on ultra-performance LC with ESI quadrupole TOF high-definition MS has been successfully developed for globally identifying multiple constituents of traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions. This is the first report on the systematic analysis of the chemical constituents of LDW. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  13. Investigation of an enhanced resolution triple quadrupole mass spectrometer for high-throughput liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry assays.

    PubMed

    Yang, Liyu; Amad, Ma'an; Winnik, Witold M; Schoen, Alan E; Schweingruber, Hans; Mylchreest, Iain; Rudewicz, Patrick J

    2002-01-01

    Triple quadrupole mass spectrometers, when operated in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode, offer a unique combination of sensitivity, specificity, and dynamic range. Consequently, the triple quadrupole is the workhorse for high-throughput quantitation within the pharmaceutical industry. However, in the past, the unit mass resolution of quadrupole instruments has been a limitation when interference from matrix or metabolites cannot be eliminated. With recent advances in instrument design, triple quadrupole instruments now afford mass resolution of less than 0.1 Dalton (Da) full width at half maximum (FWHM). This paper describes the evaluation of an enhanced resolution triple quadrupole mass spectrometer for high-throughput bioanalysis with emphasis on comparison of selectivity, sensitivity, dynamic range, precision, accuracy, and stability under both unit mass (1 Da FWHM) and enhanced (of enhanced resolution was demonstrated in the case of mometasone with polypropylene glycol (PPG) interference. At unit mass resolution, the transmitted precursor ion from the first quadrupole contained not only protonated molecules from mometasone, but also PPG interference. At enhanced resolution only selected mometasone peaks were transmitted, and no interference from PPG was detected. Sensitivity of the instrument was demonstrated with 10 femtograms of descarboethoxyloratadine injected on-column, for which a signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio of 24 was obtained for MRM chromatograms at both unit and enhanced resolution. Absolute signals obtained at enhanced resolution were about one-third those obtained at unit mass resolution. However, S/N was maintained at enhanced resolution due to the proportional decrease in noise level. Finally, the stability of the instrument operating at enhanced resolution was demonstrated during an overnight 17 h period that was used to validate a liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) assay for

  14. Systematic chemical profiling of a multicomponent Chinese herbal formula Huo Luo Xiao Ling Dan by ultra high performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization quadrupoletime-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Wang, Fenrong; Ai, Yu; Wu, Yun; Ma, Wen; Bian, Qiaoxia; Lee, David Y-W; Dai, Ronghua

    2015-03-01

    Huo Luo Xiao Ling Dan, a Chinese herbal formula consisting of 11 different herbs, has been used in folk medicine for the treatment of arthritis and other chronic inflammatory diseases. However, the chemical compositions of Huo Luo Xiao Ling Dan are not completely characterized. In the present study, an ultra high performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry method in positive and negative ion modes was employed to identify biochemical constitutes in Huo Luo Xiao Ling Dan. As a result, a total of 76 compounds including alkaloids, monoterpene glycosides, iridoids, phenolic acids, and tanshinones, coumarins, lactones, flavones, and their glycosides, triterpenes, and triterpene saponins were characterized by comparing the retention time and mass spectrometry data with reference standards within 5 ppm error or by reference to the reference literature. These results would provide the basis for a further in vivo study of Huo Luo Xiao Ling Dan and information for potential new drug candidates for treating arthritis and other chronic inflammatory diseases. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  15. Neutron Time-of-Flight Spectroscopy

    PubMed Central

    Copley, John R. D.; Udovic, Terrence J.

    1993-01-01

    The time-of-flight technique is employed in two of the instruments at the NIST Cold Neutron Research Facility (CNRF). A pulsed monochromatic beam strikes the sample, and the energies of scattered neutrons are determined from their times-of-flight to an array of detectors. The time-of-flight method may be used in a variety of types of experiments such as studies of vibrational and magnetic excitations, tunneling spectroscopy, and quasielastic scattering studies of diffusional behavior; several examples of experiments are discussed. We also present brief descriptions of the CNRF time-of-flight instruments, including their modi operandi and some of their more pertinent parameters and performance characteristics. PMID:28053459

  16. High-performance multiple-reflection time-of-flight mass spectrometers for research with exotic nuclei and for analytical mass spectrometry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Plaß, Wolfgang R.; Dickel, Timo; Ayet San Andres, Samuel; Ebert, Jens; Greiner, Florian; Hornung, Christine; Jesch, Christian; Lang, Johannes; Lippert, Wayne; Majoros, Tamas; Short, Devin; Geissel, Hans; Haettner, Emma; Reiter, Moritz P.; Rink, Ann-Kathrin; Scheidenberger, Christoph; Yavor, Mikhail I.

    2015-11-01

    A class of multiple-reflection time-of-flight mass spectrometers (MR-TOF-MSs) has been developed for research with exotic nuclei at present and future accelerator facilities such as GSI and FAIR (Darmstadt), and TRIUMF (Vancouver). They can perform highly accurate mass measurements of exotic nuclei, serve as high-resolution, high-capacity mass separators and be employed as diagnostics devices to monitor the production, separation and manipulation of beams of exotic nuclei. In addition, a mobile high-resolution MR-TOF-MS has been developed for in situ applications in analytical mass spectrometry ranging from environmental research to medicine. Recently, the MR-TOF-MS for GSI and FAIR has been further developed. A novel RF quadrupole-based ion beam switchyard has been developed that allows merging and splitting of ion beams as well as transport of ions into different directions. It efficiently connects a test and reference ion source and an auxiliary detector to the system. Due to an increase in the kinetic energy of the ions in the time-of-flight analyzer of the MR-TOF-MS, a given mass resolving power is now achieved in less than half the time-of-flight. Conversely, depending on the time-of-flight, the mass resolving power has been increased by a factor of more than two.

  17. Qualitative and quantitative temporal analysis of licit and illicit drugs in wastewater in Australia using liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Bade, Richard; White, Jason M; Gerber, Cobus

    2018-01-01

    The combination of qualitative and quantitative bimonthly analysis of pharmaceuticals and illicit drugs using liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry is presented. A liquid chromatography-quadrupole time of flight instrument equipped with Sequential Window Acquisition of all THeoretical fragment-ion spectra (SWATH) was used to qualitatively screen 346 compounds in influent wastewater from two wastewater treatment plants in South Australia over a 14-month period. A total of 100 compounds were confirmed and/or detected using this strategy, with 61 confirmed in all samples including antidepressants (amitriptyline, dothiepin, doxepin), antipsychotics (amisulpride, clozapine), illicit drugs (cocaine, methamphetamine, amphetamine, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)), and known drug adulterants (lidocaine and tetramisole). A subset of these compounds was also included in a quantitative method, analyzed on a liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. The use of illicit stimulants (methamphetamine) showed a clear decrease, levels of opioid analgesics (morphine and methadone) remained relatively stable, while the use of new psychoactive substances (methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) and Alpha PVP) varied with no visible trend. This work demonstrates the value that high-frequency sampling combined with quantitative and qualitative analysis can deliver. Graphical abstract Temporal analysis of licit and illicit drugs in South Australia.

  18. 14 CFR 121.493 - Flight time limitations: Flight engineers and flight navigators.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Flight time limitations: Flight engineers and flight navigators. 121.493 Section 121.493 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION... AND OPERATIONS OPERATING REQUIREMENTS: DOMESTIC, FLAG, AND SUPPLEMENTAL OPERATIONS Flight Time...

  19. 14 CFR 121.493 - Flight time limitations: Flight engineers and flight navigators.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Flight time limitations: Flight engineers and flight navigators. 121.493 Section 121.493 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION... AND OPERATIONS OPERATING REQUIREMENTS: DOMESTIC, FLAG, AND SUPPLEMENTAL OPERATIONS Flight Time...

  20. 14 CFR 121.493 - Flight time limitations: Flight engineers and flight navigators.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Flight time limitations: Flight engineers and flight navigators. 121.493 Section 121.493 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION... AND OPERATIONS OPERATING REQUIREMENTS: DOMESTIC, FLAG, AND SUPPLEMENTAL OPERATIONS Flight Time...

  1. 14 CFR 121.493 - Flight time limitations: Flight engineers and flight navigators.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Flight time limitations: Flight engineers and flight navigators. 121.493 Section 121.493 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION... AND OPERATIONS OPERATING REQUIREMENTS: DOMESTIC, FLAG, AND SUPPLEMENTAL OPERATIONS Flight Time...

  2. 14 CFR 121.493 - Flight time limitations: Flight engineers and flight navigators.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Flight time limitations: Flight engineers and flight navigators. 121.493 Section 121.493 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION... AND OPERATIONS OPERATING REQUIREMENTS: DOMESTIC, FLAG, AND SUPPLEMENTAL OPERATIONS Flight Time...

  3. New drostanolone metabolites in human urine by liquid chromatography time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry and their application for doping control.

    PubMed

    Liu, Yang; Lu, Jianghai; Yang, Sheng; Zhang, Qingying; Xu, Youxuan

    2016-04-01

    Drostanolone is one of the most frequently detected anabolic androgenic steroids in doping control analysis. Here, we studied drostanolone urinary metabolic profiles using liquid chromatography quadruple time of flight mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF-MS) in full scan and targeted MS/MS modes with accurate mass measurement. The drug was administered to one healthy male volunteer and liquid-liquid extraction along with direct-injection were used to analyze urine samples. Chromatographic peaks for potential metabolites were identified with the theoretical [M-H](-) as a target ion in a full scan experiment and actual deprotonated ions were analyzed in targeted MS/MS mode. Eleven metabolites including five new sulfates, five glucuronide conjugates, and one free metabolite were confirmed for drostanolone. Due to the absence of useful fragment ions to illustrate the steroid ring structure of drostanolone phase II metabolites, gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used to obtain structural details of the trimethylsilylated phase I metabolite released after enzymatic hydrolysis and a potential structure was proposed using a combined MS approach. Metabolite detection times were recorded and S4 (2α-methyl-5α-androstan-17-one-6β-ol-3α-sulfate) and G1 (2α-methyl-5α-androstan-17-one-3α-glucuronide) were thought to be new potential biomarkers for drostanolone misuse which can be detected up to 24days by liquid-liquid extraction and 7days by direct-injection analysis after intramuscular injection. S4 and G1 were also detected in two drostanolone-positive routine urine samples. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Mass cytometry: technique for real time single cell multitarget immunoassay based on inductively coupled plasma time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Bandura, Dmitry R; Baranov, Vladimir I; Ornatsky, Olga I; Antonov, Alexei; Kinach, Robert; Lou, Xudong; Pavlov, Serguei; Vorobiev, Sergey; Dick, John E; Tanner, Scott D

    2009-08-15

    A novel instrument for real time analysis of individual biological cells or other microparticles is described. The instrument is based on inductively coupled plasma time-of-flight mass spectrometry and comprises a three-aperture plasma-vacuum interface, a dc quadrupole turning optics for decoupling ions from neutral components, an rf quadrupole ion guide discriminating against low-mass dominant plasma ions, a point-to-parallel focusing dc quadrupole doublet, an orthogonal acceleration reflectron analyzer, a discrete dynode fast ion detector, and an 8-bit 1 GHz digitizer. A high spectrum generation frequency of 76.8 kHz provides capability for collecting multiple spectra from each particle-induced transient ion cloud, typically of 200-300 micros duration. It is shown that the transients can be resolved and characterized individually at a peak frequency of 1100 particles per second. Design considerations and optimization data are presented. The figures of merit of the instrument are measured under standard inductively coupled plasma (ICP) operating conditions (<3% cerium oxide ratio). At mass resolution (full width at half-maximum) M/DeltaM > 900 for m/z = 159, the sensitivity with a standard sample introduction system of >1.4 x 10(8) ion counts per second per mg L(-1) of Tb and an abundance sensitivity of (6 x 10(-4))-(1.4 x 10(-3)) (trailing and leading masses, respectively) are shown. The mass range (m/z = 125-215) and abundance sensitivity are sufficient for elemental immunoassay with up to 60 distinct available elemental tags. When <15 elemental tags are used, a higher sensitivity mode at lower resolution (M/DeltaM > 500) can be used, which provides >2.4 x 10(8) cps per mg L(-1) of Tb, at (1.5 x 10(-3))-(5.0 x 10(-3)) abundance sensitivity. The real-time simultaneous detection of multiple isotopes from individual 1.8 microm polystyrene beads labeled with lanthanides is shown. A real time single cell 20 antigen expression assay of model cell lines and leukemia

  5. 14 CFR 121.511 - Flight time limitations: Flight engineers: airplanes.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Flight time limitations: Flight engineers... OPERATING REQUIREMENTS: DOMESTIC, FLAG, AND SUPPLEMENTAL OPERATIONS Flight Time Limitations: Supplemental Operations § 121.511 Flight time limitations: Flight engineers: airplanes. (a) In any operation in which one...

  6. 14 CFR 121.511 - Flight time limitations: Flight engineers: airplanes.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Flight time limitations: Flight engineers... OPERATING REQUIREMENTS: DOMESTIC, FLAG, AND SUPPLEMENTAL OPERATIONS Flight Time Limitations: Supplemental Operations § 121.511 Flight time limitations: Flight engineers: airplanes. (a) In any operation in which one...

  7. 14 CFR 121.511 - Flight time limitations: Flight engineers: airplanes.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Flight time limitations: Flight engineers... OPERATING REQUIREMENTS: DOMESTIC, FLAG, AND SUPPLEMENTAL OPERATIONS Flight Time Limitations: Supplemental Operations § 121.511 Flight time limitations: Flight engineers: airplanes. (a) In any operation in which one...

  8. 14 CFR 121.511 - Flight time limitations: Flight engineers: airplanes.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Flight time limitations: Flight engineers... OPERATING REQUIREMENTS: DOMESTIC, FLAG, AND SUPPLEMENTAL OPERATIONS Flight Time Limitations: Supplemental Operations § 121.511 Flight time limitations: Flight engineers: airplanes. (a) In any operation in which one...

  9. Method to simultaneously determine the sphingosine 1-phosphate breakdown product (2E)-hexadecenal and its fatty acid derivatives using isotope-dilution HPLC-electrospray ionization-quadrupole/time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Neuber, Corinna; Schumacher, Fabian; Gulbins, Erich; Kleuser, Burkhard

    2014-09-16

    Sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P), a bioactive lipid involved in various physiological processes, can be irreversibly degraded by the membrane-bound S1P lyase (S1PL) yielding (2E)-hexadecenal and phosphoethanolamine. It is discussed that (2E)-hexadecenal is further oxidized to (2E)-hexadecenoic acid by the long-chain fatty aldehyde dehydrogenase ALDH3A2 (also known as FALDH) prior to activation via coupling to coenzyme A (CoA). Inhibition or defects in these enzymes, S1PL or FALDH, result in severe immunological disorders or the Sjögren-Larsson syndrome, respectively. Hence, it is of enormous importance to simultaneously determine the S1P breakdown product (2E)-hexadecenal and its fatty acid metabolites in biological samples. However, no method is available so far. Here, we present a sensitive and selective isotope-dilution high performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-quadrupole/time-of-flight mass spectrometry method for simultaneous quantification of (2E)-hexadecenal and its fatty acid metabolites following derivatization with 2-diphenylacetyl-1,3-indandione-1-hydrazone and 1-ethyl-3-(3-(dimethylamino)propyl)carbodiimide. Optimized conditions for sample derivatization, chromatographic separation, and MS/MS detection are presented as well as an extensive method validation. Finally, our method was successfully applied to biological samples. We found that (2E)-hexadecenal is almost quantitatively oxidized to (2E)-hexadecenoic acid, that is further activated as verified by cotreatment of HepG2 cell lysates with (2E)-hexadecenal and the acyl-CoA synthetase inhibitor triacsin C. Moreover, incubations of cell lysates with deuterated (2E)-hexadecenal revealed that no hexadecanoic acid is formed from the aldehyde. Thus, our method provides new insights into the sphingolipid metabolism and will be useful to investigate diseases known for abnormalities in long-chain fatty acid metabolism, e.g., the Sjögren-Larsson syndrome, in more detail.

  10. Identification of N-nitrosamines in treated drinking water using nanoelectrospray ionization high-field asymmetric waveform ion mobility spectrometry with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Zhao, Yuan Yuan; Liu, Xin; Boyd, Jessica M; Qin, Feng; Li, Jianjun; Li, Xing-Fang

    2009-01-01

    We report a nanoelectrospray ionization (nESI) with high-field asymmetric waveform ion mobility spectrometry (FAIMS) and tandem mass spectrometry (MS-MS) method for determination of small molecules of m/z 50 to 200 and its potential application in environmental analysis. Integration of nESI with FAIMS and MS-MS combines the advantages of these three techniques into one method. The nESI provides efficient sample introduction and ionization and allows for collection of multiple data from only microliters of samples. The FAIMS provides rapid separation, reduces or eliminates background interference, and improves the signal-to-noise ratio as much as 10-fold over nESI-MS-MS. The tandem quadrupole time-of-flight MS detection provides accurate mass and mass spectral measurements for structural identification. Characteristics of FAIMS compensation voltage (CV) spectra of seven nitrosamines, N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), N-nitrosomethylethylamine (NMEA), N-nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA), N-nitrosodi-n-propylamine (NDPA), N-nitrosodi-n-butylamine (NDBA), N-nitrosopiperidine (NPip), and N-nitrosopyrrolidine (NPyr), were analyzed. The optimal CV of the nitrosamines (at DV -4000 V) were: -1.6 V, NDBA; 2.6 V, NDPA; 6.6 V, NPip; 8.8 V, NDEA; 13.2 V, NPyr; 14.4 V, NMEA; and 19.4 V, NDMA. Fragmentation patterns of the seven nitrosamines in the nESI-FAIMS-MS-MS were also obtained. The specific CV and MS-MS spectra resulted in positive identification of NPyr and NPip in a treated water sample, demonstrating the potential application of this technique in environmental analysis.

  11. Evaluation of the accuracy of the determination of lead isotope ratios in wine by ICP MS using quadrupole, multicollector magnetic sector and time-of-flight analyzers.

    PubMed

    Barbaste, M; Halicz, L; Galy, A; Medina, B; Emteborg, H; C Adams, F; Lobinski, R

    2001-04-12

    Different mass analysers [(quadrupole (Q), time-of-flight (TOF) and multicollector (MC) sector-field (SF)] of ions produced in an inductively coupled plasma were evaluated for the determination of lead isotope ratios in wine samples. A population of 20 wines of different origin including two reference wines from the EC Standards, Measurement and Testing Programme with concentrations varying between 7-140 mug Pb l(-1) was investigated. Wines were analyzed directly by Q ICP MS and MC ICP MS. The poor sensitivity of the TOF instrument, further aggravated by matrix signal suppression, did not allow the acquisition of data for wine samples that contained less than 50 mug l(-1) in the direct sample introduction mode. The separation and preconcentration of lead were therefore required. The precision obtained for the (206)Pb/(207)Pb and (208)Pb/(206)Pb were similar and equal to 0.14-2.7% for Q ICP MS, 0.04-0.17% for TOF ICP MS and 0.01-0.12% for MC ICP MS. The precision for (206)Pb/(204)Pb was 0.44-5.29, 0.15-1.7, 0.08-1.6%, respectively. On the level of accuracy, the data from TOF ICP MS and MC ICP MS were in good agreement. The accuracy of Q ICP MS data was judged satisfactory in comparison with the other techniques but their poor precision was a significant obstacle on the way of using these data for the determination of the geographic origin of wine.

  12. New design for a time-of-flight mass spectrometer with a liquid beam laser desorption ion source for the analysis of biomolecules

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Charvat, A.; Lugovoj, E.; Faubel, M.; Abel, B.

    2004-05-01

    We describe a novel liquid beam mass spectrometer, based on a recently discovered nanosecond laser desorption phenomenon, [W. Kleinekofort, J. Avdiev, and B. Brutschy, Int. J. Mass Ion. Processes 152, 135 (1996)] which allows the liquid-to-vacuum transfer, and subsequent mass analysis of pre-existing ions and ionic associates from liquid microjets of aqueous solutions. The goal of our novel technical approach is to establish a system with good mass resolution that implements improvements on critical components that make the system more reliable and easier to operate. For laser desorption pulsed dye-laser difference frequency mixing is used that provides tunable infrared light near the absorption maximum of liquid water around 3 μm. Different types of liquid beam glass nozzles (convergent capillary and aperture plate nozzles) are investigated and characterized. Starting from theoretical considerations of hydrodynamic drag forces on micrometer size droplets in supersonic rarefied gas flows we succeeded in capturing efficiently the liquid beam in a liquid beam recycling trap operating at the vapor pressure of liquid water. For improving the pollution resistance, the liquid jet high vacuum ion source region is spatially separated from the reflectron time-of-flight mass spectrometer (TOF-MS) working behind a gate valve in an ultrahigh vacuum environment. A simple (simulation optimized) ion optics is employed for the ion transfer from the source to the high vacuum region. This new feature is also mostly responsible for the improved mass resolution. With the present tandem-TOF-MS setup a resolution of m/Δm≈1800 for the low and m/Δm≈700 in the high mass region has been obtained for several biomolecules of different mass and complexity (amino acids, insulin, and cytochrome c).

  13. Real Time Correction of Aircraft Flight Fonfiguration

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Schipper, John F. (Inventor)

    2009-01-01

    Method and system for monitoring and analyzing, in real time, variation with time of an aircraft flight parameter. A time-dependent recovery band, defined by first and second recovery band boundaries that are spaced apart at at least one time point, is constructed for a selected flight parameter and for a selected time recovery time interval length .DELTA.t(FP;rec). A flight parameter, having a value FP(t=t.sub.p) at a time t=t.sub.p, is likely to be able to recover to a reference flight parameter value FP(t';ref), lying in a band of reference flight parameter values FP(t';ref;CB), within a time interval given by t.sub.p.ltoreq.t'.ltoreq.t.sub.p.DELTA.t(FP;rec), if (or only if) the flight parameter value lies between the first and second recovery band boundary traces.

  14. 14 CFR 121.511 - Flight time limitations: Flight engineers: airplanes.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Flight time limitations: Flight engineers: airplanes. 121.511 Section 121.511 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF... Operations § 121.511 Flight time limitations: Flight engineers: airplanes. (a) In any operation in which one...

  15. Determination of phenylalanine isotope ratio enrichment by liquid chromatography/time- of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Wu, Zhanpin; Zhang, Xiao-Jun; Cody, Robert B; Wolfe, Robert R

    2004-01-01

    The application of time-of-flight mass spectrometry to isotope ratio measurements has been limited by the relatively low dynamic range of the time-to-digital converter detectors available on commercial LC/ToF-MS systems. Here we report the measurement of phenylalanine isotope ratio enrichment by using a new LC/ToF-MS system with wide dynamic range. Underivatized phenylalanine was injected onto a C18 column directly with 0.1% formic acid/acetonitrile as the mobile phase. The optimal instrument parameters for the time-of-flight mass spectrometer were determined by tuning the instrument with a phenylalanine standard. The accuracy of the isotope enrichment measurement was determined by the injection of standard solutions with known isotope ratios ranging from 0.02% to 9.2%. A plot of the results against the theoretical values gave a linear curve with R2 of 0.9999. The coefficient of variation for the isotope ratio measurement was below 2%. The method is simple, rapid, and accurate and presents an attractive alternative to traditional GC/MS applications.

  16. Quantitative analysis of polyhexamethylene guanidine (PHMG) oligomers via matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry with an ionic-liquid matrix.

    PubMed

    Yoon, Donhee; Lee, Dongkun; Lee, Jong-Hyeon; Cha, Sangwon; Oh, Han Bin

    2015-01-30

    Quantifying polymers by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOFMS) with a conventional crystalline matrix generally suffers from poor sample-to-sample or shot-to-shot reproducibility. An ionic-liquid matrix has been demonstrated to mitigate these reproducibility issues by providing a homogeneous sample surface, which is useful for quantifying polymers. In the present study, we evaluated the use of an ionic liquid matrix, i.e., 1-methylimidazolium α-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamate (1-MeIm-CHCA), to quantify polyhexamethylene guanidine (PHMG) samples that impose a critical health hazard when inhaled in the form of droplets. MALDI-TOF mass spectra were acquired for PHMG oligomers using a variety of ionic-liquid matrices including 1-MeIm-CHCA. Calibration curves were constructed by plotting the sum of the PHMG oligomer peak areas versus PHMG sample concentration with a variety of peptide internal standards. Compared with the conventional crystalline matrix, the 1-MeIm-CHCA ionic-liquid matrix had much better reproducibility (lower standard deviations). Furthermore, by using an internal peptide standard, good linear calibration plots could be obtained over a range of PMHG concentrations of at least 4 orders of magnitude. This study successfully demonstrated that PHMG samples can be quantitatively characterized by MALDI-TOFMS with an ionic-liquid matrix and an internal standard. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  17. Method Development for Comprehensive Extraction and Analysis of Marine Toxins: Liquid-Liquid Extraction and Tandem Liquid Chromatography Separations Coupled to Electrospray Tandem Mass Spectrometry

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Wunschel, David S.; Valenzuela, Blandina R.; Kaiser, Brooke L. Deatherage

    A variety of toxins are produced by marine and freshwater microorganisms that present a threat to human health. These toxins have diverse chemical properties and specifically, a range of hydrophobicity. Methods for extraction and identification of these toxins are often geared toward specific classes of toxin depending on the sample type. There is a need for a general method of toxin extraction and identification for screening samples where the likely toxin content is not known a priori. Here, we have applied a general method for metabolite extraction to toxin containing samples. This method was coupled with a simple dual liquidmore » chromatography approach for separating a broad range of toxins. This liquid chromatography approach was coupled to triple quadrupole and quadrupole time-of-flight MS/MS platforms. The method was testing on a fish matrix for recovery of palytoxin as well as marine corals for detection of natural mixtures of palytoxin analogues. The recovery of palytoxin was found to produce a linear response (R 2 of 0.95) when spiked into the fish matrix with a limit of quantitation of 2.5 ng/μL and recovery efficiency of 73% +/- 9%. The screening of corals revealed varying amount of palytoxin, and in one case, different palytoxin structural analogues. This demonstration illustrates the potential utility of this method for toxin extraction and detection.« less

  18. Method Development for Comprehensive Extraction and Analysis of Marine Toxins: Liquid-Liquid Extraction and Tandem Liquid Chromatography Separations Coupled to Electrospray Tandem Mass Spectrometry

    DOE PAGES

    Wunschel, David S.; Valenzuela, Blandina R.; Kaiser, Brooke L. Deatherage; ...

    2018-05-09

    A variety of toxins are produced by marine and freshwater microorganisms that present a threat to human health. These toxins have diverse chemical properties and specifically, a range of hydrophobicity. Methods for extraction and identification of these toxins are often geared toward specific classes of toxin depending on the sample type. There is a need for a general method of toxin extraction and identification for screening samples where the likely toxin content is not known a priori. Here, we have applied a general method for metabolite extraction to toxin containing samples. This method was coupled with a simple dual liquidmore » chromatography approach for separating a broad range of toxins. This liquid chromatography approach was coupled to triple quadrupole and quadrupole time-of-flight MS/MS platforms. The method was testing on a fish matrix for recovery of palytoxin as well as marine corals for detection of natural mixtures of palytoxin analogues. The recovery of palytoxin was found to produce a linear response (R 2 of 0.95) when spiked into the fish matrix with a limit of quantitation of 2.5 ng/μL and recovery efficiency of 73% +/- 9%. The screening of corals revealed varying amount of palytoxin, and in one case, different palytoxin structural analogues. This demonstration illustrates the potential utility of this method for toxin extraction and detection.« less

  19. Statistical analysis of flight times for space shuttle ferry flights

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Graves, M. E.; Perlmutter, M.

    1974-01-01

    Markov chain and Monte Carlo analysis techniques are applied to the simulated Space Shuttle Orbiter Ferry flights to obtain statistical distributions of flight time duration between Edwards Air Force Base and Kennedy Space Center. The two methods are compared, and are found to be in excellent agreement. The flights are subjected to certain operational and meteorological requirements, or constraints, which cause eastbound and westbound trips to yield different results. Persistence of events theory is applied to the occurrence of inclement conditions to find their effect upon the statistical flight time distribution. In a sensitivity test, some of the constraints are varied to observe the corresponding changes in the results.

  20. Time of flight in MUSE at PIM1 at Paul Scherrer Institute

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lin, Wan; Gilman, Ronald; MUSE Collaboration

    2016-09-01

    The MUSE experiment at PIM1 at Paul Scherrer Institute in Villigen, Switzerland, measures elastic scattering of electrons and muons from a liquid hydrogen target. The intent of the experiment is to deduce whether the radius of the proton is the same when determined from the two different particle types. Precision timing is an important aspect of the experiment, used to determine particle types, reaction types, and beam momentum. Here we present results for a test setup measuring time of flight between prototypes of two detector systems to be used in the experiment, compared to Geant4 simulations. The results demonstrate time of flight resolution better than 100 ps, and beam momentum determination at the level of a few tenths of a percent. Douglass Project for Rutgers Women in Math, Science & Engineering, National Science Foundation Grant 1306126 to Rutgers University.

  1. Screening of 439 Pesticide Residues in Fruits and Vegetables by Gas Chromatography-Quadrupole-Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry Based on TOF Accurate Mass Database and Q-TOF Spectrum Library.

    PubMed

    Li, Jian-Xun; Li, Xiao-Ying; Chang, Qiao-Ying; Li, Yan; Jin, Ling-He; Pang, Guo-Fang; Fan, Chun-Lin

    2018-05-03

    Because of its unique characteristics of accurate mass full-spectrum acquisition, high resolution, and fast acquisition rates, GC-quadrupole-time-of-flight MS (GC-Q-TOF/MS) has become a powerful tool for pesticide residue analysis. In this study, a TOF accurate mass database and Q-TOF spectrum library of 439 pesticides were established, and the parameters of the TOF database were optimized. Through solid-phase extraction (SPE), whereby pesticides are extracted from fruit and vegetable substrates by using 40 mL 1% acetic acid in acetonitrile (v/v), purified by the Carbon/NH₂ SPE cartridge, and finally detected by GC-Q-TOF/MS, the rapid analysis of 439 pesticides in fruits and vegetables can be achieved. The methodology verification results show that more than 70 and 91% of pesticides, spiked in fruits and vegetables with concentrations of 10 and 100 μg/kg, respectively, saw recoveries that conform to the European Commission's criterion of between 70 and 120% with RSD ≤20%. Eighty-one percent of pesticides have screening detection limits lower than 10 μg/kg, which makes this a reliable analysis technology for the monitoring of pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables. This technology was further validated for its characteristics of high precision, high speed, and high throughput through successful detection of 9817 samples during 2013-2015.

  2. Analysis of the oligosaccharides in Japanese rice wine, sake, by hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography-time-of-flight/mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Tokuoka, Masafumi; Honda, Chihiro; Totsuka, Akira; Shindo, Hitoshi; Hosaka, Masaru

    2017-08-01

    A traditional Japanese alcoholic beverage, sake, contains several oligosaccharides, which are associated with the taste of sake; however, little is known about the specific molecular species and concentrations of oligosaccharides in sake. Here, we developed an analytical method using hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography-time-of-flight/mass spectrometry (HILIC-TOF/MS) which successfully detects the oligosaccharides in sake. A series of oligosaccharides with successive degree of polymerization (DP) values up to 18 were identified in sake for the first time, which we have named sake oligosaccharides (SAOs). The concentrations of the SAOs with DP = 3-8 were estimated to be in the range of 200-2000 ppm. Quantitative analysis of 6 different sake samples for SAOs with DP=2-8 and the other saccharides showed that the amount of each SAO differs significantly among the sake samples. Enzymatic digestion analysis suggested that the SAOs are probably branched maltooligosaccharides in structure, which are resistant to β-amylase. Copyright © 2017 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Theory for nanoparticle retention time in the helical channel of quadrupole magnetic field-flow fractionation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Williams, P. Stephen; Carpino, Francesca; Zborowski, Maciej

    2009-05-01

    Quadrupole magnetic field-flow fractionation (QMgFFF) is a separation and characterization technique for magnetic nanoparticles such as those used for cell labeling and for targeted drug therapy. A helical separation channel is used to efficiently exploit the quadrupole magnetic field. The fluid and sample components therefore have angular and longitudinal components to their motion in the thin annular space occupied by the helical channel. The retention ratio is defined as the ratio of the times for non-retained and a retained material to pass through the channel. Equations are derived for the respective angular and longitudinal components to retention ratio.

  4. Monitoring leachables from single-use bioreactor bags for mammalian cell culture by dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction followed by ultra high performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Dorival-García, N; Bones, J

    2017-08-25

    A method for the identification of leachables in chemically defined media for CHO cell culture using dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) and UHPLC-MS is described. A Box-Behnken design of experiments (DoE) approach was applied to obtain the optimum extraction conditions of the target analytes. Performance of DLLME as extraction technique was studied by comparison of two commercial chemically defined media for CHO cell culture. General extraction conditions for any group of leachables, regardless of their specific chemical functionalities can be applied and similar optimum conditions were obtained with the two media. Extraction efficiency and matrix effects were determined. The method was validated using matrix-matched standard calibration followed by recovery assays with spiked samples. Finally, cell culture media was incubated in 7 single use bioreactors (SUBs) from different vendors and analysed. TBPP was not detected in any of the samples, whereas DtBP and TBPP-ox were found in all samples, with bDtBPP detected in six SUBs. This method can be used for early identification of non-satisfactory SUB films for cultivation of CHO cell lines for biopharmaceutical production. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. 14 CFR 398.7 - Timing of flights.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 4 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Timing of flights. 398.7 Section 398.7... STATEMENTS GUIDELINES FOR INDIVIDUAL DETERMINATIONS OF BASIC ESSENTIAL AIR SERVICE § 398.7 Timing of flights. To qualify as essential air service, flights must depart at reasonable times, considering the needs...

  6. 14 CFR 398.7 - Timing of flights.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 4 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Timing of flights. 398.7 Section 398.7... STATEMENTS GUIDELINES FOR INDIVIDUAL DETERMINATIONS OF BASIC ESSENTIAL AIR SERVICE § 398.7 Timing of flights. To qualify as essential air service, flights must depart at reasonable times, considering the needs...

  7. Analysis of legal high materials by ultra-performance liquid chromatography with time of flight mass spectrometry as part of a toxicology vigilance system: what are the most popular novel psychoactive substances in the UK?

    PubMed

    Ford, Loretta T; Berg, Jonathan D

    2017-03-01

    Introduction Legal highs also known as novel psychoactive substances mimic the effects of classic drugs of abuse. Challenges to developing screening services for novel psychoactive substances include identifying which novel psychoactive substances are available to target. Using new techniques such as exact mass time of flight can help identify common novel psychoactive substances to target for screening patient samples by routine methods such as tandem mass spectrometry. We demonstrate this strategy working in our own clinical toxicology laboratory after qualitative analysis of 98 suspect materials for novel psychoactive substances by ultra-performance liquid chromatography with time of flight mass spectrometry. Results From July 2014 to July 2015 we received 98 requests to test a range of different suspect materials for novel psychoactive substances including herbs, tobacco, liquids, pills and powders. Overall, 87% of the suspect materials tested positive for novel psychoactive substances, and 15% for controlled drugs. Three common novel psychoactive substances were present in 74% of the suspect materials: methiopropamine, a methamphetamine analogue; ethylphenidate, a cocaine mimic; and the third generation synthetic cannabinoid 5F-AKB-48. For the 55 branded products we tested only 24% of the stated contents matched exactly the compounds we detected. Conclusion Testing suspect materials using ultra-performance liquid chromatography with time of flight mass spectrometry has identified three common novel psychoactive substances in use in the UK, simplifying the development of a relevant novel psychoactive substances screening service to our population. By incorporating this into our routine liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry drugs of abuse screen, then offers a clinically relevant novel psychoactive substances service to our users. This strategy ensures our clinical toxicology service continues to remain effective to meet the challenges of the changing

  8. 14 CFR 398.7 - Timing of flights.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... reasonableness of the time in view of the purpose for which the local passengers are traveling. If travel is primarily to connect with other flights at the hub, local flight times should be designed to link with those.... To qualify as essential air service, flights must depart at reasonable times, considering the needs...

  9. 14 CFR 398.7 - Timing of flights.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... reasonableness of the time in view of the purpose for which the local passengers are traveling. If travel is primarily to connect with other flights at the hub, local flight times should be designed to link with those.... To qualify as essential air service, flights must depart at reasonable times, considering the needs...

  10. 14 CFR 398.7 - Timing of flights.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... reasonableness of the time in view of the purpose for which the local passengers are traveling. If travel is primarily to connect with other flights at the hub, local flight times should be designed to link with those.... To qualify as essential air service, flights must depart at reasonable times, considering the needs...

  11. A strategy for screening and identifying mycotoxins in herbal medicine using ultra-performance liquid chromatography with tandem quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Fang, Lian-xiang; Xiong, Ai-zhen; Wang, Rui; Ji, Shen; Yang, Li; Wang, Zheng-tao

    2013-09-01

    The objective of this study was to develop an effective strategy for screening and identifying mycotoxins in herbal medicine (HM). Here, Imperatae Rhizoma, a commonly used Chinese herb, was selected as a model HM. A crude drug contaminated with fungi was analyzed by comparing with uncontaminated ones. Ultra-performance LC coupled to tandem quadrupole TOF-MS (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS) with collision energy function was applied to analyze different samples from Imperatae Rhizoma. Then, MarkerLynx(TM) software was employed to screen the excess components in analytes, compared with control samples, and those selected markers were likely to be the metabolites of fungi. Furthermore, each of the accurate masses of the markers obtained from MarkerLynx(TM) was then searched in a mycotoxins/fungal metabolites database established in advance. The molecular formulas with relative mass error between the measured and theoretical mass within 5 ppm were chosen and then applied to MassFragment(TM) analysis for further confirmation of their structures. With the use of this approach, five mycotoxins that have never been reported in HM were identified in contaminated Imperatae Rhizoma. The results demonstrate the potential of UPLC-Q-TOF-MS coupled with the MarkerLynx(TM) software and MassFragment(TM) tool as an efficient and convenient method to screen and identify mycotoxins in herbal materials and aid in the quality control of HM. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  12. Liquid chromatography coupled with hybrid ion trap time-of-flight mass spectrometry method for the determination of caulophine in rat bio-samples and its pharmacokinetic study after intragastric and intraperitoneal administration.

    PubMed

    Lu, Dan; Xu, Xiao; Li, Chunlei; Wang, Sicen

    2018-01-01

    A rapid and precise liquid chromatography coupled with hybrid ion trap/time-of-flight mass spectrometry method to detect and quantify caulophine and its possible active metabolites in rat plasma and urine was developed. Samples were prepared by plasma protein precipitation combined with a liquid-liquid extraction method. The separation was carried out on an InertSustain® C18 column with a mobile phase comprising methanol and 0.1% aqueous formic acid solution. The analysis was complete in 20 min with a flow rate of 0.4 mL/min. Taspine was used as the internal standard. Mass spectrometric detection was conducted with hybrid ion trap/time-of-flight equipped with electrospray ionization in the positive ion mode. The calibration curves of caulophine were linear over the concentration ranges of 0.002-0.20 μg/mL for plasma and 0.005-0.50 μg/mL for urine with the correlation coefficients greater than 0.998 in both cases. The method was successfully used to investigate the pharmacokinetics and bioavailability in rat plasma and urine samples after intragastric and intraperitoneal administration of caulophine sodium salt. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  13. Accurate mass analysis of ethanesulfonic acid degradates of acetochlor and alachlor using high-performance liquid chromatography and time-of-flight mass spectrometry

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Thurman, E.M.; Ferrer, I.; Parry, R.

    2002-01-01

    Degradates of acetochlor and alachlor (ethanesulfonic acids, ESAs) were analyzed in both standards and in a groundwater sample using high-performance liquid chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry with electrospray ionization. The negative pseudomolecular ion of the secondary amide of acetochlor ESA and alachlor ESA gave average masses of 256.0750??0.0049 amu and 270.0786??0.0064 amu respectively. Acetochlor and alachlor ESA gave similar masses of 314.1098??0.0061 amu and 314.1153??0.0048 amu; however, they could not be distinguished by accurate mass because they have the same empirical formula. On the other hand, they may be distinguished using positive-ion electrospray because of different fragmentation spectra, which did not occur using negative-ion electrospray.

  14. Accurate mass analysis of ethanesulfonic acid degradates of acetochlor and alachlor using high-performance liquid chromatography and time-of-flight mass spectrometry

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Thurman, E.M.; Ferrer, Imma; Parry, R.

    2002-01-01

    Degradates of acetochlor and alachlor (ethanesulfonic acids, ESAs) were analyzed in both standards and in a groundwater sample using high-performance liquid chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry with electrospray ionization. The negative pseudomolecular ion of the secondary amide of acetochlor ESA and alachlor ESA gave average masses of 256.0750+/-0.0049 amu and 270.0786+/-0.0064 amu respectively. Acetochlor and alachlor ESA gave similar masses of 314.1098+/-0.0061 amu and 314.1153+/-0.0048 amu; however, they could not be distinguished by accurate mass because they have the same empirical formula. On the other hand, they may be distinguished using positive-ion electrospray because of different fragmentation spectra, which did not occur using negative-ion electrospray.

  15. In vitro metabolism study of Strychnos alkaloids using high-performance liquid chromatography combined with hybrid ion trap/time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Tian, Ji-Xin; Peng, Can; Xu, Lei; Tian, Yuan; Zhang, Zun-Jian

    2013-06-01

    In this report, the in vitro metabolism of Strychnos alkaloids was investigated using liquid chromatography/high-resolution mass spectrometry for the first time. Strychnine and brucine were selected as model compounds to determine the universal biotransformations of the Strychnos alkaloids in rat liver microsomes. The incubation mixtures were separated by a bidentate-C18 column, and then analyzed by on-line ion trap/time-of-flight mass spectrometry. With the assistance of mass defect filtering technique, full-scan accurate mass datasets were processed for the discovery of the related metabolites. The structural elucidations of these metabolites were achieved by comparing the changes in accurate molecular masses, calculating chemical component using Formula Predictor software and defining sites of biotransformation based upon accurate MS(n) spectral information. As a result, 31 metabolites were identified, of which 26 metabolites were reported for the first time. These biotransformations included hydroxylation, N-oxidation, epoxidation, methylation, dehydrogenation, de-methoxylation, O-demethylation, as well as hydrolysis reactions. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  16. Characterization of metabolites of larotaxel in rat by liquid chromatography coupled with Q exactive high-resolution benchtop quadrupole orbitrap mass spectrometer.

    PubMed

    Liu, Zhenzhen; Hou, Pengyi; Liu, Lian; Qian, Feng

    2018-03-01

    1. Liquid-chromatography (LC) high-resolution (HR) mass spectrometry (MS) analysis can record HR full scans for drug metabolism studies. Larotaxel is a taxane analog that has the potential for the treatment of various types of cancer. 2. In this study, the metabolism of larotaxel was evaluated after an intravenous dose of 8 mg/kg via the caudal vein to healthy rats and its metabolites were characterized by high performance liquid chromatography coupled with a Q Exactive high-resolution benchtop quadrupole orbitrap mass spectrometer. Rat bio-samples were separated on a Capcell Pak C 18 column (2.1 i.d. × 100 mm; 2.7 μm) with mobile phase of acetonitrile and water. 3. As a result, a total of 34 metabolites were detected and identified by comparing the molecular masses, retention times and spectral patterns of the analytes with those of the parent drug. Three metabolites were confirmed by comparison with reference substances. 4. The prominent metabolites were mainly hydroxyl, dihydroxyl, trihydroxyl and 10-desacetyl analogs of larotaxel, some of which resulted from oxidation of the tert-butyl groups on the side chain and further oxidation and cyclization of the tert-butyl hydroxylated metabolites.

  17. [Peculiarities of pilot's perception of flight information presented on on-board liquid crystal displays].

    PubMed

    Lemeshchenko, N A; Ivanov, A I; Lapa, V V; Davydov, V V; Zhelonkin, V I; Riabinin, V A; Golosov, S Iu

    2014-01-01

    The article deals with results of experimental studies conducted on flight testing desk and covering peculiarities of pilot's perception of flight information presented on on-board liquid crystal display in dependence on changes speed and update rate of the screen. The authors determine frequency characteristics of information update rate, that achieve acceptable quality of the flight parameters perception in accordance with the changes speed. Vigorous maneuvering with high angular velocities of changed parameters of roll and pitch causes visual distortions that are connected with poor frequency of information update rate, deteriorate piloting quality and can cause flight unsafety.

  18. Suspected-target pesticide screening using gas chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry with high resolution deconvolution and retention index/mass spectrum library.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Fang; Wang, Haoyang; Zhang, Li; Zhang, Jing; Fan, Ruojing; Yu, Chongtian; Wang, Wenwen; Guo, Yinlong

    2014-10-01

    A strategy for suspected-target screening of pesticide residues in complicated matrices was exploited using gas chromatography in combination with hybrid quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-QTOF MS). The screening workflow followed three key steps of, initial detection, preliminary identification, and final confirmation. The initial detection of components in a matrix was done by a high resolution mass spectrum deconvolution; the preliminary identification of suspected pesticides was based on a special retention index/mass spectrum (RI/MS) library that contained both the first-stage mass spectra (MS(1) spectra) and retention indices; and the final confirmation was accomplished by accurate mass measurements of representative ions with their response ratios from the MS(1) spectra or representative product ions from the second-stage mass spectra (MS(2) spectra). To evaluate the applicability of the workflow in real samples, three matrices of apple, spinach, and scallion, each spiked with 165 test pesticides in a set of concentrations, were selected as the models. The results showed that the use of high-resolution TOF enabled effective extractions of spectra from noisy chromatograms, which was based on a narrow mass window (5 mDa) and suspected-target compounds identified by the similarity match of deconvoluted full mass spectra and filtering of linear RIs. On average, over 74% of pesticides at 50 ng/mL could be identified using deconvolution and the RI/MS library. Over 80% of pesticides at 5 ng/mL or lower concentrations could be confirmed in each matrix using at least two representative ions with their response ratios from the MS(1) spectra. In addition, the application of product ion spectra was capable of confirming suspected pesticides with specificity for some pesticides in complicated matrices. In conclusion, GC-QTOF MS combined with the RI/MS library seems to be one of the most efficient tools for the analysis of suspected-target pesticide residues

  19. Metabolites identification of Huo Luo Xiao Ling Dan in rat urine by UPLC coupled with electrospray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Wang, Fenrong; Wu, Yun; Ai, Yu; Bian, Qiaoxia; Ma, Wen; Lee, David Y-W; Dai, Ronghua

    2016-03-01

    Huo Luo Xiao Ling Dan (HLXLD), a Chinese herbal formula, is used in folk medicine for the treatment of arthritis and other chronic inflammatory diseases. However, the in vivo integrated metabolism of its multiple components remains unknown. In this paper, an ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS) method was developed for detection and identification of HLXLD metabolites in rat urine at high and normal clinical dosages. The prototype constituents and their metabolites in urine were analyzed. The mass measurements were accurate within 8 ppm, and subsequent fragment ions offered higher quality structural information for interpretation of the fragmentation pathways of various compounds. A total of 85 compounds were detected in high dosages urine samples by a highly sensitive extracted ion chromatograms method, including 31 parent compounds and 54 metabolites. Our results indicated that phase 2 reactions (e.g. glucuronidation, glutathionidation and sulfation) were the main metabolic pathways of lactones, alkaloids and flavones, while phase I reactions (e.g. hydrogenation and hydroxylation) were the major metabolic reaction for coumarins, paeoniflorin and iridoids. This investigation provided important structural information on the metabolism of HLXLD and provided scientific evidence to obtain a more comprehensive metabolic profile. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  20. Determination of perfluorocompounds in popcorn packaging by pressurised liquid extraction and ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Martínez-Moral, María Pilar; Tena, María Teresa

    2012-11-15

    The development and characterisation of a method based on reverse-phase ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) coupled to a quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometer (Q-TOF-MS) with negative electrospray ionisation (ESI) to determine perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) in packaging is presented in this paper. Analytes were quantitatively recovered from packaging with methanol in only one PLE cycle of 6 min at 100 °C. The UPLC allowed the successful separation of the studied PFCs in less than 4 min. The whole method presented good precision, with RSDs below 8%, LODs from 0.6 to 16 ng g(-1); and excellent recovery values, around 100% in all cases, were achieved. The PLE-UPLC-MS method was applied to the analysis of popcorn packaging for microwave cooking. Besides the most commonly studied PFCs: PFOA and PFOS, the presence of other perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCAs) in popcorn packaging is evidenced in this work. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Time-of-Flight Measurements as a Possible Method to Observe Anyonic Statistics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Umucalılar, R. O.; Macaluso, E.; Comparin, T.; Carusotto, I.

    2018-06-01

    We propose a standard time-of-flight experiment as a method for observing the anyonic statistics of quasiholes in a fractional quantum Hall state of ultracold atoms. The quasihole states can be stably prepared by pinning the quasiholes with localized potentials and a measurement of the mean square radius of the freely expanding cloud, which is related to the average total angular momentum of the initial state, offers direct signatures of the statistical phase. Our proposed method is validated by Monte Carlo calculations for ν =1 /2 and 1 /3 fractional quantum Hall liquids containing a realistic number of particles. Extensions to quantum Hall liquids of light and to non-Abelian anyons are briefly discussed.

  2. Liquid Nitrogen Dewar Loading at KSC for STS-71 Flight

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1995-01-01

    Liquid nitrogen dewar loading at Kennedy Space Center for STS-71 flight with Stan Koszelak (right), University of California at Riverside, adn Tamara Chinareva (left), Russian Spacecraft Coporation-Energia. The picture shows Koszelak removing the insert from the transportation dewar.

  3. 5-inch-size liquid crystal flat panel display evaluation test by flight simulator

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kawahara, Hiroyasu; Watanabe, Akira; Wakairo, Kaoru; Udagawa, Tomoyuki; Kurihara, Yoichiro

    An evaluation test is conducted on the function, performance, and display format of a 5x5 inch flat panel display (FPD) in a flight simulator. The FPD utilizes a color liquid crystal panel that is compact and lightweight and has excellent visibility. The simulator evaluation test is carried out in sequence with the conventional takeoff and landing to altitude, and then conversion to STOL procedures for flight path and subsequent approach and landing. It is shown that the liquid crystal display could be employed as a satisfactory indicator for aircraft instrumentation.

  4. Combined distance-of-flight and time-of-flight mass spectrometer

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Enke, Christie G; Ray, Steven J; Graham, Alexander W

    2014-02-11

    A combined distance-of-flight mass spectrometry (DOFMS) and time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOFMS) instrument includes an ion source configured to produce ions having varying mass-to-charge ratios, a first detector configured to determine when each of the ions travels a predetermined distance, a second detector configured to determine how far each of the ions travels in a predetermined time, and a detector extraction region operable to direct portions of the ions either to the first detector or to the second detector.

  5. Deuterated-xylene (xylene-d10; EJ301D): A new, improved deuterated liquid scintillator for neutron energy measurements without time-of-flight

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Becchetti, F. D.; Raymond, R. S.; Torres-Isea, R. O.; Di Fulvio, A.; Clarke, S. D.; Pozzi, S. A.; Febbraro, M.

    2016-06-01

    In conjunction with Eljen Technology, Inc. (Sweetwater,TX) we have designed, constructed, and evaluated a 3 in. ×3 in. deuterated-xylene organic liquid scintillator (C8D10; EJ301D) as a fast neutron detector. Similar to deuterated benzene (C6D6; NE230, BC537, and EJ315) this scintillator can provide good pulse-shape discrimination between neutrons and gamma rays, has good timing characteristics, and can provide a light spectrum with peaks corresponding to discrete neutron energy groups up to ca. 20 MeV. Unlike benzene-based detectors, deuterated xylene is less volatile, less toxic, is not known to be carcinogenic, has a higher flashpoint, and hence is much safer for many applications. In addition EJ301D can provide slightly more light output and better PSD than deuterated-benzene scintillators. We show that, as with deuterated-benzene scintillators, the light-response spectra can be unfolded to provide useable neutron energy spectra without need for time-of-flight (ToF). An array of these detectors arranged at many angles close to a reaction target can be much more effective (×10 to ×100 or more) than an array of long-path ToF detectors which must utilize a narrowly-bunched and pulse-selected beam. As we demonstrate using a small Van de Graaff accelerator, measurements can thus be performed when a bunched and pulse-selected beam (as needed for time-of-flight) is not available.

  6. Ultra-fast liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry for the rapid phenolic profiling of red maple (Acer rubrum) leaves.

    PubMed

    Li, Chunting; Seeram, Navindra P

    2018-03-07

    The red maple (Acer rubrum) species is economically important to North America because of its sap, which is used to produce maple syrup. In addition, various other red maple plant parts, including leaves, were used as a traditional medicine by the Native Americans. Currently, red maple leaves are being used for nutraceutical and cosmetic applications but there are no published analytical methods for comprehensive phytochemical characterization of this material. Herein, a rapid and sensitive method using liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry was developed to characterize the phenolics in a methanol extract of red maple leaves and a proprietary phenolic-enriched red maple leaves extract (Maplifa™). Time-of-flight mass spectrometry and tandem mass spectrometry experiments led to the identification of 106 phenolic compounds in red maples leaves with the vast majority of these compounds also detected in Maplifa™. The compounds included 68 gallotannins, 25 flavonoids, gallic acid, quinic acid, catechin, epicatechin, and nine other gallic acid derivatives among which 11 are potentially new and 75 are being reported from red maple for the first time. The developed method to characterize red maple leaves phenolics is rapid and highly sensitive and could aid in future standardization and quality control of this botanical ingredient. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  7. Two Meter Flight Path - Time of Flight Positron Annihilation Induced Auger Electron Spectrometer

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mukherjee, S.; Shastry, K.; Maddox, W.; Weiss, A. H.

    2008-03-01

    Details of the design and construction of a new time of flight positron annihilation induced Auger electron (TOF-PAES) spectrometer are presented. The new spectrometer will be equipped with a 2 meter long ``TOF'' tube that can be biased at a potential different from that of the sample in order to increase or decrease the kinetic energy of the electrons traveling through the tube. The time of flight will be determined from timing signals obtained from the detection of the annihilation gamma (signaling the start of the flight) and detection of the annihilation induced Auger electron at the end of the 2 meter flight path (signaling the end of the flight). The 2 meter long flight path is a factor of two longer than used in previous TOF-PAES systems. The longer flight path can be expected to result in a fractional energy width: delta E/ E that is .5ex1 -.1em/ -.15em.25ex2 as large as the current UTA lab based TOF-PAES spectrometer.

  8. Laboratory and balloon flight performance of the liquid xenon gamma ray imaging telescope

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Curioni, Alessandro

    2004-10-01

    This thesis presents the laboratory calibration and in- flight performance of the liquid xenon γ-ray imaging telescope (LXeGRIT). LXeGRIT is the prototype of a novel concept of Compton telescope, based on a liquid xenon time projection chamber (LXeTPC), developed through several years by Prof. Aprile and collaborators at Columbia. When I joined the collaboration in Spring 1999, LXeGRIT was getting ready for a balloon borne experiment with the goal of performing the key measurement of the background at balloon altitude. After the 1999 balloon flight, a good deal of work was devoted to a thorough calibration of LXeGRIT, both through several tests in the laboratory and through improving the analysis software and developing Monte Carlo simulations. After substantial advancements in our understanding of the detector performance, LXeGRIT was improved and calibrated before a long duration balloon campaign in the Fall of 2000. Data gathered in this flight have allowed a detailed study of the background at balloon altitude and of the sensitivity to celestial γ-ray sources, the focus of the second part of my thesis. As this dissertation is intended to show, “the LXeGRIT phase”—defined as the prototype work, the experimental demonstration of the LXeTPC concept as a Compton telescope, the measurement of the background and of the detection sensitivity—has been now successfully completed. We are now ready for future implementations of the LXeTPC technology for astrophysics observations. The detailed calibration of LXeGRIT, both as an imaging calorimeter and as a Compton telescope is described in Chapters 2, 3 and 4. In Chapter 5 more details are given of LXeGRIT as a balloon borne instrument and its flight performance in year 2000. The measurement of the background at balloon altitude, based on the data collected in year 2000, is presented in Chapter 6 and the sensitivity of the instrument is derived in Chapter 7. An overview of future developments for the LXe

  9. The multipurpose time-of-flight neutron reflectometer “Platypus” at Australia's OPAL reactor

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    James, M.; Nelson, A.; Holt, S. A.; Saerbeck, T.; Hamilton, W. A.; Klose, F.

    2011-03-01

    In this manuscript we describe the major components of the Platypus time-of-flight neutron reflectometer at the 20 MW OPAL reactor in Sydney, Australia. Platypus is a multipurpose spectrometer for the characterisation of solid thin films, materials adsorbed at the solid-liquid interface and free-liquid surfaces. It also has the capacity to study magnetic thin films using spin-polarised neutrons. Platypus utilises a white neutron beam ( λ=2-20 Å) that is pulsed using boron-coated disc chopper pairs; thus providing the capacity to tailor the wavelength resolution of the pulses to suit the system under investigation. Supermirror optical components are used to focus, deflect or spin-polarise the broad bandwidth neutron beams, and typical incident spectra are presented for each configuration. A series of neutron reflectivity datasets are presented, indicating the quality and flexibility of this spectrometer. Minimum reflectivity values of <10 -7 are observed; while maximum thickness values of 325 nm have been measured for single-component films and 483 nm for a multilayer system. Off-specular measurements have also been made to investigate in-plane features as opposed to those normal to the sample surface. Finally, the first published studies conducted using the Platypus time-of-flight neutron reflectometer are presented.

  10. Weak quadrupole moments

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lackenby, B. G. C.; Flambaum, V. V.

    2018-07-01

    We introduce the weak quadrupole moment (WQM) of nuclei, related to the quadrupole distribution of the weak charge in the nucleus. The WQM produces a tensor weak interaction between the nucleus and electrons and can be observed in atomic and molecular experiments measuring parity nonconservation. The dominating contribution to the weak quadrupole is given by the quadrupole moment of the neutron distribution, therefore, corresponding experiments should allow one to measure the neutron quadrupoles. Using the deformed oscillator model and the Schmidt model we calculate the quadrupole distributions of neutrons, Q n , the WQMs, {Q}W(2), and the Lorentz invariance violating energy shifts in 9Be, 21Ne, 27Al, 131Xe, 133Cs, 151Eu, 153Eu, 163Dy, 167Er, 173Yb, 177Hf, 179Hf, 181Ta, 201Hg and 229Th.

  11. Rocket-borne time-of-flight mass spectrometry

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Reiter, R. F.

    1976-01-01

    Theoretical and numerical analyses are made of planar, cylindrical and spherical-electrode two-field time-of-flight mass spectrometers in order to optimize their operating conditions. A method is introduced which can improve the resolving power of these instruments by a factor of 7.5. Potential barrier gating in time-of-flight mass spectrometers is also analyzed. Experimental studies of a miniature cylindrical-electrode and a hemispherical-electrode time-of-flight mass spectrometer are presented. Their sensitivity and ability to operate at D-region pressures with an open source make them ideal instruments for D-region ion composition measurements. A sounding rocket experiment package carrying a cylindrical electrode time-of-flight mass spectrometer was launched. The data indicate that essentially 100% of the positive electric charge on positive ions is carried by ions with mass-to-charge ratios greater than 500 below an altitude of 92 km. These heavy charge carriers were present at altitudes up to about 100 km.

  12. Capabilities of different liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry systems in determining pesticide residues in food. Application to estimate their daily intake.

    PubMed

    Soler, Carla; James, K J; Picó, Yolanda

    2007-07-20

    Three different liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) instruments equipped with triple quadrupole (QqQ), quadrupole ion trap (QIT) and quadrupole-time-of-flight (QqTOF), suitable to carry out tandem mass spectrometry, were examined to determine pesticide residues in food. Twelve pesticides (acrinathrin, bupirimate, buprofezin, cyproconazole, lambda-cyhalothrin, fluvalinate, hexaflumuron, kresoxim-methyl, propanil, pyrifenox, pyriproxyfen and tebufenpyrad) and six matrices (oranges, strawberries, cherries, peaches, apricots and pears) were taken as model. The comparison was focused on two aspects: the quantitative, covering sensitivity, precision and accuracy as well as the qualitative, checking the possibility to identify any metabolite present in the samples, which were not targeted in the methods. The extraction was carried out using pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) with ethyl acetate and acid alumina. Recoveries were over 70 % for all the analytes. Repeatabilities were better for the QqQ (5-12%) than for QIT (6-15%) and for QqTOF (14-19%). QqQ offered a linear dynamic range of at least three orders of magnitude, whereas those of QIT and QqTOF were two and one orders of magnitude, respectively. QqQ reached at least 20-fold higher sensitivity than QIT and QqTOF. However, the QqQ failed to identify non-target compounds. QIT and QqTOF were able to successfully identify the metabolite of bupirimate, ethirimol. Application to monitor the content in fruits, taken from agricultural cooperatives, and to calculate the estimated daily intake (EDI) to establish if there is any difference of toxicological interest is also reported.

  13. Identification and quantification of cannabinoids in Cannabis sativa L. plants by high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Aizpurua-Olaizola, Oier; Omar, Jone; Navarro, Patricia; Olivares, Maitane; Etxebarria, Nestor; Usobiaga, Aresatz

    2014-11-01

    High performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) has been successfully applied to cannabis plant extracts in order to identify cannabinoid compounds after their quantitative isolation by means of supercritical fluid extraction (SFE). MS conditions were optimized by means of a central composite design (CCD) approach, and the analysis method was fully validated. Six major cannabinoids [tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA), tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabidiol (CBD), tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV), cannabigerol (CBG), and cannabinol (CBN)] were quantified (RSD < 10%), and seven more cannabinoids were identified and verified by means of a liquid chromatograph coupled to a quadrupole-time-of-flight (Q-ToF) detector. Finally, based on the distribution of the analyzed cannabinoids in 30 Cannabis sativa L. plant varieties and the principal component analysis (PCA) of the resulting data, a clear difference was observed between outdoor and indoor grown plants, which was attributed to a higher concentration of THC, CBN, and CBD in outdoor grown plants.

  14. Detection of Gelatin Adulteration in Traditional Chinese Medicine: Analysis of Deer-Horn Glue by Rapid-Resolution Liquid Chromatography-Triple Quadrupole Mass Spectrometry

    PubMed Central

    Chen, Jia; Cheng, Xian-Long; Wei, Feng; Zhang, Qian-Qian; Li, Ming-Hua; Ma, Shuang-Cheng

    2015-01-01

    Simultaneous identification of donkey-hide gelatin and bovine-hide gelatin in deer-horn glue was established by rapid-resolution liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry. Water containing 1% NH4HCO3 was used for sample dissolution and trypsin was used for hydrolysis of the gelatins. After separation by a SB-C18 reversed-phase analytical column, collagen marker peptides were detected by mass spectrometry in positive electrospray ionization mode with multiple reaction monitoring. The method was specific, precise and reliable, and suitable for detection of adulterants derived from donkey-hide gelatin and bovine-hide gelatin in deer-horn glue. PMID:26504613

  15. Diagnostic ion filtering to characterize ginseng saponins by rapid liquid chromatography with time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Qi, Lian-Wen; Wang, Huai-You; Zhang, Hui; Wang, Chong-Zhi; Li, Ping; Yuan, Chun-Su

    2012-03-23

    As one of the most commonly used medicinal plants, ginseng has been an attractive model herb for study. A wide range of analytical methods has been used to characterize its constituents. However, less effort has been devoted to the rare ginseng saponins, especially their isomers and sugar linkages. In this study, we used segmental monitoring and diagnostic ion filtering to characterize ginseng saponins by rapid liquid chromatography with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-TOF-MS). By using selected diagnostic ions, specific groups of ginseng saponins were readily extracted from the complicated matrix. 20(R) and 20(S) stereo-saponins were differentiated using the peak abundance ratio of [M-H(2)O+H](+) to [M-2H(2)O+H](+). The fragmentation behavior of ginsenosides was first reported in negative ion mode by MS/MS with high-energy collision-induced dissociation, producing rules to determine sugar numbers, positions and linkages. Using the rules, we identified and compared the nontarget ginseng saponin profiling of raw and steamed American ginseng roots and berries. We characterized 70 saponins in the samples. Our strategy can be extended to screen and characterize other rare ginseng saponins and their metabolites. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Determination of Albendazole and Metabolites in Silkworm Bombyx mori Hemolymph by Ultrafast Liquid Chromatography Tandem Triple Quadrupole Mass Spectrometry

    PubMed Central

    Li, Li; Xing, Dong-Xu; Li, Qing-Rong; Xiao, Yang; Ye, Ming-Qiang; Yang, Qiong

    2014-01-01

    Albendazole is a broad-spectrum parasiticide with high effectiveness and low host toxicity. No method is currently available for measuring albendazole and its metabolites in silkworm hemolymph. This study describes a rapid, selective, sensitive, synchronous and reliable detection method for albendazole and its metabolites in silkworm hemolymph using ultrafast liquid chromatography tandem triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (UFLC-MS/MS). The method is liquid-liquid extraction followed by UFLC separation and quantification in an MS/MS system with positive electrospray ionization in multiple reaction monitoring mode. Precursor-to-product ion transitions were monitored at 266.100 to 234.100 for albendazole (ABZ), 282.200 to 208.100 for albendazole sulfoxide (ABZSO), 298.200 to 159.100 for albendazole sulfone (ABZSO2) and 240.200 to 133.100 for albendazole amino sulfone (ABZSO2-NH2). Calibration curves had good linearities with R2 of 0.9905–0.9972. Limits of quantitation (LOQs) were 1.32 ng/mL for ABZ, 16.67 ng/mL for ABZSO, 0.76 ng/mL for ABZSO2 and 5.94 ng/mL for ABZSO2-NH2. Recoveries were 93.12%–103.83% for ABZ, 66.51%–108.51% for ABZSO, 96.85%–105.6% for ABZSO2 and 96.46%–106.14% for ABZSO2-NH2, (RSDs <8%). Accuracy, precision and stability tests showed acceptable variation in quality control (QC) samples. This analytical method successfully determined albendazole and its metabolites in silkworm hemolymph in a pharmacokinetic study. The results of single-dose treatment suggested that the concentrations of ABZ, ABZSO and ABZSO2 increased and then fell, while ABZSO2-NH2 level was low without obvious change. Different trends were observed for multi-dose treatment, with concentrations of ABZSO and ABZSO2 rising over time. PMID:25255321

  17. Determination of albendazole and metabolites in silkworm Bombyx mori hemolymph by ultrafast liquid chromatography tandem triple quadrupole mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Li, Li; Xing, Dong-Xu; Li, Qing-Rong; Xiao, Yang; Ye, Ming-Qiang; Yang, Qiong

    2014-01-01

    Albendazole is a broad-spectrum parasiticide with high effectiveness and low host toxicity. No method is currently available for measuring albendazole and its metabolites in silkworm hemolymph. This study describes a rapid, selective, sensitive, synchronous and reliable detection method for albendazole and its metabolites in silkworm hemolymph using ultrafast liquid chromatography tandem triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (UFLC-MS/MS). The method is liquid-liquid extraction followed by UFLC separation and quantification in an MS/MS system with positive electrospray ionization in multiple reaction monitoring mode. Precursor-to-product ion transitions were monitored at 266.100 to 234.100 for albendazole (ABZ), 282.200 to 208.100 for albendazole sulfoxide (ABZSO), 298.200 to 159.100 for albendazole sulfone (ABZSO2) and 240.200 to 133.100 for albendazole amino sulfone (ABZSO2-NH2). Calibration curves had good linearities with R2 of 0.9905-0.9972. Limits of quantitation (LOQs) were 1.32 ng/mL for ABZ, 16.67 ng/mL for ABZSO, 0.76 ng/mL for ABZSO2 and 5.94 ng/mL for ABZSO2-NH2. Recoveries were 93.12%-103.83% for ABZ, 66.51%-108.51% for ABZSO, 96.85%-105.6% for ABZSO2 and 96.46%-106.14% for ABZSO2-NH2, (RSDs <8%). Accuracy, precision and stability tests showed acceptable variation in quality control (QC) samples. This analytical method successfully determined albendazole and its metabolites in silkworm hemolymph in a pharmacokinetic study. The results of single-dose treatment suggested that the concentrations of ABZ, ABZSO and ABZSO2 increased and then fell, while ABZSO2-NH2 level was low without obvious change. Different trends were observed for multi-dose treatment, with concentrations of ABZSO and ABZSO2 rising over time.

  18. Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-Time-of-flight high resolution mass spectrometry to quantify acidic drugs in wastewater.

    PubMed

    Becerra-Herrera, Mercedes; Honda, Luis; Richter, Pablo

    2015-12-04

    A novel analytical approach involving an improved rotating-disk sorptive extraction (RDSE) procedure and ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) coupled to an ultraspray electrospray ionization source (UESI) and time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOF/MS), in trap mode, was developed to identify and quantify four non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) (naproxen, ibuprofen, ketoprofen and diclofenac) and two anti-cholesterol drugs (ACDs) (clofibric acid and gemfibrozil) that are widely used and typically found in water samples. The method reduced the amount of both sample and reagents used and also the time required for the whole analysis, resulting in a reliable and green analytical strategy. The analytical eco-scale was calculated, showing that this methodology is an excellent green analysis, increasing its ecological worth. The detection limits (LOD) and precision (%RSD) were lower than 90ng/L and 10%, respectively. Matrix effects and recoveries were studied using samples from the influent of a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). All the compounds exhibited suppression of their signals due to matrix effects, and the recoveries were approximately 100%. The applicability and reliability of this methodology were confirmed through the analysis of influent and effluent samples from a WWTP in Santiago, Chile, obtaining concentrations ranging from 1.1 to 20.5μg/L and from 0.5 to 8.6μg/L, respectively. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Identification of human plasma metabolites exhibiting time-of-day variation using an untargeted liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry metabolomic approach.

    PubMed

    Ang, Joo Ern; Revell, Victoria; Mann, Anuska; Mäntele, Simone; Otway, Daniella T; Johnston, Jonathan D; Thumser, Alfred E; Skene, Debra J; Raynaud, Florence

    2012-08-01

    Although daily rhythms regulate multiple aspects of human physiology, rhythmic control of the metabolome remains poorly understood. The primary objective of this proof-of-concept study was identification of metabolites in human plasma that exhibit significant 24-h variation. This was assessed via an untargeted metabolomic approach using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Eight lean, healthy, and unmedicated men, mean age 53.6 (SD ± 6.0) yrs, maintained a fixed sleep/wake schedule and dietary regime for 1 wk at home prior to an adaptation night and followed by a 25-h experimental session in the laboratory where the light/dark cycle, sleep/wake, posture, and calorific intake were strictly controlled. Plasma samples from each individual at selected time points were prepared using liquid-phase extraction followed by reverse-phase LC coupled to quadrupole time-of-flight MS analysis in positive ionization mode. Time-of-day variation in the metabolites was screened for using orthogonal partial least square discrimination between selected time points of 10:00 vs. 22:00 h, 16:00 vs. 04:00 h, and 07:00 (d 1) vs. 16:00 h, as well as repeated-measures analysis of variance with time as an independent variable. Subsequently, cosinor analysis was performed on all the sampled time points across the 24-h day to assess for significant daily variation. In this study, analytical variability, assessed using known internal standards, was low with coefficients of variation <10%. A total of 1069 metabolite features were detected and 203 (19%) showed significant time-of-day variation. Of these, 34 metabolites were identified using a combination of accurate mass, tandem MS, and online database searches. These metabolites include corticosteroids, bilirubin, amino acids, acylcarnitines, and phospholipids; of note, the magnitude of the 24-h variation of these identified metabolites was large, with the mean ratio of oscillation range over MESOR (24-h time series mean) of 65% (95

  20. Time Manager Software for a Flight Processor

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Zoerne, Roger

    2012-01-01

    Data analysis is a process of inspecting, cleaning, transforming, and modeling data to highlight useful information and suggest conclusions. Accurate timestamps and a timeline of vehicle events are needed to analyze flight data. By moving the timekeeping to the flight processor, there is no longer a need for a redundant time source. If each flight processor is initially synchronized to GPS, they can freewheel and maintain a fairly accurate time throughout the flight with no additional GPS time messages received. How ever, additional GPS time messages will ensure an even greater accuracy. When a timestamp is required, a gettime function is called that immediately reads the time-base register.

  1. AMOR - the time-of-flight neutron reflectometer at SINQ/PSI

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gupta, Mukul; Gutberlet, T.; Stahn, J.; Keller, P.; Clemens, D.

    2004-07-01

    The apparatus for multioptional reflectometry (AMOR) at SINQ/PSI is a versatile reflectometer operational in the time-of-flight (TOF) mode (in a wavelength range of 0.15 nm <λ < 1.3 nm) as well as in the monochromatic (theta-2theta) mode with both polarized and unpolarized neutrons. AMOR is designed to perform reflectometry measurements in horizontal sample-plane geometry which allows studying both solid-liquid and liquid-liquid interfaces. A pulsed cold neutron beam from the end position of the neutron guide is produced by a dual-chopper system (side-by-side) having two windows at 180^{circ} and rotatable with a maximum frequency of 200 Hz. In the TOF mode, the chopper frequency, width of the gating window and the chopper-detector distance can be selected independently providing a wide range of q-resolution (Delta q/q=1-10&%slash;). Remanent FeCoV/Ti : N supermirrors are used as polarizer/analyzer with a polarization efficiency of sim97&%slash;. For the monochromatic wavelength mode, a Ni/Ti multilayer is used as a monochromator, giving sim50&%slash; reflectivity at a wavelength of 0.47 nm. In the present work, a detailed description of the instrument and setting-up of the polarization option is described. Results from some of the recent studies with polarized neutrons and measurements on liquid surfaces are presented.

  2. High-throughput metabolic stability studies in drug discovery by orthogonal acceleration time-of-flight (OATOF) with analogue-to-digital signal capture (ADC).

    PubMed

    Temesi, David G; Martin, Scott; Smith, Robin; Jones, Christopher; Middleton, Brian

    2010-06-30

    Screening assays capable of performing quantitative analysis on hundreds of compounds per week are used to measure metabolic stability during early drug discovery. Modern orthogonal acceleration time-of-flight (OATOF) mass spectrometers equipped with analogue-to-digital signal capture (ADC) now offer performance levels suitable for many applications normally supported by triple quadruple instruments operated in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. Herein the merits of MRM and OATOF with ADC detection are compared for more than 1000 compounds screened in rat and/or cryopreserved human hepatocytes over a period of 3 months. Statistical comparison of a structurally diverse subset indicated good agreement for the two detection methods. The overall success rate was higher using OATOF detection and data acquisition time was reduced by around 20%. Targeted metabolites of diazepam were detected in samples from a CLint determination performed at 1 microM. Data acquisition by positive and negative ion mode switching can be achieved on high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) peak widths as narrow as 0.2 min (at base), thus enabling a more comprehensive first pass analysis with fast HPLC gradients. Unfortunately, most existing OATOF instruments lack the software tools necessary to rapidly convert the huge amounts of raw data into quantified results. Software with functionality similar to open access triple quadrupole systems is needed for OATOF to truly compete in a high-throughput screening environment. Copyright 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  3. Time-of-flight radio location system

    DOEpatents

    McEwan, T.E.

    1996-04-23

    A bi-static radar configuration measures the direct time-of-flight of a transmitted RF pulse and is capable of measuring this time-of-flight with a jitter on the order of about one pico-second, or about 0.01 inch of free space distance for an electromagnetic pulse over a range of about one to ten feet. A transmitter transmits a sequence of electromagnetic pulses in response to a transmit timing signal, and a receiver samples the sequence of electromagnetic pulses with controlled timing in response to a receive timing signal, and generates a sample signal in response to the samples. A timing circuit supplies the transmit timing signal to the transmitter and supplies the receive timing signal to the receiver. The receive timing signal causes the receiver to sample the sequence of electromagnetic pulses such that the time between transmission of pulses in the sequence and sampling by the receiver sweeps over a range of delays. The receive timing signal sweeps over the range of delays in a sweep cycle such that pulses in the sequence are sampled at the pulse repetition rate, and with different delays in the range of delays to produce a sample signal representing magnitude of a received pulse in equivalent time. Automatic gain control circuitry in the receiver controls the magnitude of the equivalent time sample signal. A signal processor analyzes the sample signal to indicate the time-of-flight of the electromagnetic pulses in the sequence. 7 figs.

  4. Time-of-flight radio location system

    DOEpatents

    McEwan, Thomas E.

    1996-01-01

    A bi-static radar configuration measures the direct time-of-flight of a transmitted RF pulse and is capable of measuring this time-of-flight with a jitter on the order of about one pico-second, or about 0.01 inch of free space distance for an electromagnetic pulse over a range of about one to ten feet. A transmitter transmits a sequence of electromagnetic pulses in response to a transmit timing signal, and a receiver samples the sequence of electromagnetic pulses with controlled timing in response to a receive timing signal, and generates a sample signal in response to the samples. A timing circuit supplies the transmit timing signal to the transmitter and supplies the receive timing signal to the receiver. The receive timing signal causes the receiver to sample the sequence of electromagnetic pulses such that the time between transmission of pulses in the sequence and sampling by the receiver sweeps over a range of delays. The receive timing signal sweeps over the range of delays in a sweep cycle such that pulses in the sequence are sampled at the pulse repetition rate, and with different delays in the range of delays to produce a sample signal representing magnitude of a received pulse in equivalent time. Automatic gain control circuitry in the receiver controls the magnitude of the equivalent time sample signal. A signal processor analyzes the sample signal to indicate the time-of-flight of the electromagnetic pulses in the sequence.

  5. Characterizing a fast-response, low-afterglow liquid scintillator for neutron time-of-flight diagnostics in fast ignition experiments.

    PubMed

    Abe, Y; Hosoda, H; Arikawa, Y; Nagai, T; Kojima, S; Sakata, S; Inoue, H; Iwasa, Y; Iwano, K; Yamanoi, K; Fujioka, S; Nakai, M; Sarukura, N; Shiraga, H; Norimatsu, T; Azechi, H

    2014-11-01

    The characteristics of oxygen-enriched liquid scintillators with very low afterglow are investigated and optimized for application to a single-hit neutron spectrometer for fast ignition experiments. It is found that 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene has better characteristics as a liquid scintillator solvent than the conventional solvent, p-xylene. In addition, a benzophenon-doped BBQ liquid scintillator is shown to demonstrate very rapid time response, and therefore has potential for further use in neutron diagnostics with fast time resolution.

  6. Metabolic profiling of rat hair and screening biomarkers using ultra performance liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Inagaki, Shinsuke; Noda, Takumi; Min, Jun Zhe; Toyo'oka, Toshimasa

    2007-12-28

    An exhaustive analysis of metabolites in hair samples has been performed for the first time using ultra performance liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-TOF-MS). The hair samples were collected from spontaneously hypertensive model rats (SHR/Izm), stroke-prone SHR (SHRSP/Izm) and Wistar Kyoto (WKY/Izm) rats, and were analyzed by UPLC-ESI-TOF-MS; a multivariate statistical analysis method, such as the principal component analysis (PCA), was then used for screening the biomarkers. From the samples derived from the group of SHRSP/Izm at weeks 10, 18, 26 and 34, we successfully detected a potential biomarker of stroke, which existed at much higher concentrations as compared with that in the other groups. However, a significant difference could not be found at weeks less than 7 before the rats were subjected to stroke and hypertension. In addition, the present method was applicable to screening not only the disease markers, but also the markers related to aging. The method utilizing hair samples is expected to be quite useful for screening biomarkers of many other diseases, and not limited to stroke and hypertension.

  7. Highly Dynamic Anion-Quadrupole Networks in Proteins.

    PubMed

    Kapoor, Karan; Duff, Michael R; Upadhyay, Amit; Bucci, Joel C; Saxton, Arnold M; Hinde, Robert J; Howell, Elizabeth E; Baudry, Jerome

    2016-11-01

    The dynamics of anion-quadrupole (or anion-π) interactions formed between negatively charged (Asp/Glu) and aromatic (Phe) side chains are for the first time computationally characterized in RmlC (Protein Data Bank entry 1EP0 ), a homodimeric epimerase. Empirical force field-based molecular dynamics simulations predict anion-quadrupole pairs and triplets (anion-anion-π and anion-π-π) are formed by the protein during the simulated trajectory, which suggests that the anion-quadrupole interactions may provide a significant contribution to the overall stability of the protein, with an average of -1.6 kcal/mol per pair. Some anion-π interactions are predicted to form during the trajectory, extending the number of anion-quadrupole interactions beyond those predicted from crystal structure analysis. At the same time, some anion-π pairs observed in the crystal structure exhibit marginal stability. Overall, most anion-π interactions alternate between an "on" state, with significantly stabilizing energies, and an "off" state, with marginal or null stabilizing energies. The way proteins possibly compensate for transient loss of anion-quadrupole interactions is characterized in the RmlC aspartate 84-phenylalanine 112 anion-quadrupole pair observed in the crystal structure. A double-mutant cycle analysis of the thermal stability suggests a possible loss of anion-π interactions compensated by variations of hydration of the residues and formation of compensating electrostatic interactions. These results suggest that near-planar anion-quadrupole pairs can exist, sometimes transiently, which may play a role in maintaining the structural stability and function of the protein, in an otherwise very dynamic interplay of a nonbonded interaction network as well as solvent effects.

  8. Quantitative LC–MS for water-soluble heterocyclic amines in fine aerosols (PM2.5) at Duke Forest, USA

    EPA Science Inventory

    In this study, a quantitative liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) technique capable of measuring the concentrations of heterocyclic nitrogen compounds in ambient fine aerosols (PM2.5) has been developed. Quadrupole time-of-flight (Q-TOF) MS technology is used to provi...

  9. Negative chemical ionization gas chromatography coupled to hybrid quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry and automated accurate mass data processing for determination of pesticides in fruit and vegetables.

    PubMed

    Besil, Natalia; Uclés, Samanta; Mezcúa, Milagros; Heinzen, Horacio; Fernández-Alba, Amadeo R

    2015-08-01

    Gas chromatography coupled to high resolution hybrid quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-QTOF MS), operating in negative chemical ionization (NCI) mode and combining full scan with MSMS experiments using accurate mass analysis, has been explored for the automated determination of pesticide residues in fruit and vegetables. Seventy compounds were included in this approach where 50 % of them are not approved by the EU legislation. A global 76 % of the analytes could be identified at 1 μg kg(-1). Recovery studies were developed at three concentration levels (1, 5, and 10 μg kg(-1)). Seventy-seven percent of the detected pesticides at the lowest level yielded recoveries within the 70 %-120 % range, whereas 94 % could be quantified at 5 μg kg(-1), and the 100 % were determined at 10 μg kg(-1). Good repeatability, expressed as relative standard deviation (RSD <20 %), was obtained for all compounds. The main drawback of the method was the limited dynamic range that was observed for some analytes that can be overcome either diluting the sample or lowering the injection volume. A home-made database was developed and applied to an automatic accurate mass data processing. Measured mass accuracies of the generated ions were mainly less than 5 ppm for at least one diagnostic ion. When only one ion was obtained in the single-stage NCI-MS, a representative product ion from MSMS experiments was used as identification criterion. A total of 30 real samples were analyzed and 67 % of the samples were positive for 12 different pesticides in the range 1.0-1321.3 μg kg(-1).

  10. Implementation of Dipolar Resonant Excitation for Collision Induced Dissociation with Ion Mobility/Time-of-Flight MS

    PubMed Central

    Webb, Ian K.; Chen, Tsung-Chi; Danielson, William F.; Ibrahim, Yehia M.; Tang, Keqi; Anderson, Gordon A.; Smith, Richard D.

    2014-01-01

    An ion mobility/time-of-flight mass spectrometer (IMS/TOF MS) platform that allows for resonant excitation collision induced dissociation (CID) is presented. Highly efficient, mass-resolved fragmentation without additional excitation of product ions was accomplished and over-fragmentation common in beam-type CID experiments was alleviated. A quadrupole ion guide was modified to apply a dipolar AC signal across a pair of rods for resonant excitation. The method was characterized with singly protonated methionine enkephalin and triply protonated peptide angiotensin I, yielding maximum CID efficiencies of 44% and 84%, respectively. The Mathieu qx,y parameter was set at 0.707 for these experiments to maximize pseudopotential well depths and CID efficiencies. Resonant excitation CID was compared to beam-type CID for the peptide mixture. The ability to apply resonant waveforms in mobility-resolved windows is demonstrated with a peptide mixture yielding fragmentation over a range of mass-to-charge (m/z) ratios within a single IMS-MS analysis. PMID:24470195

  11. Comprehensive analysis of chemical constituents in Xingxiong injection by high performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Guo, Long; Dou, Li-Li; Duan, Li; Liu, Ke; Bi, Zhi-Ming; Li, Ping; Liu, E-Hu

    2015-09-01

    Xingxiong injection (XXI) is a widely used Chinese herbal formula prepared by the folium ginkgo extract and ligustrazine for the treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Compared with the pharmacological studies, chemical analysis and quality control studies on this formula are relatively limited. In the present study, a high performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HPLC-QTOF MS) method was applied to comprehensive analysis of constituents in XXI. According to the fragmentation rules and previous reports, thirty ginkgo flavonoids, four ginkgo terpene lactones, and one alkaloid were identified. A high performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (HPLC-QQQ MS) method was then applied to quantify ten major constituents in XXI. The method validation results indicated that the developed method had desirable specificity, linearity, precision and accuracy. The total contents of ginkgo flavonoids were about 22.05-25.51 μg·mL(-1) and the ginkgo terpene lactones amounts were about 4.41-8.70 μg·mL(-1) in six batches of XXI samples, respectively. Furthermore, cosine ratio algorithm and distance measurements were employed to evaluate the similarity of XXI samples, and the results demonstrated a high-quality consistency. This work could provide comprehensive information on the quality control of Xingxiong injection, which be helpful in the establishment of a rational quality control standard. Copyright © 2015 China Pharmaceutical University. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. 14 CFR 117.11 - Flight time limitation.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Flight time limitation. 117.11 Section 117...) AIR CARRIERS AND OPERATORS FOR COMPENSATION OR HIRE: CERTIFICATION AND OPERATIONS FLIGHT AND DUTY LIMITATIONS AND REST REQUIREMENTS: FLIGHTCREW MEMBERS (EFF. 1-4-14) § 117.11 Flight time limitation. (a) No...

  13. Time-of-flight mass spectrometry assessment of fluconazole and climbazole UV and UV/H2O2 degradability: Kinetics study and transformation products elucidation.

    PubMed

    Castro, Gabriela; Casado, Jorge; Rodríguez, Isaac; Ramil, María; Ferradás, Aida; Cela, Rafael

    2016-01-01

    The efficiency of UV irradiation for the removal of the antimycotic drugs fluconazole (FCZ) and climbazole (CBZ) from water samples is evaluated. Degradation experiments, at laboratory scale, were carried out with spiked aliquots of ultrapure water solutions and treated wastewater samples using low-pressure mercury lamps emitting at 254 nm. Time course of precursor pollutants and identification of arising transformation products (TPs) was performed by injection of different reaction time aliquots in a liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF-MS) system. Chemical structures of identified TPs were proposed from their full-product ion spectra, acquired using different collision energies. During UV irradiation experiments, the half-lives (t1/2) of FCZ and CBZ were similar in ultrapure water solutions and wastewater samples; however, the first species was more recalcitrant than the second one. Four TPs were identified in case of FCZ resulting from substitution of fluorine atoms by hydroxyl moieties and intramolecular cyclization with fluorine removal. CBZ interacted with UV radiation through reductive dechlorination, hydroxylation and cleavage of the ether bond; moreover, five additional primary TPs, with the same empirical formula as CBZ, were also noticed. Given the relatively long t1/2 of FCZ under direct photolysis (ca. 42 min), UV irradiation was combined with H2O2 addition to promote formation of reactive hydroxyl radicals. Under such conditions, the degradation rate of FCZ was enhanced significantly and no TPs were detected. These latter conditions allowed also the effective removal of CBZ TPs. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Analytical properties of time-of-flight PET data.

    PubMed

    Cho, Sanghee; Ahn, Sangtae; Li, Quanzheng; Leahy, Richard M

    2008-06-07

    We investigate the analytical properties of time-of-flight (TOF) positron emission tomography (PET) sinograms, where the data are modeled as line integrals weighted by a spatially invariant TOF kernel. First, we investigate the Fourier transform properties of 2D TOF data and extend the 'bow-tie' property of the 2D Radon transform to the time-of-flight case. Second, we describe a new exact Fourier rebinning method, TOF-FOREX, based on the Fourier transform in the time-of-flight variable. We then combine TOF-FOREX rebinning with a direct extension of the projection slice theorem to TOF data, to perform fast 3D TOF PET image reconstruction. Finally, we illustrate these properties using simulated data.

  15. Analytical properties of time-of-flight PET data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cho, Sanghee; Ahn, Sangtae; Li, Quanzheng; Leahy, Richard M.

    2008-06-01

    We investigate the analytical properties of time-of-flight (TOF) positron emission tomography (PET) sinograms, where the data are modeled as line integrals weighted by a spatially invariant TOF kernel. First, we investigate the Fourier transform properties of 2D TOF data and extend the 'bow-tie' property of the 2D Radon transform to the time-of-flight case. Second, we describe a new exact Fourier rebinning method, TOF-FOREX, based on the Fourier transform in the time-of-flight variable. We then combine TOF-FOREX rebinning with a direct extension of the projection slice theorem to TOF data, to perform fast 3D TOF PET image reconstruction. Finally, we illustrate these properties using simulated data.

  16. Recent advances of liquid chromatography-(tandem) mass spectrometry in clinical and forensic toxicology.

    PubMed

    Peters, Frank T

    2011-01-01

    Liquid chromatography (LC) coupled to mass spectrometry (MS) or tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) has become increasingly important in clinical and forensic toxicology as well as doping control and is now a robust and reliable technique for routine analysis in these fields. In recent years, methods for LC-MS(/MS)-based systematic toxicological analysis using triple quadrupole or ion trap instruments have been considerably improved and a new screening approach based on high-resolution MS analysis using benchtop time-of-flight MS instruments has been developed. Moreover, many applications for so-called multi-target screening and/or quantification of drugs, poisons, and or their metabolites in various biomatrices have been published. The present paper will provide an overview and discuss these recent developments focusing on the literature published after 2006. Copyright © 2010 The Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization coupled with quadrupole/orthogonal acceleration time-of-flight mass spectrometry for protein discovery, identification, and structural analysis.

    PubMed

    Baldwin, M A; Medzihradszky, K F; Lock, C M; Fisher, B; Settineri, T A; Burlingame, A L

    2001-04-15

    The design and operation of a novel UV-MALDI ionization source on a commercial QqoaTOF mass spectrometer (Applied Biosystem/MDS Sciex QSTAR Pulsar) is described. Samples are loaded on a 96-well target plate, the movement of which is under software control and can be readily automated. Unlike conventional high-energy MALDI-TOF, the ions are produced with low energies (5-10 eV) in a region of relatively low vacuum (8 mTorr). Thus, they are cooled by extensive low-energy collisions before selection in the quadrupole mass analyzer (Q1), potentially giving a quasi-continuous ion beam ideally suited to the oaTOF used for mass analysis of the fragment ions, although ion yields from individual laser shots may vary widely. Ion dissociation is induced by collisions with argon in an rf-only quadrupole cell, giving typical low-energy CID spectra for protonated peptide ions. Ions separated in the oaTOF are registered by a four-anode detector and time-to-digital converter and accumulated in "bins" that are 625 ps wide. Peak shapes depend upon the number of ion counts in adjacent bins. As expected, the accuracy of mass measurement is shown to be dependent upon the number of ions recorded for a particular peak. With internal calibration, mass accuracy better than 10 ppm is attainable for peaks that contain sufficient ions to give well-defined Gaussian profiles. By virtue of its high resolution, capability for accurate mass measurements, and sensitivity in the low-femotomole range, this instrument is ideally suited to protein identification for proteomic applications by generation of peptide tags, manual sequence interpretation, identification of modifications such as phosphorylation, and protein structural elucidation. Unlike the multiply charged ions typical of electrospray ionization, the singly charged MALDI-generated peptide ions show a linear dependence of optimal collision energy upon molecular mass, which is advantageous for automated operation. It is shown that the novel

  18. Trace determination of 13 haloacetamides in drinking water using liquid chromatography triple quadrupole mass spectrometry with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization.

    PubMed

    Chu, Wenhai; Gao, Naiyun; Yin, Daqiang; Krasner, Stuart W; Templeton, Michael R

    2012-04-27

    The haloacetamides (HAcAms) are disinfection by-products (DBPs) in drinking water which are currently receiving increased scientific attention due to their elevated toxicity relative to regulated disinfection by-products. A simultaneous determination method of 13 HAcAms, combining solid-phase extraction (SPE) enrichment, liquid chromatographic (LC) separation, and triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (tqMS) detection with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) using selective reaction monitoring in positive mode, was developed to measure HAcAms, including chlorinated, brominated, and iodinated analogs. Ammonium chloride and Oasis HLB were selected as the dechlorinating reagent and polymeric SPE sorbent of HAcAm samples. The used tqMS apparatus showed higher sensitivity for the studied HAcAms in the APCI mode than electrospray ionization. 13 HAcAms were separated by LC in 9.0 min, and the detection limits ranged from 7.6 to 19.7 ng/L. The SPE-LC/tqMS method was successfully applied to quantify 13 HAcAms in drinking water samples for the first time, and first indentified tribromoacetamide and chloroiodoacetamide as DBPs in drinking water. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Ultrasound-assisted low-density solvent dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction for the determination of 4 designer benzodiazepines in urine samples by gas chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Meng, Liang; Zhu, Binling; Zheng, Kefang; Fu, Shanlin

    2017-05-15

    A novel microextraction technique based on ultrasound-assisted low-density solvent dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (UA-LDS-DLLME) had been applied for the determination of 4 designer benzodiazepines (phenazepam, diclazepam, flubromazepam and etizolam) in urine samples by gas chromatography- triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (GC-QQQ-MS). Ethyl acetate (168μL) was added into the urine samples after adjusting pH to 11.3. The samples were sonicated in an ultrasonic bath for 5.5min to form a cloudy suspension. After centrifugation at 10000rpm for 3min, the supernatant extractant was withdrawn and injected into the GC-QQQ-MS for analysis. Parameters affecting the extraction efficiency have been investigated and optimized by means of single factor experiment and response surface methodology (Box-Behnken design). Under the optimum extraction conditions, a recovery of 73.8-85.5% were obtained for all analytes. The analytical method was linear for all analytes in the range from 0.003 to 10μg/mL with the correlation coefficient ranging from 0.9978 to 0.9990. The LODs were estimated to be 1-3ng/mL. The accuracy (expressed as mean relative error MRE) was within ±5.8% and the precision (expressed as relative standard error RSD) was less than 5.9%. UA-LDS-DLLME technique has the advantages of shorter extraction time and is suitable for simultaneous pretreatment of samples in batches. The combination of UA-LDS-DLLME with GC-QQQ-MS offers an alternative analytical approach for the sensitive detection of these designer benzodiazepines in urine matrix for clinical and medico-legal purposes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Simultaneous analysis by Quadrupole-Orbitrap mass spectrometry and UHPLC-MS/MS for the determination of sedative-hypnotics and sleep inducers in adulterated products.

    PubMed

    Lee, Ji Hyun; Park, Han Na; Choi, Ji Yeon; Kim, Nam Sook; Park, Hyung-Joon; Park, Seong Soo; Baek, Sun Young

    2017-12-01

    Adulterated products are continuously detected in society and cause problems. In this study, we developed and validated a method for determining synthetic sedative-hypnotics and sleep inducers, including barbital, benzodiazepam, zolpidem, and first-generation antihistamines, in adulterated products using Quadrupole-Orbitrap mass spectrometry and ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. In Quadrupole-Orbitrap mass spectrometry analysis, target compounds were confirmed using a combination of retention time, mass tolerance, mass accuracy, and fragment ions. For quantification, several validation parameters were employed using ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. The limit of detection and limit of quantitation was 0.05-53 and 0.17-177 ng/mL, respectively. The correlation coefficient for linearity was more than 0.995. The intra- and interassay accuracies were 86-110 and 84-111%, respectively. Their precision values were evaluated as within 4.0 (intraday) and 10.7% (interday). Mean recoveries of target compounds in adulterated products ranged from 85 to 116%. The relative standard deviation of stability was less than 10.7% at 4°C for 48 h. The 144 adulterated products obtained over 3 years (2014-2016) from online and in-person vendors were tested using established methods. After rapidly screening with Quadrupole-Orbitrap mass spectrometry, the detected samples were quantified using ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. Two of them were adulterated with phenobarbital. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  1. Detection of over 100 selenium metabolites in selenized yeast by liquid chromatography electrospray time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Gilbert-López, Bienvenida; Dernovics, Mihaly; Moreno-González, David; Molina-Díaz, Antonio; García-Reyes, Juan F

    2017-08-15

    The characterization of the selenometabolome of Selenized(Se)-yeast, that is the fraction of water soluble low-molecular weight Se-metabolites produced in Se-yeast is of paramount interest to expand the knowledge on the composition of this food supplement. In this work, we have applied liquid chromatography electrospray time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-TOFMS) to search for Se-species from the low molecular weight range fraction of the selenized yeast used for food supplements. Prior to LC-TOFMS, sample treatment consisted of ultrasound assisted water extraction followed by size exclusion fractionation assisted with off-line inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry detection of isotope 82 Se. The fraction corresponding to low-molecular weight species was subjected to LC-TOFMS using electrospray ionization in the positive ion mode. The detection of the suspected selenized species has been based on the information obtained from accurate mass measurements of both the protonated molecules and fragments from in-source CID fragmentation; along with the characteristic isotope pattern exhibited by the presence of Se. The approach enables the detection of 103 selenized species, most of them not previously reported, in the range from ca. 300-650Da. Besides the detection of selenium species, related sulphur derivate metabolites were detected based on the accurate mass shift due to the substitution of sulphur and selenium. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  2. Time-of-flight radio location system

    DOEpatents

    McEwan, T.E.

    1997-08-26

    A bi-static radar configuration measures the direct time-of-flight of a transmitted RF pulse and is capable of measuring this time-of-flight with a jitter on the order of about one pico-second, or about 0.01 inch of free space distance for an electromagnetic pulse over a range of about one to ten feet. A transmitter transmits a sequence of electromagnetic pulses in response to a transmit timing signal, and a receiver samples the sequence of electromagnetic pulses with controlled timing in response to a receive timing signal, and generates a sample signal in response to the samples. A timing circuit supplies the transmit timing signal to the transmitter and supplies the receive timing signal to the receiver. The receive timing signal causes the receiver to sample the sequence of electromagnetic pulses such that the time between transmission of pulses in the sequence and sampling by the receiver sweeps over a range of delays. The receive timing signal sweeps over the range of delays in a sweep cycle such that pulses in the sequence are sampled at the pulse repetition rate, and with different delays in the range of delays to produce a sample signal representing magnitude of a received pulse in equivalent time. Automatic gain control circuitry in the receiver controls the magnitude of the equivalent time sample signal. A signal processor analyzes the sample signal to indicate the time-of-flight of the electromagnetic pulses in the sequence. The sample signal in equivalent time is passed through an envelope detection circuit, formed of an absolute value circuit followed by a low pass filter, to convert the sample signal to a unipolar signal to eliminate effects of antenna misorientation. 8 figs.

  3. Time-of-flight radio location system

    DOEpatents

    McEwan, Thomas E.

    1997-01-01

    A bi-static radar configuration measures the direct time-of-flight of a transmitted RF pulse and is capable of measuring this time-of-flight with a jitter on the order of about one pico-second, or about 0.01 inch of free space distance for an electromagnetic pulse over a range of about one to ten feet. A transmitter transmits a sequence of electromagnetic pulses in response to a transmit timing signal, and a receiver samples the sequence of electromagnetic pulses with controlled timing in response to a receive timing signal, and generates a sample signal in response to the samples. A timing circuit supplies the transmit timing signal to the transmitter and supplies the receive timing signal to the receiver. The receive timing signal causes the receiver to sample the sequence of electromagnetic pulses such that the time between transmission of pulses in the sequence and sampling by the receiver sweeps over a range of delays. The receive timing signal sweeps over the range of delays in a sweep cycle such that pulses in the sequence are sampled at the pulse repetition rate, and with different delays in the range of delays to produce a sample signal representing magnitude of a received pulse in equivalent time. Automatic gain control circuitry in the receiver controls the magnitude of the equivalent time sample signal. A signal processor analyzes the sample signal to indicate the time-of-flight of the electromagnetic pulses in the sequence. The sample signal in equivalent time is passed through an envelope detection circuit, formed of an absolute value circuit followed by a low pass filter, to convert the sample signal to a unipolar signal to eliminate effects of antenna misorientation.

  4. Quantification of tamoxifen and three of its phase-I metabolites in human plasma by liquid chromatography/triple-quadrupole mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Binkhorst, Lisette; Mathijssen, Ron H J; Ghobadi Moghaddam-Helmantel, Inge M; de Bruijn, Peter; van Gelder, Teun; Wiemer, Erik A C; Loos, Walter J

    2011-12-15

    In view of future pharmacokinetic studies, a highly sensitive ultra performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method has been developed for the simultaneous quantification of tamoxifen and three of its main phase I metabolites in human lithium heparinized plasma. The analytical method has been thoroughly validated in agreement with FDA recommendations. Plasma samples of 200 μl were purified by liquid-liquid extraction with 1 ml n-hexane/isopropanol, after deproteination through addition of 50 μl acetone and 50 μl deuterated internal standards in acetonitrile. Tamoxifen, N-desmethyl-tamoxifen, 4-hydroxy-tamoxifen and endoxifen were chromatographically separated on an Acquity UPLC(®) BEH C18 1.7 μm 2.1 mm×100 mm column eluted at a flow-rate of 0.300 ml/min on a gradient of 0.2mM ammonium formate and acetonitrile, both acidified with 0.1% formic acid. The overall run time of the method was 10 min, with elution times of 2.9, 3.0, 4.1 and 4.2 min for endoxifen, 4-hydroxy-tamoxifen, N-desmethyl-tamoxifen and tamoxifen, respectively. Tamoxifen and its metabolites were quantified by triple-quadrupole mass spectrometry in the positive ion electrospray ionization mode. The multiple reaction monitoring transitions were set at 372>72 (m/z) for tamoxifen, 358>58 (m/z) for N-desmethyl-tamoxifen, 388>72 (m/z) for 4-hydroxy-tamoxifen and 374>58 (m/z) for endoxifen. The analytical method was highly sensitive with the lower limit of quantification validated at 5.00 nM for tamoxifen and N-desmethyl-tamoxifen and 0.500 nM for 4-hydroxy-tamoxifen and endoxifen, which is equivalent to 1.86, 1.78, 0.194 and 0.187 ng/ml for tamoxifen, N-desmethyl-tamoxifen, 4-hydroxy-tamoxifen and endoxifen, respectively. The method was also precise and accurate, with within-run and between-run precisions within 12.0% and accuracy ranging from 89.5 to 105.3%. The method has been applied to samples from a clinical study and cross-validated with a validated LC

  5. Analysis and comparison of glucocerebroside species from three edible sea cucumbers using liquid chromatography-ion trap-time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Xu, Jie; Duan, Jingjing; Xue, Changhu; Feng, Tingyu; Dong, Ping; Sugawara, Tatsuya; Hirata, Takashi

    2011-11-23

    Sphingolipids constitute a highly diverse and complex class of molecules and exhibit important physiological functions. Glucocerebrosides are anticipated to play a positive role in human nutrition. In this study, complicated glucocerebrosides from three specimens of edible sea cucumbers, specifically, Acaudina molpadioides, Cucumaria frondosa, and Apostichopus japonicus, were rapidly identified using liquid chromatography-ion trap-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LCMS-IT-TOF), which is a powerful analysis tool. [M + H](+), [M + Na](+), and [M + H - H(2)O](+) in positive electrospray ionization (ESI) mode were used for MS/MS analysis to obtain product ion spectra. Various long-chain bases of glucocerebrosides were found in these sea cucumbers. Two of the most common long-chain bases were 2-amino-1,3-dihydroxy-4-heptadecene (d17:1) and 4,8-sphingadienine (d18:2), which were acylated to form saturated and monounsaturated nonhydroxy and monohydroxy fatty acids with 18-25 carbon atoms. The glucocerebroside molecular species were the most complicated in the sea cucumber C. frondosa and were the simplest in the sea cucumber A. molpadioides.

  6. Liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole-time of flight tandem mass spectrometry based quantitative structure-retention relationships of amino acid analogues derivatized via n-propyl chloroformate mediated reaction.

    PubMed

    Kritikos, Nikolaos; Tsantili-Kakoulidou, Anna; Loukas, Yannis L; Dotsikas, Yannis

    2015-07-17

    In the current study, quantitative structure-retention relationships (QSRR) were constructed based on data obtained by a LC-(ESI)-QTOF-MS/MS method for the determination of amino acid analogues, following their derivatization via chloroformate esters. Molecules were derivatized via n-propyl chloroformate/n-propanol mediated reaction. Derivatives were acquired through a liquid-liquid extraction procedure. Chromatographic separation is based on gradient elution using methanol/water mixtures from a 70/30% composition to an 85/15% final one, maintaining a constant rate of change. The group of examined molecules was diverse, including mainly α-amino acids, yet also β- and γ-amino acids, γ-amino acid analogues, decarboxylated and phosphorylated analogues and dipeptides. Projection to latent structures (PLS) method was selected for the formation of QSRRs, resulting in a total of three PLS models with high cross-validated coefficients of determination Q(2)Y. For this reason, molecular structures were previously described through the use of descriptors. Through stratified random sampling procedures, 57 compounds were split to a training set and a test set. Model creation was based on multiple criteria including principal component significance and eigenvalue, variable importance, form of residuals, etc. Validation was based on statistical metrics Rpred(2),QextF2(2),QextF3(2) for the test set and Roy's metrics rm(Av)(2) and rm(δ)(2), assessing both predictive stability and internal validity. Based on aforementioned models, simplified equivalent were then created using a multi-linear regression (MLR) method. MLR models were also validated with the same metrics. The suggested models are considered useful for the estimation of retention times of amino acid analogues for a series of applications. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. Dynamics of Liquid-Filled Projectiles

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1976-04-01

    1 Estimate of Shape of the Free Surface of the Liquid in a Liquid-Pilled Projectile During Acceleration 6 CHAPTER II. ANGULAR ACCELERATION OF THE...LIQUID IN A LIQUID-FILLED PROJECTILE DURING FLIGHT 13 Liquid "Spinup" in Configuration A 13 Angular Acceleration of the Liquid in Con... Angular Acceleration. 13 2.2 Tangential Velocity of Liquid Versus Radial Position at Several Values of Time (Liquid Configuration A) 21 2.3 Tangential

  8. Analytical Properties of Time-of-Flight PET Data

    PubMed Central

    Cho, Sanghee; Ahn, Sangtae; Li, Quanzheng; Leahy, Richard M.

    2015-01-01

    We investigate the analytical properties of time-of-flight (TOF) positron emission tomography (PET) sinograms, where the data are modeled as line integrals weighted by a spatially invariant TOF kernel. First, we investigate the Fourier transform properties of 2D TOF data and extend the “bow-tie” property of the 2D Radon transform to the time of flight case. Second, we describe a new exact Fourier rebinning method, TOF-FOREX, based on the Fourier transform in the time-of-flight variable. We then combine TOF-FOREX rebinning with a direct extension of the projection slice theorem to TOF data, to perform fast 3D TOF PET image reconstruction. Finally, we illustrate these properties using simulated data. PMID:18460746

  9. Investigation of isovaline enantiomeric excesses in CM meteorites using liquid chromatography time of flight mass spectrometry

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Glavin, Daniel P.; Dworkin, Jason P.

    2003-01-01

    The enantiomeric abundances of the alpha-dialkyl amino acid isovaline were measured in the CM2 meteorites Murchison and LEW 90500 using a new liquid chromatography-time of flight-mass spectrometry (LC-ToF-MS) technique coupled with OPA/NAC derivatization and UV fluorescence detection. Previous analyses of Murchison have shown that L-enantiomeric excesses of isovaline range from 0 to 15.2% with significant variation between meteorite fragments [1]. For this study, hot water extracts of interior fragments (> 2 cm from fusion crust) of the Murchison (USNM 6650.2, mass 6 g) and LEW 90500 (split 69, parent 1, mass 5 g) carbonaceous meteorites were analyzed. Enantiomeric excesses were measured using the single ion LC-ToF-MS trace for the OPA/NAC derivative of isovaline at d z 393.15 (Fig. 1). L-isovaline excesses in these meteorite samples ranged from 18.9 to 20.5% for Murchison and -0.5 to 3.0% for LEW 90500. The measured values for Murchison are the largest enantiomeric excesses for isovaline reported to date. The enantiomeric excesses of L-isovaline cannot be the result of interference from other C5 amino acid isomers present in the meteorites or terrestrial contamination from the landing site environments. The L-isovaline excesses in Murchison are inconsistent with the synthesis of all of the isovaline by the Strecker-cyanohydrin pathway on the CM meteorite parent body. The mechanism(s) for the formation of the enantiomeric asymmetry in isovaline in Murchison are currently unknown and it is not clear how the asymmetry of alpha-dialkyl amino acids could be transferred to the a-hydrogen protein amino acids common in all life on Earth today.

  10. Mass resolution of linear quadrupole ion traps with round rods.

    PubMed

    Douglas, D J; Konenkov, N V

    2014-11-15

    Auxiliary dipole excitation is widely used to eject ions from linear radio-frequency quadrupole ion traps for mass analysis. Linear quadrupoles are often constructed with round rod electrodes. The higher multipoles introduced to the electric potential by round rods might be expected to change the ion ejection process. We have therefore investigated the optimum ratio of rod radius, r, to field radius, r0, for excitation and ejection of ions. Trajectory calculations are used to determine the excitation contour, S(q), the fraction of ions ejected when trapped at q values close to the ejection (or excitation) q. Initial conditions are randomly selected from Gaussian distributions of the x and y coordinates and a thermal distribution of velocities. The N = 6 (12 pole) and N = 10 (20 pole) multipoles are added to the quadrupole potential. Peak shapes and resolution were calculated for ratios r/r0 from 1.09 to 1.20 with an excitation time of 1000 cycles of the trapping radio-frequency. Ratios r/r0 in the range 1.140 to 1.160 give the highest resolution and peaks with little tailing. Ratios outside this range give lower resolution and peaks with tails on either the low-mass side or the high-mass side of the peaks. This contrasts with the optimum ratio of 1.126-1.130 for a quadrupole mass filter operated conventionally at the tip of the first stability region. With the optimum geometry the resolution is 2.7 times greater than with an ideal quadrupole field. Adding only a 2.0% hexapole field to a quadrupole field increases the resolution by a factor of 1.6 compared with an ideal quadrupole field. Addition of a 2.0% octopole lowers resolution and degrades peak shape. With the optimum value of r/r0 , the resolution increases with the ejection time (measured in cycles of the trapping rf, n) approximately as R0.5 = 6.64n, in contrast to a pure quadrupole field where R0.5 = 1.94n. Adding weak nonlinear fields to a quadrupole field can improve the resolution with

  11. Eight piece quadrupole magnet, method for aligning quadrupole magent pole tips

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Jaski, Mark S.; Liu, Jie; Donnelly, Aric T.

    The invention provides an alternative to the standard 2-piece or 4-piece quadrupole. For example, an 8-piece and a 10-piece quadrupole are provided whereby the tips of each pole may be adjustable. Also provided is a method for producing a quadrupole using standard machining techniques but which results in a final tolerance accuracy of the resulting construct which is better than that obtained using standard machining techniques.

  12. Time-of-flight mass spectrometry: Introduction to the basics.

    PubMed

    Boesl, Ulrich

    2017-01-01

    The intention of this tutorial is to introduce into the basic concepts of time-of-flight mass spectrometry, beginning with the most simple single-stage ion source with linear field-free drift region and continuing with two-stage ion sources combined with field-free drift regions and ion reflectors-the so-called reflectrons. Basic formulas are presented and discussed with the focus on understanding the physical relations of geometric and electric parameters, initial distribution of ionic parameters, ion flight times, and ion flight time incertitude. This tutorial is aimed to help the applicant to identify sources of flight time broadening which limit good mass resolution and sources of ion losses which limit sensitivity; it is aimed to stimulate creativity for new experimental approaches by discussing a choice of instrumental options and to encourage those who toy with the idea to build an own time-of-flight mass spectrometer. Large parts of mathematics are shifted into a separate chapter in order not to overburden the text with too many mathematical deviations. Rather, thumb-rule formulas are supplied for first estimations of geometry and potentials when designing a home-built instrument, planning experiments, or searching for sources of flight time broadening. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Mass Spec Rev 36:86-109, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  13. Development of suspect and non-target screening methods for detection of organic contaminants in highway runoff and fish tissue with high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Du, Bowen; Lofton, Jonathan M; Peter, Katherine T; Gipe, Alexander D; James, C Andrew; McIntyre, Jenifer K; Scholz, Nathaniel L; Baker, Joel E; Kolodziej, Edward P

    2017-09-20

    Untreated urban stormwater runoff contributes to poor water quality in receiving waters. The ability to identify toxicants and other bioactive molecules responsible for observed adverse effects in a complex mixture of contaminants is critical to effective protection of ecosystem and human health, yet this is a challenging analytical task. The objective of this study was to develop analytical methods using liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF-MS) to detect organic contaminants in highway runoff and in runoff-exposed fish (adult coho salmon, Oncorhynchus kisutch). Processing of paired water and tissue samples facilitated contaminant prioritization and aided investigation of chemical bioavailability and uptake processes. Simple, minimal processing effort solid phase extraction (SPE) and elution procedures were optimized for water samples, and selective pressurized liquid extraction (SPLE) procedures were optimized for fish tissues. Extraction methods were compared by detection of non-target features and target compounds (e.g., quantity and peak area), while minimizing matrix interferences. Suspect screening techniques utilized in-house and commercial databases to prioritize high-risk detections for subsequent MS/MS characterization and identification efforts. Presumptive annotations were also screened with an in-house linear regression (log K ow vs. retention time) to exclude isobaric compounds. Examples of confirmed identifications (via reference standard comparison) in highway runoff include ethoprophos, prometon, DEET, caffeine, cotinine, 4(or 5)-methyl-1H-methylbenzotriazole, and acetanilide. Acetanilide was also detected in runoff-exposed fish gill and liver samples. Further characterization of highway runoff and fish tissues (14 and 19 compounds, respectively with tentative identification by MS/MS data) suggests that many novel or poorly characterized organic contaminants exist in urban

  14. High-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection coupled to electrospray time-of-flight and ion-trap tandem mass spectrometry to identify phenolic compounds from a lemon verbena extract.

    PubMed

    Quirantes-Piné, R; Funes, L; Micol, V; Segura-Carretero, A; Fernández-Gutiérrez, A

    2009-07-10

    High-performance liquid chromatography with diode array and electrospray ionization mass spectrometric detection was used to carry out the comprehensive characterization of a lemon verbena extract with demonstrated antioxidant and antiinflammatory activity. Two different MS techniques have been coupled to HPLC: on one hand, time-of-flight mass spectrometry, and on the other hand, tandem mass spectrometry on an ion-trap. The use of a small particle size C18 column (1.8 microm) provided a great resolution and made possible the separation of several isomers. The UV-visible spectrophotometry was used to delimit the class of phenolic compound and the accurate mass measurements on time-of-flight spectrometer enabled to identify the compounds present in the extract. Finally, the fragmentation pattern obtained in MS-MS experiments confirmed the proposed structures. This procedure was able to determine many well-known phenolic compounds present in lemon verbena such as verbascoside and its derivatives, diglucuronide derivatives of apigenin and luteolin, and eukovoside. Also gardoside, verbasoside, cistanoside F, theveside, campneoside I, chrysoeriol-7-diglucuronide, forsythoside A and acacetin-7-diglucuronide were found for the first time in lemon verbena.

  15. Analysis of additives in dairy products by liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole-orbitrap mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Jia, Wei; Ling, Yun; Lin, Yuanhui; Chang, James; Chu, Xiaogang

    2014-04-04

    A new method combining QuEChERS with ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography and electrospray ionization quadrupole Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC/ESI Q-Orbitrap) was developed for the highly accurate and sensitive screening of 43 antioxidants, preservatives and synthetic sweeteners in dairy products. Response surface methodology was employed to optimize a quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) sample preparation method for the determination of 42 different analytes in dairy products for the first time. After optimization, the maximum predicted recovery was 99.33% rate for aspartame under the optimized conditions of 10 mL acetionitrile, 1.52 g sodium acetate, 410 mg PSA and 404 mgC18. For the matrices studied, the recovery rates of the other 42 compounds ranged from 89.4% to 108.2%, with coefficient of variation <6.4%. UHPLC/ESI Q-Orbitrap Mass full scan mode acquired full MS data was used to identify and quantify additives, and data-dependent scan mode obtained fragment ion spectra for confirmation. The mass accuracy typically obtained is routinely better than 1.5ppm, and only need to calibrate once a week. The 43 compounds behave dynamic in the range 0.001-1000 μg kg(-1) concentration, with correlation coefficient >0.999. The limits of detection for the analytes are in the range 0.0001-3.6 μg kg(-1). This method has been successfully applied on screening of antioxidants, preservatives and synthetic sweeteners in commercial dairy product samples, and it is very useful for fast screening of different food additives. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. First Flight of a Liquid Propellant Rocket

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2010-01-04

    Dr. Robert H. Goddard and a liquid oxygen-gasoline rocket in the frame from which it was fired on March 16, 1926, at Auburn, Massachusetts. From 1930 to 1941, Dr. Goddard made substantial progress in the development of progressively larger rockets, which attained altitudes of 2400 meters, and refined his equipment for guidance and control, his techniques of welding, and his insulation, pumps and other associated equipment. In many respects, Dr. Goddard laid the essential foundations of practical rocket technology. He is considered one of the fathers of rocketry along with Konstantin Tsiolovsky (1857-1935) and Hermann Oberth (1894-1989). NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Join us on Facebook

  17. Development of a scanning time of flight microscope and its application to the study of charge transport in phase separated structured organic semiconductors

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Paul, Sanjoy; Ellman, Brett, E-mail: bellman@kent.edu; Singh, Gautam

    We describe a tool for studying the two-dimensional spatial variation in electronic properties of organic semiconductors: the scanning time-of-flight microscope (STOFm). The STOFm simultaneously measures the transmittance of polarized light and time-of-flight current transients with a pixel size <30 μm, making it especially valuable for studies of the correlations of structure with charge generation and transport in liquid crystalline organic semiconductors (LC OSCs). Adapting a previously developed photopolymerization technique, we characterize the instrument using patterned samples of a LC OSC bounded by a non-semiconducting polymer matrix.

  18. Investigating the presence of omeprazole in waters by liquid chromatography coupled to low and high resolution mass spectrometry: degradation experiments.

    PubMed

    Boix, C; Ibáñez, M; Sancho, J V; Niessen, W M A; Hernández, F

    2013-10-01

    Omeprazole is one of the most consumed pharmaceuticals around the world. However, this compound is scarcely detected in urban wastewater and surface water. The absence of this pharmaceutical in the aquatic ecosystem might be due to its degradation in wastewater treatment plants, as well as in receiving water. In this work, different laboratory-controlled degradation experiments have been carried out on surface water in order to elucidate generated omeprazole transformation products (TPs). Surface water spiked with omeprazole was subjected to hydrolysis, photo-degradation under both sunlight and ultraviolet radiation and chlorination. Analyses by liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF MS) permitted identification of up to 17 omeprazole TPs. In a subsequent step, the TPs identified were sought in surface water and urban wastewater by LC-QTOF MS and by LC coupled to tandem mass spectrometry with triple quadrupole. The parent omeprazole was not detected in any of the samples, but four TPs were found in several water samples. The most frequently detected compound was OTP 5 (omeprazole sulfide), which might be a reasonable candidate to be included in monitoring programs rather than the parent omeprazole. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  19. Status of the TORCH time-of-flight detector

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Harnew, N.; Brook, N. H.; Castillo García, L.; Cussans, D.; van Dijk, M. W. U.; Föhl, K.; Forty, R.; Frei, C.; Gao, R.; Gys, T.; Hancock, T. H.; Piedigrossi, D.; Rademacker, J.; Ros García., A.

    2017-11-01

    The TORCH time-of-flight detector is designed for large-area coverage, up to 30 m2, to provide particle identification between 2-10 GeV/c momentum over a flight distance of 10 m. The arrival times from Cherenkov photons produced within a quartz radiator plate of 10 mm thickness are combined to achieve a 15 ps time-of-flight resolution per incident particle. Micro-Channel Plate Photomultiplier Tube (MCP-PMT) detectors of 53 × 53 mm2 active area have been developed with industrial partners for the TORCH application. The MCP-PMT is read out using charge division to give a 128 × 8 effective granularity. Laboratory results of development MCP-PMTs will be described, and testbeam studies using a small-scale TORCH prototype module will be presented.

  20. Low-gravity sensing of liquid/vapor interface and transient liquid flow

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jacobson, Saul A.; Korba, James M.; Lynnworth, Lawrence C.; Nguyen, Toan H.; Orton, George F.

    1987-03-01

    The work reported here deals mainly with tests on internally vaned cylindrical shell acrylic containers capped by hemispherical acrylic or aluminum end domes. Three different ultrasonic sensor techniques and one nucleonic technique presently are evaluated as possible solutions to the low-gravity liquid gauging problem. The ultrasonic techniques are as follows: use of a torsional wave sensor in which transit time is proportional to the integral of wetted distance x liquid density; integration of the flow rate output signal of a fast-response ultrasonic flowmeter; and use of multiplexed externally mounted 'point-sensor' transducers that sense transit times to liquid-gas interfaces. Using two commercial flowmeters and a thickness gauge modified for this particular project, bench tests were conducted at 1 g on liquids such as water, freon, and solvent 140, including both steady flow and pulsating flow with 40, 80, and 120 ms flow pulses. Subsequently, flight tests were conducted in the NASA KC-135 aircraft in which nearly 0-g conditions are obtainable for up to about 5 s in each of a number of repetitive parabolic flight trajectories. In some of these brief low-gravity flight tests freon was replaced with a higher-viscosity fuel to reduce sloshing and thereby obtain settled surfaces more quickly.

  1. Hollow fiber-based liquid-liquid-liquid micro-extraction with osmosis: II. Application to quantification of endogenous gibberellins in rice plant.

    PubMed

    Wu, Qian; Wu, Dapeng; Duan, Chunfeng; Shen, Zheng; Guan, Yafeng

    2012-11-23

    The phenomenon and benefits of osmosis in hollow fiber-based liquid-liquid-liquid micro-extraction (HF-LLLME) were theoretically discussed in part I of this study. In this work, HF-LLLME with osmosis was coupled with high performance liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (HPLC-triple quadrupole MS/MS) to analyze eight gibberellins (gibberellin A(1), gibberellin A(3), gibberellin A(4), gibberellin A(7), gibberellin A(8), gibberellin A(9), gibberellin A(19) and gibberellin A(20)) in rice plant samples. According to the theory of HF-LLLME with osmosis, single factor experiments, orthogonal design experiments and mass transfer simulation of extraction process were carried out to select the optimal conditions. Cyclohexanol - n-octanol (1:3, v/v) was selected as organic membrane. Donor phase of 12 mL was adjusted to pH 2 and 20% NaCl (w/v) was added. Acceptor phase with an initial volume of 20 μL was the solution of 0.12 mol L(-1) Na(2)CO(3)-NaHCO(3) buffer (pH 9). Temperature was chosen to be 30 °C and extraction time was selected to be 90 min. Under optimized conditions, this method provided good linearity (r, 0.99552-0.99991) and low limits of detection (0.0016-0.061 ng mL(-1)). Finally, this method was applied to the analysis of endogenous gibberellins from plant extract which was obtained with traditional solvent extraction of rice plant tissues, and the relative recoveries were from 62% to 166%. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. Optimization of a direct analysis in real time/time-of-flight mass spectrometry method for rapid serum metabolomic fingerprinting.

    PubMed

    Zhou, Manshui; McDonald, John F; Fernández, Facundo M

    2010-01-01

    Metabolomic fingerprinting of bodily fluids can reveal the underlying causes of metabolic disorders associated with many diseases, and has thus been recognized as a potential tool for disease diagnosis and prognosis following therapy. Here we report a rapid approach in which direct analysis in real time (DART) coupled with time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometry (MS) and hybrid quadrupole TOF (Q-TOF) MS is used as a means for metabolomic fingerprinting of human serum. In this approach, serum samples are first treated to precipitate proteins, and the volatility of the remaining metabolites increased by derivatization, followed by DART MS analysis. Maximum DART MS performance was obtained by optimizing instrumental parameters such as ionizing gas temperature and flow rate for the analysis of identical aliquots of a healthy human serum samples. These variables were observed to have a significant effect on the overall mass range of the metabolites detected as well as the signal-to-noise ratios in DART mass spectra. Each DART run requires only 1.2 min, during which more than 1500 different spectral features are observed in a time-dependent fashion. A repeatability of 4.1% to 4.5% was obtained for the total ion signal using a manual sampling arm. With the appealing features of high-throughput, lack of memory effects, and simplicity, DART MS has shown potential to become an invaluable tool for metabolomic fingerprinting. 2010 American Society for Mass Spectrometry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Determination of caffeoylquinic acids in feed and related products by focused ultrasound solid-liquid extraction and ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Tena, M T; Martínez-Moral, M P; Cardozo, P W

    2015-06-26

    A method to determine caffeoylquinic acids (CQAs) in three sources (herbal extract, feed additive and finished feed) using for the first time focused ultrasound solid-liquid extraction (FUSLE) followed by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) coupled to quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry is presented. Pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) was also tested as extraction technique but it was discarded because cynarin was not stable under temperature values used in PLE. The separation of the CQAs isomers was carried out in only seven minutes. FUSLE variables such as extraction solvent, power and time were optimized by a central composite design. Under optimal conditions, FUSLE extraction was performed with 8mL of an 83:17 methanol-water mixture for 30s at a power of 60%. Only two extraction steps were found necessary to recover analytes quantitatively. Sensitivity, linearity, accuracy and precision were established. Matrix effect was studied for each type of sample. It was not detected for mono-CQAs, whereas the cynarin signal was strongly decreased due to ionization suppression in presence of matrix components; so the quantification by standard addition was mandatory for the determination of di-caffeoylquinic acids. Finally, the method was applied to the analysis of herbal extracts, feed additives and finished feed. In all samples, chlorogenic acid was the predominant CQA, followed by criptochlorogenic acid, neochlorogenic acid and cynarin. The method allows an efficient determination of chlorogenic acid with good recovery rates. Therefore, it may be used for screening of raw material and for process and quality control in feed manufacture. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Thermal Analysis of the ILC Superconductin Quadrupole

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Ross, Ian; /Rose-Hulman Inst., Terre Haute /SLAC

    2006-09-13

    Critical to a particle accelerator's functioning, superconducting magnets serve to focus and aim the particle beam. The Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) has received a prototype superconducting quadrupole designed and built by the Centro de Investigaciones Energ{acute e}ticas, Medioambientales y Tecnol{acute o}gicas (CIEMAT) to be evaluated for the International Linear Collider (ILC) project. To ensure proper functioning of the magnet, the device must be maintained at cryogenic temperatures by use of a cooling system containing liquid nitrogen and liquid helium. The cool down period of a low temperature cryostat is critical to the success of an experiment, especially a prototypemore » setup such as this one. The magnet and the dewar each contain unique heat leaks and material properties. These differences can lead to tremendous thermal stresses. The system was analyzed mathematically, leading to ideal liquid helium and liquid nitrogen flow rates during the magnet's cool-down to 4.2 K, along with a reasonable estimate of how long this cool-down will take. With a flow rate of ten gaseous liters of liquid nitrogen per minute, the nitrogen shield will take approximately five hours to cool down to 77 K. With a gaseous helium flow rate of sixty liters per minute, the magnet will take at least nineteen hours to cool down to a temperature of 4.2 K.« less

  5. Rapid Identification of Mycobacterial Whole Cells in Solid and Liquid Culture Media by Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization-Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry ▿

    PubMed Central

    Lotz, Aurélie; Ferroni, Agnès; Beretti, Jean-Luc; Dauphin, Brunhilde; Carbonnelle, Etienne; Guet-Revillet, Hélène; Veziris, Nicolas; Heym, Béate; Jarlier, Vincent; Gaillard, Jean-Louis; Pierre-Audigier, Catherine; Frapy, Eric; Berche, Patrick; Nassif, Xavier; Bille, Emmanuelle

    2010-01-01

    Mycobacterial identification is based on several methods: conventional biochemical tests that require several weeks for accurate identification, and molecular tools that are now routinely used. However, these techniques are expensive and time-consuming. In this study, an alternative method was developed using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). This approach allows a characteristic mass spectral fingerprint to be obtained from whole inactivated mycobacterial cells. We engineered a strategy based on specific profiles in order to identify the most clinically relevant species of mycobacteria. To validate the mycobacterial database, a total of 311 strains belonging to 31 distinct species and 4 species complexes grown in Löwenstein-Jensen (LJ) and liquid (mycobacterium growth indicator tube [MGIT]) media were analyzed. No extraction step was required. Correct identifications were obtained for 97% of strains from LJ and 77% from MGIT media. No misidentification was noted. Our results, based on a very simple protocol, suggest that this system may represent a serious alternative for clinical laboratories to identify mycobacterial species. PMID:20943874

  6. A liquid chromatography method with single quadrupole mass spectrometry for quantitative determination of indomethacin in maternal plasma and urine of pregnant patients

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Xiaoming; Vernikovskaya, Daria I.; Nanovskaya, Tatiana N.; Rytting, Erik; Hankins, Gary D.V.; Ahmed, Mahmoud S.

    2013-01-01

    A liquid chromatography with single quadrupole mass spectrometry method was developed for the quantitative determination of indomethacin in the maternal plasma and urine of pregnant patients under treatment. A deuterium-labeled isotope of indomethacin (d4-indomethacin) was used as an internal standard. The maternal plasma and urine samples were acidified with 1.0 MHCl then extracted with chloroform to achieve the extraction recovery range of 94% to 104% with variation less than 11%. Chromatographic separation was achieved by a Waters Symmetry C18 column with isocratic elution of 0.05% (v/v) formic acid aqueous solution and acetonitrile (47:53, v/v). An in-source fragmentation was applied on the single quadrupole mass spectrometer equipped with an electrospray ionization source at positive mode. The LC-ESI-MS quantification was performed in the selected ion monitoring mode targeting ions at m/z 139 for indomethacin and m/z 143 for its internal standard. The calibration curves were linear in the concentration ranges between 14.8 and 2.97×103 ng/mL for plasma samples and between 10.5 and 4.21×103 ng/mL for urine samples. The relative standard deviation of this method was less than 8% for intra- and inter-day assays, and the accuracy ranged between 90% and 108%. PMID:23474812

  7. The influence of total flight time, recent flight time and age on pilot accident rates

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1983-06-30

    This paper presents initial finding from a research effort conducted for the Safety Analysis Dvision, Office of Aviation Safety, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The analysis considers the influence of recent pilot flight time, total pilot flig...

  8. Ultrasound-assisted ionic liquid-based micellar extraction combined with microcrystalline cellulose as sorbent in dispersive microextraction for the determination of phenolic compounds in propolis.

    PubMed

    Cao, Jun; Peng, Li-Qing; Du, Li-Jing; Zhang, Qi-Dong; Xu, Jing-Jing

    2017-04-22

    An ionic liquid-(IL) based micellar extraction combined with microcrystalline cellulose- (MCC) assisted dispersive micro solid-phase extraction method was developed to extract phenolic compounds from propolis. A total of 20 target compounds were identified by ultra-high- performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry. The main extraction parameters were optimized and included the ultrasonic power, ultrasonic time, sample pH, type of IL, the concentration of [C12mim]Br, extraction time, concentration of MCC, type of sorbent and type of elution solvents. Under the optimum conditions, the proposed method exhibited good linearities (r 2  ≥ 0.999) for all plant phenolic compounds with the lower limits of detection in the range of 0.21-0.41 ng/mL. The recoveries ranged from 82.74% to 97.88% for pinocembrin, chrysin and galangin. Compared with conventional solvent extraction, the present method was simpler and more efficient and required less organic solvent and a shorter extraction time. Finally, the methodology was successfully used for the extraction and enrichment of phenolic compounds in propolis. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Multi-residue analysis method for analysis of pharmaceuticals using liquid chromatography-time of flight/mass spectrometry (LC-TOF/MS) in water sample

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Al-Qaim, Fouad Fadhil; Abdullah, Md Pauzi; Othman, Mohamed Rozali

    2013-11-01

    In this work, a developed method using solid - phase extraction (SPE) followed by liquid chromatography - time of flight mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-TOF/MS) was developed and validated for quantification and confirmation of eleven pharmaceuticals with different therapeutic classes in water samples, Malaysia. These compounds are caffeine (CAF), prazosin (PRZ), enalapril (ENL), carbamazepine (CBZ), nifedipine (NFD), levonorgestrel (LNG), simvastatin (SMV), hydrochlorothiazide (HYD), gliclazide (GLIC), diclofenac-Na (DIC-Na) and mefenamic acid (MEF). LC was performed on a Dionex Ultimate 3000/LC 09115047 (USA) system. Chromatography was performed on a Thermo Scientific C18 (250 mm × 2.1 mm, i.d.: 5μm) column. Several parameters were optimised such as; mobile phase, gradient elution, collision energy and solvent elution for extraction of compounds from water. The recoveries obtained ranged from 30-148 % in river water. Five pharmaceutical compounds were detected in the surface water samples: caffeine, prazosin, enalpril, diclofenac-Na and mefenamic acid. The developed method is precise and accepted recoveries were got. In addition, this method is suitable to identify and quantify trace concentrations of pharmaceuticals in surface water.

  10. Metabolomics study on the hepatoprotective effect of scoparone using ultra-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization quadruple time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Aihua; Sun, Hui; Dou, Shengshan; Sun, Wenjun; Wu, Xiuhong; Wang, Ping; Wang, Xijun

    2013-01-07

    Scoparone is an important constituent of Yinchenhao (Artemisia annua L.), a famous medicinal plant, and displayed bright prospects in the prevention and therapy of liver injury. However, the precise molecular mechanism of hepatoprotective effects has not been comprehensively explored. Here, metabolomics techniques are the comprehensive assessment of endogenous metabolites in a biological system and may provide additional insight into the mechanisms. The present investigation was designed to assess the effects and possible mechanisms of scoparone against carbon tetrachloride-induced liver injury. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization quadruple time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC/ESI-Q-TOF/MS) combined with pattern recognition approaches including principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) were integrated to discover differentiating metabolites. Results indicate five ions in the positive mode as differentiating metabolites. Functional pathway analysis revealed that the alterations in these metabolites were associated with primary bile acid biosynthesis, pyrimidine metabolism. Of note, scoparone has a potential pharmacological effect through regulating multiple perturbed pathways to the normal state. Our findings also showed that the robust metabolomics techniques are promising for getting biomarkers and clarifying mechanisms of disease, highlighting insights into drug discovery.

  11. Transatlantic flight times and climate change

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Williams, Paul

    2016-04-01

    Aircraft do not fly through a vacuum, but through an atmosphere whose meteorological characteristics are changing because of global warming. The impacts of aviation on climate change have long been recognised, but the impacts of climate change on aviation have only recently begun to emerge. These impacts include intensified turbulence (Williams and Joshi 2013) and increased take-off weight restrictions. A forthcoming study (Williams 2016) investigates the influence of climate change on flight routes and journey times. This is achieved by feeding synthetic atmospheric wind fields generated from climate model simulations into a routing algorithm of the type used operationally by flight planners. The focus is on transatlantic flights between London and New York, and how they change when the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide is doubled. It is found that a strengthening of the prevailing jet-stream winds causes eastbound flights to significantly shorten and westbound flights to significantly lengthen in all seasons, causing round-trip journey times to increase. Eastbound and westbound crossings in winter become approximately twice as likely to take under 5h 20m and over 7h 00m, respectively. The early stages of this effect perhaps contributed to a well-publicised British Airways flight from New York to London on 8 January 2015, which took a record time of only 5h 16m because of a strong tailwind from an unusually fast jet stream. Even assuming no future growth in aviation, extrapolation of our results to all transatlantic traffic suggests that aircraft may collectively be airborne for an extra 2,000 hours each year, burning an extra 7.2 million gallons of jet fuel at a cost of US 22 million, and emitting an extra 70 million kg of carbon dioxide. These findings provide further evidence of the two-way interaction between aviation and climate change. References Williams PD (2016) Transatlantic flight times and climate change. Environmental Research Letters, in

  12. Inexpensive Time-of-Flight Velocity Measurements.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Everett, Glen E.; Wild, R. L.

    1979-01-01

    Describes a circuit designed to measure time-of-flight velocity and shows how to use it to determine bullet velocity in connection with the ballistic pendulum demonstration of momentum conservation. (Author/GA)

  13. Supersonic Quadrupole Noise Theory for High-Speed Helicopter Rotors

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Farassat, F.; Brentner, Kenneth S.

    1997-01-01

    High-speed helicopter rotor impulsive noise prediction is an important problem of aeroacoustics. The deterministic quadrupoles have been shown to contribute significantly to high-speed impulsive (HSI) noise of rotors, particularly when the phenomenon of delocalization occurs. At high rotor-tip speeds, some of the quadrupole sources lie outside the sonic circle and move at supersonic speed. Brentner has given a formulation suitable for efficient prediction of quadrupole noise inside the sonic circle. In this paper, we give a simple formulation based on the acoustic analogy that is valid for both subsonic and supersonic quadrupole noise prediction. Like the formulation of Brentner, the model is exact for an observer in the far field and in the rotor plane and is approximate elsewhere. We give the full analytic derivation of this formulation in the paper. We present the method of implementation on a computer for supersonic quadrupoles using marching cubes for constructing the influence surface (Sigma surface) of an observer space- time variable (x; t). We then present several examples of noise prediction for both subsonic and supersonic quadrupoles. It is shown that in the case of transonic flow over rotor blades, the inclusion of the supersonic quadrupoles improves the prediction of the acoustic pressure signature. We show the equivalence of the new formulation to that of Brentner for subsonic quadrupoles. It is shown that the regions of high quadrupole source strength are primarily produced by the shock surface and the flow over the leading edge of the rotor. The primary role of the supersonic quadrupoles is to increase the width of a strong acoustic signal.

  14. Development of a fast screening and confirmatory method by liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry for glucuronide-conjugated methyltestosterone metabolite in tilapia.

    PubMed

    Amarasinghe, Kande; Chu, Pak-Sin; Evans, Eric; Reimschuessel, Renate; Hasbrouck, Nicholas; Jayasuriya, Hiranthi

    2012-05-23

    This paper describes the development of a fast method to screen and confirm methyltestosterone 17-O-glucuronide (MT-glu) in tilapia bile. The method consists of solid-phase extraction (SPE) followed by high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. The system used was an Agilent 6530 Q-TOF with an Agilent Jet stream electrospray ionization interface. The glucuronide detected in the bile was characterized as MT-glu by comparison with a chemically synthesized standard. MT-glu was detected in bile for up to 7 days after dosing. Semiquantification was done with matrix-matched calibration curves, because MT-glu showed signal suppression due to matrix effects. This method provides a suitable tool to monitor the illegal use of methyltestosterone in tilapia culture.

  15. Time-frequency energy density precipitation method for time-of-flight extraction of narrowband Lamb wave detection signals

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Zhang, Y., E-mail: thuzhangyu@foxmail.com; Huang, S. L., E-mail: huangsling@tsinghua.edu.cn; Wang, S.

    The time-of-flight of the Lamb wave provides an important basis for defect evaluation in metal plates and is the input signal for Lamb wave tomographic imaging. However, the time-of-flight can be difficult to acquire because of the Lamb wave dispersion characteristics. This work proposes a time-frequency energy density precipitation method to accurately extract the time-of-flight of narrowband Lamb wave detection signals in metal plates. In the proposed method, a discrete short-time Fourier transform is performed on the narrowband Lamb wave detection signals to obtain the corresponding discrete time-frequency energy density distribution. The energy density values at the center frequency formore » all discrete time points are then calculated by linear interpolation. Next, the time-domain energy density curve focused on that center frequency is precipitated by least squares fitting of the calculated energy density values. Finally, the peak times of the energy density curve obtained relative to the initial pulse signal are extracted as the time-of-flight for the narrowband Lamb wave detection signals. An experimental platform is established for time-of-flight extraction of narrowband Lamb wave detection signals, and sensitivity analysis of the proposed time-frequency energy density precipitation method is performed in terms of propagation distance, dispersion characteristics, center frequency, and plate thickness. For comparison, the widely used Hilbert–Huang transform method is also implemented for time-of-flight extraction. The results show that the time-frequency energy density precipitation method can accurately extract the time-of-flight with relative error of <1% and thus can act as a universal time-of-flight extraction method for narrowband Lamb wave detection signals.« less

  16. Time-frequency energy density precipitation method for time-of-flight extraction of narrowband Lamb wave detection signals.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Y; Huang, S L; Wang, S; Zhao, W

    2016-05-01

    The time-of-flight of the Lamb wave provides an important basis for defect evaluation in metal plates and is the input signal for Lamb wave tomographic imaging. However, the time-of-flight can be difficult to acquire because of the Lamb wave dispersion characteristics. This work proposes a time-frequency energy density precipitation method to accurately extract the time-of-flight of narrowband Lamb wave detection signals in metal plates. In the proposed method, a discrete short-time Fourier transform is performed on the narrowband Lamb wave detection signals to obtain the corresponding discrete time-frequency energy density distribution. The energy density values at the center frequency for all discrete time points are then calculated by linear interpolation. Next, the time-domain energy density curve focused on that center frequency is precipitated by least squares fitting of the calculated energy density values. Finally, the peak times of the energy density curve obtained relative to the initial pulse signal are extracted as the time-of-flight for the narrowband Lamb wave detection signals. An experimental platform is established for time-of-flight extraction of narrowband Lamb wave detection signals, and sensitivity analysis of the proposed time-frequency energy density precipitation method is performed in terms of propagation distance, dispersion characteristics, center frequency, and plate thickness. For comparison, the widely used Hilbert-Huang transform method is also implemented for time-of-flight extraction. The results show that the time-frequency energy density precipitation method can accurately extract the time-of-flight with relative error of <1% and thus can act as a universal time-of-flight extraction method for narrowband Lamb wave detection signals.

  17. High-Performance Liquid Chromatography with Diode Array Detector and Electrospray Ionization Ion Trap Time-of-Flight Tandem Mass Spectrometry to Evaluate Ginseng Roots and Rhizomes from Different Regions.

    PubMed

    Wang, Hong-Ping; Zhang, You-Bo; Yang, Xiu-Wei; Yang, Xin-Bao; Xu, Wei; Xu, Feng; Cai, Shao-Qing; Wang, Ying-Ping; Xu, Yong-Hua; Zhang, Lian-Xue

    2016-05-09

    Ginseng, Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer, is an industrial crop in China and Korea. The functional components in ginseng roots and rhizomes are characteristic ginsenosides. This work developed a new high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization ion trap time-of-flight multistage mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-IT-TOF-MS(n)) method to identify the triterpenoids. Sixty compounds (1-60) including 58 triterpenoids were identified from the ginseng cultivated in China. Substances 1, 2, 7, 15-20, 35, 39, 45-47, 49, 55-57, 59, and 60 were identified for the first time. To evaluate the quality of ginseng cultivated in Northeast China, this paper developed a practical liquid chromatography-diode array detection (LC-DAD) method to simultaneously quantify 14 interesting ginsenosides in ginseng collected from 66 different producing areas for the first time. The results showed the quality of ginseng roots and rhizomes from different sources was different due to growing environment, cultivation technology, and so on. The developed LC-ESI-IT-TOF-MS(n) method can be used to identify many more ginsenosides and the LC-DAD method can be used not only to assess the quality of ginseng, but also to optimize the cultivation conditions for the production of ginsenosides.

  18. Analysis of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in milk using QuEChERS and liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry: triple quadrupole versus Q-Orbitrap mass analyzers.

    PubMed

    Rúbies, Antoni; Guo, Lili; Centrich, Francesc; Granados, Mercè

    2016-08-01

    We developed a Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe (QuEChERS) method for the high throughput determination of 10 non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in milk samples using high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) with a triple quadrupole (QqQ) instrument and an electrospray ionization (ESI) source. The new extraction procedure is highly efficient, and we obtained absolute recoveries in the range 78.1-97.1 % for the extraction and clean-up steps. Chromatographic separation is performed in the gradient mode with a biphenyl column and acidic mobile phases consisting of water and acetonitrile containing formic acid. The chromatographic run time was about 12 min, and NSAID peaks showed a good symmetry factor. For MS/MS detection, we used multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode, using ESI in both positive and negative modes. Our method has been validated in compliance with the European Commission Decision 657/2002/EC, and we obtained very satisfactory results in inter-laboratory testing. Furthermore, we explored the use of a hybrid high resolution mass spectrometer, combining a quadrupole and an Orbitrap mass analyzer, for high resolution (HR) MS/MS detection of NSAIDs. We achieved lower NSAID quantification limits with Q-Orbitrap high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS/MS) detection than those achieved with the QqQ instrument; however, its main feature is its very high selectivity, which makes HRMS/MS particularly suitable for confirmatory analysis.

  19. Study of tamoxifen urinary metabolites in rat by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Domínguez-Romero, Juan C; García-Reyes, Juan F; Beneito-Cambra, Miriam; Martínez-Romero, Rubén; Martinez-Lara, Esther; Del Moral-Leal, María L; Molina-Díaz, Antonio

    2015-08-01

    Tamoxifen (TMX) is a nonsteroidal estrogen antagonist drug used for the treatment of breast cancer. It is also included in the list of banned substances of the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) prohibited in and out of competition. In this work, the excretion of urinary metabolites of TMX after a single therapeutic dose administration in rats has been studied using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography electrospray time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-TOFMS). A systematic strategy based on the search of typical biotransformations that a xenobiotic can undergo in living organisms, based on their corresponding molecular formula modification and accurate mass shifts, was applied for the identification of TMX metabolites. Prior to UHPLC-TOFMS analyses, a solid-phase extraction step with polymeric cartridges was applied to urine samples. Up to 38 TMX metabolites were detected. Additional collision induced dissociation (CID) MS/MS fragmentation was performed using UHPLC-QTOFMS. Compared with recent previous studies in human urine and plasma, new metabolites have been reported for the first time in urine. Metabolites identified in rat urine include the oxygen addition, owing to different possibilities for the hydroxylation of the rings in different positions (m/z 388.2271), the incorporation of two oxygen atoms (m/z 404.2220) (including dihydroxylated derivatives or alternatives such as epoxidation plus hydroxylation or N-oxidation and hydroxylation), epoxide formation or hydroxylation and dehydrogenation [m/z 386.2114 (+O -H2 )], hydroxylation of the ring accompanied by N-desmethylation (m/z 374.2115), combined hydroxylation and methoxylation (m/z 418.2377), desaturated TMX derivate (m/z 370.2165) and its N-desmethylated derivate (m/z 356.2009), the two latter modifications not previously being reported in urine. These findings confirm the usefulness of the proposed approach based on UHPLC-TOFMS. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  20. Comparison of originator and biosimilar therapeutic monoclonal antibodies using comprehensive two-dimensional liquid chromatography coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Sorensen, Matthew; Harmes, David C; Stoll, Dwight R; Staples, Gregory O; Fekete, Szabolcs; Guillarme, Davy; Beck, Alain

    2016-10-01

    As research, development, and manufacturing of biosimilar protein therapeutics proliferates, there is great interest in the continued development of a portfolio of complementary analytical methods that can be used to efficiently and effectively characterize biosimilar candidate materials relative to the respective reference (i.e., originator) molecule. Liquid phase separation techniques such as liquid chromatography and capillary electrophoresis are powerful tools that can provide both qualitative and quantitative information about similarities and differences between reference and biosimilar materials, especially when coupled with mass spectrometry. However, the inherent complexity of these protein materials challenges even the most modern one-dimensional (1D) separation methods. Two-dimensional (2D) separations present a number of potential advantages over 1D methods, including increased peak capacity, 2D peak patterns that can facilitate unknown identification, and improvement in the compatibility of some separation methods with mass spectrometry. In this study, we demonstrate the use of comprehensive 2D-LC separations involving cation-exchange (CEX) and reversed-phase (RP) separations in the first and second dimensions to compare 3 reference/biosimilar pairs of monoclonal antibodies (cetuximab, trastuzumab and infliximab) that cover a range of similarity/disimilarity in a middle-up approach. The second dimension RP separations are coupled to time-of-flight mass spectrometry, which enables direct identification of features in the chromatograms obtained from mAbs digested with the IdeS enzyme, or digestion with IdeS followed by reduction with dithiothreitol. As many as 23 chemically unique mAb fragments were detected in a single sample. Our results demonstrate that these rich datasets enable facile assesment of the degree of similarity between reference and biosimilar materials.

  1. Highly informative multiclass profiling of lipids by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography - Low resolution (quadrupole) mass spectrometry by using electrospray ionization and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization interfaces.

    PubMed

    Beccaria, Marco; Inferrera, Veronica; Rigano, Francesca; Gorynski, Krzysztof; Purcaro, Giorgia; Pawliszyn, Janusz; Dugo, Paola; Mondello, Luigi

    2017-08-04

    A simple, fast, and versatile method, using an ultra-high performance liquid chromatography system coupled with a low resolution (single quadrupole) mass spectrometer was optimized to perform multiclass lipid profiling of human plasma. Particular attention was made to develop a method suitable for both electrospray ionization and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization interfaces (sequentially in positive- and negative-ion mode), without any modification of the chromatographic conditions (mobile phase, flow-rate, gradient, etc.). Emphasis was given to the extrapolation of the structural information based on the fragmentation pattern obtained using atmospheric pressure chemical ionization interface, under each different ionization condition, highlighting the complementary information obtained using the electrospray ionization interface, of support for related molecule ions identification. Furthermore, mass spectra of phosphatidylserine and phosphatidylinositol obtained using the atmospheric pressure chemical ionization interface are reported and discussed for the first time. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. Time of flight mass spectrometer

    DOEpatents

    Ulbricht, Jr., William H.

    1984-01-01

    A time-of-flight mass spectrometer is described in which ions are desorbed from a sample by nuclear fission fragments, such that desorption occurs at the surface of the sample impinged upon by the fission fragments. This configuration allows for the sample to be of any thickness, and eliminates the need for complicated sample preparation.

  3. An Ultrahigh-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry Metabolomic Approach to Studying the Impact of Moderate Red-Wine Consumption on Urinary Metabolome.

    PubMed

    Esteban-Fernández, Adelaida; Ibañez, Clara; Simó, Carolina; Bartolomé, Begoña; Moreno-Arribas, M Victoria

    2018-04-06

    Moderate red-wine consumption has been widely described to exert several benefits in human health. This is mainly due to its unique content of bioactive polyphenols, which suffer several modifications along their pass through the digestive system, including microbial transformation in the colon and phase-II metabolism, until they are finally excreted in urine and feces. To determine the impact of moderate wine consumption in the overall urinary metabolome of healthy volunteers ( n = 41), samples from a red-wine interventional study (250 mL/day, 28 days) were investigated. Urine (24 h) was collected before and after intervention and analyzed by an untargeted ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry metabolomics approach. 94 compounds linked to wine consumption, including specific wine components (tartaric acid), microbial-derived phenolic metabolites (5-(dihydroxyphenyl)-γ-valerolactones and 4-hydroxyl-5-(phenyl)-valeric acids), and endogenous compounds were identified. Also, some relationships between parallel fecal and urinary metabolomes are discussed.

  4. Temperature-programed time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry study of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium trifluoromethanesulfonate during glass-liquid transition, crystallization, melting, and solvation

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Souda, Ryutaro; Guenster, Jens; CiC Ceramic Institute Clausthal GmbH, D-38678 Clausthal-Zellerfeld

    2008-09-07

    For this study, time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry was used to analyze the molecular orientation of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium trifluoromethanesulfonate ([bmim][OTf]) and its interaction with the adsorbed Na and LiI species at temperatures of 150-300 K. A glassy [bmim][OTf] film crystallizes at around 230 K, as observed from the increase in the [bmim]{sup +} yield. LiI and Na adsorbed on the glassy film are solvated, whereas they tend to form islands on a crystalline film. The crystalline surface inertness is ascribable to the termination with the CF{sub 3} and C{sub 4}H{sub 9} groups, whereas the exposure of polar SO{sub 3} and imidazolemore » groups at the glassy film results in the solvation. Surface layering occurs during solvation of LiI on the glassy film in such a way that the [bmim]{sup +} ([OTf]{sup -}) moiety is exposed to the vacuum (oriented to the bulk). The LiI adsorbed on the glassy film is incorporated into the bulk at temperatures higher than 200 K because of the glass-liquid transition. No further uptake of LiI is observed during crystallization, providing a contrast to the results of normal molecular solids such as water and ethanol. The surface layers of the crystal melt at temperatures below the bulk melting point, as confirmed from the dissolution of adsorbed LiI, but the melting layer retains a short-range order similar to the crystal. The [bmim][OTf] can be regarded as a strongly correlated liquid with the combined liquid property and crystal-type local structure. The origin of this behavior is discussed.« less

  5. Comparative analysis of monoclonal antibody N-glycosylation using stable isotope labelling and UPLC-fluorescence-MS.

    PubMed

    Millán Martín, Silvia; Delporte, Cédric; Farrell, Amy; Navas Iglesias, Natalia; McLoughlin, Niaobh; Bones, Jonathan

    2015-03-07

    A twoplex method using (12)C6 and (13)C6 stable isotope analogues (Δmass = 6 Da) of 2-aminobenzoic acid (2-AA) is described for quantitative analysis of N-glycans present on monoclonal antibodies and other glycoproteins using ultra performance liquid chromatography with sequential fluorescence and accurate mass tandem quadrupole time of flight (QToF) mass spectrometric detection.

  6. Quadrupole-Quadrupole Interactions to Control Plasmon-Induced Transparency

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rana, Goutam; Deshmukh, Prathmesh; Palkhivala, Shalom; Gupta, Abhishek; Duttagupta, S. P.; Prabhu, S. S.; Achanta, VenuGopal; Agarwal, G. S.

    2018-06-01

    Radiative dipolar resonance with Lorentzian line-shape induces the otherwise dark quadrupolar resonances resulting in electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT). The two interfering excitation pathways of the dipole are earlier shown to result in a Fano line shape with a high figure of merit suitable for sensing. In metamaterials made of metal nanorods or antennas, the plasmonic EIT (PIT) efficiency depends on the overlap of the dark and bright mode spectra as well as the asymmetry resulting from the separation between the monomer (dipole) and dimer (quadrupole) that governs the coupling strength. Increasing asymmetry in these structures leads to the reduction of the figure of merit due to a broadening of the Fano resonance. We demonstrate a PIT system in which the simultaneous excitation of two dipoles result in double PIT. The corresponding two quadrupoles interact and control the quality factor (Q ) of the PIT resonance. We show an antiresonancelike symmetric line shape with nonzero asymmetry factors. The PIT resonance vanishes due to quadrupole-quadrupole coupling. A Q factor of more than 100 at 0.977 THz is observed, which is limited by the experimental resolution of 6 GHz. From polarization-dependent studies we show that the broadening of the Lorentzian resonance is due to scattering-induced excitation of orthogonally oriented dipoles in the monomer and dimer bars in the terahertz regime. The high Q factors in the terahertz frequency region demonstrated here are interesting for sensing application.

  7. Fast analysis of triterpenoids in Ganoderma lucidum spores by ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Yan, Zhou; Xia, Bing; Qiu, Ming Hua; Li Sheng, Ding; Xu, Hong Xi

    2013-11-01

    A rapid and reliable method was established for simultaneous determination of main triterpenoids in Ganoderma lucidum spores using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (UPLC-TQ-MS). The established method was validated in terms of linearity, sensitivity, precision, accuracy and stability, and was successfully applied to determine the contents of 10 main triterpenoids in different batches of G. lucidum spores. The analysis results showed that moderate levels of triterpenoids were found in G. lucidum spores. In addition, a MS full scan with a daughter ion scan experiment was performed to identify the potential derivatives of triterpenoids present in G. lucidum spores. As a result, a total of 22 triterpenoids from different G. lucidum spores were unequivocally or tentatively identified via comparisons with authentic standards and literatures. This method provides both qualitative and quantitative results without the need for repetitive UPLC-MS analyses, thereby increasing efficiency and productivity, making it suitable for high-throughput applications. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  8. Transverse-rapidity yt dependence of the nonjet azimuth quadrupole from 62- and 200-GeV Au-Au collisions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kettler, David T.; Prindle, Duncan J.; Trainor, Thomas A.

    2015-06-01

    Previous measurements of a quadrupole component of azimuth correlations denoted by symbol v2 have been interpreted to represent elliptic flow, a hydrodynamic phenomenon conjectured to play a major role in noncentral nucleus-nucleus collisions. v2 measurements provide the main support for conclusions that a "perfect liquid" is formed in heavy-ion collisions at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. However, conventional v2 methods based on one-dimensional (1D) azimuth correlations give inconsistent results and may include a jet contribution. In some cases the data trends appear to be inconsistent with hydrodynamic interpretations. In this study we distinguish several components of 2D angular correlations and isolate a nonjet (NJ) azimuth quadrupole denoted by v2{2D} . We establish systematic variations of the NJ quadrupole on yt, centrality, and collision energy. We adopt transverse-rapidity yt as both a velocity measure and a logarithmic alternative to transverse momentum pt. Based on NJ-quadrupole trends, we derive a completely factorized universal parametrization of quantity v2{2D} (yt,b ,√{sN N}) which describes the centrality, yt, and energy dependence. From yt-differential v2(yt) data we isolate a quadrupole spectrum and infer a quadrupole source boost having unexpected properties. NJ quadrupole v2 trends obtained with 2D model fits are remarkably simple. The centrality trend appears to be uncorrelated with a sharp transition in jet-related structure that may indicate rapid change of Au-Au medium properties. The lack of correspondence suggests that the NJ quadrupole may be insensitive to such a medium. Several quadrupole trends have interesting implications for hydro interpretations.

  9. Climate effects on late-season flight times of Massachusetts butterflies.

    PubMed

    Zipf, L; Williams, E H; Primack, R B; Stichter, S

    2017-09-01

    Although the responses of living organisms to climate change are being widely investigated, little attention has been given to such effects late in the growing season. We studied the late-season flight times of 20 species of butterflies in a geographically limited region, the state of Massachusetts in the USA, by examining change in dates of flight over a 22-year period and in response to average monthly temperature and precipitation. By analyzing the last 10% of each year's observations reported by observers of the Massachusetts Butterfly Club, we found that seven species remain in flight significantly later into the fall than they did two decades earlier, while two species show reduced late-season flight. Life history characteristics of the species, particularly voltinism and average fall flight dates, influenced whether warmer fall months led to increases or decreases in fall flight. Warmer Novembers often led to later fall flight, and wetter Augusts usually extended fall flight. These results document the effects of climate on late-season flight times of butterflies, add to an understanding of how warmer autumn conditions alter the phenology of different butterfly species, and show the usefulness of citizen science data.

  10. Determination of sulfonamide antibiotics and metabolites in liver, muscle and kidney samples by pressurized liquid extraction or ultrasound-assisted extraction followed by liquid chromatography-quadrupole linear ion trap-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-QqLIT-MS/MS).

    PubMed

    Hoff, Rodrigo Barcellos; Pizzolato, Tânia Mara; Peralba, Maria do Carmo Ruaro; Díaz-Cruz, M Silvia; Barceló, Damià

    2015-03-01

    Sulfonamides are widely used in human and veterinary medicine. The presence of sulfonamides residues in food is an issue of great concern. Throughout the present work, a method for the targeted analysis of 16 sulfonamides and metabolites residue in liver of several species has been developed and validated. Extraction and clean-up has been statistically optimized using central composite design experiments. Two extraction methods have been developed, validated and compared: i) pressurized liquid extraction, in which samples were defatted with hexane and subsequently extracted with acetonitrile and ii) ultrasound-assisted extraction with acetonitrile and further liquid-liquid extraction with hexane. Extracts have been analyzed by liquid chromatography-quadrupole linear ion trap-tandem mass spectrometry. Validation procedure has been based on the Commission Decision 2002/657/EC and included the assessment of parameters such as decision limit (CCα), detection capability (CCβ), sensitivity, selectivity, accuracy and precision. Method׳s performance has been satisfactory, with CCα values within the range of 111.2-161.4 µg kg(-1), limits of detection of 10 µg kg(-1) and accuracy values around 100% for all compounds. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Fast screening and quantitation of microcystins in microalgae dietary supplement products and water by liquid chromatography coupled to time of flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Ortelli, Didier; Edder, Patrick; Cognard, Emmanuelle; Jan, Philippe

    2008-06-09

    Cyanobacteria, commonly called "blue-green algae", may accumulate in surface water supplies as "blooms" and may concentrate on the surface as blue-green "scums". Some species of cyanobacteria produce toxins and are of relevance to water supplies and to microalgae dietary supplements. To ensure the safety of drinking water and blue-green algae products, analyses are the only way to determine the presence or absence of toxins. This paper shows the use of ultra performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) coupled to orthogonal acceleration time of flight (TOF) mass spectrometry for the detection and quantitation of microcystins. The method presented is very sensitive, simple, fast, robust and did not require fastidious clean-up step. Limits of detection of 0.1 microg L(-1) in water and 0.1-0.2 microg g(-1) in microalgae samples were achieved. Method performances were satisfactory and appropriate for monitoring of water and dietary supplements. The method was applied in routine to samples taken from Swiss market or buy on internet website. Among 19 samples, six showed the presence of microcystins LR and LA at harmful levels.

  12. Identification of AKB-48 and 5F-AKB-48 Metabolites in Authentic Human Urine Samples Using Human Liver Microsomes and Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Vikingsson, Svante; Josefsson, Martin; Gréen, Henrik

    2015-01-01

    The occurrence of structurally related synthetic cannabinoids makes the identification of unique markers of drug intake particularly challenging. The aim of this study was to identify unique and abundant metabolites of AKB-48 and 5F-AKB-48 for toxicological screening in urine. Investigations of authentic urine samples from forensic cases in combination with human liver microsome (HLM) experiments were used for identification of metabolites. HLM incubations of AKB-48 and 5F-AKB-48 along with 35 urine samples from authentic cases were analyzed with liquid chromatography quadrupole tandem time of flight mass spectrometry. Using HLMs 41 metabolites of AKB-48 and 37 metabolites of 5F-AKB-48 were identified, principally represented by hydroxylation but also ketone formation and dealkylation. Monohydroxylated metabolites were replaced by di- and trihydroxylated metabolites within 30 min. The metabolites from the HLM incubations accounted for on average 84% (range, 67-100) and 91% (range, 71-100) of the combined area in the case samples for AKB-48 and 5F-AKB-48, respectively. While defluorinated metabolites accounted for on average 74% of the combined area after a 5F-AKB-48 intake only a few identified metabolites were shared between AKB-48 and 5F-AKB-48, illustrating the need for a systematic approach to identify unique metabolites. HLMs in combination with case samples seem suitable for this purpose. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  13. Simultaneous Quantification of 11 Constituents in Wuji Pill Using Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography Coupled With a Triple Quadrupole Electrospray Tandem Mass Spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Tian, Tingting; Jin, Yiran; Ma, Yinghua; Xie, Weiwei; Xu, Huijun; Du, Yingfeng

    2016-02-01

    An ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled with a triple quadrupole electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS-MS) method was developed for analyzing and identifying the constituents of 11 compounds including berberine, epiberberine, berberrubine, jatrorrhizine, coptisine, palmatine, evodiamine, rutaecarpine, limonin, paeoniflorin and albiflorin in Wuji pill (WJ pill), a traditional Chinese medicine. The chromatographic separation was performed on a C18 column and the mobile phase was composed of water (0.1% formic acid and 2 mmol ammonium acetate) and methanol with a linear gradient elution. The detection was performed by multiple reaction monitoring mode, using electrospray ionization in the positive ion mode. The total run time was 14 min. The calibration curves were linear with all correlation coefficients higher than 0.9987 in the tested range. The intra- and interday precisions were no more than 4.9%, and the average recoveries were from 92.4 to 107.8% with the relative standard deviations no more than 7.8%. The developed method was successfully employed to analyze five batches of WJ pill samples. This is the first time to establish a method for the quality control of WJ pill to ensure the safety and efficacy in clinical applications effectively. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  14. Identification of pesticide transformation products in food by liquid chromatography/time-of-flight mass spectrometry via "fragmentation-degradation" relationships.

    PubMed

    García-Reyes, Juan F; Molina-Díaz, Antonio; Fernandez-Alba, Amadeo R

    2007-01-01

    The identification of transformation products of pesticides in foodstuffs is a crucial task difficult to tackle, due to the lack of standards and scarce information available. In this work, we describe a methodology for the identification and structural elucidation of pesticide transformation products in food. The proposed strategy is based on the use of liquid chromatography electrospray time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC/TOFMS): accurate mass measurements of (molecule and fragment) ions of interest are used in order to establish relationships between fragmentation of the parent pesticides in the instrument (in-source CID fragmentation) and possible degradation products of these pesticides in food. Examples of this strategy showing the potential of LC/TOFMS to determine unknown pesticides in food are described in two different real samples, suggesting that pesticides often are transformed into degradation products in the same fashion that they are fragmented in the instrument. Using the proposed approach and without using standards a priori, based solely on accurate mass measurements of ions and "fragmentation-degradation" relationships, we have identified two parent pesticides (amitraz and malathion) along with six degradation products, m/z 253 (N,N'-bisdimethylphenylformamidine), 163 (N-2,4-dimethylphenyl-N-methyl formamidine), 150 (2,4-dimethylformamidine), and 122 (2,4-dimethylaniline) from amitraz, and m/z 317 and 303, due to ether hydrolysis of methyl and ethyl groups from malathion. Structures for these species were proposed, and the potential of the proposed approach was critically discussed.

  15. [Determination of 14 heterocyclic aromatic amines in wine by liquid chromatography-ion trap-time of flight tandem mass spectrometry].

    PubMed

    Wang, Min; Guo, Dehua; Ding, Zhuoping; Yao, Jinting; Li, Fengge; Su, Min

    2012-07-01

    A rapid qualitative and quantitative analytical method was developed for the simultaneous determination of 14 heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs) in wine by liquid chromatography-ion trap-time of flight tandem mass spectrometry (LC-IT-TOF MS). HAAs were extracted from the samples by ethyl acetate under alkaline condition. The quantitation was carried out using internal standard method. The separation of HAAs was carried out based on Phenomenex Kinetex C18 100A column (100 mm x 2.1 mm, 2.6 microm), with a gradient elution of acetonitrile and 30 mmol/L ammonium formate at a flow rate of 0.4 mL/min. The analytes were detected under positive-ion electrospray ionization mode. The results showed that the linear ranges of the 14 HAAs were 1-500 microg/L with limits of detection (signal/noise = 3) of 0.33-1.77 microg/L. The average recoveries of all the compounds spiked in wine samples at three levels of 10, 50, 100 microg/L were in the ranges of 71.6%-96.4%, 72.9%-101.9%, 74.5%-103.3%, with the corresponding relative standard deviations (RSDs, n = 6) of 2.9%-7.9%, 1.7%-5.3%, 1.8%-4.8%, respectively. The established method is simple, rapid, accurate, and has wide linear range and high sensitivity. It can be applied to the simultaneous analysis of the HAAs in wine.

  16. [A portable impedance meter for monitoring liquid compartments of human body under space flight conditions].

    PubMed

    Noskov, V B; Nikolaev, D V; Tuĭkin, S A; Kozharinov, V I; Grachev, V A

    2007-01-01

    A portable two-frequency tetrapolar impedance meter was developed to study the state of liquid compartments of human body under zero-gravity conditions. The portable impedance meter makes it possible to monitor the hydration state of human body under conditions of long-term space flight on board international space station.

  17. Atmospheric pressure solid analysis probe coupled to quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry as a tool for screening and semi-quantitative approach of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, nitro-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and oxo-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in complex matrices.

    PubMed

    Carrizo, Daniel; Domeño, Celia; Nerín, Isabel; Alfaro, Pilar; Nerín, Cristina

    2015-01-01

    A new screening and semi-quantitative approach has been developed for direct analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their nitro and oxo derivatives in environmental and biological matrices using atmospheric pressure solid analysis probe (ASAP) quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry (Q-TOF-MS). The instrumental parameters were optimized for the analysis of all these compounds, without previous sample treatment, in soil, motor oil, atmospheric particles (ashes) and biological samples such as urine and saliva of smokers and non-smokers. Ion source parameters in the MS were found to be the key parameters, with little variation within PAHs families. The optimized corona current was 4 µA, sample cone voltage 80 V for PAHs, nitro-PAHs and oxo-PAHs, while the desolvation temperatures varied from 300°C to 500°C. The analytical method performance was checked using a certified reference material. Two deuterated compounds were used as internal standards for semi-quantitative purposes together with the pure individual standard for each compound and the corresponding calibration plot. The compounds nitro PAH 9-nitroanthracene and oxo-PAH 1,4-naphthalenedione, were found in saliva and urine in a range below 1 µg/g while the range of PAHs in these samples was below 2 µg/g. Environmental samples provided higher concentration of all pollutants than urine and saliva. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Determination of spatial distribution of melamine-cyanuric acid crystals in rat kidney tissue by histology and imaging matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Kim, Chae-Wook; Yun, Jun-Won; Bae, Il-Hong; Lee, Joon-Seok; Kang, Hyun-Jin; Joo, Kyung-Mi; Jeong, Hye-Jin; Chung, Jin-Ho; Park, Young-Ho; Lim, Kyung-Min

    2010-01-01

    After the outbreak of acute renal failure associated with melamine-contaminated pet food, many attempts have been made to uncover the mechanism underlying the renal toxicity caused by melamine and melamine-related compounds. Using rat models, we investigated the renal crystal formation following the ingestion of a melamine-cyanuric acid mixture (M+CA, 1:1) to gain insight into the M+CA-induced renal toxicity. M+CA did not induce toxicity in precision-cut kidney slices, suggesting that M+CA does not have a direct nephrotoxicity. On the contrary, oral administration of M+CA for 3 days induced nephrotoxicity as determined by increased serum blood urea nitrogen and creatinine, reduced creatinine clearance, and enlarged kidneys in the animals treated with 50 mg/kg M+CA (melamine, 25 mg/kg, and cyanuric acid, 25 mg/kg; 2 of 10 animals) and 100 mg/kg M+CA (9 of 9 animals). While urine crystals were found in all animals treated with M+CA (25-100 mg/kg), histological examination revealed that renal crystals could be observed only in the kidneys of animals showing signs of nephrotoxicity. Remarkably, at 50 mg/kg M+CA, crystals were observed mainly in the medulla region of the kidney, while at 100 mg/kg, crystals were disseminated throughout the cortex and medulla regions. To further investigate the crystal formation by M+CA, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization quadrupole time-of-flight (MALDI-Q-TOF) imaging mass spectrometry detecting melamine distribution through monitoring the product ion (m/z 85, M + H) from melamine (m/z 127, M + H) was developed to directly obtain the image of melamine distribution in the kidney. The distribution image of melamine in kidney tissue confirmed that dense points of melamine were located only in the medulla region at 50 mg/kg M+CA, while at 100 mg/kg, they were disseminated widely from the cortex to medulla. These results demonstrated that M+CA ingestion could lead to crystal formation in kidney tubules along the osmotic gradient and

  19. Screening and confirmation capabilities of liquid chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry for the determination of 200 multiclass sport drugs in urine.

    PubMed

    Domínguez-Romero, Juan C; García-Reyes, Juan F; Lara-Ortega, Felipe J; Molina-Díaz, Antonio

    2015-03-01

    In this article, a screening method for the determination of 200 sport drugs in human urine has been developed using liquid-chromatography electrospray time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-TOFMS). The chromatographic separation of the targeted doping agents was carried out by fast liquid chromatography using a C18 column (4.6×50 mm) with 1.8 μm particle size. Accurate mass measurements of the selected ion (typically [M+H](+) and [M-H](-)) along with retention time matching was used for the screening and detection of the targeted species. The proposed methodology comprised also a simple sample treatment stage based on solid-phase extraction (SPE) with polymeric cartridges. The SPE method displayed satisfactory recoveries rates (between 70 and 120%) for the majority of the compounds at both concentration levels tested (2.5 and 25 μg L(-1)). The overall performance of the method was satisfactory with all 200 compounds fulfilling WADA minimum required performance levels (MRPLs), with limits of quantitation lower than 1 μg L(-1) for 80% of the compounds, and showing an appropriate linearity (r(2)>0.99) in most cases. Additionally, the ability of "in-source" collision induced dissociation (CID) for confirmatory purposes was examined using as criterion the presence of two high-resolution ions with relevant abundances for unambiguous confirmation. This stringent criterion was fulfilled for 75% of the species using in-source CID fragmentation. The use of an improved approach based on CID performed on a dedicated collision cell without precursor ion selection (using a Q-TOF) provided at least two ions in all cases with the exception of 2-aminoheptane. Finally, based on the use of diagnostic fragment ions, a workflow for the comprehensive screening and identification of non-targeted compounds (viz. compounds with no primary standards or retention time information available, such as metabolites) has been also examined using rat urine samples. The proposed screening method

  20. Environmentally friendly ionic liquid-in-water microemulsions for extraction of hydrophilic and lipophilic components from Flos Chrysanthemi.

    PubMed

    Chen, Jue; Cao, Jun; Gao, Wen; Qi, Lian-Wen; Li, Ping

    2013-10-21

    Ionic liquids (ILs) have numerous chemical applications as environmentally green solvents that are extending into microemulsion applications. In this work, a novel benign IL-in-water microemulsion system modified by an IL surfactant has been proposed for simultaneous extraction of hydrophilic and lipophilic constituents from Flos Chrysanthemi (Chrysanthemum morifolium). Constituents were analyzed by rapid-resolution liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. A mixture-design approach was used to optimize the IL surfactant and the IL oil phase in the microemulsion system. Microemulsions consisting of 6.0% 1-dodecyl-3-methylimidazolium hydrogen sulfate, 0.1% 1-vinyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate and 93.9% water offered the acceptable extract efficiency that are comparable to or even better than conventional volatile organic solvents. This assay was fully validated with respect to the linearity of response (r(2) > 0.999 over two orders of magnitude), precision (intra-RSD < 0.49 and inter-day RSD < 2.21), and accuracy (recoveries ranging from 93.73% to 101.84%). The proposed IL-in-water microemulsion method provided an environmentally friendly alternative for efficient extraction of compounds from Flos Chrysanthemi and could be extended to complex environmental and pharmaceutical samples.

  1. In-flight thrust determination on a real-time basis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ray, R. J.; Carpenter, T.; Sandlin, T.

    1984-01-01

    A real time computer program was implemented on a F-15 jet fighter to monitor in-flight engine performance of a Digital Electronic Engine Controlled (DEES) F-100 engine. The application of two gas generator methods to calculate in-flight thrust real time is described. A comparison was made between the actual results and those predicted by an engine model simulation. The percent difference between the two methods was compared to the predicted uncertainty based on instrumentation and model uncertainty and agreed closely with the results found during altitude facility testing. Data was obtained from acceleration runs of various altitudes at maximum power settings with and without afterburner. Real time in-flight thrust measurement was a major advancement to flight test productivity and was accomplished with no loss in accuracy over previous post flight methods.

  2. 14 CFR 417.219 - Data loss flight time and planned safe flight state analyses.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 4 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Data loss flight time and planned safe flight state analyses. 417.219 Section 417.219 Aeronautics and Space COMMERCIAL SPACE TRANSPORTATION... flight to a condition where the launch vehicle's hazardous debris impact dispersion extends to any...

  3. 14 CFR 417.219 - Data loss flight time and planned safe flight state analyses.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 4 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Data loss flight time and planned safe flight state analyses. 417.219 Section 417.219 Aeronautics and Space COMMERCIAL SPACE TRANSPORTATION... flight to a condition where the launch vehicle's hazardous debris impact dispersion extends to any...

  4. 14 CFR 417.219 - Data loss flight time and planned safe flight state analyses.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 4 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Data loss flight time and planned safe flight state analyses. 417.219 Section 417.219 Aeronautics and Space COMMERCIAL SPACE TRANSPORTATION... flight to a condition where the launch vehicle's hazardous debris impact dispersion extends to any...

  5. 14 CFR 417.219 - Data loss flight time and planned safe flight state analyses.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 4 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Data loss flight time and planned safe flight state analyses. 417.219 Section 417.219 Aeronautics and Space COMMERCIAL SPACE TRANSPORTATION... flight to a condition where the launch vehicle's hazardous debris impact dispersion extends to any...

  6. 14 CFR 417.219 - Data loss flight time and planned safe flight state analyses.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 4 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Data loss flight time and planned safe flight state analyses. 417.219 Section 417.219 Aeronautics and Space COMMERCIAL SPACE TRANSPORTATION... flight to a condition where the launch vehicle's hazardous debris impact dispersion extends to any...

  7. Assessing and minimizing contamination in time of flight based validation data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lennox, Kristin P.; Rosenfield, Paul; Blair, Brenton; Kaplan, Alan; Ruz, Jaime; Glenn, Andrew; Wurtz, Ronald

    2017-10-01

    Time of flight experiments are the gold standard method for generating labeled training and testing data for the neutron/gamma pulse shape discrimination problem. As the popularity of supervised classification methods increases in this field, there will also be increasing reliance on time of flight data for algorithm development and evaluation. However, time of flight experiments are subject to various sources of contamination that lead to neutron and gamma pulses being mislabeled. Such labeling errors have a detrimental effect on classification algorithm training and testing, and should therefore be minimized. This paper presents a method for identifying minimally contaminated data sets from time of flight experiments and estimating the residual contamination rate. This method leverages statistical models describing neutron and gamma travel time distributions and is easily implemented using existing statistical software. The method produces a set of optimal intervals that balance the trade-off between interval size and nuisance particle contamination, and its use is demonstrated on a time of flight data set for Cf-252. The particular properties of the optimal intervals for the demonstration data are explored in detail.

  8. Hypersonic Research Vehicle (HRV) real-time flight test support feasibility and requirements study. Part 1: Real-time flight experiment support

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rediess, Herman A.; Ramnath, Rudrapatna V.; Vrable, Daniel L.; Hirvo, David H.; Mcmillen, Lowell D.; Osofsky, Irving B.

    1991-01-01

    The results are presented of a study to identify potential real time remote computational applications to support monitoring HRV flight test experiments along with definitions of preliminary requirements. A major expansion of the support capability available at Ames-Dryden was considered. The focus is on the use of extensive computation and data bases together with real time flight data to generate and present high level information to those monitoring the flight. Six examples were considered: (1) boundary layer transition location; (2) shock wave position estimation; (3) performance estimation; (4) surface temperature estimation; (5) critical structural stress estimation; and (6) stability estimation.

  9. Analysis of Meteorological Data Obtained During Flight in a Supercooled Stratiform Cloud of High Liquid-Water Content

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Perkins, Porter J.; Kline, Dwight B.

    1951-01-01

    Flight icing-rate data obtained in a dense and. abnormally deep supercooled stratiform cloud system indicated the existence of liquid-water contents generally exceeding values in amount and extent previously reported over the midwestern sections of the United States. Additional information obtained during descent through a part of the cloud system indicated liquid-water contents that significantly exceeded theoretical values, especially near the middle of the cloud layer.. The growth of cloud droplets to sizes that resulted in sedimentation from the upper portions of the cloud is considered to be a possible cause of the high water contents near the center of the cloud layer. Flight measurements of the vertical temperature distribution in the cloud layer indicated a rate of change of temperature with altitude exceeding that of the moist adiabatic lapse rate. This excessive rate of change is considered to have contributed to the severity of the condition.

  10. A weighted optimization approach to time-of-flight sensor fusion.

    PubMed

    Schwarz, Sebastian; Sjostrom, Marten; Olsson, Roger

    2014-01-01

    Acquiring scenery depth is a fundamental task in computer vision, with many applications in manufacturing, surveillance, or robotics relying on accurate scenery information. Time-of-flight cameras can provide depth information in real-time and overcome short-comings of traditional stereo analysis. However, they provide limited spatial resolution and sophisticated upscaling algorithms are sought after. In this paper, we present a sensor fusion approach to time-of-flight super resolution, based on the combination of depth and texture sources. Unlike other texture guided approaches, we interpret the depth upscaling process as a weighted energy optimization problem. Three different weights are introduced, employing different available sensor data. The individual weights address object boundaries in depth, depth sensor noise, and temporal consistency. Applied in consecutive order, they form three weighting strategies for time-of-flight super resolution. Objective evaluations show advantages in depth accuracy and for depth image based rendering compared with state-of-the-art depth upscaling. Subjective view synthesis evaluation shows a significant increase in viewer preference by a factor of four in stereoscopic viewing conditions. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first extensive subjective test performed on time-of-flight depth upscaling. Objective and subjective results proof the suitability of our approach to time-of-flight super resolution approach for depth scenery capture.

  11. Classification of stevia sweeteners in soft drinks using liquid chromatography and time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Kakigi, Y; Suzuki, T; Icho, T; Uyama, A; Mochizuki, N

    2013-01-01

    The aim of this study was to develop a comprehensive analytical method for the characterisation of stevia sweeteners in soft drinks. By using LC and time-of-flight MS, we detected 30 steviol glycosides from nine stevia sweeteners. The mass spectral data of these compounds were applied to the analysis to determine steviol glycosides in nine soft drinks. On the basis of chromatographic data and principal-component analysis, these soft drinks were classified into three groups, and the soft drinks of each group, respectively, contained high-rebaudioside A extract, normal stevia extract or alfa-glucosyltransferase-treated stevia extract.

  12. Rheological properties, shape oscillations, and coalescence of liquid drops with surfactants

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Apfel, R. E.; Holt, R. G.

    1990-01-01

    A method was developed to deduce dynamic interfacial properties of liquid drops. The method involves measuring the frequency and damping of free quadrupole oscillations of an acoustically levitated drop. Experimental results from pure liquid-liquid systems agree well with theoretical predictions. Additionally, the effects of surfactants is considered. Extension of these results to a proposed microgravity experiment on the drop physics module (DPM) in USML-1 are discussed. Efforts are also underway to model the time history of the thickness of the fluid layer between two pre-coalescence drops, and to measure the film thickness experimentally. Preliminary results will be reported, along with plans for coalescence experiments proposed for USML-1.

  13. Improved sensitivity of ochratoxin A analysis in coffee using high-performance liquid chromatography with hybrid triple quadrupole-linear ion trap mass spectrometry (LC-QqQLIT-MS/MS).

    PubMed

    Kokina, Aija; Pugajeva, Iveta; Bartkevics, Vadims

    2016-01-01

    A novel and sensitive method utilising high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to triple quadrupole-linear ion trap mass spectrometry (LC-QqQLIT-MS/MS) was developed in order to analyse the content of ochratoxin A (OTA) in coffee samples. The introduction of the triple-stage MS scanning mode (MS(3)) has been shown to increase greatly sensitivity and selectivity by eliminating the high chromatographic baseline caused by interference of complex coffee matrices. The analysis included the sample preparation procedure involving extraction of OTA using a methanol-water mixture and clean-up by immunoaffinity columns and detection using the MS(3) scanning mode of LC-QqQLIT-MS/MS. The proposed method offered a good linear correlation (r(2) > 0.998), excellent precision (RSD < 2.9%) and recovery (94%). The limit of quantification (LOQ) for coffee beans and espresso beverages was 0.010 and 0.003 µg kg(-1), respectively. The developed procedure was compared with traditional methods employing liquid chromatography coupled to fluorescent and tandem quadrupole detectors in conjunction with QuEChERS and solid-phase extraction. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of OTA in 15 samples of coffee beans and in 15 samples of espresso coffee beverages obtained from the Latvian market. OTA was found in 10 samples of coffee beans and in two samples of espresso in the ranges of 0.018-1.80 µg kg(-1) and 0.020-0.440 µg l(-1), respectively. No samples exceeded the maximum permitted level of OTA in the European Union (5.0 µg kg(-1)).

  14. Dynamic quadrupole interactions in semiconductors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dang, Thien Thanh; Schell, Juliana; Lupascu, Doru C.; Vianden, Reiner

    2018-04-01

    The time differential perturbed angular correlation, TDPAC, technique has been used for several decades to study electric quadrupole hyperfine interactions in semiconductors such as dynamic quadrupole interactions (DQI) resulting from after-effects of the nuclear decay as well as static quadrupole interactions originating from static defects around the probe nuclei such as interstitial ions, stresses in the crystalline structure, and impurities. Nowadays, the quality of the available semiconductor materials is much better, allowing us to study purely dynamic interactions. We present TDPAC measurements on pure Si, Ge, GaAs, and InP as a function of temperature between 12 K and 110 K. The probe 111In (111Cd) was used. Implantation damage was recovered by thermal annealing. Si experienced the strongest DQI with lifetime, τg, increasing with rising temperature, followed by Ge. In contrast, InP and GaAs, which have larger band gaps and less electron concentration than Si and Ge in the same temperature range, presented no DQI. The results obtained also allow us to conclude that indirect band gap semiconductors showed the dynamic interaction, whereas the direct band gap semiconductors, restricted to GaAs and InP, did not.

  15. Mass Spectrometry for Research and Application in Therapeutic Drug Monitoring or Clinical and Forensic Toxicology.

    PubMed

    Maurer, Hans H

    2018-04-30

    This paper reviews current applications of various hyphenated low- and high-resolution mass spectrometry techniques in the field of therapeutic drug monitoring and clinical/forensic toxicology in both research and practice. They cover gas chromatography, liquid chromatography, matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization, or paper spray ionization coupled to quadrupole, ion trap, time-of-flight, or Orbitrap mass analyzers.

  16. Cryogenic performance of a conduction-cooling splittable quadrupole magnet for ILC cryomodules

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kimura, N.; Andreev, N.; Kashikhin, V. S.; Kerby, J.; Takahashi, M.; Tartaglia, M. A.; Tosaka, T.; Yamamoto, A.

    2014-01-01

    A conduction-cooled splittable superconducting quadrupole magnet was designed and fabricated at Fermilab for use in cryomodules of the International Linear Collider (ILC) type, in which the magnet was to be assembled around the beam tube to avoid contaminating the ultraclean superconducting radio frequency cavity volume. This quadrupole was first tested in a liquid helium bath environment at Fermilab, where its quench and magnetic properties were characterized. Because the device is to be cooled by conduction when installed in cryomodules, a separate test with a conduction-cooled configuration was planned at KEK and Fermilab. The magnet was converted to a conduction-cooled configuration by adding conduction-cooling passages made of high-purity aluminum. Efforts to convert and refabricate the magnet into a cryostat equipped with a double-stage pulse-tube-type cryocooler began in 2011, and a thermal performance test, including a magnet excitation test of up to 30 A, was conducted at KEK. In this test, the magnet with the conduction-cooled configuration was successfully cooled to 4 K within 190 h, with an acceptable heat load of less than 1 W at 4 K. It was also confirmed that the conduction-cooled splittable superconducting quadrupole magnet was practical for use in ILC-type cryomodules.

  17. Sample-interpolation timing: an optimized technique for the digital measurement of time of flight for γ rays and neutrons at relatively low sampling rates

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Aspinall, M. D.; Joyce, M. J.; Mackin, R. O.; Jarrah, Z.; Boston, A. J.; Nolan, P. J.; Peyton, A. J.; Hawkes, N. P.

    2009-01-01

    A unique, digital time pick-off method, known as sample-interpolation timing (SIT) is described. This method demonstrates the possibility of improved timing resolution for the digital measurement of time of flight compared with digital replica-analogue time pick-off methods for signals sampled at relatively low rates. Three analogue timing methods have been replicated in the digital domain (leading-edge, crossover and constant-fraction timing) for pulse data sampled at 8 GSa s-1. Events arising from the 7Li(p, n)7Be reaction have been detected with an EJ-301 organic liquid scintillator and recorded with a fast digital sampling oscilloscope. Sample-interpolation timing was developed solely for the digital domain and thus performs more efficiently on digital signals compared with analogue time pick-off methods replicated digitally, especially for fast signals that are sampled at rates that current affordable and portable devices can achieve. Sample interpolation can be applied to any analogue timing method replicated digitally and thus also has the potential to exploit the generic capabilities of analogue techniques with the benefits of operating in the digital domain. A threshold in sampling rate with respect to the signal pulse width is observed beyond which further improvements in timing resolution are not attained. This advance is relevant to many applications in which time-of-flight measurement is essential.

  18. Assessment of preparation time with fully-liquid versus non-fully liquid paediatric hexavalent vaccines. A time and motion study.

    PubMed

    De Coster, Ilse; Fournie, Xavier; Faure, Céline; Ziani, Eddy; Nicolas, Laurence; Soubeyrand, Benoit; Van Damme, Pierre

    2015-07-31

    Simplified vaccine preparation steps would save time and reduce potential immunisation errors. The aim of the study was to assess vaccine preparation time with fully-liquid hexavalent vaccine (DTaP-IPV-HB-PRP-T, Sanofi Pasteur MSD) versus non-fully liquid hexavalent vaccine that needs reconstitution (DTPa-HBV-IPV/Hib, GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals). Ninety-six Health Care Professionals (HCPs) participated in a randomised, cross-over, open-label, time and motion study in Belgium (2014). HCPs prepared each vaccine in a cross-over manner with a wash-out period of 3-5min. An independent nurse assessed preparation time and immunisation errors by systematic review of the videos. HCPs satisfaction and preference were evaluated by a self-administered questionnaire. Average preparation time was 36s for the fully-liquid vaccine and 70.5s for the non-fully liquid vaccine. The time saved using the fully-liquid vaccine was 34.5s (p≤0.001). On 192 preparations, 57 immunisation errors occurred: 47 in the non-fully liquid vaccine group (including one missing reconstitution of Hib component), 10 in the fully-liquid vaccine group. 71.9% of HCPs were very or somewhat satisfied with the ease of handling of both vaccines; 66.7% and 67.7% were very or somewhat satisfied with speed of preparation in the fully-liquid vaccine and the non-fully liquid vaccine groups, respectively. Almost all HCPs (97.6%) stated they would prefer the use of the fully-liquid vaccine in their daily practice. Preparation of a fully-liquid hexavalent vaccine can be completed in half the time necessary to prepare a non-fully liquid vaccine. The simplicity of the fully-liquid hexavalent vaccine preparation helps optimise reduction of immunisation errors. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  19. Determination of perchlorate from tea leaves using quaternary ammonium modified magnetic carboxyl-carbon nanotubes followed by liquid chromatography-tandem quadrupole mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Zhao, Yong-Gang; Zhang, Yun; Wang, Feng-Lian; Zhou, Jian; Zhao, Qi-Ming; Zeng, Xiu-Qiong; Hu, Mei-Qin; Jin, Mi-Cong; Zhu, Yan

    2018-08-01

    The novel quaternary ammonium modified magnetic carboxyl-carbon nanotubes (QA-Mag-CCNTs) have been synthesised and characterized. QA-Mag-CCNTs were applied in magnetic dispersive solid phase extraction (Mag-dSPE) for preconcentration of perchlorate from tea leaves prior to liquid chromatography-tandem quadrupole mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis. The Mag-dSPE procedure for preconcentration of perchlorate succeed in overcoming the flaw (containing target analyte randomly) of commercially available SPE cartridge. Under optimal conditions, the results showed higher extraction efficiency of QA-Mag-CCNTs, with recoveries between 85.2% and 107%. And the satisfactory precision with inter-day and intra-day RSD values were lower than 8.0%. Furthermore, QA-Mag-CCNTs were evaluated for reuse up to 20 times. The limit of quantification (LOQ) for perchlorate was 8.21 ng kg -1 . The developed method was successfully applied in tea leaves for food-safety risk monitoring in Zhejiang province, China. The results showed the concentrations of perchlorate in 229 out of 240 collected samples were in the range of 0.082-988 μg kg -1 . It was confirmed that QA-Mag-CCNTs were highly effective materials used for preconcentration of perchlorate. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Rapid simultaneous determination of isoflavones in Radix puerariae using high-performance liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry with novel shell-type column.

    PubMed

    Du, Gang; Zhao, Haiyu; Song, Yuelin; Zhang, Qingwen; Wang, Yitao

    2011-10-01

    A high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (MS/MS) method was developed for rapid determination of 13 isoflavones in Radix puerariae. A novel shell-type column, namely Kinetex core-shell C(18) column (50 mm×2.1 mm id, 2.6 μm), and gradient elution were used during the analysis. The chromatographic peaks of 13 investigated compounds were identified by comparing their retention time and MS data with the related reference compounds. Multiple-reaction monitoring (MRM) was employed for the quantitative analysis with negative ionization mode. All calibration curves showed good linearity (r(2)>0.9990) within test ranges. The LOD and LOQ were lower than 0.017 and 0.873 μg/mL on column, respectively. The intra- and inter-day precisions for 13 analytes were <1.17 and 2.17%, respectively, and the recoveries were 93.1-104.4%. The validated method was applied for quantitative analysis of 13 isoflavones in 7 species of Radix puerariae. The result demonstrated that HPLC-MS/MS system with Kinetex column could be a promising analytical tool for the determination of isoflavones in traditional Chinese medicines, which is helpful for comprehensive evaluation of quality of R. puerariae. Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  1. Examining the Effect of Instructor Experience on Flight Training Time

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Polstra, Philip A., Sr.

    2012-01-01

    Maximizing training efficiency is desirable in many areas of business. The ever increasing costs of flight training combined with a predicted shortage of pilots have resulted in steps being taken to improve flight training efficiency. In the past, the majority of airline pilots received their flight training in the military. Over time a growing…

  2. Characterization of a novel oxyfluorfen-degrading bacterial strain Chryseobacterium aquifrigidense and its biochemical degradation pathway.

    PubMed

    Zhao, Huanhuan; Xu, Jun; Dong, Fengshou; Liu, Xingang; Wu, Yanbing; Wu, Xiaohu; Zheng, Yongquan

    2016-08-01

    Persistent use of the diphenyl ether herbicides oxyfluorfen may seriously increase the health risks and ecological safety problems. A newly bacterium R-21 isolated from active soil was able to degrade and utilize oxyfluorfen as the sole carbon source. R-21 was identified as Chryseobacterium aquifrigidense by morphology, physiobiochemical characteristics, and genetic analysis. Under the optimum cultural conditions (pH 6.9, temperature 33.4 °C, and inoculum size 0.2 g L(-1)), R-21 could degrade 92.1 % of oxyfluorfen at 50 mg L(-1) within 5 days. During oxyfluorfen degradation, six metabolites were detected and identified by atmospheric pressure gas chromatography coupled to quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry and ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry, and a plausible degradation pathway was deduced. Strain R-21 is a promising potential in bioremediation of oxyfluorfen-contaminated environments.

  3. Characterization and identification of multiple constituents in Yinhuang granules by high-performance liquid chromatography with diode-array and time-of-flight mass spectrometry detection.

    PubMed

    Liu, E-Hu; Liu, Qun; Chu, Chu; Li, Ping

    2011-10-01

    A fast high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method with diode-array detection (DAD) and time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOF/MS) has been developed for the analysis of multi-constituent in Yinhuang granules, a well-known combined herbal remedy prepared from the extract mixtures of Flos Lonicerae and Radix Scutellariae. The fast HPLC analysis was performed on an Agilent ZorBax SB-C(18) column (4.6×50 mm, 1.8 μm) and 0.2% aqueous formic acid and acetonitrile was the optimum mobile phase for gradient elution in 17 min, which is five times faster than the performance of conventional columns packed with 5.0 μm particles. With various fragmentor voltages in TOF/MS, accurate mass measurements (<5 ppm error) for molecular ions and characteristic fragment ions represented reliable identification criteria for different constituents. A total of 28 compounds, including nine phenolic acids, three iridoid glycosides and nine saponins from Flos Lonicerae and seven flavonoids from Radix Scutellariae, were identified or tentatively characterized in the extract of Yinhuang granules. The established fast HPLC-DAD-TOF/MS method turns out to be useful and efficient for quality control of this commonly used Chinese herbal preparation. Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  4. SHMS Hodoscopes and Time of Flight System

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Craycraft, Kayla; Malace, Simona

    2017-09-01

    As part of the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility's (Jefferson Lab) upgrade from 6 GeV to 12 GeV, a new magnetic focusing spectrometer, the Super High Momentum Spectrometer (SHMS), was installed in experimental Hall C. The detector stack consists of horizontal drift chambers for tracking, gas Cerenkov and Aerogel detectors and a lead glass calorimeter for particle identification. A hodoscope system consisting of three planes of scintillator detectors (constructed by James Madison University) and one plane of quartz bars (built by North Carolina A&T State University) is used for triggering and time of flight measurements. This presentation consists of discussion of the installation, calibration, and characterization of the detectors used in this Time of Flight system. James Madison University, North Carolina A&T State University.

  5. Fingerprint analysis and quality consistency evaluation of flavonoid compounds for fermented Guava leaf by combining high-performance liquid chromatography time-of-flight electrospray ionization mass spectrometry and chemometric methods.

    PubMed

    Wang, Lu; Tian, Xiaofei; Wei, Wenhao; Chen, Gong; Wu, Zhenqiang

    2016-10-01

    Guava leaves are used in traditional herbal teas as antidiabetic therapies. Flavonoids are the main active of Guava leaves and have many physiological functions. However, the flavonoid compositions and activities of Guava leaves could change due to microbial fermentation. A high-performance liquid chromatography time-of-flight electrospray ionization mass spectrometry method was applied to identify the varieties of the flavonoids in Guava leaves before and after fermentation. High-performance liquid chromatography, hierarchical cluster analysis and principal component analysis were used to quantitatively determine the changes in flavonoid compositions and evaluate the consistency and quality of Guava leaves. Monascus anka Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermented Guava leaves contained 2.32- and 4.06-fold more total flavonoids and quercetin, respectively, than natural Guava leaves. The flavonoid compounds of the natural Guava leaves had similarities ranging from 0.837 to 0.927. The flavonoid compounds from the Monascus anka S. cerevisiae fermented Guava leaves had similarities higher than 0.993. This indicated that the quality consistency of the fermented Guava leaves was better than that of the natural Guava leaves. High-performance liquid chromatography fingerprinting and chemometric analysis are promising methods for evaluating the degree of fermentation of Guava leaves based on quality consistency, which could be used in assessing flavonoid compounds for the production of fermented Guava leaves. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  6. Simultaneous qualitative and quantitative determination of phenolic compounds in Aloe barbadensis Mill by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry-ion trap-time-of-flight and high performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector.

    PubMed

    Wu, Xiaofang; Ding, Wenjing; Zhong, Jiasheng; Wan, Jinzhi; Xie, Zhiyong

    2013-06-01

    An effective and comprehensive method was developed for the simultaneous analysis of phenolic compounds in the dried exudate of Aloe barbadensis Mill by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry-ion trap-time-of-flight (LCMS-IT-TOF) and high performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector (HPLC-DAD). Qualitative analysis of all the compounds presented in A. barbadensis Mill was performed on LCMS-IT-TOF, and the diagnostic fragmentation patterns of different types of phenolic compounds (chromones, phenyl pyrones, naphthalene derivative, anthrones and anthraquinones) were discussed on the basis of ESI-IT-TOF MS of components in A. barbadensis Mill and eleven authentic standards. Under the optimal HPLC-DAD chromatographic conditions, quantification of 11 typical phenolic compounds in 15 batches of A. barbadensis Mill was achieved on an Agilent TC-C18 column using gradient elution with a solvent system of methanol and water at a flow rate of 1.0mLmin(-1) and detected at 230nm. All calibration curves exhibited good linear relationship (r(2)>0.9991). The relative standard deviation values for intraday precision were less than 2% with accuracies between 98.21% and 104.57%. The recoveries of the eleven analytes ranged from 97.53 to 105.00% with RSDs less than 2%. This is the first simultaneous characterization and quantitative determination of multiple phenolic compounds in A. barbadensis Mill from locally grown cultivars in China by LCMS-IT-TOF and HPLC-DAD, which can be applied to standardize the quality of A. barbadensis Mill and the future design of nutraceutical and cosmetic preparations. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. Rapid amino acid quantitation with pre-column derivatization; ultra-performance reverse phase liquid chromatography and single quadrupole mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Pretorius, Carel J; McWhinney, Brett C; Sipinkoski, Bilyana; Wilce, Alice; Cox, David; McWhinney, Avis; Ungerer, Jacobus P J

    2018-03-01

    We optimized a quantitative amino acid method with pre-column derivatization, norvaline (nva) internal standard and reverse phase ultra-performance liquid chromatography by replacing the ultraviolet detector with a single quadrupole mass spectrometer (MS nva ). We used 13 C 15 N isotopically labeled amino acid internal standards and a C18 column with 1.6μm particles to optimize the chromatography and to confirm separation of isobaric compounds (MS lis ). We compared the analytical performance of MS nva with MS lis and the original method (UV nva ) with clinical samples. The chromatography time per sample of MS nva was 8min, detection capabilities were <1μmol/L for most components, intermediate imprecisions at low concentrations were <10% and there was negligible carryover. MS nva was linear up to a total amino acid concentration in a sample of approximately 9500μmol/L. The agreements between most individual amino acids were satisfactory compared to UV nva with the latter prone to outliers and suboptimal quantitation of urinary arginine, aspartate, glutamate and methionine. MS nva reliably detected argnininosuccinate, β-alanine, citrulline and cysteine-s-sulfate. MS nva resulted in a more than fivefold increase in operational efficiency with accurate detection of amino acids and metabolic intermediates in clinical samples. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. Characterization of constituents in Stellera chamaejasme L. by rapid-resolution liquid chromatography-diode array detection and electrospray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Zhao, Liang; Lou, Zi-Yang; Zhu, Zhen-Yu; Zhang, Guo-Qing; Chai, Yi-Feng

    2008-01-01

    A reliable and rapid method based on rapid-resolution liquid chromatography-diode array detection (RRLC-DAD) and electrospray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (ESI-TOF/MS) has been developed for the isolation and characterization of multiple constituents in the root of Stellera chamaejasme L., which was extracted by sonication with methanol in an optimized procedure. Separation of the multiple constituents was achieved on an Agilent Zorbax XDB-C18 (50x3.0 mm i.d.; 1.8 microm) column using a gradient elution at a flow rate of 0.4 mL/min. The detection wavelength was 210 nm. Mass spectra were acquired in both positive and negative modes. A formula database of the known chemical constituents in the root of Stellera chamaejasme L. was established by an Agilent software. Twenty-two obvious peaks appeared in the total ion chromatogram and nine of them were characterized by TOF/MS. The RRLC-DAD and ESI-TOF/MS method with ultrasonic extraction would be useful for rapid and effective characterization of chemical constituents in the root of Stellera chamaejasme L. Copyright (c) 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  9. 14 CFR 121.515 - Flight time limitations: All airmen: airplanes.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Flight time limitations: All airmen: airplanes. 121.515 Section 121.515 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF... Operations § 121.515 Flight time limitations: All airmen: airplanes. No airman may be aloft as a flight...

  10. 14 CFR 121.515 - Flight time limitations: All airmen: airplanes.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Flight time limitations: All airmen: airplanes. 121.515 Section 121.515 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF... Operations § 121.515 Flight time limitations: All airmen: airplanes. No airman may be aloft as a flight...

  11. 14 CFR 121.515 - Flight time limitations: All airmen: airplanes.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Flight time limitations: All airmen: airplanes. 121.515 Section 121.515 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF... Operations § 121.515 Flight time limitations: All airmen: airplanes. No airman may be aloft as a flight...

  12. 14 CFR 121.515 - Flight time limitations: All airmen: airplanes.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Flight time limitations: All airmen: airplanes. 121.515 Section 121.515 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF... Operations § 121.515 Flight time limitations: All airmen: airplanes. No airman may be aloft as a flight...

  13. 14 CFR 121.515 - Flight time limitations: All airmen: airplanes.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Flight time limitations: All airmen: airplanes. 121.515 Section 121.515 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF... Operations § 121.515 Flight time limitations: All airmen: airplanes. No airman may be aloft as a flight...

  14. Real-Time Onboard Global Nonlinear Aerodynamic Modeling from Flight Data

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Brandon, Jay M.; Morelli, Eugene A.

    2014-01-01

    Flight test and modeling techniques were developed to accurately identify global nonlinear aerodynamic models onboard an aircraft. The techniques were developed and demonstrated during piloted flight testing of an Aermacchi MB-326M Impala jet aircraft. Advanced piloting techniques and nonlinear modeling techniques based on fuzzy logic and multivariate orthogonal function methods were implemented with efficient onboard calculations and flight operations to achieve real-time maneuver monitoring and analysis, and near-real-time global nonlinear aerodynamic modeling and prediction validation testing in flight. Results demonstrated that global nonlinear aerodynamic models for a large portion of the flight envelope were identified rapidly and accurately using piloted flight test maneuvers during a single flight, with the final identified and validated models available before the aircraft landed.

  15. The Effects of Liquid Cooling Garments on Post-Space Flight Orthostatic Intolerance

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Billica, Roger; Kraft, Daniel

    1997-01-01

    Post space flight orthostatic intolerance among Space Shuttle crew members following exposure to extended periods of microgravity has been of significant concern to the safety of the shuttle program. Following the Challenger accident, flight crews were required to wear launch and entry suits (LES). It was noted that overall, there appeared to be a higher degree of orthostatic intolerance among the post-Challenger crews (approaching 30%). It was hypothesized that the increased heat load incurred when wearing the LES, contributed to an increased degree of orthostatic intolerance, possibly mediated through increased peripheral vasodilatation triggered by the heat load. The use of liquid cooling garments (LCG) beneath the launch and entry suits was gradually implemented among flight crews in an attempt to decrease heat load, increase crew comfort, and hopefully improve orthostatic tolerance during reentry and landing. The hypothesis that the use of the LCG during reentry and landing would decrease the degree of orthostasis has not been previously tested. Operational stand-tests were performed pre and post flight to assess crewmember's cardiovascular system's ability to respond to gravitational stress. Stand test and debrief information were collected and databased for 27 space shuttle missions. 63 crewpersons wearing the LCG, and 70 crewpersons not wearing the LCG were entered into the database for analysis. Of 17 crewmembers who exhibited pre-syncopal symptoms at the R+O analysis, 15 were not wearing the LCG. This corresponds to a 21% rate of postflight orthostatic intolerance among those without the LCG, and a 3% rate for those wearing LCG. There were differences in these individual's average post-flight maximal systolic blood pressure, and lower minimal Systolic Blood pressures in those without LCG. Though other factors, such as type of fluid loading, and exercise have improved concurrently with LCG introduction, from this data analysis, it appears that LCG usage

  16. Guidance concepts for time-based flight operations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Vicroy, Dan D.

    1990-01-01

    Airport congestion and the associated delays are severe in today's airspace system and are expected to increase. NASA and the FAA is investigating various methods of alleviating this problem through new technology and operational procedures. One concept for improving airspace productivity is time-based control of aircraft. Research to date has focused primarily on the development of time-based flight management systems and Air Traffic Control operational procedures. Flight operations may, however, require special onboard guidance in order to satisfy the Air Traffic Control imposed time constraints. The results are presented of a simulation study aimed at evaluating several time-based guidance concepts in terms of tracking performance, pilot workload, and subjective preference. The guidance concepts tested varied in complexity from simple digital time-error feedback to an advanced time-referenced-energy guidance scheme.

  17. Investigation of the biotransformation of osthole by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Li, Jie; Chan, Wan

    2013-02-23

    Osthole is an active ingredient and one of the major coumarin compounds that were identified in the genus Cnidium moonnieri (L.) Cussion, the fruit of which was used as traditional Chinese medicine to treat male impotence, ringworm infection and blood stasis conventionally. Recent studies revealed that osthole has diverse pharmacological effects, such as improving male sexual dysfunction, anti-diabetes, and anti-hypertentions. The inhibition of thrombosis and platelet aggregation and protection of central nerve were also observed. On the other hand, the metabolism of osthole has not yet been investigated thoroughly. Herein the biotransformation of osthole in rat was investigated after oral administration of osthole by using efficient and sensitive ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF/MS). Eighteen osthole metabolites and the parent drug were detected and identified in rat urine. Fourteen metabolites of osthole were identified and characterized for the first time. Structures of metabolites of osthole were elucidated by comparing fragment pattern under MS/MS scan and change of molecular weight with those of osthole. The main phase I metabolic pathways were summed as 7-demethylation, 8-dehydrogenation, hydroxylation on coumarin and 3,4-epoxide. Sulfate conjugates were detected as phase II metabolites of osthole. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Transatlantic flight times and climate change

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Williams, Paul D.

    2016-02-01

    Aircraft do not fly through a vacuum, but through an atmosphere whose meteorological characteristics are changing because of global warming. The impacts of aviation on climate change have long been recognised, but the impacts of climate change on aviation have only recently begun to emerge. These impacts include intensified turbulence and increased take-off weight restrictions. Here we investigate the influence of climate change on flight routes and journey times. We feed synthetic atmospheric wind fields generated from climate model simulations into a routing algorithm of the type used operationally by flight planners. We focus on transatlantic flights between London and New York, and how they change when the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide is doubled. We find that a strengthening of the prevailing jet-stream winds causes eastbound flights to significantly shorten and westbound flights to significantly lengthen in all seasons. Eastbound and westbound crossings in winter become approximately twice as likely to take under 5 h 20 min and over 7 h 00 min, respectively. For reasons that are explained using a conceptual model, the eastbound shortening and westbound lengthening do not cancel out, causing round-trip journey times to increase. Even assuming no future growth in aviation, the extrapolation of our results to all transatlantic traffic suggests that aircraft will collectively be airborne for an extra 2000 h each year, burning an extra 7.2 million gallons of jet fuel at a cost of US 22 million, and emitting an extra 70 million kg of carbon dioxide, which is equivalent to the annual emissions of 7100 average British homes. Our results provide further evidence of the two-way interaction between aviation and climate change.

  19. AMINO ACID ANALYSES OF THE ANTARCTIC CM2 METEORITES ALH 83100 AND LEW 90500 USING LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY-TIME OF FLIGHT-MASS SPECTROMETRY

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Glavin, D. P.; Dworkin, J. P.; Aubrey, A.; Botta, O.; Doty, J. H., III; Bada, J. L.

    2001-01-01

    The investigation of organic compounds in primitive carbonaceous meteorites provides a record of the chemical processes that occurred in the early solar system. In particular, amino acids have been shown to be potential indicators in tracing the nature of carbonaceous chondrite parent bodies [ 13. The delivery of amino acids by carbonaceous chondrites to the early Earth could have been any important source of the Earth's prebiotic organic inventory [2]. Over 80 different amino acids have been detected in the Murchison CM2 meteorite, most of them completely non-existent in the terrestrial biosphere [3]. We have optimized a new liquid chromatography-time-of-flight-mass spectrometry (LC-ToF-MS) technique coupled with OPAMAC derivatization in order to detect amino acids in meteorite extracts by UV fluorescence and exact mass simultaneously. The detection limit of the LC-ToF-MS instrument for amino acids is at least 3 orders of magnitude lower than traditional GC-MS techniques. Here we report on the first analyses of amino acids and their enantiomeric abundances in the CM2 carbonaceous meteorites ALH 83100, LEW 90500, and Murchison using this new LC-ToF-MS instrument configuration. Amino acid analyses of any kind for the CM meteorite ALH 83100 have not previously been reported.

  20. Characterization of lipopeptides produced by Bacillus licheniformis using liquid chromatography with accurate tandem mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Favaro, Gabriella; Bogialli, Sara; Di Gangi, Iole Maria; Nigris, Sebastiano; Baldan, Enrico; Squartini, Andrea; Pastore, Paolo; Baldan, Barbara

    2016-10-30

    The plant endophyte Bacillus licheniformis, isolated from leaves of Vitis vinifera, was studied to individuate and characterize the presence of bioactive lipopeptides having amino acidic structures. Crude extracts of liquid cultures were analyzed by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) coupled to a quadrupole time-of-flight (QTOF) mass analyzer. Chromatographic conditions were optimized in order to obtain an efficient separation of the different isobaric lipopeptides, avoiding merged fragmentations of co-eluted isomeric compounds and reducing possible cross-talk phenomena. Composition of the amino acids was outlined through the interpretation of the fragmentation behavior in tandem high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS/MS) mode, which showed both common-class and peculiar fragment ions. Both [M + H](+) and [M + Na](+) precursor ions were fragmented in order to differentiate some isobaric amino acids, i.e. Leu/Ile. Neutral losses characteristic of the iso acyl chain were also evidenced. More than 90 compounds belonging to the classes of surfactins and lichenysins, known as biosurfactant molecules, were detected. Sequential LC/HRMS/MS analysis was used to identify linear and cyclic lipopeptides, and to single out the presence of a large number of isomers not previously reported. Some critical issues related to the simultaneous selection of different compounds by the quadrupole filter were highlighted and partially solved, leading to tentative assignments of several structures. Linear lichenysins are described here for the first time. The approach was proved to be useful for the characterization of non-target lipopeptides, and proposes a rationale MS experimental scheme aimed to investigate the difference in amino acid sequence and/or in the acyl chain of the various congeners, when standards are not available. Results expanded the knowledge about production of linear and cyclic bioactive compounds from Bacillus licheniformis, clarifying the

  1. Dynamic Modeling from Flight Data with Unknown Time Skews

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Morelli, Eugene A.

    2016-01-01

    A method for estimating dynamic model parameters from flight data with unknown time skews is described and demonstrated. The method combines data reconstruction, nonlinear optimization, and equation-error parameter estimation in the frequency domain to accurately estimate both dynamic model parameters and the relative time skews in the data. Data from a nonlinear F-16 aircraft simulation with realistic noise, instrumentation errors, and arbitrary time skews were used to demonstrate the approach. The approach was further evaluated using flight data from a subscale jet transport aircraft, where the measured data were known to have relative time skews. Comparison of modeling results obtained from time-skewed and time-synchronized data showed that the method accurately estimates both dynamic model parameters and relative time skew parameters from flight data with unknown time skews.

  2. Continuum Excitation and Pseudospin Wave in Quantum Spin-Liquid and Quadrupole Ordered States of Tb2+xTi2-xO7+y

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kadowaki, Hiroaki; Wakita, Mika; Fåk, Björn; Ollivier, Jacques; Ohira-Kawamura, Seiko; Nakajima, Kenji; Takatsu, Hiroshi; Tamai, Mototake

    2018-06-01

    The ground states of the frustrated pyrochlore oxide Tb2+xTi2-xO7+y have been studied by inelastic neutron scattering experiments. Three single-crystal samples are investigated; one shows no phase transition (x = -0.007 < xc ˜ -0.0025), being a putative quantum spin-liquid (QSL), and the other two (x = 0.000,0.003) show electric quadrupole ordering (QO) below Tc ˜ 0.5 K. The QSL sample shows continuum excitation spectra with an energy scale 0.1 meV as well as energy-resolution-limited (nominally) elastic scattering. As x is increased, pseudospin wave of the QO state emerges from this continuum excitation, which agrees with that of powder samples and consequently verifies good x control for the present single crystal samples.

  3. Simulation of Thermographic Responses of Delaminations in Composites with Quadrupole Method

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Winfree, William P.; Zalameda, Joseph N.; Howell, Patricia A.; Cramer, K. Elliott

    2016-01-01

    The application of the quadrupole method for simulating thermal responses of delaminations in carbon fiber reinforced epoxy composites materials is presented. The method solves for the flux at the interface containing the delamination. From the interface flux, the temperature at the surface is calculated. While the results presented are for single sided measurements, with ash heating, expansion of the technique to arbitrary temporal flux heating or through transmission measurements is simple. The quadrupole method is shown to have two distinct advantages relative to finite element or finite difference techniques. First, it is straight forward to incorporate arbitrary shaped delaminations into the simulation. Second, the quadrupole method enables calculation of the thermal response at only the times of interest. This, combined with a significant reduction in the number of degrees of freedom for the same simulation quality, results in a reduction of the computation time by at least an order of magnitude. Therefore, it is a more viable technique for model based inversion of thermographic data. Results for simulations of delaminations in composites are presented and compared to measurements and finite element method results.

  4. Pulse Based Time-of-Flight Range Sensing.

    PubMed

    Sarbolandi, Hamed; Plack, Markus; Kolb, Andreas

    2018-05-23

    Pulse-based Time-of-Flight (PB-ToF) cameras are an attractive alternative range imaging approach, compared to the widely commercialized Amplitude Modulated Continuous-Wave Time-of-Flight (AMCW-ToF) approach. This paper presents an in-depth evaluation of a PB-ToF camera prototype based on the Hamamatsu area sensor S11963-01CR. We evaluate different ToF-related effects, i.e., temperature drift, systematic error, depth inhomogeneity, multi-path effects, and motion artefacts. Furthermore, we evaluate the systematic error of the system in more detail, and introduce novel concepts to improve the quality of range measurements by modifying the mode of operation of the PB-ToF camera. Finally, we describe the means of measuring the gate response of the PB-ToF sensor and using this information for PB-ToF sensor simulation.

  5. Evaluation of Hypolipidemic and Antioxidant Effects in Phenolrich Fraction of Crataegus pinnatifida Fruit in Hyperlipidemia Rats and Identification of Chemical Composition by Ultra-performance Liquid Chromatography Coupled with Quadropole Time-of-flight Mass Spectrometry

    PubMed Central

    Shao, Feng; Gu, Lifei; Chen, Huijuan; Liu, Ronghua; Huang, Huilian; Chen, Lanying; Yang, Ming

    2017-01-01

    Background: Hawthorn (Crataegus pinnatifida) fruit has enjoyed a great popularity as a pleasant-tasting food associated with hypolipidemic and antioxidant effects. Objective: Our aim was to screen the effective fraction of hawthorn fruit in the treatment of hyperlipidemia rats. Materials and Methods: In this study, ethanol extract of hawthorn fruit (Fr.1) and four fractionated extracts (Fr.2, Fr.3, Fr.4, and Fr.5) were compared to total phenol content evaluated using Folin–Ciocalteu method, and hypolipidemic and antioxidant effects were assessed in hyperlipidemic rats. Results: Total phenol content of Fr.4 was higher than other fractions by at least 2 fold. Furthermore, this fraction possessed the strongest hypolipidemic and antioxidant effects in hyperlipidemic rats. On this basis, 15 phenolic compounds and four organic acids in Fr.4 were positively or tentatively identified using ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadropole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. In addition, 5-O-caffeoyl quinic acid butyl ester was first reported in hawthorn fruit. Conclusion: Phenol-rich fraction in hawthorn fruit exhibited satisfactory hypolipidemic and antioxidant effects, and this could be exploited for further promotion of functional foods. SUMMARY Phenol-rich fraction in hawthorn fruit possesses most potent hypolipidemic and antioxidant effects in hyperlidemia rats. Abbreviations used: UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS: Ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadropole time-of-flight mass spectrometry; TC: Total cholesterol; TG: Triglyceride; LDL-C: Low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol; HDL-C: High-density lipoprotein-cholesterol; GSH-Px: Glutathione peroxidase; SOD: Superoxide dismutase; MDA: Malondialdehyde; CAT: Catalase; NO: Nitric oxide; NOS: Nitric oxide synthase; ROS: Reactive oxygen species; •OOH: Superoxide anions, •OH: Hydroxyl radicals. PMID:29200740

  6. Evaluation of Hypolipidemic and Antioxidant Effects in Phenolrich Fraction of Crataegus pinnatifida Fruit in Hyperlipidemia Rats and Identification of Chemical Composition by Ultra-performance Liquid Chromatography Coupled with Quadropole Time-of-flight Mass Spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Shao, Feng; Gu, Lifei; Chen, Huijuan; Liu, Ronghua; Huang, Huilian; Chen, Lanying; Yang, Ming

    2017-01-01

    Hawthorn ( Crataegus pinnatifida ) fruit has enjoyed a great popularity as a pleasant-tasting food associated with hypolipidemic and antioxidant effects. Our aim was to screen the effective fraction of hawthorn fruit in the treatment of hyperlipidemia rats. Materials and Methods: In this study, ethanol extract of hawthorn fruit (Fr.1) and four fractionated extracts (Fr.2, Fr.3, Fr.4, and Fr.5) were compared to total phenol content evaluated using Folin-Ciocalteu method, and hypolipidemic and antioxidant effects were assessed in hyperlipidemic rats. Total phenol content of Fr.4 was higher than other fractions by at least 2 fold. Furthermore, this fraction possessed the strongest hypolipidemic and antioxidant effects in hyperlipidemic rats. On this basis, 15 phenolic compounds and four organic acids in Fr.4 were positively or tentatively identified using ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadropole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. In addition, 5-O-caffeoyl quinic acid butyl ester was first reported in hawthorn fruit. Phenol-rich fraction in hawthorn fruit exhibited satisfactory hypolipidemic and antioxidant effects, and this could be exploited for further promotion of functional foods. Phenol-rich fraction in hawthorn fruit possesses most potent hypolipidemic and antioxidant effects in hyperlidemia rats. Abbreviations used: UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS: Ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadropole time-of-flight mass spectrometry; TC: Total cholesterol; TG: Triglyceride; LDL-C: Low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol; HDL-C: High-density lipoprotein-cholesterol; GSH-Px: Glutathione peroxidase; SOD: Superoxide dismutase; MDA: Malondialdehyde; CAT: Catalase; NO: Nitric oxide; NOS: Nitric oxide synthase; ROS: Reactive oxygen species; •OOH: Superoxide anions, •OH: Hydroxyl radicals.

  7. Improved sample preparation of glyphosate and methylphosphonic acid by EPA method 6800A and time-of-flight mass spectrometry using novel solid-phase extraction.

    PubMed

    Wagner, Rebecca; Wetzel, Stephanie J; Kern, John; Kingston, H M Skip

    2012-02-01

    The employment of chemical weapons by rogue states and/or terrorist organizations is an ongoing concern in the United States. The quantitative analysis of nerve agents must be rapid and reliable for use in the private and public sectors. Current methods describe a tedious and time-consuming derivatization for gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography in tandem with mass spectrometry. Two solid-phase extraction (SPE) techniques for the analysis of glyphosate and methylphosphonic acid are described with the utilization of isotopically enriched analytes for quantitation via atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (APCI-Q-TOF-MS) that does not require derivatization. Solid-phase extraction-isotope dilution mass spectrometry (SPE-IDMS) involves pre-equilibration of a naturally occurring sample with an isotopically enriched standard. The second extraction method, i-Spike, involves loading an isotopically enriched standard onto the SPE column before the naturally occurring sample. The sample and the spike are then co-eluted from the column enabling precise and accurate quantitation via IDMS. The SPE methods in conjunction with IDMS eliminate concerns of incomplete elution, matrix and sorbent effects, and MS drift. For accurate quantitation with IDMS, the isotopic contribution of all atoms in the target molecule must be statistically taken into account. This paper describes two newly developed sample preparation techniques for the analysis of nerve agent surrogates in drinking water as well as statistical probability analysis for proper molecular IDMS. The methods described in this paper demonstrate accurate molecular IDMS using APCI-Q-TOF-MS with limits of quantitation as low as 0.400 mg/kg for glyphosate and 0.031 mg/kg for methylphosphonic acid. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  8. Real-Time Detection of In-flight Aircraft Damage

    DOE PAGES

    Blair, Brenton; Lee, Herbert K. H.; Davies, Misty

    2017-10-02

    When there is damage to an aircraft, it is critical to be able to quickly detect and diagnose the problem so that the pilot can attempt to maintain control of the aircraft and land it safely. We develop methodology for real-time classification of flight trajectories to be able to distinguish between an undamaged aircraft and five different damage scenarios. Principal components analysis allows a lower-dimensional representation of multi-dimensional trajectory information in time. Random Forests provide a computationally efficient approach with sufficient accuracy to be able to detect and classify the different scenarios in real-time. We demonstrate our approach by classifyingmore » realizations of a 45 degree bank angle generated from the Generic Transport Model flight simulator in collaboration with NASA.« less

  9. Real-Time Detection of In-flight Aircraft Damage

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Blair, Brenton; Lee, Herbert K. H.; Davies, Misty

    When there is damage to an aircraft, it is critical to be able to quickly detect and diagnose the problem so that the pilot can attempt to maintain control of the aircraft and land it safely. We develop methodology for real-time classification of flight trajectories to be able to distinguish between an undamaged aircraft and five different damage scenarios. Principal components analysis allows a lower-dimensional representation of multi-dimensional trajectory information in time. Random Forests provide a computationally efficient approach with sufficient accuracy to be able to detect and classify the different scenarios in real-time. We demonstrate our approach by classifyingmore » realizations of a 45 degree bank angle generated from the Generic Transport Model flight simulator in collaboration with NASA.« less

  10. A Vibrating Wire System For Quadrupole Fiducialization

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Wolf, Zachary

    2010-12-13

    A vibrating wire system is being developed to fiducialize the quadrupoles between undulator segments in the LCLS. This note provides a detailed analysis of the system. The LCLS will have quadrupoles between the undulator segments to keep the electron beam focused. If the quadrupoles are not centered on the beam axis, the beam will receive transverse kicks, causing it to deviate from the undulator axis. Beam based alignment will be used to move the quadrupoles onto a straight line, but an initial, conventional alignment must place the quadrupole centers on a straight line to 100 {micro}m. In the fiducialization stepmore » of the initial alignment, the position of the center of the quadrupole is measured relative to tooling balls on the outside of the quadrupole. The alignment crews then use the tooling balls to place the magnet in the tunnel. The required error on the location of the quadrupole center relative to the tooling balls must be less than 25 {micro}m. In this note, we analyze a system under construction for the quadrupole fiducialization. The system uses the vibrating wire technique to position a wire onto the quadrupole magnetic axis. The wire position is then related to tooling balls using wire position detectors. The tooling balls on the wire position detectors are finally related to tooling balls on the quadrupole to perform the fiducialization. The total 25 {micro}m fiducialization error must be divided between these three steps. The wire must be positioned onto the quadrupole magnetic axis to within 10 {micro}m, the wire position must be measured relative to tooling balls on the wire position detectors to within 15 {micro}m, and tooling balls on the wire position detectors must be related to tooling balls on the quadrupole to within 10 {micro}m. The techniques used in these three steps will be discussed. The note begins by discussing various quadrupole fiducialization techniques used in the past and discusses why the vibrating wire technique is our

  11. Ultrasound-based measurement of liquid-layer thickness: A novel time-domain approach

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Praher, Bernhard; Steinbichler, Georg

    2017-01-01

    Measuring the thickness of a thin liquid layer between two solid materials is important when the adequate separation of metallic parts by a lubricant film (e.g., in bearings or mechanical seals) is to be assessed. The challenge in using ultrasound-based systems for such measurements is that the signal from the liquid layer is a superposition of multiple reflections. We have developed an algorithm for reconstructing this superimposed signal in the time domain. By comparing simulated and measured signals, the time-of-flight of the ultrasonic pulse in a layer can be estimated. With the longitudinal sound velocity known, the layer thickness can then be calculated. In laboratory measurements, we validate successfully (maximum relative error 4.9%) our algorithm for layer thicknesses ranging from 30 μm to 200 μm. Furthermore, we tested our method in the high-temperature environment of polymer processing by measuring the clearance between screw and barrel in the plasticisation unit of an injection moulding machine. The results of such measurements can indicate (i) the wear status of the tribo-mechanical screw-barrel system and (ii) unsuitable process conditions.

  12. Preliminary test results of a flight management algorithm for fuel conservative descents in a time based metered traffic environment. [flight tests of an algorithm to minimize fuel consumption of aircraft based on flight time

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Knox, C. E.; Cannon, D. G.

    1979-01-01

    A flight management algorithm designed to improve the accuracy of delivering the airplane fuel efficiently to a metering fix at a time designated by air traffic control is discussed. The algorithm provides a 3-D path with time control (4-D) for a test B 737 airplane to make an idle thrust, clean configured descent to arrive at the metering fix at a predetermined time, altitude, and airspeed. The descent path is calculated for a constant Mach/airspeed schedule from linear approximations of airplane performance with considerations given for gross weight, wind, and nonstandard pressure and temperature effects. The flight management descent algorithms and the results of the flight tests are discussed.

  13. Transatlantic flight times and climate change

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Williams, Paul D.

    Aircraft do not fly through a vacuum, but through an atmosphere whose meteorological characteristics are changing because of global warming. The impacts of aviation on climate change have long been recognised, but the impacts of climate change on aviation have only recently begun to emerge. These impacts include intensified turbulence and increased take-off weight restrictions. We investigate the influence of climate change on flight routes and journey times. We feed synthetic atmospheric wind fields generated from climate model simulations into a routing algorithm of the type used operationally by flight planners. We focus on transatlantic flights between London and Newmore » York, and how they change when the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide is doubled. We find that a strengthening of the prevailing jet-stream winds causes eastbound flights to significantly shorten and westbound flights to significantly lengthen in all seasons. Eastbound and westbound crossings in winter become approximately twice as likely to take under 5 h 20 min and over 7 h 00 min, respectively. Furthermore, for reasons that are explained using a conceptual model, the eastbound shortening and westbound lengthening do not cancel out, causing round-trip journey times to increase. Even assuming no future growth in aviation, the extrapolation of our results to all transatlantic traffic suggests that aircraft will collectively be airborne for an extra 2000 h each year, burning an extra 7.2 million gallons of jet fuel at a cost of US$ 22 million, and emitting an extra 70 million kg of carbon dioxide, which is equivalent to the annual emissions of 7100 average British homes. These results provide further evidence of the two-way interaction between aviation and climate change.« less

  14. Transatlantic flight times and climate change

    DOE PAGES

    Williams, Paul D.

    2016-02-10

    Aircraft do not fly through a vacuum, but through an atmosphere whose meteorological characteristics are changing because of global warming. The impacts of aviation on climate change have long been recognised, but the impacts of climate change on aviation have only recently begun to emerge. These impacts include intensified turbulence and increased take-off weight restrictions. We investigate the influence of climate change on flight routes and journey times. We feed synthetic atmospheric wind fields generated from climate model simulations into a routing algorithm of the type used operationally by flight planners. We focus on transatlantic flights between London and Newmore » York, and how they change when the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide is doubled. We find that a strengthening of the prevailing jet-stream winds causes eastbound flights to significantly shorten and westbound flights to significantly lengthen in all seasons. Eastbound and westbound crossings in winter become approximately twice as likely to take under 5 h 20 min and over 7 h 00 min, respectively. Furthermore, for reasons that are explained using a conceptual model, the eastbound shortening and westbound lengthening do not cancel out, causing round-trip journey times to increase. Even assuming no future growth in aviation, the extrapolation of our results to all transatlantic traffic suggests that aircraft will collectively be airborne for an extra 2000 h each year, burning an extra 7.2 million gallons of jet fuel at a cost of US$ 22 million, and emitting an extra 70 million kg of carbon dioxide, which is equivalent to the annual emissions of 7100 average British homes. These results provide further evidence of the two-way interaction between aviation and climate change.« less

  15. Two-dimensional and three-dimensional dynamic imaging of live biofilms in a microchannel by time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hua, Xin; Marshall, Matthew J.; Xiong, Yijia

    2015-05-01

    A vacuum compatible microfluidic reactor, SALVI (System for Analysis at the Liquid Vacuum Interface) was employed for in situ chemical imaging of live biofilms using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS). Depth profiling by sputtering materials in sequential layers resulted in live biofilm spatial chemical mapping. 2D images were reconstructed to report the first 3D images of hydrated biofilm elucidating spatial and chemical heterogeneity. 2D image principal component analysis (PCA) was conducted among biofilms at different locations in the microchannel. Our approach directly visualized spatial and chemical heterogeneity within the living biofilm by dynamic liquid ToF-SIMS.

  16. Characterization of constituents in Sini decoction and rat plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection coupled to time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Tan, Guangguo; Zhu, Zhenyu; Jing, Jing; Lv, Lei; Lou, Ziyang; Zhang, Guoqing; Chai, Yifeng

    2011-08-01

    A high-performance liquid chromatography with diode-array detection coupled to time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HPLC/DAD/TOFMS) method was established to clarify the chemical composition of Sini decoction (SND) and rat plasma after oral administration of SND. With dynamic adjustment of fragmentor voltage in TOFMS, an efficient transmission of the ions was achieved to obtain the best sensitivity for providing the molecular formula for each analyte and abundant fragment ions for structural information. By accurate mass measurements within 5 ppm error for each molecular ion and subsequent fragment ions, 53 compounds including diterpenoid alkaloids, flavonoids, triterpenoids and gingerol-related compounds were identified in SND. Major compounds identified from SND were further assigned in the three individual herbs. After oral administration of SND, 33 compounds and five metabolites in rat plasma were detected and identified by comparing and contrasting the compounds measured in SND with those in the plasma samples by HPLC/DAD/TOFMS. The results provided helpful chemical information for further pharmacology and active mechanism research on SND. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  17. Rapid Quantification of Four Anthocyanins in Red Grape Wine by Hydrophilic Interaction Liquid Chromatography/Triple Quadrupole Linear Ion Trap Mass Spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Sun, Yongming; Xia, Biqi; Chen, Xiangzhun; Duanmu, Chuansong; Li, Denghao; Han, Chao

    2015-01-01

    The identification and quantification of four anthocyanins (cyanidin-3-O-glucoside, peonidin-3-O-glucoside, delphinidin-3-O-glucoside, and malvidin-3-O-glucoside) in red grape wine were carried out by hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography/triple quadrupole linear ion trap MS (HILIC/QTrap-MS/MS). Samples were diluted directly and separated on a Merck ZIC HILIC column with 20 mM ammonium acetate solution-acetonitrile mobile phase. Quantitative data acquisition was carried out in the multiple reaction monitoring mode. Additional identification and confirmation of target compounds were performed using the enhanced product ion mode of the linear ion trap. The LOQs were in the range 0.05-1.0 ng/mL. The average recoveries were in the range 94.6 to 104.5%. The HILIC/QTrap-MS/MS platform offers the best sensitivity and specificity for characterization and quantitative determination of the four anthocyanins in red grape wines and fulfills the quality criteria for routine laboratory application.

  18. Time Domain Tool Validation Using ARES I-X Flight Data

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hough, Steven; Compton, James; Hannan, Mike; Brandon, Jay

    2011-01-01

    The ARES I-X vehicle was launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) on October 28, 2009 at approximately 11:30 EDT. ARES I-X was the first test flight for NASA s ARES I launch vehicle, and it was the first non-Shuttle launch vehicle designed and flown by NASA since Saturn. The ARES I-X had a 4-segment solid rocket booster (SRB) first stage and a dummy upper stage (US) to emulate the properties of the ARES I US. During ARES I-X pre-flight modeling and analysis, six (6) independent time domain simulation tools were developed and cross validated. Each tool represents an independent implementation of a common set of models and parameters in a different simulation framework and architecture. Post flight data and reconstructed models provide the means to validate a subset of the simulations against actual flight data and to assess the accuracy of pre-flight dispersion analysis. Post flight data consists of telemetered Operational Flight Instrumentation (OFI) data primarily focused on flight computer outputs and sensor measurements as well as Best Estimated Trajectory (BET) data that estimates vehicle state information from all available measurement sources. While pre-flight models were found to provide a reasonable prediction of the vehicle flight, reconstructed models were generated to better represent and simulate the ARES I-X flight. Post flight reconstructed models include: SRB propulsion model, thrust vector bias models, mass properties, base aerodynamics, and Meteorological Estimated Trajectory (wind and atmospheric data). The result of the effort is a set of independently developed, high fidelity, time-domain simulation tools that have been cross validated and validated against flight data. This paper presents the process and results of high fidelity aerospace modeling, simulation, analysis and tool validation in the time domain.

  19. 14 CFR 91.1057 - Flight, duty and rest time requirements: All crewmembers.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... cabin-safety-related responsibilities. Multi-time zone flight means an easterly or westerly flight or multiple flights in one direction in the same duty period that results in a time zone difference of 5 or... 14 Aeronautics and Space 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Flight, duty and rest time requirements...

  20. High performance liquid chromatography time of flight electrospray ionization mass spectrometry for quantification of sesquiterpenes in Chrysanthemi indici Flos active extract

    PubMed Central

    Fu, Ling; Wang, Pan; Sun, Yiqun; Wang, Yangyang; Zhao, Jing; Ye, Yuting; Zhang, Yanbin; Bi, Yuefeng

    2015-01-01

    Background: Chrysanthemi indici Flos, a traditional herbal medicine is used to clearing heat–toxicity, removing the liver fire, and improving eyesight. In our preliminary work, an active extract of CTC in C. An indici Flos with anti-hepatitis B virus and liver protective activity was found by HepG2.2.1.5 test and experiment of protein synthesis in mice's injured liver. In this work, we aimed to study the active faction CTC further by qualitative and quantitative analysis method. Materials and Methods: High performance liquid chromatography time of flight electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HPLC TOF ESI-MS) analysis method of the CTC was established. Cumambrin A and angeloylcumambrin B in CTC were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet-evaporative light scattering detector (HPLC-UV-ELSD) analysis methods. A binary gradient elution program was conducted for chromatographic separation with acetonitrile (A) and ultrapure water (B) as follows: 0–10 min, 42–46% A; 10–20 min, 46–55% A; 20–25 min, 55–60% A; and 25–35 min, 60–75% A. The column temperature and UV wavelength were set at 30°C and 205 nm. Result: Ten constituents including (3R, 5R, 6S, 7S, 10R)-7-(2-hydroxy-2-propyl)-10-methyl-4-methyleneperhy, dronaphthal-ene-3, 5, 6-triol acetone solvate; (+)-edusmance-4, (14)-ene-11, 13-diol; linarin; luteolin; apigenin; tricin; 5, 3’,4’- trimethyl-6,7-dimethoxy flavones; cumambrin A; acacetin; and angeloylcumambrin B in CTC were identified by HPLC TOF ESI-MS. The contents of sesquiterpenes in CTC were decreased by storing years. Conclusions: The results showed that both UV and ELSD methods were feasible, accurate, and the determination results were in good consistency. The contents of two sesquiterpenes decreased with storing years. Two sesquiterpenes could be used as quality control for C. indici flos CTC. PMID:26600718

  1. Dynamical continuous time random Lévy flights

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Jian; Chen, Xiaosong

    2016-03-01

    The Lévy flights' diffusive behavior is studied within the framework of the dynamical continuous time random walk (DCTRW) method, while the nonlinear friction is introduced in each step. Through the DCTRW method, Lévy random walker in each step flies by obeying the Newton's Second Law while the nonlinear friction f(v) = - γ0v - γ2v3 being considered instead of Stokes friction. It is shown that after introducing the nonlinear friction, the superdiffusive Lévy flights converges, behaves localization phenomenon with long time limit, but for the Lévy index μ = 2 case, it is still Brownian motion.

  2. Gamma-ray timing of redback PSR J2339-0533: Hints for gravitational quadrupole moment changes

    DOE PAGES

    Pletsch, Holger J.; Clark, Colin J.

    2015-06-25

    Here, we present the results of precision gamma-ray timing measurements of the binary millisecond pulsar PSR J2339–0533, an irradiating system of the "redback" type, using data from the Fermi Large Area Telescope. We describe an optimized analysis method to determine a long-term phase-coherent timing solution spanning more than six years, including a measured eccentricity of the binary orbit and constraints on the proper motion of the system. A major result of this timing analysis is the discovery of an extreme variation of the nominal 4.6 hr orbital periodmore » $${P}_{\\mathrm{orb}}$$ over time, showing alternating epochs of decrease and increase. We inferred a cyclic modulation of $${P}_{\\mathrm{orb}}$$ with an approximate cycle duration of 4.2 yr and a modulation amplitude of $${\\rm{\\Delta }}{P}_{\\mathrm{orb}}/{P}_{\\mathrm{orb}}=2.3\\times {10}^{-7}$$. Considering different possible physical causes, the observed orbital-period modulation most likely results from a variable gravitational quadrupole moment of the companion star due to cyclic magnetic activity in its convective zone.« less

  3. Time of flight imaging through scattering environments (Conference Presentation)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Le, Toan H.; Breitbach, Eric C.; Jackson, Jonathan A.; Velten, Andreas

    2017-02-01

    Light scattering is a primary obstacle to imaging in many environments. On small scales in biomedical microscopy and diffuse tomography scenarios scattering is caused by tissue. On larger scales scattering from dust and fog provide challenges to vision systems for self driving cars and naval remote imaging systems. We are developing scale models for scattering environments and investigation methods for improved imaging particularly using time of flight transient information. With the emergence of Single Photon Avalanche Diode detectors and fast semiconductor lasers, illumination and capture on picosecond timescales are becoming possible in inexpensive, compact, and robust devices. This opens up opportunities for new computational imaging techniques that make use of photon time of flight. Time of flight or range information is used in remote imaging scenarios in gated viewing and in biomedical imaging in time resolved diffuse tomography. In addition spatial filtering is popular in biomedical scenarios with structured illumination and confocal microscopy. We are presenting a combination analytical, computational, and experimental models that allow us develop and test imaging methods across scattering scenarios and scales. This framework will be used for proof of concept experiments to evaluate new computational imaging methods.

  4. Using Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry to Study Biomarkers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Thiel, Volker; Sjövall, Peter

    2011-05-01

    Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) is a technique designed to analyze the composition and spatial distribution of molecules and chemical structures on surfaces. These capabilities have generated much interest in its use in geobiology, in particular for the characterization of organic biomarkers (molecular biosignatures) at the microscopic level. We here discuss the strengths, weaknesses, and potential of ToF-SIMS for biomarker analyses with a focus on applications in geobiology, including biogeochemistry, organic geochemistry, geomicrobiology, and paleobiology. After describing the analytical principles of ToF-SIMS, we discuss issues of biomarker spectral formation and interpretation. Then, key applications of ToF-SIMS to soft (microbial matter, cells), hard (microbial mineral precipitates), and liquid (petroleum) samples relevant in geobiology are reviewed. Finally, we examine the potential of ToF-SIMS in biomarker research and the current limitations and obstacles for which further development would be beneficial to the field.

  5. Real-Time Flight Envelope Monitoring System

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kerho, Michael; Bragg, Michael B.; Ansell, Phillip J.

    2012-01-01

    The objective of this effort was to show that real-time aircraft control-surface hinge-moment information could be used to provide a robust and reliable prediction of vehicle performance and control authority degradation. For a given airfoil section with a control surface -- be it a wing with an aileron, rudder, or elevator -- the control-surface hinge moment is sensitive to the aerodynamic characteristics of the section. As a result, changes in the aerodynamics of the section due to angle-of-attack or environmental effects such as icing, heavy rain, surface contaminants, bird strikes, or battle damage will affect the control surface hinge moment. These changes include both the magnitude of the hinge moment and its sign in a time-averaged sense, and the variation of the hinge moment with time. The current program attempts to take the real-time hinge moment information from the aircraft control surfaces and develop a system to predict aircraft envelope boundaries across a range of conditions, alerting the flight crew to reductions in aircraft controllability and flight boundaries.

  6. Continuous time of flight measurements in a Lissajous configuration.

    PubMed

    Dobos, G; Hárs, G

    2017-01-01

    Short pulses used by traditional time-of-flight mass spectrometers limit their duty cycle, pose space-charge issues, and require high speed detectors and electronics. The motivation behind the invention of continuous time of flight mass spectrometers was to mitigate these problems, by increasing the number of ions reaching the detector and eliminating the need for fast data acquisition systems. The most crucial components of these spectrometers are their modulators: they determine both the maximal modulation frequency and the modulation depth. Through these parameters they limit the achievable mass resolution and signal-to-noise ratio. In this paper, a new kind of setup is presented which modulates the beam by deflecting it in two perpendicular directions and collects ions on a position sensitive detector. Such an Lissajous time of flight spectrometer achieves modulation without the use of slits or apertures, making it possible for all ions to reach the detector, thereby increasing the transmission and signal-to-noise ratio. In this paper, we provide the mathematical description of the system, discuss its properties, and present a practical demonstration of the principle.

  7. Pedagogy for a Liquid Time

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Green, Larry; Gary, Kevin

    2016-01-01

    Sociologist Zygmunt Bauman characterizes our time as a time of "liquid modernity" (Bauman in "Liquid modernity." Polity Press, Cambridge, 2000). Rather than settled meanings, categories, and frames of reference Bauman contends that meaning is always in flux, open ended rather than closed. Given Bauman's assessment, pedagogies…

  8. Screening and identification of α-glucosidase inhibitors from Shenqi Jiangtang Granule by ultrafiltration liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Hui; Zhang, Xiaojing; Jiang, Huijie; Xu, Cong; Tong, Shengqiang; Yan, Jizhong

    2018-02-01

    Shenqi Jiangtang Granule, a well-known traditional Chinese herbal preparation, has been widely used for the treatment of type II diabetes mellitus. In this work, an ultrafiltration liquid chromatography with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry method was proposed for the rapid identification of bioactive ingredients from Shenqi Jiangtang Granule using α-glucosidase as an example. First, the chemical profile of this preparation was clarified, including 37 saponins, 17 flavonoids, 37 lignans, and seven other compounds. After incubation with α-glucosidase in vitro, the methanol extract with an IC 50 value of 0.19 mg/mL exhibited significant inhibitory activity. Then, 18 specific binding peaks were screened, and 15 peaks were identified. Among these, ten compounds were reported to have potential α-glucosidase inhibitory activity for the first time. Subsequently, the inhibitory activities of these active compounds were evaluated by ultraviolet spectrophotometry with p-nitrophenyl α-d-glucopyranoside as a substrate. As a result, gomisin J and gomisin D exhibited stronger α-glucosidase inhibitory activities than other active compounds with IC 50 values of 77.69 and 133.85 μM, respectively. The results demonstrated that the integrated ultrafiltration liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry method was an effective and powerful tool for the discovery of active ingredients in Shenqi Jiangtang Granule. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  9. Coarsening Experiment Prepared for Flight

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hickman, J. Mark

    2003-01-01

    The Coarsening in Solid-Liquid Mixtures-2 (CSLM-2) experiment is a materials science spaceflight experiment whose purpose is to investigate the kinetics of competitive particle growth within a liquid matrix. During coarsening, small particles shrink by losing atoms to larger particles, causing the larger particles to grow. In this experiment, solid particles of tin will grow (coarsen) within a liquid lead-tin eutectic matrix. The following figures show the coarsening of tin particles in a lead-tin (Pb-Sn) eutectic as a function of time. By conducting this experiment in a microgravity environment, we can study a greater range of solid volume fractions, and the effects of sedimentation present in terrestrial experiments will be negligible. The CSLM-2 experiment flew November 2002 on space shuttle flight STS-113 for operation on the International Space Station, but it could not be run because of problems with the Microgravity Science Glovebox in the U.S. Laboratory module. Additional samples will be sent to ISS on subsequent shuttle flights.

  10. Untargeted metabolomics in doping control: detection of new markers of testosterone misuse by ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Raro, Montse; Ibáñez, María; Gil, Rubén; Fabregat, Andreu; Tudela, Eva; Deventer, Koen; Ventura, Rosa; Segura, Jordi; Marcos, Josep; Kotronoulas, Aristotelis; Joglar, Jesús; Farré, Magi; Yang, Sheng; Xing, Yanyi; Van Eenoo, Peter; Pitarch, Elena; Hernández, Félix; Sancho, Juan Vicente; Pozo, Óscar J

    2015-08-18

    The use of untargeted metabolomics for the discovery of markers is a promising and virtually unexplored tool in the doping control field. Hybrid quadrupole time-of-flight (QTOF) and hybrid quadrupole Orbitrap (Q Exactive) mass spectrometers, coupled to ultrahigh pressure liquid chromatography, are excellent tools for this purpose. In the present work, QTOF and Q Exactive have been used to look for markers for testosterone cypionate misuse by means of untargeted metabolomics. Two different groups of urine samples were analyzed, collected before and after the intramuscular administration of testosterone cypionate. In order to avoid analyte losses in the sample treatment, samples were just 2-fold diluted with water and directly injected into the chromatographic system. Samples were analyzed in both positive and negative ionization modes. Data from both systems were treated under untargeted metabolomic strategies using XCMS application and multivariate analysis. Results from the two mass spectrometers differed in the number of detected features, but both led to the same potential marker for the particular testosterone ester misuse. The in-depth study of the MS and MS/MS behavior of this marker allowed for the establishment of 1-cyclopentenoylglycine as a feasible structure. The putative structure was confirmed by comparison with synthesized material. This potential marker seems to come from the metabolism of the cypionic acid release after hydrolysis of the administered ester. Its suitability for doping control has been evaluated.

  11. A strategy for untargeted screening of macrolides and metabolites in bass by liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole orbitrap mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Jia, Wei; Shi, Lin; Chu, Xiaogang; Chang, James; Chen, Ying; Zhang, Feng

    2018-10-01

    An analytical method for the non-target screening of macrolides and metabolites in bass (Lateolabrax) was developed using an automated on-line extraction procedure followed by ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization quadrupole Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC Q-Orbitrap). The estimated performance characteristics were satisfied, complying with the requirements of the guidelines specified in European Commission Decision 2002/657/EC. The decision limit ranged from 0.12 μg kg -1 to 3.61 μg kg -1 , and detection capability ranged between 0.20 μg kg -1 and 6.02 μg kg -1 . Precision in terms of relative standard deviation (RSD) was under 14% for all compounds, and the extraction recoveries ranged from 81% to 107%. Finally, the method was applied to ten different commercially important bass species and confirmed the presence of ten macrolides and metabolites. Five non-target compounds of robenidine, lincomycin hydrochloride, thiacloprid, fenbendazole, and thiabendazole were elucidated in the untargeted screening. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Time-of-Flight Tip-Clearance Measurements

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dhadwal, H. S.; Kurkov, A. P.; Janetzke, D. C.

    1999-01-01

    In this paper a time-of-flight probe system incorporating the two integrated fiber optic probes which are tilted equally relative to the probe holder centerline, is applied for the first time to measure the tip clearance of an advanced fan prototype. Tip clearance is largely independent of the signal amplitude and it relies on timing measurement. This work exposes optical effects associated with the fan blade stagger angle that were absent during the original spin-rig experiment on the zero stagger rotor. Individual blade tip clearances were measured with accuracy of +/- 127-mm (+/- 0.005-in). Probe features are discussed and improvements to the design are suggested.

  13. Metabolic profile of naringenin in the stomach and colon using liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization linear ion trap quadrupole-Orbitrap-mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-LTQ-Orbitrap-MS) and LC-ESI-MS/MS.

    PubMed

    Orrego-Lagarón, Naiara; Vallverdú-Queralt, Anna; Martínez-Huélamo, Miriam; Lamuela-Raventos, Rosa M; Escribano-Ferrer, Elvira

    2016-02-20

    Several biological activities (antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticarcinogenic) are attributed to naringenin (NAR)-a predominant flavonoid of citrus fruit and tomato-despite its low bioavailability after ingestion. NAR undergoes extensive metabolism when crossing the gastrointestinal tract, resulting in enteric, hepatic and microbial metabolites, some of them with recognized beneficial effects on human health. This study sought to provide new insights into the metabolism of NAR in regions of the gastrointestinal tract where it has been less studied: the stomach and colon. With this purpose, liquid chromatography coupled with an electrospray ionization hybrid linear ion trap quadrupole Orbitrap mass spectrometry technique (LC-ESI-LTQ-Orbitrap-MS) was used for an accurate identification of NAR metabolites, and liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS) on a triple quadrupole was used for their identification and quantification. The combination of both analytical techniques provided a broader metabolic profile of NAR. As far as we know, this is the first in-depth metabolic profiling study of NAR in the stomach of mice. Three of the metabolites determined using the LC-LTQ-Orbitrap could not be identified by LC-ESI-MS/MS in stomach perfusion samples: apigenin, 3-(4-hydroxyphenyl) propionic acid and phloroglucinol. The number of colonic metabolites determined using the LTQ-Orbitrap-MS was more than twice the number identified by LC-ESI-MS/MS. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Working Around Cosmic Variance: Remote Quadrupole Measurements of the CMB

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Adil, Arsalan; Bunn, Emory

    2018-01-01

    Anisotropies in the CMB maps continue to revolutionize our understanding of the Cosmos. However, the statistical interpretation of these anisotropies is tainted with a posteriori statistics. The problem is particularly emphasized for lower order multipoles, i.e. in the cosmic variance regime of the power spectrum. Naturally, the solution lies in acquiring a new data set – a rather difficult task given the sample size of the Universe.The CMB temperature, in theory, depends on: the direction of photon propagation, the time at which the photons are observed, and the observer’s location in space. In existing CMB data, only the first parameter varies. However, as first pointed out by Kamionkowski and Loeb, a solution lies in making the so-called “Remote Quadrupole Measurements” by analyzing the secondary polarization produced by incoming CMB photons via the Sunyaev-Zel’dovich (SZ) effect. These observations allow us to measure the projected CMB quadrupole at the location and look-back time of a galaxy cluster.At low redshifts, the remote quadrupole is strongly correlated to the CMB anisotropy from our last scattering surface. We provide here a formalism for computing the covariance and relation matrices for both the two-point correlation function on the last scattering surface of a galaxy cluster and the cross correlation of the remote quadrupole with the local CMB. We then calculate these matrices based on a fiducial model and a non-standard model that suppresses power at large angles for ~104 clusters up to z=2. We anticipate to make a priori predictions of the differences between our expectations for the standard and non-standard models. Such an analysis is timely in the wake of the CMB S4 era which will provide us with an extensive SZ cluster catalogue.

  15. 14 CFR 121.503 - Flight time limitations: Pilots: airplanes.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Flight time limitations: Pilots: airplanes... Operations § 121.503 Flight time limitations: Pilots: airplanes. (a) A certificate holder conducting supplemental operations may schedule a pilot to fly in an airplane for eight hours or less during any 24...

  16. 14 CFR 121.503 - Flight time limitations: Pilots: airplanes.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Flight time limitations: Pilots: airplanes... Operations § 121.503 Flight time limitations: Pilots: airplanes. (a) A certificate holder conducting supplemental operations may schedule a pilot to fly in an airplane for eight hours or less during any 24...

  17. 14 CFR 121.503 - Flight time limitations: Pilots: airplanes.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Flight time limitations: Pilots: airplanes... Operations § 121.503 Flight time limitations: Pilots: airplanes. (a) A certificate holder conducting supplemental operations may schedule a pilot to fly in an airplane for eight hours or less during any 24...

  18. 14 CFR 121.503 - Flight time limitations: Pilots: airplanes.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Flight time limitations: Pilots: airplanes... Operations § 121.503 Flight time limitations: Pilots: airplanes. (a) A certificate holder conducting supplemental operations may schedule a pilot to fly in an airplane for eight hours or less during any 24...

  19. 14 CFR 121.503 - Flight time limitations: Pilots: airplanes.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Flight time limitations: Pilots: airplanes... Operations § 121.503 Flight time limitations: Pilots: airplanes. (a) A certificate holder conducting supplemental operations may schedule a pilot to fly in an airplane for eight hours or less during any 24...

  20. Ab initio correlated calculations of rare-gas dimer quadrupoles

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Donchev, Alexander G.

    2007-10-15

    This paper reports ab initio calculations of rare gas (RG=Kr, Ar, Ne, and He) dimer quadrupoles at the second order of Moeller-Plesset perturbation theory (MP2). The study reveals the crucial role of the dispersion contribution to the RG{sub 2} quadrupole in the neighborhood of the equilibrium dimer separation. The magnitude of the dispersion quadrupole is found to be much larger than that predicted by the approximate model of Hunt. As a result, the total MP2 quadrupole moment is significantly smaller than was assumed in virtually all previous related studies. An analytical model for the distance dependence of the RG{sub 2}more » quadrupole is proposed. The model is based on the effective-electron approach of Jansen, but replaces the original Gaussian approximation to the electron density in an RG atom by an exponential one. The role of the nonadditive contribution in RG{sub 3} quadrupoles is discussed.« less

  1. Simulation Training Versus Real Time Console Training for New Flight Controllers

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Heaton, Amanda

    2010-01-01

    For new flight controllers, the two main learning tools are simulations and real time console performance training. These benefit the new flight controllers in different ways and could possibly be improved. Simulations: a) Allow for mistakes without serious consequences. b) Lets new flight controllers learn the working style of other new flight controllers. c) Lets new flight controllers eventually begin to feel like they have mastered the sim world, so therefore they must be competent in the real time world too. Real time: a) Shows new flight controllers some of the unique problems that develop and have to be accounted for when dealing with certain payloads or systems. b) Lets new flight controllers experience handovers - gathering information from the previous shift on what the room needs to be aware of and what still needs to be done. c) Gives new flight controllers confidence that they can succeed in the position they are training for when they can solve real anomalies. How Sims could be improved and more like real-time ops for the ISS Operations Controller position: a) Operations Change Requests to review. b) Fewer anomalies (but still more than real time for practice). c) Payload Planning Manager Handover sheet for the E-1 and E-3 reviews. d) Flight note in system with at least one comment to verify for the E-1 and E-3 reviews How the real time console performance training could be improved for the ISS Operations Controller position: a) Schedule the new flight controller to be on console for four days but with a different certified person each day. This will force them to be the source of knowledge about every OCR in progress, everything that has happened in those few days, and every activity on the timeline. Constellation program flight controllers will have to learn entirely from simulations, thereby losing some of the elements that they will need to have experience with for real time ops. It may help them to practice real time console performance training

  2. Current role of liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry in clinical and forensic toxicology.

    PubMed

    Maurer, Hans H

    2007-08-01

    This paper reviews multi-analyte single-stage and tandem liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) procedures using different mass analyzers (quadrupole, ion trap, time-of-flight) for screening, identification, and/or quantification of drugs, poisons, and/or their metabolites in blood, plasma, serum, or urine published after 2004. Basic information about the biosample assayed, work-up, LC column, mobile phase, ionization type, mass spectral detection mode, and validation data of each procedure is summarized in tables. The following analytes are covered: drugs of abuse, analgesics, opioids, sedative-hypnotics, benzodiazepines, antidepressants including selective-serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), herbal phenalkylamines (ephedrines), oral antidiabetics, antiarrhythmics and other cardiovascular drugs, antiretroviral drugs, toxic alkaloids, quaternary ammonium drugs and herbicides, and dialkylphosphate pesticides. The pros and cons of the reviewed procedures are critically discussed, particularly, the need for studies on matrix effects, selectivity, analyte stability, and the use of stable-isotope labeled internal standards instead of unlabeled therapeutic drugs. In conclusion, LC-MS will probably become a gold standard for detection of very low concentrations particularly in alternative matrices and for quantification in clinical and forensic toxicology. However, some drawbacks still need to be addressed and finally overcome.

  3. Time-of-Flight Adjustment Procedure for Acoustic Measurements in Structural Timber

    Treesearch

    Danbiel F. Llana; Guillermo Iñiguez-Gonzalez; Francisco Arriaga; Xiping Wang

    2016-01-01

    The effect of timber length on time-of-flight acoustic longitudinal measurements was investigated on the structural timber of four Spanish species: radiata pine (Pinus radiata D. Don), Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.), laricio pine (Pinus nigra Arn.), and maritime pine (Pinus pinaster Ait.). Time-of-flight longitudinal measurements were conducted on 120 specimens of...

  4. Rapid and sensitive analysis of multiple bioactive constituents in tripterygium glycosides tablets using liquid chromatography coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Su, Meng-xiang; Zhou, Wen-di; Lan, Juan; Di, Bin; Hang, Tai-jun

    2015-03-01

    A simultaneous determination method based on liquid chromatography coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry was developed for the analysis of 11 bioactive constituents in tripterygium glycosides tablets, an immune and inflammatory prescription used in China. The analysis was fully optimized on a 1.8 μm particle size C18 column with linear gradient elution, permitting good separation of the 11 analytes and two internal standards in 21 min. The quantitation of each target constituent was carried out using the narrow window extracted ion chromatograms with a ±l0 ppm extraction window, yielding good linearity (r(2) > 0.996) with a linear range of 10-1000 ng/mL. The limits of quantitation were low ranging from 0.25 to 5.02 ng/mL for the 11 analytes, and the precisions and repeatability were better than 1.6 and 5.3%, respectively. The acceptable recoveries obtained were in the range of 93.4-107.4%. This proposed method was successfully applied to quantify the 11 bioactive constituents in commercial samples produced by nine pharmaceutical manufacturers to profile the quality of these preparations. The overall results demonstrate that the contents of the 11 bioactive constituents in different samples were in great diversity, therefore, the quality, clinical safety, and efficacy of this drug needs further research and evaluation. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  5. Klystron having electrostatic quadrupole focusing arrangement

    DOEpatents

    Maschke, Alfred W.

    1983-08-30

    A klystron includes a source for emitting at least one electron beam, and an accelerator for accelarating the beam in a given direction through a number of drift tube sections successively aligned relative to one another in the direction of the beam. A number of electrostatic quadrupole arrays are successively aligned relative to one another along at least one of the drift tube sections in the beam direction for focusing the electron beam. Each of the electrostatic quadrupole arrays forms a different quadrupole for each electron beam. Two or more electron beams can be maintained in parallel relationship by the quadrupole arrays, thereby enabling space charge limitations encountered with conventional single beam klystrons to be overcome.

  6. Klystron having electrostatic quadrupole focusing arrangement

    DOEpatents

    Maschke, A.W.

    1983-08-30

    A klystron includes a source for emitting at least one electron beam, and an accelerator for accelerating the beam in a given direction through a number of drift tube sections successively aligned relative to one another in the direction of the beam. A number of electrostatic quadrupole arrays are successively aligned relative to one another along at least one of the drift tube sections in the beam direction for focusing the electron beam. Each of the electrostatic quadrupole arrays forms a different quadrupole for each electron beam. Two or more electron beams can be maintained in parallel relationship by the quadrupole arrays, thereby enabling space charge limitations encountered with conventional single beam klystrons to be overcome. 4 figs.

  7. Use of recombinantly produced 15N3-labelled nicotianamine for fast and sensitive stable isotope dilution ultra-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Schmidt, Holger; Böttcher, Christoph; Trampczynska, Aleksandra; Clemens, Stephan

    2011-01-01

    Nicotianamine (NA) is an important metal chelator, implicated in the intra- and intercellular trafficking of several transition metal ions in plants. To decipher its roles in physiological processes such as micronutrient acquisition, distribution or storage, fast and sensitive analytical techniques for quantification of this non-proteinogenic amino acid will be required. The use of a recombinant Schizosaccharomyces pombe strain expressing a nicotianamine synthase (NAS) gene allowed for the production of [(15)N(3)]-NA, which was enriched from cell extracts through cation exchange and used for stable isotope dilution analysis of NA. Such an approach should be widely applicable to important bioanalytes that are difficult to synthesize. The analytical procedure comprises mild aqueous extraction and rapid Fmoc derivatization, followed by fast separation using ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) and sensitive detection by positive ion electrospray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (ESI-TOF-MS) with a chromatographic cycle time of only 8 min. Derivatization was optimized with respect to incubation time and species suitable for quantification. The limit of detection was 0.14 to 0.23 pmol in biological matrices with the response being linear up to 42 pmol. Recovery rates were between 83% and 104% in various biological matrices including fission yeast cells, fungal mycelium, plant leaves and roots.

  8. Ion mobility analyzer - quadrupole mass spectrometer system design

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cuna, C.; Leuca, M.; Lupsa, N.; Mirel, V.; Bocos-Bintintan, V.; Cuna, Stela; Cosma, V.; Tusa, Florina

    2009-08-01

    Because of their extremely high sensitivity for chemicals with elevated electronegativity or high proton affinity the ion mobility analysers are ideal for the ultra-trace detection of toxic or explosive chemicals, most of these situated often at concentration levels of sub-ppb (parts-per-billion). Ion mobility spectrometers (IMS) can be used to identify illicit drugs or environmental pollutants. Since resolution of an IMS is relatively low, to achieve an accurate identification of target analyte it is recommended to couple the IMS with a quadrupole mass spectrometer (QMS) or a time of flight mass spectrometer, acquiring in this way confirmatory information. This coupling is made through a specific interface. In this paper, an experimental model of such a tandem instrument, IMS-QMS is described. Accomplishment of this general purpose will be done, overcoming a series of specific issues. This implies the solving, using innovative solutions, of a series of complex issues: ensuring the stability of the ions beam generated by ion source; transfer with a good efficiency of the ionic current from IMS analyser to QMS; and realization of a special electronic circuitry which will be able to detect both positive and negative ions.

  9. Velocity-space sensitivity of the time-of-flight neutron spectrometer at JET

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Jacobsen, A. S., E-mail: Ajsen@fysik.dtu.dk; Salewski, M.; Korsholm, S. B.

    2014-11-15

    The velocity-space sensitivities of fast-ion diagnostics are often described by so-called weight functions. Recently, we formulated weight functions showing the velocity-space sensitivity of the often dominant beam-target part of neutron energy spectra. These weight functions for neutron emission spectrometry (NES) are independent of the particular NES diagnostic. Here we apply these NES weight functions to the time-of-flight spectrometer TOFOR at JET. By taking the instrumental response function of TOFOR into account, we calculate time-of-flight NES weight functions that enable us to directly determine the velocity-space sensitivity of a given part of a measured time-of-flight spectrum from TOFOR.

  10. The utility of ultra-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry for multi-residue determination of pesticides in strawberry.

    PubMed

    Taylor, Michael J; Keenan, George A; Reid, Kirsty B; Fernández, Diana Uría

    2008-09-01

    The utility of ultra-performance liquid chromatography/orthogonal-acceleration time-of flight mass spectrometry (UPLC/TOFMS) for the rapid qualitative and quantitative analysis of 100 pesticides targeted in strawberry was assessed by comparing results with those obtained using a validated in-house UPLC tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) multi-residue method. Crude extracts from retail strawberry samples received as part of the 2007 annual UK pesticide residues in food surveillance programme were screened for the presence of pesticide residues using UPLC/TOFMS. Accurate mass measurement of positive and negative ions allowed their extraction following 'full mass range data acquisition' with negligible interference from background or co-eluting species observed during UPLC gradient separation (in a cycle time of just 6.5 min per run). Extracted ion data was used to construct calibration curves and to detect and identify any incurred residues (i.e. pesticides incorporated in or on the test material following application during cultivation, harvest and storage). Calibration using matrix-matched standards was performed over a narrow concentration range of 0.005-0.04 mg kg(-1) with determination coefficients (r2) > or =0.99 for all analytes with the exception of malathion/fenarimol/fludioxanil (r2 = 0.98), quassia/pymetrazine (r2 = 0.97) and fenthion sulfone (r2 = 0.95). Residues found in selected samples ranged from 0.025-0.28 mg kg(-1) and were in excellent agreement with results obtained using UPLC/MS/MS. Mass measurement accuracies of < or =5 ppm were achieved consistently throughout the separation, mass range and concentration range of interest thus providing the opportunity to obtain discrete elemental compositions of target ions.

  11. Characterization of the limonene oxidation products with liquid chromatography coupled to the tandem mass spectrometry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Witkowski, Bartłomiej; Gierczak, Tomasz

    2017-04-01

    Composition of the secondary organic aerosol (SOA) generated during ozonolysis of limonene was investigated with liquid chromatography coupled to the negative electrospray ionization (ESI), quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) as well as high resolution Time-of-Flight mass spectrometry. Aerosol was generated in the flow-tube reactor. HR-MS/MS analysis allowed for proposing structures for the several up-to-date unknown limonene oxidation products. In addition to the low MW limonene oxidation products, significant quantities of oligomers characterized by elemental compositions: C19H30O5, C18H28O6, C19H28O7, C19H30O7 and C20H34O9 were detected in the SOA samples. It was concluded that these compounds are most likely esters, aldol reaction products and/or hemiacetals. In addition to detailed study of the limonene oxidation products, the reaction time as well as initial ozone concentration impact on the limonene SOA composition was investigated. The relative intensities of the two esters of the limonic acid and 7-hydroxy limononic acid increased as a result of lowering the initial ozone concentration and shortening the reaction time, indicating that esterification may be an important oligomerization pathway during limonene SOA formation.

  12. Neutron Spectroscopy for pulsed beams with frame overlap using a double time-of-flight technique

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Harrig, K. P.; Goldblum, B. L.; Brown, J. A.; Bleuel, D. L.; Bernstein, L. A.; Bevins, J.; Harasty, M.; Laplace, T. A.; Matthews, E. F.

    2018-01-01

    A new double time-of-flight (dTOF) neutron spectroscopy technique has been developed for pulsed broad spectrum sources with a duty cycle that results in frame overlap, where fast neutrons from a given pulse overtake slower neutrons from previous pulses. Using a tunable beam at the 88-Inch Cyclotron at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, neutrons were produced via thick-target breakup of 16 MeV deuterons on a beryllium target in the cyclotron vault. The breakup spectral shape was deduced from a dTOF measurement using an array of EJ-309 organic liquid scintillators. Simulation of the neutron detection efficiency of the scintillator array was performed using both GEANT4 and MCNP6. The efficiency-corrected spectral shape was normalized using a foil activation technique to obtain the energy-dependent flux of the neutron beam at zero degrees with respect to the incoming deuteron beam. The dTOF neutron spectrum was compared to spectra obtained using HEPROW and GRAVEL pulse height spectrum unfolding techniques. While the unfolding and dTOF results exhibit some discrepancies in shape, the integrated flux values agree within two standard deviations. This method obviates neutron time-of-flight spectroscopy challenges posed by pulsed beams with frame overlap and opens new opportunities for pulsed white neutron source facilities.

  13. Presence of 3d quadrupole moment in LaTiO3 studied by 47,49Ti NMR.

    PubMed

    Kiyama, Takashi; Itoh, Masayuki

    2003-10-17

    47,49Ti NMR spectra of LaTiO3 are reexamined and the orbital state of this compound is discussed. The NMR spectra of LaTiO3 taken at 1.5 K under zero external field indicate a large nuclear quadrupole splitting. This splitting is ascribed to the presence of the rather large quadrupole moment of 3d electrons at Ti sites, suggesting that the orbital liquid model proposed for LaTiO3 is inappropriate. The NMR spectra are well explained by the orbital ordering model expressed approximately as 1/square root of 3(d(xy)+d(yz)+d(zx)) originating from a crystal field effect. It is also shown that most of the orbital moment is quenched.

  14. Systematic Analysis of Absorbed Anti-Inflammatory Constituents and Metabolites of Sarcandra glabra in Rat Plasma Using Ultra-High-Pressure Liquid Chromatography Coupled with Linear Trap Quadrupole Orbitrap Mass Spectrometry

    PubMed Central

    Li, Xiong; Zhao, Jin; Liu, Jianxing; Li, Geng; Zhao, Ya; Zeng, Xing

    2016-01-01

    Ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography (UHPLC) was coupled with linear ion trap quadrupole Orbitrap mass spectrometry (LTQ-Orbitrap) and was used for the first time to systematically analyze the absorbed components and metabolites in rat plasma after oral administration of the water extract of Sarcandra glabra. This extract is a well-known Chinese herbal medicine for the treatment of inflammation and immunity related diseases. The anti-inflammatory activities of the absorbed components were evaluated by measuring nitric oxide (NO) production and proinflammatory genes expression in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated murine RAW 264.7 macrophages. As a result, 54 components in Sarcandra glabra were detected in dosed rat plasma, and 36 of them were positively identified. Moreover, 23 metabolites were characterized and their originations were traced. Furthermore, 20 of the 24 studied components showed anti-inflammatory activities. These results provide evidence that this method efficiency detected constituents in plasma based on the anti-inflammatory mechanism of multiple components and would be a useful technique for screening multiple targets for natural medicine research. PMID:26974321

  15. Systematic Analysis of Absorbed Anti-Inflammatory Constituents and Metabolites of Sarcandra glabra in Rat Plasma Using Ultra-High-Pressure Liquid Chromatography Coupled with Linear Trap Quadrupole Orbitrap Mass Spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Li, Xiong; Zhao, Jin; Liu, Jianxing; Li, Geng; Zhao, Ya; Zeng, Xing

    2016-01-01

    Ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography (UHPLC) was coupled with linear ion trap quadrupole Orbitrap mass spectrometry (LTQ-Orbitrap) and was used for the first time to systematically analyze the absorbed components and metabolites in rat plasma after oral administration of the water extract of Sarcandra glabra. This extract is a well-known Chinese herbal medicine for the treatment of inflammation and immunity related diseases. The anti-inflammatory activities of the absorbed components were evaluated by measuring nitric oxide (NO) production and proinflammatory genes expression in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated murine RAW 264.7 macrophages. As a result, 54 components in Sarcandra glabra were detected in dosed rat plasma, and 36 of them were positively identified. Moreover, 23 metabolites were characterized and their originations were traced. Furthermore, 20 of the 24 studied components showed anti-inflammatory activities. These results provide evidence that this method efficiency detected constituents in plasma based on the anti-inflammatory mechanism of multiple components and would be a useful technique for screening multiple targets for natural medicine research.

  16. Testing the time-of-flight model for flagellar length sensing.

    PubMed

    Ishikawa, Hiroaki; Marshall, Wallace F

    2017-11-07

    Cilia and flagella are microtubule-based organelles that protrude from the surface of most cells, are important to the sensing of extracellular signals, and make a driving force for fluid flow. Maintenance of flagellar length requires an active transport process known as intraflagellar transport (IFT). Recent studies reveal that the amount of IFT injection negatively correlates with the length of flagella. These observations suggest that a length-dependent feedback regulates IFT. However, it is unknown how cells recognize the length of flagella and control IFT. Several theoretical models try to explain this feedback system. We focused on one of the models, the "time-of-flight" model, which measures the length of flagella on the basis of the travel time of IFT protein in the flagellar compartment. We tested the time-of-flight model using Chlamydomonas dynein mutant cells, which show slower retrograde transport speed. The amount of IFT injection in dynein mutant cells was higher than that in control cells. This observation does not support the prediction of the time-of-flight model and suggests that Chlamydomonas uses another length-control feedback system rather than that described by the time-of-flight model. © 2017 Ishikawa and Marshall. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). Two months after publication it is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

  17. Real time digital propulsion system simulation for manned flight simulators

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mihaloew, J. R.; Hart, C. E.

    1978-01-01

    A real time digital simulation of a STOL propulsion system was developed which generates significant dynamics and internal variables needed to evaluate system performance and aircraft interactions using manned flight simulators. The simulation ran at a real-to-execution time ratio of 8.8. The model was used in a piloted NASA flight simulator program to evaluate the simulation technique and the propulsion system digital control. The simulation is described and results shown. Limited results of the flight simulation program are also presented.

  18. Field measurements of methylglyoxal using Proton Transfer Reaction-Time of flight-Mass Spectrometry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dusanter, S.; Michoud, V.; Sauvage, S.; Leonardis, T.; Locoge, N.

    2017-12-01

    Methylglyoxal (MGLY) is an atmospheric α-dicarbonyl species whose photolysis is an important source of peroxy radicals. MGLY can therefore significantly impact the oxidizing capacity of the atmosphere and, as such, the formation rate of organic aerosols and ozone. However, despite its importance, only a few techniques exhibit time resolutions and detection limits that are suitable for atmospheric measurements. This presentation will report the first field measurements of MGLY by Proton Transfer Reaction-Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (PTR-ToFMS) performed during ChArMEx SOP2. This field campaign took place during summer 2013 at a Mediterranean site characterized by intense biogenic emissions and low levels of anthropogenic trace gases. Concomitant measurements of MGLY were performed using the 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH) derivatization technique and High Performance Liquide Chromatography (HPLC) with UV detection. PTR-ToFMS and DNPH-HPLC measurements ranging from 28-365 pptv are compared to assess the reliability of the two techniques, discussing potential calibration issues, spectrometric interferences, water-dependant artefacts, and memory effects. The MGLY budget at this remote site will also be briefly discussed.

  19. 14 CFR 121.519 - Flight time limitations: Deadhead transportation: airplanes.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Flight time limitations: Deadhead transportation: airplanes. 121.519 Section 121.519 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION... Limitations: Supplemental Operations § 121.519 Flight time limitations: Deadhead transportation: airplanes...

  20. 14 CFR 121.519 - Flight time limitations: Deadhead transportation: airplanes.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Flight time limitations: Deadhead transportation: airplanes. 121.519 Section 121.519 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION... Limitations: Supplemental Operations § 121.519 Flight time limitations: Deadhead transportation: airplanes...