title: An automatic versatile system integrating solid-phase extraction with ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry using a dual-dilution strategy for direct analysis of auxins in plant extracts.
abstract: An automatic versatile system which integrated solid phase extraction (SPE) with ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) was developed. Diverse commercial SPE columns can be used under an ambient pressure in this online system realized by a dual-dilution strategy. The first dilution enabled the direct injection of complex samples with minimal pretreatment, and the second dilution realized direct introduction of large volume of strong eluent into the UHPLC column without causing peak broadening or distortion. In addition, a post-column compensation mode was also designed for the matrix-effects evaluation. The features of the online system were systematically investigated, including the dilution effect, the capture of desorption solution, the column-head stacking effect and the system recovery. Compared with the offline UHPLC system, this online system showed significant advantages such as larger injection volume, higher sensitivity, shorter analysis time and better repeatability. The feasibility of the system was demonstrated by the direct analysis of three auxins from different plant tissues, including leaves of Dracaena sanderiana, buds and petals of Bauhinia. Under the optimized conditions, the whole analysis procedure took only 7min. All the correlation coefficients were greater than 0.9987, the limits of detection and the limits of quantitation were in the range of 0.560-0.800ng/g and 1.80-2.60ng/g, respectively. The recoveries of the real samples ranged from 61.0 to 117%. Finally, the post-column compensation mode was applied and no matrix-effects were observed under the analysis conditions. The automatic versatile system was rapid, sensitive and reliable. We expect this system could be extended to other target analytes in complex samples utilizing diverse SPE columns.
authors.affiliation: Shimadzu Global COE for Application & Technical Development, Guangzhou, 510010, China.
authors.forename: Qisheng
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhong
authors.affiliation: Shimadzu Global COE for Application & Technical Development, Guangzhou, 510010, China.
authors.forename: Xiongxiong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Qiu
authors.affiliation: Shimadzu Global COE for Application & Technical Development, Guangzhou, 510010, China.
authors.forename: Caiyong
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Shimadzu Global COE for Application & Technical Development, Guangzhou, 510010, China.
authors.forename: Lingling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: Shimadzu Global COE for Application & Technical Development, Guangzhou, 510010, China.
authors.forename: Yin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Huo
authors.affiliation: Shimadzu Global COE for Application & Technical Development, Guangzhou, 510010, China.
authors.forename: Song
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhan
authors.affiliation: Shimadzu Global COE for Application & Technical Development, Guangzhou, 510010, China.
authors.forename: Jinting
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.affiliation: Shimadzu Global COE for Application & Technical Development, Guangzhou, 510010, China.
authors.forename: Taohong
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Shimadzu Global COE for Application & Technical Development, Guangzhou, 510010, China.
authors.forename: Shin-ichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kawano
authors.affiliation: Shimadzu Global COE for Application & Technical Development, Guangzhou, 510010, China.
authors.forename: Yuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hashi
authors.affiliation: Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Phytohormones and Growth Development, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, 410128, China.
authors.forename: Langtao
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.affiliation: School of Bioscience and Bioengineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China. Electronic address: tingzhou@scut.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Ting
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zhou
mesh_terms: D001331:Automation; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / Q000379:methods*; D007210:Indoleacetic Acids / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000737:chemistry*; D010944:Plants / Q000737:chemistry; D052616:Solid Phase Extraction / Q000379:methods*; D053719:Tandem Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D007210:Indoleacetic Acids; D010936:Plant Extracts
keywords: Automatic versatile system; Auxins; Dual-dilution strategy; Solid-phase extraction; Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC–MS/MS)