Direct mass spectrometric analysis of glycosphingolipid transferred to a polyvinylidene difluoride membrane by thin-layer chromatography blotting.

A simple, rapid method for the analysis of glycosphingolipid that combines "thin-layer chromatography (TLC) blotting" and mass spectrometry is reported. Glycosphingolipids developed by TLC were transferred to a polyvinylidene difluoride membrane by TLC blotting, after which the glycosphingolipid band on the membrane was excised and placed on a mass spectrometer probe tip, and a few microliters of triethanolamine was added as the matrix. The sample was analyzed by secondary ion mass spectrometry. About 1 microgram of glycosphingolipid subjected to TLC can be analyzed. The major advantage of this method is that glycosphingolipid can be analyzed structurally without purification by repeated column chromatography.