title: Qualitative on-line profiling of ceramides and cerebrosides by high performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization ion trap tandem mass spectrometry: the case of Dracontium loretense.
abstract: Ceramides and cerebrosides are key compounds in the metabolism of sphingolipids. Produced in response to a variety of apoptotic stimuli, these metabolites mediate either mitogenic or apoptotic responses, depending on cell type and nature of stimulus. Novel strategies using these selective targets for a therapeutic intervention, e.g. in cancer, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases, and HIV, have been developed, along with anticancer approaches using controlled delivery of exogenous natural ceramides from ceramide-based liposomes. Thus, great is the need to find selective and sensitive analytical methods allowing a prompt detection of ceramides and cerebrosides in natural matrices. Here we report an analytical study carried out on the Amazonian plant Dracontium loretense, resulted in a preliminary analysis a rich source of this class of natural compounds. A handy, selective, and sensitive methodology based on high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray negative ionization multistage ion trap mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI/ITMS(n)) was developed. Analysis of fingerprint multistage mass spectra allowed the rapid identification of 3 major long-chain bases and their exact pairing with 11 different fatty acids and with carbohydrate headgroups. Thus, the structures of 21 ceramide and cerebroside species, among which 7 molecules never reported before, were unambiguously assigned. Results obtained in this study demonstrated that this analytical approach could provide a reliable and sensitive method to obtain the qualitative on-line profiling of ceramides and cerebrosides in new medicinal plant matrices.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi di Salerno, Via Ponte Don Melillo, I-84084 Fisciano, SA, Italy.
authors.forename: Assunta
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Napolitano
authors.forename: Angelyne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Benavides
authors.forename: Cosimo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pizza
authors.forename: Sonia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Piacente
mesh_terms: D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry; D029064:Araceae / Q000737:chemistry*; D002518:Ceramides / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D002554:Cerebrosides / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D055808:Drug Discovery; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008519:Medicine, Traditional; D015394:Molecular Structure; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry*; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000737:chemistry*; D013020:South America; D021241:Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization; D053719:Tandem Mass Spectrometry; D013678:Technology, Pharmaceutical
chemical_list: D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D002518:Ceramides; D002554:Cerebrosides; D010936:Plant Extracts