Development and validation of two LC-MS/MS methods for the detection and quantification of amphetamines, designer amphetamines, benzoylecgonine, benzodiazepines, opiates, and opioids in urine using turbulent flow chromatography

In the context of driving ability diagnostics in Germany, administrative cutoffs for various drugs and pharmaceuticals in urine have been established. Two liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry methods for simultaneous detection and quantification of amphetamines, designer amphetamines, benzoylecgonine, benzodiazepines, opiates, and opioids in urine were developed and validated. A 500-μL aliquot of urine was diluted and fortified with an internal standard solution. After enzymatic cleavage, online extraction was performed by an ion-exchange/reversed-phase turbulent flow column. Separation was achieved by using a reversed-phase column and gradient elution. For detection, a Thermo Fisher TSQ Quantum Ultra Accurate Mass tandem mass spectrometer with positive electrospray ionization was used, and the analytes were measured in multiple-reaction monitoring mode detecting two transitions per precursor ion. The total run time for both methods was about 15 min. Validation was performed according to the guidelines of the Society of Toxicological and Forensic Chemistry. The results of matrix effect determination were between 78 % and 116 %. The limits of detection and quantification for all drugs, except zopiclone, were less than10?ng/mL and less than 25 ng/mL, respectively. Calibration curves ranged from 25 to 200 ng/mL for amphetamines, designer amphetamines, and benzoylecgonine, from 25 to 250 ng/mL for benzodiazepines, from 12.5 to 100 ng/mL for morphine, codeine, and dihydrocodeine, and from 5 to 50 ng/mL for buprenorphine and norbuprenorphine. Intraday and interday precision values were lower than 15 %, and bias values within?±?15 % were achieved. Turbulent flow chromatography needs no laborious sample preparation, so the workup is less time-consuming compared with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry methods. The methods are suitable for quantification of multiple analytes at the cutoff concentrations required for driving ability diagnostics in Germany.     

N-(Benzyloxycarbonyl)-L-vinylglycike Methyl Ester from L-Methionine Methyl Ester Hydrochloride

A reproducible, large scale and practical synthesis of N-(benzyloxycarbonyl)-L-vinylglycine methyl ester starting from L-methionine methyl ester hydrochloride is described.     

Coexpression of CPR from Various Origins Enhances Biotransformation Activity of Human CYPs in S. pombe

Cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYPs or P450s) are the most important enzymes involved in the phase I metabolism of drugs (and other xenobiotics) in humans, and the corresponding drug metabolites are needed as reference substances for their structural confirmation and for pharmacological or toxicological characterization. We have previously shown that biotechnological synthesis of such metabolites is feasible by whole-cell biotransformation with human CYPs recombinantly expressed in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. It was the aim of this study to compare the activity of seven human microsomal CYPs (CYP2C9, CYP2D6, CYP3A4, CYP3A5, CYP3A7, CYP17, and CYP21) upon coexpression with NADPH-cytochrome P450 oxidoreductases (CPRs) from various origins, namely, human CPR (hCPR) and its homologues from fission yeast (ccr1) and the bishop’s weed Ammi majus (AmCPR), respectively. For this purpose, 28 recombinant strains were needed, with five of them having been constructed previously and 23 strains being newly constructed. Bioconversion experiments showed that coexpression of a CPR does not only influence the reaction rate but, in some cases, also exerts an influence on the metabolite pattern. For CYP3A enzymes, coexpression of hCPR yielded the best results, while for another two, hCPR was equally helpful as ccr1 (both CYP17 and CYP21) or AmCPR (CYP17 only), respectively. Interestingly, CYP2D6 displayed its highest activity when coexpressed with ccr1 and CYP2C9 with AmCPR. These results corroborate the view of CPR as a well-suited bio-brick in synthetic biology for the construction of artificial enzyme complexes.     

Deuterated Disaccharides for the Investigation of Protein-Carbohydrate Interactions-Application of Bioaffinity-and STD-NMR

ABSTRACT

NMR spectroscopic analysis of carbohydrates often suffers from severe overlap of resonance signals, especially in ¹H NMR spectra. Therefore, we synthesized four 2,3,4-trideuterio-α-L-fucose containing disaccharides, α-L-Fuc-(1→6)-β-D-GlcNAc-OMe 1, α-L-Fuc-(1→4)-β-D-GlcNAc-OMe 2, α-L-Fuc-(1→3)-β-D-GlcNAc-OMe 3, and α-L-Fuc-(1→2)-β-D-Gal-OMe 4. Compounds 1 to 4 are well suited to be subjected to NMR conformational analysis because their ¹H NMR spectra show almost no overlap of signals. The deuterated disaccharides 1 to 4 will therefore be used as NMR probes for the exploration of fucose-binding proteins. With a mixture of the corresponding non-deuterated disaccharides it is demonstrated that recently developed parallel NMR screening protocols, Bio-Affinity NMR and STD-NMR, deliver fast and robust tools to assay the compounds synthesized for protein-binding affinity.     

Two molybdenum pentacarbonyl complexes with electroneutral phosphane ligands: [bis(morpholin‐4‐yl)(pentafluoroethyl)phosphane‐κP]pentacarbonylmolybdenum(0) and pentacarbonyl[(pentafluoroethyl)bis(piperidin‐1‐yl)phosphane‐κP]molybdenum(0)

The crystal structures of the title compounds, [Mo{(C₄H₈NO)₂P(C₂F₅)}(CO)₅], (1a), and [Mo{(C₅H₁₀N)₂P(C₂F₅)}(CO)₅], (2a), were determined as part of a larger project that focuses on the synthesis and coordination chemistry of phosphane ligands possessing moderate (electroneutral, i.e. neither electron‐rich nor electron‐deficient) electronic characteristics. Both complexes feature a slightly distorted octahedral geometry at the metal center, due to the electronic and steric repulsions between two of the four equatorial CO groups and the pentafluoroethyl group attached to the phosphane ligand. Bond length and angle data for (1a) and (2a) support the conclusion that the free phosphane ligands are electroneutral. For complex (1a), the Mo—P, Mo—C_ax and Mo—C_eq(ave) bond lengths are 2.5063 (5), 2.018 (2) and 2.048 (2) Å, respectively, and for complex (2a) these values are 2.5274 (5), 2.009 (3) and 2.050 (3) Å, respectively. Geometric data for (1a) and (2a) are compared with similar data reported for analogous Mo(CO)₅ complexes.     

Self‐Regulation in Flow‐Induced Structure Formation of Polypropylene

Flow‐induced structure formation is investigated with in situ wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction with high acquisition rate (30 Hz) using isotactic polypropylene in a piston‐driven slit flow with high wall shear rates (up to ≈900 s⁻¹). We focus on crystallization within the shear layers that form in the high shear rate regions near the walls. Remarkably, the kinetics of the crystallization process show no dependence on either flow rate or flow time; the crystallization progresses identically regardless. Stronger or longer flows only increase the thickness of the layers. A conceptual model is proposed to explain the phenomenon. Above a certain threshold, the number of shish‐kebabs formed affects the rheology such that further structure formation is halted. The critical amount is reached already within 0.1 s under the current flow conditions. The change in rheology is hypothesized to be a consequence of the “hairy” nature of shish. Our results have large implications for process modelling, since they suggest that for injection molding type flows, crystallization kinetics can be considered independent of deformation history.

     

Observation of B-->eta'K* and evidence for B+-->eta'rho+

We present an observation of B-->eta'K*. The data sample corresponds to 232x10(6) BB[over ] pairs collected with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II asymmetric-energy B factory at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center. We measure the branching fractions (in units of 10(-6)) B(B(0)-->eta'K*0)=3.8+/-1.1+/-0.5 and B(B+-->eta'K*+)=4.9(1.7)(+1.9)+/-0.8, where the first error is statistical and the second systematic. A simultaneous fit results in the observation of B-->eta'K* with B(B-->eta'K*)=4.1(-0.9)(+1.0)+/-0.5. We also search for B-->eta'rho and eta'f(0)(980)(f(0)-->pi+pi-) with results and 90% confidence level upper limits B(B+-->eta'rho+)=8.7(-2.8-1.3)(+3.1+2.3) (<14), B(B(0)-->eta'rho0)<3.7, and B(B(0)-->eta'f(0)(980)(f(0)-->pi+pi-))<1.5. Charge asymmetries in the channels with significant yields are consistent with zero.     

Total Synthesis of a Partial Structure from Arabinogalactan and Its Application for Allergy Prevention

Arabinogalactan, a microheterogeneous polysaccharide occurring in plants, is known for its allergy-protective activity, which could potentially be used for preventive allergy treatment. New treatment options are highly desirable, especially in a preventive manner, due to the constant rise of atopic diseases worldwide. The structural origin of the allergy-protective activity of arabinogalactan is, however, still unclear and isolation of the polysaccharide is not feasible for pharmaceutical applications due to a variation of the activity of the natural product and contaminations with endotoxins. Therefore, a pentasaccharide partial structure was selected for total synthesis and subsequently coupled to a carrier protein to form a neoglycoconjugate. The allergy-protective activity of arabinogalactan could be reproduced with the partial structure in subsequent in vivo experiments. This is the first example of a successful simplification of arabinogalactan with a single partial structure while retaining its allergy-preventive potential.