The structure and properties of hybrid fluorous-hydrocarbon fatty acids

A series of long chain fatty acids is prepared with alternating blocks of fluorocarbon and hydrocarbon. This hybrid construction provides three domains (fluorous, hydrocarbon, hydrophilic) on the same molecule. The ability of the monocarboxylic acids to form monolayers on water is explored and, in selected cases, X-ray structure analysis of the dicarboxylic acids provides information on the conformation and solid state organisation of these molecules. The hybrid molecules display surface behaviour and show packing distances which are intermediate between alkyl and perfluoroalkyl chains.     

Stable carbon isotope ratios of methyl-branched fatty acids are different to those of straight-chain fatty acids in dairy products

Methyl-branched fatty acids (MBFAs) are the dominant form of fatty acid found in many bacteria. They are also found at low levels in a range of foodstuffs, where their presence has been linked to bacterial sources. In this study we evaluated the potential of compound-specific isotope analysis to obtain insights into the stable carbon isotope ratios (δ¹³C values in ‰) of individual MBFAs and to compare them to the stable carbon isotope ratios of straight-chain fatty acids in food. Due to their low abundance in foodstuffs, the MBFAs were enriched prior to gas chromatography coupled to isotope ratio mass spectrometric (GC–IRMS) analysis. After transesterification, urea complexation was used to suppress the 16:0 and 18:0 methyl esters that were dominant in the samples. Following that, silver-ion high performance liquid chromatography was used to separate the saturated from the unsaturated fatty acids. The resulting solutions of saturated fatty acids obtained from suet, goat’s milk, butter, and human milk were studied by GC–IRMS. The δ¹³C values of fatty acids with 12–17 carbons ranged from −25.4‰ to −37.6‰. In all samples, MBFAs were most depleted in carbon-13, followed by the odd-chain fatty acids 15:0 and 17:0. 14:0 and 16:0 contained the highest proportions of carbon-13. The results from this study illustrate that MBFAs have distinctive δ¹³C values and must originate from other sources and/or from very different substrates. These measurements support the initial hypothesis that δ¹³C values can be used to attribute MBFAs to particular sources.     

Separation of dietary omega‐3 and omega‐6 fatty acids in food by capillary electrophoresis

A lower dietary omega‐6/omega‐3 (n‐6/n‐3) fatty acid ratio (<4) has been shown to be beneficial in preventing a number of chronic illnesses. Interest exists in developing more rapid and sensitive analytical methods for profiling fatty acid levels in foods. An aqueous CE method was developed for the simultaneous determination of 15 n‐3 and n‐6 relevant fatty acids. The effect of pH and concentration of buffer, type and concentration of organic modifier, and additive on the separation was investigated in order to determine the best conditions for the analysis. Baseline separations of the 15 fatty acids were achieved using 40 mM borate buffer at pH 9.50 containing 50 mM SDS, 10 mM β‐cyclodextrin, and 10% acetonitrile. The developed CE method has LODs of <5 mg/L and good linearity (R² > 0.980) for all fatty acids studied. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of n‐3 and n‐6 fatty acids in flax seed, Udo® oils and a selection of grass‐fed and grain‐fed beef muscle samples.     

Investigation of the self association of higher fatty alcohols and acids on chromatographic sorbents

Summary Three different sorbents, one with high activity (silica gel), the second with medium activity (cellulose powder) and the third having low activity (chromatographic paper) were compared in respect of their usefulness for the evaluation of the self association of selected higher fatty alcohols and acids. The obtained results are correlated with IR spectroscopic data and theoretical considerations.     

Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography of fatty acid methyl esters with particular reference to cyclopropenoic and cyclopropanoic acids

High performance liquid chromatography of saturated, monounsaturated, diunsaturated, triunsaturated, cyclopropenoic (malvalic and sterculic) and cyclopropanoic (cis-8,9-methylenehexadecanoic and dihydrosterculic) fatty acids was performed with their methyl esters. All separations were carried out with two types of reversed phase columns, the eluent consisting of an acetonitrile/water mixture. The effect of water was studied in the range 0–15%. The best separation was obtained with acetonitrile/water (85:15 v/v). Quantitative results indicated that the detection limits depended upon ultraviolet wavelength and in the present study were 4 ng of methyl sterculate and 125 ng of methyl dihydrosterculate at 195 nm.     

Mixed Langmuir monolayers of cholesterol and `essential' fatty acids

Langmuir monolayers of cholesterol and various fatty acids, such as stearic, oleic, linoleic, α-linolenic, and arachidonic acids, spread at the air/water interface are investigated. The system of cholesterol and stearic acid is found to be immiscible, with only one collapse, occurring at the same surface pressure for all composition range. However, surface pressure (π) – area (A) isotherms of cholesterol/unsaturated fatty acids show a characteristic course with two collapse states. The pressure of the first collapse varies with the proportion of the components in the mixture, while the second collapse, occurring at the surface pressure characteristic of cholesterol alone, is independent of mole fraction of the investigated fatty acid. The application of the surface phase rule indicates that the unsaturated fatty acids/cholesterol mixtures are miscible up to the surface pressure corresponding to the first collapse. Negative values of the excess free energy of mixing in all composition ranges prove that the mixtures are stable. The interactions existing in mixtures of cholesterol and unsaturated fatty acids possessing even numbers of double bonds are strongest in the lower region of fatty acid proportion, and the results are consistent with the minimum values of the excess free energy of mixing, indicating the most stable mixtures. For cholesterol and unsaturated fatty acids with odd numbers of double bonds the behavior is different, and the strongest interactions occur in both low and high regions of mole fraction of an acid. Received: 2 May 2000 Accepted: 26 October 2000     

Practical dihydroxylation and C–C cleavage of unsaturated fatty acids

Unsaturated fatty acids [C₈H₁₇CH=CH(CH₂)_nCO₂H] (n=7, 11) acids are cleanly dihydroxylated by hydrogen peroxide in the presence of catalytic amounts of H₂WO₄. Under molecular oxygen, in the presence of catalytic amounts of N-hydroxyphthalimide and Co(acac)₃, the diols resulting from erucic (n=11) and oleic (n=7) acid undergo C–C cleavage.     

Resonant electron capture mass spectrometry of free fatty acids: examination of ion structures using deuterium-labeled fatty acids and collisional activation

The structures of [M-H](-) ions generated from free fatty acids in resonant electron capture at energies of 1.2 and 7.2 eV were investigated using deuterium-labeled isotopomers and collision-induced dissociation. The [M-H](- small middle dot) ions occur in both a carboxylate anion and a carbanion form. While the formation of the carboxylate anion at 1.2 eV involves the loss of a carboxylic hydrogen, that at 7.2 eV involves the loss of a hydrogen from different positions in the aliphatic chain followed by a rearrangement of a carboxylic hydrogen on to the radical site in the chain. The [M-H-H(2)O](-) ion which is a minor ion in the resonant electron capture spectrum at 7.2 eV is shown to be a precursor for the charge-remote fragment ions corresponding to formal losses of a hydrogen and elements of alkanes. The [M-H-H(2)O](-) ion corresponding to the second major ion in the resonant electron capture spectrum at 7.2 eV is demonstrated to be consistent with a cyclopentanone anion structure. On the basis of new insights obtained in the present study and taking into account previous results, an updated proposal is presented for the mechanism of charge-remote fragmentation which operates in resonant electron capture of free fatty acids at 7.2 eV.     

Preparation, characterization and pharmacokinetics of enrofloxacin-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles: influences of fatty acids

Enrofloxacin-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) were prepared using fatty acids (tetradecanoic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid) as lipid matrix by hot homogenization and ultrasonication method. The effect of fatty acids on the characteristics and pharmacokinetics of the SLN were investigated. The results showed that the encapsulation efficiency and loading capacity of nanoparticles varied with fatty acids in the order of stearic acid>palmitic acid>tetradecanoic acid. Furthermore, stearic acid-SLN had larger particle size, bigger polydispersity index (PDI) and higher zeta potential compared with the other two fatty acid formulated SLN. The SLN showed sustained releases in vitro and the released enrofloxacin had the same antibacterial activity as that of the native enrofloxacin. Although in vitro release exhibited similar patterns, within 24 h the releasing rates of the three formulations were significantly different (tetradecanoic acid-SLN>palmitic acid-SLN>stearic acid-SLN). Pharmacokinetic study after a single dose of intramuscular administration to mice demonstrated that tetradecanoic acid-SLN, palmitic acid-SLN, and stearic acid-SLN increased the bioavailability by 6.79, 3.56 and 2.39 folds, and extended the mean residence time (MRT) of the drug from 10.60 h to 180.36, 46.26 and 19.09 h, respectively. These results suggest that the enrofloxacin-fatty acid SLN are promising formulations for sustained release while fatty acids had significant influences on the characteristics and performances of the SLN.     

Discrimination of almonds (Prunus dulcis) geographical origin by minerals and fatty acids profiling

Twenty-one almond samples from three different geographical origins (Sicily, Spain and California) were investigated by determining minerals and fatty acids compositions. Data were used to discriminate by chemometry almond origin by linear discriminant analysis. With respect to previous PCA profiling studies, this work provides a simpler analytical protocol for the identification of almonds geographical origin. Classification by using mineral contents data only was correct in 77% of the samples, while, by using fatty acid profiles, the percentages of samples correctly classified reached 82%. The coupling of mineral contents and fatty acid profiles lead to an increased efficiency of the classification with 87% of samples correctly classified.     

Two-component hydrogels comprising fatty acids and amines: structure, properties, and application as a template for the synthesis of metal nanoparticles

Stearic acid or eicosanoic acid mixed with di- or oligomeric amines in specific molar ratios form stable gels in water. The formation of such hydrogels depends on the hydrophobicity of the fatty acid, and also on the type of amine used. The gelation properties of these two-component systems were investigated using electron microscopy, FTIR spectroscopy, 1H NMR spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and both single-crystal and cast-film X-ray diffraction. Results of FTIR spectral analysis suggest salt formation during gelation. 1H NMR analysis of the gels indicates that the fatty acid chains are immobilized in the gel state and when the gel melts, these chains regain their mobility. Analysis of DSC data indicates that increase in the spacer length in the di-/oligomeric amine lowers the gel-melting temperature. Two of these gelator salts developed into crystals and structural details of such systems could be secured by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The structural information of the salts thus obtained was compared with the XRD data of the self-supporting films of those gels. Such analyses provided pertinent structural insight into the supramolecular interactions that prevail within these gelator assemblies. Analysis of the crystal structure confirmed that multilayered lamellar aggregates exist in the gel and it also showed that the three-dimensional ordering observed in the crystalline phase is retained in only one direction in the gel state. Finally, the hydrogel was used as a medium for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles. The nanoparticles were found to position themselves on the fibers and produced a long, ordered assembly of gel-nanoparticle composite.     

Production of glycerides from glycerol and fatty acids by native lipase ofNigella sativa seed

The possible application of native lipase ofNigella sativa seed in the esterification of fatty acids to glycerol was investigated, and the effect of process parameters and the enzyme selectivity on the reaction were determined. For this aim, the esterification of oleic acid, sunflower oil fatty acids, and coco oil fatty acids with glycerol were studied.     

气相色谱法测定中华绒螯蟹中脂肪酸组成与含量

中华绒螯蟹中脂肪酸组成与含量的测定对评估其营养价值与品质具有重要意义,但面对种类繁多的脂肪酸提取试剂和甲酯化试剂,测定结果参差不齐,很难对中华绒螯蟹中丰富的脂肪酸准确定量。研究通过比较4种常见的脂肪提取试剂、2种脂肪酸甲酯化试剂,确定以氯仿-甲醇(1∶1, v/v)为提取试剂,含2%硫酸的甲醇溶液为甲酯化试剂,建立了测定中华绒螯蟹肌肉中脂肪酸组成与含量的气相色谱分析方法。实验按照程序升温的条件,采用DM-2560毛细管色谱柱(100 m×0.25 mm×0.20 μm)分离37种脂肪酸,氢火焰离子化检测器(FID)检测,外标法定量。37种脂肪酸在0.5~100.0 μg/mL范围内线性关系良好,其相关系数(R²)为0.9981~0.9999,检出限(LOD)与定量限(LOQ)分别为0.01~0.02 mg/100 g和0.04~0.06 mg/100 g;以棕榈酸和硬脂酸进行加标回收验证,在1、2、10 mg/100 g 3个加标水平下的加标回收率为76.0%~97.5%,相对标准偏差(RSD, n=5)为3.31%~7.90%。该方法应用于中华绒螯蟹肌肉中脂肪酸组成与含量的测定,肌肉中共测得31种脂肪酸,碳链长度为12~24,脂肪酸总含量为281.03 mg/100 g,其中油酸、二十二碳六烯酸、二十碳五烯酸等为中华绒螯蟹肌肉中主要脂肪酸。该方法操作简便,试剂、样品用量少,且定性可靠,定量准确,能检测较多的脂肪酸种类,适用于中华绒螯蟹肌肉中脂肪酸组成与含量的快速检测。     

Profiling of esterified fatty acids as biomarkers in the blood of dengue fever patients using a microliter‐scale extraction followed by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry

An improved gas chromatography with mass spectrometry procedure was developed to highlight the esterified fatty acids in 100 μL blood of dengue fever patients in the early febrile phase versus healthy volunteers. 24 adult patients and 24 healthy volunteers were included in this study. The recoveries of targeted esterified fatty acids content were in the range of 92.10–101.00% using methanol/dichloromethane (2:1, v/v) as the extraction solvent. An efficient chromatographic separation of targeted 17 esterified fatty acid methyl esters was obtained. The limits of detection and quantification were within the range of 16–131 and 53–430 ng/mL, respectively. The relative standard deviation of intraday and interday precision values ranged from 0.4 to 5.0%. The statistical data treatment showed a significant decrease of the content of four saturated fatty acids, C14:0, C15:0, C16:0, and C18:0 (P value < 0.05), and also showed a decrease of the content of eight unsaturated fatty acids, C16:1, C18:3n6, C18:2n6, C18:1n9, C20:3n3, C20:4n6, C20:2, and C22:6n3 (P value < 0.05) in dengue fever patients. Moreover, the amount of three omega‐6 fatty acids including C18:3n6, C18:2n6, and C20:4n6 was dramatically decreased in the blood of dengue fever patients to a limit of 50 ± 10%.     

Characterizing ion mobility and collision cross section of fatty acids using electrospray ion mobility mass spectrometry

This study investigated the ion mobility (IM) and the collision cross section (CCS) of fatty acids (FAs) using electrospray IM MS. The IM analysis of 18 FA ions showed intriguing differences among the saturated FAs, monounsaturated FAs, multi‐unsaturated FAs, and cis‐isomer/trans‐isomer with respect to the aliphatic tail chains. The length of aliphatic tail chain present in the ion structures had a strong influence on the differentiation of drift, while the number of double bond showed a weaker influence. The tiny drift differences between cis‐isomer and trans‐isomer were also observed. In the CCS measurements, two internal standards were involved in the mobility calibration and accuracy estimation. It insured our empirical CCS values were of high experimental precision (±0.35% or better) and accuracy (±0.25% or better). Moreover, the mass‐to‐charge ratio (m/z) – mobility plots obtained by ion mobility spectrometry with mass spectrometry analysis of FAs – was used to investigate the structural relationship between the molecules. Each series of FAs sharing a similar structure was aligned in the linear plot. Finally, the developed procedure was applied to the determination of FAs in rat adipose tissues, and it allowed the presence of 13 FAs to be confirmed with their exact masses and CCS values. These studies reveal the direct relationship between the behaviors in IM and the molecular structures and thus may provide further validations to the FA identification process. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Beyond prostaglandins--chemistry and biology of cyclic oxygenated metabolites formed by free-radical pathways from polyunsaturated fatty acids

Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are important constituents in all organisms. They fulfil many functions, ranging from modulating the structure of membranes to acting as precursors of physiologically important molecules, such as the prostaglandins, which for a long time were the most prominent cyclic PUFA metabolites. However, since the beginning of the 1990s a large variety of cyclic metabolites have been discovered that form under autoxidative conditions in vivo to a much larger extent than do prostaglandins. These compounds--isoprostanes, neuroprostanes, phytoprostanes, and isofurans--proved subsequently to be ubiquitous in nature. They display a wide range of biological activities, and isoprostanes have become the currently most reliable indicators of oxidative stress in humans. In a relatively short time, the structural variety, properties, and applications of the autoxidatively formed cyclic PUFA derivatives have been uncovered.     

Characterization and purification of polyunsaturated fatty acids from microalgae by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and countercurrent chromatography

Summary The present study was undertaken in order to characterize then to purify fatty acids from marine phytoplankton. From a crude mixture of fatty acid methyl esters it was possible to isolate by countercurrent chromatography a mixture of four polyunsaturated fatty acid methyl ester identified as being hexadecatrienoic acid methyl ester, octadecatetraenoic acid methyl ester, eicosapentaenoic acid methyl ester and docosahexaenoic acid methyl ester by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry in electron impact and in positive-ion chemical ionization mode. The four polyunsaturated fatty acids are in different ratios in mixtures from the two microorganisms:Skeletonema costatum andIsochrysis galbana.     

Cytotoxic activity of alkyl benzoate and fatty acids from the red sea sponge Hyrtios erectus

The chemical investigation of the methylene chloride fraction of marine sponge Hyrtios erectus led to the isolation of the known oxysterol (2) along with a new alkyl benzoate compound identified by spectroscopic methods (NMR and MS) as 4′-methylheptyl benzoate (1), whilst the n-butanol fraction afforded the known indole 3-carbaldehyde and β-carboline derivatives. Moreover, the hexane fraction was analysed by GC–MS for their fatty acids (FAs). A total of 17 FAs with chain lengths between 14 and 25 carbons were identified. Methyl-branched FAs are predominated suggesting the presence of bacterial symbionts in the H. erectus sponge. Furthermore, compounds 1 and 2 displayed significant cytotoxicity against breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7) with IC₅₀ values of 2.4 and 3.8 μM, respectively, since compound 2 was also shown to have potent cytotoxic effect against hepatocellular carcinoma cells (HepG 2) with IC₅₀ value of 1.3 μM.     

Separation of short and medium-chain fatty acids using capillary electrophoresis with indirect photometric detection: Part I: Identification of fatty acids in rat feces

Short and medium-chain fatty acids (SMCFAs) are known as essential metabolites found in gut microbiota that function as modulators in the development and progression of many inflammatory conditions as well as in the regulation of cell metabolism. Currently, there are few simple and low-cost analytical methods available for the determination of SMCFA. This report focuses on SMCFA analysis utilizing CE with indirect photometric detection (CE-IPD). A ribonucleotide electrolyte, 5’-adenosine mono-phosphate (5’-AMP), is investigated as an IPD reagent due to its high molar absorptivity and dynamic reserve compatible with separation and detection of SMCFA. The operating parameters like the composition of organic solvent, millimolar concentrations of the complexing agent (alpha-cyclodextrin), 5’-AMP and non-absorbing electrolyte (boric acid), as well as the applied voltage, are optimized for resolution, efficiency, and signal-to-noise ratio. A baseline resolution of all nine SMCFAs is achieved in less than 15 min. Additionally, the developed CE-IPD method shows promising potential to identifying SMCFA in rat fecal supernatant. The presented analytical assay is simple, economical, and has considerably good repeatability. The intraday and interday RSD of less than 1 and 2% for relative migration time, as well as less than 14 and 15% for peak area, respectively, were obtained for SMCFA in fecal solution.     

A fast,fully validated GC-MS method using a simplified pretreatment for the quantification of short and branched chain fatty acids in human stool

The study of short (SCFAs) and branched chain fatty acids (BCFAs) in human stool related to gastrointestinal diseases, gut microbiota, metabolism, and diet has dramatically increased. As a result, a fast, reliable method with minimal pretreatment is needed for quantification of these metabolites (acetic, propionic, isobutyric, butyric, isovaleric, valeric, and caproic acid) in stool. Therefore, a GC-MS method meeting this criterion was developed. A bias sampling study showed no statistical difference (p > 0.05) in analyte means when comparing 100 mg subsamples of homogenized to non-homogenized samples (n = 6, p values 0.153–0.910). Stool samples were homogenized, diluted with 80:20 water:methanol (v/v), and adjusted to a pH of 1.5–2.5. Samples were vortexed, centrifuged, and directly injected into the GC-MS using pulsed splitless injection offering twofold-to-threefold signal enhancement over a 10:1 split injection. DB-FATWAX Ultra Inert Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) Column showed no peak tailing, reduced responses, or retention time shifts after 1,476 stool injections, while other columns failed before 361 injections. Intra- and inter-day accuracy for stool supernatant samples ranged from −10.21% to 8.88% and −13.25% to 9.91%, while intra- and inter-day precision ranged from 0.21% to 1.21% and 0.89% to 2.84% coefficient of variation (CV), respectively. This method demonstrates excellent linearity (0.9999–1.0000) and low limits of quantification (1.50–8.01 μM). Stool samples proved stable stored at −20°C up to 28 days, and recoveries ranged from 85.04% to 106.59%. Matrix effects in stool are non-significant determined by comparing standard and stool supernatant calibration curve slopes (p > 0.05).