Parallel and serial dual electrode detectors for capillary electrophoresis

Application of parallel and serial dual electrode detectors for capillary electrophoresis was first described. In parallel dual electrode approach, two 100 μm-diameter Cu disks arranged side by side were used as the dual working electrode for the simultaneous determination of a mixture of carbohydrates and amino acids. In serial dual electrode approach, two working electrodes were arranged in a disk-ring manner for the simultaneous determination of both cysteine and cystine; the disk electrode was Hg/Au serving as the upstream electrode, the ring electrode was 5% CoPC carbon paste serving as the downstream electrode.     

Integrated metabolomics analysis of the effect of PPARδ agonist GW501516 on catabolism of BCAAs and carboxylic acids in diabetic mice

The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor(PPARδ) agonists are reported to improve insulin sensitivity,reduce glucose levels,and alleviate dysfunctional lipid metabolism in animal models of type 2 diabetes mellitus.However,the underlying mechanisms remain incompletely understood.Metabolism plays an essential role in the biological system.Monitoring of metabolic changes in response to disease conditions or drug treatment is critical for better understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms.In this study,metabolic profiling analysis by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry integrated with targeted analysis by liquid chro matography-mass spectrometry was carried out in plasma samples of db/db diabetic mice after six-week treatment of PPARδ agonist GW501516.GW501516 treatment significantly altered levels of metabolites,such as branched-chain amino acids(BCAAs),BCAA metabolites(3-hydroxyisobutyric acid and 3-hydroxyisovaleric acid),long-chain fatty acids,uric acid and ketone bodies(3-hydroxybutyric acid and 2-hydroxybutyric acid) which are all associated with the impaired systemic insulin sensitivity.The pre sent results indicate the beneficial effect of PPARδ agonist in alleviating insulin resistance of diabetic mice by favorably modulating metabolic profile,thus providing valuable information in understanding the therapeutic potential of PPARδ agonists in correcting metabolic dysfunction in diabetes.     

Immune Responses to a Dicistronic Plasmid Expressing HBsAg of Hepatitis B Virus and Interferon-γ

DNA vaccines encoding a viral protein have been shown to induce antiviral immune responses and provide protection against subsequent viral challenge.The present article deals with the efficacy of a DNA vaccine greatly improved by the simultaneous expression of HBsAg and interferon-γ gene.We constructed a dual expression vector pHIN encoding the HBsAg of Hepatitis B virus and murine IFN-γ which are connected with Internal Ribosome Entry Site(IRES).Mice immunized with this dual expression DNA vaccine exhibited the enhancement of cellular immune response and increased the production of anti-HBV surface antibody,compared with the mice of single gene expression control.Taken together,these results demonstrate that the application of a cytokine gene in a DNA vaccine formulation as an adjuvant can improve its immunigenicity.     

Preparation and Characterization of Attractive Poly(amino acid)Hydrogels Based on 2-Ureido-4[1H]-pyrimidinone

Self-healing hydrogels with the shear-thinning property are novel injectable materials and are superior to traditional injectable hydrogels.The self-healing hydrogels based on 2-ureido-4[1 H]-pyrimidinone(UPy)have recently received extensive attention due to their dynamic reversibility of UPy dimerization.However,generally,UPy-based self-healing hydrogels exhibit poor stability,cannot degrade in vivo and can hardly be excreted from the body,which considerably limit their bio-application.Here,using poly(l-glutamic acid)(PLGA)as biodegradable matrix,branchingα-hydroxy-ω-amino poly(ethylene oxide)(HAPEO)as bridging molecule to introduce UPy,and ethyl acrylate polyethylene glycol(MAPEG)to introduce double bond,the hydrogel precursors(PMHU)are prepared.A library of the self-healing hydrogels has been achieved with well self-healable and shear-thinning properties.With the increase of MAPEG grafting ratio,the storage modulus of the self-healing hydrogels decreases.The self-healing hydrogels are stable in solution only for 6 h,hard to meet the requirements of tissue regeneration.Consequently,ultraviolet(UV)photo-crosslinking is involved to obtain the dual crosslinking hydrogels with enhanced mechanical properties and stability.When MAPEG grafting ratio is 35.5%,the dual crosslinking hydrogels can maintain the shape in phosphate-buffered saline solution(PBS)for at least 8 days.Loading with adipose-derived stem cell spheroids,the self-healing hydrogels are injected and self-heal to a whole,and then they are crosslinked in situ via UV-irradiation,obtaining the dual crosslinking hydrogels/cell spheroids complex with cell viability of 86.7%±6.0%,which demonstrates excellent injectability,subcutaneous gelatinization,and biocompatibility of hydrogels as cell carriers.The novel PMHU hydrogels crosslinked by quadruple hydrogen bonding and then dual photo-crosslinking of double bond are expected to be applied for minimal invasive surgery or therapies in tissue engineering.     

Synthesis of an ordered porous carbon with the dual nitrogen-doped interfaces and its ORR catalysis performance

Both nitrogen-doping feature and pore structure are critical factors for developing nitrogen-doped carbons based catalysts with a high performance toward oxygen reduction reaction(ORR).Herein,a simple one-step CVD of acetylene and acetonitrile vapor method using silanized SBA-15 as a template has been developed to synthesize an ordered porous carbon(OPC) with dual nitrogen-doped interfaces.The optimized sample as prepared with the CVD of 4 h at 750℃ contains two types of ordered mesopores that one type is the ordered cylindrical pores inheriting from the pores of SBA-15 and has a pore width of4.0~5.0 nm,the other type is the ordered quasi-hexagonal pores with a width of 3.0~4.0 nm produced by etching the pore walls of SBA-15.These two types of pores whose pore walls are built by the nitrogen doped carbon layers resulted by the CVD and thus it actually makes the dual nitrogen-doped interfaced OPC(DN-OPC).Meanwhile,DN-OPC contains a few of micropores and a large SSA of 1430 m~2/g.This dualordered pores and dual nitrogen-doped interfaces cannot only facilitate mass transport but also utilize the active sites of DN-OPC for ORR.Therefore,as metal-free ORR catalyst,DN-OPC exhibits a good activity close to commercial Pt/C catalyst,and an excellent durability and methanol tolerance.     

The first examples of ilexgenin A hybrids as a new class of multi-potent, anti-platelet agents

Seventeen novel ilexgenin A hybrids（lA-aspirin） and（IA-NO）,as donor hybrids（IA-NO will release NO in vivo and function as NO donor）,were designed and synthesized in order to develop new multi-targeting agents for the treatment of platelet disorders.Their in vitro activities against ADP,AA and thrombin were evaluated.As a result,IA hybrids achieved substantial increases in the three tested pathways compared with IA.Encouragingly,the most potent hybrid compounds 6d and 14d displayed about 8-fold higher potency than aspirin,and 3-fold higher potency than the simultaneous administration of aspirin and IA in inhibiting ADP-induced aggregation with IC₅₀ values of 0.15 mmol/L and 0.14 mmol/L,respectively. The results suggest these IA hybrids are good candidates for multi-target therapies,and especially,may be considered as promising ADP agonists.     

Modulation effect in adjacent dual metal single atom catalysts for electrochemical nitrogen reduction reaction

Nitrogen reduction reaction（NRR） is a clean mode of energy conversion and the development of highly efficient NRR electrocatalysts under ambient conditions for industrial application is still a big challenge.Metal-nitrogen-carbon（M-N-C） has emerged as a class of single atom catalyst due to the unique geometric structure, high catalytic activity, and clear selectivity. Herein, we designed a series of dual metal single atom catalysts containing adjacent M-N-C dual active centers（MN₄/M’N...     

Multianalyte Biosensor for Simultaneous Determination of Glucose and Galactose Based on Micromachined Chamber-type Electrodes

An amperometric multianalyte biosensor for the simultaneous determination of glucose and galactose was developed based on chamber-type electrodes, which were fabricated by micromachining technology. The dual cham-ber-type enzyme electrode with glucose and galactose sensor elements was integrated onto one microchip. The experimental parameters of this biosensor were optimized. The biosensor exhibited a linearity of up to 4.0 mol/L for glucose and 4.5 mol/L for galactose, and the response time was about 30 s for glucose and 40 s for galactose. No cross-talking behavior was investigated in the course of simultaneous measurement of the two analytes. Interference from electroactive species, such as ascorbic acid and uric acid, was minimized due to the permselectivity of Nation film. In addition, the biosensor displayed a storage stability of longer than one month.     

CO2/NIR light dual-controlled nanoparticles for dsDNA unzipping

Both of carbon dioxide(CO2)and near-infrared(NIR)light as triggers for non-invasive remotely control are attracting wide attentions due to their good biocompatibility and easy operation.Here,CO2/NIR light dual controlled nanoparticles are proposed to remotely regulate the unzipping of dsDNA by using imidazole functionalized conjugated polymer nanoparticles(imidazole-CPNs).The dsDNA successfully coats on the shell of imidazole-CPNs to form imidazole-CPNs/dsDNA assembly due to intensively electrostatic interaction triggered by CO2.Furthermore,the unzipping process of dsDNA is remotely controlled by NIR light based on the photothermal effect,and it can be readily monitored by the fluorescence intensity of ethidium bromide(EB)and CD spectra of dsDNA.Thus,dual stimulation responsive imidazole-CPNs effectively control dsDNA unzipping under CO2 stimulus and NIR light,promising a new direction in the biological applications of DNA,such as the treatments of diseases caused by gene duplication abnormality.     

Screening and identification of Caulis Sinomenii bioactive ingredients with dual‐target NF‐κB inhibition and β2‐AR agonizing activities

Caulis Sinomenii (CS) is a valuable traditional medicine in China. Its extract can act as an anti‐inflammatory agent and a vascular smooth muscle relaxant. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. In this study, we developed a simple dual‐target method based on ultra‐performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry combined with a dual‐target bioactive screening assay for anti‐inflammatory and antispasmodic activities to characterize the chemical structure of various bioactive compounds of CS rapidly. Seven potential NF‐κB inhibitors were identified, including laudanosoline‐1‐O‐xylopyranose, 6‐O‐methyl‐laudanosoline‐1‐O‐glucopyranoside, menisperine, sinomenine, laurifoline, magnoflorine and norsinoacutin. Furthermore, IL‐6 and IL‐8 assays confirmed the anti‐inflammatory effects of these potential NF‐κB inhibitors, in which laudanosoline‐1‐O‐d ‐xylopyranose and menisperine were revealed as novel NF‐κB inhibitors. Among the seven identified alkaloids, three potential β₂‐adrenergic receptor agonists, including sinomenine, magnoflorine and laurifoline, were characterized using a luciferase reporter system to measure for the activity of β₂‐adrenergic receptor agonists. Finally, sinomenine, magnoflorine and laurifoline were identified not only as potential NF‐κB inhibitors but also as potential β₂‐adrenegic receptor agonists, which is the first time this has been reported. Molecular dynamic simulation and docking results suggest that the three dual‐bioactive constituents could not only inhibit Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAK strain‐induced inflammatory responses via a negative regulation of the Braf protein that participates in MAPK signaling pathway but also activate the β₂‐adrenegic receptor. These results suggest that CS extract has dual signaling activities with potential clinical application as a novel drug for asthma.     

Synthesis of urea acetates as potential PPARα/γ,dual agonists

In the quest for novel PPARα/γ dual agonists as putative drugs for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and dyslipidemia,we designed and synthesized a series of urea acetates as potential PPARα/γ dual agonists.The structure of the target compounds,intermediates were characterized by 1H NMR,HRMS.     

Evaluation of matrix solid‐phase dispersion extraction for 11 β‐agonists in swine feed by liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry

A sensitive liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry method was developed for the determination of 11 β‐agonists (clenbuterol, salbutamol, ractopamine, terbutaline, fenoterol, cimaterol, isoxsuprine, mabuterol, mapenterol, clenproperol, and tulobuterol) in swine feed. This rapid, simple, and effective extraction method was based on matrix solid‐phase dispersion. The limit of quantification of clenbuterol, cimaterol, mabuterol, salbutamol, terbutaline, mapenterol, clenproperol, and tulobuterol was 1 μg/kg and that of ractopamine, fenoterol, and isoxsuprine was 2 μg/kg. The recoveries of β‐agonists spiked in swine feeds at a concentration range of 1–8 μg/kg were >83.1% with relative standard deviations <9.3%. This rapid and reliable method can be used to efficiently separate, characterize, and quantify the residues of 11 β‐agonists in swine feeds with advantages of simple pretreatment and environmental friendliness.     

Multiresidue analysis of nine β‐agonists in animal muscles by LC‐MS/MS based on a new polymer cartridge for sample cleanup

A novel, sensitive, and reliable LC‐MS/MS method for multiresidue analysis of nine β‐agonists (salbutamol, terbutaline, cimaterol, fenoterol, clorprenaline, ractopamine, tulobuterol, clenbuterol, and penbuterol) in four farm animal muscles was developed. Muscle matrix was extracted with acetonitrile–10% sodium carbonate solution, and then was subjected to cleanup using a SPE cartridge packed with new polymer synthesized in acetone. Chromatographic separation of the components was performed on a Luna C₁₈ column using 0.1% of formic acid in water and acetonitrile. The mass spectrometer was operated in the positive electrospray mode. Good precision and accuracy were obtained for all analytes (except for fenoterol) at the spiked three levels of 1.0, 10, and 50 μg/kg. The decision limit and detection capability of nine β‐agonists ranged from 0.04 to 0.18 and 0.15 to 0.69 μg/kg, respectively. The method developed was successfully applied to the monitoring of nine β‐agonists in pork, beef, mutton, and chicken from Chinese markets.     

Targeted analysis and determination of β‐agonists,hormones, glucocorticoid and psychiatric drugs in feed by liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry

A comprehensive strategy combining a quantitative method was developed for 30 banned drugs including β‐agonists, hormones, glucocorticoid and psychiatric drugs in swine and chicken feeds. This rapid, simple and effective extraction method was based on matrix solid‐phase dispersion and electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. The quantitative method was validated after previous statistical optimization of the main parameters of matrix solid‐phase dispersion. The limit of quantification of dopamine hydrochloride, chlormadinone acetate, melengestrol acetate, testosterone propionate, nandrolone and midazolam was 2 μg/kg and that of the other 24 drugs was 1 μg/kg. The recoveries of β‐agonists, hormones, glucocorticoid and psychiatric drugs spiked in swine and chicken feeds at a concentration range of 1–8 μg/kg were above 70.1% with inter‐day relative standard deviations less than 15.8%. The analytical strategy was applied to 100 feed samples collected from a local market in Wuhan (China). Clenbuterol, ractopamine and melengestrol acetate were identified and quantified at the level 0.2～3.5 μg/kg. The rapid and reliable method can be used to efficiently separate, characterize and quantify the residues of 30 banned drugs in swine and chicken feeds with advantages of simple pretreatment and environmental friendly nature.     

Agonist–PPARγ interactions: Molecular modeling study with docking approach

Docking simulation of 18 agonists with the ligand binding pocket (LBP) of PPARγ has been performed. The binding conformations and binding affinities of these agonists were obtained by use of the flexible docking protocol FlexX. Test compound calculations indicated that FlexX can reproduce the binding conformation of the crystal structure (root mean square deviation = 1.43 Å); moreover, the predicted binding affinities correlate well with the activities of these agonists. The interaction model and pharmacophore of PPARγ agonists were derived and the difference in biologic activities of these agonists can be well explained. The PPARγ agonists must have both polar head and the hydrophobic tail, which form hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic contacts with hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions of the LBP of PPARγ, respectively. In addition, a suitable linker is also necessary. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem 93: 405–410, 2003     

Synthesis of ractopamine molecularly imprinted membrane and its application in the rapid determination of three β‐agonists in porcine urine samples

A novel molecularly imprinted membrane (MIM) with ractopamine (RAC) as the template and the hydrophilic PVDF membrane as the support was synthesized for the selective absorption of RAC and its structure analogues. The absorption behavior and selectivity of the MIM were studied. The experimental results showed that the MIM had the good selectivity to three β‐agonists including RAC, RIT, and formoterol (FOM) than that of nonimprinted membrane. The adsorption capacity for three compounds was above 1.88 μg/cm² of per membrane. Based on the clean‐up and enrichment of porcine urine samples with the MIM, a sensitive determination method of three β‐agonists in porcine urine samples by using MIM followed ultra performance chromatography coupled MS/MS detection was developed. The LOD and LOQ for RAC, RIT, and FOM were below 0.006 and 0.02 ng/mL, respectively. The mean recoveries, repeatability, and reproducibility of three compounds in porcine urine samples varied from 67.9 to 86.3%, from 3.3 to 10.8%, and from 5.3 to 8.5%, respectively. The presented method was applied to test 50 real porcine urine samples. It was demonstrated to be more sensitive and robust for the determination of RAC, RIT, and FOM in porcine urine.     

Dual-activation protocol for tandem cross-aldol condensation: An easy and highly efficient synthesis of α,α′-bis(aryl/alkylmethylidene)ketones

Commercially available lithium hydroxide monohydrate (LiOH·H₂O) was found to be a novel ‘dual activation’ catalyst for tandem cross-aldol condensation between cyclic/acyclic ketones and aromatic/heteroaromatic/styryl/alkyl aldehydes leading to an efficient and easy synthesis of α,α′-bis(aryl/alkylmethylidene)ketones at r.t. in short times. The reaction of aryl, heteroaryl, styryl and alkyl aldehydes with acyclic and five/six-membered cyclic ketones afforded excellent yields after 2 min to 1.25 h. The reaction conditions were compatible with various electron withdrawing and electron donating substituents, e.g. Cl, F, NO₂, OMe and NMe₂. The rate of the cross-aldol condensation was influenced by the nature of the ketone and electronic and steric factors associated with the aldehyde. The reaction took place at a faster rate for acyclic ketone (e.g., acetone) than that for cyclic ketone (e.g., cyclohexanone). In case of cycloalkanones, the rate of the reaction was dependent on the size of the ring of the cycloalkanone. The cross-aldol condensation of cyclopentanone was faster than that of cyclohexanone for a common aldehyde. In case of reactions involving aliphatic aldehyde having α-hydrogen atom no self-aldol condensation of the aldehyde took place.     

新型石墨化氮化碳/锡/氮掺杂碳复合物的制备及储钠性能

钠离子电池锡负极因具有较高的理论容量(847 mA·h/g)、 高电导率和合适的工作电位而备受关注. 但锡基负极材料在循环过程中会发生巨大的结构变化, 进而导致活性材料粉化失活和比容量的快速下降. 本文成功制备了基于石墨氮化碳(g-C₃N₄)、 聚多巴胺衍生的氮掺杂碳(NC)和Sn纳米颗粒的复合物(g-C₃N₄/Sn/NC), 其中Sn纳米颗粒包埋在石墨氮化碳和氮掺杂碳中. 在此多层分级结构中, g-C₃N₄和NC的引入可以显著加速电子/离子的传输及电池反应动力学, 从而有助于Sn和钠离子之间的合金化反应; 此外, 这种复合结构有助于保持电极材料的结构稳定性, 进而可以获得优异的储钠性能. 作为钠离子电池负极材料, g-C₃N₄/Sn/NC在0.5 A/g电流密度下经历100次循环, 可逆容量可以达到450.7 mA·h/g; 在1.0 A/g电流密度下, 比容量为388.3 mA·h/g; 此外, 在1.0 A/g电流密度下, 经过400次循环后其比容量依旧能达到363.3 mA·h/g.     

Insights into docking and scoring neuronal α4β2 nicotinic receptor agonists using molecular dynamics simulations and QM/MM calculations

A combined quantum mechanical (QM)‐polarized docking and molecular dynamics approach to study the binding mode and to predict the binding affinity of ligands acting at the α4β2‐nAChR is presented. The results obtained in this study indicate that the quantum mechanical/molecular mechanics docking protocol well describes the charge‐driven interactions occurring in the binding of nicotinic agonists, and it is able to represent the polarization effects on the ligand exerted by the surrounding atoms of the receptor at the binding site. This makes it possible to properly score agonists of α4β2‐nAChR and to reproduce the experimental binding affinity data with good accuracy, within a mean error of 2.2 kcal/mol. Moreover, applying the QM‐polarized docking to an ensemble of nAChR conformations obtained from MD simulations enabled us to accurately capture nAChR‐ligand induced‐fit effects. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem, 2009