We compared four derivatization reagents to analyze catecholamines and amino acids by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry. 2,4,6-Trimethylpyrylium tetrafluoroborate (TMPy), 2,4-diphenyl-pyranylium tetrafluoroborate (DPP-TFB), 4-(anthracen-9-yl)-2-fluoro-1-methylpyridin-1-ium iodide (FMP-10), and triphenyl pyrilium (TPP) were used as derivatization reagents that can specifically modify primary amines or hydroxy groups in target molecules. Three derivatization reagents, not including TPP, reacted with all target molecules. The derived catecholamines dopamine and L-DOPA, and the amino acids GABA and glycine, were efficiently ionized in comparison with non-derivatized targets. Comparative analysis indicated that TMPy and FMP-10 produced general increases in signal-to-noise ratios (S/N), whereas DPP and TPP produced specific increases in the S/N of GABA and DA. Notably, TMPy is a small molecule that efficiently reacts with target molecules due to the absence of high bulk and steric hinderance.

中文翻译：

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儿茶酚胺和氨基酸衍生化试剂的比较分析

我们比较了四种衍生化试剂，以通过基质辅助激光解吸/电离 (MALDI) 质谱法分析儿茶酚胺和氨基酸。2,4,6-三甲基吡喃四氟硼酸盐 (TMPy), 2,4-二苯基-吡喃四氟硼酸盐 (DPP-TFB), 4-(anthracen-9-yl)-2-fluoro-1-methylpyridin-1-ium iodide (FMP) -10) 和三苯基吡咯 (TPP) 作为衍生化试剂，可以特异性地修饰目标分子中的伯胺或羟基。三种衍生试剂（不包括 TPP）与所有目标分子反应。与非衍生目标相比，衍生的儿茶酚胺多巴胺和左旋多巴以及氨基酸 GABA 和甘氨酸被有效电离。比较分析表明，TMPy 和 FMP-10 使信噪比 (S/N) 普遍增加，而 DPP 和 TPP 导致 GABA 和 DA 的 S/N 特定增加。值得注意的是，TMPy 是一种小分子，由于不存在高体积和空间位阻，因此可以有效地与目标分子反应。