title: Peptide profiling of Internet-obtained Cerebrolysin using high performance liquid chromatography - electrospray ionization ion trap and ultra high performance liquid chromatography - ion mobility - quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry.
abstract: Cerebrolysin, a parenteral peptide preparation produced by controlled digestion of porcine brain proteins, is an approved nootropic medicine in some countries. However, it is also easily and globally available on the Internet. Nevertheless, until now, its exact chemical composition was unknown. Using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled to ion trap and ultra high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) coupled to quadrupole-ion mobility-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (Q-IM-TOF MS), combined with UniProt pig protein database search and PEAKS de novo sequencing, we identified 638 unique peptides in an Internet-obtained Cerebrolysin sample. The main components in this sample originate from tubulin alpha- and beta-chain, actin, and myelin basic protein. No fragments of known neurotrophic factors like glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), neurotrophin nerve growth factor (NGF), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) were found, suggesting that the activities reported in the literature are likely the result of new, hitherto unknown cryptic peptides with nootropic properties.
authors.affiliation: Drug Quality and Registration (DruQuaR) group, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ghent University, Ottergemsesteenweg 460, Ghent, B-9000, Belgium.
authors.forename: Bert
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gevaert
authors.affiliation: Drug Quality and Registration (DruQuaR) group, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ghent University, Ottergemsesteenweg 460, Ghent, B-9000, Belgium.
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: D'Hondt
authors.affiliation: Drug Quality and Registration (DruQuaR) group, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ghent University, Ottergemsesteenweg 460, Ghent, B-9000, Belgium.
authors.forename: Nathalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bracke
authors.affiliation: Drug Quality and Registration (DruQuaR) group, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ghent University, Ottergemsesteenweg 460, Ghent, B-9000, Belgium.
authors.forename: Han
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.affiliation: Drug Quality and Registration (DruQuaR) group, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ghent University, Ottergemsesteenweg 460, Ghent, B-9000, Belgium.
authors.forename: Evelien
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Wynendaele
authors.affiliation: Waters, ConneXion Business Park, Brusselsesteenweg 500, Zellik, B-1731, Belgium.
authors.forename: Johannes Petrus Cornelis
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Vissers
authors.affiliation: Waters, ConneXion Business Park, Brusselsesteenweg 500, Zellik, B-1731, Belgium.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: De Cecco
authors.affiliation: Waters, ConneXion Business Park, Brusselsesteenweg 500, Zellik, B-1731, Belgium.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Claereboudt
authors.affiliation: Drug Quality and Registration (DruQuaR) group, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ghent University, Ottergemsesteenweg 460, Ghent, B-9000, Belgium.
authors.forename: Bart
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: De Spiegeleer
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000596:Amino Acids / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000600:supply & distribution; D000818:Animals; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D020407:Internet; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000600:supply & distribution; D010455:Peptides / Q000032:analysis*; D011506:Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D021241:Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization; D013552:Swine
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D010455:Peptides; D011506:Proteins; C006952:cerebrolysin
keywords: Cerebrolysin; cryptic peptides; high definition mass spectrometry; ion mobility separation, Internet-obtained medicines; ion trap mass spectrometry