• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.196-204
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• 2010

With the completion of genome sequencing of several organisms, attention has been focused to determine the function and functional network of proteins by proteome analysis. The recent techniques of proteomics have been advanced quickly so that the high-throughput and systematic analyses of cellular proteins are enabled in combination with bioinformatics tools. Furthermore, the development of proteomic techniques helps to elucidate the functions of proteins under stress or diseased condition, resulting in the discovery of biomarkers responsible for the biological stimuli. Ultimate goal of proteomics orients toward the entire proteome of life, subcellular localization, biochemical activities, and their regulation. Comprehensive analysis strategies of proteomics can be classified as three categories: (i) protein separation by 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) or liquid chromatography (LC), (ii) protein identification by either Edman sequencing or mass spectrometry (MS), and (iii) quanitation of proteome. Currently MS-based proteomics turns shiftly from qualitative proteome analysis by 2-DE or 2D-LC coupled with off-line matrix assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) and on-line electrospray ionization (ESI) MS, respectively, to quantitative proteome analysis. Some new techniques which include top-down mass spectrometry and tandem affinity purification have emerged. The in vitro quantitative proteomic techniques include differential gel electrophoresis with fluorescence dyes, protein-labeling tagging with isotope-coded affinity tag, and peptide-labeling tagging with isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation. In addition, stable isotope labeled amino acid can be in vivo labeled into live culture cells through metabolic incorporation. MS-based proteomics extends to detect the phosphopeptide mapping of biologically crucial protein known as one of post-translational modification. These complementary proteomic techniques contribute to not only the understanding of basic biological function but also the application to the applied sciences for industry.

• Mass Spectrometry Letters
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.58-83
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• 2022

We developed analytical methods using high performance chromatography (HPLC) and liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) for the simultaneous determination of 80 unapproved compounds in dietary supplements. The target compounds for analysis were unapproved ingredients (e.g., pharmaceuticals) that have potential adverse effects on consumers owing to accidental misuse, overuse, and interaction with other medication in dietary supplement. Two analytical methods were tested to identify the optimal validation results according to AOAC guideline. As a result, limit of quantification (LOQ) was 0.14-0.5 ㎍ mL^-1; linearity (r²) was ≥ 0.99; accuracy (expressed as recovery) was 78.9-114%; precision (relative standard deviation) was ≤ 4.28% in the HPLC method. In the LC-MS/MS method, LOQ was 0.01-2 ng mL^-1, linearity (r²) was ≥0.98, accuracy was 71.7-119%; precision was ≤ 12.5%. The developed methods were applied to 51 dietary supplements collected from 2019 to 2021 through MFDS alert system. Based on our previous monitoring study, major compounds were icariin, sibutramine, yohimbine, sildenafil, tadalafil, sennosides (A, B), cascarosides (A, B, C, D), and phenolphthalein. In this study, we re-analyzed samples of detected compounds, and evaluated the statistical difference using Bland-Altman analysis to compare two analytical approaches between HPLC and LC-MS/MS. These results showed a good agreement between two methods that can be used to monitor the unapproved ingredients in dietary supplements. The developed two methods are complementarily suitable for monitoring the adulteration of 80 unapproved compounds in dietary supplements.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.41 no.5
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• pp.289-294
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• 2011

A rapid and specific high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass (LC/MS/MS) method for the analysis of montelukast in human plasma has been developed and validated. After cold acetonitrile-induced precipitation of the plasma samples, montelukast and glipizide (internal standard, IS) were eluted on a reverse-phase $C_{18}$ column by isocratic mobile phase consisted of 10 mM ammonium formate buffer (adjusted to pH 3.5 with formic acid) and acetonitrile (3:97, v/v). Acquisition was performed with multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode by monitoring the transitions: m/z 587.2${\rightarrow}$ 423.2 for montelukast and m/z 446.0${\rightarrow}$321.2 for IS. Ranges of concentration for calibration curves (10-1000 ng/mL) showed correlation coefficients ($r^2$) were better than 0.9948. Precision of intra- and inter-day ranged from 3.70 to 11.68% and from 3.04 to 12.95%, accuracy of intra-day and inter-day ranged from 93.34 to 102.75% and from 100.79 to 107.63%, respectively. The described method provides a fast and sensitive analytical tool for determining montelukast levels in plasma, and was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study in 16 healthy human subjects after oral administration of 10mg tablet formulation of montelukast sodium under fasting conditions.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.163-172
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• 2019

Methamphetamine (MA) is currently the most abused illicit drug in Korea and its major metabolite is amphetamine (AP). As MA exist as two enantiomers with the different pharmacological properties, it is necessary to determine their respective amounts in a sample. Thus a chiral stationary phase liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric (LC-MS/MS) method was developed for identification and quantification of d-MA, l-MA, d-AP, and l-AP in human urine. Urine sample ($200{\mu}L$) was diluted with pure water and purified using solid-phase extraction (SPE) cartridge. A $5-{\mu}L$ aliquot of SPE treated sample solution was injected into LC-MS/MS system. Chiral separation was carried out on the Astec Chirobiotic V2 column with an isocratic elution for each enantiomer. Identification and quantification of enantiomeric MA and AP was performed using multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) detection mode. Linear regression with a $1/x^2$ as the weighting factor was applied to generate a calibration curve. The linear ranges were 25-1000 ng/mL for all compounds. The intra- and inter-day precisions were within 3.6 %, while the intra- and inter-day accuracies ranged from -5.4 % to 11.8 %. The limits of detection were 2.5 ng/mL (d-MA), 3.5 ng/mL (l-MA), 7.5 ng/mL (d-AP), and 7.5 ng/mL (l-AP). Method validation parameters such as selectivity, matrix effect, and stability were evaluated and met acceptance criteria. The applicability of the method was tested by the analysis of genuine forensic urine samples from drug abusers. d-MA is the most common compound found in urine and mainly used by abusers.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.25-32
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• 2012

Isotope dilution mass spectrometry (ID-MS) based on liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) was developed for the accurate determination of sorbic acid in tea-drink. An isotope analogue of sorbic acid, $^{13}C_2$-sorbic acid, was obtained by custom synthesis. MS was operated in the negative mode with selected reaction monitoring (SRM) mode of $[M-H]^-$ ${\rightarrow}$ $[M-CO_2H]^-$ channel at m/z 111 ${\rightarrow}$ 67 for sorbic acid and at m/z 113 ${\rightarrow}$ 68 for its isotope analogue. Chromatographic separation was accomplished with a C18 column and an isocratic mobile phase of 55% of 50 mM ammonium acetate (pH 4.5) and 45% of methanol. Homogeneous reference materials were prepared for validation of this method, including repeatability and reproducibility tests, by fortifying tea-drink with sorbic acid in our laboratory. Repeatability and reproducibility studies showed that the ID-LC/MS method is a reliable and reproducible method which provides less than 3.8% of relative standard deviation (RSD) for the analysis of sorbic acid.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Clinical Toxicology
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2022

Purpose: In patients with acute drug overdose, identification of drugs ingested is crucial to make a precise diagnosis. In most cases, the diagnoses are made on the medical history and physical examination findings. This study was undertaken to determine the concordance of diagnosis made on the basis of patient history by comparing it with urine toxicology analysis. Methods: This was a retrospective study of drug intoxicated patients over 18 years old who presented to the emergency center from 2017 to 2019. Specimens from urine were tested using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-TMS). The test results were compared with information obtained from patients. Diagnostic concordances for drug detection in intoxicated patients were calculated. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association between clinical characteristics and diagnostic discrepancy. Results: Totally, 370 patients were included in the analysis. Overall, 66 types of drugs were detected by UPLC-TMS. The drugs detected most frequently were zolpidem (104, 27.8%), citalopram (70, 18.7%), and paracetamol (66, 17.6%). The mean diagnostic concordance of patients was 52.7%. There were statistically significant diagnostic discrepancies in patients with underlying depression and patients intoxicated with multiple types of drugs. Conclusion: In ED patients with acute drug overdose, the diagnoses made on history alone were often inaccurate. It is essential to perform urine toxicology tests such as UPLC-TMS as a confirmatory instrument to improve accuracy in evaluating patients with drug intoxication.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.320-328
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• 2017

Yongdamsagan-tang has been used to treat the urinary disorders, acute- and chronic-urethritis, and cystitis in Korea. In this study, an ultra-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-MS/MS) method was established for simultaneous analysis of the 20 bioactive marker compounds, geniposidic acid, chlorogenic acid, geniposide, liquiritin apioside, acteoside, calceolarioside B, liquiritin, nodakenin, baicalin, liquiritigenin, wogonoside, baicalein, glycyrrhizin, wogonin, glycyrrhizin, wogonin, saikosaponin A, decursin, decursinol angelate, alisol B, alisol B acetate, and pachymic acid in traditional herbal formula, Yongdamsagan-tang. Chromatographic separations of all marker compounds were conducted using a Waters Acquity UPLC BEH $C_{18}$ analytical column ($2.1{\times}100mm$, $1.7{\mu}m$) at $45^{\circ}C$ using a mobile phase of 0.1% (v/v) formic acid in water and acetonitrile with gradient elution. The MS analysis was performed using a Waters ACQUITY TQD LC-MS/MS coupled with an electrospray ionization source in the positive and negative modes. The flow rate was 0.3 mL/min and injection volume was $2.0{\mu}L$. The correlation coefficient of 20 marker compounds in the test ranges was 0.9943-1.0000. The limits of detection and quantification values of the all marker components were 0.11-6.66 and 0.34-19.99 ng/mL, respectively. As a result of the analysis using the optimized LC-ESI-MS/MS method, three compounds, geniposidic acid (from Plantaginis Semen), alisol B (from Alismatis Rhizoma), and pachymic acid (from Poria Sclerotium), were not detected in this sample. While the amounts of the 17 compounds except for the geniposidic acid, alisol B, and pachymic acid were $0.04-548.13{\mu}g/g$ in Yongdamsagan-tang sample. Among these compounds, baicalin, bioactive marker compound of Scutellariae Radix, was detected at the highest amount as a $548.13{\mu}g/g$.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.92-101
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• 2016

In this study, an ultra-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-MS/MS) method was established for simultaneous determination of the 25 marker components, including chlorogenic acid, gallic acid, oxypaeoniflorin, homogentisic acid, methyl gallate, caffeic acid, 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde, paeoniflorin, albiflorin, liquiritin, nodakenin, ferulic acid, ginsenoside Rg1, liquiritigenin, coumarin, cinnamic acid, benzoylpaeoniflorin, ginsenoside Rb1, cinnamaldehyde, paeonol, glycyrrhizin, 6-gingerol, evodiamine, rutecarpine, and spicatoside A in traditional Korean formula, Onkyung-tang. All analytes were separated on a Waters Acquity UPLC BEH $C_{18}$ analytical column ($2.1{\times}100mm$, $1.7{\mu}m$) at $45^{\circ}C$ using a mobile phase of 0.1% (v/v) formic acid in water and acetonitrile with gradient elution. The MS analysis was carried out using a Waters ACQUITY TQD LC-MS/MS coupled with an electrospray ionization (ESI) source in the positive and negative modes. The flow rate and injection volume were 0.3 mL/min and $2.0{\mu}L$, respectively. The correlation coefficient of all analytes in the test ranges was greater than 0.98. The limits of detection and quantification values of the 25 marker compounds were in the ranges 0.03-19.43 and 0.09-58.29 ng/mL, respectively. As a result, methyl gallate, 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde, evodiamine, and rutecarpine were not detected in this sample and the concentrations of the 21 compounds except for the above 4 compounds were $33.09-3,496.32{\mu}g/g$ in Onkyung-tang decoction. Among these compounds, paeonol was detected at the highest amount as a $3,496.32{\mu}g/g$.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.205-214
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• 2020

Background: This article aims to compare and analyze the contents of ginsenosides in ginseng of different plant ages from different localities in China. Methods: In this study, 77 fresh ginseng samples aged 2-4 years were collected from 13 different cultivation regions in China. The content of eight ginsenosides (Rg₃, Rc, Rg₁, Rf, Rb₂, Rb₁, Re, and Rd) was determined using rapid resolution liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole-time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (RRLC-Q-TOF MS/MS) to comparatively evaluate the influences of cultivation region and age. Results: Ginsenoside contents differed significantly depending on age and cultivation region. The contents of ginsenosides Re, Rc, Rg₁, Rg₃, and Rf increased with cultivation age, whereas that of ginsenoside Rb₁ peaked in the third year of cultivation. Moreover, the highest ginsenoside content was obtained from Changbai (19.36 mg/g) whereas the lowest content was obtained from Jidong (12.05 mg/g). Ginseng from Jilin Province contained greater total ginsenosides and was richer in ginsenoside Re than ginseng of the same age group in Heilongjiang and Liaoning provinces, where Rb₁ and Rg₁ contents were relatively high. Conclusion: In this study, RRLC-Q-TOF MS/MS was used to analyze ginsenoside contents in 77 ginseng samples aged 2-4 years from different cultivation regions. These patterns of variation in ginsenoside content, which depend on harvesting location and age, could be useful for interested parties to choose ginseng products according to their needs.

• Journal of Biomedical and Translational Research
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.130-139
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• 2018

This study aimed to analyze a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) separation using a pentafluorophenyl column of parent drug hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and its active metabolite, desethylhydroxchloroquine (DHCQ) applying to determine bioequivalence of two different formulations administered to patients. A rapid, simple, sensitive and specific liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method has been developed and validated for bioanalysis of HCQ and its metabolite DHCQ in human whole blood using deuterium derivative $hydroxychloroquine-D_4$ as an internal standard (IS). A triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer was operated using electrospray ionization in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. Sample preparation involves a two-step precipitation of protein techniques. The removed protein blood samples were chromatographed on a pentafluorophenyl (PFP) column ($50mm{\times}4.6mm$, $2.6{\mu}m$) with a mobile phase (ammonium formate solution containing dilute formic acid) in an isocratic mode at a flow rate of 0.45 mL/min. The standard curves were found to be linear in the range of 2 - 500 ng/mL for HCQ; 2 - 2,000 ng/mL for DHCQ in spite of lacking a highly sensitive MS spectrometry system. Results of intra- and inter-day precision and accuracy were within acceptable limits. A run time of 2.2 min for HCQ and 2.03 min for DHCQ in blood sample facilitated the analysis of more than 300 human whole blood samples per day. Taken together, we concluded that the assay developed herein represents a highly qualified technology for the quantification of HCQ in human whole blood for a parallel design bioequivalence study in a healthy male.