Effects of Two Natural Bisbenzylisoquinolines,Curine and Guattegaumerine,Extracted from Isolona hexaloba on Rhodamine Efflux by Abcb1b from Rat Glycocholic-Acid-Resistant Hepatocarcinoma Cells

To develop new therapeutic molecules, it is essential to understand the biological effects and targets of clinically relevant compounds. In this article, we describe the extraction and characterization of two alkaloids from the roots of Isolona hexaloba—curine and guattegaumerine. The effect of these alkaloids on the multidrug efflux pump ABCB1 (MDR1/P-Glycoprotein) and their antiproliferative properties were studied. Compared to verapamil, a widely used inhibitor of P-gp, curine and guattegaumerine were found to be weak inhibitors of MDR1/P-Glycoprotein. The highest inhibition of efflux produced by verapamil disappeared in the presence of curine or guattegaumerine as competitors, and the most pronounced effect was achieved with curine. Altogether, this work has provided new insights into the biological effects of these alkaloids on the rat Mdr1b P-gp efflux mechanism and would be beneficial in the design of potent P-gp inhibitors.     

Simultaneous LC-MS/MS Determination of Danshensu and Paeoniflorin for Permeability Studies in Caco-2 Intestinal Absorption Model

A high sensitive method based on liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry（LC-MS/MS） was developed and validated for the study of permeability of danshensu（DS） and paeoniflorin（PF） in Caco-2 intestinal absorption model. The DS and PF were extracted from cell culture by vacuum-lyophilizing and then separated on a Zorbax Stable Bond C18 column with 0.1% acetic acid aqueous solution and methanol as mobile phase. Detection was carried out by negative electrospray ionization（ESI ） with selected reaction monitoring（SRM） mode. The apparent permeability coefficients（Papp） of DS and PF in Caco-2 cell medium were calculated and the effects of verapamil on the coefficients Papp of the two test compounds were also illustrated. The permeability of PF was much better than that of DS when the two compounds were administrated individually. Co-administration of DS and PF led to the decrease of the transport from apical side to basolateral side for both the compounds. However, the transport in the contrary direction were accelerated. It was also observed that verapamil could accelerate the transport of the test compounds from apical side to basolateral side. However, the absorption-enhanced effect of verapamil was attenuated when DS and PF were co-administrated. These observations suggest that both passive diffusion and active efflux involved in P-gp would effect the passage of DS and PF across Caco-2 cell monolayer. At the same time, the co-administration of DS and PF to an alteration of transport behavior, which suggests that the interaction must be taken into account when ‘n-in-one＇ samples were used in Caco-2 intestinal model.     

用于毛细管电泳手性分离的一种新的手性选择剂－ Β环糊精聚合物

用新合成的Β 环糊精聚合物(EP-Β-CD),并以天然环糊精(Β-CD) 和羧甲基环糊精(CM-Β-CD)手性拆分剂作对比,选取扑尔敏、山梗菜碱、维拉帕米为测试物􀁯优化分离条件􀁯研究了EP-Β-CD的拆分能力􀁯并与其它两种拆分剂进行了比较。     

Plasma level monitoring of D,L-verapamil and three of its metabolites by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography.

A high-performance liquid chromatographic assay was developed for determination of verapamil, norverapamil (M1) and its N-dealkylated metabolites (M2 and M3) in plasma. Plasma samples were vortex-mixed, deproteinized and centrifuged. The analysis was performed on a C18 reversed-phase column with fluorimetric detection. Since the polarity of verapamil and norverapamil differs considerably from that of M2 and M3, two different eluents were used for rapid high-performance liquid chromatographic separation. The eluent for the separation of verapamil and norverapamil was acetonitrile-0.07% orthophosphoric acid (33:67, v/v), and for M2 and M3 acetonitrile-0.07% orthophosphoric acid (25:75, v/v). The high-performance liquid chromatographic assay allowed rapid, sensitive and reliable quantitation of verapamil and three of its metabolites in plasma without an extraction procedure. The limit of detection was less than 5 ng/ml (plasma) for all compounds. No interferences with other commonly co-administered drugs was observed. Plasma concentrations of verapamil and its metabolites were determined in 21 patients receiving a continuous infusion of verapamil for tachyarrhythmia of acute onset. The steady-state plasma concentration data of verapamil and its three main metabolites in these patients gave evidence that the plasma concentration of verapamil and its active metabolite norverapamil was primarily determined by the extent of the formation of M2.     

Natural‐Product‐Inspired Aminoepoxybenzoquinones Kill Members of the Gram‐Negative Pathogen Salmonella by Attenuating Cellular Stress Response

Gram‐negative bacteria represent a challenging task for antibacterial drug discovery owing to their impermeable cell membrane and restricted uptake of small molecules. We herein describe the synthesis of natural‐product‐derived epoxycyclohexenones and explore their antibiotic activity against several pathogenic bacteria. A compound with activity against Salmonella Typhimurium was identified, and the target enzymes were unraveled by quantitative chemical proteomics. Importantly, two protein hits were linked to bacterial stress response, and corresponding assays revealed an elevated susceptibility to reactive oxygen species upon compound treatment. The consolidated inhibition of these targets provides a rationale for antibacterial activity and highlights epoxycyclohexenones as natural product scaffolds with suitable properties for killing Gram‐negative Salmonella.     

The relative influences of acidity and polarity on responsiveness of small organic molecules to analysis with negative ion electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS)

The purpose of the work presented here was to evaluate the influence of solution composition and analyte characteristics on responsiveness to analysis with negative ion electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. The responses of a series of structurally diverse acidic molecules were compared in various solvents. Response was generally observed to be higher in methanol than acetonitrile and response for all analytes was poorer when water was mixed with the organic solvent. A positive correlation between negative ion ESI-MS response and log P was observed when either acetonitrile or methanol was used as the electrospray solvent. This result was expected because analytes with significant nonpolar character should be particularly responsive to ESI-MS analysis due to their higher affinity for electrospray droplet surfaces. It was also predicted that highly acidic analytes would be most responsive to analysis with negative ion ESI-MS due to their tendency to form negative ions. However, for the analytes studied here, acidity was found not to have a consistent influence on ESI-MS response. Many of the highly acidic molecules were quite polar and, consequently, were poorly responsive. Furthermore, the deprotonated molecular ion was detected for a number of molecules with very high pKa values, which would not be expected to form negative ions in the bulk solution. Ultimately, these results indicate that acidity is not a conclusive parameter for prediction of the relative magnitudes of negative ion ESI-MS response among a diverse series of analytes. Analyte polarity does; however, appear to be useful for this purpose.     

Elucidation of the Transport Mechanism of Puerarin and Gastrodin and Their Interaction on the Absorption in a Caco-2 Cell Monolayer Model

Puerarin (PUR) and gastrodin (GAS) are often used in combined way for treating diseases caused by microcirculation disorders. The current study aimed to investigate the absorption and transportation mechanism of PUR and GAS and their interaction via Caco-2 monolayer cell model. In this work, the concentration in Caco-2 cell of PUR and GAS was determined by HPLC method. The bidirectional transport of PUR and GAS and the inhibition of drug efflux including verapamil and cyclosporine on the transport of these two components were studied. The mutual influence between PUR and GAS, especially the effect of the latter on the former of the bidirectional transport were also investigated. The transport of 50 μg·mL⁻¹ PUR in Caco-2 cells has no obvious directionality. While the transport of 100 and 200 μg·mL⁻¹ PUR presents a strong directionality, and this directionality can be inhibited by verapamil and cyclosporine. When PUR and GAS were used in combination, GAS could increase the absorption of PUR while PUR had no obvious influence on GAS. Therefore, the compatibility of PUR and GAS is reasonable, and GAS can promote the transmembrane transport of PUR, the effect of which is similar to that of verapamil.     

Lateral intermolecular forces in the physisorbed state: surface field polarization of benzene and n-hexane at the water/ and mercury/vapor interfaces

The available experimental data on the dependence of the surface tensions of water and mercury on the adsorption of benzene and hexane from the vapor phase are critically analyzed and interpreted to obtain the two-dimensional second virial coefficients [B(2)(T)] for these adsorbed nonpolar molecules. Calculations based on the unperturbed Lennard-Jones (L-J) 12-6 formalism for benzene and the related 12-5 Salem formalism for long chains in two dimensions for hexane require that B(2)(T) should be negative for both adsorbates. On water, the experimental data indicate that B(2)(T) for both molecules is less negative than expected from the unperturbed L-J and Salem estimates, and on mercury the B(2)(T) values from experiment are positive. These findings are analyzed first in terms of a possible reduction in the attractive component of the potential of mean force between physisorbed molecules arising from their frequency-dependent interaction with their electrostatic images in the bulk phases, as described by McLachlan. It is concluded that the McLachlan corrections are small for these molecules and surfaces. A second analysis considers the effect of an extra repulsion between the adsorbed molecules arising from the induction of dipoles normal to the interface by the surface electric field. Surface field polarization (SFP) accounts reasonably well for the experimental results, leading to estimates of the surface fields at the mercury and water surfaces which are consistent with estimates from contact potentials for mercury and computation from modeling the water surface. SFP may have a wide impact in determining the form of physisorption isotherms.     

Fragmentation of polyatomic molecules by grazing incidence surface-induced dissociation (GI-SID).

The grazing incidence surface-induced dissociation (GI-SID) of n-hexadecylpyridinium and verapamil ions generated by fission fragment desorption was studied. These molecules show the effect of enhanced surface-induced dissociation at grazing incidence as it was observed in former experiments with metal organic ions. A liquid film of perfluorinated polyether is used as collision surface. Small hydrocarbon fragment ions predominate in the GI-SID spectra. Pyridine ions appear as specific fragment ions in the GI-SID spectrum of n-hexadecylpyridinium. The GI-SID conversion efficiency varies in the range 40-70%. The experimental results are discussed within the scope of a quantum mechanical model which is based on the accumulation of internal molecular energy by resonant excitation of collective vibrational states and energy transfer to a trap bond due to dipole-dipole interactions. In this context the GI-SID spectra of n-hexadecylpyridinium and verapamil ions are compared with the fragmentation occurring in regular (252)Cf plasma desorption mass spectrometry.     

Surface-assisted laser desorption-ionization mass spectrometry on titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanotube layers

The paper reports on the use of a titanium oxide (TiO(2)) nanotube layer as a sensitive substrate for surface-assisted laser desorption-ionization mass spectrometry (SALDI-MS) of peptides and small molecules. The nanotube layers were prepared by electrochemical anodization of titanium foil. The optimized TiO(2) nanotubes morphology coupled to a controlled surface chemistry allowed desorption-ionization (D/I) of a peptide mixture (Mix1) with a detection limit of 10 femtomoles for the neurotensin peptide. The performance of the TiO(2) nanotubes for the D/I of small molecules was also tested for the detection of sutent, a small tyrosine kinase inhibitor, and verapamil. A detection limit of 50 fmol was obtained for these molecules, as compared to 500 fmol using classical matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS). Both amorphous and anatase TiO(2) layers displayed a comparable performance for D/I of analyte molecules. In a control experiment, we have performed D/I of analyte molecules on a flat TiO(2) layer. The absence of signal emphasizes the role of the nanostructured substrate in the D/I process.     

Specific HPLC Method for the Separation of Verapamil and Four Major Metabolites After Oral Dosing

Abstract

We have developed a high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method which resolves verapamil, norverapamil, D620, D617 and what we believe to be another verapamil metabolite which has been previously unreported. An alkyl-phenyl column is used with a mobile phase of 0.005% sulfuric acid in methanol. The extraction recoveries of verapamil, norverapamil and the internal standard (imipramine) from plasma ranged between 98% and 104%. The day-to-day, and within-day coefficients of variations for verapamil and norverapamil at plasma concentrations of 7.3 and 233 ng/ml ranged between 1.7 and 6.1%. The limit of sensitivity was slightly less than 1 ng for both verapamil and norverapamil. Chromatograms of extracts of serum and urine obtained from five normal subjects who took single oral verapamil doses, indicated the presence of verapamil, norverapamil, and two other known metabolites. Chromatograms of serum extracts also indicated an additional peak which is probably another verapamil metabolite.     

维拉帕米作用下急性心梗大鼠比较蛋白质组学研究

以急性心梗大鼠为研究对象, 应用双向凝胶电泳法(2-DE)分析比较了维拉帕米作用下急性心梗大鼠心肌蛋白表达的差异, 从蛋白质水平探讨了维拉帕米心肌保护作用的发生机制. 结果表明, 与假手术组及模型组相比, 维拉帕米给药组心肌组织中有8个蛋白点表达显著上调, 7个蛋白点表达显著下调. 采用质谱(MALDI-TOF-MS)分析结合数据库检索, 共鉴定了其中的15种蛋白质, 可按功能分为如下4类: (1) 能量代谢及线粒体功能相关蛋白; (2) 氧化应激相关蛋白; (3) 细胞骨架蛋白; (4) 其它蛋白. 研究结果表明, 维拉帕米的心肌保护作用与恢复心肌损伤过程中的能量供应及对抗氧化应激等作用有关.     

Can Counter-Intuitive Halogen Bonding Be Coulombic?

We use the term “counter-intuitive” to describe an intermolecular interaction in which the electrostatic potentials of the interacting regions of the ground-state molecules have the same sign, both positive or both negative. In the present work, we consider counter-intuitive halogen bonding with nitrogen bases, in which both the halogen σ-hole and the nitrogen lone pair have negative potentials on their molecular surfaces. We show that these interactions can be treated as Coulombic despite the apparent repulsion between the ground-state molecules, provided that both electrostatics and polarization are explicitly taken into account. We demonstrate first that the energies of 20 counter-intuitive interactions with four nitrogen bases can be expressed very well in terms of just two molecular properties: the electrostatic potential of the halogen σ-hole and the average polarizability of the nitrogen base. Then we show that the same two properties can also represent the energies of an expanded data base that includes the 20 counter-intuitive plus an additional 20 weak and moderately-strong intuitive halogen bonding interactions (in which the σ-hole potentials are now positive).     

碱金属原子掺杂BDC60分子中整流特性第一性原理研究

利用第一性密度泛函理论和非平衡格林函数相结合的方法,研究了碱金属原子掺杂对BDC60 分子电子输运性质的影响. 计算结果表明,在极低偏压下碱金属掺杂的BDC60分子能够表现出非常优良的整流性能,同时也展示出显著的负微分电阻行为. 根据透射谱和前线分子轨道及其空间分布随外加偏压的变化等方面的分析,系统地讨论了整流以及负微分电阻行为产生的内在机理. 我们的研究有助于BDC60 分子在未来低偏压整流和负微分电阻分子器件中的应用.     

Biomolecular Release Stimulated by Electrochemical Signals at a Very Small Potential Applied

DNA release electrochemically stimulated by applying ?10 mV on the modified electrode was studied. The release process was based on the local (interfacial) pH change produced upon H₂O₂ reduction electrocatalyzed by the immobilized microperoxidase‐11. SiO₂ nanoparticles attached to the electrode surface and functionalized with trigonelline and boronic acid species changed their electrical charge from positive to negative upon the interfacial pH change, thus allowing electrostatic adsorption of negatively charged DNA on the positive interface and then its repulsion/release from the negative interface. The loaded/released DNA molecules were labeled with a fluorescent dye to allow easy detection of the released DNA molecules. The important feature of the developed system is the controlled DNA release upon applying very small electrical potential on the modified electrode.     

Circulardichroismus des disulfidchromophors in S-alkylthio-L-cysteinen und L-glutathion

The inherently dissymmetric disulfide chromophore imparts two optically active transitions with opposite signs at 250 nm to molecules related to L-cystine and possessing a disulfide grouping C-S-S-C with P- or M-helical arrangement. The transition of this intrinsically optically active chromophore exhibits a strong dependence of its rotational strength on the torsional angle ?. The open-chain S-alkylthio-L-cysteines show large temperature coefficients of their two negative Cotton effects at 250 nm and 200 nm in the range of 0°C to 100°C in acidic aqueous medium. For the S-S-chromophore of oxidized L-glutathione a similarly strong temperature dependence is found. On the other hand, the carbonyl part of these molecules shows the normal Kauzmann-Eyring effect. The dissociation equilibria largely influence the magnitude and position of the disulfide Cotton effects. With increasing pH bathochromic shifts of the 250 nm disulfide band are found.     

气相中疏水氨基酸的单电子氧化还原性质

采用密度泛函理论在B3LYP/DZP++水平上研究气相中疏水氨基酸的单电子氧化还原性质.计算表明:发生单电子氧化反应时,侧链较小的甘氨酸、丙氨酸、脯氨酸、缬氨酸、亮氨酸、异亮氨酸丢失电子的主要部位是氨基、α-碳和羧基,对应着相对较大的绝热电离能(8.52-9.15 eV);而半胱氨酸、甲硫氨酸、苯丙氨酸、酪氨酸、色氨酸因侧链丢失较多负电荷,其电离能有所降低.气相中疏水氨基酸从外界捕获的电子主要驻留在羧基或氨基的氢原子外侧以及分子的骨架上,形成具有偶极边界结构和价键结构的混合状态阴离子,绝热电子亲和势在-0.08至-0.63 eV之间.由于氨基酸的电离能较大且电子亲和势为负值,所以在气相中它们既不容易被氧化也难以被还原.     

Regulation of endocytosis into human brain-microvascular endothelial cells by inhibition of efflux proteins

The expressions of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) and multidrug resistance-associated proteins (MRPs) in the blood-brain barrier (BBB) were regulated by verapamil and probenecid. The two protein interveners inhibited the efflux-pumping capability for permeating calcein-AM in the monolayer of human brain-microvascular endothelial cells (HBMECs). The immunochemical staining revealed that the order in the integrity of tight junction was human astrocyte (HA)-regulated HBMECs>HBMECs cultured with 100% astrocyte-conditioned medium (ACM)>HBMECs cultured with 50% ACM>HBMECs. The viability of HBMECs was higher than 94% when the concentrations of verapamil and probenecid were lower than 50 μM and 1000 μM, respectively. The culture using ACM negligibly affected the activity of P-gp and MRPs on HBMECs after the suppression with verapamil and/or probenecid. However, the double culture of HA-regulated HBMECs promoted the quantity of P-gp and MRPs and reduced the endocytosis of calcein-AM. The inhibitive and endocytotic analysis can unveil the role of HAs in the protein expressions on HBMECs for establishing a reliable BBB model in vitro.     

On the behaviour of molecules of the quinoline group at the water—Mercury interface: Part II. Electrocapillary study of isoquinoline in solutions containing only an “inert” electrolyte

Isoquinoline has been examined in a 0.5 M Na₂SO₄ aqueous solution, by using various electrocapillary methods. In the range of small potentials, and rather surprisingly, isoQ and Q present a very similar behaviour, despite the considerable difference in their dipole orientation with respect to the median carbons. Esin-Markov plots and capacity—potential—concentration maps indicate that there is gradual desorption towards negative potentials. Three distinct states (dilute flat molecules, a mixture of flat and erect molecules, and a monolayer with a variable extent of local clusters) have been characterized and their domain of prevalence demarcated. At more negative potentials, a sudden reorientation is observed, which reflects the lack of miscibility between two superficial states internally stabilized by their own set of lateral interactions. The effects of the surfactant concentration, the electrolyte concentration and the temperature on the position of the transition potential are interpreted on the basis of the relative position of two γ=f(E) curves, whose vertical shifts are controlled by the Gibbs isotherm equation, with two distinct discrete values for the superficial excesses corresponding to the two antagonizing monolayers. The most compact of these monolayers is stable in the region with stretches between the phase transition potential and the electrolyte potential, both very sharply defined. Its structure has been determined on the basis of a number of converging facts, such as the limiting value of τ, the values of the capacity and the position of the pzc, extrapolated from the σ_M=f(E) plots.     

“Precipitation on Nanoparticles”: Attractive Intermolecular Interactions Stabilize Specific Ligand Ratios on the Surfaces of Nanoparticles

Confining organic molecules to the surfaces of inorganic nanoparticles can induce intermolecular interactions between them, which can affect the composition of the mixed self‐assembled monolayers obtained by co‐adsorption from solution of two different molecules. Two thiolated ligands (a dialkylviologen and a zwitterionic sulfobetaine) that can interact with each other electrostatically were coadsorbed onto gold nanoparticles. The nanoparticles favor a narrow range of ratios of these two molecules that is largely independent of the molar ratio in solution. Changing the solution molar ratio of the two ligands by a factor of 5 000 affects the on‐nanoparticle ratio of these ligands by only threefold. This behavior is reminiscent of the formation of insoluble inorganic salts (such as AgCl), which similarly compensate positive and negative charges upon crystallizing. Our results pave the way towards developing well‐defined hybrid organic–inorganic nanostructures.