Direct analysis in real time mass spectrometry (DART-MS) for rapid screening of Carpaine in Carica papaya leaf products.

Carpaine, a major alkaloid present in Carica papaya leaves, has been shown to increase platelet counts in patients suffering from thrombocytopenia. Numerous commercial papaya leaf products are available, but few provide proper bioactive ingredient information. We present herein a technique for rapid screening of carpaine in these products using DART-MS. The results indicate that carpaine was detected in various forms (powder, solution) of papaya leaves. Its presence was confirmed by examining the mass pattern when conducted on a standard solution at both low and high voltages (+10 V and +90 V), using MS and MS data obtained from LC-QTOF-MS/MS. The protonated molecule was identified at m/z = 479.38, with a fragment ion at m/z = 240.20. LOD for identifying carpaine in powder and solution matrices were 5.0 × 10 %w/w and 0.05 μg/mL, respectively. The proposed method has been successfully validated with the AOAC International standards and can be used to identify carpaine in papaya leaf products.