Simultaneous determination of selected veterinary antibiotics in gilthead seabream (Sparus Aurata) by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry

A method was optimised and validated for simultaneous monitoring of several drugs of different classes of antibiotics such as quinolones (oxilinic acid and flumequine), tetracyclines (oxytetracycline), sulfonamides (sulfadiazine) and trimethoprim in fish muscle and skin. The method is based on solid-liquid extraction without further sample clean up followed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) determination with electrospray ion source (ESI) in positive mode. The limits of quantification (LOQs) were lower than 20 microg/kg for all compounds and repeatability, expressed as relative standard deviations (RSD), were lower than 15%. Therefore, the LC-MS method was successfully applied for the quantitative determination of antibiotics in gilthead sea bream muscle and skin and oxytetracycline in medicated fishes.     

Decision tree-driven tandem mass spectrometry for shotgun proteomics

Mass spectrometry has become a key technology for modern large-scale protein sequencing. Tandem mass spectrometry, the process of peptide ion dissociation followed by mass-to-charge ratio (m/z) analysis, is the critical component for peptide identification. Recent advances in mass spectrometry now permit two discrete, and complementary, types of peptide ion fragmentation: collision-activated dissociation (CAD) and electron transfer dissociation (ETD) on a single instrument. To exploit this complementarity and increase sequencing success rates, we designed and embedded a data-dependent decision tree algorithm (DT) to make unsupervised, real-time decisions of which fragmentation method to use based on precursor charge and m/z. Applying the DT to large-scale proteome analyses of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and human embryonic stem cells, we identified 53,055 peptides in total, which was greater than by using CAD (38,293) or ETD (39,507) alone. In addition, the DT method also identified 7,422 phosphopeptides, compared to either 2,801 (CAD) or 5,874 (ETD) phosphopeptides.     

Confirmation of oxytetracycline, tetracycline and chlortetracycline residues in milk by particle beam liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry.

A method using particle beam liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry was developed for the confirmation of oxytetracycline, tetracycline and chlortetracycline residues in bovine milk. This method is one of the first to apply particle beam technology to the confirmation of animal drug residues in food products for regulatory purposes. The milk is centrifuged, using molecular weight cut-off filters to remove components of 25,000 daltons and above from the milk. The filtrate is passed through a C-18 sample preparation cartridge which retains the tetracyclines. After the columns are washed with water, the tetracyclines are eluted with 0.1 M oxalic acid in methanol and concentrated. The compounds are separated on a Novapak C-18 column with a methanol-oxalic acid-acetonitrile mobile phase. Negative chemical ionization with selective ion monitoring is used to identify the tetracyclines. The procedure was used to confirm the presence of each tetracycline at 100 ng ml-1 in fortified and incurred milk samples.     

Confirmatory assay for the determination of tetracyline, oxytetracycline, chlortetracycline and its isomers in muscle and kidney using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry

A confirmatory method is described for the determination of tetracycline, oxytetracycline and chlortetracycline in muscle and kidney using liquid chromatography-atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation spectrometry. The tetracyclines were extracted from tissue using glycine-HCl buffer and concentrated using solid-phase extraction. HPLC separation was carried out using a gradient and the tetracyclines were detected using a bench-top-LC-MS system. Several ions could be monitored for each tetracycline, allowing ion ratio measurements to be made. The detection limits for the assay were in the region of 10 ng/g in muscle and 20 ng/g in kidney. Validation was carried out at the maximum residue limit, the maximum residue limit and two times the maximum residue limit. The formation of epimers and tautomers of the tetracyclines, their presence incurred mtissues and difficulties in their accurate quantitation is discussed.     

Hydroxyl negative chemical ionization mass spectrometry linked with collisionally activated decomposition. A modern analytical tool in inborn errors of metabolism

Two kinds of inborn errors of metabolism, dicarboxylic aciduria and hyperoxaluria, have been studied by means of hydroxyl negative ion chemical ionization [NICI(OH-)], linked with collisionally activated decomposition experiments on the [M-H]- species of the pathognomonic organic acids. This method has led to non-controversial qualitative determinations of C4-C10 dicarboxylic acids and oxalic, glyceric and glyoxylic acids. NICI(OH-) linked with collisionally activated decomposition mass analysed ion kinetic energy spectrometry (CAD MIKES) is proposed herein for diagnostic purposes, as a valid mass spectrometric alternative to standard gas chromatographic/mass spectrometric analysis. The procedure is characterized by simplified sample treatment and by fast execution.     

土霉素残留对蔬菜发酵过程微生物群落演替及代谢产物的影响

【目的】探究土霉素残留对蔬菜自然发酵过程中微生物群落演替和代谢产物动力学的影响,为评估抗生素残留对蔬菜发酵的影响提供理论基础。【方法】超高效液相色谱-串联质谱法测定土霉素残留;高效液相色谱法测定有机酸、电子鼻和气相色谱-质谱联用测定挥发性成分和高通量技术测定微生物种类。【结果】蔬菜自然发酵过程中,土霉素残留从4.00 mg/L下降到2.53 mg/L;不含抗生素残留的蔬菜发酵含有同型和异型乳酸发酵,而土霉素残留的蔬菜发酵仅含有同型乳酸发酵;同时,其特征微生物由Lactobacillus pentosus和Lactobacillus plantarum转变为Lactobacillus paratarrginis、Lactobacillus buchneri和Lactobacillus kisonensis;土霉素残留明显影响了乳酸、柠檬酸、乙酸、香茅醇、3-辛醇、异硫氰酸烯丙酯、乙酸香叶酯、乙烯基硬脂醚和异硫氰酸苯乙酯等代谢产物的含量。【结论】土霉素残留影响了蔬菜乳酸发酵的类型、微生物群落的演替、有机酸和挥发性化合物的形成过程,因此应将抗生素残留纳入发酵蔬菜原料的质量控制指标。     

Improvement of chemical analysis of antibiotics: XXIII. Identification of residual tetracyclines in bovine tissues by electrospray high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

To reliably identify the residual tetracycline antibiotics (TCs), oxytetracycline (OTC), tetracycline, chlortetracycline (CTC) and doxycycline (DC), in bovine tissues, we have established a confirmation method using electrospray ionization liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (ESI LC–MS–MS) with daughter ion scan. All TCs gave [M+H−NH₃]⁺ and [M+H−NH₃−H₂O]⁺ as the product ions, except for DC when [M+H]⁺ was selected as the precursor ion. The combination of C₁₈ cartridge clean-up and the present ESI LC–MS–MS method can reliably identify TCs fortified at a concentration of 0.1 ppm in bovine tissues, including liver, kidney and muscle, and has been successfully applied to the identification of residual OTC in bovine liver and residual CTC in bovine muscle samples previously found at concentrations of 0.58 ppm and 0.38 ppm by LC, respectively.     

Analysis of veterinary drug residues in shrimp: a multi-class method by liquid chromatography-quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometry

A liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) method was developed to screen and confirm veterinary drug residues in raw shrimp meat. This method simultaneously monitors 18 drugs of different classes, including oxytetracycline (OTC), sulfonamides, quinolones, cationic dyes, and toltrazuril sulfone (TOLS). The homogenized shrimp meat is extracted with 5% trichloroacetic acid. The extract is further cleaned using polymer-based SPE. A 50 mm phenyl column separates the analytes, prior to analysis with an ion trap mass spectrometer interfaced with an atmospheric pressure chemical ionization source. This method is able to confirm oxytetracycline residues at 200 ng/g, toltrazuril sulfone at 50 ng/g, sulfaquinoxaline at 20 ng/g, and the other 15 drugs at 10 ng/g or lower levels. An estimate of the level of residues can also be made so that only confirmed samples above action levels will be sent for quantitation. The method is validated with both fortified and incurred samples, using multiple shrimp species as well. This multi-class method can provide a means to simultaneously monitor for a wide range of illegal drug residues in shrimp.     

Preliminary assays to elucidate the structure of oxytetracycline’s degradation products in sediments: Determination of natural tetracyclines by high-performance liquid chromatography–fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry

A very specific high-performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometric method for the determination of natural tetracyclines was developed in order to characterise the degradation products of oxytetracycline in sediments. First, extraction used a clean up step with a Bond Elut Certify^® LRC cartridge. A 3 μm Spherisorb^® ODS1 column was then used with a methanol, acetonitrile and oxalic acid mobile phase gradient. Chromatographic resolution in these conditions was 3.31 between oxytetracycline and tetracycline. Two liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry methodologies based on a particle beam and a frit fast atom bombardment interface were developed. In the first approach, ionisation was performed in the negative chemical mode using methane as reacting gas. In the other case, glycerol–thioglycerol mixture was used as matrix to ensure good sensitivity. MS–MS experiment was performed to determinate oxytetracycline fragmentation pattern in the perspective of degradation product study.     

Improvement of chemical analysis of antibiotics: XXIII. Identification of residual tetracyclines in bovine tissues by electrospray high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

To reliably identify the residual tetracycline antibiotics (TCs), oxytetracycline (OTC), tetracycline, chlortetracycline (CTC) and doxycycline (DC), in bovine tissues, we have established a confirmation method using electrospray ionization liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (ESI LC–MS–MS) with daughter ion scan. All TCs gave [M+H−NH₃]⁺ and [M+H−NH₃−H₂O]⁺ as the product ions, except for DC when [M+H]⁺ was selected as the precursor ion. The combination of C₁₈ cartridge clean-up and the present ESI LC–MS–MS method can reliably identify TCs fortified at a concentration of 0.1 ppm in bovine tissues, including liver, kidney and muscle, and has been successfully applied to the identification of residual OTC in bovine liver and residual CTC in bovine muscle samples previously found at concentrations of 0.58 ppm and 0.38 ppm by LC, respectively.     

Fast atom bombardment and collisional activation mass spectrometry of retinyl phosphate mannose synthesized by liver membranes

Fast atom bombardment (FAB) and collisional activation dissociation (CAD) mass-analysed ion kinetic energy (MIKE) spectra have confirmed the structures of retinyl phosphate (Ret-P), retinyl phosphate mannose (Ret-P-Man) and guanosine 5'-diphospho-D-mannose (GDP-Man). Ret-P-Man was made in vitro while Ret-P and GDP-Man were chemically synthesized. Positive ion FAB mass spectrometry of Ret-P showed an observable short-lived spectrum with a mass ion at m/z 367 [M + H]+, and a major fragment ion at m/z 269 [M + H - H3PO4]+. Negative ion FAB mass spectrometry of Ret-P showed a strong stable spectrum with a parent ion at m/z 365 [M - H]-, a glycerol (G) adduct ion at m/z 457 [M - H + G]- and a dimer ion at m/z 731 [2M - H]-. GDP-Man showed an intense spectrum with parent ion at m/z 604 [M - H]- and cationized species at m/z 626 [M + Na - 2H]- and 648 [M + 2Na - 3H]-. Negative ion FAB mass spectrometry of Ret-P-Man showed a parent ion at m/z 527 [M - H]- and a fragment ion at m/z 259 [C6H12PO9]-. The CAD-MIKE spectra showed structurally significant fragment ions at m/z 442 and 361 for the [M - H]- ion of GDP-Man, and at m/z 509, 406, 364 and 241 for the [M - H]- ion of Ret-P-Man. FAB and CAD-MIKE spectra have been applied successfully to confirm the structure of Ret-P-Man made in vitro from Ret-P and GDP-Man.     

Equilibrium and kinetic studies on the interaction of tetracyclines with calcium and magnesium

The interaction of Ca2+ and Mg2+ with three Tetracycline antibiotics (tetracycline, chlorotetracycline, and oxytetracycline) has been investigated. Spectrophotometric measurements have been used to determine the apparent association constant for this interaction as a function of pH. It is shown that the results are consistent with a model in which the metal ion can form complexes with both the fully-deprotonated and mono-protonated forms of the Tetracycline. The temperature-jump relaxation method has been used to measure the kinetics of formation of the complexes of Mg2+ with the Tetracyclines. The results are compared with those of previous studies of Mg2+ complex formation reactions and it is shown that the data is consistent with the normal dissociative model. A possible role for metal ion chelation in the mechanism of antibacterial action of the Tetracyclines is discussed.     

Determination of oxytetracycline by flow injection with chemiluminescence detection.

A flow-injection chemiluminescent method for the determination of oxytetracycline was developed. The method is based on an enhancement by oxytetracycline of the chemiluminescence light emission of tris(2,2'-bipyridine) ruthenium (II), generated by the continuous oxidation of tris(2,2'-bipyridine) ruthenium (II) by cerium (IV) sulphate in sulphuric acid. Under the optimum conditions, the calibration curve was linear over the range 1.0 x 10(-7)-1.0 x 10(-5) g/mL for oxytetracycline with the linear equation: DeltaINT = 148.77 x C + 0.6637 (R2 = 0.9994). The detection limit was 4.52 x 10(-8) g/mL. The proposed method was also successfully used to determine oxytetracycline in pharmaceutical formulations. The mean recovery of determination of oxytetracycline was 92.73%. A mechanism for the chemiluminescence enhancement by oxytetracycline of tris(2,2'-bipyridine)-ruthenium (II) and cerium (IV) sulphate system is also proposed.     

The utility of ETD mass spectrometry in proteomic analysis

Mass spectrometry has played an integral role in the identification of proteins and their post-translational modifications (PTM). However, analysis of some PTMs, such as phosphorylation, sulfonation, and glycosylation, is difficult with collision-activated dissociation (CAD) since the modification is labile and preferentially lost over peptide backbone fragmentation, resulting in little to no peptide sequence information. The presence of multiple basic residues also makes peptides exceptionally difficult to sequence by conventional CAD mass spectrometry. Here we review the utility of electron transfer dissociation (ETD) mass spectrometry for sequence analysis of post-translationally modified and/or highly basic peptides. Phosphorylated, sulfonated, glycosylated, nitrosylated, disulfide bonded, methylated, acetylated, and highly basic peptides have been analyzed by CAD and ETD mass spectrometry. CAD fragmentation typically produced spectra showing limited peptide backbone fragmentation. However, when these peptides were fragmented using ETD, peptide backbone fragmentation produced a complete or almost complete series of ions and thus extensive peptide sequence information. In addition, labile PTMs remained intact. These examples illustrate the utility of ETD as an advantageous tool in proteomic research by readily identifying peptides resistant to analysis by CAD. A further benefit is the ability to analyze larger, non-tryptic peptides, allowing for the detection of multiple PTMs within the context of one another.     

Mass spectrometry of peptides and proteins

This tutorial article introduces mass spectrometry (MS) for peptide fragmentation and protein identification. The current approaches being used for protein identification include top-down and bottom-up sequencing. Top-down sequencing, a relatively new approach that involves fragmenting intact proteins directly, is briefly introduced. Bottom-up sequencing, a traditional approach that fragments peptides in the gas phase after protein digestion, is discussed in more detail. The most widely used ion activation and dissociation process, gas-phase collision-activated dissociation (CAD), is discussed from a practical point of view. Infrared multiphoton dissociation (IRMPD) and electron capture dissociation (ECD) are introduced as two alternative dissociation methods. For spectral interpretation, the common fragment ion types in peptide fragmentation and their structures are introduced; the influence of instrumental methods on the fragmentation pathways and final spectra are discussed. A discussion is also provided on the complications in sample preparation for MS analysis. The final section of this article provides a brief review of recent research efforts on different algorithmic approaches being developed to improve protein identification searches.     

Collisionally activated dissociation and infrared multiphoton dissociation of oligonucleotides in a quadrupole ion trap

Infrared multiphoton dissociation (IRMPD) of deprotonated and protonated oligonucleotides ranging from 5 to 40 residues has been performed in a quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometer at normal operating pressure and temperature. Only moderate exposure times and laser powers were required to achieve efficient dissociation. In general, IRMPD and collisionally activated dissociation (CAD) produce comparable sequencing information, indicating that IRMPD is a viable alternative to CAD for oligonucleotide analysis in the quadrupole ion trap. Two major characteristics distinguish CAD and IRMPD spectra for a given parent ion. First, structurally uninformative M-B ions that dominate CAD spectra are generally only low-intensity species in IRMPD spectra because nonresonant activation causes these species to dissociate to backbone cleavage products. Second, phosphate and nucleobase ions can be observed directly in IRMPD experiments because the low-mass cutoff can be set to trap small fragment ions. For this reason IRMPD can sometimes facilitate analysis of sequences containing modified bases.     

Liquid chromatographic determination and depletion profile of oxytetracycline in milk after repeated intramuscular administration in sheep

A simple, rapid and specific ion-pair liquid chromatographic method for the routine determination of the marker residue of oxytetracycline in sheep milk, at levels as low as 20 microg/kg, has been developed. Milk samples were acidified and extracted with acetonitrile. The extracts were purified by treatment with ammonium sulphate and concentrated into diluted phosphoric acid. Separation was carried out isocratically on a Nucleosil C(18) column using a mobile phase that contained both positively and negatively charged pairing ions. The in-house validated method gave overall recoveries and overall relative standard deviations better than 86% and 4.6%, respectively. The method was successfully applied to study the depletion of oxytetracycline in sheep milk and to estimate the withdrawal period after intramuscular administration of a commercial oxytetracycline formulation.     

CAD MIKES: a new method for a rapid and unequivocal structural identification of organic acids in biological fluids. A first application to a case of methylmalonic aciduria

A novel application of Collisionally Activated Decomposition Mass analysed Ion Kinetic Energy (CAD MIKE) spectrometry to separation and positive structural identification of urinary methylmalonic acid (MMA) (the pathognomonic compound for the diagnosis of methylmalonic acidurias) is presented. CAD MIKES scans of EI ionic species at m/z 119 ([M + H]+) and m/z 101 ([M-OH]+) have been obtained from a pure standard of MMA and from crude urinary acid fractions. With reference to the procedures employed so far, the advantages of the proposed method lie in fast and simplified sample pretreatment and in a quick non-controversial response to a clinical suspicion of serious, life-threatening inherited metabolic diseases.     

Reversed-phase ion-pair chromatographic analysis of tetracycline antibiotics: Application to discolored teeth

A high-performance liquid chromatographic method with diode array detection was developed to simultaneously separate tetracycline antibiotics and applied to the analysis of discolored teeth. By a reversed-phase ion-pair chromatographic system using pentanesulfonate as a counter ion, minocycline, oxytetracycline, tetracycline and demeclocycline were eluted in this order, and they showed base-line separation within 9 min. When using oxytetracycline as an internal standard, the quantitative ranges were between 2.5 ng/ml and 7.5 μg/ml. Powdered dentine (10 mg) and enamel (40 mg) prepared from discolored primary teeth were sonicated in 0.25 ml of 10 mM HCl containing oxytetracycline (0.75 μg/ml) and 50 mM EDTA-2Na, thereafter the supernatants were chromatographed. Eluates from both discolored tooth samples were identified as minocycline based on diode array spectra of their peaks, while minocycline was not detected in any samples from nondiscolored normal teeth, indicating that discoloration of the tested teeth was due to minocycline incorporated into dentine and enamel. Replicate quantitative analyses of the identical tooth substances showed that intra- and inter-assay C.V.s were 2.63 and 4.95% for dentine, and 5.42 and 10.88% for enamel. Application of the developed method to nine discolored teeth revealed that the incorporated minocycline ranged from 20.13 to 84.62 ng/mg of dentine and 0.89 to 7.87 ng/mg of enamel.     

Improvement of phosphoproteome analyses using FAIMS and decision tree fragmentation. application to the insulin signaling pathway in Drosophila melanogaster S2 cells

This report examines the analytical benefits of high-field asymmetric waveform ion mobility spectrometry (FAIMS) coupled to liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS) for phosphoproteomics analyses. The ability of FAIMS to separate multiply charged peptide ions from chemical interferences confers a unique advantage in phosphoproteomics by enhancing the detection of low abundance phosphopeptides. LC-FAIMS-MS experiments performed on TiO(2)-enriched tryptic digests from Drosophila melanogaster provided a 50% increase in phosphopeptide identification compared to conventional LC-MS analysis. Also, FAIMS can be used to select different population of multiply charged phosphopeptide ions prior to their activation with either collision activated dissociation (CAD) or electron transfer dissociation (ETD). Importantly, FAIMS enabled the resolution of coeluting phosphoisomers of different abundances to facilitate their unambiguous identification using conventional database search engines. The benefits of FAIMS in large-scale phosphoproteomics of D. melanogaster are further investigated using label-free quantitation to identify differentially regulated phosphoproteins in response to insulin stimulation.