Identification of the Schistosoma mansoni molecular target for the antimalarial drug artemether

Plasmodium falciparum and Schistosoma mansonii are the parasites responsible for most of the malaria and schistosomiasis cases in the world. Notwithstanding their many differences, the two agents have striking similarities in that they both are blood feeders and are targets of an overlapping set of drugs, including the well-known artemether molecule. Here we explore the possibility of using the known information about the mode of action of artemether in Plasmodium to identify the molecular target of the drug in Schistosoma and provide evidence that artemether binds to SmSERCA, a putative Ca2?-ATPase of Schistosoma . We also predict the putative binding mode of the molecule for both its Plasmodium and Schistosoma targets. Our analysis of the mode of binding of artemether to Ca2?-ATPases also provides an explanation for the apparent paradox that, although the molecule has no side effect in humans, it has been shown to possess antitumoral activity.     

Higher Differentiability of Solutions of Elliptic Systems with Sobolev Coefficients: The Case p = n = 2

We establish higher differentiability results for local solutions of elliptic systems of the type $$\text{div} A(x,Du)=0 $$ in a bounded open set in ?². The operator A(x, ξ) is assumed to be strictly monotone and Lipschitz continuous with respect to variable ξ. The novelty of the paper is that we allow discontinuous dependence with respect to the x-variable, through a suitable Sobolev function.     

Analysis of genomic methylation level using micellar electrokinetic chromatography with UV detection

Analytical methods for quantification of 5′‐methylcytosine in genomes are important tools to investigate epigenetic changes in gene expression during development, differentiation, aging, or cancer. Here, we report a novel genomic methylation content assay based on enzymatic hydrolysis of DNA and MEKC separation of 5′‐deoxyribonucleoside monophosphates (dNMP) using the cationic surfactant CTAB as pseudostationary phase. Calf Thymus DNA was used during method development to determine electrophoretic parameters and electrolyte composition for a complete separation between 2′‐deoxycytosine‐5′‐monophosphate and 2′‐deoxy‐5′‐methylcytosine 5′‐monophosphate (d5mCMP). Methylated and not methylated oligonucleotides were used to confirm the identity of each peak and evaluate analytical parameters of the method. The LOD of the method was found to be 12.5 pmol/μL for d5mCMP.     

Development of Red-Shifted and Fluorogenic Nucleoside and Oligonucleotide Diarylethene Photoswitches

The reversible modulation of fluorescence signals by light is of high interest for applications in super-resolution microscopy, especially on the DNA level. In this article we describe the systematic variation of the core structure in nucleoside-based diarylethenes (DAEs), in order to generate intrinsically fluorescent photochromes. The introduction of aromatic bridging units resulted in a bathochromic shift of the visible absorption maximum of the closed-ring form, but caused reduced thermal stability and switching efficiency. The replacement of the thiophene aryl unit by thiazol improved the thermal stability, whereas the introduction of a benzothiophene unit led to inherent and modulatable turn-off fluorescence. This feature was further optimized by introducing a fluorescent indole nucleobase into the DAE core, resulting in an effective photoswitch with a fluorescence quantum yield of 0.0166 and a fluorescence turn-off factor of 3.2. The site-specific incorporation into an oligonucleotide resulted in fluorescence-switchable DNA with high cyclization quantum yields and switching efficiency, which may facilitate future applications.     

6′-Chloro-7- or 9-(2,3-dihydro-5H-4,1-benzoxathiepin-3-yl)-7H- or 9H-purines and their corresponding sulfones as a new family of cytotoxic drugs

A series of 1-(2,3-dihydro-5H-4,1-benzoxathiepin-3-yl)pyrimidine derivatives were synthesized and two of them (8 and 9) showed a modest antiproliferative activity against the MCF-7 breast cancer cell line. We then decided to change the pyrimidine base for the more lipophilic 6′-chloropurine, and the N-9′ purine (15) and N-7′ purine (17) were obtained. The sulfone N-7′-alkylated-6-chloropurine 18 was the most active derivative. Compound 17 was found to be slightly more active than its regioisomer 15, with an activity similar to that of 5-fluorouracil as a reference drug. Encouraged by these values, we tested these compounds against both the HT-29 human colon cancer cell line and the IEC-6 normal rat intestinal epithelial cell line, and 15 was found to be 12.7-fold more active against HT-29 than versus IEC-6.     

Degree of chemical functionalization of carbon nanotubes determines tissue distribution and excretion profile

Getting rid of the tubes: An assessment of the retention of functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) in the organs of mice was carried out using single photon emission computed tomography and quantitative scintigraphy (see scheme). Increasing the degree of functionalization on MWNTs enhanced renal clearance, while lower functionalization promoted reticuloendethelial system accumulation.     

Development and validation of a multiresidue method for the analysis of 151 pesticide residues in strawberry by gas chromatography coupled to a triple quadrupole mass analyzer

A new method was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of 151 pesticide residues in strawberry by gas chromatography coupled to a triple quadrupole mass analyzer (GC/QqQ-MS/MS), mainly using the selected reaction monitoring (SRM) mode. The list of target compounds included various classes of pesticides such as organochlorine (OCPs), organophosphorus (OPPs), carbamates, pyrethroids, triazoles and dicarboximides. A single extraction of 10 g of sample with acetonitrile followed by liquid-liquid partition formed by the addition of 4 g of MgSO4 and 1 g of NaCl was applied in sample preparation. Cleanup of the extracts was carried out by applying dispersive solid-phase extraction (D-SPE) with primary secondary amine (PSA). The analysis time was 21 min. The method was subjected to a thorough validation procedure. The recovery data were obtained by spiking blank samples at two concentration levels (11.5 and 50 microg/kg), yielding recoveries in the range 70-110%. Precision values expressed as relative standard deviation (RSD) were lower than 18% and 22% for the intraday and interday precision, respectively. Linearity was studied in the range 10-200 microg/kg and determination coefficients (R(2)) were higher than 0.98% for all compounds. Limits of detection (LODs) and limits of quantification (LOQs) were established as 4 and 10 microg/kg, respectively. The overall uncertainty of the method was estimated at two different concentrations (11.5 and 50 microg/kg), being lower than 25% in both cases. According to the validation data and performance characteristics as well as the high sample throughput and low cost, the proposed method is suitable for routine application.     

Comparison of several extraction techniques for multiclass analysis of veterinary drugs in eggs using ultra-high pressure liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

This study compared four extraction methods for the simultaneous determination of tetracyclines, macrolides, quinolones, sulphonamides and anthelmintics (including benzimidazoles and avermectins) in eggs by ultra-high pressure liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS). Solvent extraction, solid-phase extraction (SPE), matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD) and modified QuEChERS procedure were compared in terms of recovery and number of veterinary drugs extracted. The solvent extraction procedure with a clean-up step provided better results than the other tested procedures. The QuEChERS procedure was simpler and faster, but extracted fewer compounds than solvent extraction. MSPD did not extract tetracyclines and quinolones, whereas macrolides and tetracyclines were not extracted when SPE was applied. The solvent extraction procedure was validated, obtaining recoveries ranging from 60% (sulfaquinoxaline) to 119% (levamisole) with repeatability values (expressed as relative standard deviations, RSDs) lower than 20% at two concentration levels (10 and 100 μg kg⁻¹), except for erythromycin, emamectin and ivermectin that showed RSD values close to 25% at 10 μg kg⁻¹. Limits of quantification (LOQs) were always equal or lower than 5 μg kg⁻¹. Finally the method was applied to egg samples, and erythromycin, enrofloxacin, difloxacin, thiabendazole, emamectin and fenbendazole were detected in four samples.     

Determination of St. John's wort components in dietary supplements and functional foods by liquid chromatography

St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum L.) preparations, a top-selling botanical dietary supplement used primarily as an antidepressant, has recently been used as an ingredient in some food products sold as functional foods. A rapid extraction technique followed by a liquid chromatographic (LC) method was developed to determine 4 characteristic bioactive compounds (pseudohypericin, hypericin, hyperforin, and adhyperforin) from St. John's wort in dietary supplements and functional foods to which it was added. Solid samples, including dried leaf/flower mixture, dietary supplement capsules, tea bags, puff and snack bar, were extracted with methanol by sonication. Noncarbonated, fruit-flavored drinks were centrifuged and mixed with methanol. Compounds were then determined by isocratic, reversed-phase LC with UV detection at 2 wavelengths and further identified or confirmed by photodiode array spectra and LC/mass spectrometry. Within-laboratory method variations (% RSD) were satisfactory. Very low amounts, if any, of the 4 components were found in drink and puff samples, and none was found in the snack bar. The methods developed provide a useful means for the determination of St. John's wort components in dietary supplements and functional foods.