Comparison of high-resolution and tandem mass spectrometry for the analysis of nerve agent metabolites in urine.

RATIONALE: Although use is prohibited, concerns remain for human exposure to nerve agents during decommissioning, research, and warfare. High-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) was compared to tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) analysis for the quantitation of five urinary metabolites specific to VX, Russian VX, soman, sarin and cyclosarin nerve agents. The HRMS method was further evaluated for qualitative screening of metabolites not included in the test panel. METHODS: Nerve agent metabolites were extracted from urine using solid-phase extraction, separated using hydrophilic interaction chromatography and analyzed using both tandem and high-resolution mass spectrometry. MS/MS results were obtained using selected reaction monitoring with unit resolution; HRMS results were obtained using a mass extraction window of 10 ppm at a mass resolution of 50 000. The benchtop Orbitrap HRMS instrument was operated in full scan mode, to measure the presence of unexpected nerve agent metabolites. RESULTS: The assessment of two quality control samples demonstrated high accuracy (99.5-104%) and high precision (2-9%) for both HRMS and MS/MS. Sensitivity, as described by the limit of detection, was overlapping for both detectors (0.2-0.7 ng/mL). Additionally, the HRMS method positively confirmed the presence of a nerve agent metabolite, not included in the test panel, using the accurate mass and relative retention time. CONCLUSIONS: The precision, accuracy, and sensitivity were comparable between the current MS/MS method and this newly developed HRMS analysis for five nerve agent metabolites. HRMS showed additional capabilities beyond the current method by confirming the presence of a metabolite not included in the test panel.

Quantification of organophosphorus nerve agent metabolites using a reduced-volume, high-throughput sample processing format and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

A reduced-volume, high-throughput analytical method has been developed for the quantification of organophosphorus (OP) nerve agent metabolites in human urine. Metabolites of soman, sarin, cyclohexyl-sarin, VX, and Russian-VX were quantified down to a lowest reportable limit of 1 ng/mL in human urine. One hundred microliter urine samples were preconcentrated using normal-phase 96-well solid-phase extraction silica sorbent beds. Dual-column hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography was applied in a 2.5-min isocratic separation followed by negative electrospray isotope-dilution multiple-reaction-monitoring mass spectrometry. Method validation included the characterization of two synthetic urine pools, relative recovery experiments, and calculation of the method limit of detection. All liquid handling steps were processed in a high-density 96-well format, including sample aliquoting, extraction, dry-down, and reconstitution. This allows up to 3840 unknown samples, plus calibrators and quality control materials, to be prepared on a single liquid handler in a 24-h period. In a public health emergency involving OP-nerve agents, this method provides the sample preparation and analytical capacity to respond rapidly to a large number of patient samples.