利用全碰撞能二级质谱区分4个三萜酸同分异构体

Isomeric Differentiation of Four Triterpene Acids Using Full Collision Energy Ramp-MS2 Spectrum

  • 摘要: 本研究采用全碰撞能二级质谱(FCER-MS2)区分4个三萜酸同分异构体,利用超高效液相色谱-四极杆/静电场轨道阱质谱(UPLC-QE-Qrbitrap-MS)采集熊果酸、齐墩果酸、α-乳香酸和β-乳香酸的高分辨质谱数据,归属各碎片离子。利用在线能量分辨质谱(online ER-MS)法进一步采集主要碎片离子在不同碰撞能下的丰度变化,通过“S”曲线或高斯曲线拟合,归一化后构建FCER-MS2图谱;计算M+H+的半数响应碰撞能(CE50)、碎片离子的最佳碰撞能(OCE)、最大相对离子丰度(RIImax)等参数,并将其应用于同分异构体的区分。通过高分辨数据中特征性碎片离子可将4个化合物初步分为I(熊果酸和齐墩果酸)和II(α-乳香酸和β-乳香酸)2组同分异构体。FCER-MS2图谱表明,I组化合物碎片离子m/z 411的OCE和m/z 439的RIImax均有显著差异;II组化合物碎片离子m/z 163和121的OCE,m/z 439、219和205的RIImax均有显著差异。FCER-MS2 图谱还包含了m/z、CE50、OCE和RIImax等信息,全面呈现了M+H+的质谱裂解行为,可为区分细微结构差异的三萜酸同分异构体提供有效的分析工具。

     

    Abstract: Triterpene acids, a subclass of acidic triterpenoids existing in their free state, are widely distributed throughout traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). These compounds, characterized by their ring system structures, can be further categorized into several subtypes, primarily tetracyclic and pentacyclic triterpenoid acids. The structural variability is attributed to varying conjugation types and sites, resulting in numerous isomeric forms, thereby posing significant challenges to the precise identification of triterpene acids. Various methods have been employed to differentiate triterpene acid isomers, including liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry, and chemical derivatization coupled with mass spectrometry. However, these techniques often rely on reference standards or necessitate intricate sample preparation procedures, rendering them less suitable for the analysis of TCMs. Therefore, there is an urgent need to find a new method to distinguish triterpene acid isomers. Herein, four triterpene acid isomers were successfully differentiated using full collision energy ramp-MS2 (FCER-MS2). Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole exactive-Orbitrap mass spectrometry (UPLC-QE-Qrbitrap-MS) was deployed to acquire high-resolution m/z values for four triterpene acid isomers, namely ursolic acid, oleanolic acid, α-boswellic acid and β-boswellic acid. Their mass fragmentation pathways were proposed by carefully assigning ion signals. The abundances of precursor and product ions at step-wise collision energy values were recorded using online energy-resolved mass spectrometry (online ER-MS). FCER-MS2 spectra were configured by assembling sigmoid- and Gaussian-shaped breakdown graphs of those primary MS2 spectral signals after appropriate data normalization. The parameters, such as collision energy at the half survival rate (CE50) of precursor ions, the optimal collision energy (OCE) of primary fragment ion species and the maximal relative ion intensity (RIImax) were calculated from those regressive equations, and subsequently were applied for isomers differentiation. The four isomers were firstly divided into two groups, desinated as group I (ursolic acid and oleanolic acid) and group II (α-boswellic acid and β-boswellic acid) through the existences of the so-called diagnostic fragment ions. Moreover, the two isomers belonging to group I show different OCE and RIImax values for m/z 411 and 439, respectively. When concerning the two isomers in group II, significant differences occur on OCE values for m/z 163 and 121, and RIImax values for m/z 439, 219 and 205, particularly the RIImax ranking positions of m/z 439 and 219. FCER-MS2 spectra also include m/z, CE50, OCE and RIImax features, which can comprehensively cover the mass fragmentation behaviors of precursor ions. Therefore, it is an eligible tool to advance structural identification confidence of triterpene acids.

     

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