Simultaneous determination of magnesium L-ascorbyl-2-phosphate and kojic acid in cosmetic bleaching products by using a microbore column and ion-pair liquid chromatography

A rapid, sensitive, and reliable method was developed for the simultaneous determination of magnesium L-ascorbyl-2-phosphate (AS-PM) and kojic acid (KA), commonly using bleaching agents in cosmetic products. The method uses a prepacked C18 microbore column for ion-pair liquid chromatography with photodiode array detection. The eluant is 0.5mM tetrabutylammonium bromide and 0.05M phosphate buffer, pH 5, containing 5% methanol, at a flow rate of 70 microL/min. The determinations of AS-PM and KA were linear in the range of 0.5-1,000 and 0.25-500 ng, respectively. The precision of the assay ranged from 0.31 to 2.19%, and the detection limits (signal-to-noise ratio = 3) were 0.04 and 0.02 ng for AS-PM and KA, respectively.     

Speciation of M+3-hydroxypyrone chelation complexes by electrospray ionization ion trap and Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry

Kojic acid (5-hydroxy-2-hydroxymethyl-4-pyrone) is known to have a high affinity for transition metals, and it and its derivatized cogeners are used both analytically and clinically. The interactions between kojic acid (KA) and eleven +3 metals (Al(+3), As(+3), Cr(+3), Ga(+3), Fe(+3), In(+3), Yb(+3), Y(+3), Gd(+3), Nd(+3), La(+3)) were examined by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) using an ion trap in an aqueous medium. For a subset of five ions, Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FTICR)-MS was conducted to provide accurate mass confirmation of peak assignments for metals having clustering of abundant isotopes. KA readily formed complexes with all the metal ions tested. The most common complexes observed were ML(3)H(+) and M(2)L(5). Different behavior was seen for small and large ionic radius ions, with a relative cut-off between In(+3) ( approximately 80 pm) and Yb(+3) ( approximately 87 pm); a striking trend in % collision energy vs. cluster complexity was revealed. The KA-Cr(+3)complex shows a high affinity for H(2)O molecules in the gas phase, whilst In(+3) shows a preference for dimetal complexes and Y(+3) a deviant behavior when complexed to two neutrals.     

Chemically amplified kojic acid responses of tyrosinase-based biosensor, based on inhibitory effect to substrate recycling driven by tyrosinase and l-ascorbic acid

A tyrosinase-based chemically amplified biosensor, based on the substrate recycling of polyphenols driven by tyrosinase-catalyzed oxidation and chemical reduction by l-ascorbic acid (AsA), has been utilized for the highly sensitive detection of inhibitors of tyrosinase such as kojic acid, benzoic and SCN(-) ion. The amplified current response of immobilized tyrosinase-coupling oxygen electrode due to the recycling was suppressed by the addition of inhibitors, and a highly amplified response to kojic acid over other inhibitors was observed in the presence of 5 mM AsA. The amplification factor (AF) of kojic acid is substantially proportional to the AF of substrates, and the AF for 1 x 10(-7)M kojic acid was increased by up to a factor of 143 when 1 x 10(-5)M dopamine was used as a competitive substrate in the presence of 5 mM AsA. The amplified calibration curve of kojic acid obtained with 5 mM AsA was shifted towards more than a two decades lower concentration range compared with that of the non-amplified response, and the detection limit of kojic acid was lowered to 7 x 10(-8)M.     

Measuring D-serine efflux from mouse cortical brain slices using online microdialysis-capillary electrophoresis

Efflux of a number of important neurochemicals, including D-serine, L-serine, taurine, glutamate, and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), from mouse cortical brain slices housed in a 7 microL perfusion chamber was monitored using online microdialysis-CE (MD-CE). Analyte concentrations could be measured every 20-27 s using the MD-CE instrument. Stimulation with high potassium induced increased release of D-serine. Kainic acid (KA) induced D-serine release, but this release was not blocked by 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione, suggesting that alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionic acid/KA receptors do not mediate D-serine release. Application of L-serine, the precursor of D-serine, resulted in increased extracellular D-serine concentrations. L-Cysteine also increased extracellular D-serine levels in a partially Na+-dependent manner. The observed effects upon application of L-serine and L-cysteine support the involvement of ASC neutral amino acid transporters in regulating the extracellular concentration of D-serine concentration through competitive inhibition of uptake or increased release through heteroexchange.     

Chemically amplified kojic acid responses of tyrosinase-based biosensor, based on inhibitory effect to substrate recycling driven by tyrosinase and -ascorbic acid

A tyrosinase-based chemically amplified biosensor, based on the substrate recycling of polyphenols driven by tyrosinase-catalyzed oxidation and chemical reduction by -ascorbic acid (AsA), has been utilized for the highly sensitive detection of inhibitors of tyrosinase such as kojic acid, benzoic and SCN⁻ ion. The amplified current response of immobilized tyrosinase-coupling oxygen electrode due to the recycling was suppressed by the addition of inhibitors, and a highly amplified response to kojic acid over other inhibitors was observed in the presence of 5 mM AsA. The amplification factor (AF) of kojic acid is substantially proportional to the AF of substrates, and the AF for 1 × 10⁻⁷ M kojic acid was increased by up to a factor of 143 when 1 × 10⁻⁵ M dopamine was used as a competitive substrate in the presence of 5 mM AsA. The amplified calibration curve of kojic acid obtained with 5 mM AsA was shifted towards more than a two decades lower concentration range compared with that of the non-amplified response, and the detection limit of kojic acid was lowered to 7 × 10⁻⁸ M.     

Ditopic Chelators of Dicopper Centers for Enhanced Tyrosinases Inhibition

Tyrosinase enzymes (Tys) are involved in the key steps of melanin (protective pigments) biosynthesis and molecules targeting the binuclear copper active site on tyrosinases represent a relevant strategy to regulate enzyme activities. In this work, the possible synergic effect generated by a combination of known inhibitors is studied. For this, derivatives containing kojic acid (KA) and 2-hydroxypyridine-N-oxide (HOPNO) combined with a thiosemicarbazone (TSC) moiety were synthetized. Their inhibition activities were evaluated on purified tyrosinases from different sources (mushroom, bacterial, and human) as well as on melanin production by lysates from the human melanoma MNT-1 cell line. Results showed significant enhancement of the inhibitory effects compared with the parent compounds, in particular for HOPNO-TSC. To elucidate the interaction mode with the dicopper(II) active site, binding studies with a tyrosinase bio-inspired model of the dicopper(II) center were investigated. The structure of the isolated adduct between one ditopic inhibitor (KA-TSC) and the model complex reveals that the binding to a dicopper center can occur with both chelating sites. Computational studies on model complexes and docking studies on enzymes led to the identification of KA and HOPNO moieties as interacting groups with the dicopper active site.     

高效液相色谱-串联质谱法测定食品中曲酸

建立了食品中新型防腐剂曲酸的高效液相色谱-串联质谱的定量测定方法。动物禽肉、鱼虾甲壳类、酱菜类、水果蔬菜、面制品等固体样品经乙腈提取;酱及酱油、醋、酒、饮料、糖浆等液体样品经水稀释,乙酸锌和亚铁氰化钾沉淀蛋白;以C18柱为分离柱,流动相为乙腈和5 mmol/L乙酸铵甲酸溶液,采用电喷雾串联四极杆质谱进行检测。选择1个母离子和2个子离子进行选择反应监测,以13C6-曲酸作为内标,选择信号最强的子离子进行定量测定。固体类基质中的定量限(按信噪比(S/N)大于10计)为0.1 mg/kg;液体类基质中的定量限为2.5 mg/kg。在0.1～2.0 mg/L范围内呈现良好的线性关系,相关系数r＞0.99。各种基质在3个添加水平的平均回收率在72.6%～114%之间,相对标准偏差均小于11.4%。本方法简单实用,准确可靠,适用范围包括了食品中可能使用曲酸这种食品添加剂的大部分基质,可以满足进出口食品中曲酸的定性和定量要求。     

Probing the interaction of kojic acid antibiotics with iron(III) chloride by using electrospray tandem mass spectrometry

Kojic acid, 5-hydroxy-2-(hydroxymethyl)-4H-pyran-4-one, has been used extensively as a clinical iron-chelating drug although the nature of the complexes of iron and kojic acid has not been established. In this article we demonstrate the complexation of kojic acid with iron(III) chloride by using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). The ESI-MS analysis revealed different reactions between iron(III) chloride and kojic acid (M), and the mass spectrum exhibited four complexes: [Fe+2(M-H)]+, [Fe+3(M-H)+H]+, [Fe2+4(M-H)+Cl]+, and [Fe2+5(M-H)]+. All these proposed complexes and the presence of chloride ion in one of the dinuclear complexes have been confirmed by isotopic patterns and fragmentation studies by means of tandem mass spectrometry (MSn).     

Regulation of melanin synthesis by selenium-containing carbohydrates

This study reports depigmenting potency of selenium-containing carbohydrates, which would be based upon the finding of direct inhibition to mushroom tyrosinase. Two selenoglycosiede, SG-3 (bis(2,3,4-tri-O-acetyl-beta-D-arabinopyranosyl) selenide) and SG-8 (4'-methylbenzoyl 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-D-selenomanopyranoside) among eleven selenium-containing compounds examined, were discovered to be effective depigmenting compounds on a mushroom tyrosinase inhibitory assay. SG-3 exhibited a competitive inhibition effect that was similar to kojic acid, well-known tyrosinase inhibitor. At 100 microM and 150 microM, SG-8 had an uncompetitive inhibitory effect that was higher than kojic acid. A study of a melan-a cell originated-tyrosinase inhibition assay showed that SG-8 had a lower inhibitory effect than kojic acid. SG-3 showed a similar inhibition effect to kojic acid on the melan-a cell-originated tyrosinase inhibitory assay. SG-8 showed dose-dependently cytotoxicity in a study of inhibition melanin synthesis by melan-a cells. Most melan-a cells did not survive after being treated with 20 microM of SG-8. At 10 microM, SG-3 inhibited melanin synthesis in the melan-a cells, and the effect was similar to phenylthiourea, which is a well-known inhibitor of melanin synthesis. Therefore, SG-3 is a new candidate for depigmenting reagents.     

Development of a sensitive and selective kojic acid sensor based on molecularly imprinted polymer modified electrode in the lab-on-valve system

In this work, a kojic acid electrochemical sensor, based on a non-covalent molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) modified electrode, had been fabricated in the lab-on-valve system. The sensitive layer was synthesized by cyclic voltammetry using o-phenylenediamine as the functional monomer and kojic acid as the template. The template molecules were then removed from the modified electrode surface by washing with NaOH solution. Differential pulse voltammetry method using ferricyanide as probe was applied as the analytical technique, after extraction of kojic acid on the electrode. Chemical and flow parameters associated with the extraction process were investigated. The response recorded with the imprinted sensor exhibited a response in a range of 0.01-0.2 μmol L⁻¹ with a detection limit of 3 nmol L⁻¹. The interference studies showed that the MIP modified electrode had excellent selectivity. Furthermore, the proposed MIP electrode exhibited good sensitivity and low sample/reagent consumption, and the sensor could be applied to the determination kojic acid in cosmetics samples.     

Bioautographic detection of mycotoxins on thin-layer chromatograms.

A method for the bioautographic detection of mycotoxins on thin-layer chromatograms by using Artemia salina larvae is described. The method was tested on standard samples of mycotoxins (aflatoxin B1 kojic acid and sterigmatocystin) and on the extracts from toxicogenic fungi isolated from different sources.     

Development of 5-[(3-aminopropyl)phosphinooxy]-2-(hydroxymethyl)-4H-pyran-4-one as a novel whitening agent

A stable derivative of kojic acid, 5-[(3-aminopropyl)phosphinooxy]-2-(hydroxymethyl)-4H-pyran-4-one (Kojyl-APPA), was synthesized in good yield. The effects of Kojyl-APPA on tyrosinase activity and melanin synthesis were investigated. Kojyl-APPA showed tyrosinase inhibition effect (30%) in situ, but not in vitro. Kojyl-APPA inhibited tyrosinase activity significantly at 24 h after treatment in normal human melanocytes. It means that Kojyl-APPA is not a direct inhibitor of tyrosinase itself, but it is converted to a potential inhibitor kojic acid enzymatically in cells. In addition, Kojyl-APPA decreased melanin content to 75% of control in melanoma cells and decreased neomelanin synthesis to 43% of control in normal human melanocytes. Its permeation through skin increased by about 8 times as compared with kojic acid.     

Analysis of Kojic Acid Derivatives as Competitive Inhibitors of Tyrosinase: A Molecular Modeling Approach

Tyrosinases belong to the functional copper-containing proteins family, and their structure contains two copper atoms, in the active site, which are coordinated by three histidine residues. The biosynthesis of melanin in melanocytes has two stages depending on the actions of the natural substrates L-DOPA and L-tyrosine. The dysregulation of tyrosinase is involved in skin cancer initiation. In the present study, using molecular modeling tools, we analyzed the inhibition activity of tyrosinase activity using kojic acid (KA) derivatives designed from aromatic aldehydes and malononitrile. All derivatives showed conformational affinity to the enzyme active site, and a favorable distance to chelate the copper ion, which is essential for enzyme function. Molecular dynamics simulations revealed that the derivatives formed promising complexes, presenting stable conformations with deviations between 0.2 and 0.35 Å. In addition, the investigated KA derivatives showed favorable binding free energies. The most stable KA derivatives showed the following binding free energies: −17.65 kcal mol⁻¹ (D6), −18.07 kcal mol⁻¹ (D2), −18.13 (D5) kcal mol⁻¹, and −10.31 kcal mol⁻¹ (D4). Our results suggest that these derivatives could be potent competitive inhibitors of the natural substrates of L-DOPA (−12.84 kcal mol⁻¹) and L-tyrosine (−9.04 kcal mol⁻¹) in melanogenesis.     

Layered double hydroxides as supports for intercalation and sustained release of antihypertensive drugs

Zn/Al layered double hydroxides (LDHs) were intercalated with the anionic antihypertensive drugs Enalpril, Lisinopril, Captopril and Ramipril by using coprecipitation or ion-exchange technique. TG-MS analyses suggested that the thermal stability of Ena⁻, Lis⁻ (arranged with monolayer, resulted from X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectra (FT-IR) analysis was enhanced much more than Cap^- and Ram^- (arranged with bilayer). The release studies show that the release rate of all samples markedly decreased in both pH 4.25 and 7.45. However, the release time of Ena^-, Lis^- were much longer compared with Cap^-, Ram^- in both pH 4.25 and 7.45, it is possible that the intercalated guests, arranged with monolayer in the interlayer, show lesser repulsive force and strong affinity with the LDH layers. And the release data followed both the Higuchi-square-root law and the first-order equation well. Based on the analysis of batch release, intercalated structural models as well as the TG-DTA results, we conclude that for drug-LDH, stronger the affinity between intercalated anions and the layers is, better the thermal property and the stability to the acid attack of drug-LDH, and the intercalated anions are easier apt to monolayer arrangement within the interlayer, were presented.     

诺氟沙星插层镁铝水滑石新型药物-无机复合材料的超分子结构、热稳定性和缓释性能

采用共沉淀和离子交换方法将抗生素类药物诺氟沙星(Nor)插入到Mg-Al-LDHs层间, 制备了一种新型的药物-无机复合材料. 借助XRD, FTIR, UV-Vis, TG-DTA和ICP等手段对样品进行了表征. 结果表明, Nor-阴离子可取代层间的NO3-, 组装得到晶体结构良好的Nor-LDHs. XRD表征得到Nor-LDHs的层间距为1.29~1.33 nm, 并与根据PM3半经验分子轨道法优化计算得到的Nor-三维尺寸进行比较, 推测客体Nor-是沿短轴方向以单层垂直交替的方式排布于层间, 与主体层板通过氢键与静电作用形成超分子结构; 该超分子结构诺氟沙星-水滑石复合材料与诺氟沙星相比, 其热稳定性、耐酸性及缓释性能均有大幅度提高, 缓释实验数据符合Bhaskar方程和一级动力学方程模型.     

InCl3-catalyzed three-component reaction: a novel synthesis of dihydropyrano[3,2-b]chromenediones under solvent-free conditions

Three-component coupling (3CC) of kojic acid, aldehyde and 1,3-dione has been achieved in the presence of 10 mol % InCl₃ under solvent-free conditions to afford the corresponding dihydropyrano[3,2-b]chromenedione derivatives in good yields. This is the first example of the condensation of kojic acid, aldehyde and 1,3-diones to provide a novel series of kojic acid derivatives.     

Intercalation of salicylic acid into ZnAl and MgAl layered double hydroxides for a controlled release formulation

Salicylic acid was intercalated into an inorganic host consisting of ZnAl/MgAl-layered double hydroxides lamella by reconstruction method. Powder X-ray diffractograms showed that the basal spacing of the layered double hydroxide bearing salicylate as the intergallery anion expanded from 7.6 and 7.8 Å in the precursors to 14.49 Å and 14.85 in ZnAl and MgAl layered double hydroxide, respectively. These values suggest that the organic molecules form bilayers in the interlayer space. Fourier transform infrared study further confirmed intercalation of salicylate into the interlayer’s of the layered double hydroxides. The thermal stability of the intercalated salicylic acid is significantly enhanced compared with the pure form before intercalation. Using the XRD results combined with a molecular simulation model, a possible representation of the salicylate anion positioning between the lamellar layers has been proposed. The in vitro drug release from intercalated material was remarkably lower than that from the corresponding physical mixture at pH 7.5. The kinetic analysis showed the importance of the diffusion through the particle in controlling the drug release rate. The obtained results show that hydrotalcite may be used to prepare modified release formulations.     

Combining high-performance liquid chromatography with on-line microdialysis sampling for the simultaneous determination of ascorbyl glucoside, kojic acid, and niacinamide in bleaching cosmetics

We have used on-line microdialysis sampling coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography and UV-vis detection to simultaneously determine the contents of ascorbyl glucoside (AA-2G), kojic acid (KA), and niacinamide (VitB₃) in commercial bleaching cosmetics. Our results indicate that AA-2G, KA, and VitB₃ separated well within 4.5 min on a reverse-phase Hypersil Fluophase PFP column when eluting with 0.020 M phosphate buffer solution in 40% (v/v) methanol at pH 5.5. The calibration curves were linear over the ranges 0.068-304, 0.071-284, and 0.024-488 μg mL⁻¹ for AA-2G, KA, and VitB₃, respectively, with correlation coefficients for the linear regression analyses falling within the range 0.9982-0.9999. The detection limits for AA-2G, KA, and VitB₃ were 0.01, 0.01, and 0.007 μg mL⁻¹, respectively. The detection wavelength was robust when the levels of the analytes in the samples were high (0.1-2%). The analytes were all detected using ultraviolet light (254 nm). The compounds diffuse through the membrane more readily when KA and VitB₃ are in their molecular forms and AA-2G is ionized. The recoveries were in the range 92-106% with good reproducibility (R.S.D. = 3.9-8.7%). We used this procedure to assay six commercially available bleaching cosmetics; our results confirmed not only the precision of the method but also the claims made on the labels of the cosmetics. This approach provides a very simple means to determine the contents of AA-2G, KA, and VitB₃ in various dosages in bleaching cosmetics.     

考拉维酸对人血清白蛋白结构的影响

利用多种荧光光谱法、紫外光谱法并结合分子模拟等方法,表征了模拟生理条件下一种植物药活性组分考拉维酸(KA)影响人血清白蛋白(HSA)的结构信息.同步荧光及紫外光谱证实考拉维酸的存在影响了HSA的微环境;二维及三维荧光光谱表明考拉维酸可以猝灭HSA的内源荧光,使其构象发生变化.荧光偏振的测定提供了考拉维酸与HSA作用后生成的配合物弛豫时间与聚集特性的信息,揭示KA的存在使HSA的流动性和微粘度发生变化.定量求得不同温度下(298、308和318 K)考拉维酸与HSA作用的键合参数和热力学参数.分子模拟表明考拉维酸键合位点于HSA分子的疏水腔内,并与赖氨酸Lys195和天冬氨酸Asp451形成三个氢键,与HSA的键合模式主要是疏水作用;位点竞争实验证明考拉维酸在HSA亚结构域的位点II位发生作用.另外,获得的相关物理化学参数从分子水平上揭示了考拉维酸与HSA相互作用的机制.结果表明,HSA对考拉维酸有较强的结合能力,提示人血清白蛋白对考拉维酸可起到储存和转运的作用.     

考拉维酸对人血清白蛋白结构的影响

利用多种荧光光谱法、紫外光谱法并结合分子模拟等方法, 表征了模拟生理条件下一种植物药活性组分考拉维酸(KA)影响人血清白蛋白(HSA)的结构信息. 同步荧光及紫外光谱证实考拉维酸的存在影响了HSA的微环境; 二维及三维荧光光谱表明考拉维酸可以猝灭HSA的内源荧光, 使其构象发生变化. 荧光偏振的测定提供了考拉维酸与HSA作用后生成的配合物弛豫时间与聚集特性的信息, 揭示KA的存在使HSA的流动性和微粘度发生变化. 定量求得不同温度下(298、308 和318 K)考拉维酸与HSA作用的键合参数和热力学参数. 分子模拟表明考拉维酸键合位点于HSA分子的疏水腔内, 并与赖氨酸Lys195 和天冬氨酸Asp451 形成三个氢键, 与HSA的键合模式主要是疏水作用; 位点竞争实验证明考拉维酸在HSA亚结构域的位点Ⅱ位发生作用. 另外, 获得的相关物理化学参数从分子水平上揭示了考拉维酸与HSA相互作用的机制. 结果表明, HSA对考拉维酸有较强的结合能力, 提示人血清白蛋白对考拉维酸可起到储存和转运的作用.