Fluorescence optosensor using an artificial neural network for screening of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

This paper presents an optosensor for screening of four polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: anthracene (ANT), benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), fluoranthene (FLT), and benzo[b]fluoranthene (Bbf) using a photomultiplier device with an artificial neural network as transducer. The optosensor is based on the on-line immobilization on a non-ionic resin (Amberlite XAD-4) solid support in a continuous flow. The determination was performed in 15 mM H₂PO₄⁻/HPO₄²⁻ buffer solution at pH 7 and 25% of 1,4-dioxane. Feed forward neural networks (multiplayer perceptron) have been trained to quantify the considered Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in mixtures under optimal conditions. The optosensor proposed was also applied satisfactorily to the determination of the considered PAHs in water samples in presence of the other 12 EPA–PAHs.     

Solubility and partitioning studies with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons using an optimized SPME procedure

In order to determine the water solubilitiy (S _W) and octanol/water partition coefficient (K _OW) of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, we have optimized the direct solid-phase microextraction (SPME) of selected compounds (fluoranthene (FLU), phenanthrene (PHE), pyrene (PYR), benz[a]anthracene (BaA), benz[a]pyrene (BaP), and coronene) from the matrices water and octanol-saturated water. By the use of a 100 μm polydimethylsiloxane fibre and magnetic stirring of the sample with glass-coated mini-impellers in combination with gas chromatography we obtained limits of determination (GC-MS) comparable to standard HPLC procedures. Only coronene could not be quantified. The determined S _W of FLU agree with reference data; for B[a]P we have obtained a 2 to 3 times higher value than described in recent literature. The obtained K _OW values are close to reference data for both single components. For a mixture of FLU, PHE, PYR, and B[a]A the measured K _OW values are 0.2–0.3 log units below tabulated values for the single components. Received: 22 July 1998 / Revised: 28 October 1998 / Accepted: 1 November 1998     

Solubility and partitioning studies with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons using an optimized SPME procedure

In order to determine the water solubilitiy (S _W) and octanol/water partition coefficient (K _OW) of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, we have optimized the direct solid-phase microextraction (SPME) of selected compounds (fluoranthene (FLU), phenanthrene (PHE), pyrene (PYR), benz[a]anthracene (BaA), benz[a]pyrene (BaP), and coronene) from the matrices water and octanol-saturated water. By the use of a 100 μm polydimethylsiloxane fibre and magnetic stirring of the sample with glass-coated mini-impellers in combination with gas chromatography we obtained limits of determination (GC-MS) comparable to standard HPLC procedures. Only coronene could not be quantified. The determined S _W of FLU agree with reference data; for B[a]P we have obtained a 2 to 3 times higher value than described in recent literature. The obtained K _OW values are close to reference data for both single components. For a mixture of FLU, PHE, PYR, and B[a]A the measured K _OW values are 0.2–0.3 log units below tabulated values for the single components. Received: 22 July 1998 / Revised: 28 October 1998 / Accepted: 1 November 1998     

Gas chromatographic analysis of high-molecular-mass polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons II. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with relative molecular masses exceeding 328

Three columns were used for the gas chromatographic analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) with relative molecular masses (M_r) up to 450. Two of the columns were commercially available, coated with a 50% methyltrifluoropropyl-substituted polysiloxane a 5% diphenyl-substituted methylpolysiloxane. The third column was laboratory made, coated with a biphenyl-substituted silarylene-siloxane copolymer. All three columns were utilized for the analysis of high-M_r PAHs as regards both thermal stability of the stationary phases, i.e., low bleeding rate, and chromatographic efficiency. The column coated with a trifluoropropyl-substituted stationary phase showed, however, a low separation efficiency, possibly owing to low solute stationary phase compatibility. The biphenyl-substituted stationary phase, on the other hand, showed a very high separation efficiency, but the retention of the PAHs was significantly higher on this column compared with the other two, leading to the demand for higher oven temperatures. Different retention mechanisms were observed on these columns, as shown by differences in the retention indices of the PAHs measured in a system using PAHs as retention index markers. A comparatively faster elution of non-planar PAHs was observed on the columns coated with the trifluoropropyl-substituted stationary phase and the biphenyl-substituted stationary phase compared with the column coated with the 5% diphenyl-substituted polymer. The usefulness of the columns for separations of high-M_r PAHs is demonstrated by gas chromatograms of carbon black extracts and a coal tar extract standard reference material.     

Quantitative structure-activity relationship studies of boron-containing dipeptide proteasome inhibitors using calculated mathematical descriptors

Topological indices (TIs) and atom pairs (APs) were used to develop quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) models of a set of 58 dipeptide boronic acids which are potent inhibitors of proteasome and have found applications in the treatment of various types of cancers. Of the three linear regression methods used for QSAR development, viz., principal components regression (PCR), partial least square (PLS), and ridge regression (RR), the last method gave the most satisfactory models whereas the remaining two methods yielded poor models. RR results obtained in this paper using TIs and APs are comparable to the CoMFA and CoMSIA results reported in the literature with the same set of compounds.     

Synthesis of adducts of o-quinone metabolites of carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with 2'-deoxyribonucleosides

[structure: see text] The first syntheses of the adducts formed in the reactions of o-quinone metabolites of carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (BPQ and BAQ) at 2'-deoxyadenosine and 2'-deoxyguanosine sites in DNA are reported. These syntheses entail Pd-catalyzed coupling of protected amine derivatives of catechols with suitably protected halopurine analogues of 2'-deoxyribonucleosides.     

Quantitative analysis for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by spectral decomposition of molecular fluorescence

Analysis of the molecular fluorescence spectra of several polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) by the technique of spectral decomposition is discussed. Peak characterization parameters obtained by this technique are utilized to obtain quantitative measurement of a mixture containing benzidiae and dibenzochrysene in solution. Application of the technique to a large number of reference compounds is discussed as an aid to routine identification of suspected carcinogens and other compounds containing fluorophores.     

Interpretative optimization and artificial neural network modeling of the gas chromatographic separation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

An interpretative strategy (factorial design experimentation+total resolution analysis+chromatogram simulation) was employed to optimize the separation of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) (naphthalene, acenaphthylene, acenaphthene, fluorene, phenanthrene, anthracene, fluoranthene, pyrene, chrysene, benzo(a)anthracene, benzo(k)fluoranthene, benzo(b)fluoranthene, benzo(a)pyrene, indeno(1,2,3-c,d)pyrene, dibenzo(a,h)anthracene, benzo(g,h,i)perylene) in temperature-programmed gas chromatography (GC). Also, the retention behavior of PAHs in the same GC system was studied by a feed-forward artificial neural network (ANN). GC separation was investigated as a function of one (linear temperature ramp) or two (linear temperature ramp+the final hold temperature) variables. The applied interpretative approach resulted in rather good agreement between the measured and the predicted retention times for PAHs in both one and two variable modeling. The ANN model, strongly affected by the number of input experiments, was shown to be less effective for one variable used, but quite successful when two input variables were used. All PAHs, including difficult to separate peak pairs (benzo(k)fluoranthene/benzo(b)fluoranthene and indeno(1,2,3-c,d)pyrene/dibenzo(a,h)anthracene), were separated in a standard (5% phenyl-95% dimethylpolysiloxane) capillary column at an optimum temperature ramp of 8.0 degrees C/min and final hold temperature in the range of 260-320 degrees C.     

Correlation between retention data of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and several descriptors in supercritical-fluid chromatography

Chromatographia - The correlation between retention data of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) obtained in various supercritical fluid-chromatographic systems (SFC systems) and several...     

Strategies for synthesis of adducts of omicron-quinone metabolites of carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with 2'-deoxyribonucleosides

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are major environmental carcinogens produced in the combustion of fossil fuels, tobacco, and other organic matter. Current evidence indicates that PAHs are transformed enzymatically to active metabolites that react with DNA to form adducts that result in mutations. Three activation pathways have been proposed: the diol epoxide path, the radical-cation path, and the quinone path. The latter involves aldo-keto reductase mediated oxidation of PAH dihydrodiol metabolites to catechols that enter into redox cycles with quinones. This results in generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that attack DNA, and the PAH quinones also react with DNA to form adducts. Several strategies for synthesis of the stable adducts formed by the o-quinone metabolites of carcinogenic PAHs with 2'-deoxyribonucleosides were investigated and compared. The PAH quinones studied were benz[a]anthracene-3,4-dione and its 7-methyl- and 7,12-dimethyl- derivatives. The parent PAHs represent a range of carcinogenicity from inactive to highly potent. Two synthetic methods were devised that differ in the catalyst employed, Pd(OAc)(2) or CuI. The Pd-mediated method involved coupling a protected amino-catechol PAH derivative with a halo-2'-deoxyribonucleoside. The copper-mediated method entailed reaction of a halo-PAH catechol derivative with a 2'-deoxyribonucleoside. Adducts of benz[a]anthracene-3,4-dione (and its 7-methyl- and 7,12-dimethyl- derivatives) with 2'-deoxyadenosine and 2'-deoxyguanosine were prepared by these methods. Availability of adducts of these types through synthesis makes possible for the first time biological studies to determine the role of these adducts in tumorigenesis. The copper-mediated method offers advantages of economy, adaptability to large-scale preparation, utility for synthesis of (13)C- or (15)N-labeled analogues, and nonformation of bis-adducts as secondary products.