Analysis of multiple quaternary ammonium compounds in the brain using tandem capillary column separation and high resolution mass spectrometric detection

Endogenous quaternary ammonium compounds are involved in various physiological processes in the central nervous system. In the present study, eleven quaternary ammonium compounds, including acetylcholine, choline, carnitine, acetylcarnitine and seven other acylcarnitines of low polarity, were analyzed from brain extracts using a two dimension capillary liquid chromatography–Fourier transform mass spectrometry method. To deal with their large difference in hydrophobicities, tandem coupling between reversed phase and hydrophilic interaction chromatography columns was used to separate all the targeted quaternary ammonium compounds. Using high accuracy mass spectrometry in selected ion monitoring mode, all the compounds could be detected from each brain sample with high selectivity. The developed method was applied for the relative quantification of these quaternary ammonium compounds in three different brain regions of tree shrews: prefrontal cortex, striatum, and hippocampus. The comparative analysis showed that quaternary ammonium compounds were differentially distributed across the three brain areas. The analytical method proved to be highly sensitive and reliable for simultaneous determination of all the targeted analytes from brain samples.

► A capillary RP–HILIC–FT-MS method was used to analyze multiple quaternary ammoniums compounds.
► All the targeted quaternary ammoniums compounds could be separated and detected from brain samples.
► Quaternary ammoniums compounds were differentially distributed in the brain.