Analysis and screening of combinatorial libraries using mass spectrometry

Mass spectrometry is a highly selective and high throughput analytical technique that is ideally suited for the identification and purity determination of large numbers of compounds prepared using combinatorial chemistry or for the dereplication of natural products. Compounds may be characterized based on molecular weight, elemental composition and structural features based on fragmentation patterns. When coupled to a separation technique such as high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) or capillary electrophoresis, mass spectrometric applications may be expanded to include analysis of complex mixtures. However, the slower speed of the separation step reduces the throughput of the analysis. This review concerns the application of mass spectrometry to the characterization of combinatorial libraries and the screening of library and natural product mixtures. Strategies to enhance the throughput of LC-MS are discussed including fast HPLC and parallel LC-MS. Also, mass spectrometry-based screening methods are described including frontal affinity chromatography-mass spectrometry, gel permeation chromatography LC-MS, direct electrospray mass spectrometry of receptor-ligand complexes, affinity chromatography-mass spectrometry, and pulsed ultrafiltration mass spectrometry.