J Mass Spectrom 2013 Feb 01;482:164-71. doi: 10.1002/jms.3140.

High-energy collision-induced dissociation of [M+Na]+ ions desorbed by fast atom bombardment of ceramides isolated from the starfish Distolasterias nipon.

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Ten ceramides and four cerebrosides were extracted from the starfish Distolasterias nipon by solvent extraction, silica gel column chromatography and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. Structural identification was conducted using tandem mass spectrometry of monosodiated ions desorbed by fast atom bombardment. The complete structures of four cerebrosides were determined by a previously reported method. The high-energy collision-induced dissociation (CID) spectral characteristics of ceramides with various structures depend on the number and positions of double bonds on both the N-acyl and sphingoid chains, the presence of a hydroxyl group or a double bond at the C-4 position of the sphingoid chain and the presence of an α-hydroxy group on the N-acyl chain. The high-energy CID of the monosodiated ion, [M+Na](+), of each ceramide molecular species generated abundant ions, providing information on the composition of the fatty acyl chains and sphingoid long-chain bases. Each homologous ion series along the fatty acyl group and aliphatic chain of the sphingoid base was used for locating the double-bond positions of both chains and hydroxyl groups on the sphingoid base chain. The double-bond positions were also confirmed by the m/z values of abundant allylic even- and odd-electron ions, and the intensity ratio of the T ion peak relative to the O ion peak. This technique could determine the complete structures of ceramides and cerebrosides in an extract mixture and has great potential for determining other sphingolipids isolated from various biological sources.

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