Fast and complete cyclic peptide metabolite detection and characterization by LC-MS

Cyclic peptides have emerged as next-generation therapeutic agents, due to their unique structure and potential biological function. However, the study of cyclic peptide drug metabolism by LC-MS is challenging because these therapeutics typically do not generate high quality and interpretable fragments; and data processing is complex and tedious due to the lack of suitable software tools. This study outlines the streamlined process for analysis of cyclic peptide metabolites utilizing high-resolution QTOF analysis and MetabolitePilot Software. The unbiased data acquisition and automated detection and structural characterization of cyclic peptides will be shown using insulin and atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) as model compounds in the biological matrix.