Quantitation of chiral amino acids from microalgae by MEKC and LIF detection

In this work, chiral and nonchiral MEKC methods have been combined with LIF detection (MEKC-LIF) to identify and quantify a group of D- and L-amino acids (D/L-aa) in different microalgae samples. The combination of the nonchiral and chiral-MEKC-LIF methods made the identification of the microalgae amino acids easier, previously derivatized with FITC, providing a double proof on the correct detection of these analytes. Three microalgae species, Spirulina platensis, Dunaliella salina, and Tetraselmis suecica, were compared in terms of their content in D-Arg, L-Arg, D-Lys, L-Lys, D-Ala, L-Ala, D-Glu, L-Glu, D-Asp, and L-Asp. Also, a comparison between two Spirulina platensis samples dried under different conditions (i.e., hot air or lyophilized) was carried out in order to investigate the effect of the thermal processing on the amino acid content. Moreover, two procedures for the extraction of amino acids from microalgae (i.e., a classical procedure and pressurized liquid extraction (PLE)) together with different conditions for amino acid derivatization were studied in order to increase the sensitivity of the whole analytical method. By using the selected chiral-MEKC-LIF conditions (100 mM sodium tetraborate, 30 mM SDS, and 20 mM beta-CD at pH 9.7) the main microalgae D/L-aa are separated in less than 25 min with efficiencies up to 840 000 plates/m and good sensitivity (i.e., 330 ng of D-Arg per gram of microalga could be detected by this procedure for an S/N of 3). Several D-aa were detected in all the microalgae, observing interesting differences in their D/L-aa profiles, what corroborates the usefulness of the chiral-MEKC-LIF approach to characterize different microalgae species as well as different microalgae drying processes. Moreover, the use of PLE can selectively extract different free amino acids from microalgae.     

Fibrous and helical calcite crystals induced by synthetic polypeptides containing o-phospho-L-serine and o-phospho-L-threonine

The modification of CaCO(3) crystal growth by synthetic L-Ser(PO(3)H(2)) and L-Thr(PO(3)H(2)) containing polypeptides is described. The amino acids Gly, L-Glu, L-Asp, L-Ser, L-Ala, and L-Lys induced rhombohedral calcite with a rough surface. Dipeptides, Xaa-L-Ser(PO(3)H(2)) (Xaa = Gly, L-Glu, L-Asp, L-Ser, L-Ala and L-Lys) induced vaterite crystals in the lower [Ca(2+)]. On the other hand, L-Ser(PO(3)H(2))-containing polypeptides formed spherical vaterite and fibrous calcite. The characteristic helical calcite was found in the presence of copoly[L-Ser(PO(3)H(2))(75)L-Asp(25)] or poly[L-Ser(PO(3)H(2))(3)-L-Asp]. Fibrous calcite, spherical vaterite, and helical calcite crystals were subjected to XRD and EDX analysis. XRD revealed the specific faces of these crystals. EDX spectra and surface analysis visualized the localization of the polypeptides and CaCO(3) components. Together with TEM and SAED data, we propose hypothetical growth mechanisms for the fibrous and helical calcite crystals.     

Using amino acids for probing structural information of cytochrome <Emphasis Type="Italic">c</Emphasis> by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

By using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), protein complexes of cytochrome c with amino acids were studied. Different amino acids were investigated to explore these complexes. Using these amino acids, a strategy for probing the structure of cytochrome c was established. It was found that L-Arg and L-Glu could bind with cytochrome c to form noncovalent complexes. At low pH solution, complexes between the cytochrome c molecule with several L-Arg molecules (multiple L-Arg adducts) were formed, and the number of binding ligands depended on the charge state of cytochrome c. While in neutral solution, the cytochrome c molecule complexed with only one L-Arg molecule (single L-Arg adducts). As for L-Glu, only single L-Glu adducts were formed in both acidic and neutral solutions.     

Application of stepwise discriminant analysis to classify commercial orange juices using chiral micellar electrokinetic chromatography-laser induced fluorescence data of amino acids

The use of chiral amino acids content and stepwise discriminant analysis to classify three types of commercial orange juices (i.e., nectars, orange juices reconstituted from concentrates, and pasteurized orange juices not from concentrates) is presented. Micellar electrokinetic chromatography with laser-induced fluorescence (MEKC-LIF) and beta-cyclodextrins are used to determine L- and D-amino acids previously derivatized with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC). This chiral MEKC-LIF procedure is easy to implement and provides information about the main amino acids content in orange juices (i.e., L-proline; L-aspartic acid, D-Asp, L-serine, L-asparagine, L-glutamic acid, D-Glu, L-alanine, L-.arginine, D-Arg, and the non-chiral gamma-amino-n-butyric acid (GABA), i.e., gamma-aminobutyric acid). From these results, it is clearly demonstrated that some D-amino acids occur naturally in orange juices. Application of stepwise discriminant analysis to 26 standard samples showed that the amino acids L-Arg, L-Asp and GABA were the most important variables to differentiate the three groups of samples. With these three selected amino acids a 100% correct classification of the samples was obtained either by standard or by leave-one-out cross-validation procedures. These classification functions based on the content in L-Arg, L-Asp and GABA were also applied to nine test samples and provided an adequate classification and/or interesting information on these samples. It is concluded that chiral MEKC-LIF analysis of amino acids and stepwise discriminant analysis can be used as a consistent procedure to classify commercial orange juices providing useful information about their quality and processing. To our knowledge, this is the first report about the combined use of chiral capillary electrophoresis and discriminant techniques to classify foods.     

Solid-phase synthesis of the cyclic lipononadepsipeptide [N-Mst(Ser1), d-Ser4, L-Thr6, L-Asp8, L-Thr9]syringotoxin

An optimized solid-phase strategy for the preparation of the cyclic lipononadepsipeptide [N-Mst(L-Ser1), D-Ser4, L-Thr6, L-Asp8, L-Thr9]syringotoxin is reported. The strategy is based on the use of a mild orthogonal protection scheme and the incorporation of the nonproteinogenic amino acid (Z)-Dhb into the peptide chain as the dipeptide Fmoc-Thr(tBu)-(Z)-Dhb-OH. The didehydrodipeptide was synthesized by a water-soluble carbodiimide-induced beta-elimination of a protected dipeptide containing a residue of Thr with its free hydroxy side chain unprotected.     

The amyloid-beta (Abeta) peptide pattern in cerebrospinal fluid in Alzheimer's disease: evidence of a novel carboxyterminally elongated Abeta peptide

The patterns of amyloid beta (Abeta) peptides in human cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and brain homogenates were studied by surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization (SELDI) time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometry, and the results were compared with those obtained by Abeta-SDS-PAGE/immunoblot. Apart from the peptides known in the literature to occur in the CSF, we postulate the existence of a novel, previously not described peptide, either Abeta1-45 or Abeta2-46. This peptide was observed exclusively in a pool of samples originating from patients with AD, i.e. CSF and postmortem brain homogenates, but not in either the pooled CSF samples nor the pooled brain homogenates of the non-demented controls. Similarly to our previous results, Abeta1-42 was decreased in the CSF in AD. Expectedly, brain homogenates of the control subjects did not show the presence of Abeta peptides. Compared with Abeta-SDS-PAGE/immunoblot, SELDI-TOF enabled more precise analysis of Abeta peptides in the human material. We conclude that SELDI-TOF offers a promising tool for dementia expression pattern profiling using a minute amount of a biological sample.     

3,5-二甲基-DL-酪氨酸与铜(Ⅱ)和具极性侧基氨基酸配体配合物稳定性的研究

采用pH电位滴定法,研究了合成配体3,5-二甲基-DL-酪氨酸(DL-Dmtyr)与铜(Ⅱ)的二元配合物,及进一步与带正电荷或极性侧基的氨基酸配体形成三元混配配合物的稳定常数,考察了甲基对稳定性的贡献;用核磁共振研究了DL-Dmtyr与铜(Ⅱ)和L-Arg混配配合物中的配体间静电氢键作用.研究结果表明,甲基取代碘基后,混配配合物分子内的配体相互作用明显增强.     

Effect of amino acids on aggregation behaviors of sodium deoxycholate at air/water surface: surface tension and oscillating bubble studies

The aggregation behaviors of sodium deoxycholate (NaDC) at the air/water surface were investigated via surface tension and oscillating bubble measurements in the absence and presence of three alkaline amino acids, namely, L-Lysine (L-Lys), L-Arginine (L-Arg), and L-Histidine (L-His). The results of surface tension measurements show that NaDC has a lower ability to reduce the surface tension of water, because NaDC molecules orient at the surface in an oblique direction and tend to aggregate together, which is approved by molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. L-Lys is the most efficient of the three amino acids in reducing the critical aggregation concentration (cac) of NaDC in aqueous solution. The influence of amino acids on the dilational rheological properties of NaDC was studied using the drop shape analysis method in the frequency range from 0.02 to 0.5 Hz. The results reveal that the absolute modulus passes through a maximum value with increasing NaDC concentration. The addition of amino acids increases the absolute modulus of NaDC, and the maximum value is observed at much lower concentration. From the perspective of structures of amino acids, the performance of L-Arg is similar to that of L-His, and both of them bring out a smaller effect on the absolute modulus than that of L-Lys. From the above results, it may be presumed that electrostatic and hydrophobic effects are important impetus during the interaction between amino acids and NaDC at the air/water surface. Hydrogen bonding is so ubiquitous in the system that the difference of hydrogen bonding between NaDC and amino acid is ignored.     

Identification of the apolipoprotein E4 isoform in cerebrospinal fluid with preparative two-dimensional electrophoresis and matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight-mass spectrometry.

Apolipoprotein E (apoE) was isolated from human cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from control individuals and patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). The purification was performed with preparative two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE), involving liquid-phase isoelectric focusing (IEF) in the Rotofor cell in combination with sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and electroelution in the Mini Whole Gel Eluter. ApoE was characterized by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight-mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) analysis of tryptic digests. The known change of Cys to Arg in position 112 of the apoE4 isoform was identified. This was detected in CSF from AD patients, reflecting the increased frequency of the apoE4 allele in this population. This peptide was not detected in CSF samples from healty control individuals. The use of this rapid electrophoretic separation in proteomic studies of CSF proteins provides single proteins, such as apoE, of high purity in yields sufficient for characterization by MALDI-TOF-MS. Characterization of proteins and their modifications (amino acid substitutions, glycosylation or phosphorylation) in CSF will be a useful tool in the investigation of the pathophysiology of brain disorders such as AD.     

Application of thin-layer chromatographic data in quantitative structure-activity relationship assay of thiazole and benzothiazole derivatives with H1-antihistamine activity. I

A quantitative structure-activity relationship analysis of H1-antihistamine activity and chromatographic data of 2-[2-(phenylamino)thiazol-4-yl]ethanamine; 2-(2-benzyl-4-thiazolyl)ethanamine; 2-(2-benzhydrylthiazol-4-yl)ethylamine derivative; 2-(1-piperazinyl- and 2-(hexahydro-1H-1,4-diazepin-1-yl)benzothiazole derivatives was made. The RP2 thin-layer chromatography (TLC) plates (silica gel RP2 60F254 silanised precoated), impregnated with solutions of selected amino acid mixtures (L-Asp, L-Asn, L-Thr and L-Lys), were used in two developing solvents as hH1R antagonistic interaction models. Using regression analysis, the relationships between chromatographic and biological activity data were found. The correlations obtained in regression analysis for the examined thiazole and benzothiazole derivatives with H1-antihistamine activity [pA2(H1)] represent their interaction with all the proposed biochromatographic models (S1-S7). Some of the calculated equations can be applied to predict the pharmacological activity of new drug candidates. The best multivariate relationships useful in predicting the pharmacological activity of thiazole and benzothiazole derivatives were obtained under the condition of experiment with RP2 TLC plates using the developing solvent acetonitrile-methanol-buffer (40:40:20, v/v). The log P values of particular compounds are extremely important for this kind of activity.     

Assay of aromatic amino acid enantiomers in rice-brewed suspensions by chiral ligand-exchange CE

The aim of this work was to assay seasoning D- or L-aromatic amino acids (AAs) in rice-brewed suspensions, Laozao in Chinese, by chiral ligand-exchange CE with UV detection and Zn(II) complex as a chiral selecting system. Resolution and peak retention were found to be parallel to the basicity of the AA chiral ligands, and basic L-Arg was known to work the best at pH 8.20 compared with L-Lys and other AA ligands. Baseline separation of DL-aromatic AAs and partially separation of some FMOC-labeled nonaromatic AAs have been achieved using a running buffer of 5 mM ammonium acetate, 100 mM boric acid, 3 mM ZnSO(4), and 6 mM L-Arg at pH 8.20. The aromatic amino acids in four brands of Laozao were measured in a range of 0.25-20 microg/mL for Typ, 1.00-120 microg/mL for Phe, and 2.50-200 microg/mL for Tyr, with linear regression coefficient all over 0.999. The LOD (S/N=3) was 0.15 microg/mL for Typ, 0.50 microg/mL for Phe, and 1.25 microg/mL for Tyr. The recovery of the method determined by spiking with the supernates of Laozao as background was 94.0-112.9%. The RSDs of migration time and peak area measured from six injections of tyrosine were 0.2 and 2.7%, respectively, for run-to-run, and 1.6 and 3.2%, respectively for day-to-day. Interestingly, there were only L-Trp, D-Tyr, and L-Tyr found in the assayed four brands of Laozao. They may serve as an index to recognize the brand of Laozao.     

Longitudinal analysis of novel Alzheimer's disease proteomic cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers during intravenous immunoglobulin therapy

Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) therapy has shown promising results in treating Alzheimer's disease (AD). In this study, a Random Forest (RF) classification model was used to identify possible effects of IVIg on a group of eight subjects who underwent immunotherapy. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from eight AD subjects who underwent IVIg therapy were collected before therapy, after 6 months of therapy, and after a 3-month drug washout period. Samples were analyzed using 2DE and further studied using a RF classification model to identify effects of IVIg on a panel of 23 putative diagnostic AD biomarkers previously identified. Six of the eight subjects showed improvements with respect to the 23 AD diagnostic biomarkers after 6 months of therapy compared to the samples taken at the outset of the trial. All subjects reverted back to baseline during drug washout. These results are also consistent with clinical observations. The observed improvements in subjects during 6 months of IVIg therapy and the reversion back to baseline during drug washout provides preliminary evidence regarding the potential use of IVIg as an AD immunotherapy.     

On the infrared spectrum of L-lysinium(2+) sulfate

It is argued that the infrared spectrum of L-lysine sulfate (L-Lys2+·SO4(2-)) published by Krishnakumar et al. [V. Krishnakumar, S. Manohar, R. Nagalakshmi, Spectrochim. Acta A75 (2010) 1394-1397] cannot belong to this crystal species. To confirm this, crystals (L-Lys2+·SO4(2-)) were synthesized and identified by XRD, and ATR FTIR and Raman spectra of L-Lys2+·SO4(2-) were registered and are discussed.     

氨酪酸与邻硝基酚的荷移反应研究

采用分光光度法研究了氨酪酸与邻硝基酚的荷移反应。由实验得知,用二甲亚砜做溶剂,室温下反应10 min后,可生成稳定的1∶1型的黄色络合物,其最大吸收波长λmax=446 nm,氨酪酸的浓度在2～16μg/mL的范围内遵循比尔定律,表观摩尔吸光系数ε=3.7×103L·mol-1·cm-1,桑德尔灵敏度S=0.028μg·cm-2。用拟定的方法测定氨酪酸片的含量,回收率在97.0%～102.7%范围内,相对标准偏差不大于2.1%。     

Solid-Phase Total Synthesis of Bacitracin A

An efficient solid-phase method for the total synthesis of bacitracin A is reported. This work was undertaken in order to provide a general means of probing the intriguing mode of action of the bacitracins and exploring their potential for use against emerging drug-resistant pathogens. The synthetic approach to bacitracin A involves three key features: (1) linkage to the solid support through the side chain of the L-asparaginyl residue at position 12 (L-Asn(12)), (2) cyclization through amide bond formation between the alpha-carboxyl of L-Asn(12) and the side chain amino group of L-Lys(8), and (3) postcyclization addition of the N-terminal thiazoline dipeptide as a single unit. To initiate the synthesis, Fmoc L-Asp(OH)-OAllyl was attached to a PAL resin. The chain of bacitracin A was elaborated in the C-to-N direction by sequential piperidine deprotection/HBTU-mediated coupling cycles with Fmoc D-Asp(OtBu)-OH, Fmoc L-His(Trt)-OH, Fmoc D-Phe-OH, Fmoc L-Ile-OH, Fmoc D-Orn(Boc)-OH, Fmoc L-Lys(Aloc)-OH, Fmoc L-Ile-OH, Fmoc D-Glu(OtBu)-OH, and Fmoc L-Leu-OH. The allyl ester and allyl carbamate protecting groups of L-Asn(12) and L-Lys(8), respectively, were simultaneously and selectively removed by treating the peptide-resin with palladium tetrakis(triphenylphosphine), acetic acid, and triethylamine. Cyclization was effected by PyBOP/HOBT under the pseudo high-dilution conditions afforded by attachment to the solid support. After removal of the N-terminal Fmoc group, the cyclized peptide was coupled with 2-[1'(S)-(tert-butyloxycarbonylamino)-2'(R)-methylbutyl]-4(R)-carboxy-Delta(2)-thiazoline (1). The synthetic peptide was deprotected and cleaved from the solid support under acidic conditions and then purified by reverse-phase HPLC. The synthetic material exhibited an ion in the FAB-MS at m/z 1422.7, consistent with the molecular weight calculated for the parent ion of bacitracin A (MH(+) = C(73)H(84)N(10)O(23)Cl(2), 1422.7 g/mol). It was also indistinguishable from authentic bacitracin A by high-field (1)H NMR and displayed antibacterial activity equal to that of the natural product, thus confirming its identity as bacitracin A. The overall yield for the solid-phase synthesis was 24%.     

Short synthesis of 4-aryl-3-pyrrolin-2-ones

A three step, convergent synthesis of 4-aryl-3-pyrrolin-2-ones from a tetramic acid has been developed. The key transformation utilized a Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reaction between a 4-tosyloxy-3-pyrrolin-2-one and an arylboronic acid. This work also provides access to 4-arylpyrrolidin-2-ones, cyclic analogs of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Hydrogenation of 4-(4′-chlorophenyl)-3-pyrrolin-2-one proceeded smoothly to give baclofen lactam.     

HPLC-ELSD法测定食品中γ-氨基丁酸含量

建立了食品中γ-氨基丁酸的液相色谱蒸发光散射检测仪测定方法.该方法用水或10％甲醇提取样品,正己烷去油脂净化,然后用液相色谱/蒸发光散射检测仪测定.γ-氨基丁酸的浓度在0.01～0.5 mg/mL范围内与色谱峰面积呈良好的线性关系,相关系数r=0.9998.食品中γ-氨基丁酸的检出限为0.01 g/kg,加标回收率在90％以上.该方法快速、灵敏、准确.     

Synthesis of N4-acylspermidines

N⁴-Acylspermidines have been synthesised in good yields from γ-aminobutyric acid and from spermidine.     

Standard enthalpies of formation of γ-aminobutyric acid and the products of its dissociation in aqueous solution

Heat effects of the dissolution of crystalline γ-aminobutyric acid in water and potassium hydroxide solutions are determined by direct colorimetry at 298.15 K. Standard enthalpies of formation of γ-aminobutyric acid and the products of its dissociation in aqueous solution are calculated.     

Synthesis of substituted 2-(2-oxopyrrolidin-1-yl)acetamides

The reaction of chloroacetamide with 2 equiv of γ-aminobutyric acid potassium salts provides a convenient method for the synthesis of substituted 4-[(2-amino-2-oxoethyl)amino]butanoic acids. Alkylation products of 2-aminoacetic and 3-aminopropanoic acid with chloroacetamide were isolated. Thermal cyclization of substituted 4-[(2-amino-2-oxoethyl)amino]butanoic acids afforded 2-(2-oxopyrrolidin-1-yl)acetamides.