Mass spectrometry quantitation of immunosuppressive drugs in clinical specimens using online solid-phase extraction and accurate-mass full scan-single ion monitoring

Introduction

Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) of immunosuppressants is essential for optimal care of transplant patients. Immunoassays and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) are the most commonly used methods for TDM. However, immunoassays can suffer from interference from heterophile antibodies and structurally similar drugs and metabolites. Additionally, nominal-mass LC-MS assays can be difficult to optimize and are limited in the number of detectable compounds.

Objectives

The aim of this study was to implement a mass spectrometry-based test for immunosuppressant TDM using online solid-phase extraction (SPE) and accurate-mass full scan-single ion monitoring (FS-SIM) data acquisition mode.

Methods

LC-MS analysis was performed on a TLX-2 multi-channel HPLC with a Q-Exactive Plus mass spectrometer. TurboFlow online SPE was used for sample clean up. The accurate-mass MS was set to positive electrospray ionization mode with FS-SIM for quantitation of tacrolimus, sirolimus, everolimus, and cyclosporine A. MS² fragmentation pattern was used for compound confirmation.

Results

The method was validated in terms of precision, analytical bias, limit of quantitation, linearity, carryover, sample stability, and interference. Quantitation of tacrolimus, sirolimus, everolimus, and cyclosporine A correlated well with results from an independent reference laboratory (r = 0.926-0.984).

Conclusions

Accurate-mass FS-SIM can be successfully utilized for immunosuppressant TDM with good correlation with results generated by standard methods. TurboFlow online SPE allows for a simple "protein crash and shoot" sample preparation protocol. Compared to traditional MRM, analyte quantitation by FS-SIM facilitates a streamlined assay optimization process.

Targeted Opioid Screening Assay for Pain Management Using High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry

The use and adherence monitoring of opioids in pain management is recommended by numerous clinical practice guidelines. Many physicians use urine immunoassay screening tests, which suffer from a lack of sensitivity and specificity, to verify compliance to pain medications. However, several immunoassay tests are required to comprehensively detect the synthetic, semisynthetic, and natural opioids due to the limited cross-reactivity of each assay. Superior testing strategies are required to specifically identify low concentrations of opioids found in adherent pain management patients. Therefore we present a method for the qualitative identification of 33 opioids and metabolites (codeine, codeine-6-β-glucuronide, morphine, morphine-6-β-glucuronide, 6-acetylmorphine, hydrocodone, norhydrocodone, dihydrocodeine, hydromorphone, hydromorphone-3-β-glucuronide, oxycodone, noroxycodone, oxymorphone, oxymorphone-3-β-glucuronide, noroxymorphone, meperidine, normeperidine, methadone, EDDP, propoxyphene, norpropoxyphene, tramadol, O-desmethyltramadol, tapentadol, tapentadol-β-glucuronide, N-desmethyltapentadol, buprenorphine, norbuprenorphine, norbuprenorphine glucuronide, naloxone, naloxone glucuronide, fentanyl, and norfentanyl) in unhydrolyzed urine using a liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) with high-resolution, accurate-mass Orbitrap detection.

Quantitative performance of a quadrupole-orbitrap-MS in targeted LC-MS determinations of small molecules

High-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) has been associated with qualitative and research analysis and QQQ-MS with quantitative and routine analysis. This view is now challenged and for this reason, we have evaluated the quantitative LC-MS performance of a new high-resolution mass spectrometer (HRMS), a Q-orbitrap-MS, and compared the results obtained with a recent triple-quadrupole MS (QQQ-MS). High-resolution full-scan (HR-FS) and MS/MS acquisitions have been tested with real plasma extracts or pure standards. Limits of detection, dynamic range, mass accuracy and false positive or false negative detections have been determined or investigated with protease inhibitors, tyrosine kinase inhibitors, steroids and metanephrines. Our quantitative results show that today's available HRMS are reliable and sensitive quantitative instruments and comparable to QQQ-MS quantitative performance. Taking into account their versatility, user-friendliness and robustness, we believe that HRMS should be seen more and more as key instruments in quantitative LC-MS analyses. In this scenario, most targeted LC-HRMS analyses should be performed by HR-FS recording virtually "all" ions. In addition to absolute quantifications, HR-FS will allow the relative quantifications of hundreds of metabolites in plasma revealing individual's metabolome and exposome. This phenotyping of known metabolites should promote HRMS in clinical environment. A few other LC-HRMS analyses should be performed in single-ion-monitoring or MS/MS mode when increased sensitivity and/or detection selectivity will be necessary.