• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.93-101
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• 2016

For efficient quality control of the Samryeongbaekchul-san decoction, a powerful and accurate an ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) coupled with electrospray ionization (ESI) tandem mass spectrometry (MS) method was developed for quantitative analysis of the thirteen constituents: allantoin (1), spinosin (2), liquiritin (3), ginsenoside Rg1 (4), liquiritigenin (5), platycodin D2 (6), platycodin D (7), ginsenoside Rb1 (8), glycyrrhizin (9), 6-gingerol (10), atractylenolide III (11), atractylenolide II (12), and atractylenolide I (13). Separation of the compounds 1 - 13 was performed on a UPLC BEH $C_{18}$ column ($2.1{\times}100mm$, $1.7{\mu}m$) at a column temperature of $40^{\circ}C$ with a gradient solvent system of 0.1% (v/v) formic acid aqueous-acetonitrile. The flow rate and injection volume were 0.3 mL/min and $2.0{\mu}L$. Calibration curves of all compounds were showed good linearity with values of the correlation coefficient ${\geq}0.9920$ within the test ranges. The values of limits of detection and quantification for all analytes were 0.04 - 4.53 ng/mL and 0.13 - 13.60 ng/mL. The result of an experiment, compounds 2, 6, 12, and 13 were not detected while compounds 1, 3 - 5, and 7 - 11 were detected with 1,570.42, 5,239.85, 299.35, 318.88, 562.27, 340.87, 12,253.69, 73.80, and $115.01{\mu}g/g$, respectively.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.23 no.8
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• pp.1139-1143
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• 2002

Analysis of lysophosphatidic acids (LPAs) is of clinical importance as they can serve a potential marker for ovarian and other gynecological cancers and obesity. It is critically important to develop a highly sensitive and specific method for the early detection of gynecological cancers to improve the overall outcome of this disease. We have established a novel quantification method of LPAs in human plasma by negative ionization tandem mass spectrometry (MS-MS) using multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode without the conventional TLC step. Protein-bound lipids, LPAs in plasma were extracted with methanol : chloroform (2:1) containing LPA C14:0 as an internal standard under acidic condition. Following back extraction with chloroform and water, the centrifuged lower phase was evaporated and reconstituted in methanol. The reconstituted solution was directly injected into electrospray source of MS/MS. For MRM mode, Q1 ions selected were m/z 409, 433, 435, 437 and 457 which corresponds to molecular mass [M-H]- of C16:0, C18:2, C18:1, C18:0 and C20:4 LPA, respectively. Q2 ions selected for MRM were m/z 79, phosphoryl product. Using MS/MS with MRM mode, all the species of LPAs were completely separated from plasma matrix without severe interferences. This method allowed simultaneous detection and quantification of different species of LPAs in a plasma over a linear dynamic range of 0.01-25 ㎛olL-1 . The detection limit of the method was 0.3 pmol/mL, with a correlation coefficient of 0.9983 in most LPAs analyzed. When applied to the plasmas of normal and gynecological cancer patients, this new method differentiated two different groups by way of total LPA level.

• Mass Spectrometry Letters
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.55-58
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• 2013

Dioscin is a biologically active steroidal saponin with anticancer and hepatoprotective effects. A rapid, selective, and sensitive liquid chromatographic method with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry was developed for the quantification of dioscin in rat plasma. Dioscin was extracted from rat plasma using ethyl acetate at acidic pH. The analytes were separated on a Halo C18 column using gradient elution of acetonitrile and 0.1% formic acid and detected by tandem mass spectrometry in selected reaction monitoring mode. The standard curve was linear ($r^2$ = 0.998) over the concentration range of 1-100 ng/mL. The lower limit of quantification was 1.0 ng/mL using 50 ${\mu}L$ of plasma sample. The coefficient of variation and relative error for intra- and inter-assay at four QC levels were 1.3 to 8.0% and -5.4 to 10.0%, respectively. This method was applied successfully to the pharmacokinetic study of dioscin after oral administration of dioscin at a dose of 29.2 mg/kg in male Sprague-Dawley rats.

• Mass Spectrometry Letters
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.153-159
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• 2023

The copper ion, Cu(II), binding sites for amyloid fragment Aβ1-16 (=Aβ16 ) were investigated to explain the biological activity difference in the Aβ16 aggregation process. The [M+Cu+(z-2)H]^z+ (z = 2, 3 and 4, M = Aβ16 monomer) and [D+Cu+(z-2)H]^z+ (z = 3 and 5, D = Aβ16 dimer) structures were investigated using electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectrometry (MS) and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). Fragment ions of the [M+Cu+(z-2)H]^z+ and [D+Cu+(z-2)H]^z+ complexes were observed using collision-induced dissociation MS/MS. Three different fragmentation patterns (fragment "a", "b", and "y" ion series) were observed in the MS/MS spectrum of the (Aβ16 monomer or dimer-Cu) complex, with the "b" and "y" ion series regularly observed. The "a" ion series was not observed in the MS/MS spectrum of the [M+Cu+2H]⁴⁺ complex. In the non-covalent bond dissociation process, the [D+Cu+3H]⁵⁺ complex separated into three components ([M+Cu+H]³⁺, M³⁺, and M²⁺), and the [M+Cu]²⁺ subunit was not observed. The {M + fragment ion of [M+Cu+H]³⁺} fragmentation pattern was observed during the covalent bond dissociation of the [D+Cu +3H]⁵⁺ complex. The {M + [M+Cu+H]³⁺} complex geometry was assumed to be stable in the [D+Cu+3H]⁵⁺ complex. The {M + fragment ion of [M+Cu]²⁺} fragmentation pattern was also observed in the MS/MS spectrum of the [D+Cu+H]³⁺ complex. The {M + [y₉+Cu]¹⁺} fragment ion was the characteristic fragment ion. The [D+Cu+H]³⁺ and [D+Cu+3H]⁵⁺ complexes were likely to form a monomer-monomer-Cu (M-M-Cu) structure instead of a monomer-Cu-monomer (M-Cu-M) structure.

• Mass Spectrometry Letters
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.32-37
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• 2019

The ${\pi}-{\pi}$ interactions of the peptide-dimer and peptide-trimer complexes were investigated in the (VQIVYK + LYQLEN) and (VQIVYK + NNQQNY) mixing solutions. The results showed that tyrosine (Y) residues were critical in the formation of hetero peptide-dimers and -trimers during the early oligomerization process. We used collision-induced dissociation (CID) along with electrospray ionization mass spectroscopy (ESI-MS) to obtain the structural information of the hetero-dimers and -trimers. We chose three amyloidogenic peptides-VQIVYK, NNQQNY, and LYQLEN-from tau protein, yeast prion-like protein Sup35, and insulin chain A, respectively. Hetero-dimer, -trimer, -tetramer, and -pentamer complexes were observed in the mass spectra. The tandem mass spectrum of the hetero-dimer and hetero-trimer showed two different fragmentation patterns (covalent and non-covalent bond dissociation). Y-Y interaction structures were also proposed for the hetero-dimer and -trimer complexes.

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2003.10b
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• pp.217.3-217.3
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• 2003

Acetyl-L-carnitine, a physiological component of the L-carnitine family, has been proposed for treating Alzheimer's disease in pharmacological doses. Acetyl-L-carnitine and d3-acetylcarnitine (internal standard) were analyzed by electrospray ionization / tandem mass spectrometry (ESI/MS/MS) after derivatization to their butylesters through treatment with butanolic hydrogen chloride. Acetyl-L-carnitine produced a protonated precursor ion at m/z 260 and a corresponding product ion of m/z 85. Analytes were separated on a Capcell Pak C18 (2.0${\times}$150mm, 5 mm). (omitted)

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.25 no.12
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• pp.1791-1800
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• 2004

Angiotensin I, a model decapeptide, was glycosylated and partially hydrolyzed with HCl (6 N, 80 $^{\circ}C$, 4 h), aminopeptidase, and carboxypeptidase Y. A single peptide mass map obtained from truncated peptides in the partial acid hydrolysate of angiotensin and its glycosylation product mixture by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry enabled sequencing of angiotensin by a combinatorial procedure. MALDI-TOF and electrospray ionization (ESI) tandem mass spectrometric results indicate that both the N-terminal amino group of aspartic acid and the guanidinium group of the second residue arginine are glycosylated.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.52 no.5
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• pp.461-467
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• 2019

Several studies investigating the prevention and treatment of external parasites in farmed olive flounder Paralichthys olivaceus have found that the anticoccidial agent toltrazuril sulfone is an effective antiparasitic. Prior to undertaking a full-scale study, we developed analytical methods to detect the levels of toltrazuril and toltrazuril sulfone in farmed flounder samples using liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). This analysis showed that LC-MS/MS changed the mobile phase and collision energy of toltrazuril and toltrazuril sulfone. This was validated using established conditions. Sample pre-treatment for this process involved extraction with dichloromethane and purification by liquid-liquid extraction in formic acid, acetonitrile, and h-hexane, followed by determination of all compounds by LC-MS/MS. Separation was achieved within 10 min by gradient elution using a Capcell Pak C18 ($3.0{\mu}m$, $100{\times}2.0mm$) analytical column (Shiseido UG 120V) with a mixture of 0.1% (v/v) formic acid and acetonitrile. Multiple reaction monitoring was used for selective detection of toltrazuril and toltrazuril sulfone. This method yields satisfactory results for linearity, precision, and limits of quantification. Therefore, the method established in our study will serve as a basis for further research on parasite control by toltrazuril and toltrazuril sulfone.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.959-967
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• 2010

Down syndrome (DS) is an abnormality of the 21st chromosome that commonly occurs in children born to older women. Thus, amniotic fluid (AF) is usually collected from such women for prenatal diagnosis. This study analyzed human AF supernatants (AFS) using a mass spectrometric (MS) approach to search for candidate biomarkers of a DS pregnancy. The AFS were collected from older pregnant women at weeks 16-18 of their gestation by amniocentesis for cytogenetic analysis. The AFS from the pregnancies carrying DS (n=4) or chromosomally normal (n=6) fetuses, as revealed by the cytogenetic analysis, were then subjected to global protein profiling based on liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS). Affinity chromatography was also applied prior to the LC-ESI-MS/MS to minimize the masking effect of highly abundant albumin and immunoglobulin and thereby increase the diversity of the identified proteins. As a result, at least 30 new AFS proteins were identified and 44 AFS proteins were found to be differentially expressed between the DS and normal cases, where 6 of the proteins were unique to the DS cases and 11 were unique to the chromosomally normal cases. In addition, in the DS cases, 19 AFS proteins were downregulated and 8 were upregulated to varying degrees. A Western blot analysis confirmed the LC-ESI-MS/MS data, indicating that the combined detection of apolipoprotein A-II (apoA-II) and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) could be a potential tool for diagnosing DS cases.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.1133-1138
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• 2014

Ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI- MS/MS) provides a high-speed method to screen a large number of samples for small molecules with specific properties. In this study, UPLC-ESI-MS/MS with multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) was employed to screen urinary phospholipid (PL) content for biomarkers of prostate cancer. From lists of urinary PLs structurally identified using nanoflow LC-ESI-MS/MS, 52 PL species were selected for quantitative analysis in urine samples between 22 cancer-free urologic patients as controls and 45 prostate cancer patients. Statistical treatment of data by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis yielded 14 PL species that differed significantly in relative concentrations (area under curve (AUC) > 0.8) between the two groups. Among PLs present at higher levels in prostate cancer urine, phosphatidylcholines (PCs) and phosphatidylinositols (PIs) constituted the major head group PLs (3 PCs and 7 PIs). For technical reasons, PL species of low abundance may be underrepresented in data from UPLC-ESI-MS/MS performed in MRM mode. However, the proposed method enables the rapid screening of large numbers of plasma or urine samples in the search for biomarkers of human disease.