Screening of Phosphodiesterase-5 Inhibitors and Their Analogs in Dietary Supplements by Liquid Chromatography–Hybrid Ion Trap–Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry

An accurate and reliable method based on ion trap–time of flight mass spectrometry (IT–TOF MS) was developed for screening phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors, including sildenafil, vardenafil, and tadalafil, and their analogs in dietary supplements. Various parameters affecting liquid chromatographic se...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Unyong Kim, Hyun-Deok Cho, Myung Hee Kang, Joon Hyuk Suh, Han Young Eom, Junghyun Kim, Sumin Seo, Gunwoo Kim, Hye Ryoung Koo, Nary Ha, Un Tak Song, Sang Beom Han
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2020-06-01
Series:Molecules
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/25/12/2734
Description
Summary:An accurate and reliable method based on ion trap–time of flight mass spectrometry (IT–TOF MS) was developed for screening phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors, including sildenafil, vardenafil, and tadalafil, and their analogs in dietary supplements. Various parameters affecting liquid chromatographic separation and IT–TOF detection were investigated, and the optimal conditions were determined. The separation was achieved on a reversed-phase column under gradient elution using acetonitrile and water containing 0.2% acetic acid at a flow rate of 0.2 mL/min. The chromatographic eluents were directly ionized in the IT–TOF system equipped with an electrospray ion source operating in the positive ion mode. The proposed screening method was validated by assessing its linearity, precision, and accuracy. Sequential tandem MS was conducted to obtain structural information of the references, and the fragmentation mechanism of each reference was proposed for providing spectral insight for newly synthesized analogs. Structural information, including accurate masses of both parent and fragment ions, was incorporated into the MS<sup>n</sup> spectral library. The developed method was successfully applied for screening adulterated dietary supplement samples.
ISSN:1420-3049