• Mass Spectrometry Letters
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• 제12권3호
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• pp.66-75
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• 2021

Interleukin-4 (IL-4) and IL-13 are cytokines secreted by immune cells. Cytokines induce the proliferation of macrophages or promote the differentiation of secretory cells. The initiation and progression of allergic inflammatory diseases, such as asthma, are dependent on cytokines acting through related receptor complexes. IL-4 and IL-13 are N-glycoproteins. Glycan structures in glycoproteins play important roles in protein folding, protein stability, enzymatic function, inflammation, and cancer development. Therefore, the glycan structure of IL-4 and IL-13 needs to be elucidated in detail for the development of effective therapies. We report the first attempt to characterize the site-specific N-glycosylation of recombinant IL-4 and IL-13 via liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis. The tandem mass spectra of intact N-glycopeptides were identified using the Integrated GlycoProteome Analyzer (I-GPA) platform, which can automatically and rapidly analyze multiple N-glycopeptides, including their glycan composition and amino acid sequences. The recombinant IL-4 and IL-13 were identified with amino acid sequence coverages of 84% and 96%, respectively. For IL-4, 52 glycoforms on one N-glycosylation site were identified and quantified. In IL-13, 232 N-glycopeptides from three N-glycosylation sites were characterized, with the site Asn52 being the most extensively glycosylated (~80%). The complex glycans were the most abundant glycan on IL-4 and IL-13 (~96% and 91%, respectively), and the biantennary glycans were the most abundant in both recombinant IL-4 and IL-13 proteins.

• Mass Spectrometry Letters
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• 제9권4호
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• pp.95-99
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• 2018

An innovative, simple, and rapid assay method based on liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of eight statin drugs in human urine. A simple sample clean-up procedure using the "dilute and shoot" (DAS) approach enabled a fast and reliable analysis. The influence of the dilution factor was investigated to ensure detectability and reduce the matrix effect. Chromatographic separation was performed on a Phenomenex Kinetex C18 column ($50{\times}3.0mm$ i.d., $2.6{\mu}m$) using an elution gradient of mobile phase A composed of 0.1% acetic acid, and mobile phase B composed of acetonitrile, at a flow rate of 0.35 mL/min. Quantitation was performed on a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer operated in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode using electrospray ionization in positive ion mode. The total chromatographic run time was 15 min. The method was validated for selectivity, sensitivity, recovery, linearity, accuracy, precision, and stability. The present method was successfully applied to the analysis of Rosuvastatin in urine samples after oral administration to healthy human subjects.

• 분석과학
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• 제35권2호
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• pp.82-91
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• 2022

Grayanotoxin-contaminated honey exhibits toxicity. In this study, a reliable and sensitive liquid-chromatography-tandem-mass-spectrometric method (LC-MS/MS) was developed and validated for the quantitation of grayanotoxin I and grayanotoxin III in honey. The grayanotoxins were extracted from honey via solid phase extraction and separated on a biphenyl column with a mobile phase consisting of 0.5 % acetic acid in water and methanol. Mass spectrometric detection was performed in the multiple-reaction monitoring mode with positive electrospray ionization. The calibration curve covered the range 0.25 to 100 ㎍/g. The intra- and inter-day deviations were less than 10.6 %, and the accuracy was between 94.3 and 114.0 %. The validated method was successfully applied to the determination of grayanotoxins in mad honey from Nepal. The concentrations of grayanotoxin I and grayanotoxin III in 33 out of 60 mad honey samples were 0.75 - 64.86 ㎍/g and 0.25 - 63.99 ㎍/g, respectively. The method established herein would help in preventing and confirming grayanotoxin poisoning.

• BMB Reports
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• 제43권7호
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• pp.506-511
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• 2010

The levels of salivary cortisol and cortisone in Korean adults were measured for the first time using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The salivary cortisol and cortisone were separated within 10 min. The regression coefficients (r) of the calibration curves were greater than 0.999 for the two steroids. The limits of quantitation (LOQ) were 0.2 ng/ml for cortisol and 1 ng/ml for cortisone. The intra-day precisions of the assay were <3.9% and 8.6% for cortisol and cortisone respectively, and the inter-day precisions were <1.9% and 4.3% for cortisol and cortisone, respectively. The salivary cortisone concentrations were approximately 4-9 times higher than those of salivary cortisol during the daytime. Diurnal rhythms, during which the cortisol and cortisone concentrations were higher in the morning than in the afternoon, were also observed. The present assay may be useful for the diagnosis of several adrenal dysfunctions in clinical biochemistry.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• 제29권11호
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• pp.2125-2128
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• 2008

• 분석과학
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• 제30권2호
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• pp.102-111
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• 2017

Here we reported a methodology for identification of triacylglycerols (TAGs) and diacylglycerols (DAGs) in coix seed by preparative thin layer chromatography (prep-TLC) and non-aqueous reversed-phase liquid chromatography (NARP LC)-atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). Lipid components were extracted from coix seed by reflux extraction using n-hexane for 3 hr. TAGs and DAGs in coix seed extract were effectively purified and isolated from matrix interferences by prep-TLC and then analyzed by LC-APCI-MS and MS/MS for identification. TAGs were effectively identified taking into consideration of their LC retention behavior, APCI-MS spectra patterns, and MS/MS spectra of $[DAG]^+$ ions. In MS/MS spectra of TAGs, diacylglycerol-like fragment $[DAG]^+$ ions were useful to identify TAGs with isobaric fragment ions. Based on an established method, 27 TAGs and 8 DAGs were identified in coix seed extract. Among them, 15 TAGs and 8 DAGs were for the first time observed in coix seed. Interestingly, some of TAGs isolated by prep-TLC were partly converted into DAGs through probably photolysis process during storing in room temperature. Thus, degradation phenomenon of TAGs should be considered in the quality evaluation and nutritional property of coix seed. LC-APCI-MS/MS combined with prep-TLC will be practical method for precise TAG and DAG analysis of other herbal plants.

• 한국식품과학회지
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• 제46권5호
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• pp.549-555
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• 2014

국내산과 중국산 시판 홍삼 농축액의 원산지 판별을 위하여 LC-MS/MS의 data를 통계 처리해 보았다. 국내산 시판 홍삼 농축액과 중국산 시판 홍삼 농축액은 LC-MS/MS의 ginsenoside 함량 비교 결과 특정 ginsenoside에서 함량 차이를 크게 보여주었고, 이를 토대로 의심시료를 선정할 수 있었다. 또한, LC-MS/MS data를 정준 판별 분석과 주성분 분석을 통하여 원산지가 의심되는 시료를 검출할 수 있었고, 그 혼합 비율까지 추정할 수 있었다.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• 제25권10호
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• pp.1477-1483
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• 2004

We present the tandem mass spectrometry applications carried out to elucidate the coordination structure of Zn(II) bound lysine ternary complexes, $(Zn+Lys+Lys-H)^+$, which is a good model system to represent a simple (metallo)enzyme-substrate complex (ES). In particular, experimental efforts were focused on revealing the involvement of a lysine side chain ${\varepsilon}$-amino group in the coordination of $Zn^{2+}$ divalent ions. MS/MS fragmentation pattern showed that all the oxygen species within a complex fell off in the form of $H_2O$ in contrast to those of other ternary complexes containing amino acids with simple side chains (4-coordinate geometries, Figure 1a), suggesting that the lysine complexes have different coordination structures from the others. The participation of a lysine basic side chain in the coordination of Zn(II) was experimentally evidenced in MS/MS for $N{\varepsilon}$-Acetyl-L-Lys Zn(II) complexes with acetyl protection groups as well as in MS/MS for the ternary complexes with one $NH_3$ loss, $(Zn+Lys+Lys-NH_3-H)^+$. Detailed structures were predicted using ab initio calculations on $(Zn+Lys+Lys-H)^+$ isomers with 4-, 5-, and 6-coordinate structures. A zwitterionic 4-coordinate complex (Figure 7d) and a 5-coordinate structure with distorted bipyramidal geometry (Figure 7b) are found to be most plausible in terms of energy stability and compatibility with the experimental observations, respectively.

• 분석과학
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• 제32권4호
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• pp.121-130
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• 2019

Alumina is one of the most important ceramic materials because of its useful physical and chemical properties. Recently, high-purity alumina has been used in various industrial fields. This leads to increasing demand for reliable elemental analysis of impurities in alumina samples. However, the chemical inertness of alumina makes the sample preparation for conventional elemental analysis a tremendously difficult task. Herein, we demonstrated the feasibility of laser ablation for effective sampling of alumina powder. Laser ablation performs sampling rapidly without any chemical reagents and also allows simultaneous optical emission spectroscopy and mass spectrometry analyses. For six alumina samples including certified reference materials and commercial products, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and laser-ablation inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) analyses were performed simultaneously based on a common laser ablation sampling. LIBS was found to be useful to quantify alkali and alkaline earth metals with limits-of-detection (LODs) around 1 ppm. LA-ICP-MS could quantify transition metals such as Ti, Cu, Zn, and Zr with LODs in the range from a few tens to hundreds ppb.

• Mass Spectrometry Letters
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• 제12권2호
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• pp.31-40
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• 2021

Probable human carcinogenic compounds nitrosamines, have been detected as by-product impurities in sartan pharmaceuticals in recent years which has drawn worries for medication safety. To provide a sensitive and effective method for the quality control of sartan pharmaceuticals, this study established a feasible gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) method for simultaneous determination of 13 nitrosamines. The target analytes were separated on a DB-WAX Ultra Inert column (30 m × 0.25 mm; i.d., 0.25 ㎛) and were then subjected to electron impact ionization in multiple reaction monitoring mode. The established method was validated and further employed to analyze authentic samples. Limits of detection (LODs) and limits of quantification (LOQs) of the 13 nitrosamines were 15-250 ng/g and 50-250 ng/g, respectively, which also exhibited intra-day and inter-day accuracies of 91.4-104.8%, thereby satisfying validation criteria. Five nitrosamines, viz., N-nitrosodiethylamine, N-nitrosodimethylamine, N-nitrosodiphenylamine, N-nitrosomorpholine, and N-nitrosopiperidine were detected at concentrations above their LODs in 68 positive samples out of 594 authentic samples from seven sartans.