Acylhydrazide and Isatin Schiff Bases as Alternate UV-Laser Desorption Ionization (LDI) Matrices for Low Molecular Weight (LMW) Peptides Analysis

Abstract

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) is a preferred and widely used mass spectrometric technique for the analysis of macromolecules. Limited UV-LDI matrices are available for the analysis of biomolecules due to the restricted structural features to serve in the laser desorption/ionization mechanism with a problem of background signals appearing in the low mass region. This paper describes the application of Schiff base derivatives of acylhydrazide and isatin as alternate UV-LDI matrices for the analysis of peptides with significantly low background signals. Thirty one compounds have been successfully employed as matrices for the analysis of low molecular weight (LMW) peptides (α-Cyano-4-hydroxycinnamic acid (HCCA), a preferred choice for peptide analysis.