title: Multi-stage tandem mass spectrometric analysis of novel β-cyclodextrin-substituted and novel bis-pyridinium gemini surfactants designed as nanomedical drug delivery agents.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study aimed at evaluating the collision-induced dissociation tandem mass spectrometric (CID-MS/MS) fragmentation patterns of novel β-cyclodextrin-substituted- and bis-pyridinium gemini surfactants currently being explored as nanomaterial drug delivery agents. In the β-cyclodextrin-substituted gemini surfactants, a β-cyclodextrin ring is grafted onto an N,N-bis(dimethylalkyl)-α,ω-aminoalkane-diammonium moiety using variable succinyl linkers. In contrast, the bis-pyridinium gemini surfactants are based on a 1,1'-(1,1'-(ethane-1,2-diylbis(sulfanediyl))bis(alkane-2,1-diyl))dipyridinium template, defined by two symmetrical N-alkylpyridinium parts connected through a fixed ethane dithiol spacer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Detection of the precursor ion [M](2+) species of the synthesized compounds and the determination of mass accuracies were conducted using a QqTOF-MS instrument. A multi-stage tandem MS analysis of the detected [M](2+) species was conducted using the QqQ-LIT-MS instrument. Both instruments were equipped with an electrospray ionization (ESI) source.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Abundant precursor ion [M](2+) species were detected for all compounds at sub-1 ppm mass accuracies. The β-cyclodextrin-substituted compounds, fragmented via two main pathways: Pathway 1: the loss of one head-tail region produces a [M-(N(Me)2-R)](2+) ion, from which sugar moieties (Glc) are sequentially cleaved; Pathway 2: both head-tail regions are lost to give [M-2(N(Me)2-R)](+), followed by consecutive loss of Glc units. Alternatively, the cleavage of the Glc units could also have occurred simultaneously. Nevertheless, the fragmentation evolved around the quaternary ammonium cations, with characteristic cleavage of Glc moieties. For the bis-pyridinium gemini compounds, they either lost neutral pyridine(s) to give doubly charged ions (Pathway A) or formed complementary pyridinium alongside other singly charged ions (Pathway B). Similar to β-cyclodextrin-substituted compounds, the fragmentation was centered on the pyridinium functional groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The MS(n) analyses of these novel gemini surfactants, reported here for the first time, revealed diagnostic ions for each compound, with a universal fragmentation pattern for each compound series. The diagnostic ions will be employed within liquid chromatography (LC)/MS/MS methods for screening, identification, and quantification of these compounds within biological samples.
authors.affiliation: Drug Design & Discovery Group, College of Pharmacy and Nutrition, University of Saskatchewan, 110 Science Place, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5C9, Canada.
authors.forename: McDonald
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Donkuru
authors.forename: Jackson M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Chitanda
authors.forename: Ronald E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Verrall
authors.forename: Anas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: El-Aneed
mesh_terms: D004337:Drug Carriers / Q000737:chemistry*; D007477:Ions / Q000737:chemistry; D008958:Models, Molecular; D050997:Nanomedicine; D011726:Pyridinium Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D013501:Surface-Active Agents / Q000737:chemistry*; D053719:Tandem Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods*; D047392:beta-Cyclodextrins / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D004337:Drug Carriers; D007477:Ions; D011726:Pyridinium Compounds; D013501:Surface-Active Agents; D047392:beta-Cyclodextrins