Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Analysis of hydroxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers in plant samples using ultra performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry

  • Articles
  • Published:
Science China Chemistry Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A method was developed for the analysis of hydroxylated brominated diphenyl ethers (OH-PBDEs) in plant samples using an ultra performance liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometer (UPLC-ESI-MS/MS) in negative mode. Plant samples were extracted and cleaned up through florisil column, resolved on a 100 mm C18 column with linear gradient elution and detected by mass spectrometry in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. The method provided good recoveries ranging from 68.2% to 94.6%, relative standard deviation (RSD) in the range of 3.2%–9.1%, and limits of quantification (LOQ) defined as the signal-to-noise ratio of 10 of 0.3–2.1 ng/g. It allowed a fast separation and sensitive quantification of the isomers and homologues of seven OH-PBDE congeners 2′-OH-BDE-3, 3′-OH-BDE-7, 4′-OH-BDE-17, 3′-OH-BDE-28, 3-OH-BDE-47, 5-OH-BDE-47 and 6-OH-BDE-47. The method was successfully applied to identify and quantify the formation of hydroxylated metabolites in alfalfa exposed to BDE-209. Five OH-PBDEs were detected in plant tissues, and more congeners were found in roots than in shoots. To our knowledge, this work represents the first attempt to validate UPLC-MS/MS method to quantify OH-PBDEs in plant samples without derivatization.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. De Wit CA. An overview of brominated flame retardants in the environment. Chemosphere, 2002, 46: 583–624

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Hites RA. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers in the environment and in people: A meta-analysis of concentrations. Environ Sci Technol, 2004, 38: 945–956

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Hassanin A, Breivik K, Meijer SN, Steinnes E, Thomas GO, Jones KC. PBDEs in European background soils: Levels and factors controlling their distribution. Environ Sci Technol, 2004, 38: 738–745

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Shen L, Wania F, Lei YD, Teixeira C, Muir DCG, Xiao H. Polychlorinated biphenyls and polybrominated diphenyl ethers in the North American atmosphere. Environ Pollut, 2006, 144: 434–444

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Wan Y, Wiseman S, Chang H, Zhang XW, Jones PD, Hecker M, Kannan K, Tanabe S, Hu JY, Lam MHW, Giesy JP. Origin of hydroxylated brominated diphenyl ethers: natural compounds or man-made flame retardants? Environ Sci Technol, 2009, 43: 7536–7542

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Ueno D, Darling C, Alaee M, Pacepavicius G, Teixeira C, Campbell L, Letcher RJ, Bergman Å, Marsh G, Muir D. Hydroxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers (OH-PBDEs) in the abiotic environment: surface water and precipitation from Ontario, Canada. Environ Sci Technol, 2008, 42: 1657–1664

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Hakk H, Letcher RJ. Metabolism in the toxicokinetics and fate of brominated flame retardants-a review. Environ Int, 2003, 29: 801–828

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Marsh G, Athanasiadou M, Bergman Å, Asplund L. Identification of hydroxylated and methoxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers in Baltic Sea Salmon (Salmo salar) blood. Environ Sci Technol, 2004, 38: 10–18

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Wang Y, Ding WW, Jin J. Determination of hydroxylated polylrominated diphenyl ethers in human serum by ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Chinese J Anal Chem, 2011, 39: 22–26

    Google Scholar 

  10. Collins, C, Fryer, M, Grosso, A. Plant uptake of non-ionic organic chemicals. Environ Sci Technol, 2006, 40: 45–52

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Meerts IATM, Letcher RJ, Hoving S, Marsh G, Bergman Å, Lemmen JG, van der Burg B, Brouwer A. In vitro estrogenicity of polybrominated diphenyl ethers, hydroxylated PBDEs, and polybrominated bisphenol A compounds. Environ Health Persp, 2001, 109: 399–407

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Qiu XH, Mercado-Feliciano M, Bigsby RM, Hites RA. Measurement of polybrominated diphenyl ethers and metabolites in mouse plasma after exposure to a commercial pentabromodiphenyl ether mixture. Environ Health Persp, 2007, 115: 1052–1058

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Huang HL, Zhang SZ, Christie P, Wang S, Xie M. Behavior of decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209) in the soil plant system: uptake, translocation, and metabolism in plants and dissipation in soil. Environ Sci Technol, 2010, 44: 663–670

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Malmberg T, Athanasiadou M, Marsh G, Brandt I, Bergman Å. Identification of hydroxylated polybrominated diphenyl ether metabolites in blood plasma from polybrominated diphenyl ether exposed rats. Environ Sci Technol, 2005, 39: 5342–5348

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Kato Y, Okada S, Atobe K, Endo T, Matsubara F, Oguma T, Haraguchi K. Simultaneous determination by APCI-LC/MS/MS of hydroxylated and methoxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers found in marine biota. Anal Chem, 2009, 81: 5942–5948

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Wan Y, Choi K, Kim S, Ji K, Chang H, Wiseman S, Jones PD, Khim JS, Park S, Park J, Lam MHW, Giesy JP. Hydroxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers and bisphenol A in pregnant women and their matching fetuses: Placental transfer and potential risks. Environ Sci Technol, 2010, 44: 5233–5239

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Erratico CA, Szeitz A, Bandiera SM. Validation of a novel in vitro assay using ultra performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UPLC/MS) to detect and quantify hydroxylated metabolites of BDE-99 in rat liver microsomes. J Chromatogr B, 2010, 878: 1562–1568

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Wu Y, Engen JR, Hobbins WB. Ultra performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) further improves hydrogen/deuterium exchange mass spectrometry. J Am Soc Mass Spectrom, 2006, 17: 163–167

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Zhai GS, Lehmler HJ, Schnoor JL. Hydroxylated metabolites of 4-monochlorobiphenyl and its metabolic pathway in whole poplar plants. Environ Sci Technol, 2010, 44: 3901–3907

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Qiu XH, Bigsby RM, Hites RA. Hydroxylated metabolites of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in human blood samples from the United States. Environ Health Persp, 2009, 117: 93–98

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Van Bocxlaer JF, Clauwaert KM, Lambert WE, Deforce DL, Van den Eeckhout EG, De Leenheer AP. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry in forensic toxicology. Mass Spectrom Rev, 2000, 19: 165–214

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. McCalley DV. Effect of temperature and flow-rate on analysis of basic compounds in high-performance liquid chromatography using a reversed-phase column. J Chromatogr A, 2000, 902: 311–321

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Lai YQ, Chen XG, Lam Michael HW, Cai ZW. Analysis of hydroxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers in rat plasma by using ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. J Chromatogr B, 2011, 879: 1086–1090

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Mas S, Jáuregui O, Rubio F, de Juan A, Tauler R, Lacorte S. Comprehensive liquid chromatography-ion-spray tandem mass spectrometry method for the identification and quantification of eight hydroxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers in environmental matrices. J Mass Spectrom, 2007, 42: 890–899

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Lupton SJ, McGarrigle BP, Olson JR, Wood TD, Aga DS. Analysis of hydroxylated polybrominated diphenyl ether metabolites by liquid chromatography/atmospheric pressure chemical ionization tandem mass spectrometry. Rapid Commun Mass Spectrom, 2010, 24: 2227–2235

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China

    Sen Wang, Tong Wu, HongLin Huang & ShuZhen Zhang

  2. Beijing Research Center for Agri-food Testing and Farmland Monitoring, Beijing, 100097, China

    Hua Ping & AnXiang Lu

Authors
  1. Sen Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Tong Wu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. HongLin Huang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Hua Ping
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. AnXiang Lu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. ShuZhen Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to ShuZhen Zhang.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Wang, S., Wu, T., Huang, H. et al. Analysis of hydroxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers in plant samples using ultra performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Sci. China Chem. 54, 1782–1788 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11426-011-4383-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11426-011-4383-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation