Extraction of Oil from Flaxseed (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Linum usitatissimum</Emphasis> L.) Using Enzyme-Assisted Three-Phase Partitioning

In this study, enzyme-assisted three-phase partitioning (EATPP) was used to extract oil from flaxseed. The whole procedure is composed of two parts: the enzymolysis procedure in which the flaxseed was hydrolyzed using an enzyme solution (the influencing parameters such as the type and concentration of enzyme, temperature, and pH were optimized) and three-phase partitioning (TPP), which was conducted by adding salt and t-butanol to the crude flaxseed slurry, resulting in the extraction of flaxseed oil into alcohol-rich upper phase. The concentration of t-butanol, concentration of salt, and the temperature were optimized to maximize the extraction yield. Under optimized conditions of a 49.29 % t-butanol concentration, 30.43 % ammonium sulfate concentration, and 35 °C extraction temperature, a maximum extraction yield of 71.68 % was obtained. This simple and effective EATPP can be used to achieve high extraction yields and oil quality, and thus, it is potential for large-scale oil production.     

Extraction and Purification of Ipomoea Peroxidase Employing Three-phase Partitioning

Three-phase partitioning (TPP) is a novel separation process used for the extraction and purification of biomolecules. The biomolecules are recovered in a purified form at the interface (precipitate), while the contaminants partition in t-butanol and aqueous phases. Peroxidase from the leaves of Ipomoea palmata was purified by using TPP. The ratio of the crude extract to t-butanol of 1:1 and 30% ammonium sulfate at 37 degrees C resulted in about 160% activity recovery and twofold purification in the aqueous phase of the first cycle of TPP. On subjecting the aqueous phase to the second cycle of TPP, a purification of 18-fold was achieved with about 81% activity recovery. The sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis showed substantial purification, and the molecular weight of peroxidase was found to be 20.1 KDa. The present study shows a higher degree of purification and activity yield as a primary purification process in comparison with existing literature values, thus demonstrating TPP as an attractive downstream process for the purification of peroxidase.     

Single-Step Partial Purification of Intracellular <Emphasis Type="Italic">β</Emphasis>-Galactosidase from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Kluyveromyces lactis</Emphasis> Using Microemulsion Droplets

Partial purification of β-galactosidase from the crude extract of Kluyveromyces lactis was carried out using water-in-isooctane microemulsions formed by the anionic surfactant, sodium di-ethylhexyl sulfosuccinate (Aerosol OT). In order to obtain the crude extract, yeast cells of K. lactis were disrupted by a cell disrupter and separated. The purification of β-galactosidase from the extract by a recently developed one-step reversed micellar (i.e., microemulsion-based) extraction method was then tested, by measuring total protein mass and enzyme activity in the product stream and by analyzing its composition using sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and gel filtration chromatography. Effects of salt concentration, protein concentration, and pH on the extraction were investigated. Using this approach, a 5.4-fold purification of β-galactosidase was achieved with 96 % total activity recovery, using a feed containing crude extract and 50 mM K-phosphate buffer (pH 7.5) and 50 mM KCl. Gel filtration chromatography showed that the single extraction was successful at removing low molecular weight impurity proteins (molecular weight (MW)?<?42 kDa) from the crude extract.     

Efficient Protocol for Large-Scale Purification of Naringin with High Recovery from Fructus aurantii by Macroporous Resin Column Chromatography and HSCCC

Several kinds of resins were investigated in the first step and D101 macroporous resin was selected for cleaning-up naringin (NAR), a major flavonoid glycoside from Fructus aurantii. In the subsequent column chromatography, 10% aqueous ethanol was first used to elute the column to remove the undesired constituents and 70% aqueous ethanol was used to elute the target. The content of NAR was 57.1% with 95.7% recovery in this process. In the second step, the obtained crude sample was directly isolated by high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) with a two-phase solvent system composed of ethyl acetate–n-butanol–water at a volume ratio of 2: 0.8: 3.2 (v/v/v), and 331 mg NAR with 98.3% purity was obtained from 600 mg crude extract in only one run. The recovery of the compound in this step was 95.0%. Thus, the total recovery of NAR was 90.9% after the two step purification. The established protocol for large-scale isolation and separation of NAR with high purity and recovery from F. aurantii was simple, efficient, and suitable for pharmace- utical and commercial use.     

Simultaneous Isolation and Purification of Mollugin and Two Anthraquinones from Rubia cordifolia by HSCCC

A preparative high-speed countercurrent chromatography (HSCCC) method for isolation and purification of three bioactive components, tectoquinone; 1-hydroxy-2-methylanthraquinone and mollugin from the Chinese medicinal plant Rubia cordifolia was successfully established. With a two-phase solvent system composed of light petroleum/ethanol/diethyl ether/water (5:4:3:1, v/v), 10 mg tectoquinone, 19 mg 1-hydroxy-2-methylanthraquinone and 16 mg mollugin were obtained from 100 mg of the crude petroleum extract in a one-step separation at a purity of 98.8, 95.8 and 98.3%, respectively. The structures of mollugin and anthraquinones were identified by ¹H NMR and ¹³C NMR.     

Production of a Bioemulsifier with Potential Application in the Food Industry

Biosurfactants are of considerable interest due to their biodegradability, low degree of toxicity, and diverse applications. However, the high production costs involved in the acquisition of biosurfactants underscore the need for optimization of the production process to enable viable application on an industrial scale. The aims of the present study were to select a species of Candida that produces a biosurfactant with the greatest emulsifying potential and to investigate the influence of components of the production medium and cultivation conditions. Candida utilis achieved the lowest surface tension (35.53 mN/m), best emulsification index (73 %), and highest yield (12.52 g/l) in a medium containing waste canola frying oil as the carbon source and ammonium nitrate as the nitrogen source. The best combination of medium components and cultivation conditions was 6 % (w/v) glucose, 6 % (w/v) waste canola frying oil, 0.2 % (w/v) ammonium nitrate, 0.3 % (w/v) yeast extract, 150 rpm, 1 % inoculum (w/v), and 88 h of fermentation. The greatest biosurfactant production and the lowest surface tension were achieved in the first 24 h of production, and the maximum biomass production was recorded at 72 h. The biosurfactant produced from C. utilis under the conditions investigated in the present study has a potential to be a bioemulsifier for application in the food industry.     

Preparative Isolation of Imperatorin, Oxypeucedanin and Isoimperatorin from a Traditional Chinese Herb Using a HSCCC Strategy Based on Optimization of Rapid Flow Rate

Preparative high-speed counter-current chromatography has been used successfully for the isolation and purification of imperatorin, oxypeucedanin and isoimperatorin from traditional Chinese herb “bai zhi”—Angelica dahurica (Fisch. ex Hoffm) Benth. et Hook using high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC). This was achieved in two stages. The first stage used a high flow HSCCC protocol with a two-phase solvent system composed of n-hexane–ethyl acetate–methanol–water (HEMW) with volume ratios of 5:5:5:5, v/v which isolated isoimperatorin but co-eluted imperatorin and oxypeucedanin. The second stage used HEMW 5:5:4:6, v/v at low flow rate to resolve the co-eluted components from the first stage. The flow rate was optimized by preparative HSCCC. 300 mg of the crude extract was separated, yielding 18.5 mg of imperatorin, 8.3 mg of oxypeucedanin and 9.8 mg of isoimperatorin all at a high purity of over 98%.     

Micellar Liquid Chromatographic Determination of Penicillins in Pharmaceuticals

A new, simple, rapid and specific micellar liquid chromatographic (MLC) method was developed and validated for the determination of amoxicillin, ampicillin, cloxacillin and dicloxacillin in pharmaceutical formulations. Separation was achieved isocratically on an Ultra C₁₈ column (150 mm × 4.6 mm) utilizing a mobile phase of 25 mM SDS–2% (v/v) 1-butanol in phosphate buffer (pH 5.0) at a flow rate of 1.0 mL min^?1 with UV detection at 200 nm. Validation experiments were performed to demonstrate linear ranges, accuracy, precision, robustness, limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ). The method was applied to the determination of these penicillins in various pharmaceutical formulations. The results compared favorably with those obtained by the official methods, and were in agreement with the declared compositions. The method can be used for quality control assay of the studied penicillins.     

Zingipain, a Ginger Protease with Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitory Activity

In order to search for new acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChEIs), 15 Zingiberaceae plants were tested for AChEI activity in rhizome extracts. The crude homogenate and ammonium sulfate cut fraction of Zingiber officinale contained a significant AChEI activity. Eighty percent saturation ammonium sulfate precipitation and diethylaminoethyl cellulose ion exchange chromatography (unbound fraction) enriched the protein to a single band on nondenaturing and reducing sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (approximately 33.5 kDa). Gelatin-degrading zymography showed that the AChEI-containing band also contained cysteine protease activity. The AChEI activity was largely stable between ?20 and 60 °C (at least over 120 min) and over a broad pH range (2–12). The AChEI activity was stimulated strongly by Mn²⁺ and Cu²⁺ at 1–10 mM and weakly by Ca²⁺, Fe²⁺, Mg²⁺, and Zn²⁺ at 1 mM, but was inhibited at 10 mM. In contrast, Hg²⁺ and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid were very and moderately strongly inhibitory, respectively. In-gel tryptic digestion with liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectroscopy resolution revealed two heterogeneous peptides, a 16-amino-acid-long fragment with 100 % similarity to zingipain-1, which is a cysteine protease from Z. officinale, and a 9-amino-acid-long fragment that was 100 % identical to actinidin Act 2a, suggesting that the preparation was heterogeneous. AChEI exhibited noncompetitive inhibition of AChE for the hydrolysis of acetylthiocholine iodide with a K _i value of 9.31 mg/ml.     

Purification and Characterization of an Antifungal Chitinase from Citrobacter freundii str. nov. haritD11

The purpose of the research was to study the purification and partial characterization of antifungal alkaline chitinase from a newly isolated Citrobacter freundii haritD11. The enzyme was purified in a three-step procedure involving ammonium sulfate precipitation, dialysis, and Sephadex G-100 gel filtration chromatography. The enzyme was shown to have a relative high molecular weight of 64 kDa by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and was purified 7.3-fold with a yield of 18.8 %. It was most active at 35 °C, pH 8.0, with colloid chitin as substrate and was very stable at alkaline pH contradicting the characteristic that most of the bacterial chitinases are active at acidic pH. Further, the purified chitinase exhibited remarkable antifungal activity against pathogenic fungi Aspergillus flavus MTCC 2798 and Aspergillus niger MTCC 9652 showing diametric inhibition zones of 27 mm and 21 mm, respectively.     

Separation and Purification of Three Flavonoids from Helichrysum arenarium (L.) Moench by HSCCC

Following an initial clean-up step on a Sephadex LH-20 column, high-speed countercurrent chromatography was successfully applied to the isolation and purification of three flavonoids from a crude sample of Helichrysum arenarium (L.) Moench. HSCCC was performed with a two-phase solvent system composed of ethyl acetate–water (1:1, v/v). Naringenin-7-O-β-d-glycoside (2.3 mg), isoquercitrin (3.5 mg), and astragalin (6.7 mg), with purities of 96.05%, 93.63%, 95.23%, respectively, were separated from 160 mg of crude sample in a one-step separation. The structure identification was by ¹H NMR and ¹³C NMR.     

Enantioselective Analysis of Fluoxetine and Norfluoxetine by LC in Culture Medium for Application in Biotransformation Studies Employing Fungi

A liquid chromatography method is described for the analysis of fluoxetine and norfluoxetine enantiomers in fungi cultures. The analytes were separated simultaneously by LC employing a serial system. The resolution was performed using a mobile phase of ethanol: 15 mM ammonium acetate buffer solution, pH 5.9: acetonitrile (77.5:17.5:5, v/v/v). UV detection was at 227 nm. Hexane: isoamyl alcohol (98:2, v/v) was used as extractor solvent. The calibration curves were linear over the concentration range of 12.5–3,750 ng mL^?1 (r ≥ 0.996). The values for intra- and inter-day precision and accuracy were ≤10% for all analytes. The validated method was used to evaluate fluoxetine biotransformation to its mammalian metabolite, norfluoxetine, by selected endophytic fungi. Although the desired biotransformation was not observed in the conditions used here, the method could be used to evaluate the biotransformation of fluoxetine by other fungi or to be extended to other matrices with adequate procedures for sample preparation.     

An Efficient Method for Extraction, Separation and Purification of Naphthoquinone Pigments from Lithospermum erythrorhizon Sieb. et Zucc. by SFE and HSCCC

Supercritical fluid extraction was used to extract naphthoquinone pigments from Lithospermum erythrorhizon Sieb. et Zucc. The crude extracts were separated and purified by high-speed counter-current chromatography with light petroleum–ethyl acetate–methanol–water (5:5:8:2, v/v) as the two-phase solvent system. Three kinds of naphthoquinone pigments including 17.6 mg of β-hydroxyisovalerylshikonin (I), 17.6 mg of acetylshikonin (II), and 19.7 mg of isobutyrylshikonin (III) were obtained from 150 mg crude sample. The purity of these compounds was 96.7, 99.3 and 95.5%, respectively, as determined by liquid chromatograph. Their structures were identified by ¹H NMR and ¹³C NMR.     

Enhanced Production of Bacterial Cellulose by Using Gluconacetobacter hansenii NCIM 2529 Strain Under Shaking Conditions

Bacterial cellulose (BC), a biopolymer, due to its unique properties is valuable for production of vital products in food, textile, medicine, and agriculture. In the present study, the optimal fermentation conditions for enhanced BC production by Gluconacetobacter hansenii NCIM 2529 were investigated under shaking conditions. The investigation on media components and culture parameters revealed that 2 % (w/v) sucrose as carbon source, 0.5 % (w/v) potassium nitrate as nitrogen source, 0.4 % (w/v) disodium phosphate as phosphate source, 0.04 % (w/v) magnesium sulfate, and 0.8 % (w/v) calcium chloride as trace elements, pH?5.0, temperature 25 °C, and agitation speed 170 rpm with 6 days of fermentation period are optimal for maximum BC production. Production of BC using optimized media components and culture parameters was 1.66 times higher (5.0 g/l) than initial non optimized media (3.0 g/l). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy spectrum and comparison with the available literature suggests that the produced component by G. hansenii in the present study is pure bacterial cellulose. The specific action of cellulase out of the investigated hydrolytic enzymes (cellulase, amylase, and protease) further confirmed purity of the produced BC. These findings give insight into conditions necessary for enhanced production of bacterial cellulose, which can be used for a variety of applications.     

A Validated LC Method for the Quantitation of Cefotaxime in pH-Sensitive Nanoparticles

A sensitive and rapid routine LC method was validated for measuring cefotaxime incorporated in three different pH-sensitive nanoparticles. The drug was chromatographed on a C18 reversed-phase column; the mobile phase used was 0.05 M aqueous ammonium acetate, acetonitrile and tetrahydrofuran (87:11:2, v/v) adjusted to pH 5.5 with acetic acid. The flow rate was 1 mL min^?1 and cefotaxime was quantified at 254 nm, with a sensitivity range of 0.005 AUFS. The validated method was specific, linear (R ² ≥ 0.999), precise and accurate in a concentration range of 0.2–50.0 μg mL^?1. The method was rapid, selective and suitable for evaluation of cefotaxime in pH-sensitive Eudragit nanoparticles.     

Purification of recombinant green fluorescent protein by three-phase partitioning

The technique of three-phase partitioning (TPP) was used to purify the green fluorescent protein (GFP) in a single step. TPP uses a combination of ammonium sulphate and tert-butanol to precipitate proteins from their crude extracts. In the first round of TPP with 20% ammonium sulphate saturation at the ratio of crude to tert-butanol 1:1 (v/v), most of the GFP remains in the lower aqueous phase. When subjected to a second round of TPP with 60% ammonium sulphate saturation at the ratio of crude to tert-butanol 1:2 (v/v) gives 78% recovery of GFP with a 20-fold purification. The sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic (SDS-PAGE) analysis of purified preparation shows single band. The fluorescence excitation and emission spectra agreed with values reported in literature.     

Determination of Fulvestrant in Rat Plasma by LC�CMS�CMS: Application to a Pharmacokinetic Study

A reversed-phase liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC?CMS?CMS) method was developed and validated for the determination of fulvestrant in rat plasma. Sample preparation involved a liquid-liquid extraction using 1.0 mL of n-hexane?Cisopropanol (90:10, v/v) to extract the analyte from 0.1 mL of rat plasma. The analytes were separated on a phenyl-based column using the mobile phase consisting of methanol/water containing 5 mM ammonium acetate at the flow rate of 0.3 mL min^?1. The analytes were monitored by tandem mass spectrometry under electrospray negative ionization mode. Linear calibration curves were generated over the fulvestrant concentration ranges of 0.05?C10.0 ng mL^?1 in rat plasma. The accuracy and within- and between-day precisions were within the generally accepted criteria for bioanalytical methods (<15%). This developed and validated assay method was successfully employed to characterize the plasma concentration-time profile of fulvestrant after its intramuscular administration in rats at a dose of 10 mg kg^?1.     

Nonaqueous CE for Rapid and Sensitive Determination of Matrine and Oxymatrine in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sophora flavescens</Emphasis> and Its Medicinal Preparations

A simple, rapid, and sensitive non-aqueous capillary electrophoresis procedure for the quantitative determination of matrine and oxymatrine is established. Optimum separation conditions were obtained when the sample was injected under pressure for 3 s at 50 mbar and separated with the buffer containing 70 mM ammonium acetate, 7.0% (v/v) acetic acid, and 10% (v/v) acetonitrile in methanol medium at 25 kV applied voltage. The analytes were detected at 205 nm. The two alkaloids can be separated within 12 min and quantified with high sensitivity. The method was validated in terms of reproducibility, linearity, and accuracy when applied to the analysis of matrine and oxymatrine in Sophora flavescens and its medicinal preparations.     

Separation of 5-Lipoxygenase Metabolites Using Cyclodextrin-Modified Microemulsion Electrokinetic Chromatography and Head Column Field-Amplified Sample Stacking

A cyclodextrin-modified microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography method employing head column field-amplified sample stacking was developed for the analysis of arachidonic acid metabolites of the lipoxygenase pathways. The influence of the concentration of boric acid, the surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate, the co-surfactant 1-butanol and the oil phase octane as well as the pH of the background electrolyte, the separation voltage and the separation temperature was studied. The optimized microemulsion consisting of 20 mM boric acid buffer, pH 9.0, 3.0 % (m/v) sodium dodecyl sulfate, 0.5 % (v/v) octane, 5.0 % (v/v) 1-butanol and 15 mM α-cyclodextrin enabled the separation of 20-hydroxy-leukotriene B₄, leukotriene B₄, 6-trans-leukotriene B₄, 6-trans-12-epi-leukotriene B₄, 5(S)-hydroxy-6-trans-8,11,14-cis-eicosatetraenoic acid, 12(S)-hydroxy-5,8,14-cis-10-trans-eicosatetraenoic acid, 15(S)-hydroxy-5,8,11-cis-13-trans-eicosatetraenoic acid as well as the internal standard prostaglandin B₁ in <10 min employing a separation voltage of 17.5 kV at a temperature of 23 °C. A matrix peak from solid-phase extraction sample workup co-migrated with 5(S)-hydroxy-6-trans-8,11,14-cis-eicosatetraenoic acid affecting peak integration. The addition of 5 % (v/v) 2-propanol to the microemulsion resulted in the separation of this eicosatetraenoic acid and the matrix components at the expense of analysis time and peak resolution between the diastereomers 6-trans-leukotriene B₄ and 6-trans-12-epi-leukotriene B₄. In summary, the MEEKC method appeared to be especially suitable for the more polar arachidonic acid metabolites.     

Quantification of Quetiapine in Human Plasma by LC–MS–MS

A rapid liquid chromatographic method with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometric detection has been developed and validated for quantification of quetiapine in heparinized human plasma. Plasma samples, without a drying and reconstitution step, were extracted by solid-phase extraction and eluted with acetonitrile. The analyte and zolpidem tartrate (internal standard, IS) were chromatographed on a C₁₈ column; the mobile phase was 85:15 (v/v) acetonitrile–5 mM ammonium formate, pH adjusted to 4.5 with formic acid, at a flow rate of 0.5 mL min^?1. The retention times of quetiapine and the IS were 1.25 and 1.05 min, respectively, and the run time was 1.8 min per sample. Selected reaction monitoring of MH⁺ at m/z 384.12 and 308.11 resulted in stable fragment ions with m/z 253.02 and 235.09 for quetiapine and the IS, respectively. Response was a linear function of concentration in the range 1.0–240.0 ng mL^?1, with r ≥ 0.9994. Recovery of quetiapine and the IS ranged from 74.82 to 85.57%. The assay has excellent characteristics and has been successfully used for analysis of quetiapine in healthy human subjects in a bioequivalence study.