质谱在蛋白质生物标志物发现中的应用策略

生物标志物是可被客观测量并能用于评价正常生物过程、病理过程及治疗反应的指标。生物标志物的发现是对其研究的第一步，其实质就是筛选出在不同的生物学状态或进程中的差异化物质。在这一阶段中，分析策略所考虑的重点是高通量化和定性(和/或半定量)性能。目前，生物标志物研究的热点已转移至蛋白质层面上。在蛋白质生物标志物的发现中，质谱以不同的策略和方式得到了广泛的应用，并仍在不断进步中。本文对蛋白质生物标志物的发现过程中常用的及新型的质谱应用策略进行了归纳阐述。     

Identification of biomarkers for essential hypertension based on metabolomics

AimEssential hypertension (EH) is one of the most important public health problems worldwide. However, the pathogenesis of EH is unclear and early diagnostic methods are lacking. Metabolomics demonstrates great potential for biomarker discovery and the mechanistic exploration of metabolic diseases.Data synthesisThis review included human and animal metabolomics studies related to EH in the PubMed and Web of Science databases between February 1996 and May 2020. The study designs, EH standards, and reported metabolic biomarkers were systematically examined and compared. The pathway analysis was conducted through the online software MetaboAnalyst 4.0.Twenty-two human studies and fifteen animal studies were included in this systematic review. There were many frequently reported biomarkers with consistent trends (e.g., pyruvate, lactic acid, valine, and tryptophan) in human and animal studies, and thus had potential as biomarkers of EH. In addition, several shared metabolic pathways, including alanine, aspartate, and glutamate metabolism, aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis, and arginine biosynthesis, were identified in human and animal metabolomics studies. These biomarkers and pathways, closely related to insulin resistance, the inflammatory state, and impaired nitric oxide production, were demonstrated to contribute to EH development.ConclusionsThis study summarized valuable metabolic biomarkers and pathways that could offer opportunities for the early diagnosis or prediction of EH and the discovery of the metabolic mechanisms of EH.     

Counting primary loops in polymer gels

Much of our fundamental knowledge related to polymer networks is built on an assumption of ideal end-linked network structure. Real networks invariably possess topological imperfections that negatively affect mechanical properties; modifications of classical network theories have been developed to account for these defects. Despite decades of effort, there are no known experimental protocols for precise quantification of even the simplest topological network imperfections: primary loops. Here we present a simple conceptual framework that enables primary loop quantification in polymeric materials. We apply this framework to measure the fraction of primary loop junctions in trifunctional PEG-based hydrogels. We anticipate that the concepts described here will open new avenues of theoretical and experimental research related to polymer network structure.     

Development of a lyophilized soybean paste certified reference material for the analysis of ochratoxin A

A certified reference material (CRM) [²KRISS CRM # 108-10-018] for the analysis of ochratoxin A (OTA) in doenjang (fermented soybean paste and popular food in Korea) was produced to ensure the reliability of analytical results in testing laboratories. A home-made doenjang was chosen as a raw material after testing its OTA level. The raw material was freeze-dried, pulverized, sieved and homogenized. An isotope-dilution-liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometric method (ID-LC/MS/MS) which was previously developed and validated in this laboratory was used as a higher-order reference method for characterization, homogeneity studies, and short-term stability studies. The CRM had good between-bottle homogeneity with 0.56% relative standard deviation among 10 selected units. The stability of the CRM at −70 °C (the storage condition in our laboratory) and at −20 °C (the possible storage temperature at user sites) were tested for up to 8 months. No change in the OTA content was observed within the measurement uncertainty. The stability of the CRM at room temperature (for regular use and transportation) was also tested and confirmed. The certified value was (49.50 ± 1.17) μg/kg, where the expanded uncertainty was in the confidence level of 95%.     

Liposomes as potential masking agents in sport doping. Part 1: analysis of phospholipids and sphingomyelins in drugs and biological fluids by aqueous normal‐phase liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry

In the present work, aqueous normal‐phase liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC‐MS/MS), in different acquisition modes, was employed for the direct analysis and profiling of nine phospholipid classes (phosphatidic acids, phosphatidylserines, phosphatidylethanolamines, lysophosphatidylethanolamines, phosphatidylglycerols, phosphatidylinositols, phosphatidylcholines, lysophosphatidylcholines, and sphingomyelins) in biological and pharmaceutical matrices. After chromatographic separation by a diol column, detection and elucidation of phospholipid and sphingomyelin classes and molecular species were performed by different scan acquisition modes. For screening analysis, molecular ions [M + H]⁺ were detected in positive precursor ion scan of m /z 184 for the classes of phosphatidylcholines, lyso‐phosphatidylcholines and sphingomyelins; while phosphatidylethanolamines and lyso‐phosphatidylethanolamines were detected monitoring neutral loss scan of 141 Da; and phosphatidylserines detected using neutral loss scan of 184 Da. Molecular ions [M‐H]^‐ were instead acquired in negative precursor ion scan of m /z 153 for the classes of phosphatidic acids and phosphatidylglycerols; and of m /z 241 for the phosphatidylinositols. For the identification of the single molecular species, product ion scan mass spectra of the [M + HCOO]^‐ ions for phosphatidylcholines and [M + H]⁺ ions for the other phospholipids considered were determined for each class and compared with the fragmentation pattern of model phospholipid reference standard. By this approach, nearly 100 phospholipids and sphingomyelins were detected and identified. The optimized method was then used to characterize the phospholipid and sphingomyelin profiles in human plasma and urine samples and in two phospholipid‐based pharmaceutical formulations, proving that it also allows to discriminate compounds of endogenous origin from those resulting from the intake of pharmaceutical products containing phospholipidic liposomes. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

超高效液相色谱-串联质谱测定尿中14种β-内酰胺类抗生素残留

目的 建立测定尿液中14种β-内酰胺类抗生素残留的超高效液相色谱-串联质谱分析方法。 方法 尿液经酶解后,Oasis PRiME HLB(200 mg,6 ml)固相萃取柱净化,采用Waters BEH C18色谱柱(2.1 mm×100 mm, 1.7 μm),0.01 mol/L乙酸铵的水-甲醇作为流动相进行梯度洗脱,电喷雾离子源电离,正离子扫描,多反应监测模式进行定性和定量分析。 结果 阿莫西林和头孢曲松的线性范围为10～1 000 ng/ml,其余12种β-内酰胺类抗生素为5～1 000 ng/ml,相关系数均大于0.99。阿莫西林和头孢曲松的定量限为10 ng/ml,其余的方法定量下限为5 ng/ml,检出限为0.5～2.9 ng/ml,3个加标水平下的回收率为79.8%～97.9%,相对标准偏差为2.1%～11.9%。 结论 该方法操作简便、具有较高的灵敏度、特异度和精确性,适用于尿中痕量14种β-内酰胺类抗生素残留量的测定。     

Autoantibody production in patients treated with anti-TNF-α

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease or spondyloarthritis who are treated with selective TNF-α inhibitors may develop autoantibodies, such as antinuclear antibodies (ANAs) and anti-dsDNA antibodies. Various methods have shown that infliximab led to ANAs in 29–76.7% and anti-dsDNA antibodies in 10–29% of rheumatoid arthritis patients participating in clinical trials. Furthermore, ANAs and anti-dsDNA antibodies have appeared in 11–36 and 5–15% of rheumatoid arthritis patients treated with etanercept and 12.9% and 5.3% of those treated with adalimumab, respectively. Antiphospholipid antibodies, which are mainly detected by means of anticardiolipin assays, have also been found in rheumatoid arthritis patients receiving TNF-α blockers. There have been a number of reports of the development of antidrug antibodies, of which those against infliximab lead to infusion reactions and shorter responses to treatment. This has led some authors to conclude that it is necessary to add methotrexate to infliximab in order to reduce the risk of the appearance of anti-idiotype autoantibodies     

Changes in steroid metabolism among girls with precocious puberty may not be associated with urinary levels of bisphenol A

Precocious puberty (PP) refers to the appearance of physical and hormonal signs of pubertal development at an abnormally early age. Urinary steroid signatures obtained from 42 patients with central PP and 40 patients with peripheral PP were assessed to compare metabolic changes. Levels of androgens such as testosterone, androstenedione, androstenediol, 16α-hydroxy-dehydroepiandrosterone, and 5α-androstenedione tended to be high in both PP groups, and the level of 17β-estradiol was higher in the central-PP group (P < 0.01) than in the peripheral-PP and 32 age-matched healthy girls. Altered steroid metabolism was also associated with urinary BPA levels, and levels of testosterone, 17β-estradiol, and pregnenolone were significantly increased among individuals with high BPA levels. In particular, a correlation was observed between estrogen metabolism and BPA levels irrespective of the type of PP. These findings suggest that in girls, BPA exposure causes metabolic changes in steroidogenesis, but not the early onset of PP.