Phenylmethanesulfonyl fluoride pretreatment stabilizes plasma lipidome in lipidomic and metabolomic analysis

Though it is standard practice to test the stability of analytes in the matrix for routine bioanalytical method, stability evaluation is always impractical and skipped in untargeted lipidomic and metabolomic analysis because analytes in these studies are enormous, diverse and sometimes unknown. Lipidome represents a major class of plasma metabolome and shows great potential to be diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers. However, lipidome also faces stability problems because plasma contains kinds of lipid degradation enzyme. Here, using liquid chromatography time of flight mass spectrometry based lipidomic methodology, plasma levels of various lipids including triglyceride (TG), diglyceride (DG), free fatty acid (FFA), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) phosphatidylcholine (PC), lyso-phosphatidylcholine (LPC), lyso-phosphatidylethanolamine (LPE), and sphingomyelin (SM) were dynamically determined within 4 h at ambient temperature. In mouse and rat plasma, the levels of most TG, DG, PC and PE species significantly decreased with respect to time, whereas those of LPC, LPE and FFA significantly increased with respect to time. However, such changes did not occur in human plasma, thus indicating hepatic lipase and esterase might involve in the species-specified degradation of lipid classes in plasma. Phenylmethanesulfonyl fluoride (PMSF) pretreatment prevented such lipidome instability in mouse plasma. The results suggested the instability of plasma lipidome should be highly concerned, and the enhancement of ex vivo stability of plasma lipidome could enable more reliable clinical translation of lipidomic data for biomarker discovery.     

Bioconversion potential of Trichoderma viride HN1 cellulase for a lignocellulosic biomass Saccharum spontaneum

The industrialisation of lignocellulose conversion is impeded by expensive cellulase enzymes required for saccharification in bioethanol production. Current research undertakes cellulase production from pretreated Saccharum spontaneum through Trichoderma viride HN1 under submerged fermentation conditions. Pretreatment of substrate with 2% NaOH resulted in 88% delignification. Maximum cellulase production (2603 ± 16.39 U/mL/min carboxymethyl cellulase and 1393 ± 25.55 U/mL/min FPase) was achieved at 6% substrate at pH 5.0, with 5% inoculum, incubated at 35°C for 120 h of fermentation period. Addition of surfactant, Tween 80 and metal ion Mn⁺², significantly enhanced cellulase yield. This study accounts proficient cellulase yield through process optimisation by exploiting cheaper substrate to escalate their commercial endeavour.     

Effect of alkaline pretreatment on delignification of wheat straw

This study was conducted to analyse structural changes through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) after alkaline pretreatment of wheat straw for optimum steaming period. During the study, 2 mm size of substrate was soaked in 2.5% NaOH for 1 h at room temperature and then autoclaved at 121°C for various steaming time (30, 60, 90 and 120 min). Results revealed that residence time of 90 min at 121°C has strong effect on substrate, achieving a maximum cellulose content of 83%, delignification of 81% and hemicellulose content of 10.5%. Further SEM and FTIR spectroscopy confirmed structural modification caused by alkaline pretreatment in substrate. Maximum saccharification yield of 52.93% was achieved with 0.5% enzyme concentration using 2.5% substrate concentration for 8 h of incubation at 50°C. This result indicates that the above-mentioned pretreatment conditions create accessible areas for enzymatic hydrolysis.     

Determination of hexavalent chromium in traditional Chinese medicines by high‐performance liquid chromatography with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

An analytical method that combined high‐performance liquid chromatography with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry has been developed for the determination of hexavalent chromium in traditional Chinese medicines. Hexavalent chromium was extracted using the alkaline solution. The parameters such as the concentration of alkaline and the extraction temperature have been optimized to minimize the interconversion between trivalent chromium and hexavalent chromium. The extracted hexavalent chromium was separated on a weak anion exchange column in isocratic mode, followed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry determination. To obtain a better chromatographic resolution and sensitivity, 75 mM NH₄NO₃ at pH 7 was selected as the mobile phase. The linearity of the proposed method was investigated in the range of 0.2–5.0 μg L^?1 (r² = 0.9999) for hexavalent chromium. The limits of detection and quantitation are 0.1 and 0.3 μg L^?1, respectively. The developed method was successfully applied to the determination of hexavalent chromium in Chloriti lapis and Lumbricus with satisfactory recoveries of 95.8–112.8%.     

Simultaneous Determination of Gallic Acid and Folic Acid in Fruit Juice Samples Using Square Wave Voltammetry at Electrochemically Pretreated Carbon Paste Electrode

An efficient sensor was developed for the simultaneous determination of gallic and folic acid in juice samples using an electrochemically pretreated carbon paste electrode. The electrode was characterized by CV and EIS. The electrochemical behavior of GA and FA was evaluated by CV and SWV. The electrode exhibited high electrocatalytic activity towards GA and FA due to high surface area. Under the optimized condition, linear plots in the ranges of 0.08–13 μM and 0.1 to 15 μM were obtained for GA and FA, respectively. The proposed method was successful for the simultaneous determination of GA and FA in juice samples with satisfactory recovery.     

Solid-phase extraction techniques based on nanomaterials for mycotoxin analysis: An overview for food and agricultural products

Mycotoxin contamination is a globally concerned problem for food and agricultural products since it may directly or indirectly induce severe threats to human health. Sensitive and selective screening is an efficient strategy to prevent or reduce human and animal exposure to mycotoxins. However, enormous challenges exist in the determination of mycotoxins, arising from complex sample matrices, trace-level analytes, and the co-occurrence of diverse mycotoxins. Appropriate sample preparation is essential to isolate, purify, and enrich mycotoxins from complicated matrices, thus decreasing sample matrix effects and lowering detection limits. With the cross-disciplinary development, new solid-phase extraction strategies have been exploited and integrated with nanotechnology to meet the challenges of mycotoxin analysis. This review summarizes the advance and progress of solid-phase extraction techniques as the methodological solutions for mycotoxin analysis. Emphases are paid on nanomaterials fabricated as trapping media of solid-phase extraction techniques, including carbonaceous nanoparticles, metal/metal oxide-based nanoparticles, and nanoporous materials. Advantages and limitations are discussed, along with the potential prospects.     

芥子气中毒人员尿液标记物谱分析及其临床诊断应用

该研究基于暴露生物标记物溯源思路,应用于解决芥子气(SM)临床早期诊断、溯源确证难题。建立了芥子气中毒患者尿液中7种游离代谢产物的两步固相萃取/超高效液相色谱-串联质谱(SPE/UPLC-MS/MS)同时定量方法,检出限为5 pg/mL~1 ng/mL,定量下限为10pg/mL~5 ng/mL;结合前期建立的4种游离碱基加合物的同位素稀释-UPLC-MS/MS定量方法,对1例疑似芥子气中毒人员尿液中可能赋存的生物标记物进行了全筛查分析。尿液中共检出3类10种生物标记物,包括首次报道的游离代谢产物芥子亚砜,可确证患者为芥子气中毒;除硫二甘醇外,标记物含量均在暴露后3~4 d达到峰值,随后降低,至7 d仍可检出,其中谷胱甘肽加合物的β裂解产物含量相对较高,可作为芥子气中毒早期诊断与疗效评估的重要指标。     

A facile and green synthetic approach toward fabrication of starch-stabilized magnetite nanoparticles

A facile and green synthetic approach for fabrication of starch-stabilized magnetite nanoparticles was implemented at moderate temperature. This synthesis involved the use of iron salts, potato starch,sodium hydroxide and deionized water as iron precursors, stabilizer, reducing agent and solvent respectively. The nanoparticles(NPs) were characterized by UV-vis, PXRD, HR-TEM, FESEM, EDX, VSM and FT-IR spectroscopy. The ultrasonic assisted co-precipitation technique provides well formation of highly distributed starch/Fe_3O_4-NPs. Based on UV–vis analysis, the sample showed the characteristic of surface plasmon resonance in the presence of Fe_3O_4-NPs. The PXRD pattern depicted the characteristic of the cubic lattice structure of Fe_3O_4-NPs. HR-TEM analysis showed the good dispersion of NPs with a mean diameter and standard deviation of 10.68 4.207 nm. The d spacing measured from the lattice images were found to be around 0.30 nm and 0.52 nm attributed to the Fe3O4 and starch, respectively. FESEM analysis confirmed the formation of spherical starch/Fe_3O_4-NPs with the emission of elements of C, O and Fe by EDX analysis. The magnetic properties illustrated by VSM analysis indicated that the as synthesized sample has a saturation magnetization and coercivity of 5.30 emu/g and 22.898 G respectively.Additionally, the FTIR analysis confirmed the binding of starch with Fe_3O_4-NPs. This method was cost effective, facile and eco-friendly alternative for preparation of NPs.     

5'核酸外切酶特异性荧光探针的设计和应用

根据5'核酸外切酶与底物间相互作用的特点,设计开发了对其具有高选择性、高灵敏度的DNA荧光探针。该探针对5'外切酶的线性响应范围为0.005~0.1 U/m L,检测限为0.005 U/m L。方法可用于人血清样品中5'外切酶的一步快速测定,测得正常人血清中5'外切酶的含量为0.09±0.01 U/m L,回收率为100%±5%(n=3)。该研究为实时监测生物样品中5'核酸外切酶的含量变化提供了有力的工具,也将有助于深入研究核酸损伤的修复途径。     

Reduced Graphene Oxide Supported Cobalt Bipyridyl Complex for Sensitive Detection of Methyl Parathion in Fruits and Vegetables

Herein, we are described a green route to prepare reduced graphene oxide supported cobalt inorganic complex nanocomposite (GRGO/[Co(bpy)₃]) (bpy=2,2′‐bipyridine) through facile and wet chemical approach. The formation of the nanocomposite was confirmed through suitable physical and chemical characterization techniques. The GRGO/[Co(bpy)₃] nanocomposite was coated on the pretreated glassy carbon electrode (GCE). The GCE/GRGO/[Co(bpy)₃] modified electrode has excellent electrocatalytic ability towards methyl parathion reduction, while the overpotential drops drastically to –0.18 V (vs. Ag/AgCl). Moreover, the effect of concentration, scan rate and electrolyte pH were detail studied. Besides, the linear response range was 0.05‐1700 μM and the detection limit was 0.0029 μM (S/N=3) and the sensitivity was 1.8197 μA μM⁻¹ cm⁻². Moreover, the fabricated electrode has high level of selectivity, which delivers satisfactory repeatability, reproducibility and stability. The sensing method was successfully demonstrated in real samples such as, tomato and apple samples.