Enzymatic rotating biosensor for cysteine and glutathione determination in a FIA system

The high sensitivity that can be attained using an enzymatic system and mediated by catechols has been verified by on-line interfacing of a rotating biosensor and continuous flow/stopped-flow/continuous-flow processing. Horseradish peroxidase, HRP, [EC 1.11.1.7], immobilized on a rotating disk, in presence of hydrogen peroxide catalyzed the oxidation of catechols, whose back electrochemical reduction was detected on glassy carbon electrode surface at −150 mV. Thus, when l-cysteine (Cys) or glutathione (GSH) was added to the solution, these thiol-containing compounds participate in Michael addition reactions with catechols to form the corresponding thioquinone derivatives, decreasing the peak current obtained proportionally to the increase of its concentration. Cys was used as the model thiol-containing compound for the study. The highest response for Cys was obtained around pH 7. This method could be used to determine Cys concentration in the range 0.05-90 μM (r = 0.998) and GSH concentration in the range 0.04-90 μM (r = 0.999). The determination of Cys and GSH were possible with a limit of detection of 0.7 and 0.3 nM, respectively, in the processing of as many as 25 samples per hour. Current response of the HRP-rotating biosensor is not affected by the oxidized form of GSH and Cys (glutathione disulfide, GSSG, and l-cystine, respectively), by sulfur-containing and alkyl-amino compounds such as methionine and lysine, respectively. The interferences from easily oxidizable species such as ascorbic acid and uric acid are lowest.     

Addressing the metabolic activation potential of new leads in drug discovery: a case study using ion trap mass spectrometry and tritium labeling techniques

Metabolic activation of drug candidates to electrophilic reactive metabolites that can covalently modify cellular macromolecules may result in acute and/or idiosyncratic immune system-mediated toxicities in humans. This presents a significant potential liability for the future development of these compounds as safe therapeutic agents. We present here an example of an approach where sites of metabolic activation within a new drug candidate series were rapidly identified using online liquid chromatography/multi-stage mass spectrometry on an ion trap mass spectrometer. This was accomplished by trapping the reactive intermediates formed upon incubation of compounds with rat and human liver microsomes as their corresponding glutathione conjugates and mass spectral characterization of these thiol adducts. Based on the structures of the GSH adducts identified, potential sites and mechanisms of bioactivation within the chemical structure were proposed. These metabolism studies were interfaced with iterative structural modifications of the chemical series in order to block these bioactivation sites within the molecule. This strategy led to a significant reduction in the propensity of the compounds to undergo metabolic activation as evidenced by reductions in the irreversible binding of radioactivity to liver microsomal material upon incubation of tritium-labeled compounds with this in vitro system. With the efficiency and throughput achievable with such an approach, it appears feasible to identify and address the metabolic activation potential of new drug leads during routine metabolite identification studies in an early drug discovery setting.     

Progress on phthalocyanine-conjugated Ag and Au nanoparticles: Synthesis,characterization, and photo-physicochemical properties

Phthalocyanine (Pc) complexes are an important class of dyes with numerous (e.g., biological, photophysical, and analytical) applications. Among the methods used to improve the properties of these complexes, one should mention the introduction of different substituents, variation of the central metal ion, ligand exchange, and conjugation to nanomaterials (e.g., carbon-based nanomaterials and metal nanoparticles (NPs)). This work briefly reviews Pc complex conjugation to Ag and Au NPs, highlights the different NP shapes, and discusses the diversity of conjugation approaches. Moreover, the use of UV–Vis spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, dynamic light scattering and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy to characterize Pc-NP hybrids is summarized. The effect of conjugation on Pc photo-physicochemical properties (fluorescence, singlet oxygen generation, triplet state formation, and optical limiting behavior) is discussed, and future perspectives for the synthesis and applications of new hybrids are provided.     

Determination of oxidized and reduced glutathione, by capillary zone electrophoresis, in Brassica juncea plants treated with copper and cadmium

A rapid method of capillary zone electrophoresis is described to determine the oxidized (GSSG) and reduced (GSH) form of glutathione in plant tissue. In order to separate both analytes in a fused-silica capillary, the pH and composition of the electrolyte solution were optimized. The electrolyte composition was 100 mmol/L, borate 25 mmol/L Tris, and 0.2% w/v metaphosphoric acid (MPA), pH 8.2. Some instrumental conditions used to run the samples were hydrostatic injection for 30 s, 30 kV applied voltage, and UV detection (185 nm) at 25 degrees C. Linearity and useful range obtained for the calibration curves were optimum, with correlation coefficients about 0.999 in the 0-120 micromol/L range. The migration time was highly reproducible, less than 5 min being afforded to run a sample. Electrolyte buffer and samples required a careful pH control for optimal separation of both analytes. This aspect constitutes a critical analytical step when acids are used in the procedure for sample preparation. Simultaneous analysis of GSH and GSSG may provide a useful tool for comparative studies of plants in order to select those species with a potential capacity for detoxification from toxic elements or those appearing promising from phytoremediation for these elements.     

Protective effects of vitamin E against CCl<Subscript>4</Subscript>-induced hepatotoxicity in rabbits

The influence of CCl₄ on the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GR), the value of the total antioxidant status (TAS), and the concentration of malonic dialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione (GSH) was monitored in plasma or whole blood of rabbits. The administration of CCl₄ caused the increase of the SOD activity to approximately 150 % and the decrease in the activity of GPx and GR by about 50 %. These changes were accompanied with the increase in TAS value and MDA concentration and the decrease of GSH concentration. The effect of CCl₄ was suppressed by the previous 7 days lasting or simultaneous administration of vitamin E. Oxidative stress caused by CCl₄ was accompanied by the development of reactive oxygen forms, especially superoxide radical anion.     

Chemiluminescence Method for the Determination of Glutathione in Human Serum Using the Ru(phen)3 2+ – KMnO4 System

A simple, rapid and specific chemiluminescence (CL) method for the determination of glutathione has been developed. The method is based on the enhanced CL of the reaction between Ru(phen)₃ ²⁺ (phen = 1,10-phenanthroline) and KMnO₄ by glutathione in HCl medium. Under the optimum conditions, the response is linearly proportional to the concentration of glutathione between 1.5 × 10⁻⁷ and 1.0 × 10⁻⁵ mol L⁻¹. The dection limit for glutathione (5.8 × 10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹) is about 10 and 200 times better than those of the spectrophotometric method using Ellman regent and the Lucigenin – CL method, respectively. The final procedure allows the determination of glutathione in human serum with recoveries of 92%–108%. A satisfactory agreement was obtained with a mean relative difference of 2.5% compared to the HPLC method.     

A Novel Enhancing Flow-Injection Chemiluminescence Method for the Determination of Glutathione Using the Reaction of Luminol with Hydrogen Peroxide

 A rapid flow-injection method with chemiluminescence (CL) detection is described for the determination of glutathione (GSH). The method is based on the CL reaction of luminol and hydrogen peroxide. GSH can greatly enhance the chemiluminescence intensity in 0.1 mol/L borax–sodium hydroxide buffer solution (pH = 9.7). The maximum CL intensity was directly proportional to the concentration of GSH in the range 3.0 × 10⁻⁷–2.0 × 10⁻⁵ mol/L, and the detection limit was 6.8 × 10⁻⁸ mol/L. The relative standard deviation was 3.4% for 5.0 × 10⁻⁶ mol/L of GSH (n = 11). Received October 23, 2001; accepted June 18, 2002     

Antioxidant enzymes activity in subcellular fraction of freshwater prawnsM. malcolmsonii andM. lamarrei lamarrei

Subcellular distribution of Superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), selenium (SC) dependent glutathione peroxidase, and Se-independent glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities were detected in different tissues (hepatopancreas, muscle, and gill) of freshwater prawnsMacrobrachium malcolmsonii andMacrobrahium lamarrei lamarrei. CAT and SOD were found almost equally between the mitochondrial and cytosolic fraction. Both Se-dependent and Se-independent GSH-Px activities were mainly found in cytosolic fraction.     

Enhanced Photodynamic Therapy by Reduced Levels of Intracellular Glutathione Obtained By Employing a Nano‐MOF with CuII as the Active Center

In photodynamic therapy (PDT), the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced in the cell directly determines the therapeutic effect. Improvement in ROS concentration can be realized by reducing the glutathione (GSH) level or increasing the amount of photosensitizer. However, excessive amounts photosensitizer may cause side effects. Therefore, the development of photosensitizers that reduce GSH levels through synergistically improving ROS concentration in order to strengthen the efficacy of PDT for tumor is important. We report a nano‐metal–organic framework (Cu^II‐metalated nano‐MOF {CuL‐[AlOH]₂}_n (MOF‐2, H₆L=mesotetrakis(4‐carboxylphenyl)porphyrin)) based on Cu^II as the active center for PDT. This MOF‐2 is readily taken up by breast cancer cells, and high levels of ROS are generated under light irradiation. Meanwhile, intracellular GSH is considerably decreased owing to absorption on MOF‐2; this synergistically increases ROS concentration and accelerates apoptosis, thereby enhancing the effect of PDT. Notably, based on the direct adsorption of GSH, MOF‐2 showed a comparable effect with the commercial antitumor drug camptothecin in a mouse breast cancer model. This work provides strong evidence for MOF‐2 as a promising new PDT candidate and anticancer drug.     

A Multi‐signal Fluorescent Probe with Multiple Binding Sites for Simultaneous Sensing of Cysteine,Homocysteine, and Glutathione

A novel fluorescent probe was developed by integrating chlorinated coumarin and benzothiazolylacetonitrile and exploited for simultaneous detection of cysteine (Cys), homocysteine (Hcy), and glutathione (GSH). Featuring four binding sites and different reaction mechanisms for different biothiols, this probe exhibited rapid fluorescence turn‐on for distinguishing Cys, Hcy, and GSH with 108‐, 128‐, 30‐fold fluorescence increases at 457, 559, 529 nm, respectively, across different excitation wavelengths. Furthermore, the probe was successfully applied to the fluorescence imaging of endogenous Cys and GSH and exogenous Cys, Hcy, and GSH in living cells.