Improved analysis of derivatized steroid hormone isomers using ion mobility-mass spectrometry (IM-MS)

Publication Date: September 23, 2023

Over the last decade, applications of ion mobility-mass spectrometry (IM-MS) have exploded due primarily to the widespread commercialization of robust instrumentation from several vendors. Unfortunately, the modest resolving power of many of these platforms (~40–60) has precluded routine separation of constitutional and stereochemical isomers. While instrumentation advances have pushed resolving power to >150 in some cases, chemical approaches offer an alternative for increasing resolution with existing IM-MS instrumentation. Herein we explore the utility of two reactions, derivatization by Girard’s reagents and 1,1-carbonyldiimidazole (CDI), for improving IM separation of steroid hormone isomers. These reactions are fast (≤30 min), simple (requiring only basic lab equipment/expertise), and low-cost. Notably, these reactions are structurally selective in that they target carbonyl and hydroxyl groups, respectively, which are found in all naturally occurring steroids. Many steroid hormone isomers differ only in the number, location, and/or stereochemistry of these functional groups, allowing these reactions to “amplify” subtle structural differences and improve IM resolution. Our results show that resolution was significantly improved amongst CDI-derivatized isomer groups of hydroxyprogesterone (two-peak resolution of R_pp = 1.10 between 21-OHP and 11B-OHP), deoxycortisone (R_pp = 1.47 between 11-DHC and 21-DOC), and desoximetasone (R_pp = 1.98 between desoximetasone and fluocortolone). Moreover, characteristic collision cross section (^DTCCS_N2) measurements can be used to increase confidence in the identification of these compounds in complex biological mixtures. To demonstrate the feasibility of analyzing the derivatized steroids in complex biological matrixes, the reactions were performed following steroid extraction from urine and yielded similar results. Additionally, we applied a software-based approach (high-resolution demultiplexing) that further improved the resolving power (>150). Overall, our results suggest that targeted derivatization reactions coupled with IM-MS can significantly improve the resolution of challenging isomer groups, allowing for more accurate and efficient analysis of complex mixtures.