ESI-MS study of the mechanism of glycyl-l-histidyl-l-lysine-Cu(II) complex transport through model membrane of stratum corneum

In mammalian organisms copper can be found mainly in the form of complex with specific tripeptide, GHK-Cu (glycyl-l-histidyl-l-lysine-Cu(II)). GHK-Cu is the basic form in which copper is transported in tissues and permeates through cell membranes. The penetration ability of GHK-Cu through the stratum corneum and its role in copper ions transport process is the key issue for its cosmetic and pharmaceutical activity. The permeability phenomenon was studied by use in vitro model system—Flynn diffusion cell with the liposome membrane.The earlier studies on the influence of different ligands on the migration rate of copper ions through model membrane provide evidence for hampering role of ligands structure and pH of formulations in this process.Structures of copper complexes formed in solutions of different pH media were evaluated by use of ESI-MS. The permeability coefficients of copper complexes increase with increasing pH. It was proved that only tripeptide GHK and its complexes with copper: GHK-Cu and (GHK)₂-Cu are able to migrate through membrane model of stratum corneum.     

Kinetics of thermo-oxidative and thermal degradation of poly(d,l-lactide) (PDLLA) at processing temperature

Poly(d,l-lactide) (PDLLA) degraded at processing temperature under air and nitrogen. A random chain scission model was established and used to determine the activation energy E_a, and FT-IR, ¹H and ¹³C NMR were used to elucidate the degradation behavior under different atmospheres. Results showed that there were two to three stages. The 1st stage was dominated by the oligomers containing carboxylic acid groups and hydroxyl groups, during which oxygen and nitrogen had little effect on the degradation, thus they share similar E_a. When the oligomers were consumed over or evaporated, the 2nd stage began, and oxygen had a promoting effect on the thermo-oxidation process, resulting in the great decrease in E_a. The third stage of PDLLA was observed when it degraded under nitrogen over 200 °C, which was caused by the appearance of carboxylic acid substance.     

Interactions of aluminum(III) with the biologically relevant ligand d-ribose

Aluminum(III) can be absorbed when it is appropriately complexed. There are several plasma components which can bind weakly Al(III). Many proteins bind Al(III) in solution quite strongly. Carbohydrates bearing an abundance of electronegative functional groups can interact with metal cations. In solution, d-ribose exists as a mixture at equilibrium of many isomers and only a few of them bear a ‘complexing’ sequence of the hydroxyl groups. The presence of d-ribose in an Al(III) solution experiences a decrease of its Brönsted-acid sites. The lowering of the Brönsted acidity of an Al(III)-d-ribose mixture suggests the existence of attractive interactions (‘association’) between Al(III) ion and the complexing sequence of the hydroxyls of d-ribose. There is enhancement in the stability of the interaction complexes between Al(III) and d-ribose through strong intramolecular hydrogen bonding, which offers the possibility to investigate the kinetics of the subsequent proton release reactions. On the basis of the kinetic results, it may be concluded that proton release reactions, which are associated with the complexation reactions, are associatively activated. The complexes (Al(H₂O)_6−n(d-ribose_−nH)⁽³⁻ⁿ⁾⁺) resulting from the various ‘complexing’ forms of d-ribose are formed at mainly acidic pH. As the pH increases, the values of the activation enthalpy, ΔH^≠, are changing, because of the formation of mixed hydroxo-complexes (Al(H₂O)_6−n−m(OH)_m(d-ribose_−nH)^(3−n−m)+); finally, OH⁻ displaces d-ribose from the coordination sphere of Al(III) in a rather slow process, i.e. with high values of ΔH^≠; the activation enthalpy values, ΔH^≠, decrease with the progression of the displacement, becoming finally very small due to the formation of a precipitate. Chelate coordination of d-ribose with some divalent and trivalent metal ions has been also reported.     

Synthesis,characterization and DNA interaction studies of a new platinum(II) complex containing caffeine and histidine ligands using instrumental and computational methods

A new Pt(II) complex, [Pt(Caff)(His)(Cl)] (Caff is Caffeine (3,7-dihydro-1,3,7-trimethyl-1H-purine-2,6-dione) and His is l-Histidine), was synthesized and characterized using different physicochemical methods. The interaction of this complex with calf thymus DNA (ct-DNA) was investigated by absorption, emission, circular dichroism (CD), and viscosity measurements and molecular docking techniques. The calculated binding constant, K_b, was 5.3 × 10³ M^?1. In fluorimetric studies, the enthalpy and entropy of the reaction between the complex and ct-DNA showed that the reaction is exothermic (?H = ?184.07 kJ mol^?1, ?S = ?551.97 J mol^?1 K^?1). CD spectra of DNA in the presence of different amounts of the complex showed little changes in both the negative and positive band intensities, which imply a non-intercalative mode between the DNA and the platinum complex. Furthermore, the study of molecular docking also indicated that the complex binds to DNA via a groove binding mode.     

New low-molecular weight gelators based on l-valine and l-isoleucine with various terminal groups

New low-molecular weight gelators based on l-valine and l-isoleucine, which have various terminal groups such as ester, carboxyl, and carboxylate, function as a good organogelator that form an organogel in many organic solvents. In addition, the sodium salt compounds form not only organogels but also a hydrogel in the presence of a cationic surfactant.     

Syntheses and characterizations of zinc(II) and copper(II) complexes with reduced Schiff base derived from salicylaldehyde and D,L-selenomethionine

New zinc(II) and copper(II) complexes with a reduced Schiff-base ligand derived from D,L-selenomethionine and salicylaldehyde have been synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, magnetic susceptibility, IR, and NMR measurements. The single-crystal X-ray structure of the Cu(II) complex reveals that this complex is a carboxylate-bridged dimer of dinuclear copper(II) subunits and all metal centers are five-coordinate with O₄N donor sets in distorted square-pyramidal geometries. The Cu(II) complex consists of a 1-D coordination polymer.     

Determination of L- and D-enantiomers of methotrexate using amperometric biosensors

In order to determine the enantiopurity of methotrexate (Mtx), seven biosensors were proposed for the assay of l-Mtx and three biosensors for the assay of d-Mtx. The biosensors were designed using physical and chemical immobilization of glutamate oxidase and/or l-amino acid oxidase (l-AAOD) and/or horseradish peroxidase (HRP) for the assay of l-methotherexate, and d-amino acid oxidase (d-AAOD) and HRP for the assay of d-Mtx. Electrode characteristics were obtained and compared for the different carbon paste based biosensors. The linear concentration ranges for the proposed biosensors were in the ranges of fmol l⁻¹ to pmol l⁻¹, magnitude order with limits of detection in the fmol l⁻¹ to nmol l⁻¹ concentration range. All biosensors were successful for the determination of the enantiopurity of Mtx as raw material, and in its pharmaceutical formulations (tablets and injections).     

An amperometric method for the determination of trace mercury(II) by formation of complexes with l-tyrosine

A selective and sensitive amperometric method of analysis has been developed for determination of the trace amounts of mercury in waters at a platinum electrode based on the effect of the presence of mercury ions on the current due to oxidation of l-tyrosine. A decrease of signal was observed due to the formation of a complex of tyrosine with the Hg(II) ion adsorbed on the electrode surface. Several parameters were varied, such as applied potential, pH and concentration of tyrosine. The calibration plot was linear in the range from 0.02 to 3 μmol l⁻¹ Hg(II) with r=0.997 and the detection limit (3σ) was 0.014 μmol l⁻¹; the relative standard deviation was 2.2%. The study of interferences from other metal ions revealed a good selectivity of this method towards mercury(II). The stoichiometry of the mercury-tyrosine complex was determined to be 1:2 and the formation constant 627±19. Formation of complexes with mercury ions was also demonstrated with several catechol compounds and other amino acids. The method was applied to the analysis of contaminated waters.     

Effects of molecular weight and small amounts of d-lactide units on hydrolytic degradation of poly(l-lactic acid)s

Films of poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA) with different number-average molecular weights (M_n) and d-lactide unit contents (X_d) were made amorphous and the effects of molecular weight and small amounts of d-lactide units on the hydrolytic degradation behavior in phosphate-buffered solution at 37 °C of PLLA were investigated. The degraded films were investigated using gravimetry, gel permeation chromatography, polarimetry, differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffractometry, and tensile testing. To exclude the effects of crystallinity on the hydrolytic degradation, the films were made amorphous by melt-quenching. The incorporation of small amounts of d-lactide units drastically enhanced the hydrolytic degradation of PLLA. In the period of 0-32 weeks, the hydrolytic degradation rate constant (k) of PLLA films increased with increasing X_d, while the k values did not depend on M_n. This means that the effects of X_d on the hydrolytic degradation rate of the films are higher than those of M_n. In contrast, in the period of 32-60 weeks neither X_d nor M_n was a crucial parameter to determine k values, probably because in addition to these parameters the differences in the amount of catalytic oligomers accumulated in films and crystallinity affect the hydrolytic degradation behavior of the films. The initially amorphous PLLA films remained amorphous even after the hydrolytic degradation for 60 weeks.     

A review of recent trends in electrospray ionisation-mass spectrometry for the analysis of metal-organic ligand complexes

Background

Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), an endogenous nitric oxide (NO) formation inhibitor, has emerged as a promising biomarker of NO-associated endothelial dysfunction in cardiovascular diseases as well in chronic renal failure. The interest in potentially fundamental role of this metabolite, in basic and clinical research, led to the development of numerous analytical methods for the quantitative determination of ADMA and dimethylarginines in biological systems, notably plasma, serum and urine.

Objectives

The aim of this work was to present a simple, fast and accurate UPLC-tandem-MS-based method for the simultaneous determination and quantification of arginine, ADMA, SDMA, NMMA, homo-arginine and citrulline. This method is designed for high sample throughput of only 10 μL of human plasma, serum or urine.

Methods

The analysis time is reduced to 1.9 min by an ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography run coupled with electrospray ionization (ESI) in the positive mode tandem mass spectrometry detection.

Results

The method was validated in plasma, serum and urine. Correlation coefficients (r²) of the calibration curves in all matrices considered ranged from 0.9810 to 0.9993. Inter- and intra-assay precision, accuracy, recovery and carry-over were evaluated for validation. The LOD was 0.01 μM for all compounds in water, plasma and serum and 0.1 μM in urine. The LOQ was 0.05 μM for ADMA, SDMA, NMMA and H-Arg and 0.5 μM for Arg and Cit in water, plasma and serum; while in urine was 0.1 μM for ADMA, SDMA, NMMA and H-Arg and 0.5 μM for Arg and Cit.The precision was ranged from 1% to 15% expressed as CV% and the accuracy (bias %) was <±7% for all added concentrations with the exception of NMMA (−10%).ADMA mean plasma levels, measured in healthy adults and newborns, were in accord with literature data published: (M ± SD) 0.56 ± 0.10 μM and 0.84 ± 0.21 μM, respectively, showing that ADMA levels in plasma decreased with age. In serum we have similar data (0.54 ± 0.18 μM and 1.14 ± 0.36 μM), while in neonatal urine ADMA was 11.98 ± 7.13 μmol mmol⁻¹ creatinine.

Conclusions

Data from calibration curves and method validation reveal that the method is accurate and precise. The fast run time, the feasibility of high sample throughput and the small amount of sample required make this method very suitable for routine analysis in the clinical setting.     

Solid-phase synthesis of peptide ribonucleic acids (PRNA)

The range of available peptide ribonucleic acid (PRNA) monomers was fully expanded for the use in solid-phase synthesis of PRNA oligomers, which were designed to reversibly control the recognition and complexation behavior of the complementary DNA/RNA by external factors. A couple of PRNA 12-mers with desired purine-pyrimidine mixed sequences were prepared indeed in high yields by the solid-phase synthesis.     

Asymmetric aldol reactions in poly(ethylene glycol) catalyzed by l-proline

A rapid l-proline catalyzed direct aldol reaction between various aldehydes and acetone was achieved using PEG as the solvent with comparable enantioselectivities and yields to those obtained in other solvents. Recycling the catalyst and solvent (PEG) was possible 10 times without loss of activity.     

d-Poly(lactide) and LHRH decapeptide stereointeractions investigated by vibrational spectroscopy

The interactions between poly(d-lactic acid) (PDLA) and l-configured leuprolide (LHRH) to form heterocomplexes were investigated by a combination of infrared (IR), Raman and near infrared spectroscopy (NIR). It was found that an α crystal with 10₃ helical conformation of PDLA is formed in the PDLA/LHRH heterocomplexes with various LHRH loadings, whereas the secondary structures of LHRH in these heterocompelexes are greatly affected by the blend ratio of LHRH and PDLA. Based on the analysis of IR, Raman and NIR spectra of the various heterocomplexes, it is suggested that stereoselective Van der Waals interactions, consisting of interwined α helices of PDLA and LHRH, is responsible for the driving force of PDLA and LHRH stereocomplexation. To clarify the solid structure and the potential interaction in these heterocomplexes with various LHRH loadings, temperature-dependent IR spectral measurements were also employed. On the basis of the results presented, a model for the PDLA and LHRH stereointeraction process was proposed.     

Antibacterial activity of cyclo(L-Pro-L-Tyr) and cyclo(D-Pro-L-Tyr) from Streptomyces sp. strain 22-4 against phytopathogenic bacteria

Two bioactive cyclic dipeptides, cyclo(L-Pro-L-Tyr) and cyclo(D-Pro-L-Tyr), were isolated from the culture broth of Streptomyces sp. strain 22-4 and tested against three economically important plant pathogens, Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri, Ralstonia solanacearum and Clavibacter michiganensis. Both cyclic dipeptides were active against X. axonopodis pv. citri and R. Solanacearum with MIC of 31.25 μg/mL. No activity could be observed against C. michiganensis.     

High-molar-mass hyaluronan degradation by Weissberger's system: Pro- and anti-oxidative effects of some thiol compounds

Pro- and anti-oxidative effects of two thiol compounds, d-penicillamine and reduced l-glutathione, on the kinetics of degradation of high-molar-mass hyaluronan samples were monitored via rotational viscometry. The degradation was induced under aerobic condition by the so-called Weissberger′s system [ascorbate plus Cu(II)]. Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy was used to confirm the presence of free radicals generated during the biopolymer degradation. Infrared spectroscopy and non-isothermal chemiluminometry were used to characterize the biopolymers after processing.     

Concise and practical synthesis of (2S,3R,4R,5R) and (2S,3R,4R,5S)-1,6-dideoxy-1,6-iminosugars

The syntheses of (2S,3R,4R,5R) and (2S,3R,4R,5S)-1,6-dideoxy-1,6 iminosugars 1a and 1b, respectively, from d-glucose are described. The key transformations in this reaction sequence include regio-selective epoxide ring opening with N-benzylamine followed by intramolecular reductive amination of amino-aldehyde.     

Racemization behavior of l,l-lactide during heating

To control the depolymerization process of poly(l-lactic acid) into l,l-lactide for feedstock recycling, the racemization of l,l-lactide as a post-depolymerization reaction was investigated. In the absence of a catalyst, the conversion to meso-lactide increased with increase in the heating temperature and time at a higher rate than the conversion into oligomers. The resulting high composition of meso-lactide suggests that the direct racemization of l,l-lactide had occurred in addition to the known racemization mechanism that occurs on the oligomer chains. In the presence of MgO, the oligomerization rapidly proceeded to reach an equilibrium state between monomers and oligomers. The equilibrium among l,l-, meso-, and d,d-lactides was found to be a convergent composition ratio l,l-:meso-:d,d-lactides = 1:1.22:0.99 (wt/wt/wt) after 120 min at 300 °C. This composition ratio also indicates that in addition to the known racemization reaction on the oligomer chains, direct racemization among the lactides is also a frequent occurrence.     

One-pot inversion of d-mannono-1,4-lactone for the practical synthesis of l-ribose

l-Ribose was synthesized in a concise manner from d-mannono-1,4-lactone using one-pot inversion conditions. Treatment of d-mannono-1,4-lactone with piperidine, followed by mesylation-induced S_N2-type O-alkylation, afforded the desired one-pot inversion in an optimum yield, and the following straightforward transformations provided l-ribose in good yields.     

Hydrolysis of the amide bond in N-acetylated l-methionylglycine catalyzed by various platinum(II) complexes under physiologically relevant conditions

The hydrolytic reactions between various Pt(II) complexes of the type [Pt(L)Cl₂] and [Pt(L)(CBDCA-O,O′] (L is ethylenediamine, en; (±)-trans-1,2-diaminocyclohexane, dach; (±)-1,2-propylenediamine, 1,2-pn and CBDCA is the 1,1-cyclobutanedicarboxylic anion) and the N-acetylated l-methionylglycine dipeptide (MeCOMet-Gly) were studied by ¹H NMR spectroscopy. All reactions were realized at 37 °C with equimolar amounts of the Pt(II) complex and the dipeptide at pH 7.40 in 50 mM phosphate buffer in D₂O. Under these experimental conditions, a very slow cleavage of the Met-Gly amide bond was observed and this hydrolytic reaction proceeds through the intermediate [Pt(L)(H₂O)(MeCOMet-Gly-S)]⁺ complex. In general, it can be concluded that faster hydrolytic cleavage of the MeCOMet-Gly dipeptide was observed in the reaction with the chloride complex than with corresponding CBDCA Pt(II) complexes. The steric effects of the Pt(II) complex on the hydrolytic cleavage of the amide bond in the MeCOMet-Gly dipeptide were also investigated by ¹H NMR spectroscopy. It was found that the rate of hydrolysis decreases as the steric bulk of the CBDCA and chlorido Pt(II) complexes increase (en > 1,2-pn > dach). These results contribute to a better understanding of the toxic side effects of Pt(II) antitumor drugs and should be taken into consideration when designing new potential Pt(II) antitumor drugs with preferably low toxic side effects.