Qualitative and quantitative analysis of poly(amidoamine) dendrimers in an aqueous matrix by liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization-hybrid quadrupole/time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-QTOF-MS)

This work introduces a liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization-hybrid quadrupole/time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-QTOF-MS)-based method for qualitative and quantitative analysis of poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimers of generations 0 to 3 in an aqueous matrix. The multiple charging of PAMAM dendrimers generated by means of ESI has provided key advantages in dendrimer identification by assignation of charge state through high resolution of isotopic clusters. Isotopic distribution in function of abundance of isotopes ¹²C and ¹³C yielded valuable and complementarity data for confident characterization. A mass accuracy below 3.8 ppm for the most abundant isotopes (diagnostic ions) provided unambiguous identification of PAMAM dendrimers. Validation of the LC-ESI-QTOF-MS method and matrix effect evaluation enabled reliable and reproducible quantification. The validation parameters, limits of quantification in the range of 0.012 to 1.73 μM, depending on the generation, good linear range (R?>?0.996), repeatability (RSD?<?13.4 %), and reproducibility (RSD?<?10.9 %) demonstrated the suitability of the method for the quantification of dendrimers in aqueous matrices (water and wastewater). The added selectivity, achieved by multicharge phenomena, represents a clear advantage in screening aqueous mixtures due to the fact that the matrix had no significant effect on ionization, with what is evidenced by an absence of sensitivity loss in most generations of PAMAM dendrimers.an class="a-plus-plus figure category-standard float-no id-figa"> aption class="a-plus-plus caption language-en lang-en"> ass="a-plus-plus caption-number">Fig ass="a-plus-plus caption-content">

ass="a-plus-plus simple-para">Liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization-hybrid quadrupole/time of flight mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-QTOF-MS) based method for qualitative and quantitative analysis of PAMAM dendrimers in aqueous matrix     

Strategy of Cr detoxification by Callitriche cophocarpa

The present work focused on the qualitative and quantitative analysis of Cr detoxification strategy of aquatic cosmopolitan plant Callitriche cophocarpa. This plant species has just been described in the context of its unusual accumulation potential of Cr. The emphasis of the work was placed on the redox reaction Cr(VI)→Cr(III) which is considered to be remediation mechanism of highly reactive and mobile Cr(VI) ions. Plants were immersed for 5 days in 1 mM of Cr(VI) (potassium dichromate) or 1 mM of Cr(III) (chromium sulphate) solutions in semi-natural conditions. Cr was effectively removed from the solution up to the extent of ca.58% or 35% of the starting amount, in the case of Cr(III) and Cr(VI), respectively. No plant-induced Cr(VI) reduction accompanying Cr accumulation was observed in Cr(VI) solutions except from the apparent one, noticed at the fourth day of incubation. On the contrary to these results, according to the method of electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy (L-band EPR), biphasic signal of Cr(V) attending Cr(VI) to Cr(III) reduction was detected inside the plant tissue every day of investigations. Our results show that phytoextraction but not phytostabilization is the main strategy of Cr detoxification by C. cophocarpa in aquatic systems. an class="a-plus-plus figure category-standard float-no id-fig1"> an class="a-plus-plus media-object id-m-o-e-s-m1"> atic-content/0.5776/images/162/art%253A10.2478%252Fs11532-012-0161-8/MediaObjects/11532_2012_161_Fig1_HTML.jpg" class="a-plus-plus" alt="> an> an>     

The zwitterionic structure of 2‐hydroxy‐4‐[(2‐hydroxybenzylidene)amino]benzoic acid

The title compound, C₁₄H₁₁NO₄, exists in the solid phase in the zwitterionic form, 2‐{[(4‐carboxy‐3‐hydroxyphenyl)iminiumyl]methyl}phenolate, with the H atom from the phenol group on the 2‐hydroxybenzylidene ring transferred to the imine N atom, resulting in a strong intramolecular N—H...O hydrogen bond between the iminium H atom and the phenolate O atom, forming a six‐membered hydrogen‐bonded ring. In addition, there is an intramolecular O—H...O hydrogen bond between the carboxylic acid group and the adjacent hydroxy group of the other ring, and an intermolecular C—H...O contact involving the phenol group and the C—H group adjacent to the imine bond, connecting the molecules into a two‐dimensional network in the (10) plane. π–π stacking interactions result in a three‐dimensional network. This study is important because it provides crystallographic evidence, supported by IR data, for the iminium zwitterionic form of Schiff bases.<!?tpb=12pt>     

Helical supramolecular assembly of N2,N2′‐bis[3‐(morpholin‐4‐yl)propyl]‐N1,N1′‐(1,2‐phenylene)dioxalamide dimethyl sulfoxide monosolvate

In the title compound, C₂₄H₃₆N₆O₆·C₂H₆OS, the carbonyl groups are in an antiperiplanar conformation, with O=C—C=O torsion angles of 178.59 (15) and −172.08 (16)°. An intramolecular hydrogen‐bonding pattern is depicted by four N—H...O interactions, which form two adjacent S(5)S(5) motifs, and an N—H...N interaction, which forms an S(6) ring motif. Intermolecular N—H...O hydrogen bonding and C—H...O soft interactions allow the formation of a meso‐helix. The title compound is the first example of a helical 1,2‐phenylenedioxalamide. The oxalamide traps one molecule of dimethyl sulfoxide through N—H...O hydrogen bonding. C—H...O soft interactions give rise to the two‐dimensional structure.     

Dibenzylammonium hydrogen maleate and a redetermination at 120 K of bis(dibenzylamino)methane

In dibenzylammonium hydrogen maleate [or dibenzylammonium (2Z)‐3‐carboxyprop‐2‐enoate], C₁₄H₁₆N⁺·C₄H₃O₄⁻, (I), the anion contains a fairly short and nearly linear O—H...O hydrogen bond, with an O...·O distance of 2.4603 (16) Å, but with the H atom clearly offset from the mid‐point of the O...O vector. The counter‐ions in (I) are linked by two N—H...O hydrogen bonds to form C₂²(6) chains and these chains are weakly linked into sheets by a C—H...O hydrogen bond. Bis(dibenzylamino)methane, C₂₉H₃₀N₂, (II), crystallizes with two independent molecules lying across twofold rotation axes in the space group C2/c, and the molecules are conformationally chiral; there are no direction‐specific intermolecular interactions in the crystal structure of (II).     

Kinetic Investigation of Poly(ethylene glycol) Hydrogel Formation via Perfusion‐Based Frontal Photopolymerization: Influence of Free‐Radical Polymerization Conditions on Frontal Velocity and Swelling Gradients

Poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) hydrogels are extensively used as scaffolds in tissue engineering. The ability to spatially control hydrogel properties is critical for designing scaffolds that direct cell behavior and tissue regeneration. To this end, we have recently developed a polymerization technique, perfusion‐based frontal photopolymerization, to generate tunable gradients in PEG hydrogels. This study explores the effects of polymerization conditions on the velocity of the propagating front and its influence on gradients in hydrogel swelling. Alterations in photoinitiator perfusion rate result in the largest variations in frontal velocity and in the magnitude of the swelling gradient among all polymerization conditions investigated.

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A chain of π‐stacked molecules in 4‐(2‐chlorophenyl)pyrrolo[1,2‐a]quinoxaline and a hydrogen‐bonded sheet in (4RS)‐4‐(1,3‐1,3‐benzodioxol‐6‐yl)‐4,5‐dihydropyrrolo[1,2‐a]quinoxaline

In the molecule of 4‐(2‐chlorophenyl)pyrrolo[1,2‐a]quinoxaline, C₁₇H₁₁ClN₂, (I), the bond lengths are consistent with electron delocalization in the two outer rings of the fused tricyclic system, with a localized double bond in the central ring. The molecules of (I) are linked into chains by a π–π stacking interaction. In (4RS)‐4‐(1,3‐benzodioxol‐6‐yl)‐4,5‐dihydropyrrolo[1,2‐a]quinoxaline, C₁₈H₁₄N₂O₂, (II), the central ring of the fused tricyclic system adopts a conformation intermediate between screw‐boat and half‐chair forms. A combination of N—H...O and C—H...π(arene) hydrogen bonds links the molecules of (II) into a sheet. Comparisons are made with related compounds.     

Novel combination of non-aqueous capillary electrophoresis and multivariate curve resolution-alternating least squares to determine phenolic acids in virgin olive oil

This paper presents the development of a non-aqueous capillary electrophoresis method coupled to UV detection combined with multivariate curve resolution-alternating least-squares (MCR-ALS) to carry out the resolution and quantitation of a mixture of six phenolic acids in virgin olive oil samples. p-Coumaric, caffeic, ferulic, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic, vanillic and 4-hydroxyphenilacetic acids have been the analytes under study. All of them present different absorption spectra and overlapped time profiles with the olive oil matrix interferences and between them. The modeling strategy involves the building of a single MCR-ALS model composed of matrices augmented in the temporal mode, namely spectra remain invariant while time profiles may change from sample to sample. So MCR-ALS was used to cope with the coeluting interferences, on accounting the second order advantage inherent to this algorithm which, in addition, is able to handle data sets deviating from trilinearity, like the data herein analyzed. The method was firstly applied to resolve standard mixtures of the analytes randomly prepared in 1-propanol and, secondly, in real virgin olive oil samples, getting recovery values near to 100% in all cases. The importance and novelty of this methodology relies on the combination of non-aqueous capillary electrophoresis second-order data and MCR-ALS algorithm which allows performing the resolution of these compounds simplifying the previous sample pretreatment stages.     

Comparison of copper labeling followed by liquid chromatography-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and immunochemical assays for serum hepcidin-25 determination

Hepcidin-25 has been defined as the key biomarker in iron metabolism. This peptide binds to the iron transporter ferroportin to cause its degradation. Therefore, the need for specific, accurate and precise methods for the quantification of hepcidin-25 in biological fluids is dramatically increasing. In this regard, the use of rapid immunochemical methods that provide low limit of quantification is desired for routine clinical use. However, such fast methodologies should be first analytically evaluated and compared with alternative strategies to check for their advantages and limitations. Here we compare the use of a commercial immunochemical assay for hepcidin determination with a novel analytical approach based on Cu-labeling of the peptide followed by Cu determination using liquid chromatography (HPLC) and plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The figures of merit of both systems reveal similar analytical characteristics and both seem to be adequate for the determination of the peptide at biologically relevant concentrations in human serum samples. The analysis of a larger number of samples (n = 50) by both techniques showed a good agreement in the concentrations found. Such finding permits to address the hepcidin recovery in the sample preparation procedure necessary for the HPLC-ICP-MS analysis in human serum that turn out to be 76–85%. Additionally, limitations due to cross-reactivity issues of the ELISA method could be addressed in some of the samples by using LC-ICP-MS and were confirmed by LC-Electrospray-MS.     

Disposable amperometric magnetoimmunosensor for the sensitive detection of the cardiac biomarker amino-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide in human serum

A novel amperometric magnetoimmunosensor using an indirect competitive format is developed for the sensitive detection of the amino-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP). The immunosensor design involves the covalent immobilization of the antigen onto carboxylic-modified magnetic beads (HOOC-MBs) activated with N-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-N′-ethylcarbodiimide (EDC) and N-hydroxysulfosuccinimide (sulfo-NHS), and further incubation in a mixture solution containing variable concentrations of the antigen and a fixed concentration of an HRP-labeled detection antibody. Accordingly, the target NT-proBNP in the sample and that immobilized on the MBs compete for binding to a fixed amount of the specific HRP-labeled secondary antibody. The immunoconjugate-bearing MBs are captured by a magnet placed under the surface of a disposable gold screen-printed electrode (Au/SPE). The amperometric responses measured at –0.10 V (vs. a Ag pseudo-reference electrode), upon addition of 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) as electron transfer mediator and H₂O₂ as the enzyme substrate, are used to monitor the affinity reaction. The developed magnetoimmunosensor provides attractive analytical characteristics in 10-times diluted human serum samples, exhibiting a linear range of clinical usefulness (0.12–42.9 ng mL^−1) and a detection limit of 0.02 ng mL^−1, which can be used in clinical diagnosis of chronic heart failure in the elderly and for classifying patients at risk of death after heart transplantation. The magnetoimmunosensor was successfully applied to the analysis of spiked human serum samples.