Evaluation of novel derivatisation reagents for the analysis of oxysterols

摘要

class="kwd-title">Abbreviations: 3β-HCA, 3β-hydroxycholest-5-en-(25R)-26-oic acid, 4-DMAP, 4-dimethylaminopyridine, API, atmospheric pressure ionisation, EADSA, enzyme-assisted derivatisation for sterol (or steroid) analysis, EBI2, Epstein–Barr virus induced gene 2, ER, estrogen receptor, ESI, electrospray ionisation, GC, gas chromatography, GP, Girard P, LC, liquid chromatography, LIT, linear ion trap, LXR, liver X receptor, MRM, multiple reaction monitoring, MS, mass spectrometry or mass spectrum, MSⁿ, MS with multistage fragmentation, RIC, reconstructed ion chromatogram, ROR, retinoic acid related orphan receptor class="kwd-title">Keywords: Girard P reagent, Derivatisation, Liquid chromatography, Mass spectrometry, Sterols class="head no_bottom_margin" id="idm139904097063696title">AbstractOxysterols are oxidised forms of cholesterol that are intermediates in the synthesis of bile acids and steroid hormones. They are also ligands to nuclear and G protein-coupled receptors. Analysis of oxysterols in biological systems is challenging due to their low abundance coupled with their lack of a strong chromophore and poor ionisation characteristics in mass spectrometry (MS). We have previously used enzyme-assisted derivatisation for sterol analysis (EADSA) to identify and quantitate oxysterols in biological samples. This technique relies on tagging sterols with the Girard P reagent to introduce a charged quaternary ammonium group. Here, we have compared several modified Girard-like reagents and show that the permanent charge is vital for efficient MSⁿ fragmentation. However, we find that the reagent can be extended to include sites for potential stable isotope labels without a loss of performance.