Tandem mass spectrometry lipid analysis

Currie, G.J., Kallio, H. 1993. Triacylglycerols of human milk rapid analysis by ammonia negative ion tandem mass spectrometry. Lipids, 28, 217-221. 

Johnson, D.W, ten Brink, H.J., Schuit, R.C., Jakobs, C. (2001) Rapid and quantitative analysis of unconjugated C(27) bile acids in plasma and blood samples by tandem mass spectrometry. /. Lipid Res., 42(1), 9-16. 

Schrick, K., Shiva, S., Arpin, J.C., Delimont, N., Isaac, G., Tamura, P. and Welti, R. (2012) Steryl glucoside and acyl steryl glucoside analysis of Arabidopsis seeds by electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. Lipids 47,185-193. 

Schneiter, R. Brugger, B. Sandhoff, R. Zellnig, G. Leber, A. Lampl, M. Athenstaedt, K. Hrastnik, C. Eder, S. Daum, G. Paltauf, F. Wieland, F. T. Kohlwein, S. D. Electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS) analysis of the lipid molecular species composition of yeast subcellular membranes reveals acyl chain-based sorting/remodeling of distinct molecular species en route to the plasma membrane. J. Cell Biol. 1999,146,741-754. 

D1 (10,17S-docosatriene) from DHA using tandem liquid chromatography-photodiode array-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-PDA-ESI-MS-MS)-based lipidomic analysis have been documented in ischemic brain [4] and retinal pigment epithelium [5], This new lipid is called neuroprotectin D1 (1) because of its neuro-protectiveproperties in brain ischemia-reperfusion [4] and in oxidative stress-challenged retinal pigment epithelial cells [5] (2) because of its potent ability to inactivate proapoptotic signaling (see apoptosis, Ch. 35) [5] and (3) because it is the first identified neuroprotective mediator derived from DHA. 

A newer approach for lipid analysis is electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS) (Welti et al., 2002). This method requires limited sample preparation and sample size to identify and quantify lipids. Fauconnier et al. (2003) used ESI-MS/MS to analyze phospholipid and galactolipid levels during aging of potato tubers. 

In recent years the rapid development of high-sensitivity analytical techniques such as mass spectrometry (MS) and liquid chromatography (LC) supported the investigation of the endocannabinoids as part of a complex lipid network. The identification of lipid components of the endocannabinoid system can be achieved in a single analytical step by state-of-the-art platforms such as tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS), which provides the detailed structural information necessary for characterization of lipids and increases specificity in complex biological matrices. Furthermore, the implementation of ionization techniques such as electrospray ionization (ESI) and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) allow the coupling of LC to MS, and permits the separation and analysis of endocannabinoids with greater speed and accuracy. 

Li, N., Shaw, A.R., Zhang, N.,Mak,A. andLi, L.(2004)Lipidraftproteomics analysis of in-solution digest of sodium dodecyl sulfate-solubilized lipid raft proteins by liquid chromatography-matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization tandem mass spectrometry. Proteomics 4, 3156-3166. 

Brtigger B, Erben G, Sandhoff R, Wieland FT, Lehmann WD. Quantitative analysis of biological membrane lipids at the low picomole level by nano electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 1997 94 2339-2344. 

A. A. Karlsson, Analysis of intact polar lipids by HPLC-mass spectrometry/tandem mass spectrometry with use of thermospray or atmospheric pressure ionization, in Lipid Anal. Oils Fats (R. J. Hamilton, ed.), Blackie, London, 1998, pp. 290-316. 

Kallio, H. and Currie, G. (1993) Analysis of lowerucic acid turnip rapeseed oil by negative ion chemical ionization tandem mass spectrometry. A method giving information on the fatty acid composition in positions sn-2 and sn-lB of triglycerols. Lipids, 28, 207-215. 

Figure 9.2 The basic components of a mass spectrometer. All mass spectrometers consist of an ion source linked to a mass analyser then to a detector. The important ion sources and mass analysers for biological mass spectrometry are listed. There are many other potential ion sources and mass analysers used generally in mass spectrometry, but only the indicated are of use in the analysis of biological macromolecules and amphiphilic lipids, and also in proteomics FAB fast atom bombardment MALDI matrix-assisted laser desorption and ionization ESI electrospray ionization ToF time of flight FTICR fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance MS/MS tandem mass spectrometry.

One of the most powerful techniques used in Upid analysis today is HPLC coupled with mass spectrometry (HPLC/MS). Several mass spectrometric ionization techniques, such as fast atom bombardment (FAB) [23], electrospray ionization (ESI) [29,30], ionspray ionization (ISI) [31], and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) [22,30,32] have been used. By using HPLC/MS, one can get information on the molecular structure of the intact lipids, which helps differentiate molecular species within different lipid classes. By using tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS), identification of molecular species of different sphingolipids can be achieved in an easier and more sensitive way. There are many other advantages of using MS, such as small sample size, minimal sample preparation, and lack of need for derivatization, speeds, and sensitivity. In the literature, sphingolipids of both animal and plant origin were analyzed by MS. 

Therefore, to determine if oxidized lipids were formed by enzymic processes or by free radical autoxidation, a first step is to visualize the distribution of products. This step requires previous knowledge of the maximum number of oxidized products, their chromatographic behavior and ions associated with mass spectrometric detection of each product. Quantitative analyses almost always require the use of appropriate, pure standards. For samples from more complex sources where the lipids of interest are present at low concentration there may be many interfering ions. In these instances, tandem mass spectrometry can be used to select pairs of precursor ions and product ions formed by collision-induced dissociation in a procedure called selected reaction monitoring (SRM). This type of analysis usually provides a significant improvement in signal to noise so that the product can be accurately quantified. With modem instruments many, up to hundreds, of these transitions can be measured in a single analysis. In conjunction with retention time... 

Mesaros C, Lee SH, Blair I A. Targeted quantitative analysis of eicosanoid lipids in biological samples using liquid chromatography—tandem mass spectrometry. J Chromatogr B 2009 877 2736-2745. 

Kallio, H. and Currie, G. (1993b) Analysis of natural fats and oils by ammonia negative ion tandem mass spectrometry - triacylglycerols and positional distribution of their acyl groups, in CRC Handbook of Chromatography, Analysis of Lipids (eds K. Mukherjee, N. Weber and J. Sherma), CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, pp. 435-58. 

Le Quere, J.-L. (1993) Tandem mass spectrometry in the structural analysis of lipids, in Advances in Lipid methodology - Two (ed. W. W. Christie), The Oily Press, Ayr, pp. 215-45. 

Analysis of intact polar lipids by high-pressure liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/tandem mass spectrometry with use of thermospray or atmospheric pressure ionization... 

The content of this chapter focuses on the analysis of intact polar lipids by high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) with flow or loop injection -and mass spectrometry (MS) or tandem mass spectrometry (MS-MS) using thermospray (TS), discharge-assisted TS [or plasmaspray (PSP)], electrospray (ES) and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI). It was intended to include only those papers describing the analysis of intact polar lipids by liquid chromatography on-line with MS. However, many papers describe flow or loop injection with MS and/or the analysis of derivatives of polar lipids. These papers, describing excellent applications of MS and/or MS-MS of polar lipids, are included since this chapter would not have been complete without them. 

Practical experiences of analysis of polar lipids by means of liquid chromatography with (tandem) mass spectrometry... 

In principle however, this method should be portable to other mass spectrometer systems capable of chemical ionization and tandem mass spectrometry. An [M+54] ion was reported using atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) with a predominantly acetonitrile solvent while analyzing extremely long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (16). Such an observation is promising for the use of this method for the analysis of low- or nonvolatile lipids, such as triglycerides and phospholipids. 

Han, X., Gross, R.W (2001) Quantitative analysis and molecular species fingerprinting of triacylglyceride molecular species directly from lipid extracts of biological samples by electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. Analytical Biochemistry, 295, 88-100. 

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