Toward Metabolomics Analyses With Combined Capillary Vibrating Sharp-Edge Spray Ionization and Atmospheric Pressure
Madison Pursell1, Adefolake Ojanuga1,2, Chandrima Banerjee1
1Department of Chemistry, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA.
Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry : RCM
|June 14, 2026
Summary
Vibrating sharp-edge spray ionization (VSSI) coupled with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI)-like processes enhances metabolomics characterization. This cyclic approach improves ionization efficiency for diverse compounds in mass spectrometry (MS) analyses.
Area of Science:
- Analytical Chemistry
- Mass Spectrometry
- Metabolomics
Background:
- Mass spectrometry (MS) characterization relies on ionization sources tailored to analyte properties.
- Inefficient ionization of certain compounds limits comprehensive metabolomics analysis.
- Vibrating sharp-edge spray ionization (VSSI) offers a versatile platform for accessing multiple ionization processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate a novel mass spectrometry approach combining VSSI with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI)-like processes.
- To assess the utility of cyclically switching between VSSI and VSSI-APCI for metabolomics.
- To determine if this method improves ionization efficiency compared to electrospray ionization (ESI).
Main Methods:
- Coupling VSSI nebulization with corona discharge for APCI-like ionization.
- Analyzing a 28-component small molecule standard mixture.
- Analyzing a *C. elegans* metabolite extract using reversed-phase liquid chromatography (LC).
- Cyclically switching between VSSI and VSSI-APCI ionization modes.
Main Results:
- The VSSI-APCI method demonstrated superior ionization for approximately half of the standard compounds compared to ESI.
- VSSI-APCI significantly outperformed ESI for multiple metabolites in the *C. elegans* extract across various LC conditions.
- ESI showed better performance for other specific compounds, highlighting the complementary nature of the methods.
- Reproducible ionization was achieved by cycling between VSSI and VSSI-APCI.
Conclusions:
- Cyclic switching between VSSI and VSSI-APCI is feasible within typical LC run times.
- High-throughput metabolomics may require advanced pulser electronics for faster cycling rates.
- This adaptable ionization strategy shows promise for online metabolomics analyses.
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