Significant proteins affecting cerebral vasospasm using complementary ICPMS and MALDI-MS.

Cerebral vasospasm (CV) following subarachnoid hemorrhagic stroke affects more than one million people each year. The etiology and prevention of CV is currently of great interest to researchers in various fields of medical science. More recently, the idea that selenium could be playing a major role in the onset of cerebral vasospasm has come into the spotlight. This study focused on using newly established metallomics techniques in order to explore the proteome associated with CV and if selenium might affect the discovered proteins. Size exclusion chromatography coupled to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, along with LC-MALDI-TOF/TOF were both essential in determining protein identifications in three different sample types; a control (normal, healthy patient, CSF control), SAH stroke patients (no vasospasm, CSF C) and SAH CV patients (CSF V). The results of this study, although preliminary, indicate the current methods are applicable and warrant further application to these clinically important targets.

Separation and identification of oligonucleotides by hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC)-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS).

A method for the separation and detection of oligonucleotides utilizing hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS) is described. Polythymidylic acids of various lengths (10, 15, 20 and 30 nucleotides) were separated under gradient HILIC conditions. Selective detection of oligonucleotides was possible through monitoring m/z 47, corresponding to (31)P(16)O(+), using ICPMS. Oxygen was used as a reaction gas in the collision/reaction cell to produce PO(+) by reacting with phosphorus in the gas phase, thereby effectively eliminating the interferences for phosphorus normally seen at m/z 31. Limits of detections (LODs) were determined to be 1.69 pmol, 1.21 pmol, 1.0 pmol and 0.55 pmol loaded on column for the 10, 15, 20 and 30 mer, respectively.

Vascular metallomics: copper in the vasculature.

Owing to recent progress in analytical techniques, metallomics are evolving from detecting distinct trace metals in a defined state to monitor the dynamic changes in the abundance and location of trace metals in vitro and in vivo. Vascular metallomics is an emerging field that studies the role of trace metals in vasculature. This review will introduce common metallomics techniques including atomic absorption spectrometry, inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry, inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry and X-ray fluorescence spectrometry with a summary table to compare these techniques. Moreover, we will summarize recent research findings that have applied these techniques to human population studies in cardiovascular diseases, with a particular emphasis on the role of copper in these diseases. In order to address the issue of interdisciplinary studies between metallomics and vascular biology, we will review the progress of efforts to understand the role of copper in neovascularization. This recent advance in the metallomics field may be a powerful tool to elucidate the signaling pathways and specific biological functions of these trace metals. Finally, we summarize the evidence to support the notion that copper is a dynamic signaling molecule. As a future direction, vascular metallomics studies may lead to the identification of targets for diagnosis and therapy in cardiovascular disease.