Analysis of sialic acid levels in Chinese intravenous immunoglobulins by high‐performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection

Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) is increasingly used for the treatment of autoimmune and systemic inflammatory diseases with both licensed and off‐label indications. Recent studies indicated that IVIg‐mediated immunomodulation and anti‐inflammation are closely associated with the IgG sialylation, especially with IgG crystallizable fragment (Fc) sialylation. The sialic acid levels of the IgG molecules and Fc fragments in 12 IVIg preparations from six Chinese manufacturers were evaluated. The Fc fragments were derived from the papain digestion of IVIg, followed by affinity and size exclusion chromatography. The sialic acid levels in Fc fragments and IVIg preparations were determined by high‐performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection, after the sialic acid residues were released from the proteins. The results showed that the sialic acid levels in Chinese IVIg preparations ranged from 0.875 (mol/mol IgG) to 1.085 (mol/mol IgG), and the sialic acid levels in Fc fragments were from 0.321 (mol/mol Fc) to 0.361 (mol/mol Fc). Furthermore, the sialic acid levels of IVIg preparations and Fc fragments from different Chinese manufactures were significantly different. These findings will contribute to an increased understanding of Chinese IVIg preparations and the relationship between the sialic acid levels in IVIg preparations and their clinical efficacy in future clinical studies.     

A simple and efficient method for potential point-of-care diagnosis of human papillomavirus genotypes: combination of isothermal recombinase polymerase amplification with lateral flow dipstick and reverse dot blot

Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in the world’s woman population with a high incidence in developing countries where diagnostic conditions for the cancer are poor. The main culprit causing the cancer is the human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV is divided into three major groups, i.e., high-risk (HR) group, probable high-risk (pHR) group, and low-risk (LR) group according to their potential of causing cervical cancer. Therefore, developing a sensitive, reliable, and cost-effective point-of-care diagnostic method for the virus genotypes in developing countries even worldwide is of high importance for the cancer prevention and control strategies. Here we present a combined method of isothermal recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA), lateral flow dipstick (LFD), and reverse dot blot (RDB), in quick point-of-care identification of HPV genotypes. The combined method is highly specific to HPV when the conserved L1 genes are used as targeted genes for amplification. The method can be used in identification of HPV genotypes at point-of-care within 1 h with a sensitivity of low to 100 fg of the virus genomic DNA. We have demonstrated that it is an excellent diagnostic point-of-care assay in monitoring the disease without time-consuming and expensive procedures and devices.

     

Pharmacokinetics of salvianolic acid B,rosmarinic acid and Danshensu in rat after pulmonary administration of Salvia miltiorrhiza polyphenolic acid solution

A sensitive and accurate LC–MS/MS method was established for quantifying salvianolic acid B (Sal B), rosmarinic acid (Ros A) and Danshensu (DA) in rat plasma. Salvia miltiorrhiza polyphenolic acid (SMPA), active water‐soluble ingredients isolated and purified from Salvia miltiorrhiza Bge included Sal B, Ros A and DA. The pharmacokinetic analysis of Sal B, Ros A and DA after pulmonary administration of SMPA solution to rat was performed by LC–MS/MS. Results from the pharmacokinetic studies showed that the peak concentration of DA was 21.85 ± 6.43 and 65.39 ± 3.83 ng/mL after pulmonary and intravenous administration, respectively. DA was not detected at 2 h after administration. The absolute bioavailabilities of Sal B and Ros A were respectively 50.37 ± 27.04 and 89.63 ± 12.16% after pulmonary administration of 10 mg/kg SMPA solution in rats. The absolute bioavailability of Sal B increased at least 10‐fold after pulmonary administration, compared with oral administration. It was concluded that the newly established LC–MS/MS method was suitable for describing the pharmacokinetic characteristics of Sal B, Ros A and DA in rat after pulmonary administration of SMPA solution. The data from this study will provide a preclinical insight into the feasibility of pulmonary administration of SMPA.     

Fe (III)‐grafted Bi2MoO6 nanoplates for enhanced photocatalytic activities on tetracycline degradation and HMF oxidation

Fe (III)‐grafted Bi₂MoO₆ nanoplates (Fe (III)/BMO) with varying small quantity of Fe (III) clusters modification were fabricated through a simple hydrothermal and impregnation process. The characterization results indicate that the modification of Fe (III) clusters on the surface of Bi₂MoO₆ nanoplates with intimate interfacial contact is beneficial to the expansion of visible light absorption range and the separation of photoinduced carriers during the interface charge transfer process. The photocatalytic properties of the samples were studied by degradation of tetracycline (TC) and selective aerobic oxidation of biomass‐derived chemical 5‐hydroxymethylfuraldehyde (HMF) under visible light. The 1.5 wt% Fe (III) clusters‐grafted Bi₂MoO₆ nanoplates exhibited optimum photocatalytic activity, which is the TC degradation kinetic rate constant is 5.3 times higher than that of bare BMO, and the highest HMF conversion of 32.62% can be obtained with a selectivity of 95.30%. Furthermore, a possible visible light photocatalysis mechanism over Fe (III)/BMO sample has been proposed. This study may supply some insight for the development of visible‐light‐driven Bi₂MoO₆‐based photocatalysts applicable to both environmental remediation and biomass‐derived chemical transformation.     

Potential influence on drug efficacy from interaction of tartrazine and trypsin

The extent to which drugs combine with trypsin is influenced by the interaction of tartrazine and trypsin, which may cause overdose or underdose of drugs. Therefore, the interaction of tartrazine and trypsin is investigated by methods of spectrometry in this paper. The binding rate of tartrazine to trypsin is 80.95–95.71% at 310?K, and Hill’s coefficients are almost 1. The effect of tartrazine on trypsin structure was studied by synchronous and circular dichroism. The results showed that the binding of tartrazine and trypsin induced the conformational change of trypsin, and quenched the endogenous fluorescence in trypsin. The results of molecular docking revealed that tartrazine is located in the catalytic active site of trypsin, and is consistent with that of experimental calculation.