Exploring metal-organic framework-coated blades for direct and high-throughput screening analysis of complex biological matrices

Abstract

Ambient ionization mass spectrometry techniques (AIMS) have become an emerging approach over the last years due to their simplicity, permitting high-throughput sample analysis by direct coupling to mass spectrometry while ensuring short analysis times. Among AIMS techniques, coated-blade spray (CBS) has stood out as it ensures a significant enhancement of overall sensitivity, undoubtedly useful for human biofluid analysis. In parallel, the incorporation of advanced smart materials, such as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), into analytical devices is rising due to their outstanding ability to trap efficiently target analytes such as industrial chemicals with diverse functionalities and polarities. This study integrates neat MOFs in CBS devices, without the need of any composite or additional materials, through a simple and mild strategy, and their use in the determination of xenobiotics present in human urine samples. Moreover, a suspect screening workflow by high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) has been developed for the first time to extend the chemical coverage of AIMS techniques. This simultaneous approach ensures a proper analytical quality performance, achieving limits of quantification (LOQs) down to 0.1 ng·mL^-1 despite only requiring 8 min for the entire procedure.