Molecular fluorescence excitation-emission matrices relevant to tissue spectroscopy

In vivo and ex vivo studies of fluorescence from endogenous and exogenous molecules in tissues and cells are common for applications such as detection or characterization of early disease. A systematic determination of the excitation-emission matrices (EEM) of known and putative endogenous fluorophores and a number of exogenous fluorescent photodynamic therapy drugs has been performed in solution. The excitation wavelength range was 250-520 nm, with fluorescence emission spectra collected in the range 260-750 nm. In addition, EEM of intact normal and adenomatous human colon tissues are presented as an example of the relationship to the EEM of constituent fluorophores and illustrating the effects of tissue chromophore absorption. As a means to make this large quantity of spectral data generally available, an interactive database has been developed. This currently includes EEM and also absorption spectra of 35 different endogenous and exogenous fluorophores and chromophores and six photosensitizing agents. It is intended to maintain and extend this database in the public domain, accessible through the Photochemistry and Photobiology website (http://www.aspjournal. com/).     

Multivariate curve resolution analysis excitation-emission matrices of fluorescence of humic substances

Excitation-emission matrices (EEM) of fluorescence of aqueous solutions of humic substances (HS), and sets of EEM acquired as function of the HS concentration, were analysed by multivariate curve resolution alternating least squares (MCR-ALS). Three types of HS samples were studied: one commercial humic acid; two samples of fulvic acid (FA) extracted from a pinewood soil; two samples of FA extracted from recycled wastes. The fluorescence measurements were carried out at HS concentration between 5 and 100 mg/L and at pH 6. The application of MCR-ALS algorithm on each individual EEM, as well as on column-wise augmented matrices, allows the identification of three major fluorophores in all HS samples analysed. The emission and excitation spectra of these fluorophores were recovered and are characteristic of each sample. Moreover, the variation of the fluorescence intensities of each fluorophore with HS concentration shows deviations from linearity at HS concentration higher than 30 mg/L, depending on the fluorophore and/or sample. This behaviour reveals the existence of inner filter effects that affect the proportionally between the fluorescent signal and concentration but do not provoke measurable distortions on the fluorescence spectra of the detected fluorophores.     

Second-order calibration of excitation-emission matrix fluorescence spectra for determination of glutathione in human plasma

A rapid non-separative spectroflourimetric method based on the second-order calibration of the excitation-emission data matrix was proposed for the determination of glutathione (GSH) in human plasma. In the phosphate buffer solution of pH 8.0 GSH reacts with ortho-phthaldehyde (OPA) to yield a fluorescent adduct with maximum fluorescence intensity at about 420 nm. To handle the interfering effects of the OPA adducts with aminothiols other than GSH in plasma as well as intrinsic fluorescence of human plasma, parallel factor (PARAFAC) analysis as an efficient three-way calibration method was employed. In addition, to model the indirect interfering effect of the plasma matrix, PARAFAC was coupled with standard addition method. The two-component PARAFAC modeling of the excitation-emission matrix fluorescence spectra accurately resolved the excitation and emission spectra of GSH, plasma (or plasma constituents). The concentration-related PARAFAC score of GSH represented a linear correlation with the concentration of added GSH, similar to that is obtained in simple standard addition method. Using this standard addition curve, the GSH level in plasma was found to be 6.10 ± 1.37 μmol L⁻¹. The accuracy of the method was investigated by analysis of the plasma samples spiked with 1.0 μmol L⁻¹ of GSH and a recovery of 97.5% was obtained.     

Correction of inner-filter effect in fluorescence excitation-emission matrix spectrometry using Raman scatter

Fluorescence excitation-emission matrix (EEM) spectroscopy is a useful tool for interpretation of fluorescence information from natural water samples. One of the major problems with this technique is the inner-filter effect (IFE), i.e. absorption of light at both the excitation and emission wavelengths. The common solutions are to either dilute the sample or apply some form of mathematical correction, most often based on the measured absorbance of the sample. Since dilution is not always possible, e.g. in on-line or in situ EEM recordings, and corrections based on absorbance are hampered primarily by the use of a separate absorbance instrument, neither of these solutions is optimal. In this work, we propose a mathematical correction procedure based on the intensity of Raman scatter from water. This procedure was found to reduce the error after correction by up to 50% in comparison with two absorbance correction procedures. Furthermore, it does not require the use of a separate absorbance measurement, and it is applicable to on-line and in situ EEM recordings, where the IFE would otherwise cause problems.     

Chemometrics-assisted excitation-emission fluorescence spectroscopy for simultaneous determination of ethoxyquin and tert-butylhydroquinone in biological fluid samples

A novel method applying simple, rapid, effective and inexpensive excitation-emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence spectroscopy coupled with second-order calibration method for simultaneous determination of ethoxyquin (EQ) and tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) contents in biological fluid samples was developed. After a simple data preprocessing that was to insert zeros below the first-order Rayleigh scattering, the second-order calibration method based on the alternating normalization-weighed error (ANWE) algorithm was used to deal with EEM data. Via the introduced "second-order advantage", the individual con- centrations of the analytes of interest could be obtained even in the presence of uncalibrated interferences. The experimental concentration ranges for the analytes were as follows: EQ, from 4.58 to 20.6 g mL 1 in plasma and from 6.87 to 20.6 g mL 1 in urine; TBHQ, from 4.49 to 20.2 g mL-1 in plasma and from 6.73 to 22.4 g mL-1 in urine. The recoveries from spiked biological fluid samples were in the ranges of 92.8%-106.2% for EQ and 94.6%-107.2% for TBHQ. These results demonstrate that the three-dimensional EEM fluorescence with second-order calibration method is a powerful tool for obtaining both EQ and TBHQ quantitative results in plasma and urine samples, and could be applied to more complex matrices.     

Determination of doxorubicin in human plasma by excitation-emission matrix fluorescence and multi-way analysis

Direct determination of doxorubicin (DXR), a cytotoxic anthracycline antibiotic, in human plasma was accomplished based on excitation-emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence measurements and multi-way chemometric methods based on parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) and N-PLS. Several different procedures, such as residual analysis, core consistency diagnostic (CONCORDIA) and split-half analysis were employed to determine the correct number of factors in PARAFAC. These procedures converged to a choice of two factors, attributed to DXR and to the sum of two fluorescence species present in the plasma. Sample PARAFAC loadings were employed to build a regression model against concentration, resulting in a RMSECV of 0.060 μg ml⁻¹. N-PLS using two factors produced a RMSECV of 0.045 μg ml⁻¹. Figures of merit (FOM), such as sensitivity (SEN), selectivity (SEL) and limit of detection (L_D) were determined for both PARAFAC and N-PLS.     

Calibration facilites for borehole and surface environmental radiation measurements

Instruments that measurein situ radiation from natural or radiochemically-contaminated earth formations must be calibrated in appropriate facilities to provide quantitative assessments of concentrations of radionuclides. For instruments that are inserted into boreholes, these calibration facilities are typically special models having holes for probe insertion and having sufficient size to appear radiometrically infinite in extent. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has such models at Hanford, Washington, and Grand Junction, Colorado. They are concrete cylinders having a central borehole and containing known, enhanced amounts of K, U, and Th for spectral gamma-ray measurements. Additional models contain U for calibrating neutron probes for fissile materials and total-count gamma-ray probes. Models for calibrating neutron probes for moisture measurements in unsaturated formations exist for steel-cased boreholes at Hanford and for uncased boreholes at the DOE's Nevada Test Site. Large surface pads are available at Grand Junction for portable, vehicle-mounted, or airplane-mounted spectral gamma-ray detectors.     

Lanthanide-based protease activity sensors for time-resolved fluorescence measurements

Lanthanide-based luminescent sensors are noteworthy because their long-lifetime luminescence enables time-resolved fluorescence measurements. After exploring suitable antenna groups, we designed and synthesized lanthanide-based luminogenic sensors detecting protease activities. This sensor yielded strong luminescence on addition of proteases such as calpain I and leucine aminopeptidase (LAP). Since the luminescence lifetimes of the probes were very long, the sensors could be applied to time-resolved measurements that exclude background fluorescence signals derived from proteins or other impurities. This sensing principle could be applicable to general time-resolved fluorescence assays for other proteases.     

Micro-ionization acidity constants for tetracyclines from fluorescence measurements

The pH vs. fluorescence intensity profiles for a number of tetracyclines are investigated. Fluorescence is obtained in alkaline solutions and is associated with the ionized form of the phenolic-β-diketone site of these molecules. The shape of the pH vs. fluorescence intensity profiles is best explained by representing the acid-base equilibria in solution by a micro-ionization scheme. In combination with measurements made on model compounds in which the dimethylammonium site was either blocked or removed, it proved possible to estimate values for the micro-ionization constants in aqueous solution; pk₁₃ values of 7.82, 7.85 and 7.04 were obtained for tetracycline, oxytetracycline and demethylchlortetracyline, respectively.     

Direct determination of reserpine in urine using excitation-emission fluorescence combined with three-way chemometric calibration methodologies

The concentration of reserpine in urine was directly and quantitatively measured by using the excitation-emission fluorescence (EEM) combined with three-way calibration methodologies. Two calibration methods are based on the alternating trilinear decomposition (ATLD) and the self-weighted alternating trilinear decomposition (SWATLD) algorithms, respectively. These chemometric methodologies have the second-order advantage, which is the ability to get accurate concentration estimates of interested analyte(s) even in the presence of uncalibrated interferences. The satisfactory results on spiked urine samples are obtained, when the component number was chosen to 3 (N = 3) for both the methods. This experiment is easily carried out without time-consuming and complicated pretreatment. It has proved that the three-way calibration methodologies based on ATLD and SWATLD can be feasible to directly quantify the medical content of reserpine in urine. __________ Translated from Chemical Journal of Chinese Universities, 2007, 28 (5): 827–830 [译自: 高等学校化学学报]     

Determination of sulpiride in human urine using excitation-emission matrix fluorescence coupled with second-order calibration.

This paper proposes a new and effective approach for the quantitative analysis of sulpiride, a significant antipsychotic drug, in human urine samples by the incorporation of excitation-emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence and second-order calibration methodologies based on the alternating fitting residue (AFR) and self-weighted alternating trilinear decomposition (SWATLD) algorithms. With the application of a second-order advantage, the proposed strategy could be utilized for a direct concentration determination of sulpiride with a simple pretreatment step, even in the presence of serious natural fluorescent interferences. The average recoveries of sulpiride in complex urine samples by using AFR and SWATLD with an estimated component number of three were 101.2 +/- 2.1 and 94.4 +/- 0.7%, respectively. Moreover, the accuracy of the two algorithms was also evaluated through elliptical joint confidence region (EJCR) tests as well as the figures of merit, such as sensitivity (SEN), selectivity (SEL) and limit of detection (LOD). The experimental results demonstrated that both algorithms, as promising quantitative alternatives, have been satisfactorily applied to the determination of sulpiride in human urine, but the performance of AFR was slightly better than that of SWATLD.     

交替三线性分解算法用于水杨酸和2,5-二羟基苯甲酸的荧光法同时测定

水杨酸 (SA)、2 ,5 二羟基苯甲酸 (GA)和对 氨基苯甲酸 (PABA)的荧光光谱相互重叠。用交替三线性分解二阶校正法对PABA共存下的SA和GA进行了同时荧光测定 ,SA和GA的回收率分别为 (1 0 1 2± 1 9) %和 (97 1 6±1 0 4 ) %。     

Determination of carbendazim, fuberidazole and thiabendazole by three-dimensional excitation-emission matrix fluorescence and parallel factor analysis

We simultaneously determined carbendazim, fuberidazole and thiabendazole by excitation-emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence in combination with parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC). Three-way deconvolution provided the pure analyte spectra from which we estimated the selectivity and sensitivity of the pesticides, and the relative concentration in the mixtures from which we established a linear calibration. Special attention was given calculating such figures of merit as precision, sensitivity and limit of detection (LOD), derived from the univariate calibration curve. The method, which had a relative precision of around 2-3% for the three pesticides, provided limits of detection of 20 ng ml⁻¹ for carbendazim, 4.7 ng ml⁻¹ for thiabendazole and 0.15 ng ml⁻¹ for fuberidazole. The accuracy of the method, evaluated through the root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP), was 27.5, 1.4, and 0.03 ng ml⁻¹, respectively, for each of the pesticides.     

Simultaneous time-resolved fluorescence and thermal lens measurements: Application to energy transfer studies in europium chelates

Simultaneous time-resolved fluorescence and thermal lens measurements are applied to the study of europium chelates in methanol, ethanol and acetonitrile. The intramolecular energy transfer from the ligand to the ion results in a strong increase in europium fluorescence. Simultaneously, a slow rising component of the order of microseconds is observed on the thermal lens curve. Both events are respectively related to radiative and non-radiative relaxation of the long-lived ⁵D₀ state of europium ions.     

DNA-ligand binding mode discrimination by characterizing fluorescence resonance energy transfer through lifetime measurements with picosecond resolution

We describe a method for distinguishing between minor groove binders and base intercalators that is based on measurements of the fluorescence lifetime of a donor (D) in the presence of an acceptor (A). The D-A pair is separated by a short double helix DNA with which the ligands interact. By plotting the D fluorescence lifetime as a function of the ligand-to-base pair concentration ratio we find a clear signature that distinguishes between the two binding mechanisms: minor groove binding induces an asymptotic decrease of the D fluorescence lifetime, while intercalation gives a monotonically increasing lifetime and the appearance of an additional short lifetime. We assayed Quinacrine, Hoechst and 4'-6'diamidine-2-phenyl indole, which in control experiments performed on oligodeoxyribonucleotides (oligos) lacking the A are demonstrated not to interfere with the D fluorescence. The changes in fluorescence lifetimes measured in the case of dual-labeled oligos are thus caused by structural changes in the DNA that modify the D-A distance. The appearance of the short-lived transient in the fluorescence decay of Ds attached to dual-labeled oligos upon binding of an intercalator can be interpreted as denaturation.     

Three- and four-way parallel factor (PARAFAC) analysis of photochemically induced excitation-emission kinetic fluorescence spectra

Independently emerging fluorescence profiles of unknown, photochemically induced degradation products of several naturally non-fluorescent pesticides were monitored using single exposure excitation-emission fluorescence spectroscopy. Three-way parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) was employed to uniquely resolve the pure fluorescent spectra of the overlapping photolysis products. The quantitative utility of EEM photolysis-based determinations was demonstrated by employing four-way PARAFAC models built from EEM time cubes of multiple fenvalerate samples. The 4-way PARAFAC models were then used to predict original pesticide concentrations resulting in conservative limit of detection and root mean square errors of calibration (RMSEC) of 3 microM each.     

Calibration system and analytical considerations for quantitative sesquiterpene measurements in air

Sesquiterpenes (C15H24, SQT) are semi-volatile organic compounds emitted from vegetation and are of interest for air quality considerations because of their suspected contribution to the formation of secondary aerosol. This article investigates the application of a capillary diffusion method for the generation of standard atmospheres of 16 SQT and four other related semi-volatile compounds. This instrument subsequently has been used in the testing of analytical materials, protocols and calibration of air sampling methods. SQT DB-1 retention indices, vapor pressures at 25 and 75 degrees C, and diffusion coefficients were determined. A quantitative, on-line GC method yielded improved results (median relative standard deviation of 5.0-6.1%) for the diffusion rate determination in comparison to a gravimetric approach (median relative standard deviation 18%). The GC method also allowed identifying errors in the gravimetric method stemming from residual solvent evaporation, impurities, and chemical analyte losses. Stainless steel, glass, nickel and PTFE tubing that were tested for transfer lines and a sampling loop had to be kept at temperatures in excess of approximately 110 degrees C in order to prevent significant analytical errors from the stickiness of SQT to these materials. In addition to SQT analysis, results from this research provide general guidelines for gas-phase analysis of related compounds in the C14-C16 volatility range.