MALDI coupled to modified traveling wave ion mobility mass spectrometry for fast enantiomeric determination

In this work, the use of MALDI traveling wave ion mobility spectrometry‐mass spectrometry (MALDI‐TWIMS‐MS) for stereoselective structural analysis of direct cleavage and identification of 2‐substituted piperidines obtained through solid‐phase asymmetric synthesis by using heterogeneous 8‐phenylmenthyl‐based chiral auxiliary resins. A strategy for gas‐phase chiral and structural characterization of small molecular weight molecules by using MALDI‐IMS‐MS technique is discussed. Because both MALDI and IMS do not directly offer chiral resolution, an easy methodology by adding a chiral phase is described to carry out in situ online ion/molecule complexation with different chiral analytes inside the mass spectrometer. Piperidine enantiomers were resolved, and separation obtained shows dependence of surface areas. To corroborate this assumption and elucidate the separation mechanism to accomplish an analytical technique by which fast determination of the chirality of molecules may be determined for a wide range organic compound applications, it was performed DFT calculations to determine the cross‐sectional areas of proton‐bound dimer complexes. Drift times are affected by cross‐sectional areas, correlating bigger times with bigger molecular volumes during the ion mobility experiments of proton‐bound dimer complexes.     

Synthesis,Characterization, and Catalytic Behavior of Bamboo Rice Husk Ash

In this paper, we report the use of bamboo rice husk ash as an efficient, greener, reusable, and biodegradable heterogeneous catalyst for the synthesis of tetrahydro‐4H ‐chromene‐3‐carbonitriles via the one‐pot three‐component reaction of malononitrile with aromatic aldehydes and dimedone or 1,3‐cyclohexanedione. The formation of bamboo rice husk ash‐silica has been confirmed by several analytical techniques.     

Synthesis,Spectroscopy, and Computational Analysis of Photoluminescent Bis(aminophenyl)‐Substituted Thiophene Derivatives

Substituted oligothiophenes have a long history in the field of organic electronics, as they often combine outstanding electro‐optical properties with the ease of synthesis. To assist the rational selection of the most promising structures to be synthesized, there is the demand for tools that allow prediction of the properties of the materials. In this study, we present strategies for synthesis and computational characterization, with respect to the fluorescence behavior of oligothiophene‐based materials for organoelectronic applications. In a combined approach, sophisticated computational methodologies are directly compared to experimental results. The M06‐2X functional in combination with the polarizable continuum model in a state‐specific formulation for excited‐state solvation proved to be particularly reliable. In addition, a semiclassical approach for describing the vibrational broadening of the spectra is employed. As a result, a robust procedure for the prediction of the fluorescence spectra of oligothiophene derivatives is presented.     

Click‐Assembled,Oxygen‐Sensing Nanoconjugates for Depth‐Resolved,Near‐Infrared Imaging in a 3 D Cancer Model

Hypoxia is an important contributing factor to the development of drug‐resistant cancer, yet few nonperturbative tools exist for studying oxygenation in tissues. While progress has been made in the development of chemical probes for optical oxygen mapping, penetration of such molecules into poorly perfused or avascular tumor regions remains problematic. A click‐assembled oxygen‐sensing (CAOS) nanoconjugate is reported and its properties demonstrated in an in vitro 3D spheroid cancer model. The synthesis relies on the sequential click‐based ligation of poly(amidoamine)‐like subunits for rapid assembly. Near‐infrared confocal phosphorescence microscopy was used to demonstrate the ability of the CAOS nanoconjugates to penetrate hundreds of micrometers into spheroids within hours and to show their sensitivity to oxygen changes throughout the nodule. This proof‐of‐concept study demonstrates a modular approach that is readily extensible to a wide variety of oxygen and cellular sensors for depth‐resolved imaging in tissue and tissue models.     

Selective reagent ionisation‐time of flight‐mass spectrometry: a rapid technology for the novel analysis of blends of new psychoactive substances

In this study we demonstrate the potential of selective reagent ionisation‐time of flight‐mass spectrometry for the rapid and selective identification of a popular new psychoactive substance blend called ‘synthacaine’, a mixture that is supposed to imitate the sensory and intoxicating effects of cocaine. Reactions with H₃O⁺ result in protonated parent molecules which can be tentatively assigned to benzocaine and methiopropamine. However, by comparing the product ion branching ratios obtained at two reduced electric field values (90 and 170 Td) for two reagent ions (H₃O⁺ and NO⁺) to those of the pure chemicals, we show that identification is possible with a much higher level of confidence then when relying solely on the m/z of protonated parent molecules. A rapid and highly selective analytical identification of the constituents of a recreational drug is particularly crucial to medical personnel for the prompt medical treatment of overdoses, toxic effects or allergic reactions. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Accessing New Chemical Entities through Microfluidic Systems

Flow systems have been successfully utilized for a wide variety of applications in chemical research and development, including the miniaturization of (bio)analytical methods and synthetic (bio)organic chemistry. Currently, we are witnessing the growing use of microfluidic technologies for the discovery of new chemical entities. As a consequence, chemical biology and molecular medicine research are being reshaped by this technique. In this Minireview we portray the state‐of‐the‐art, including the most recent advances in the application of microchip reactors as well as the micro‐ and mesoscale coil reactor‐assisted synthesis of bioactive small molecules, and forecast the potential future use of this promising technology.     

Solid-phase organic tagging resins for labeling biomolecules by 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition: application to the synthesis of a fluorescent non-peptidic vasopressin receptor ligand

Two novel solid-phase organic tagging (SPOrT) resins were synthesized to facilitate the labeling of peptides and small organic compounds with a fluorescent probe. Both resins were obtained from the commercially available backbone amide linker (BAL) resin. Following the solid-phase synthesis of model compounds, a tripeptide and benzazepine, the fluorescent probe derived from Lissamine Rhodamine B was incorporated through CuI-catalyzed 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition. Final cleavage in acidic media enabled access to both types of molecules in good yield with high purity. The SPOrT resin was successfully applied to the preparation of the first non-peptidic fluorescent compound with a nanomolar affinity for the human vasopressin V2 receptor (V2R) subtype. This molecule will find application in binding assays that use polarization or fluorescence resonance energy-transfer (FRET) techniques. The SPOrT resins are also well suited for other tags and the parallel synthesis of a fluorescently tagged library for protein screening.     

Catalyst‐Dependent Selectivity in the Relay Catalytic Branching Cascade

The synthesis of small organic molecules as probes for discovering new therapeutic agents has been an important aspect of chemical biology. One of the best ways to access collections of small molecules is to use various techniques in diversity‐oriented synthesis (DOS). Recently, a new form of DOS, namely “relay catalytic branching cascades” (RCBCs), has been introduced, wherein a common type of starting material reacts with several scaffold‐building agents (SBAs) to obtain structurally diverse molecular scaffolds under the influence of catalysts. Herein, the RCBC reaction of a common type of substrate with SBAs is reported to give two different types of molecular scaffolds and their formation is essentially dependent on the type of catalyst used.     

Fast Epitope Mapping for the Anti‐MUC1 Monoclonal Antibody by Combining a One‐Bead‐One‐Glycopeptide Library and a Microarray Platform

Anti‐MUC1 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are powerful tools that can be used to recognize cancer‐related MUC1 molecules, the O‐glycosylation status of which is believed to affect binding affinity. We demonstrate the feasibility of using a rapid screening methodology to elucidate those effects. The approach involves i) “one‐bead‐one‐compound”‐based preparation of bilayer resins carrying glycopeptides on the shell and mass‐tag tripeptides coding O‐glycan patterns in the core, ii) on‐resin screening with an anti‐MUC1 mAb, iii) separating positive resins by utilizing secondary antibody conjugation with magnetic beads, and (iv) decoding the mass‐tag that is detached from the positive resins pool by using mass spectrometric analysis. We tested a small library consisting of 27 MUC1 glycopeptides with different O‐glycosylations against anti‐MUC1 mAb clone VU‐3C6. Qualitative mass‐tag analysis showed that increasing the number of glycans leads to an increase in the binding affinity. Six glycopeptides selected from the library were validated by using a microarray‐based assay. Our screening provides valuable information on O‐glycosylations of epitopes leading to high affinity with mAb.     

Synthetic Molecules that Protect Cells from Anoikis and Their Use in Cell Transplantation

One of the major problems encountered in cell transplantation is the low level of survival of transplanted cells due to detachment‐induced apoptosis, called anoikis. The present study reports on the chemical synthesis and biological evaluation of water‐soluble molecules that protect suspended cells from anoikis. The synthetic molecules bind to and induce clusters of integrins and heparan‐sulfate‐bound syndecans, two classes of receptors that are important for extracellular matrix‐mediated cell survival. Molecular biological analysis indicates that such molecules prolong the survival of suspended NIH3T3 cells, at least in part, by promoting clustering of syndecan‐4 and integrin β1 on the cell surface, leading to the activation of small GTPase Rac‐1 and Akt. In vivo experiments using animal disease models demonstrated the ability of the molecules to improve cell engraftment. The cluster‐inducing molecules may provide a starting point for the design of new synthetic tools for cell‐based therapy.     

Analytical tools for monitoring changes in physical and chemical properties of chromatography resin upon reuse

Protein A resins are often reused for multiple cycles to improve process economy during mAb purification. Significant reduction in binding capacity and product recovery are typically observed due to the presence of unwanted materials (foulants) deposited on the resin upon reuse. In this paper, we have used a wide spectrum of qualitative and quantitative analytical tools (particle size analysis, HPLC, fluorescence, SEM, MS, and FTIR) to compare the strengths and shortcomings of different analytical tools in terms of their capability to detect the fouling of the resin and relate it to chromatographic cycle performance. While each tool offers an insight into this complex phenomena, fluorescence is the only one that can be used for real‐time monitoring of resin fouling. A correlation could be established between fluorescence intensity and the process performance attributes (like yield or binding capacity) impacted upon resin reuse. This demonstration of the application of fluorescence for real‐time monitoring correlated empirically with process performance attributes and the results support its use as a PAT tool as part of a process control strategy. While the focus of this paper is on fouling of protein A chromatography resin, the approach and strategy are pertinent to other modes of chromatography as well.     

The rotation‐vibration spectrum of diatomic molecules with the tietz‐hua rotating oscillator

The Tietz‐Hua (TH) potential is one of the very best analytical model potentials for the vibrational energy of diatomic molecules. By using the Nikiforov‐Uvarov method, we have obtained the exact analytical s‐wave solutions of the radial Schrödinger equation for the TH potential. The energy eigenvalues and the corresponding eigenfunctions are calculated in closed forms. Some numerical results for diatomic molecules are also presented. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2011     

New Tools for Investigating Electromagnetic Hot Spots in Single‐Molecule Surface‐Enhanced Raman Scattering

Surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is quickly growing as an analytical technique, because it offers both molecular specificity and excellent sensitivity. For select substrates, SERS can even be observed from single molecules, which is the ultimate limit of detection. This review describes recent developments in the field of single‐molecule SERS (SM‐SERS) with a focus on new tools for characterizing SM‐SERS‐active substrates and how they interact with single molecules on their surface. In particular, techniques that combine optical spectroscopy and microscopy with electron microscopy are described, including correlated optical and transmission electron microscopy, correlated super‐resolution imaging and scanning electron microscopy, and correlated optical microscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy.     

Modeling of bispecific antibody elution in mixed‐mode cation‐exchange chromatography

The increasing demand for cost‐efficient manufacturing of biopharmaceuticals has been the main driving force for the development of novel chromatography resins, which resulted in the development of multimodal or mixed‐mode chromatographic resins. Most of them combine electrostatic and hydrophobic functionalities and are designed to deliver unique selectivity and increased binding capacities also at increased ionic strength. However, the mechanism of the protein–resin interaction in mixed‐mode chromatography is still not fully understood. The performance of protein separations in mixed‐mode chromatography is consequently difficult to predict. In this work, we present a model combining both salt and pH dependence to characterize and to predict protein retention in mixed‐mode chromatography. The model parameters are determined based on simple linear pH gradient elution experiments at different ionic strengths and they are directly transferable for the prediction of salt‐induced elution at fixed pH. Validity of the model is demonstrated for a bispecific antibody and its product‐related impurities.     

Steady State Simulation of Ethylene Polymerization Using Multiple-Site Coordination Catalysts

Summary: Simulation models are important tools for the development and optimization of polymerization processes because they can describe catalyst performance and polymer properties as a function of polymerization kinetics and process conditions. As the polyolefin industry moves towards the production of resins with more complex microstructures, these models become essential for process understanding and product design. A simulation model has been developed for the polymerization of ethylene in a process with n reactors working in series. The model can predict raw material conversions and product properties like the molecular weight distribution (MWD) coupled with short chain branching distribution (SCBD), melt index, density and fluff morphology. Model parameters have been obtained from laboratory data. The model predictions are in good agreement with experimental results.     

Polarizable simulations with second order interaction model (POSSIM) force field: Developing parameters for protein side‐chain analogues

A previously introduced polarizable simulations with second‐order interaction model (POSSIM) force field has been extended to include parameters for small molecules serving as models for peptide and protein side‐chains. Parameters have been fitted to permit reproducing many‐body energies, gas‐phase dimerization energies, and geometries and liquid‐phase heats of vaporization and densities. Quantum mechanical and experimental data have been used as the target for the fitting. The POSSIM framework combines accuracy of a polarizable force field and computational efficiency of the second‐order approximation of the full‐scale induced point dipole polarization formalism. The resulting parameters can be used for simulations of the parameterized molecules themselves or their analogues. In addition to this, these force field parameters are currently being used in further development of the POSSIM fast polarizable force field for proteins. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Ghrelin Detection Using Spiegelmer‐Capture Molecules

Abstract

The aim of this work was to review the development of aptamer‐based assay understanding for possible diagnostic applications. The use of new affinity ligands such as the single strand DNA is particularly suitable for large‐scale synthesis and overcomes the disadvantages of antibodies or enzymes, which are often unstable and expensive. The latest class of potential aptamers is enantiomeric aptamers composed of l‐nucleotides, the so‐called spiegelmers. Attributing to the unnatural sugars used, spiegelmers are resistant to host nucleases, exploring the possibility to work in a complex matrix‐like blood.

After analyzing the strategies reported in the literature for the detection of the aptamer‐target complex formation, we reported our experience in the realization of two bioassays, based on electrochemical or colorimetric detection, using the unusual aptamer for the detection of ghrelin.

This work can open interesting applications in biosensing technology. There are few analytical reports on bioassay using spiegelmers. The new field is extremely interesting, considering that these new analytical tools hold an enormous promise for a fast and simple diagnosis of genetic problems in real matrices.     

Combination of liquid‐based column separations with surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy

Surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy is a constantly developing analytical method providing not only high‐sensitive quantitative but also qualitative information on an analyte. Thus, it is reasonable that it has been tested as a promising detection method in column separations. Although its implementation in analytical separations is not widespread, some surprising results, like enormous signal enhancement and demonstrations of single‐molecule identifications, proved in only a few special examples, indicate the potential of the method. The high detection sensitivity and selectivity would be of paramount importance in trace analyses of biologically relevant molecules in complex matrices. However, the combination of surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy with column separation methods brings two principal issues. Interactions of analytes with metal substrates can cause deteriorations of separations and the detection can be affected by background electrolytes or elution agents. Thus, in principle, this review is on the experimental and methodological solutions to these problems. First, theoretical and practical aspects of Raman scattering, and excitation of surface plasmon in colloid suspensions of nanoparticles and on planar nanostructured substrates are briefly explained. Advances in experimental arrangements of on‐line and at‐line couplings with column liquid phase separation methods, including microfluidic devices, are described together with chosen analytical applications.