Tandem mass spectrometric study of ciprofloxacin-poly(ethylene glycol) conjugate in the presence of alkali metal ions

The fragmentation and fragmentation behaviors of singly, doubly, and triply charged adducts of ciprofloxacin-poly(ethylene glycol) conjugate (P_Cf) with alkali metal ions, including Li+, Na+ and K+ ions, generated by electrospray (ESI) were studied as a function of collision energy. The product ion spectra of adducts with charge states +1, +2, and +3 are dominated by product ions arising from the loss-neutral moiety (ciprofloxacin) and CO2, and ions formed by dissociation of the precursor ion ([P_Cf + xM]x+) into product ions [P + (x − 1)M](x−1)+ and [Cf + M]+ (where P_Cf, P and Cf represent the ciprofloxacin-poly(ethylene glycol) conjugate, the poly(ethylene glycol) backbone without the endgroups, and the ciprofloxacin moiety, respectively; M is the alkali metal ion and x is the charge). It was found that the metal ions do not significantly alter the fragmentation pattern of ciprofloxacin-poly(ethylene glycol) conjugate. It is also interesting that the run and the shape of the survival yield curves for the singly and doubly charged adduct ions are independent of the cation. However, in the case of triply charged adducts, survival yield curves follow each other in the order K+, Na+, and Li+. Based on the experimental results, a fragmentation mechanism for the singly and multiply charged adducts of P_Cf with alkali metal ions is given. In addition, a tentative description of the signal intensity variations of the product ions with the lab frame collision energy is also reported.