Studying Interfacial Reactions of Cholesterol Sulfate in an Unsaturated Phosphatidylglycerol Layer with Ozone Using Field Induced Droplet Ionization Mass Spectrometry

Field-induced droplet ionization (FIDI) is a recently developed ionization technique that can transfer ions from the surface of microliter droplets to the gas phase intact. The air-liquid interfacial reactions of cholesterol sulfate (CholSO(4)) in a 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-phosphatidylglycerol (POPG) surfactant layer with ozone (O-3) are investigated using field-induced droplet ionization mass spectrometry (FIDI-MS). Time-resolved studies of interfacial ozonolysis of CholSO(4) reveal that water plays an important role in forming oxygenated products. An epoxide derivative is observed as amajor product of CholSO(4) oxidation in the FIDI-MS spectrum after exposure of the droplet to O-3 for 5 s. The abundance of the epoxide product then decreases with continued O-3 exposure as the finite number of water molecules at the air-liquid interface becomes exhausted. Competitive oxidation of CholSO(4) and POPG is observed when they are present together in a lipid surfactant layer at the air-liquid interface. Competitive reactions of CholSO(4) and POPG with O-3 suggest that CholSO(4) is present with POPG as a well-mixed interfacial layer. Compared with CholSO(4) and POPG alone, the overall ozonolysis rates of both CholSO(4) and POPG are reduced in a mixed layer, suggesting the double bonds of both molecules are shielded by additional hydrocarbons from one another. Molecular dynamics simulations of a monolayer comprising POPG and CholSO(4) correlate well with experimental observations and provide a detailed picture of the interactions between CholSO(4), lipids, and water molecules in the interfacial region.