Separation ofN-carbamoyl aspartate andl-dihydroorotate from serum by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorimetric detection

Summary A high-performance liquid chromatographic method, with 9-anthryldiazomethane as derivatizing agent, has been developed for the simultaneous determination ofN-carbamoyl aspartate andl-dihydroorotate in serum. Sample preparation for 1 mL serum was by simple liquid-liquid extraction and then derivatization. The compounds were separated on a Luna C18(2) column by use of a gradient prepared from acetonitrile and 10 mM sodium acetate buffer, pH 6.0, and fluorimetric detection was performed at excitation and emission wavelengths of 365 nm and 412 nm, respectively. The response was found to be linearly dependent on concentration between 0.8 and 60 μg mL⁻¹ forl-dihydrooratate and between 0.9 and 90 μg mL⁻¹ forN-carbamoyl aspartate; the mean recovery rates were 50 and 51%, respectively. The limits of detection and quantification were 0.33 μg mL⁻¹ and 0.6 μg mL⁻¹, respectively, forl-dihydroorotate and 0.4 μg mL⁻¹ and 0.7 μg mL⁻¹ forN-carbamoyl aspartate. This method can be used to assess accumulation ofN-carbamoyl aspartate andl-dihydroorotate in body fluids in situations where cellular pyrimidine de novo synthesis is impaired.     

Resolution of an intense sweetener mixture by use of a flow injection sensor with on-line solid-phase extraction

An integrated solid-phase spectrophotometry–FIA method is proposed for simultaneous determination of the mixture of saccharin (1,2-benzisothiazol-3(2H)-one-1,1-dioxide; E-954) (SA) and aspartame (N-l-α-aspartyl-l-phenylalanine-1-methyl ester; E-951) (AS). The procedure is based on on-line preconcentration of AS on a C₁₈ silica gel minicolumn and separation from SA, followed by measurement, at λ=210 nm, of the absorbance of SA which is transiently retained on the adsorbent Sephadex G-25 placed in the flow-through cell of a monochannel FIA setup using pH 3.0 orthophosphoric acid–dihydrogen phosphate buffer, 3.75×10^–3 mol L⁻¹, as carrier. Subsequent desorption of AS with methanol enables its determination at λ=205 nm. With a sampling frequency of 10 h⁻¹, the applicable concentration range, the detection limit, and the relative standard deviation were from 1.0 to 200.0 μg mL⁻¹, 0.30 μg mL⁻¹, and 1.0% (80 μg mL⁻¹, n=10), respectively, for SA and from 10.0 to 200.0 μg mL⁻¹, 1.4 μg mL⁻¹, and 1.6% (100 μg mL⁻¹, n=10) for AS. The method was used to determine the amounts of aspartame and saccharin in sweets and drinks. Recovery was always between 99 and 101%. The method enabled satisfactory determination of blends of SA and AS in low-calorie and dietary products and the results were compared with those from an HPLC reference method.     

Simple LC Method with Chemiluminescence Detection for Simultaneous Determination of Arbutin and l-Ascorbic Acid in Whitening Cosmetics

Simultaneous determination of arbutin (ART) and l-ascorbic acid (AA) by HPLC with chemiluminescence detection is proposed for the first time. This method is based on the CL reaction of acidic potassium permanganate with ART and AA in the presence of formaldehyde as enhancer. The separation was performed on a C₁₈ column with a 90:10 (v/v) mixture of 0.02 M phosphate buffer and methanol as mobile phase. The effects of several conditions on HPLC resolution and CL emission were studied systematically. The linear ranges were 0.5–50 and 1–200 μg mL⁻¹ for ART and AA, respectively. The detection limits were 0.2 and 0.3 μg mL⁻¹, respectively. The method was successfully applied to the determination of ART and AA in whitening cosmetics.     

Determination and Pharmacokinetic Study of Calycosin-7-O-β-d-glucoside in Rat Plasma After Intravenous Administration of Aidi Lyophilizer

Aidi injection is a clinical medicine used in China for the treatment of cancer. Calycosin-7-O-β-d-glucoside is the main effective components of the formulas. In this study, a high performance liquid chromatographic (LC) method was developed to quantify calycosin-7-O-β-d-glucoside in rat plasma using a liquid–liquid extraction and ultraviolet (UV) absorbance detection. LC analysis was performed on a Diamonsil C₁₈ column (200 × 4.6 mm i.d., 5 μm particle size) with isocratic mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile–0.05% phosphoric acid (19.5:80.5, v/v) of a flow rate of 1.0 mL min⁻¹. The linear range was 0.11–17.6 μg mL⁻¹ and the low quantification limit was 0.11 μg mL⁻¹ (S/N = 10). The intra- and inter-day relative standard deviations (RSD) in the measurement of quality control (QC) samples 0.11, 0.22, 1.32 and 8.80 μg mL⁻¹ ranged from 4.1 to 6.3 and 4.3 to 6.2%, respectively. The accuracy was from −6.7 to 4.3% in terms of relative error (RE). Calycosin-7-O-β-d-glucoside was stable in storage at −20 °C for 2 weeks and stable after three freeze–thaw cycles in rat plasma. This method was validated for specificity, accuracy, precision and was successfully applied to pharmacokinetic study of calycosin-7-O-β-d-glucoside in rat plasma after intravenous administration of Aidi lyophilizer.     

Toward the synthesis and biological evaluation of hirsutide

Abstract  

The present investigation deals with the synthesis of a N-methylated cyclotetrapeptide, hirsutide (2), by coupling of the dipeptide units Boc-l-phenylalanyl-l-N-methylphenylalanine-OH and l-valyl-l-N-methylphenylalanine-OMe followed by cyclization of the linear tetrapeptide fragment. The chemical structure was established on the basis of analytical as well as spectroscopic data. The newly synthesized cyclic peptide was subjected to pharmacological screening and found to be highly potent against the gram-negative bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae at 6 μg cm⁻³. In addition, potent antihelmintic activity against the earthworms Megascoplex konkanensis and Pontoscotex corethruses at 1 and 2 mg cm⁻³, and potent cytotoxic activity against Dalton’s lymphoma ascites and Ehrlich’s ascites carcinoma cell lines with IC₅₀ values of 14 and 22 μM were also observed. Studies revealed that the pentafluorophenyl ester method employing a catalytic amount of N-methylmorpholine proved to be better for cyclization of the linear tetrapeptide unit.     

Determination of (E)-3,5,4′-Trimethoxystilbene in Rat Plasma by LC with ESI-MS

(E)-3,5,4′-trimethoxystilbene (BTM-0512) is a resveratrol analog with a variety of pharmacological action, including anti-cancer properties, anti-allergic activity, estrogenic activity, antiangiogenic activity, and vascular-targeting activity against microtubule-destabilization. There is, however, no validated analytical method for quantification of (E)-3,5,4′-trimethoxystilbene in biological matrices, so pharmacokinetic data and suitable methods for determination of the compound in plasma are currently lacking. A rapid and sensitive liquid chromatographic–mass spectrometric method for determination of (E)-3,5,4′-trimethoxystilbene in rat plasma, using carbamazepine as internal standard, has been developed and validated. Plasma samples were treated with acetonitrile to precipitate proteins. Samples were then analyzed by HPLC on a 250mm × 4.6 mm i.d., 5-μm particle, C₁₈ column with methanol–water, 80:20 (v/v), containing 10 mm ammonium acetate and 0.2% formic acid (pH 3.0), as mobile phase, delivered at 0.85 mL min⁻¹. A single-quadrupole mass spectrometer with an electrospray interface operated in selected-ion monitoring mode was used to detect [M + H]⁺ ions at m/z 271.3 for (E)-3,5,4′-trimethoxystilbene and m/z 237.5 for the internal standard. (E)-3,5,4′-trimethoxystilbene and the internal standard eluted as sharp, symmetrical peaks with retention times of 8.9 and 4 min, respectively. Calibration plots for (E)-3,5,4′-trimethoxystilbene in rat plasma at concentrations ranging from 0.01 to 5.0 μg mL⁻¹ were highly linear. Intra-day and inter-day precision, as RSD, was <12.9%, and accuracy was in the range 94.8–104.7%. The limit of detection in plasma was 0.005 μg mL⁻¹. The method was successfully used to determine the concentration of (E)-3,5,4′-trimethoxystilbene after oral administration of 86 mg kg⁻¹ of the drug to Sprague–Dawley rats and can be used to investigate the pharmacokinetics of the compound.     

Production and Physico-chemical Characterization of a Biosurfactant Produced by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pseudomonas aeruginosa</Emphasis> OBP1 Isolated from Petroleum Sludge

Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain OBP1, isolated from petroleum sludge, was used to produce biosurfactant from a modified mineral salt medium with 2% n-hexadecane as sole source of carbon. The crude biosurfactant was fractionated using TLC and HPLC. Using FTIR spectroscopy, ¹H NMR, and LC-MS analyses, the chemical structure of the purified fraction of crude biosurfactant was identified as rhamnolipid species. The LC-MS spectra show that monorhamnolipid (l-rhamnopyranosyl-β-hydroxydecanoyl-β- hydroxydecanoate, Rha-C₁₀-C₁₀) was produced in abundance with the predominant congener [M–H]⁻ ions for l-rhamnopyranosyl-l-rhamnopyranosyl-3-hydroxydecanoyl-3-hydroxydecanoate (Rha-Rha-C₁₀-C₁₀). Seven different carbon substrates and five nitrogen sources were examined for their effect on rhamnolipid production. Using n-hexadecane (20 g/l) as carbon substrate and urea along with (NH₄)₂SO₄ (2 g/l each) as nitrogen source was found to be the best, with a maximum yield of 4.8 g/l. The biosurfactant reduced the surface tension of water to 31.1 mNm⁻¹ with a critical micelle concentration of 45 mg/l. The biosurfactant showed a better emulsifying activity against a variety of hydrocarbon and achieved a maximum emulsion index of 82% for diesel. The purified biosurfactant showed a significant antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus at a minimum inhibitory concentration of 8 μg/ml.     

LC-MS-MS Determination of Cyclo{(2S)-2-amino-8-[(aminocarbonyl)hydrazono] decanoyl-1-l-tryptophyl-l-isoleucyl-(2R)-2-piperidinecarbonyl} a Novel Histone Deacetylase Inhibitor in Rat Serum

A rapid and sensitive liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry assay was developed for the determination of a novel histone deacetylase inhibitor, cyclo{(2S)-2-amino-8-[(aminocarbonyl)hydrazono]decanoyl-1-l-tryptophyl-l-isoleucyl-(2R)-2-piperidinecarbonyl} (SD-2007), in rat serum. The mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile and ammonium formate (10 mM) (85:15 v/v), and the flow rate was 0.25 mL min⁻¹. Chromatographic separations were achieved by isocratic elution on a C₁₈ column. Multiple reaction monitoring was based on the transition of m/z = 681.8 → 83.6 for SD-2007 and 372.1 → 176.1 for trazodone (internal standard). A linearity was observed over a concentration range from 2 to 1,000 ng mL⁻¹ (r ² > 0.999), with the lower limit of quantification at 2 ng mL⁻¹ with 100 μL of rat serum. The mean intra- and inter-day assay accuracy ranged from 98.5–109.7% to 95.2–102.7%, respectively, and the mean intra- and inter-day precision was between 4.3–11.3% and 2.9–13.3%. The developed assay was applied to a pharmacokinetic study of SD-2007 in rats after intravenous injection (dose 4 mg kg⁻¹).     

Application of a Validated, Stability-Indicating LC Method to Stress Degradation Studies of Ramipril and Moexipril.HCl

A stability-indicating reversed-phase liquid chromatographic (RPLC) method has been established for analysis of ramipril (RAM) and moexipril hydrochloride (MOEX.HCl) in the presence of the degradation products generated in studies of forced decomposition. The drug substances were subjected to stress by hydrolysis (0.1 m NaOH and 0.1 m HCl), oxidation (30% H₂O₂), photolysis (254 nm), and thermal treatment (80 °C). The drugs were degraded under basic and acidic conditions and by thermal treatment but were stable under other stress conditions investigated. Successful separation of the drugs from the degradation products was achieved on a cyanopropyl column with 40:60 (v/v) aqueous 0.01 m ammonium acetate buffer (pH 6)–methanol as mobile phase at a flow rate of 1 mL min⁻¹. Detection was by UV absorption at 210 nm. Response was a linear function of concentration over the range 5–50 μg mL⁻¹ (r > 0.9995), with limits of detection and quantitation (LOD and LOQ) of 0.04 and 0.09 μg mL⁻¹, respectively, for RAM and 0.014 and 0.32 μg mL⁻¹, respectively, for moexipril. The method was validated for specificity, selectivity, solution stability, accuracy, and precision. Statistical analysis proved the method enabled reproducible and selective quantification of RAM and MOEX as the bulk drug and in pharmaceutical preparations. Because the method effectively separates the drugs from their degradation products, it can be used as stability-indicating.     

Toward the synthesis and biological evaluation of hirsutide

Abstract  The present investigation deals with the synthesis of a N-methylated cyclotetrapeptide, hirsutide (2), by coupling of the dipeptide units Boc-l-phenylalanyl-l-N-methylphenylalanine-OH and l-valyl-l-N-methylphenylalanine-OMe followed by cyclization of the linear tetrapeptide fragment. The chemical structure was established on the basis of analytical as well as spectroscopic data. The newly synthesized cyclic peptide was subjected to pharmacological screening and found to be highly potent against the gram-negative bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae at 6 μg cm⁻³. In addition, potent antihelmintic activity against the earthworms Megascoplex konkanensis and Pontoscotex corethruses at 1 and 2 mg cm⁻³, and potent cytotoxic activity against Dalton’s lymphoma ascites and Ehrlich’s ascites carcinoma cell lines with IC₅₀ values of 14 and 22 μM were also observed. Studies revealed that the pentafluorophenyl ester method employing a catalytic amount of N-methylmorpholine proved to be better for cyclization of the linear tetrapeptide unit. Graphical abstract        

Statistical and evolutionary optimisation of operating conditions for enhanced production of fungal <Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">l</Emphasis>-asparaginase

A three-level central composite design of the Response Surface Methodology and the Artificial Neural Network-linked Genetic Algorithm were applied to find the optimum operating conditions for enhanced production of l-asparaginase by the submerged fermentation of Aspergillus terreus MTCC 1782. The various effects of the operating conditions, including temperature, pH, inoculum concentration, agitation rate, and fermentation time on the experimental production of l-asparaginase, were fitted to a second-order polynomial model and non-linear models using Response Surface Methodology and the Artificial Neural Network, respectively. The Artificial Neural Network model fitted well, achieving a higher coefficient of determination (R ² = 0.999) than the second-order polynomial model (R ² = 0.962). The l-asparaginase activity (38.57 IU s mL⁻¹) predicted under the optimum conditions of 32.08°C, pH of 5.85, inoculum concentration of 1 vol. %, agitation rate of 123.5 min⁻¹, and fermentation time of 55.1 h was obtained using the Artificial Neural Networklinked Genetic Algorithm in very close agreement with the activity of 37.84 IU mL⁻¹ achieved in confirmation experiments.     

Simultaneous RP-LC Determination of Losartan Potassium, Ramipril, and Hydrochlorothiazide in Pharmaceutical Preparations

A simple, rapid, and precise reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method has been developed for simultaneous determination of losartan potassium, ramipril, and hydrochlorothiazide. The three drugs were separated on a 150 mm × 4.6 mm i.d., 5 μm particle, Cosmosil C₁₈ column. The mobile phase was 0.025 m sodium perchlorate–acetonitrile, 62:38 (v/v), containing 0.1% heptanesulphonic acid, pH adjusted to 2.85 with orthophosphoric acid, at a flow rate of 1.0 mL min⁻¹. UV detection was performed at 215 nm. The method was validated for linearity, accuracy, precision, and limit of quantitation. Linearity, accuracy, and precision were acceptable in the ranges 35–65 μg mL⁻¹ for losartan, 1.75–3.25 μg mL⁻¹ for ramipril, and 8.75–16.25 μg mL⁻¹ for hydrochlorothiazide.     

HPLC Analysis and Pharmacokinetics of Picroside I in Dog Plasma

A sensitive and selective HPLC–UV method established for determination of picroside I in dog plasma has been used to study the pharmacokinetics of the drug after intravenous administration of three different doses. Sample pretreatment consists in deproteination by addition of acetonitrile; l-ascorbic acid was used to improve the stability of picroside I. The lower limit of quantification of picroside I was 0.05 μg mL⁻¹. The recovery of the method was up to 90%. After intravenous administration to dogs picroside I was mainly distributed in the central compartment and was rapidly eliminated from the plasma; the mean elimination half-life was 30.54 ± 4.34, 30.20 ± 3.78, and 34.02 ± 1.88 min for doses of 2.5, 5, and 15 mg kg⁻¹, respectively, and the respective values of AUC _0–∞ were 81.04 ± 19.95, 198.50 ± 27.77, and 586.44 ± 103.08 μg min mL⁻¹. The different doses had no significant effect on the main pharmacokinetic data and the kinetics seemed to be linear in dosage range 2.5–15 mg kg⁻¹.     

Enantioselectivity of 6-O-alkyldimethylsilyl-2,3-di-O-methyl-β-cyclodextrins as chiral stationary phases in capillary GC

Summary Clenbuterol has been determined in urine by solidphase extraction on a C₁₈ cartridge, diazotization of the eluate with nitrite, coupling of the diazonium ion with 1-(naphthyl)ethylenediamine, and separation of the azo dye formed by HPLC with a C₁₈ column and a micellar mobile phase containing 0.1 M sodium dodecyl sulphate, 12%n-butanol and 0.05 M citrate buffer, pH 3. Recoveries higher than 90% were obtained by mixing the samples with a 20% 0.2 M NaOH before extraction. Limits of detection of 51 and 6.7 ng L⁻¹ were obtained with spectrophotometric and thermal lens spectrometric detection, respectively; respective repeatabilities were 3.1% (5 μg mL⁻¹) and 5.6% (0.16 μg mL⁻¹).     

Gene Cloning,Expression, and Characterization of a Family 51 α-<Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">l</Emphasis>-Arabinofuranosidase from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Streptomyces</Emphasis> sp. S9

An α-l-arabinofuranosidase gene, abf51S9, was cloned from Streptomyces sp. S9 and successfully expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3). The full-length gene consisted of 1,506 bp and encoded 501 amino acids with a calculated mass of 55.2 kDa. The deduced amino acid sequence was highly homologous with the α-l-arabinofuranosidases belonging to family 51 of the glycoside hydrolases. The recombinant protein was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity by Ni-NTA affinity chromatography and subsequently characterized. The optimal pH and temperature for the recombinant enzyme were 6.0 and 60∼65 °C, respectively. The enzyme showed a broad pH range of stability, retaining over 75% of the maximum activity at pH 5.0 to 11.0. The specific activity, K _m, and V _max with p-nitrophenyl-α-l-arabinofuranoside as substrate were 60.0 U mg⁻¹, 1.45 mM, and 221 μmol min⁻¹ mg⁻¹, respectively. Abf51S9 showed a mild but significant synergistic effect in combination with xylanase on the degradation of oat-spelt xylan and soluble wheat arabinoxylan substrates with a 1.19- and 1.21-fold increase in the amount of reducing sugar released, respectively. These favorable properties make Abf51S9 a good candidate in various industrial applications.     

The electrochemical polymerization of <Emphasis Type="Italic">o</Emphasis>-phenylenediamine on <Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">l</Emphasis>-tyrosine functionalized glassy carbon electrode and its application

The polymerization of o-phenylenediamine (OPD) on l-tyrosine (Tyr) functionalized glassy carbon electrode (GCE) and its electro-catalytic oxidation towards ascorbic acid (AA) had been studied in this report. l-Tyrosine was first covalently grafted on GCE surface via electrochemical oxidation, which was followed by the electrochemical polymerization of OPD on the l-tyrosine functionalized GCE. Then, the poly(o-phenylenediamine)/l-tyrosine composite film modified GCE (POPD-Tyr/GCE) was obtained. X-ray photo-electron spectroscopy (XPS), field emission scanning electron microscope (SEM), and electrochemical techniques have been used to characterize the grafting of l-tyrosine and the polymerization and morphology of OPD film on GCE surface. Due to the doping of the carboxylic functionalities in l-tyrosine molecules, the POPD film showed good redox activity in neutral medium, and thus, the POPD-Tyr/GCE exhibited excellent electrocatalytic response to AA in 0.1 mol l⁻¹ phosphate buffer solution (PBS, pH 6.8). The anode peak potential of AA shifted from 0.58 V at GCE to 0.35 V at POPD-Tyr/GCE with a greatly enhanced current response. A linear calibration graph was obtained over the AA concentration range of 2.5 × 10⁻⁴–1.5 × 10^–3 mol l⁻¹ with a correlation coefficient of 0.9998. The detection limit (3δ) for AA was 9.2 × 10⁻⁵ mol l⁻¹. The modified electrode showed good stability and reproducibility and had been used for the determination of AA content in vitamin C tablet with satisfactory results.     

Simultaneous determination of azelaic and benzoic acids in topical preparations by liquid chromatography

Summary An isocratic, reversed-phase liquid chromatographic (LC) method has been developed for the simultaneous determination of azelaic and benzoic acids in pharmaceutical creams. The compounds were separated on a C₁₈ column (4 μm particles); the mobile phase was methanolwater, 40∶60, containing 10mm ammonium acetate and with the pH adjusted to 5.0. Detection was performed at 220 nm. The method was validated for accuracy, linearity, precision, and selectivity. Recoveries at levels corresponding to 80% to 120% of the declared content of the creams ranged from 99.5 to 101.8% and from 100.4 to 102.1% for azelaic and benzoic acids, respectively. The calibration graphs were linear in the ranges 20–1400 μg mL⁻¹ for azelaic acid (correlation coefficient,r ₁>0.99999), and 0.1–7.0 μg mL⁻¹ for benzoic acid (r>0.99998).     

Determination and Pharmacokinetic Study of 10-O-Dimethylaminoethylginkgolide B in Rat Plasma by LC–MS

To evaluate the pharmacokinetics of a novel analogue of ginkgolide B, 10-O-dimethylaminoethylginkgolide B (XQ-1) in rat plasma in pre-clinical studies, a sensitive and specific liquid chromatographic method with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry detection (LC–ESI–MS) was developed and validated. After a simple extraction with ethyl acetate, XQ-1 was analyzed on a Shim-pack C18 column with a mobile phase of a mixture of 1 μmol L⁻¹ ammonium acetate containing 0.02% formic acid and methanol (55:45, v/v) at a flowrate of 0.3 mL min⁻¹. Detection was performed in selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode using target ions at [M + H]⁺ m/z 496.05 for XQ-1 and m/z 432.10 for the internal standard (lafutidine). Linearity was established for the concentration range from 2 to 1,000 ng mL⁻¹ . The extraction recoveries ranged from 86.0 to 89.9% in plasma at concentrations of 5, 50, and 500 ng mL⁻¹. The lower limit of quantification was 2 ng mL⁻¹ with 100 μL plasma. The validated method was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study after intragastic administration of XQ-1 mesylate in rats at a dose of 20 mg kg⁻¹.     

Anti-fungal effect of berberine on <Emphasis Type="Italic">Candida albicans</Emphasis> by microcalorimetry with correspondence analysis

Using a LKB-2277 bioactivity monitor, stop-flow mode, the power–time curves of Candida albicans growth at 37 °C affected by berberine were measured. The check experiments were studied based on agar cup method to observe the inhibitory diameter and serial dilution method to determine the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of berberine on C. albicans growth. By analyzing the quantitative thermogenic parameters taken from the power–time curves using correspondence analysis (CA), we could find that berberine at a low concentration (5.0 μg mL⁻¹) began to inhibit the growth of C. albicans and at a high concentration (75.0 μg mL⁻¹) completely inhibited C. albicans growth. The anti-fungal activity of berberine could also be expressed as half-inhibitory concentration IC₅₀, i.e., 50% effective in this inhibition. The value of IC₅₀ of berberine on C. albicans was 34.52 μg mL⁻¹. The inhibitory diameters all exceeded 10 mm in test range and the MIC was 500 μg mL⁻¹. Berberine had strong anti-fungal effect on C. albicans growth. This work provided an important idea of the combination of microcalorimetry and CA for the study on anti-fungal effect of berberine and other compounds. Compared with the agar cup method and serial dilution method, microcalorimetry not only offered a useful way for evaluating the bioactivity of drugs, but also provides more information about the microbial growth and all this information was significant for the synthesis and searching of antibiotics.     

A Temperature and Salt-Tolerant <Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">l</Emphasis>-Glutaminase from Gangotri Region of Uttarakhand Himalaya: Enzyme Purification and Characterization

Purification and characterization of halotolerant, thermostable alkaline l-glutaminase from a Bacillus sp. LKG-01 (MTCC 10401), isolated from Gangotri region of Uttarakhand Himalaya, is being reported in this paper. Enzyme has been purified 49-fold from cell-free extract with 25% recovery (specific activity 584.2 U/mg protein) by (NH₄)₂SO₄ precipitation followed by anion exchange chromatography and gel filtration. Enzyme has a molecular weight of 66 kDa. l-Glutaminase is most active at pH 11.0 and stable in the pH range 8.0–11.0. Temperature optimum is 70 °C and is completely stable after 3 h pre-incubation at 50 °C. Enzyme reflects more enhanced activity with 1–20% (w/v) NaCl, which is further reduced to 80% when NaCl concentration was increased up to 25%. l-Glutaminase is almost active with K⁺, Zn²⁺, and Ni²⁺ ions and K _m and V _max values of 240 μM and 277.77 ± 1.1 U/mg proteins, respectively. Higher specific activity, purification fold, better halo-tolerance, and thermostability would make this enzyme more attractive for food fermentation with respect to other soil microbe derived l-glutaminase reported so far.