Abderrahmane Hamdi1,2,3, Christine Enjalbal4, Hervé Drobecq5, Rabah Boukherroub1, Oleg Melnyk5, Hatem Ezzaouia2, Yannick Coffinier1. 1. Univ. Lille, CNRS, Centrale Lille, ISEN, Univ. Valenciennes, IEMN, UMR CNRS 8520, Avenue Poincaré, BP 60069, 59652, Villeneuve d'Ascq, France. 2. Laboratory of Semi-conductors, Nano-structures and Advanced Technologies, Research and Technology Centre of Energy, Borj-Cedria Science and Technology Park, BP 95, 2050, Hammam-Lif, Tunisia. 3. Faculty of Science of Bizerte, University of Carthage, 7021, Zarzouna, Tunisia. 4. Univ. Montpellier, Institut des Biomolécules Max Mousseron, Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095, Montpellier, France. 5. Institut de biologie de Lille, UMR CNRS 8160, 59000, Lille, France.
Abstract
RATIONALE: Many important biological processes rely on specific biomarkers (such as metabolites, drugs, proteins or peptides, carbohydrates, lipids, ...) that need to be monitored in various fluids (blood, plasma, urine, cell cultures, tissue homogenates, …). Although mass spectrometry (MS) hyphenated to liquid chromatography (LC) is widely accepted as a 'gold-standard' method for identifying such synthetic chemicals or biological products, their robust fast sensitive detection from complex matrices still constitutes a highly challenging matter. METHODS: In order to circumvent the constraints intrinsic to LC/MS technology in terms of prior sample treatment, analysis time and overall method development to optimize ionization efficiency affecting the detection threshold, we investigated laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (LDI-MS) by directly depositing the sample under study onto cheap inert nanostructures made of silicon to perform straightforward sensitive and rapid screening of targeted low mass biomarkers on a conventional MALDI platform. RESULTS: The investigated silicon nanostructures were found to act as very efficient ion-promoting surfaces exhibiting high performance for the detection of different classes of organic compounds, including glutathione, glucose, peptides and antibiotics. Achieving such broad detection was compulsory to develop a SALDI-MS-based pre-screening tool. CONCLUSIONS: The key contribution of the described analytical strategy consists of designing inert surfaces that are fast (minute preparation) and cheap to produce, easy to handle and able to detect small organic compounds in matrix-free LDI-MS prerequisite for biomarkers pre-screening from body fluids without the recourse of any separation step.
RATIONALE: Many important biological processes rely on specific biomarkers (such as metabolites, drugs, proteins or peptides, carbohydrates, lipids, ...) that need to be monitored in various fluids (blood, plasma, urine, cell cultures, tissue homogenates, …). Although mass spectrometry (MS) hyphenated to liquid chromatography (LC) is widely accepted as a 'gold-standard' method for identifying such synthetic chemicals or biological products, their robust fast sensitive detection from complex matrices still constitutes a highly challenging matter. METHODS: In order to circumvent the constraints intrinsic to LC/MS technology in terms of prior sample treatment, analysis time and overall method development to optimize ionization efficiency affecting the detection threshold, we investigated laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (LDI-MS) by directly depositing the sample under study onto cheap inert nanostructures made of silicon to perform straightforward sensitive and rapid screening of targeted low mass biomarkers on a conventional MALDI platform. RESULTS: The investigated silicon nanostructures were found to act as very efficient ion-promoting surfaces exhibiting high performance for the detection of different classes of organic compounds, including glutathione, glucose, peptides and antibiotics. Achieving such broad detection was compulsory to develop a SALDI-MS-based pre-screening tool. CONCLUSIONS: The key contribution of the described analytical strategy consists of designing inert surfaces that are fast (minute preparation) and cheap to produce, easy to handle and able to detect small organic compounds in matrix-free LDI-MS prerequisite for biomarkers pre-screening from body fluids without the recourse of any separation step.
Authors: Jody C May; Cody R Goodwin; Nichole M Lareau; Katrina L Leaptrot; Caleb B Morris; Ruwan T Kurulugama; Alex Mordehai; Christian Klein; William Barry; Ed Darland; Gregor Overney; Kenneth Imatani; George C Stafford; John C Fjeldsted; John A McLean Journal: Anal Chem Date: 2014-02-04 Impact factor: 6.986