Studies on factors influencing stability and recovery of paclitaxel from suspension media and cultures of Taxus cuspidata cv Densiformis by high-performance liquid chromatography.

An HPLC method was developed for quick scanning of taxanes from large numbers of plant cell suspension samples. The method was optimized for analysis of a range of taxanes of differing polarity. Identification of a standard mixture of paclitaxel and 12 related taxanes was achieved in less than 15 min using a gradient mode and a Microsorb-MV C8 column.

Negative fast atom bombardment ionization of aromatic sulfonic acids: unusual sample-matrix interaction.

The most intense ion(s) in negative ion fast atom bombardment (FAB) mass spectra of 2- and 4-benzaldehyde sulfonic acid (BSA) in glycerol or 3-nitrobenzyl alcohol matrix corresponds to a covalent association of the analyte with one or two matrix molecules accompanied by the elimination of a molecule of water. The molecular ion [M - H](-), however, is of low abundance. The identity of the resulting ions [M + nA - H(2)O - H](-) (where M is the analyte and A is the matrix) was confirmed by exact mass measurement using the peak matching technique.

Examination of recombinant truncated mature human fibroblast collagenase by mass spectrometry: identification of differences with the published sequence and determination of stable isotope incorporation.

Human fibroblast collagenase belongs to a family of matrix metalloproteinases which have been implicated in a number of connective tissue disorders ranging from rheumatoid arthritis to tumor invasion. To examine the active site of this enzyme by biophysical studies, a 19 kDa recombinant truncated mature collagenase (mCL-t) was prepared. Electrospray ionization (ESI) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry have been utilized for the characterization of mCL-t.