Analysis of hydroxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers in plant samples using ultra performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry

A method was developed for the analysis of hydroxylated brominated diphenyl ethers (OH-PBDEs) in plant samples using an ultra performance liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometer (UPLC-ESI-MS/MS) in negative mode. Plant samples were extracted and cleaned up through florisil column, resolved on a 100 mm C18 column with linear gradient elution and detected by mass spectrometry in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. The method provided good recoveries ranging from 68.2% to 94.6%, relative standard deviation (RSD) in the range of 3.2%–9.1%, and limits of quantification (LOQ) defined as the signal-to-noise ratio of 10 of 0.3–2.1 ng/g. It allowed a fast separation and sensitive quantification of the isomers and homologues of seven OH-PBDE congeners 2′-OH-BDE-3, 3′-OH-BDE-7, 4′-OH-BDE-17, 3′-OH-BDE-28, 3-OH-BDE-47, 5-OH-BDE-47 and 6-OH-BDE-47. The method was successfully applied to identify and quantify the formation of hydroxylated metabolites in alfalfa exposed to BDE-209. Five OH-PBDEs were detected in plant tissues, and more congeners were found in roots than in shoots. To our knowledge, this work represents the first attempt to validate UPLC-MS/MS method to quantify OH-PBDEs in plant samples without derivatization.