HTC-15 - Abstract

Abstract Information :

The use of mass spectrometry is becoming more widespread within the separation science community, and in particular there has been a substantial growth in the development of liquid chromatography systems coupled to mass spectrometry. One of the areas that has seen the greatest adoption rate is the field of bioanlaysis, where LC-MS/MS is routinely used in the DMPK departments to aid identification of metabolites and also to support toxicological studies in a pre-clinical and clinical environment. In this area it is well known the effects that matrix can have on the sensitivity of the detector, and specifically matrix effects in this field are well understood. This has resulted in a greater understanding of the effect that sample preparation can have on the integrity of the data that is produced using LC-MS technology. However, it is assumed that the chromatographic system does not contribute in a significant manner to the amount of suppression that is seen, with the bulk of suppression effects coming from the incomplete removal of matrix components.

The current work looks to investigate the statement. The work will focus on the levels of column bleed that routine columns provide and also the effect that the bleed has on the signal intensity obtained from the mass spectrometer. This is achieved using post column addition experiments, with a variety of compounds, looking at the signal that is obtained from a TOF instrument with and without a column. The data obtained using this experimental arrangement demonstrates that the effect of the column can be substantial and have a significant effect on the performance of the detection system. Experiments using a range of compounds, including caffeine, BSA, and estradiol show that the effect is highly compound dependent and that the amount of suppression observed will also vary for specific masses observed within the mass spectrometer.