Online hyphenation of in-capillary aptamer-functionalized solid-phase microextraction and extraction nanoelectrospray ionization for miniature mass spectrometry analysis

Abstract

Direct mass spectrometry (MS) analysis is vital to chemical and biological investigations. However, measuring complex samples is challenging due to matrix interference, resulting in compromised MS performance. In this study, an integrated experimental protocol has been developed, combining in-capillary aptamer-functionalized solid-phase microextraction (SPME), extraction nanoelectrospray ionization (nanoESI), and miniature MS analysis. The established method was applied to analyze caffeine in electronic cigarette liquid and beverage samples as proof-of-concept demonstrations. A custom SPME strip fabricated with caffeine-binding aptamers was prepared with an immobilization density of up to 0.812 nmol cm⁻². Critical parameters affecting the effects of extraction, desorption, and ionization were optimized. A novel transition ion ratio-based strategy with enhanced quantitation accuracy was developed. The analytical performance of the proposed method was evaluated under optimized conditions. Acceptable recoveries of 87.5–111.5% with relative standard deviations of 3.1–6.1% and satisfactory sensitivity with limits of detection of 1.5 and 3 ng mL⁻¹ and limits of quantitation of 5 and 10 ng mL⁻¹ were obtained, respectively. The developed approach demonstrates a promising potential for rapid on-site applications with appealing analytical performance and efficiency.