Rapid and Direct Analysis of Active Ingredients in Drug Tablets Using Atmospheric Pressure Laser Desorption Ionization Mass Spectrometry

An atmospheric pressure laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry (APLDI-MS) method was developed for the fast and direct analysis of active ingredients in drug tablets. The tablets containing several active ingredients were directly analyzed by APLDI-MS without any sample preparation, and the identities of the active ingredients were further confirmed by tandem MS. The ionization of the active ingredients in the tablets by APLDI did not need an applied high voltage or any auxiliary solvent or gas. In addition, the good penetration depth of the near-infrared pulse laser of APLDI enabled it to directly ionize the active ingredient (s) in a drug tablet even with a coated film. This simple, rapid and direct APLDI-MS method is very promising for the fast screening of drugs and for on-line quality control in pharmaceutical industry.

Graphical abstractNo matter the tablets containing one active ingredient or more than one active ingredient, no matter the tablets coated with a film or not, they can be directly analyzed by APLDI-MS without any sample preparation.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide