Acetylcholinesterase based assay of eleven organophosphorus pesticides: finding of assay limitations

The study includes findings about limitations of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) based assay. Eleven organophosphorus pesticides: chlorpyrifos ethyl, chlorpyrifos methyl, DFP, dichlorvos, dimethoate, fenthion, paraoxon ethyl, paraoxon methyl, phosalone, pirimiphos methyl and pirimiphos ethyl were photometrically assayed using AChE as a recognition element. The study was carried out in order to find approachability of AChE based assay. In the first round, common organic solvents were tested for interfering in assay, since samples collection and extraction is a necessary part in samples processing. Isopropanol was found as the most convenient due to minimal inhibition not exceeding 5%. Though all analysed pesticides inhibit AChE in vivo, some of them are toxic after metabolisation. We found AChE based assay approachable for assay of DFP, paraoxons, and dichlorvos. These are oxoforms of organophosphorus pesticides. From thioforms of assayed pesticides, only fenthion was able significantly inhibit AChE in vitro. Electrochemical biosensor with AChE attached on platinum electrode was used for confirmation of interaction pesticide – AChE and complex stability estimation. DFP, paraoxons and dichlorvos were allowed to interact with AChE in biosensor. These pesticides were settled firmly in AChE active site as no spontaneous recovery of AChE activity was observed.     

QSAR for Acetylcholinesterase Inhibition and Toxicity of Two Classes of Phosphoramidothioates

Abstract

Methamidophos (Met) is a weak inhibitor of housefly head AChE but at the same time it is highly toxic to the common housefly. The lethality of Met is believed to be due to AChE inhibition. An extensive QSAR study may help in determining the mode of action of Met in vivo and in vitro and provide a rational for its high insecticidal toxicity. Acephate (Ace), like Met, is a poor inhibitor of AChE in vitro and has a comparable to Met insect toxicity in vivo. Contrary to Met, though, Ace has much lower mammalian toxicity. Understanding the structural properties which make insecticides toxic to insects but not to mammals is of great importance, since mammals (including humans) are inadvertently exposed to these compounds.

Our results were consistent with the model in which both the in vitro and in vivo toxicity of Met depends on the inhibition of the active center of AChE by the unchanged Met. An optimal susceptibility to hydrolysis is needed for Met and its analogs to have high insecticidal activity since in order to phosphorylate AChE they need to be hydrolyzed and at the same time their stability is of great importance in vivo for accumulating at the site of action. The insecticidal activity of Ace analogs may be due to direct interaction with the active center of the AChE. The mammalian toxicity of Ace analogs may be due to interaction with an 'allosteric' reaction center in the AChE.     

Molecular Recognition of Rosmarinic Acid from Salvia sclareoides Extracts by Acetylcholinesterase: A New Binding Site Detected by NMR Spectroscopy

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibition is one of the most currently available therapies for the management of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) symptoms. In this context, NMR spectroscopy binding studies were accomplished to explain the inhibition of AChE activity by Salvia sclareoides extracts. HPLC‐MS analyses of the acetone, butanol and water extracts eluted with methanol and acidified water showed that rosmarinic acid is present in all the studied samples and is a major constituent of butanol and water extracts. Moreover, luteolin 4′‐O‐glucoside, luteolin 3′,7‐di‐O‐glucoside and luteolin 7‐O‐(6′′‐O‐acetylglucoside) were identified by MS² and MS³ data acquired during the LC‐MSⁿ runs. Quantification of rosmarinic acid by HPLC with diode‐array detection (DAD) showed that the butanol extract is the richest one in this component (134 μg mg^?1 extract). Saturation transfer difference (STD) NMR spectroscopy binding experiments of S. sclareoides crude extracts in the presence of AChE in buffer solution determined rosmarinic acid as the only explicit binder for AChE. Furthermore, the binding epitope and the AChE‐bound conformation of rosmarinic acid were further elucidated by STD and transferred NOE effect (trNOESY) experiments. As a control, NMR spectroscopy binding experiments were also carried out with pure rosmarinic acid, thus confirming the specific interaction and inhibition of this compound against AChE. The binding site of AChE for rosmarinic acid was also investigated by STD‐based competition binding experiments using Donepezil, a drug currently used to treat AD, as a reference. These competition experiments demonstrated that rosmarinic acid does not compete with Donepezil for the same binding site. A 3D model of the molecular complex has been proposed. Therefore, the combination of the NMR spectroscopy based data with molecular modelling has permitted us to detect a new binding site in AChE, which could be used for future drug development.     

Spectrophotomeric Assay of Aflatoxin B1 Using Acetylcholinesterase Immobilized on Standard Microplates

Aflatoxins are a group of hepatotoxic secondary metabolites produced by molds Aspergillus. During inappropriate storage or processing of food and beverages, aflatoxins can be distributed and become a serious health problem. Disparate analytical techniques were prepared for the assay in the past. Here, a method based on inhibition of enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE) is performed allowing fast and simple prove of aflatoxins presence. For the assay purposes, AChE was immobilized on standard polystyrene microplates using gelatin as a stabilizing substance. Both free and immobilized AChEs were used and compared one to each other. Immobilization protocol was optimized and interference of organic solvents such as methanol was tested. For the immobilized AChE, limit of detection 2.75 ppb for aflatoxin B1 was received. The immobilized AChE kept full activity at least one month. Suitability of the assay for a practical performance is considered.     

Effect of Ultraviolet Radiation on Acetylcholinesterase Activity in Freshwater Copepods

We analyzed the effects of UV radiation (UVR) effects on acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity in two calanoid copepods, Boeckella gibbosa and Parabroteas sarsi that inhabit Patagonian shallow lakes. We studied the effect of experimental UVR (UV-B and UV-A) exposure on AChE activity in relation to basal antioxidant capacities of both copepods. Our experiments showed that UVR can effectively depress AChE activity, although with differences between species. In both copepods AChE was affected by UV-B, whereas UV-A only affected AChE in B. gibbosa. Both copepods also differed in body elemental composition (C:N:P), photoprotecting compound content (carotenoids and mycosporine-like amino acids) and enzymatic antioxidant capacity (glutathione S-transferase [GST]). Our results suggest that when exposed to UVR, AChE activity would depend more on the antioxidant capacity (GST) and P availability for enzyme synthesis than on the photoprotective compounds.     

Prediction of the binding site of 1-benzyl-4-[(5,6-dimethoxy-1-indanon-2-yl)methyl]piperidine in acetylcholinesterase by docking studies with the SYSDOC program

Summary In the preceding paper we reported on a docking study with the SYSDOC program for predicting the binding sites of huperzine A in acetylcholinesterase (AChE) [Pang, Y.-P. and Kozikowski, A.P., J. Comput.-Aided Mol. Design, 8 (1994) 669]. Here we present a prediction of the binding sites of 1-benzyl-4-[(5,6-dimethoxy-1-indanon-2-yl)methyl]piperidine (E2020) in AChE by the same method. E2020 is one of the most potent and selective reversible inhibitors of AChE, and this molecule has puzzled researchers, partly due to its flexible structure, in understanding how it binds to AChE. Based on the results of docking 1320 different conformers of E2020 into 69 different conformers of AChE and on the pharmacological data reported for E2020 and its analogs, we predict that both the R- and the S-isomer of E2020 span the whole binding cavity of AChE, with the ammonium group interacting mainly with Trp⁸⁴, Phe³³⁰ and Asp⁷², the phenyl group interacting mainly with Trp⁸⁴ and Phe³³⁰, and the indanone moiety interacting mainly with Tyr⁷⁰ and Trp²⁷⁹. The topography of the calculated E2020 binding sites provides insights into understanding the high potency of E2020 in the inhibition of AChE and provides hints as to possible structural modifications for identifying improved AChE inhibitors as potential therapeutics for the palliative treatment of Alzheimer's disease.     

On the possible reaction pathway for the acylation of AChE-catalyzed hydrolysis of ACh: Semiempirical quantum chemical study

The acylation process in the acetylcholinesterase (AChE)-catalyzed hydrolysis of the neurotransmitter, acetylcholine (ACh), has been determined with the semiempirical quantum chemical calculation method AM1 using the model molecules extracted from the X-ray crystal structure of Torpedo Californica AChE. For the sake of identifying the microfeatures of the mechanism of this reaction, two types of possible mechanisms, stepwise mechanism and cooperative mechanisms, were proposed and studied with AM1 methods. All the model molecules for the possible reactants, intermediates, transition states, and products in the reaction pathways of the two mechanisms were obtained. Energy profiles, the structural properties of the transition states, indicate that the acylation of AChE-catalyzed hydrolysis of ACh adopts the cooperative mechanism, i.e., the proton transfer from Ser220 of AChE to His440 occurs simultaneously with the nucleophilic attack of Ser200 to the carbonyl carbon atom of ACh. This result is in agreement with the kinetic data and the secondary isotope effects of AChE-catalyzed reactions. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Quant Chem 70: 515–525, 1998     

Amperometric Biosensor Based on Immobilization Acetylcholinesterase on Manganese Porphyrin Nanoparticles for Detection of Trichlorfon with Flow‐Injection Analysis System

A highly sensitive amperometric biosensor for the detection of organophosphate pesticides (OPs) is developed. The biosensor was fabricated by immobilized acetylcholinesterase (AChE) on manganese (III) meso‐tetraphenylporphyrin (MnTPP) nanoparticles (NPs)‐modified glassy carbon (GC) electrode. The MnTPP NPs used in this article were synthesized by mixing solvent techniques. AChE enzyme was immobilized on the MnTPP NPs surface by conjugated with chitosan (CHIT). The electrocatalytic activity of MnTPP NPs led to a greatly improved performance for thiocholine (TCh) product detection. The developed AChE‐CHIT/MnTPPNP/GC biosensor integrated with a flow‐injection analysis (FIA) system was used to monitor trichlorfon (typical OP). A wide linear inhibition response for trichlorfon is observed in the range of 1.0 nM–1.0 mM, corresponding to 10–83% inhibition for AChE with a detection limit of 0.5 nM.     

Electronic properties of oxides: Chemical and theoretical approaches

An original analysis of the electronic and chemical properties of oxides is proposed based on the electronegativity χ and the chemical hardness η. This model which has been applied to various oxide based metals, degenerate semiconductors and optical properties of transition metal oxides allows explaining their electronic behaviors: Strong electronegativity and weak chemical hardness characterize oxides of transition elements with high oxidation state. Strong electronegativity and strong chemical hardness feature insulators with a large optical gap. Weak electronegativity and moderate chemical hardness describe alkali and alkaline earth oxides and weak electronegativity and strong chemical hardness are for ionic oxides with a relatively large optical gap. For a few illustrative case studies, ab intio electronic band structure calculations within the density functional theory framework are used.     

Determining pirimiphos-methyl in durum wheat samples using an acetylcholinesterase inhibition assay

An electrochemical assay used for detecting acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors has been optimised to detect pirimiphos-methyl in durum wheat. Pirimiphos-methyl is a phosphothionate insecticide and so it needs to be transformed into the corresponding oxo form to act as an effective AChE inhibitor. The inhibition assay was based on the electrochemical detection of the product of AChE, choline, via choline oxidase biosensors obtained with Prussian-Blue modified screen printed electrodes. The procedure for the oxidation of pirimiphos methyl via N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) and AChE inhibition was optimised for reagent concentrations and inhibition time in a buffer solution. A calibration of the pirimiphos-methyl (25–1,000 ng/ml) was obtained in the buffer. The intra-electrode CV ranged between 1.6 and 15.0, whereas the inter-electrode CV ranged between 4.6 and 16.0. The detection limit (LOD) was 38 ng/ml, and the I_50% was 360 ng/ml. The assay conditions were then re-optimised to work with durum wheat extracts, and the calibrations were obtained under different experimental conditions, such as sample pretreatment (milled or whole grains) and extract concentration. The calibrations were slightly affected by the sample matrix, resulting in an increased LOD (65–133 ng/ml) and I_50% (640–1,650 ng/ml). The LOD found for the sample, determined under optimal conditions, was 3 mg/kg. Spiked samples were prepared at the EU regulated level (5 mg/kg) and analysed with the optimised protocol, resulting in an average recovery of 70.3%.     

Electronic properties of 3d transition metal dihalide monolayers predicted by DFT methods: Is there a pattern or are the results random?

We use periodic DFT calculations at LDA and PBE level to investigate 3d transition metal dihalide (TMDH) monolayers in H- and T-phase. By analyzing the phonon dispersion, we have obtained a rough overview which combinations may form stable structures. We have focused on identifying and explaining trends in the predicted electronic properties. Although their geometric structures are simple, the associated electronic and magnetic properties are not as easy to understand. At first glance, it seems that there is no clear trend, as even isovalence-electronic TMDH monolayers formed from the same metal but different halides can feature different magnetic moments. The identification of potential trends is further complicated by the fact that for a significant number of species, LDA results and PBE results predict different ground-state electronic structures. By rigorously analyzing the potential energy surfaces associated with different magnetic moments, we could show that the apparent inconsistencies can be easily understood as a result of the differences in the relative energy between electronic states of different magnetic moments. We further show that the trends in the band gaps can be easily rationalized by an electron counting rule based on simple symmetry arguments.     

Exploring the conformation,charge density distribution and the electrostatic properties of galanthamine molecule in the active site of AChE using DFT and AIM theory

Quantum chemical calculations and charge density analysis were carried out to understand the geometry, charge density distribution and the electrostatic properties of isolated galanthamine molecule (form I) and for the same lifted out from the active site (form II) of AChE. The optimized geometry of isolated galanthamine was obtained from a hybrid density functional theory (B3LYP/6‐311G**) calculation. A docking analysis on galanthamine with AChE was performed, and the lowest docked energy structure was selected from the active site of AChE for the further study. A single point energy quantum chemical calculation (B3LYP/6‐311G**) was carried out for the lowest energy structure, which was lifted from the galanthamine–AChE complex from molecular docking analysis. The structural comparison between (I) and (II) helps to understand the conformational modification of the galanthamine molecule in the active site. When the molecule present in the active site, the molecular geometry is seen to be significantly altered, specifically, large changes were observed in the outer core of the molecule while the inner core geometry is intact. The bond topological and electrostatic properties of (I) and (II) were calculated. The dipole moment of the galanthamine molecule also increases from 2.09 to 2.67 D in the process. A large negative electrostatic potential region is found at the vicinity of oxygen and nitrogen atoms of the molecule, which predominantly involve strong hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions with the amino acid residues TRP84, PHE330, GLY118, TYR70, and SER122 present in the active site of AChE. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Theoretical Investigation on Electronic Transition of Tris(8-quinolinolate) Aluminum Grafted on Poly(p-phenylenevinylene) Units with the Localized-density-matrix Method

An unsystematic molecule PPV‐Alq₃ [3‐(4‐((E)‐2‐(8‐hydroxy‐3‐(4‐styrylstyryl)quinolin‐Alq₂‐6‐yl)vinyl)‐ styryl)‐6‐(4‐styrylstyryl)quinolin‐8‐olate‐Alq₂; q=8‐quinolinolate], which combines poly(p‐phenylenevinylene) with tris(8‐quinolinolate)aluminum, has been studied using a localized‐density‐matrix method. The absorption spectra and electronic transition properties were analyzed and compared with both intermediate neglect of the differential overlap method and the localized‐density‐matrix method. Great efforts have been made on investigating conjugated system on the absorption properties as these can be particularly important for many applications. Two different absorptions of the special molecule, tris(8‐quinolinolate)aluminum grafted on poly(p‐phenylenevinylene) units, were further discussed with density matrices. For the molecule, the first absorption peak is at 413 nm near the purple light. Two 8‐hydroxyquinolines have very slight electronic transition properties. Another absorption peak is at 237 nm. The second characteristic peak of molecule is completely different from that of the first one, which comes from contribution of 8‐hyroxyquinolines in the two different side chains. Our studies show that electronic transition properties of poly(p‐phenylenevinylene) can be effectively tuned by grafting tris(8‐quinolinolate)‐aluminum on poly(p‐phenylenevinylene) from the standpoint of transition energies, frontier molecular orbitals and density matrices.     

A new rosane-type diterpenoid from Stachys parviflora and its density functional theory studies

A new rosane-type diterpenoid (1) has been isolated from the chloroform fraction of Stachys parviflora. Structure of 1 was proposed based on 1D and 2D NMR techniques including correlation spectroscopy, heteronuclear multiple quantum coherence, heteronuclear multiple bond correlation and nuclear Overhauser effect spectroscopy. A theoretical model for the electronic and spectroscopic properties of compound 1 is also developed. The geometries and electronic properties were modelled at B3LYP/6-31G^* and the theoretical scaled spectroscopic data correlate nicely with the experimental data.     

Intermolecular forces between acetylcholine and acetylcholinesterases studied with atomic force microscopy

With the aid of atomic force microscopy, the intermolecular forces between acetyleholinesterases (AChE) and its natural substrate acetylcholine (ACh) have been studied. Through force spectrum measurement based on imaging of AChE molecules it was found that the attraction force between individual molecule pairs of ACh and AChE was (10±1) pN just before the quaternary ammonium head of ACh got into contact with the negative end of AChE and the decaying distance of attraction was (4±1) nm from the surface of ACHE. The adhesion force between individual ACh and AChE molecule pairs was (25±2) pN, which had a decaying feature of fast-slow-fast (FSF). The attraction forces between AChE and choline (Ch), the quaternary ammonium moiety and hydrolysate of ACh molecule, were similar to those between AChE and ACh. The adhesion forces between AChE and Ch were (20±2) pN, a little weaker than that between ACh and ACHE. These results indicated that AChE had a steering role for the diffusion of ACh toward it and had r     

A molecular approach to rationally constructing specific fluorogenic substrates for the detection of acetylcholinesterase activity in live cells,mice brains and tissues

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) is an extremely critical hydrolase tightly associated with neurological diseases. Currently, developing specific substrates for imaging AChE activity still remains a great challenge due to the interference from butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) and carboxylesterase (CE). Herein, we propose an approach to designing specific substrates for AChE detection by combining dimethylcarbamate choline with a self-immolative scaffold. The representative P10 can effectively eliminate the interference from CE and BChE. The high specificity of P10 has been proved via imaging AChE activity in cells. Moreover, P10 can also be used to successfully map AChE activity in different regions of a normal mouse brain, which may provide important data for AChE evaluation in clinical studies. Such a rational and effective approach can also provide a solid basis for designing probes with different properties to study AChE in biosystems and another way to design specific substrates for other enzymes.

In this work, a new approach was developed for designing the representative P10 with high selectivity and sensitivity for imaging AChE activity in the cells and normal mouse brain.     

Quantum chemical study of catalysts based on oxides of transition metals

Catalysts based on oxides of transition metals were studied by X α–DV calculations. The chemical composition and electronic structure of surface layers for platinum(IV) oxide catalysts modified under percompound electrosynthesis were determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic, quantum chemical, and electrochemical data. The main regularities in electronic structure change under the transition from solid pure oxide PtO₂ to its, in part, N-substituted PtO_2–xN_x were analyzed. Then, we looked for perspective catalysts, calculating the electronic structure for analogous compounds of Ir(III), Ir(IV), Rh(III), and Pd(II). We found that the changes in electronic structure of rhodium oxide under O—N-substitution allowed us to predict the excellent properties of its compound as a catalyst for percompound electrosynthesis reactions. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Spiro linked compounds for use as active materials in organic light emitting diodes

Spiro-linkage of low molecular weight entities as a new structural concept for the design of new active materials for electroluminescent applications is presented. These spiro linked compounds result in nonpolymeric organic glasses with high thermal stability as can be derived from their high glass transition temperatures (T_g), and characterized by differential scanning calorimetry. Blue emitters based on spiro linked oligophenyles are presented. These compounds are soluble in common organic solvents and show high photoluminescence quantum efficiency in the solid state and high morphologic stability with glass transition temperatures up to 250°C. Charge transport materials based on spiro linked versions of 2-(4-biphenyl)-5-(4-tert-butylphenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole (PBD) for electron transport, and spiro linked versions of triphenyldiamin derivatives (TPD) for hole transport show improved morphologic properties with nearly unchanged electronic properties compared to the parent compounds. High quality amorphous films can be prepared with the spiro compounds by vapor deposition as well as by simple spin coating.