Direct evidence for degradation of esperamicin A1 with thiol confirmed by fast-atom bombardment mass spectrometry.

A degradation of esperamicin A1, which is a potent antitumor antibiotic having DNA-cleaving activity, was studied by fast-atom bombardment (FAB) mass spectrometry. It was proved that the degradation easily occurs via the thiol group(s) in the matrix solution and not by a FAB-induced reaction. It was concluded that from the FAB mass spectra of all non-volatile compounds, the molecular weight should be determined by using at least two chemically different matrices.