Capillary zone electrophoresis for analysis of phytochelatins and other thiol peptides in complex biological samples derivatized with monobromobimane

A new method to improve the analysis of phytochelatins and their precursors (cysteine, gamma-Glu-Cys, and glutathione) derivatized with monobromobimane (mBrB) in complex biological samples by capillary zone electrophoresis is described. The effects of the background electrolyte pH, concentration, and different organic additives (acetonitrile, methanol, and trifluoroethanol) on the separation were studied to achieve optimum resolution and number of theoretical plates of the analyzed compounds in the electropherograms. Optimum separation of the thiol peptides was obtained with 150 mM phosphate buffer at pH 1.60. Separation efficiency was improved when 2.5% v/v methanol was added to the background electrolyte. The electrophoretic conditions were 13 kV and capillary dimensions with 30 cm length from the inlet to the detector (38 cm total length) and 50 microm inner diameter. The injection was by pressure at 50 mbar for 17 s. Under these conditions, the separation between desglycyl-peptides and phytochelatins was also achieved. We also describe the optimum conditions for the derivatization of biological samples with mBrB to increase electrophoretic sensitivity and number of theoretical plates. The improved method was shown to be simple, reproducible, selective, and accurate in measuring thiol peptides in complex biological samples, the detection limit being 2.5 microM glutathione at a wavelength of 390 nm.     

A very simple method for the preparation of symmetrical disulfides

A serendipitiously discovered, extremely simple, fast and previously unreported method for the preparation of symmetrical aliphatic, aromatic and heteroaromatic disulfides is reported. Addition of sulfuryl chloride to an alkyl- or arylthiol in a 1:2 ratio under solvent free conditions or in dichloromethane solution produces the corresponding disulfides in nearly quantitative yields with the concomitant elimination of gaseous SO₂ and 2 equiv of HCl. Thus, optimally the reaction needs no work-up at all leaving the disulfide as the sole product in excellent yield. In dichloromethane solution, the reaction is conveniently carried out in a rotary evaporator by mixing the solvent, thiol and SO₂Cl₂ in a round-bottomed flask followed by evaporation of the volatiles.     

Effects of reducing agents on the determination of thiolic compounds in the presence of their disulfides using bimane pre-column derivatization

Summary The influence of reducing agents (sodium borohydride, tributylphosphine, dithioerythritol and dithiothreitol) on the conversion of disulfides into their parent thiols, with specific application to cysteine was investigated. Dithioerythritol and dithiothreitol were found to be most suitable for this reaction. A contact time of one hour at room temperature provided quantitative reduction as tested using cystine as a pure disulfide standard. A modified fluorescence labelling procedure with monobromobimane followed by reversed-phase HPLC allows quantitation of the parent thiol and the disulfide content when completing the labelling reaction with and without preliminary treatment with reducing agent. The effects of various bimane reducing agent ratios on the yield of the reaction are discussed. Precautions should be taken when dealing with complex matrices with respect to reagent concentrations and ratios.     

Qualitative and quantitative determination of biologically active low-molecular-mass thiols in human blood by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with photometry and fluorescence detection

The reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method employing photometry and fluorescence detection is described for the precise reproducible simultaneous measurement of total homocysteine (tHcy), cysteine (Cys), and glutathione (GSH) in human blood. Sample preparation involves conversion of disulfides to free thiols with triphenylphosphine, precipitation of proteins with trichloroacetic acid, conjugation of the thiols with monobromobimane (mBrB). The aminothiol assay is optimized by reduction and derivatization step conditions (pH, temperature and time of reactions) to obtain reliable quantitative results within the concentration range corresponding to normal and pathological levels of these thiols in human blood.     

Examination of the cleavage and formation of the disulfide bond in poly[dithio-2,5-(1,3,4-thiadiazole)] by redox reaction

Reduction and oxidation peak potentials of poly[dithio-2,5-(1,3,4-thiadiazole)] were observed in hot γ-butyrolactam (90°C) at −0.1 and 0.1 V vs. Ag respectively. To clarify the redox reaction of the polymer (oligomer), bis(2-methyl-1,3,4-thiadiazoyl)-5,5′-disulfane was synthesized as a model compound and its redox reaction examined by experiment and molecular orbital calculation. Reduction and oxidation peak potentials of this model were observed at −0.65 and 0.2 V respectively, potentials corresponding to the cleavage and formation reactions of the disulfide bond. The bond cleavage reaction was also suggested by molecular orbital calculations. From a comparison of the shape and response of the cyclic voltammogram between the monomeric and polymeric disulfides, it became clear that reduction and oxidation of the polymer meant the cleavage and formation reactions of the disulfide bond respectively, and that the redox reaction is quasi-reversible.     

Oxidation of Thiols to the Corresponding Symmetric Disulfides with Benzyltriphenylphosphonium Peroxodisulfate (BTPPD) Under Nonaqueous Conditions

This article describes the preparation of benzyltriphenylphosphonium peroxodisulfate (BTPPD), an efficient and mild reagent for oxidation of a variety of aromatic and aliphatic thiols to the corresponding disulfides in refluxing acetonitrile. The experimental procedure is simple and the products are easily isolated in excellent yields.     

N-Phenyltriazolinedione as an efficient, selective, and reusable reagent for the oxidation of thiols to disulfides

N-Phenyltriazolinedione is an efficient and chemoselective reagent for the oxidation of thiols to their corresponding symmetrical disulfides. The method is applicable to aromatic, aliphatic, and bi-functional thiols. The one-pot reaction takes a few minutes (in most cases studied) for completion and after a simple work-up affords the corresponding symmetrical disulfides in very good to excellent yields. Furthermore, the reaction could be performed with the same results in the absence of solvent for liquid thiols.     

Automated high performance liquid chromatography with on-line reduction of disulfides and chemiluminescence detection for determination of thiols and disulfides in biological fluids

In general, the reduction of disulfide bonds with tris(2-carboxyethyl)phosphine (TCEP) is performed using off-line operation, which is not only time-consuming but also vulnerable to the spontaneous re-oxidation of thiols during sample preparation and subsequent analysis procedures. To the best of our knowledge, there has been not any case on the on-line reduction for biological disulfides coupled with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). In this study, these obstacles are overcome by packing Zn(II)-TCEP complexes into a home-made column. The as-synthesized Zn(II)-TCEP complexes enable efficient reduction of disulfide bonds at pH 3.0. This acidic pH value was compatible with that of the mobile phase for HPLC separation of thiols and disulfides. Therefore, using fluorosurfactant-prepared triangular gold nanoparticles as HPLC postcolumn specific chemiluminescence (CL) reagents for thiols, the feasibility of the established on-line reduction column has been confirmed for the direct identification of both thiols and disulfides by incorporating this reduction column into a single chromatographic separation. Detection limits for these analytes range from 8.3 to 25.4 nM and the linear range in a log–log plot can comprise three orders of magnitude. Finally, the utility of this automated on-line reduction of disulfides-HPLC-CL system has been demonstrated for the reliable determination of thiols and disulfides in human urine and plasma samples.     

Formation of Naphthoquinone Oxo-Pyridinium Inner Salts

When 2-chloro-3-(substitued phenoxy)naphthazarine (1) was treated with pyridine or substituted pyridine at elevated temperature, an unexpected reaction took place. The product was identified as 5,8-Dihydroxy-1,4-dioxo-3-(substituted pyridinium)-2-naphthoxide (3, 4). A reaction mechanism for the formation of this product was postulated.     

γ‐PCC and γ‐PCC‐SiO2 as Efficient Reagents for Oxidation of Thiols to Disulfides

Abstract

Oxidative coupling of thiols to the corresponding symmetrical disulfides was performed in the presence of γ‐picolinium chlorochromate and its silica gel supported. The reactivity of silica gel supported γ‐picolinium chlorochromate for thiophenol derivatives is more than the reactivity of pyridinium and γ‐picolinium chlorochromates.     

Plasma thiols redox status by laser-induced fluorescence capillary electrophoresis

High concentrations of total plasma thiols such as cysteine and homocysteine are important risk factors for atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases. We have recently described a new laser-induced fluorescence capillary electrophoresis (CE-LIF) method to measure total plasma thiols, in which the baseline separation of cysteinylglycine, homocysteine, cysteine, and glutathione was achieved by adding the organic base N-methyl-D-glucamine to the run buffer. However, because the active fractions of homocysteine and cysteine responsible for vascular injuries are still unknown, research calls for a set up of methods able to analyze different forms of plasma thiols. In this paper, we present an improvement of our previous method that allows the measurement of different thiol forms. Total, reduced, and free thiols were measured by varying the order of disulfide reduction with tributylphosphine and proteins precipitation with 5-sulfosalicylic acid. After derivatization with 5-iodoacetamidofluorescein, samples were separated and measured by CE-LIF using a phosphate/borate buffer in the presence of 75 mmol/L N-methyl-D-glucamine. Oxidized thiols and protein bound thiols were calculated by difference, free minus reduced and total minus free form, respectively. Linearity, reproducibility, analytical recovery, and sensitivity were evaluated. The assay was used to measure the thiols redox status in 15 plasma samples from healthy volunteers.     

Covalent selection of the thiol proteome on activated thiol sepharose: A robust tool for redox proteomics

Protein thiols contribute significantly to antioxidant defence and selective oxidation of cysteines is important in signal transduction even in sub-stress scenarios. However, cysteine is the second rarest residue in proteins and it can be difficult to target low-abundance thiol (-SH)-containing proteins in proteomic separations. Activated thiol sepharose (ATS) allows covalent selection of -SH-containing proteins which can then be recovered by reduction with mercaptoethanol or dithiothreitol. This is a robust method for enriching -SH-containing proteins. We have used ATS to estimate the percentage (by weight) of thiol-containing proteins in cell extracts from a range of biological sources: a bacterium, Escherichia coli; a fungus, Trichoderma harzianum; and a bivalve mollusc Mytilus edulis. -SH-containing proteins account for 2.52% (E. coli), 1.4% (T. harzianum) and 1.4% (M. edulis) of total protein. Exposure to pro-oxidants did not materially alter these values. On removal of low M_r thiols such as glutathione, the values for M. edulis did not significantly change but those for T. harzianum increased threefold. The two-dimensional electrophoresis profiles of ATS-selected proteins for each organism were compared in control and pro-oxidant-exposed preparations. This revealed that some proteins present in controls were absent in pro-oxidant-treated extracts which we attribute to thiol oxidation. ATS has significant potential in enrichment for -SH-containing proteins in redox proteomics.     

An efficient and convenient method for the preparation of disulfides from thiols using oxygen as oxidant catalyzed by tert-butyl nitrite

An efficient and convenient tert-butyl nitrite-catalyzed selective aerobic oxidation of thiols has been developed. Under the optimal reaction conditions, a number of thiol derivatives including aromatic thiols, heteroaromatic thiols and aliphatic thiols can be converted into their corresponding disulfides in good to excellent yields.     

A Selective Solid State Oxidation of Sulfides and Thiols with Benzyltriphenylphosphonium Peroxymonosulfate

Benzyltriphenylphosphonium peroxymonosulfate 1 could be used for oxidation of sulfides 2 and thiols 4 to their corresponding sulfoxides 3 and disulfides 5 under solid-phase conditions.     

Silica Chloride/NaNO 2 as a Novel Heterogeneous System for Production of Thionitrites and Disulfides Under Mild Conditions

Thiols can be readily converted to their corresponding thionitrites with a combination of silica chloride ( I ), wet SiO 2 and sodium nitrite in dichloromethane at room temperature. Disulfides result from the homolytic cleavage of the sulfur-nitrogen bond of the unstable thionitrite and subsequent coupling of the resultant thiyl radicals.     

Silica-supported cobalt(II) tetrasulfophthalocyanine catalyzed aerobic oxidation of thiols to disulfides under neutral conditions

A very simple and mild reaction is described for the aerobic oxidative coupling of thiols to disulfides by silica-supported cobalt(II) tetrasulfophthalocyanine as the catalyst in non-aqueous media under neutral conditions at room temperature. The catalyst can be reused for the oxidative coupling of several thiols without any significant loss of catalytic activity. Correspondence: Ahmad Shaabani, Department of Chemistry, Shahid Beheshti University, P.O. Box 19396, 4716 Tehran, Iran.     

Poly(N‐Bromobenzene‐1,3‐Disulfonylamide), N,N,N′,N′‐Tetrabromobenzene‐1,3‐Disulfonylamide and DABCO‐Bromine Complex: As Novel Reagents for the Oxidative Coupling of Thiols to Disulfides

An efficient method for the oxidative coupling of thiols to their corresponding disulfides by new reagents poly(N‐bromobenzene‐1,3‐disulfonylamide) PBBS , N,N,N′,N′‐tetrabromobenzene‐1,3‐disulfonylamide TBBDA and DABCO‐bromine complex is described. The reaction was applicable to a variety of thiols with high chemoselectivity.     

Catalytic oxidation of thiols to disulfides using iodine and CeCl3·7H2O in graphite

A very simple procedure for the efficient oxidation of thiols to disulfides catalyzed by I₂/CeCl₃·7H₂O in graphite and ethyl acetate as the solvent, in an open system at room temperature is described. The reaction proceeds cleanly under mild conditions and was performed with aromatic, aliphatic, and heterocyclic thiols.     

Determination of the thiol redox state of organisms: new oxidative stress indicators

This study describes a new methodology by which the concentrations of non-protein (NP) thiols glutathione (GSH), cysteine (CSH), N-acetylcysteine (AcCSH), and protein (P) thiols (PSH), as well as the contribution of these components to symmetric and mixed disulfides (NPSSR, NPSSC, NPSSCAc, PSSR, PSSC, PSSCAc, PSSP) can reliably be measured. The methodology consists of a strict sequence of methods which are applied to every sample. Free thiols at any given state of the procedure are measured by Ellmans assay, the CSH fraction is measured by its unique response in the ninhydrin assay, AcCSH is selectively measured with ninhydrin after enzymatic deacylation, proteins are separated from non-protein thiols/disulfides by precipitation with trichloroacetic or perchloric acid, disulfides are reduced into free thiols with borohydride, mixed disulfides between a protein and a non-protein component are measured by extracting the non-protein thiol from the protein pellet after borohydride treatment, and protein thiols/disulfides are measured after resolubilization of the protein pellet.When this method was applied to animal and fungal tissue, new molecular indicators of the thiol redox state of living cells were identified. The findings of the present study clearly show that the new parameters are very sensitive indicators of redox state, while at the same time the traditional parameters GSH and GSSG often remain constant even upon dramatic changes in the overall redox state of biological tissue. Therefore, unbiased assessment of the redox state also requires explicit measurement of its most sensitive thiol indicators.Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at . A link in the frame on the left on that page takes you directly to the supplementary material.     

2,6-Dicarboxypyridinium chlorochromate: an efficient and selective reagent for the oxidation of thiols to disulfides and sulfides to sulfoxides

2,6-Dicarboxypyridinium chlorochromate (2,6-DCPCC) was found to be an efficient reagent for the conversion of thiols to disulfides and sulfides to sulfoxides under neutral and anhydrous conditions in good to excellent yields. Selective oxidation of thiols in the presence of sulfides at room temperature is also observed with this reagent.