Highly routinely reproducible alignment of H NMR spectral peaks of metabolites in huge sets of urines

A method to obtain high reproducibility of ¹H NMR chemical shift of peaks of biofluid metabolites, by simple acidification with HCl is evaluated. Biofluid ¹H NMR analysis is indeed spoiled by a strong chemical shift dependence of metabolite peaks on parameters such as ionic strength, concentration of some earth alkali cations and, mostly, on pH of samples. The resulting chemical shift variations, as large as 0.1 ppm, generate misalignments of homogeneous peaks, artifacts and misinterpretations.Reproducible alignment is essential in ¹H NMR based metabonomics, where peak misalignments prevent even very wide bins (i.e., 0.04 ppm, as elsewhere proposed) from being used to integrate spectral data for multivariate statistical analysis. Here is demonstrated that routine acidification with HCl to 1.2 ≤ pH ≤ 2.0 ensures highly reproducible peak alignment of urine ¹H NMR spectra. In this respect, simple inspection of citrate peaks in the urine can be used to measure pH, as it will be extensively discussed, in that at such low pH they show no dependency on other urine components as reported at higher pH. Under these conditions, in as many as 493 urine samples, in which concentrations of Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, K⁺, Na⁺, Cl⁻, phosphate, and creatinine and ionic strength measured by means of well standardized conventional procedures, showed very wide ranges, peaks align within a SD always lower than 0.002 ppm, thus allowing the use of integration bins at least five times narrower than 0.04 ppm.     

Review: Microfluidic applications in metabolomics and metabolic profiling

Metabolomics is an emerging area of research focused on measuring small molecules in biological samples. There are a number of different types of metabolomics, ranging from global profiling of all metabolites in a single sample to measurement of a selected group of analytes. Microfluidics and related technologies have been used in this research area with good success. The aim of this review article is to summarize the use of microfluidics in metabolomics. Direct application of microfluidics to the determination of small molecules is covered first. Next, important sample preparation methods developed for microfluidics and applicable to metabolomics are covered. Finally, a summary of metabolomic work as it relates to analysis of cellular events using microfluidics is covered.     

Determination of Metabolites from Scutellaria baicalensis by GC/MS and 1H NMR

The quality of medicinal herbs and their products is steadily becoming important in tandem with growing interest in complementary alternative medicine for treatment of diseases. Chemical assays with bioactive secondary compounds are usually used for chemical standardization in herbs for quality control purpose. In this study, an analytical platform comprising of a GC-MS technique with an unsupervised multivariate analysis and a complementary one-dimensional ¹H NMR technique was used to obtain the primary metabolite profiling of Scutellaria baicalensis obtained from different medical halls in Singapore. The key primary metabolites such as sucrose, proline, phenylalanine, fructose, and butanedioic acid for the biosynthesis of bioactive secondary metabolites in this medicinal herb were successfully characterized by the combination of the chromatography and spectroscopy techniques. Their results suggested that these compounds could serve as markers for quality control of the herb. The principal component analyses of the GC-MS data reliably discriminated between the various Scutellaria samples indicating that the developed platform was comprehensive and was applicable to assess the quality of other medicinal herbs.     

Quaternary ammonium compounds in roots and leaves of Capparis spinosa L. from Saudi Arabia and Italy: investigation by HPLC-MS and 1H NMR

Capparis spinosa L. is a perennial plant typical of the Mediterranean flora and a multipurpose plant used for curing various human ailments. Quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs), as constituents of Capparaceae, play important roles in protecting against abiotic stress. Aim of this work was to determine QACs in root and leaves of caper from two proveniences. The presence of stachydrine, choline, glycine betaine and homo-stachydrine has been confirmed by high resolution MS, while ¹H NMR was applied to quantify the main QACs in the aqueous extracts. Stachydrine was quantified at 20.2 mg/g and 32.3 mg/g on dry leaves from South of Italy and Saudi Arabia, respectively, while a minor content was in dry roots (from 10.4 to 12.5 mg/g). Choline was considerably lower both in leaves and roots (from 0.3 to 1.2 mg/g). To our knowledge, this is the first report on the determination of QACs both in root and leaves of C. spinosa.     

A comparative study of NMR chemical shifts of sparteine thiolactams and lactams

The ¹³C and ¹H NMR spectra of the four possible thiolactams of sparteine (1) were recorded and the thiolactam group effects were determined. Most of the effects are greater than those of the lactam group in the oxo analogs. A good linear correlation between the ¹³C chemical shifts of CS and those of CO was found. The effects could help in assignment of the spectra and determination of conformation of thiolactams and related thiocarbonyl compounds.     

Improvements in lipid suppression for 1H NMR-based metabolomics: Applications to solution-state and HR-MAS NMR in natural and in vivo samples

Proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra of intact biological samples often show strong contributions from lipids, which overlap with signals of interest from small metabolites. Pioneering work by Diserens et al. demonstrated that the relative differences in diffusivity and relaxation of lipids versus small metabolites could be exploited to suppress lipid signals, in high-resolution magic angle spinning (HR-MAS) NMR spectroscopy. In solution-state NMR, suspended samples can exhibit very broad water signals, which are challenging to suppress. Here, improved water suppression is incorporated into the sequence, and the Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill sequence (CPMG) train is replaced with a low-power adiabatic spinlock that reduces heating and spectral artefacts seen with longer CPMG filters. The result is a robust sequence that works well in both HR-MAS as well as static solution-state samples. Applications are also extended to include in vivo organisms. For solution-state NMR, samples containing significant amount of fats such as milk and hemp hearts seeds are used to demonstrate the technique. For HR-MAS, living earthworms (Eisenia fetida) and freshwater shrimp (Hyalella azteca) are used for in vivo applications. Lipid suppression techniques are essential for non-invasive NMR-based analysis of biological samples with a high-lipid content and adds to the suite of experiments advantageous for in vivo environmental metabolomics.     

Evidences of a hydrolysis process in the synthesis of N-vinylcaprolactam-based microgels

The hydrolysis process suffered by vinylcaprolactam (VCL) monomer during polymerization and the way of avoiding it is a matter of considerable interest when the final material is used in biomedical applications. In this work, in order to study the hydrolysis process in the synthesis of VCL-based microgels, VCL was polymerized by emulsion polymerization in batch and semi-batch reactors by using N,N′-methylenebisacrylamide (BA) as cross-linker and potassium persulfate (KPS) as initiator. Moreover, the partial conversion evolutions of VCL and BA were analyzed by ¹H NMR. The colloidal characterization was carried out by measuring the final average diameters as a function of temperature. The results showed that there were two competitive reactions (hydrolysis and propagation) in the polymerizations carried out in the absence of a buffer. However, VCL did not suffer hydrolysis by adding a buffer in the recipes. A new reliable method for the determination of the partial conversions was developed using the quantitative NMR method. The final cross-linked colloidal particles (microgel particles) obtained in the buffered reaction presented the conventional swelling de-swelling behavior corresponding to temperature sensitive microgels.     

Solubilization of Styrene and Acrylamide Monomers in Microemulsions

Abstract

Phase diagrams of sodium dodecyl sulfonate (DS)/n‐butanol/styrene/water systems with variable amounts of styrene were constructed at 40°C, and the effects of styrene on microemulsion stability were studied. The solubilization of styrene in these O/W microemulsion systems was investigated by ¹H NMR methods. The results show that the solubilization site shifts from the palisade layer to the inner core of microemulsion droplets when the molar fraction of styrene reaches 0.312. The solubilization of acrylamide in cetyltrimethylmethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB)/n‐butanol/10% n‐octane/water reverse microemulsions (W/O) was studied with a ¹³C NMR method. It was found that the acrylamide was mainly solubilized in the Stern layer of droplets at low acrylamide levels. However, when the mole fraction of acrylamide approaches 0.428, the acrylamide penetrates into the palisade layer and is distributed along the hydrocarbon chain of the surfactant.     

A new type of pseudorotaxanes based on cucurbit[6]uril and bis-cyanopyridyl alkane compounds

Using bis-cyanopyridyl alkane compounds as guests, three cucurbit[6]uril-based new pseudorotaxanes (2a, 2b and 2c) were synthesised and characterised. The crystal structures for 2a and 2c have been determined and discussed. In addition, formation constants and thermodynamic parameters in aqueous solution, as well as thermal decomposition behaviour in solid state, have been studied by ¹H NMR and TGA techniques, respectively.     

New insights on the Lewis acidity of diorganolead(IV) compounds: Diphenyllead(IV) complexes with N,O,S-chelating ligands

The reactions of PbPh₂(OAc)₂ with alkylglyoxylate thiosemicarbazones (HRGTSC, R = Et, Bu) afforded complexes of the type [PbPh₂(GTSC)] · H₂O, [PbPh₂(RGTSC)₂] and [PbPh₂Cl(BuGTSC)]. The structures of HRGTSC (R = Me, Et, Bu), [PbPh₂(OAc)(RGTSC)](R = Me, Et, Bu), [PbPh₂Cl(BuGTSC)] and [PbPh₂(GTSC)] · H₂O have been studied by X-ray diffraction. [PbPh₂(OAc)(RGTSC)] and [PbPh₂(GTSC)] · H₂O have [PbC₂NO₃S] kernels and the coordination sphere of the metal is pentagonal bipyramidal. [PbPh₂Cl(BuGTSC)] has a [PbC₂NOSCl] kernel and the coordination geometry around lead is pentagonal bipyramidal with one vacant site. Analysis of the bond distances in [PbPh₂(GTSC)] · H₂O suggests a significant affinity between diphenyllead(IV) and carboxylate donor groups, supporting a borderline acidic character for this organometallic cation. ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectra in DMSO-d₆ suggest the partial dissociation of the acetate in [PbPh₂(OAc)(RGTSC)] solutions and indicate some differences in the coordination mode of the two RGTSC⁻ ligands in [PbPh₂(RGTSC)₂] complexes.     

A multinuclear NMR study in the solid state and in solution of thallium(I) tris-(pyrazol-1-yl)borates (thallium scorpionates)

The ¹H, ¹³C and ¹⁵N NMR spectroscopic properties of six thallium tris-(pyrazol-1-yl)borates, including a tetrakis derivative, were determined. The results in solution were necessary to understand those, more complicated, in the solid state. A collection of ²⁰⁵Tl-¹⁵N and ²⁰⁵Tl-¹³C couplings was measured in the latter state. Among those, a very large coupling constant (between 194 and 282 Hz) has been measured on the carbon at the position 4 of the pyrazole ring in several compounds and particularly for the cyclobutyl derivative [Tl(Tp^Cbu)]. It has been assigned to a direct interaction of the 4-C-H ? Tl type and related to the X-ray structures, when available.     

Structural characterization of C-S-H and C-A-S-H samples—Part II: Local environment investigated by spectroscopic analyses

Spectroscopic studies (¹H, ²³Na and ²⁷Al MAS NMR and Raman spectroscopy) have been used to characterize three series of C-S-H samples (0.8<Ca/Si<1.7): one C-S-H series, one aluminum inserted C-S-H series (named C-A-S-H series), and one sodium and aluminum inserted C-S-H series (named C-N-A-S-H series). Previous Rietveld analyses have been performed on the two first series and have clearly shown that (1) a unique ‘tobermorite M defect’ structural model allows to describe the C-S-H structure whatever the Ca/Si ratio and (2) the insertion of aluminum into the C-S-H structure led to the degradation of the crystallinity and to a systematic increase of the basal spacing of about 2 Å regardless the Ca/(Si+Al) ratio (at a constant Al/Si ratio of 0.1). Spectroscopic investigations indicate that the main part of the Al atoms is readily incorporated into the interlayer region of the C-S-H structure. Al atoms are mainly inserted as four-fold coordinated aluminates in the dreierketten silicate chain (either in bridging or paired tetrahedra) at low Ca/Si ratio. Four-fold aluminates are progressively replaced by six-fold coordinated aluminates located into the interlayer region of the C-S-H structure and bonded to silicate chains. Investigation of the hydrogen bonding in C-S-H indicates that the main part of the hydrogen bonds is intra-main layer, and thus explains the low stacking cohesion of the C-S-H structure leading to its nanometric crystal size and the OD character of the tobermorite like structures.     

Structural Assignment of Side Chain Liquid Crystalline Monomer and Polymer by 1-D and 2-D Solution NMR Studies

In the present study, the synthesis and characterization of a methacrylic-based side chain liquid crystalline monomer and its polymer were investigated with the aid of both 1-D and 2-D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques. The mesophase characteristics of the monomer and polymer were determined by hot-stage optical polarized microscopy (HOPM). The nematic and smectic phases were observed for the monomer and polymer. Furthermore, ¹³C spin-lattice relaxation time measurements were performed on the above systems in order to monitor molecular dynamics. The present study provides an opportunity to carry out a systematic comparison of the evolution of structural as well as dynamical changes of the monomer and the polymer.     

Invertomers at nitrogen in aziridine carboxylates by mltltinuclear (1H,13C,17O,and15N) NMR study

A confrgurational and conformational study of NH, N-acetyl- and N-sulfonylaziridine carboxylates is performed by¹H ,¹³C,¹⁷O, and¹⁵N NMR spectroscopy. The presence of acetyl and su fonyl groups on the ring nitrogen atom seems to reduce greatly the configurational stability at nitrogen.Published in Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 9, pp. 1226–1234, September, 1995.     

N-Acyl andN-sulfonyl derivatives of thiazolidines

The major reaction center in the reaction of 4,4-dialkyl-5-methylene-2-phenyliminothiazolidines with acid chlorides or anhydrides and with arenesulfonyl chlorides is the nitrogen atom at position 3 of the ring.Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk, Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 12, pp. 2968–2970, December, 1996.     

[1,3]Dioxolo[5,6][1]benzothieno[2,3-c]-quinolin-6(5H)-ones

Summary The reaction of 3,4-methylenedioxycinnamic acid (1) with thionyl chloride resulted in the formation of 7-chlorothieno[2,3-f]-1,3-benzodioxole-6-carbonyl chloride (2) and cinnamoyl chloride (3). Subsequent reaction of the former withp-substituted anilines led to the formation of 7-chloro-N-(p-substituted phenyl)-thieno[2,3-f]-1,3-benzodioxole-6-carboxamides (4a–c) which on photocyclization afforded 2-substituted [1,3]dioxolo[5,6][1]benzothieno[2,3-c]quinolin-6(5H)-ones (5a–c) in fairly good yields and high purity. The structures have been confirmed by IR,¹H NMR, and analytical methods.Accepted for presentation at the Hong Kong International Symposium on Heterocyclic Chemistry (August 13–16, 1995)     

A new imidazophenanthroline derivative and its Hg(II) complex: structures,photophysical properties,and DFT calculations

A new ligand (L) and its mercury(II) complex have been synthesized under mild conditions. X-ray single-crystal structural analyses reveal 1-D, 2-D, and 3-D supermolecular structure of L and HgLI₂. Solvent molecules and various weak interactions, including hydrogen bonds (N–H···N, O–H···O, and O–H···N) and π–π interactions play signi?cant roles in the ?nal supermolecular structures. Detailed investigation on ¹H NMR spectra of L and HgLI₂ are presented. Their photophysical properties were investigated both experimentally and theoretically.     

Albidosides H and I,two new triterpene saponins from the barks of Acacia albida Del. (Mimosaceae)

Two new triterpene saponins, albidosides H (1) and I (2), along with the three known saponins were isolated from the barks of Acacia albida. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of extensive 1D- and 2D-NMR studies and mass spectrometry. Albidosides H (1) and I (2) were assayed for their cytotoxicity against HeLa and HL60 cells using MTT method.     

Characterization of the measurement error structure in 1D H NMR data for metabolomics studies

NMR-based metabolomics is characterized by high throughput measurements of the signal intensities of complex mixtures of metabolites in biological samples by assaying, typically, bio-fluids or tissue homogenates. The ultimate goal is to obtain relevant biological information regarding the dissimilarity in patho-physiological conditions that the samples experience. For a long time now, this information has been obtained through the analysis of measured NMR signals via multivariate statistics.NMR data are quite complex and the use of such multivariate statistical methods as principal components analysis (PCA) for their analysis assumes that the data are multivariate normal with errors that are identical, independent and normally distributed (i.e. iid normal). There is a consensus that these assumptions are not always true for these data and, thus, several methods have been devised to transform the data or weight them prior to analysis by PCA. The structure of NMR measurement noise, or the extent to which violations of error homoscedasticity affect PCA results have neither been characterized nor investigated.A comprehensive characterization of measurement uncertainties in NMR based metabolomics was achieved in this work using an experiment designed to capture contributions of several sources of error to the total variance in the measurements. The noise structure was found to be heteroscedastic and highly correlated with spectral characteristics that are similar to the mean of the spectra and their standard deviation. A model was subsequently developed that potentially allows errors in NMR measurements to be accurately estimated without the need for extensive replication.     

Diels-Alder reaction of 2-phosphaindolizines catalysed by organoaluminium reagent: theoretical and experimental results

Theoretical calculations at the DFT (B3LYP/6-31+G^**) level of the model Diels-Alder (DA) reactions of 1-methyl-3-(methoxycarbonyl)-2-phosphaindolizine with 1,3-butadiene in the presence of methylaluminium dichloride reveal that the co-ordination of organoaluminium reagent to the carbonyl oxygen increases the activation barrier compared to that for the uncomplexed 2-phosphaindolizine. On the other hand, co-ordination of the organoaluminium reagent to the σ², λ³ P atom lowers the activation barrier by ∼6 kcal mol⁻¹. 1-Methyl-2-phosphaindolizines having an electron-withdrawing group at the 3-position only undergo DA reaction with 2,3-dimethylbutadiene in the presence of the ethylaluminium dichloride catalyst in methylene chloride at a low temperature to afford [2+4] cycloadducts. The formation of an intermediate having the ethylaluminium reagent co-ordinated to σ², λ³ P atom has been detected by ³¹P NMR. The products have been characterized by ³¹P and ¹H NMR studies.