Positive Ion Electrospray LC/MS/MS Analysis of Strongly Basic Analytes with High pH Mobile Phases, “Wrong-Way-Round” Ionization Laura Nakovich, Linge Li, Moucun Yuan, James Creegan, William R. Mylott, Bruce Hidy, and Rand Jenkins • PPD, Richmond, Virginia INTRODUCTION Figure 1. Acidic Mobile Phase Conditions SMALL PEPTIDE AND METABOLITE Figure 4. Acidic Mobile Phase Conditions
High pH mobile phases with hybrid particle or
The MW of the small proprietary peptide is 1528 amu
XIC of +MRM (2 pairs): 765.0/110.0 . Max. 1.7e4 cps. XIC of +MRM (2 pairs): 765.0/110.0 . Max. 455.0 cps.
polymeric-based HPLC columns offer a powerful
and is measured as the [M+2H]+2 with a m/z of 765.
combination for basic analyte LC/MS/MS. These
The MW of the metabolite is 1 amu higher than the
analytes can be difficult to analyze using silica-based
parent resulting in a 0.5 amu difference in m/z. The key
HPLC columns, often requiring highly aqueous mobile
structural difference resides with the metabolite having
phases, extreme pH, and ion-pair reagents to achieve
a terminal carboxylic acid and the parent having a
adequate retention and peak shape. These conditions
terminal amide. The chromatographic separation of the
can compromise MS detection sensitivity due to
parent and metabolite is paramount since the
inefficient desolvation and ion suppression effects.
metabolite produces the same MRM as the parent due
to the resolution limits of the quadrupoles, and if not
chromatographic problems by providing better
resolved would lead to an overestimation of parent
retention, improved peak shape, and surprisingly good
concentrations for samples containing the metabolite.
MS sensitivity using “wrong-way-round” ionization.
Loratadine and descarboethoxyloratadine provide an
example of sensitivity achieved with this ionization.
The small peptide and its metabolite are isolated from
A small peptide and its metabolite demonstrate the
100 µL of human plasma by protein precipitation.
chromatographic selectivity gains obtained using high
Figure 5. “Wrong-way-round” Conditions XIC of +MRM (2 pairs): 765.0/110.0 . Max. 1.4e4 cps. XIC of +MRM (2 pairs): 765.0/110.0. Max. 1750.0 cps.
25.0 pg/mL descarboethoxyloratadine (2.5 pg on column)
LORATADINE AND
The chromatography was evaluated using a Waters
DESCARBOETHOXYLORATADINE Figure 2. “Wrong-way-round” Conditions
Atlantis dC18, 2.1x100 mm analytical column using a
binary acidic aqueous ammonium formate/acetonitrile/
formic acid gradient at a flowrate of 0.4 mL/min. As can
Loratadine and descarboethoxyloratadine are isolated
be seen from the chromatograms the separation of the
from 250 µL of human plasma by LLE with ethyl
parent and metabolite using acidic mobile phase was
acetate and separated via column switching using a
Phenomenex Gemini C18 guard column (4x2mm), a
Gemini C6 phenyl analytical column (50x2mm).
Analytes are eluted with a mobile phase consisting of
80:20 methanol/10 mM ammonium bicarbonate pH 11
HPLC separation was achieved using column switching
at a flow of 0.25 mL/min. The precolumn is back-
with two Waters XBridge C18 columns (guard:
flushed to remove phospholipids. Analysis time is 5.5
10x2.1mm; analytical: 50x2.1mm) using a binary
min. Analytes are detected by Sciex API 3000
aqueous ammonium bicarbonate/acetonitrile/methanol
equipped with an Ionics HSID interface (MRM mode /
gradient at a flowrate of 0.4 mL/min. The precolumn is
forward-flushed to remove the trapped phospholipids, and the total analysis time is 6 minutes. Analytes are
CONCLUSION
detected on a Sciex API 4000 in MRM mode using
The term “wrong-way-round” ionization refers to the formation of
positive ions ([M+H]+) under basic pH mobile phase conditions and
A loratadine and descarboethoxyloratadine assay was
25.0 pg/mL descarboethoxyloratadine (0.8 pg on column)
formation of negative ions ([M-H]-) under acidic pH mobile phase
validated over a concentration range of 25.0 to 10000
conditions. Historically, the formation of ions using electrospray has
Figure 3. Loratadine and Descarboethoxyloratadine Assay Valve Diagram RESULTS
pg/mL with linearity demonstrated by an average
been thought to occur in the liquid phase and hence to be highly
correlation coefficient of 0.9990 for loratadine and
The high pH mobile phase conditions significantly
dependent on the mobile phase pH. Thus “wrong-way-round”
0.9984 for descarboethoxyloratadine. Inter-day QC
improved the chromatographic resolution resulting in
ionization conditions contradict the predicted ionization states based
precision was 2.59-7.56% CV for loratadine and 2.72 –
complete baseline separation. The high pH separation
upon solution pH, and suggests other mechanisms of ionization are
5.46% CV for descarboethoxyloratadine. Inter-day QC
can be attributed to an increase in polarity for the
responsible for the sensitivities observed. Regardless of the
accuracy QCs was 0.162 – 3.67%RE for loratadine and
metabolite (carboxylic acid group ionized), while the
mechanism, the use of “wrong-way-round” ionization has been
0.483 –3.04%RE for descarboethoxyloratadine of the
polarity of the parent remains the same.
demonstrated to be an effective approach to obtaining sensitivity and
nominal values. LLOQ signal-to-noise was greater than
improved chromatography for the compounds presented.
15:1 for both analytes. Assay ruggedness was evaluated by analyzing two 96-well blocks with total of
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
192 extracted matrix injections with no degradation of
The authors would like to acknowledge Margaret L. Ware’s contribution to the
Katrin Auer (Wien) „Political Correctness“ – Ideologischer Code, Feindbild und Stigmawort der Rechten Seit Mitte der 90er Jahre wurden der Begriff „political correctness“ und ein Metadiskurs über „political correctness“ in österreichischen und deutschen Medien- und Politikdiskursen etabliert. Vor allem der Metadiskurs, der sich mit den ideologischen Inhalten und realpoliti
e-mail submissions to correspondence@lancet.comSir—Björn Dahlöf, in the LIFE study,1Lars Lindholm and colleagues “to share exciting news” and remindme of the results of the LIFE study. cardiologists received the same letter. Iporosity of liver sinusoids in relation toloss of integrity of the endothelial lining,Dahlöf B, Devereux RB, Kjeldsen SE, et al. Cardiovascular morbidity and