Hydrophilic interaction LC–MS/MS method to avoid endogenous interference in the analysis of 4-hydroxy isoleucine from dietary supplementation of fenugreek

4-Hydroxy isoleucine is one of the potent hypoglycemic active constituents of fenugreek seeds. A method capable of reducing biological interferences is required for bioavailability studies. An isocratic separation of 4-hydroxy isoleucine from endogenous interferences was achieved in ZIC-cHILIC column using 0.1% formic acid in water and acetonitrile (20:80, % v/v) pumped at 0.5 ml/min. Quantification was performed in multiple reaction monitoring mode using the transitions of m/z 148.1→102.1 and m/z 276.1→142.2 for 4-hydroxy isoleucine and homatropine (as internal standard), respectively. After full method validation, 4-hydroxy isoleucine levels in human plasma and commercial fenugreek formulations were determined. This method showed good linearity in the range of 50–2000 ng/mL. Intra- and interday accuracies were in the range of 90.64–109.0% and precision was <4.82% CV. The mean (SD) plasma concentration of 4-hydroxy isoleucine in healthy individuals at 2 h after oral administration of fenugreek tablet was found to be 1590 (260) ng/mL. Half of marketed formulations were found to contain <0.05% of 4-hydroxy isoleucine content. We developed a rapid hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method for analysis of 4-hydroxy isoleucine in human plasma. This method can be applied directly to conduct the clinical pharmacokinetics studies of 4-hydroxy isoleucine in human population.     

胰岛素联合沙格列汀降糖疗效及安全性的研究

目的评估胰岛素联合沙格列汀治疗2型糖尿病的有效性和安全性。方法回顾性对照研究50例2型糖尿病患者胰岛素加用沙格列汀或阿卡波糖治疗(48±8)周后血糖水平和血糖波动等指标的变化。结果治疗(48±8)周后,两组血糖、Hb A1c、MAGE均明显下降(P均≤0.001),其中沙格列汀组MAGE的降幅明显大于阿卡波糖组(P=0.024),胃肠道不良反应发生率显著低于阿卡波糖组。结论沙格列汀联合胰岛素具有更强的控制血糖波动的疗效,胃肠道不良反应发生率更低。     

In silico analysis of nonsynonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms of the human adiponectin receptor 2 (ADIPOR2) gene

Polymorphisms of the ADIPOR2 gene are frequently linked to a higher risk of developing diseases including obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Though mutations of the ADIPOR2 gene are detrimental, there is a lack of comprehensive in silico analyses of the functional and structural impacts at the protein level. Considering the involvement of ADIPOR2 in glucose uptake and fatty acid oxidation, an in silico functional analysis was conducted to explore the possible association between genetic mutations and phenotypic variations. A genomic analysis of 82 nonsynonymous SNPs in ADIPOR2 was initiated using SIFT followed by the SNAP2, nsSNPAnalyzer, PolyPhen-2, SNPs&GO, FATHMM and PROVEAN servers. A total of 10 mutations (R126W, L160Q, L195P, F201S, L235R, L235P, L256R, Y328H, E334K and Q349H) were predicted to have deleterious effects on the ADIPOR2 protein and were therefore selected for further analysis. Theoretical models of the variants were generated by comparative modeling via MODELLER 9.16. A protein structural analysis of these amino acid variants was performed using SNPeffect, I-Mutant, ConSurf, Swiss-PDB Viewer and NetSurfP to explore their solvent accessibility, molecular dynamics and energy minimization calculations. In addition, FTSite was used to predict the ligand binding sites, while NetGlycate, NetPhos2.0, UbPerd and SUMOplot were used to predict post-translational modification sites. All of the variants showed increased free energy, though F201S exhibited the highest energy increase. The root mean square deviation values of the modeled mutants strongly indicated likely pathogenicity. Remarkably, three binding sites were detected on ADIPOR2, and two mutations at positions 328 and 201 were found in the first and second binding pockets, respectively. Interestingly, no mutations were found at the post-translational modification sites. These genetic variants can provide a better understanding of the wide range of disease susceptibility associated with ADIPOR2 and aid the development of new molecular diagnostic markers for these diseases. The findings may also facilitate the development of novel therapeutic elements for associated diseases.     

Stabilities and Biological Activities of Vanadium Drugs: What is the Nature of the Active Species?

Diverse biological activities of vanadium(V) drugs mainly arise from their abilities to inhibit phosphatase enzymes and to alter cell signaling. Initial interest focused on anti‐diabetic activities but has shifted to anti‐cancer and anti‐parasitic drugs. V‐based anti‐diabetics are pro‐drugs that release active components (e.g., H₂VO₄⁻) in biological media. By contrast, V anti‐cancer drugs are generally assumed to enter cells intact; however, speciation studies indicate that nearly all drugs are likely to react in cell culture media during in vitro assays and the same would apply in vivo. The biological activities are due to V^V and/or V^IV reaction products with cell culture media, or the release of ligands (e.g., aromatic diimines, 8‐hydroxyquinolines or thiosemicarbazones) that bind to essential metal ions in the media. Careful consideration of the stability and speciation of V complexes in cell culture media and in biological fluids is essential to design targeted V‐based anti‐cancer therapies.     

Preliminary Investigation of the Antioxidant,Anti-Diabetic,and Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Enteromorpha intestinalis Extracts

Marine algae are a promising source of potent bioactive agents against oxidative stress, diabetes, and inflammation. However, the possible therapeutic effects of many algal metabolites have not been exploited yet. In this regard, we explored the therapeutic potential of Enteromorpha intestinalis extracts obtained from methanol, ethanol, and hexane, in contrasting oxidative stress. The total phenolic (TPC) and flavonoids (TFC) content were quantified in all extracts, with ethanol yielding the best values (about 60 and 625 mg of gallic acid and rutin equivalents per gram of extract, respectively). Their antioxidant potential was also assessed through DPPH^•, hydroxyl radical, hydrogen peroxide, and superoxide anion scavenging assays, showing a concentration-dependent activity which was greater in the extracts from protic and more polar solvents. The α-amylase and α-glucosidase activities were estimated for checking the antidiabetic capacity, with IC₅₀ values of about 3.8 µg/mL for the methanolic extract, almost as low as those obtained with acarbose (about 2.8 and 3.3 µg/mL, respectively). The same extract also showed remarkable anti-inflammatory effect, as determined by hemolysis, protein denaturation, proteinase and lipoxygenase activity assays, with respectable IC₅₀ values (about 11, 4, 6, and 5 µg/mL, respectively), also in comparison to commercially used drugs, such as acetylsalicylic acid.     

Keratin Scaffolds Containing Casomorphin Stimulate Macrophage Infiltration and Accelerate Full-Thickness Cutaneous Wound Healing in Diabetic Mice

Impaired wound healing is a major medical challenge, especially in diabetics. Over the centuries, the main goal of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine has been to invent biomaterials that accelerate the wound healing process. In this context, keratin-derived biomaterial is a promising candidate due to its biocompatibility and biodegradability. In this study, we evaluated an insoluble fraction of keratin containing casomorphin as a wound dressing in a full-thickness surgical skin wound model in mice (n = 20) with iatrogenically induced diabetes. Casomorphin, an opioid peptide with analgesic properties, was incorporated into keratin and shown to be slowly released from the dressing. An in vitro study showed that keratin-casomorphin dressing is biocompatible, non-toxic, and supports cell growth. In vivo experiments demonstrated that keratin-casomorphin dressing significantly (p < 0.05) accelerates the whole process of skin wound healing to the its final stage. Wounds covered with keratin-casomorphin dressing underwent reepithelization faster, ending up with a thicker epidermis than control wounds, as confirmed by histopathological and immunohistochemical examinations. This investigated dressing stimulated macrophages infiltration, which favors tissue remodeling and regeneration, unlike in the control wounds in which neutrophils predominated. Additionally, in dressed wounds, the number of microhemorrhages was significantly decreased (p < 0.05) as compared with control wounds. The dressing was naturally incorporated into regenerating tissue during the wound healing process. Applied keratin dressing favored reconstruction of more regular skin structure and assured better cosmetic outcome in terms of scar formation and appearance. Our results have shown that insoluble keratin wound dressing containing casomorphin supports skin wound healing in diabetic mice.     

Structure-based virtual screening of dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitors and their in vitro analysis

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is one of the most widely prevalent metabolic disorders with no cure to date thus remains the most challenging task in the current drug discovery. Therefore, the only strategy to control diabetes prevalence is to develop novel efficacious therapeutics. Dipeptidyl Peptidase 4 (DPP-4) inhibitors are currently used as anti-diabetic drugs for the inhibition of incretins. This study aims to construct the chemical feature based on pharmacophore models for dipeptidyl peptidase IV. The structure-based pharmacophore modeling has been employed to evaluate new inhibitors of DPP-4. A four-featured pharmacophore model was developed from crystal structure of DPP-4 enzyme with 4-(2-aminoethyl) benzenesulfonyl fluoride in its active site via pharmacophore constructing tool of Molecular Operating Environment (MOE) consisting F1 Hyd (hydrophobic region), F2 Hyd|Cat|Don (hydrophobic cationic and donor region), F3 Acc (acceptor region) and F4 Hyd (hydrophobic region). The generated pharmacophore model was used for virtual screening of in-house compound library (the available compounds which were used for initial screening to get the few compounds for the current studies). The resultant selected compounds, after virtual screening were further validated using in vitro assay. Furthermore, structure-activity relationship was carried out for the compounds possessing significant inhibition potential after docking studies. The binding free energy of analogs was evaluated via molecular mechanics generalized Born surface area (MM-GBSA) and Poisson-Boltzmann surface area (MM-PBSA) methods using AMBER 16 as a molecular dynamics (MD) simulation package. Based on potential findings, we report that selected candidates are more likely to be used as DPP-4 inhibitors or as starting leads for the development of novel and potent DPP-4 inhibitors.     

质子水合结构的振动态密度分析

使用基于多态经验价键模型的分子动力学模拟, 对水溶液中质子的水合结构及其在质子传递过程中的动力学过程进行了研究. 在价键模型的方法下, 质子的水合结构主要以H₉O₄⁺(Eigen)以及过渡态的H₅O₂⁺(Zundel)结构形态存在, 且在这两种结构中以Eigen的形态表现明显. 通过对质子传递过程中不同水合结构的态密度频谱分析, 发现一个在2000~3000 cm^-1范围内的明显连续的宽吸收谱带, 主要归因于Eigen结构的贡献, 这些特征峰的出现与水合氢离子第一溶剂化层内的强氢键作用密切相关. 对于Zundel的结构, 在1760 cm^-1处出现一个较为明显的肩峰, 归属为质子传递模式的特征振动. 通过对质子水合结构态密度频谱的分析, 可望增强对于稀酸溶液红外光谱中的连续宽吸收带以及质子传递的微观动力学过程的理解.     

中空碳纳米球的制备及VOCs吸附性能

首先, 在碱性条件下, 不使用表面活性剂, 采用St?ber小球法以正硅酸四乙酯(TEOS)和正硅酸四丙酯(TPOS)为硅源, 生成初级氧化硅球形颗粒; 然后, 使酚醛树脂(间苯二酚和甲醛)与球形氧化硅的羟基共缩合形成酚醛树脂-氧化硅复合材料; 最后, 经高温碳化和酸蚀获得了空心碳纳米球(HCNSs). 通过调节TEOS/TPOS的摩尔比获得了一系列具有良好的单分散性且粒径、 壁厚可调节的HCNSs, 其粒径和壁厚分别在280~430 nm和15~63 nm的范围内. 仅以TPOS为硅源时合成的HCNS-0/4具有较大的粒径(426 nm)和壁厚(63 nm)、 较高的比表面积(1216 m²/g)和孔容(0.508 cm³/g), 并且具有较大的挥发性有机化合物(VOCs)吸附性能, 其正己烷、 甲苯和油气的静态吸附容量分别为2.02, 1.42和0.926 g/g, 正己烷和甲苯的动态吸附容量分别为2.01 g/g和1.37 g/g, 均远高于商业化活性炭.     

非平衡溶剂化新理论在有机染料电子光谱中的应用

总结了非平衡溶剂化新理论和在量子化学软件Q-Chem中基于含时密度泛函理论(TD-DFT)实现溶剂效应下计算电子吸收和发射光谱的数值解方法.采用该方法计算了染料敏化太阳能电池(DSSCs)中三苯胺型有机染料■在真空和乙腈溶剂中的电子结构与光谱性质,研究发现,π共轭桥上碳碳双键的个数和溶剂效应会促进光电转换.