Determination of Branched β-Cyclodextrin–Prostaglandin Complexes Using Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry

Abstract

Mass spectral measurements by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) detected the ions of β-cyclodextrin (βCD) or branched βCDs (glucosyl-, galactosyl-, mannosyl- and maltosyl-βCD)–prostaglandins (PGs: PGA₂, PGD₂, PGE₁, PGE₂, PGF_2α and PGJ₂) complexes, i.e., βCD–PG complexes, with a host:guest ratio of 1:1 in the negative ion mode. This is the first study to report the ions of branched βCD–PG complexes using ESI-MS. The inclusion complexes were determined by a flow injection analysis using acetonitrile/water. We could confirm by this method the presence of a βCD–PGE₂ complex with a host:guest ratio of 1:1 in a solution-dissolved pharmaceutical formulation consisting of βCD–PGE₂ (Prostarmon^TM E tablet).