Ex-vivo NMR of unprocessed tissue in water: a simplified procedure for studying intracranial neoplasms

Ex-vivo and in-vitro nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy techniques have been used for studying chemical metabolites in surgically resected specimens of human neoplasms, and may provide complementary information to in-vivo whole-body magnetic-resonance spectroscopy (MRS). We describe an ex-vivo NMR in water method for measurement of water-soluble metabolites in unprocessed normal rat brain tissue and human intracranial neoplasms. The NMR spectra obtained using the method described here were comparable to those obtained using high-resolution magic-angle spinning (HRMAS) NMR methods, with good correlation in metabolite concentrations relative to creatine (r ² = 0.7635). Improved spectral resolution and baseline were noted compared to HRMAS, but macromolecule resonances were not detected. Ex-vivo NMR of unprocessed tissue in water is rapid and technically simple to perform, and has the potential to be used for direct assessment of intracranial neoplasms.     

Multistep synthesis of 2,5-diketopiperazines on different solid supports monitored by high resolution magic angle spinning NMR spectroscopy

The solid-phase synthesis of 2,5-diketopiperazines containing the trans-4-hydroxy-L-proline amino acid residue (Hyp) was performed on Ellman polystyrene, polyoxyethylene-polyoxypropylene (POEPOP), polystyrene-polyoxyethylene NovaSyn, and Wang resins, respectively. The reaction pathway allowed the introduction of different functional groups around the bicyclic scaffold in a combinatorial approach, and it generated mixtures of isomers. A detailed characterization of the single reaction steps by high resolution magic angle spinning (HRMAS) NMR spectroscopy was performed. The NMR spectral resolution of the resin-bound intermediates and final products was greatly influenced by the polymer matrix. The POEPOP resin permitted to obtain HRMAS NMR spectra with a resolution comparable with that of the spectra of the molecules in solution. Moreover, configurational and conformational isomers formed during the solid-phase reaction steps could be detected and easily assigned. Therefore, the combination of the HRMAS NMR technique with the use of nonaromatic resins may become an extremely powerful tool in solid-phase organic synthesis. This approach will allow the monitoring of multistep reactions and the conception of on-bead structural studies either on small molecules or on natural and/or synthetic oligomers.     

Resolving the structure of ligands bound to the surface of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles by high-resolution magic-angle spinning NMR spectroscopy

A major challenge in magnetic nanoparticle synthesis and (bio)functionalization concerns the precise characterization of the nanoparticle surface ligands. We report the first analytical NMR investigation of organic ligands stably anchored on the surface of superparamagnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) through the development of a new experimental application of high-resolution magic-angle spinning (HRMAS). The conceptual advance here is that the HRMAS technique, already being used for MAS NMR analysis of gels and semisolid matrixes, enables the fine-structure-resolved characterization of even complex organic molecules bound to paramagnetic nanocrystals, such as nanosized iron oxides, by strongly decreasing the effects of paramagnetic disturbances. This method led to detail-rich, well-resolved (1)H NMR spectra, often with highly structured first-order couplings, essential in the interpretation of the data. This HRMAS application was first evaluated and optimized using simple ligands widely used as surfactants in MNP synthesis and conjugation. Next, the methodology was assessed through the structure determination of complex molecular architectures, such as those involved in MNP3 and MNP4. The comparison with conventional probes evidences that HRMAS makes it possible to work with considerably higher concentrations, thus avoiding the loss of structural information. Consistent 2D homonuclear (1)H- (1)H and (1)H- (13)C heteronuclear single-quantum coherence correlation spectra were also obtained, providing reliable elements on proton signal assignments and carbon characterization and opening the way to (13)C NMR determination. Notably, combining the experimental evidence from HRMAS (1)H NMR and diffusion-ordered spectroscopy performed on the hybrid nanoparticle dispersion confirmed that the ligands were tightly bound to the particle surface when they were dispersed in a ligand-free solvent, while they rapidly exchanged when an excess of free ligand was present in solution. In addition to HRMAS NMR, matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight MS analysis of modified MNPs proved very valuable in ligand mass identification, thus giving a sound support to NMR characterization achievements.     

DEUSS: a perdeuterated poly(oxyethylene)-based resin for improving HRMAS NMR studies of solid-supported molecules

A novel resin called DEUSS (perdeuterated poly(oxyethylene)-based solid support) has been prepared by anionic polymerization of deuterated [D4]ethylene oxide, followed by cross-linking with deuterated epichlorohydrin. DEUSS can be suspended in a wide range of solvents including organic and aqueous solutions, in which it displays a high swelling capacity. As measured by proton HRMAS of the swollen polymer, the signal intensity of the oxyethylene protons is reduced by a factor of 110 relative to the corresponding nondeuterated poly(oxyethylene)poly(oxypropylene) (POEPOP) resin, thus facilitating detailed HRMAS NMR studies of covalently linked molecules. This 1H NMR invisible matrix was used for the solid-phase synthesis of peptides, oligoureas, and a series of amides as well as their characterization by HRMAS NMR spectroscopy. On-bead NMR spectra of high quality and with resolution comparable to that of liquid samples were obtained and readily interpreted. The complete absence of the parasite resin signals will be of great advantage, for example, for the optimization of multistep solid-phase stereoselective reactions, and for the conformational study of resin-bound molecules in a large variety of solvents.     

(14)N NMR and two-dimensional suspension (1)H and (13)C HRMAS NMR spectroscopy of ionic liquids immobilized on silica

A variety of popular ionic liquids have been synthesized and characterized, including by optimized (14)N NMR spectroscopy of the neat and dissolved ionic liquids. Ionic liquids incorporating Si(OEt)(3) groups have been immobilized on silica in a well-defined manner with the imidazolium moiety remaining intact. This has been proved by optimized one- and two-dimensional (1)H and (13)C HRMAS NMR spectroscopy of the materials suspended in suitable solvents.     

Immobilized Sonogashira catalyst systems: new insights by multinuclear HRMAS NMR studies

A new chelate phosphine linker and its Pd and Cu complexes have been synthesized and immobilized. The solvent impact on these immobilized species, their mobility, and coordination preferences have been studied in situ by HRMAS (High-Resolution Magic Angle Spinning) NMR. The catalyst recycling characteristics match the HRMAS results.     

Inverse H-C ex situ HRMAS NMR experiments for solid-phase peptide synthesis

The growing importance of solid-phase peptide synthesis (SPPS) has necessitated the development of spectroscopic experiments that can be used to obtain structural and conformational information on resin-bound peptides. Despite the utility of two-dimensional high-resolution magic angle spinning (HRMAS) NMR experiments that provide homonuclear shift correlations, experiments that provide heteronuclear shift correlations are necessary for complex conformational and structural elucidatory problems. Here we report the optimization and implementation of non-gradient inverse NMR experiments for acquiring the 1H-13C shift correlations of resin-bound peptides. The use of non-gradient experiments is advantageous as many magic angle spinning (MAS) probes do not possess gradient coils. An HRMAS BIRD-HMQC experiment with a reduced 1JCH constant has proven very suitable for obtaining one-bond correlations. Long-range correlations can be interpolated by using a non-gradient HRMAS CT-HMBC-1 experiment where the resulting data is processed with forward linear prediction. It has been shown that removing the effects of 1H-1H J-modulation is crucial in order to view cross peaks that correspond to long-range correlations. Additionally, both experiments prove extremely useful over routine one-dimensional 13C HRMAS experiments for extracting carbon chemical shift data. The non-gradient HRMAS BIRD-HMQC and CT-HMBC-1 experiments can be used to assist in conformational analysis and to identify and deconvolute situations where accidental equivalence and seemingly correlated isochronous signals arise.     

Conformational analysis by HRMAS NMR spectroscopy of resin-bound homo-peptides from C(alpha)-methyl-leucine

A series of [L-(alphaMe)Leu]n (n = 1-5) homo-peptides have been covalently linked to Tentagel and POEPOP resins and submitted to a conformational study using HRMAS NMR spectroscopy. Whereas the mono- and dipeptide are mainly fully-extended, stable 3(10)-helical structures are formed beginning from the trimer.     

Metabonomics studies of intact hepatic and renal cortical tissues from diabetic db/db mice using high-resolution magic-angle spinning 1H NMR spectroscopy

A metabonomics approach based on high-resolution magic-angle spinning (HRMAS) ¹H NMR spectroscopy was applied to investigate the metabolite composition in intact hepatic tissues and renal cortical tissues from db/db mice of 8 weeks old, an animal model of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Compared to the control group, the hepatic tissues of diabetic mice have elevated levels of triglyceride and bile acid and declined levels of trimethylamine-N-oxide, phosphocholine, glycerophosphocholine, and choline. The biochemical changes are less obvious in renal cortical tissues of diabetic mice. The WET_CPMG pulse sequence was selected for our metabonomics study after the quality and reproducibility of the spectra obtained from the NOEPR, NOEPR_CPMG, and WET_CPMG pulse sequences were analyzed together with principal component analysis. The influence of line-broadening factor of exponential window function for spectral manipulation on class separation was paid attention to for the first time, and an optimal value was obtained under our experimental conditions. These studies show the efficiency of HRMAS ¹H NMR spectroscopy for tissue metabonomics study in combination with multivariate statistical analysis, which may help to explore the etiological factor of diabetes mellitus from a new perspective.

Characterization of free,restricted, and entrapped water environments in poly(N‐isopropyl acrylamide) hydrogels via 1H HRMAS PFG NMR spectroscopy

Different water environments in poly(N‐isopropyl acrylamide) (PNIPAAm) hydrogels are identified and characterized using ¹H high resolution magic angle spinning (HRMAS) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Local water environments corresponding to a “free” highly mobile species, along with waters showing restricted dynamics are resolved in these swollen hydro‐gels. For photo‐initiated polymerized PNIPAAm gels, an additional entrapped water species is observed. Spin–spin R₂ relaxation experiments support the argument of reduced mobility in the restricted and entrapped water species. By combining pulse field gradient techniques with HRMAS NMR it is possible to directly measure the self‐diffusion rate for these different water environments. The behavior of the heterogeneous water environments through the lower critical solution temperature transition is described. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2014 , 52, 1521–1527     

Is high‐resolution magic angle spinning NMR a practical speciation tool for cheese samples? Parmigiano Reggiano as a case study

High-resolution magic angle spinning (HRMAS) NMR is probably the most apt NMR method to analyze complex materials involving a solid phase, e.g. foodstuffs. We present here an HRMAS analysis of grated cheese (Parmigiano Reggiano). A full NMR characterization of this cheese allows the identification of the presence of fatty acids (saturated and unsaturated), amino acids and other small organic molecules. Since the presence and relative concentration of these molecules have previously been shown to correlate with organoleptic, origin and age characterization, HRMAS NMR of cheese is likely to provide a good complimentary tool for the analysis of this food material.     

Determination of long-range distances and dynamic order parameters by dipolar recoupling in high-resolution magic-angle spinning NMR spectroscopy

By introducing dipolar recoupling methods to high-resolution magic-angle spinning (HRMAS) NMR spectroscopy, a class of experiments has been delevoped that allows the measurement of residual dipole-dipole couplings of approximately 1 Hz in weakly immobilized molecules. Using homonuclear 1H-1H recoupling, distances of up to approximately 8 A can be selectively determined, while heteronuclear 1H-13C recoupling provides access to dynamic order parameters of individual molecular segments on the order of approximately 10-3. The experiments are demonstrated on functionalized oligopeptides that are attached to polymer resins.     

HRMAS NMR spectroscopy combined with chemometrics as an alternative analytical tool to control cigarette authenticity

In this paper, we present for the first time the use of high-resolution magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (HRMAS NMR) spectroscopy combined with chemometrics as an alternative tool for the characterization of tobacco products from different commercial international brands as well as for the identification of counterfeits. Although cigarette filling is a very complex chemical mixture, we were able to discriminate between dark, bright, and additive-free cigarette blends belonging to six different filter-cigarette brands, commercially available, using an approach for which no extraction procedure is required. Second, we focused our study on a specific worldwide-distributed brand for which established counterfeits were available. We discriminated those from their genuine counterparts with 100 % accuracy using unsupervised multivariate statistical analysis. The counterfeits that we analyzed showed a higher amount of nicotine and solanesol and a lower content of sugars, all endogenous tobacco leaf metabolites. This preliminary study demonstrates the great potential of HRMAS NMR spectroscopy to help in controlling cigarette authenticity.

Synthesis of specific nanoparticles for targeting tumor angiogenesis using electron-beam irradiation

Angiogenesis plays a critical role in both growth and metastasis of tumors. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is an endogenous mediator of tumor angiogenesis. Blocking associations of the VEGF with its corresponding receptors (KDR) have become critical for anti-tumor therapy. A cyclo-peptide (CBO-P11), derived from VEGF, able to inhibit the interaction between the growth factor and its receptor, was synthesized in our laboratory to provide a target for angiogenesis. We have prepared biocompatible poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) nanoparticles in order to obtain long blood circulating systems. Electron-beam (EB) irradiation was used to activate the PVDF nanoparticles. From electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) measurements, we studied the radical stability in order to optimize the radio-grafting of acrylic acid (AA). Further functionalization of PVDF-g-PAA nanoparticles with the cyclo-peptide via a spacer arm was also possible by performing coupling reactions. High resolution magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (HRMAS NMR) and MALDI mass spectrometry allowed us to follow each chemical step of this peptide immobilization. We designed a new nanodevice suggesting a great potential for targeting angiogenesis. 7727-21-1     

Metabolomics of meat exudate: Its potential to evaluate beef meat conservation and aging

In this study we analyzed the exudate of beef to evaluate its potential as non invasive sampling for nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) based metabolomic analysis of meat samples. Exudate, as the natural juice from raw meat, is an easy to obtain matrix that it is usually collected in small amounts in commercial meat packages. Although meat exudate could provide complete and homogeneous metabolic information about the whole meat piece, this sample has been poorly studied. Exudates from 48 beef samples of different breeds, cattle and storage times have been studied by ¹H NMR spectroscopy. The liquid exudate spectra were compared with those obtained by High Resolution Magic Angle Spinning (HRMAS) of the original meat pieces. The close correlation found between both spectra (>95% of coincident peaks in both registers; Spearman correlation coefficient = 0.945) lead us to propose the exudate as an excellent alternative analytical matrix with a view to apply meat metabolomics. 60 metabolites could be identified through the analysis of mono and bidimensional exudate spectra, 23 of them for the first time in NMR meat studies. The application of chemometric tools to analyze exudate dataset has revealed significant metabolite variations associated with meat aging. Hence, NMR based metabolomics have made it possible both to classify meat samples according to their storage time through Principal Component Analysis (PCA), and to predict that storage time through Partial Least Squares (PLS) regression.     

1H‐HRMAS NMR study of smoked Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar)

High‐resolution magic angle spinning (HRMAS) NMR spectroscopic data of smoked Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) were fully assigned by combination of one‐ and two‐dimensional‐HRMAS experiments. Complete representative spectra, obtained after few minutes of analysis time, revealed a large number of minor and major compounds in the sample. The methodology is limited by the low sensitivity of NMR, and therefore HRMAS only enables the determination of the most relevant components. These were fatty acids (FAs), carbohydrates, nucleoside derivatives, osmolytes, amino acids, dipeptides and organic acids. For the first time, spectra were resolved sufficiently to allow semiquantitative determination in intact muscle of the highly polyunsaturated FA 22:6 ω‐3. Additionally, the feasibility of ¹H‐HRMAS NMR metabolite profiling was tested to identify some bioactive compounds during storage. This profiling was carried out by the non‐destructive and direct analysis (i.e. without requiring sample preparation and multiple step procedures) of intact salmon muscle. The proposed procedure can be applied to a large number of samples with high throughput due to the short time of analysis and quick evaluation of the data. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Structural characterization of monomeric and oligomeric arylamides by solution and solid‐state NMR spectroscopy

An extensive study of both liquid‐ and solid‐state NMR spectroscopy was undertaken in order to elucidate the structural features of a phenyleneterephthalamide oligomer (OPTA) and of some related diarylamides. 1D‐ and 2D‐COSY measurements allowed us to assign completely the proton signals of the title compounds in solution, while 1D‐, 2D‐HETCOR and 2D‐COLOC measurements were used to assign ¹³C resonances. Solid‐state ¹³C NMR experiments, by conventional cross‐polarization (CP) at different contact times and with the dipolar dephased CP technique, were used to characterize these molecules in the solid state. Such techniques allowed us to differentiate among different carbon atoms; in the resulting spectra it was then possible to observe the selective appearance of signals from protonated and quaternary carbon atoms. It was also ascertained that the limited structural mobility of the insoluble OPTA, existing as a single monophasic species, can be explained in terms of hydrogen‐type bonds present in the solid state. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Solvent/base effects in the selective domino synthesis of phenanthridinones that involves high-valent palladium species: experimental and theoretical studies

The domino reaction of o-bromobenzamides 1a-m in the presence of K(2)CO(3) and the [PdCl(2)(PPh(3))(2)] catalyst granted a selective access to phenanthridinones 2 or to the new 1-carboxamide phenanthridinones 3 depending on the solvent, DMF or 1,4-dioxane, respectively. Investigations of the reaction parameters provided the first example of a direct correlation between the base dissociation and the solvent polarity on the selectivity observed. Moreover, mechanistic studies (NMR spectroscopy and ESI-MS monitoring) allowed us to characterize Pd(II) palladacycle 4 and biaryl species as common intermediates for these two domino processes. On that basis, C(sp(2))-C(sp(2)) bond formation is envisaged by generation of a Pd(IV) complex after oxidative addition of 1 into Pd(II) palladacycle 4, a rationale that is supported by DFT calculations. A general catalytic cycle is proposed to account for these observations.     

An experimental study of decoupling sequences for multiple-quantum and high-resolution MAS experiments in solid-state NMR

Recently, a sequence for heteronuclear dipolar decoupling in solid-state NMR, namely SWf-TPPM, was introduced by us. Under magic-angle spinning (MAS), the decoupling efficiency of the sequence was unaffected over a range of values for various experimental parameters such as the pulse length, pulse phase, and 1H resonance offset. We here demonstrate its use in multiple-quantum (MQ) and high-resolution (HR) MAS experiments. This sequence further improves the MQMAS spectra compared to the earlier reported decoupling sequences with improved immunity to any missets of the pulse length, pulse phase and decoupler offset. In contrast, for HRMAS, the simple CW scheme is as efficient as any of the decoupling schemes that were studied.