Effect of liquid chromatography separation of complex matrices on liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry signal suppression

The effect of liquid chromatography separation on liquid chromatogaphy-tand em mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS) signal response for the characterization of low-molecular-mass compounds in a complex matrix was investigated. Matrix induced signal suppression appears throughout the entire LC-MS-MS analysis of wheat forage extract, with greatest suppression occurring at early reten tion times. Experimental results show that co-elution of matrix components and analytes from the LC column may be most strongly attributed to column o verloading rather than similar analyte and matrix retention behavior. As a result, two-dimensional (LC-LC) separation can be a highly effective approa ch to address signal suppression effects for the quantitative LC-MS-MS anal ysis of complex matrix samples. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights r eserved.