Inhibition by protease inhibitors of binding of adrenal and sex steroid hormones.

Binding of steroid hormones is inhibited by protease inhibitors and substrates. The protease inhibitors phenylmethyl sulphonylfluoride, tosyl-lysine chloromethyl ketone, and tosylamide-phenylethyl-chloromethyl ketone and the protease substrates tosyl arginine methyl ester and tryptophan methyl ester eliminate specific binding of aldosterone, dexamethasone, dihydrotestosterone, estrogen, and progesterone to their respective receptors. These protease inhibitors and substrates also inhibit binding of progesterone to the 20,000 molecular weight mero-receptor formed from the progesterone receptor in chick oviduct. The binding of estradiol to rat alpha-fetoprotein is inhibited by the protease inhibitors and substrates but not by tryptophan or tryptophan amide, indicating the importance of an ester structure in the inhibition of steroid binding. Our results suggest that all steroid hormone receptors have a site with both common structural features and a role in the regulation of steroid hormone binding.     

Identification of 17-hydroxyprogesterone and other steroid hormones in saliva from a normal child and patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia by plasmaspray liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry

A very sensitive, selective and simultaneous method for the analysis of salivary steroid hormones was examined by discharge-assisted thermospray liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (plasmaspray LC/MS). Plasmaspray LC/MS gave [M + H]+ or [MH - H2O]+ as a predominant ion in most of the steroids in this work and in some cases fragment ions were also observed. Eight salivary steroid hormones, pregnenolone, 17-hydroxypregnenolone, progesterone, 17-hydroxyprogesterone, 11-deoxycortisol, cortisol, aldosterone, and testosterone were identified within 10 minutes using the selected ion monitoring technique in conjunction with plasmaspray LC/MS. Progesterone, 17-hydroxyprogesterone, cortisol, aldosterone and testosterone were detected in 1 mL of saliva from a normal child and two patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia.     

A photoactivable probe for calcium binding proteins

Ca2+ as a signaling molecule carries information pivotal to cell life and death via its reversible interaction with a specific site in a protein. Although numerous Ca2+-dependent activities are known, the proteins responsible for some of these activities remain unidentified. We synthesized and characterized a photoreactive reagent, azido ruthenium (AzRu), which interacts specifically with Ca2+ binding proteins and strongly inhibits their Ca2+-dependent activities, regardless of their catalytic mechanisms or functional state as purified proteins, embedded in the membrane or in intact cells. As expected from a Ca2+ binding protein-specific reagent, AzRu had no effect on Ca2+-independent and Mg2+-dependent activities. Az103Ru covalently bound, and specifically labeled, known Ca2+ binding proteins. AzRu is a photoreactive reagent that provides an approach for identification of Ca2+ binding proteins, characterization of their binding sites, and exploration of new Ca2+-dependent processes.     

Comparative study of the electronic structure of pregnanolones by ab initio theory

Pregnanedione (5β‐pregnane, 3,20‐dione), pregnanolone (3β‐hydroxy‐5β‐pregnan‐20‐one), and epipregnanolone (3α‐hydroxy‐5β‐pregnan‐20‐one) result from the 5β‐reduction of progesterone [4‐pregnene, 3‐20‐dione (P)]. These P metabolites induce anesthesia and smooth muscle relaxation (nongenomic actions). In the present study, geometries and electronic structure of these steroids were assessed by ab initio calculations using the 6‐31G* basis set. Consequently, bond distances, valence angles, and dihedral angles were measured. In addition total energy, frontier orbitals, i.e., highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO), lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO), dipole moment, and electrostatic potentials were calculated. Total energy was higher for P, followed by pregnanedione. Pregnanolones, the hydroxylated progestins, showed the lower energies. Concerning frontier orbitals, P showed the highest HOMO energy and the lowest LUMO energy. Pregnanedione showed lower HOMO and LUMO energy values than pregnanolone and epipregnanolone. P showed both HOMO and LUMO located at the A ring, including the π bond at C4, C5, and the carbonyl at C3. The HOMO in pregnanedione was included mostly in the A ring and the C3 carbonyl group, while the LUMO was shared by the carbonyl groups at C3 and C20. The frontier orbitals of pregnanolone and epipregnanolone were quite similar. The HOMO in both steroids included the B, C, and D rings and the carbonyl at C20. The LUMO was also similar in both pregnanolones including mostly the carbonyl at C20. The dipole moment was shorter for P and pregnanedione and directed toward the acetyl side chain at C17. Pregnanolone and epipregnanolone showed the dipole moment vector larger and directed toward the A ring. The electrostatic potentials were related mostly with the lone pairs of electrons from the oxygens. By the total energy and frontier orbitals energies of the hormones studied, it is concluded that the metabolism of progesterone toward its 5β‐reduced metabolites might be rationalized from the theoretical chemistry point of view. Besides, the importance of the A/B ring cis configuration, dipole moment, and electrostatic potential are highlighted as possible improving elements of molecular interactions to explain the nongenomic biological action of 5β‐reduced progestins. ©1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Quant Chem 71: 433–440, 1999     

Thin-layer chromatography--the forgotten alternative for the quantitative determination of steroids

We have developed a high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) system for quantitative determination of androgens, corticosteroids, mineralocorticoids and gestagens on silicagel KG-60 HPTLC-plates with different solvent systems. A complete separation of androgens, gestagens and metabolites was achieved with dichlormethane/cyclohexane/acetone (70:25:5). Corticosteroids, mineralocorticoids and their derivatives were completely separated with diethylether/isooctane/isopropanol (70:25:5). The quantitative in situ fluorescence determination was carried out after post-chromatographic derivatization with cinnamic aldehyde, 4-dimethylaminobenzaldehyde and sulfuric acid. The sensitivity of detection was found between 500 pg and 1 ng per spot. The steroid metabolism as catalysed by rat liver microsomal oxidoreductases was measured by these procedures, and was compared with determination of steroids by gas chromatography (GC). According to HPTLC, steroids were reduced by NADPH-5 alpha-reductase (EC 1.3.1.4) in the order progesterone greater than testosterone greater than aldosterone greater than cortisol greater than corticosterone. The enzyme activities as measured by HPTLC agree well with those obtained by GC (r = 0.94). When turnover of enzyme assays, speed of determination, detection limit, application to labile steroids and costs of steroid determination are considered, all points speak in favour of HPTLC.     

Main Factors Involved in Thyroid Hormone Action

The thyroid hormone receptors are the mediators of a multitude of actions by the thyroid hormones in cells. Most thyroid hormone activities require interaction with nuclear receptors to bind DNA and regulate the expression of target genes. In addition to genomic regulation, thyroid hormones function via activation of specific cytosolic pathways, bypassing interaction with nuclear DNA. In the present work, we reviewed the most recent literature on the characteristics and roles of different factors involved in thyroid hormone function in particular, we discuss the genomic activity of thyroid hormone receptors in the nucleus and the functions of different thyroid hormone receptor isoforms in the cytosol. Furthermore, we describe the integrin αvβ3-mediated thyroid hormone signaling pathway and its rapid nongenomic action in the cell. We furthermore reviewed the thyroid hormone transporters enabling the uptake of thyroid hormones in the cell, and we also include a paragraph on the proteins that mediate thyroid receptors’ shuttling from the nucleus to the cytosol.     

Underivatized steroids on persilanized capillary columns with non-vaporizing on-column injection

Recent developments in the preparation of capillary columns by persilanization of the glass surfaces have resulted in highly inactive, heat-stable columns. With this type of column certain steroid hormone classes can be analyzed without derivatization; these include the 17-keto steroids, 11-oxo compounds, estrogens, and progesterone metabolites. It has been found that good quantitative analysis calls for non-vaporizing, on-column injection, as normal vaporizing injection results in breakdown of thermolabile compounds such as estriol and 17-OH progesterone metabolites. The gas chromatographic method described was used to obtain urinary steroid profiles.     

Design of a calcium-binding protein with desired structure in a cell adhesion molecule

Ca2+, "a signal of life and death", controls numerous cellular processes through interactions with proteins. An effective approach to understanding the role of Ca2+ is the design of a Ca2+-binding protein with predicted structural and functional properties. To design de novo Ca2+-binding sites in proteins is challenging due to the high coordination numbers and the incorporation of charged ligand residues, in addition to Ca2+-induced conformational change. Here, we demonstrate the successful design of a Ca2+-binding site in the non-Ca2+-binding cell adhesion protein CD2. This designed protein, Ca.CD2, exhibits selectivity for Ca2+ versus other di- and monovalent cations. In addition, La3+ (Kd 5.0 microM) and Tb3+ (Kd 6.6 microM) bind to the designed protein somewhat more tightly than does Ca2+ (Kd 1.4 mM). More interestingly, Ca.CD2 retains the native ability to associate with the natural target molecule. The solution structure reveals that Ca.CD2 binds Ca2+ at the intended site with the designed arrangement, which validates our general strategy for designing de novo Ca2+-binding proteins. The structural information also provides a close view of structural determinants that are necessary for a functional protein to accommodate the metal-binding site. This first success in designing Ca2+-binding proteins with desired structural and functional properties opens a new avenue in unveiling key determinants to Ca2+ binding, the mechanism of Ca2+ signaling, and Ca2+-dependent cell adhesion, while avoiding the complexities of the global conformational changes and cooperativity in natural Ca2+-binding proteins. It also represents a major achievement toward designing functional proteins controlled by Ca2+ binding.     

Quantitative calculations of antibody--antigen binding: steroid--DB3 binding energies by the linear interaction energy method

Linear interaction energy/molecular dynamics calculations have been used to compute steroid/antibody binding energies. The absolute binding affinities of 10 steroids to antibody DB3 and of a hapten to catalytic antibody 1E9 are computed and compared to experiment. A detailed analysis of the molecular origins of the observed binding patterns is provided. The binding energy of an untested steroid is predicted.     

Purification and characterization of an actin-, calmodulin- and tropomyosin-binding protein from chicken gizzard smooth muscle.

An actin-binding protein (p33) has been purified from chicken gizzard smooth muscle. The homogenous protein has a molecular weight near 33000 as determined by both sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and size exclusion chromatography. Its binding ability to F-actin remained after heating at 95 degrees C for 4 min. Immunoblot analyses indicated that p33 was not a degradation product from higher molecular components. The binding of p33 to F-actin was saturable in a molar ratio of about one p33 to 2-3 actin molecules with an apparent binding constant of 6.6 x 10(7) M-1. p33 also bound to calmodulin and tropomyosin. The bindings of p33 to F-actin and tropomyosin were regulated by calmodulin in a Ca(2+)-dependent fashion. In addition to actin, caldesmon and tropomyosin, p33 was contained in the native thin filaments prepared from smooth muscle. Other actin-binding proteins, including alpha-actinin, caldesmon and filamin, had little effect on p33 binding to actin filaments. These results demonstrate that p33 may function in actin-based cellular processes which are mediated by Ca2+ and calmodulin.     

Development and application of a UHPLC‐MS/MS method for the simultaneous determination of 17 steroidal hormones in equine serum

A new, fast and simple analytical method that is able to identify and quantify simultaneously 17 steroid hormones and metabolites (pregnenolone, 17‐OH‐pregnenolone, progesterone, 17‐OH‐progesterone, androsterone, androstenedione, dehydroepiandrosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, testosterone, cortisol, corticosterone, aldosterone, 11‐deoxycortisol, 11‐deoxycorticosterone, dihydrotestosterone, estrone and estradiol) has been developed in equine serum using the ultra‐high‐performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry technique. A total of 400 µl of sample was deproteinized with 1000 µl of acetonitrile, evaporated, restored with 50 µl of a solution of 25% methanol and injected in ultra‐high‐performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry triple quadrupole. The recovery percentage obtained by spiking the matrix at two different concentrations with a standard mixture of steroid hormones was in all cases higher than 85.60% and with the percentage of coefficient of variation lower than 8.37%. The range of the correlation coefficients of the calibration curves of the analyzed compounds was 0.9922–0.9986, and the limits of detection and limits of quantification were in the range of 0.002–2 and 0.0055–5.5 ng ml⁻¹, respectively. The detected limit of quantification for testosterone (i.e. 50 pg ml⁻¹) is twofold lower with respect to its threshold admitted in geldings plasma (100 pg ml⁻¹ free testosterone). The high sensitivity and the quantitative aspect of the method permitted to detect most of the steroids in equine serum. Once validated, the method was used to quantify 17 steroid hormones in mare, stallion and gelding serum samples. The main steroids detected were corticosterone (range 37.25–51.26 ng ml⁻¹) and cortisol (range 32.57–52.24 ng ml⁻¹), followed by 17‐OH‐pregnenolone, dihydrotestosterone and pregnenolone. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Docking small ligands in flexible binding sites

A novel procedure for docking ligands in a flexible binding site is presented. It relies on conjugate gradient minimization, during which nonbonded interactions are gradually switched on. Short Monte Carlo minimization runs are performed on the most promising candidates. Solvation is implicitly taken into account in the evaluation of structures with a continuum model. It is shown that the method is very accurate and can model induced fit in the ligand and the binding site. The docking procedure has been successfully applied to three systems. The first two are the binding of progesterone and 5β-androstane-3,17-dione to the antigen binding fragment of a steroid binding antibody. A comparison of the crystal structures of the free and the two complexed forms reveals that any attempt to model binding must take protein rearrangements into account. Furthermore, the two ligands bind in two different orientations, posing an additional challenge. The third test case is the docking of N^α-(2-naphthyl-sulfonyl-glycyl)-D -para-amidino-phenyl-alanyl-piperidine (NAPAP) to human α-thrombin. In contrast to steroids, NAPAP is a very flexible ligand, and no information of its conformation in the binding site is used. All docking calculations are started from X-ray conformations of proteins with the uncomplexed binding site. For all three systems the best minima in terms of free energy have a root mean square deviation from the X-ray structure smaller than 1.5 Å for the ligand atoms. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Comput Chem 19: 21–37, 1998     

A comparison of progestin and androgen receptor binding using the CoMFA technique

Summary A series of 48 steroids has been studied with the SYBYL QSAR module using Relative Binding Affinities (RBAs) to progesterone and androgen receptors obtained from the literature. Models for the progesterone and androgen data were developed. Both models show regions where sterics and electrostatics correlate to binding affinity but are different for androgen and progesterone which suggests differences possibly important for receptor selectivity. The progesterone model is more predictive than the androgen (predictive r² of 0.725 vs. 0.545 for progesterone and androgen, respectively).     

Derivatisation for the characterisation of neutral oxosteroids by electrospray and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation tandem mass spectrometry: the Girard P derivative

The identification, quantification and localisation of steroids in biological fluids and tissues are subjects of considerable importance. Not only do steroids have classical hormonal properties via binding to nuclear receptors, they can also elicit cellular responses via interactions with other proteins. For mass spectrometric analysis, neutral steroids are not readily ionised by either electrospray (ES) or matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation (MALDI). In this communication a derivatisation protocol is presented which allows for the rapid analysis of neutral oxosteroids by both ES and MALDI mass spectrometry. Neutral oxosteroids are derivatised to Girard P hydrazones. When analysed by tandem mass spectrometry the derivatised steroids fragment to give structurally informative spectra allowing subsequent steroid identification. The derivatisation method is simple, the reagents are commercially available, and reaction products are easily isolated from the reaction mixture. Analyte identification can be performed at the sub-pg level.     

Comparison of the use of anionic and cationic surfactants for the separation of steroids based on MEKC and sweeping-MEKC modes

In attempts to improve the selectivity and sensitivity of steroid separation and to determine their migration order, a comparison of the use of anionic and cationic surfactants based on the MEKC and sweeping-MEKC modes was made. A mixture of six steroids (progesterone, 17-hydroxy progesterone, 11-deoxycortisol, corticosterone, cortisone, and cortisol) could be separated and detected by means of the CE/UV-absorption method. The order of migration time for these steroids was compared under various conditions, including acidic/alkaline buffers, anionic/cationic surfactants, and positive/negative applied voltage, causing the direction of the EOF and the migration of micelles to change. The major rules for generally predicting the migration order of steroids are summarized. The detection limits were significantly improved when the sweeping-MEKC mode was applied.     

Determination of steroids in human plasma using temperature-dependent inclusion chromatography for metabolomic investigations

Clinical and metabolomic investigations of complex human fluids require cost-effective methodologies that can rapidly assess the steroid hormone milieu of individual samples. The efficiency of quantification of many steroids is limited using immunoassays as these methods can only measure a single component of biological samples and are dependent upon the specificity of the antiserum used in the protocol. In this study, we optimised the solid-phase extraction protocol for the extraction of a range of steroids of varied polarity from estetrol to progesterone from human plasma. The final SPE procedure for efficient extraction of steroids was a washing mixture of 5 ml of 30% methanol and an elution solvent of 2 ml of 100% methanol using 0.5 g C-18 cartridges. This protocol resulted in a high recovery rate, ranging from 85.2 to 99.9% for both the internal standard (7,8-dimethoxyflavone) and steroids of interest. We also improved the separation methodology of our previous work using temperature dependent inclusion chromatography with a mobile phase composition of 35% acetonitrile and 12 mM of beta-cyclodextrin at 29 degrees C. Under these conditions most of the fluid components including estetrol were detected in the first 10 min with progesterone appearing at 43 min. This method is simplistic, inexpensive and reproducible with the capabilities of accurate quantification of steroids. Therefore it could have numerous clinical and metabolomic applications.     

Trennung von freien und proteingebundenen Steroiden mit Amberlite

Amberlite IRA 400-coated resin strips were tested with regard to their capability to separate free from protein-bound steroids, and as such to act as an adsorbant for the determination of testosterone by protein binding methods. Results showed

1. Tritium labelled testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, cortisol, progesterone and estradiol are adsorbed to the Amberlite in aqueous media.
2. Adsorbed are mainly the free steroids and not the steroid hormones which are bound to their specific proteins.
3. Through the quantitative determination of testosterone, results show a coefficient of variation of 1.3–3.9% in the range from 1–8 ng per sample.
4. The standard curves performed on different days fit well. The percentage error calculated for curves performed on 5 successive days was 5.7% for 8 ng of testosterone and 1.7% for 2 ng.

In contrast to other adsorbants used, the Amberlite strips are much simpler to use; therefore a greater number of samples can be processed at any one time.     

Steroid analysis for medical diagnosis.

Steroid assays are important for medical diagnosis of diseases related to steroid disturbances and abuse. This article reviews the recent progress in analytical methods for steroids in the clinical laboratory. The requirements for these methods are rapid, highly sensitive, specific, direct assay of conjugated steroids, the simultaneous analysis, identification of unknown steroids, and ultra-miniaturization of the separation system.