Desorption ionization of biomolecules on metals

Titania Nanosheet as a Matrix for Surface-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Mass Spectrometry Analysis and Imaging

Surface-assisted laser desorption/ionization (SALDI) acts as a soft desorption/ionization technique, which has been widely recognized in small-molecule analysis owing to eliminating the requirement of the organic matrix. Herein, titania nanosheets (TiO₂ NSs) were applied as novel substrates for simultaneous analysis and imaging of low-mass molecules and lipid species. A wide variety of representative analytes containing amino acids, bases, drugs, peptides, endogenous small molecules, and saccharide-spiked urine were examined by the TiO₂ NS-assisted LDI mass spectrometry (MS). Compared with conventional organic matrices and substrates [Ag nanoparticles (NPs), Au NPs, carbon nanotubes, carbon NPs, CeO₂ microparticles, and P25 TiO₂], the TiO₂ NS-assisted LDI MS method shows higher sensitivity and less spectral interference. Repeatability was evaluated with batch-to-batch relative standard deviations for 5-hydroxytryptophan, glucose-spiked urine, and glucose with addition of internal standard, which were 17.4, 14.9, and 2.8%, respectively. The TiO₂ NS-assisted LDI MS method also allows the determination of blood glucose levels in mouse serum with a linear range of 0.5-10 mM. Owing to the nanoscale size and uniform deposition of the TiO₂ NS matrix, spatial distributions of 16 endogenous small molecules and 16 lipid species from the horizontal section of the mouse brain tissue can be visualized at a 50 μm spatial resolution. These successful applications confirm that the TiO₂-assisted LDI MS method has promising prospects in the field of life science.

Rapid quality control of medicine and food dual purpose plant polysaccharides by matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry

With their multiple biological activities and health benefit effects, polysaccharides from medicine and food dual purpose plants (MFDPPPs) have been extensively applied in many fields, including in medical treatments, stock farming, and cosmetics. However, to date, quality issues of MFDPPPs and technologies for the analysis of polysaccharides have posed challenges to chemists. Reported herein is a rapid and high-throughput quality control method for analyzing MFDPPPs, based on matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS). For the analysis of illegally added and doped substances, ferroferric oxide nanoparticles were employed as the MALDI matrix to avoid small molecule interference. Qualitatively, high sensitivity was obtained for both illegal drugs and glucose. Quantitatively, the best linear response (R2 > 0.99) was attained in the concentration range from 0.005 to 1 mg mL-1 for glucose. For the analysis of polysaccharides, 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid/N-methylaniline was employed as the MALDI matrix to increase the detection sensitivity and mass range coverage. Furthermore, the established method was successfully applied to the analysis of supplements from Astragalus polysaccharides and Lentinan real samples, showing its potential in quality control for MFDPPPs.

Bacterial analysis by laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry on amorphous silicon

Lipid profiling in nine bacterial species has been accomplished by laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry (LDI-MS) using amorphous silicon (a-Si) thin film with 100 nm thickness. Lipid ions could be generated by LDI on a-Si regardless of ion acquisition modes because of a thermal property of a-Si to govern laser-induced surface heating. In a comparative study of lipid profiling in Bacillus lichemiformis by LDI-MS and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS), LDI-MS on a-Si shows a higher efficiency in lipid and lipopeptide detection than MALDI-MS. A total of 53 peaks of lipid ions generated by LDI on a-Si in both acquisition modes for m/z 400-1200 was 1.6 times more than that detected by MALDI-MS using three organic matrices-2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid, 1,5-diaminonaphthalene, and 2,4,6-trihydroxyacetophenone monohydrate. Also, the authors demonstrate by mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) that LDI-MS provides high detection coverage through whole sample area. MSI results show the detection yield in LDI on a-Si is 94.8% calculated by counting the number of points detected in the analyte ion signal in a whole spot. It means that reproducible detection of lipid ions by LDI-MS is possible even if laser is randomly irradiated at any position within the bacterial sample area applied on a-Si. Lipid profiling by LDI-MS on a-Si was applied to bacterial differentiation of nine bacterial species conducted by performing principal component analysis. Nine bacterial species are successfully distinguishable from each other by LDI-MS lipid profiling.

Preparation of Aluminum Oxide-Coated Glass Slides for Glycan Microarrays

In this study, we report the fabrication of aluminum oxide-coated glass (ACG) slides for the preparation of glycan microarrays. Pure aluminum (Al, 300 nm) was coated on glass slides via electron-beam vapor deposition polymerization (VDP), followed by anodization to form a thin layer (50-65 nm) of aluminum oxide (Al-oxide) on the surface. The ACG slides prepared this way provide a smooth surface for arraying sugars covalently via phosphonate formation with controlled density and spatial distance. To evaluate this array system, a mannose derivative of α-5-pentylphosphonic acid was used as a model for the optimization of covalent arraying based on the fluorescence response of the surface mannose interacting with concanavalin A (ConA) tagged with the fluorescence probe A488. The ACG slide was characterized using scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and ellipsometry, and the sugar loading capacity, uniformity, and structural conformation were also characterized using AFM, a GenePix scanner, and a confocal microscope. This study has demonstrated that the glycan array prepared from the ACG slide is more homogeneous with better spatial control compared with the commonly used glycan array prepared from the N-hydroxysuccinimide-activated glass slide.

Analysis of Saccharides by the Addition of Amino Acids

In this work, we present the detection sensitivity improvement of electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectrometry of neutral saccharides in a positive ion mode by the addition of various amino acids. Saccharides of a broad molecular weight range were chosen as the model compounds in the present study. Saccharides provide strong noncovalent interactions with amino acids, and the complex formation enhances the signal intensity and simplifies the mass spectra of saccharides. Polysaccharides provide a polymer-like ESI spectrum with a basic subunit difference between multiply charged chains. The protonated spectra of saccharides are not well identified because of different charge state distributions produced by the same molecules. Depending on the solvent used and other ions or molecules present in the solution, noncovalent interactions with saccharides may occur. These interactions are affected by the addition of amino acids. Amino acids with polar side groups show a strong tendency to interact with saccharides. In particular, serine shows a high tendency to interact with saccharides and significantly improves the detection sensitivity of saccharide compounds. Graphical Abstract ᅟ.

Novel galvanic nanostructures of Ag and Pd for efficient laser desorption/ionization of low molecular weight compounds

A simple approach for synthesis of palladium and silver nanostructures with readily adjustable morphologies was developed using galvanic electrochemical deposition, for application to surface-assisted laser desorption/ionization (SALDI) of small biological molecules. A range of fatty acids, triglycerides, carbohydrates, and antibiotics were investigated to assess the performance of the new materials. Intense analyte cations were generated from the galvanic surfaces upon UV laser irradiation such as potassium adducts for a film thickness <100 nm (originating from impurities of the electrolyte solution) and Pd and Ag cluster ions for films with a thickness >120 nm. Possible laser desorption/ionization mechanisms of these galvanic structures are discussed. The films exhibited self-organizing abilities and adjustable morphologies by changing electrochemical parameters. They did not require any stabilizing agents and were inexpensive and very easy to produce. SALDI analysis showed that the materials were stable under ambient conditions and analytical results with excellent measurement reproducibility and detection sensitivity similar to MALDI were obtained. Finally, we applied the galvanic surfaces to fast screening of natural oils with minimum sample preparation.

Laser Desorption/Ionization Mass Spectrometry (LDI-MS) of Lipids with Iron Oxide Nanoparticle-Coated Targets

Iron oxide nanoparticle (NP)-coated target plates were employed for the direct detection and analysis of low molecular weight lipids by laser desorption/ionization (LDI) mass spectrometry (MS). We have demonstrated that the use of the iron oxide NP-coated target provides a simple, direct, and rapid detection method for lipid standards and epidermal surface lipids without any cumbersome sample pretreatment as well as mass spectra that are free of background matrix peaks. Lipid standards (1-stearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine, 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycerol, 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-3-linoleoyl-rac-glycerol, 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine) were detected as either protonated or cationated species. Clean MS/MS spectra for each lipid were also successfully obtained. Pre-MS surface cleaning of the target plates with UV-ozone treatment successfully removed organic contaminants that would interfere with the mass spectra especially in the low molecular weight region. Preliminary application of the presented target plate to the detection of endogenous lipids in latent fingerprints showed promising results and for potential use in the visualization and chemical composition determination of latent fingerprints by nanoparticle assistance.

Biomimetic antireflective silicon nanocones array for small molecules analysis

Biomimetic antireflective silicon nanocones array is used for analysis of small molecules by mass spectrometry. The role of the absorbed laser energy and its distribution in the laser desorption/ionization process has been investigated by varying the antireflective features precisely. By optimizing the antireflective silicon array, the absorbed laser energy can be channeled completely into the desorption/ionization of analytes. The optimized silicon array exhibits excellent performance to detect peptide, amino acid, drug molecule, and carbohydrate without any interference in the low-mass region.

Laser-induced thermal desorption facilitates postsource decay of peptide ions

We investigated the thermal mechanism involved in laser desorption/ionization (LDI) of thermally labile molecules from the flat surfaces of amorphous Si (a-Si) and crystalline Si (c-Si). a-Si was selected for this study because of its thermal property, such as low thermal conductivity; thus, it was predicted to be highly susceptible to laser-induced surface heating. By virtue of lack of surface nanostructures, the flat surfaces offer a simple model system to focus on the thermal mechanism, avoiding other effects, including possible non-thermal contributions that can arise from the physical existence of surface nanostructures. For the energetics study, the internal energies of substituted benzylpyridinium ions produced by LDI on the bare and coated surfaces of a-Si and c-Si were obtained using the survival yield method. The results, including LDI thresholds, ion yields, and internal energies all suggested that the LDI mechanism would be indeed thermal, which is most likely promoted by thermal desorption caused by laser-induced surface heating. In addition, the LDI process driven by laser-induced thermal desorption (LITD) was also found to be capable of depositing an excessive internal energy in resulting LDI ions, which underwent a dissociation. It exhibited the essentially same features as in postsource decay (PSD) in MALDI-TOF/TOF mass spectrometry. We report that the LDI process by LITD offers not only a way of intact ionization but also a facile means for PSD of peptide ions, which this work demonstrates is well suited to peptide sequencing using TOF/TOF mass spectrometry.

Ionic liquid-assisted electrospray ionization of polysaccharides

In this work, we give the report of significant detection sensitivity improvement of electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectra of polysaccharides by adding various ionic liquid compounds into samples. Mass spectra obtained were greatly simplified and appeared to be similar to spectra from matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization due to the narrow charge number distribution. Mass spectra of polysaccharides with the attachment of either anion or cation of ionic liquid compounds were observed. No protonated or deprotonated polysaccharide ions were detected when ionic liquid compounds were added into samples. Little alkali-attached polysaccharide ions were observed. Ionic liquid-assisted ESI (ILA-ESI) mass spectrometry has significantly improved the detection sensitivity of large neutral polysaccharide compounds.

Laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry on silicon nanowell arrays

This paper describes a new technique for fabrication of nanostructured porous silicon (pSi) for laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry. Porous silicon nanowell arrays were prepared by argon plasma etching through an alumina mask. Porous silicon prepared in this way proved to be an excellent substrate for desorption/ionization on silicon (DIOS) mass spectrometry (MS) using adenosine, Pro-Leu-Gly tripeptide, and [Des-Arg(9)]-bradykinin as the model compounds. It also allows the analyses of complex biological samples such as a tryptic digest of bovine serum albumin and a carnitine standard mixture. Nanowell array surfaces were also used for direct quantification of the illicit drug fentanyl in red blood cell extracts. This method also allows full control of the surface features. MS results suggested that the pore depth has a significant effect on the ion signals. Significant improvement in the ionization was observed by increasing the pore depth from 10 to 50 nm. These substrates are useful for laser desorption ionization in both the atmospheric pressure and vacuum regimes.

Laser desorption/ionization Fourier transform mass spectrometry of thin films deposited on silicon by plasma polymerization of acetylene

Thin films deposited on silicon substrate by three different methods of plasma polymerization of acetylene were analyzed by direct laser desorption/ionization Fourier transform mass spectrometry. High-resolution mass spectra showed the presence of carbon clusters and hydrocarbon oligomers in different relative abundances. During unipolar and continuous discharge polymerization of acetylene-hydrogen gas mixtures, quadrupole mass spectra of the plasma constituents showed the presence of molecular species with m/z lower than 100--mainly peaks of C(4)H(2) and C(6)H(2). Films produced had smooth surfaces and the corresponding LDI-FTMS spectra displayed only carbon cluster signals in the positive ion mode and both hydrocarbon and carbon cluster signals (with much higher relative abundance of carbon cluster signals) in the negative ion mode. Alternatively, during bipolar discharge with either higher acetylene gas flux (>40 cm(3)/min) or longer deposition times (>10 min), quadrupole mass spectra of the plasma constituents showed signals corresponding to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) with m/z higher than 100. SEM pictures of the bipolar thin films demonstrated the presence of "flower" structures and nanoparticles developed on the surface. LDI-FTMS spectra of such thin films showed either total absence or lower relative abundance of carbon cluster signals, compared with hydrocarbon signals.

Comparison of inert supports in laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry of peptides: pencil lead, porous silica gel, DIOS-chip and NALDI target

In the search for alternative inert surfaces replacing silicon chips in Desorption/Ionization On porous Silicon (DIOS)-like mass spectrometry analyses, nanostructured silicon-based NALDI chips were evaluated in Laser Desorption/Ionization (LDI) of peptides. Comparisons were made using commercially available DIOS chips (MassPREP-DIOS-target), amorphous carbon powder from lead pencil and porous silica gel used for chromatographic purposes as reference supports. A set of synthetic model peptides presenting variable amino acid sequences of various lengths was analyzed under all conditions. The LDI responses of the four 'matrix-free' techniques were compared, especially in terms of peptide detection sensitivity and overall experiment robustness.

Review of a current role of mass spectrometry for proteome research

This review is intended to give readers a snapshot of current mass spectrometry for proteomics research. It covers a brief history of mass spectrometry proteomic research, peptidomics and proteomics for biomarker search, quantitative proteomics, proteomics with post-translational modification and future perspective of proteomics.