title: Signal enhancement in electrospray laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry by using a black oxide-coated metal target and a relatively low laser fluence.
abstract: The electrospray Laser desorption/ionization (ELDI) method is actively used for direct sample analysis and ambient mass spectrometry imaging. The optimizing of Laser desorption conditions is essential for this technology. In this work, we propose using a metal target with a black oxide (Fe3O4) coating to increase the signal in ELDI-MS for peptides and small proteins. The experiments were performed on an LTQ-FT mass spectrometer equipped with a home-made ELDI ion source. A cutter blade with black oxide coating was used as a target. A nitrogen laser was used with the following parameters: 337 nm, pulse duration 4ns, repetition rate 10 Hz, fluence to approximately 700 Jm(-2). More than a five times signal increase was observed for a substance P peptide when a coated and a non-coated metal target were compared. No ion signal was observed for proteins if the same fluence and the standard stainless steel target were used. With the assistance of the Fe3O4 coated metal target and a relatively low laser fluence < or =700 Jm(-2)), proteins such as insulin, ubiquitin and myoglobin were successfully ionized. It was demonstrated that the Fe3O4-coated metal target can be used efficiently to assist laser desorption and thus significantly increase the analyte signal in ELDI-MS. A relatively low laser fluence (< or = 700 Jm(-2)) was enough to desorb peptides and proteins (up to 17 kDal with the assistance of the Fe3O4-coated metal target under ambient conditions.
authors.affiliation: lnstitute for Energy Problems of Chemical Physics, 119334 Moscow, Russia. ennikolaev@rambler.ru
authors.forename: Alexey
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kononikhin
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Min-Zong
authors.initials: MZ
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Emanuel Institute of Biochemical Physics, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Igor
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Popov
authors.affiliation: lnstitute for Energy Problems of Chemical Physics, 119334 Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Yury
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kostyukevich
authors.affiliation: lnstitute for Energy Problems of Chemical Physics, 119334 Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Evgeny
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kukaev
authors.affiliation: lnstitute for Energy Problems of Chemical Physics, 119334 Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Alexey
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Boldyrev
authors.affiliation: lnstitute for Energy Problems of Chemical Physics, 119334 Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Spasskiy
authors.affiliation: lnstitute for Energy Problems of Chemical Physics, 119334 Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Ilya
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Leypunskiy
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Jentaie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shiea
authors.affiliation: lnstitute for Energy Problems of Chemical Physics, 119334 Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Eugene
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nikolaev
mesh_terms: D004867:Equipment Design; D052203:Ferrosoferric Oxide / Q000737:chemistry*; D007834:Lasers; D010455:Peptides / Q000032:analysis; D011506:Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D021241:Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization / Q000295:instrumentation*
chemical_list: D010455:Peptides; D011506:Proteins; D052203:Ferrosoferric Oxide