Shimadzu Review Vol.77[1・2](2020)
Life Science

SPECIALLY COLLECTED PAPERS

Improving the Sensitivity of LC-ESI/MS Analysis with a Micro-Scale Flowrate Mobile Phase

by Kyoko Watanabe, Ph.D.1Masateru Oguri2Mikael Levi2Yohei Arao2Wataru Fukui2Toshiya Matsubara, Ph.D.2Shin-ya Imamura3Jun Yanagibayashi3Davide Vecchietti, Ph.D.1Masahide Gunji, Ph.D.1Hidetoshi Terada1Daisuke Nakayama1Yosuke Iwata1Ichiro Hirano2Okiyuki Kunihiro1Kazuo Mukaibatake2Tairo Ogura, Ph.D.2

Shimadzu Review 77[1・2] (2020.7)

Abstract

LC-ESI-MS/MS analysis has been a workhorse in various fields due to its high selectivity and sensitivity. LC/MS  analysis sensitivity can be further improved by scaling down the LC part. Nanoflow LC/MS analysis achieves incredibly high sensitivity by using column internal diameters of 0.1 mm or less and mobile phase flowrates of 1 μL/min or less, but also requires long analytical cycle times and highly specialized operation. By contrast, microflow LC/MS, which uses column internal diameters of around 0.1–1 mm and mobile phase flowrates of 1–100 μL/min, promises excellent sensitivi-ty while retaining the ease-of-operation and analytical cycle times of traditional LC/MS. 
Shimadzu’s Nexera Mikros is a microflow LC/MS system that features high sensitivity, ease-of-use, and robust func-tionality. Nexera Mikros performs stable and effective ESI at micro-scale flowrates to achieve sensitivities that are several times to several tens of times higher than traditional LC/MS. Its UF-Link connection mechanism also facilitates simple and secure column attachment with no dead volume to reduce peak broadening and improve sensitivity. Nexera Mikros has been shown to maintain this performance during 1500 blood plasma injections, so users can expect stable operation even across analyses that require similar throughput to traditional LC/MS. 
This article describes the principles and provides an overview of microflow LC/MS analysis, reports on each feature of Nexera Mikros, and gives example applications of the system where sensitivity improvements were achieved. 

1 LC Business Unit, Life Science Business Department, Analytical & Measuring Instruments Division, Shimadzu Corporation, Kyoto, Japan
2MS Business Unit, Life Science Business Department, Analytical & Measuring Instruments Division, Shimadzu Corporation, Kyoto, Japan
3 Bio-Industry Unit, Technology Research Laboratory, Shimadzu Corporation, Kyoto, Japan

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