Paper-capillary spray for direct mass spectrometry analysis of biofluid samples.

Paper spray has been developed as an ambient ionization method for direct analysis of biological samples using mass spectrometry. While distinct advantages of paper spray have been demonstrated, especially for quantitative analysis and design of disposable sample cartridges, the need for improvement has also been recognized, especially for the use with miniature mass spectrometers. In this study, we made an improvement to the sampling and ionization by adding a capillary emitter to the paper substrate to produce a paper-capillary spray, which has been shown to have significant, positive impact on the sensitivity and reproducibility for direct mass spectrometry analysis. The paper-capillary devices were fabricated and the effects of the geometry, the treatment of the capillary emitters, as well as the sample disposition methods were characterized. The method's analytical performance was also characterized for analysis of therapeutic drugs in blood samples. Quantitation of cotinine in blood using a commercial triple quadrupole and sitagliptin (Januvia®) in blood using a desktop Mini 12 ion trap mass spectrometer was also demonstrated.