Rapid identification of herbal toxins using electrospray laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry for emergency care

Rapid identification of herbal toxins using electrospray laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry for emergency care

The unintentional ingestion of toxic compounds in herbs is not uncommon in many partsof the world. To provide timely and life-saving care in the emergency department, it isessential to develop a point-of-care analytical method that can rapidly identify these toxinsin herbs. Since electrospray laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry (ELDI/MS) hasbeen successfully used to characterize non-volatile chemical compounds without samplepreparation, it was used to identify toxic herbal compounds in this study. The herbal toxinswere collected either by sweeping a metallic probe across the surface of a freshly cut herbsection or by directly sampling extracts of ground herbal powder. The analytes on theprobe were then desorbed, ionized and detected using ELDI/MS, wherein analysis of theherbal toxins was completed within 30 s. This approach allows for the rapid morphologicalrecognition of herbs and early point-of-care identification of herbal toxins for emergencymanagement and is promising in providing important toxicological information to ensureappropriate medical treatment.