LC–MS bioanalysis of intact proteins and peptides

Bioanalysis assays that reliably quantify biotherapeutics and biomarkers in biological samples play pivotal roles in drug discovery and development. Liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (LC–MS), owing to its superior specificity, faster method development and multiplex capability, has evolved as one of the most important platforms for bioanalysis of biotherapeutics, particularly new scaffolds such as half-life extension platforms for proteins and peptides, as well as antibody drug conjugates. Intact LC–MS analysis is orthogonal to bottom-up surrogate peptide approach by providing whole molecule quantitation and high-level sequence and structure information. Here we review the latest development in LC–MS bioanalysis of intact proteins and peptides by summarizing recent publications and discussing the important topics such as the comparison between top-down intact analysis and bottom-up surrogate peptide approach, as well as simultaneous quantitation and catabolite identification. Key bioanalytical issues around intact protein bioanalysis such as sensitivity, data processing strategies, specificity, sample preparation and LC condition are elaborated. For peptides, topics including quantitation of intact peptide vs. digested surrogate peptide, metabolites, sensitivity, LC condition, assay performance, internal standard and sample preparation are discussed.     

Characterization of In Vivo Metabolites of a Potential Anti-obesity Compound,the 3-Methyl-1H-Purine-2,6-Dione Derivative C-11, Employing Ultra-High Performance Liquid Chromatography Coupled with Quadrupole Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry

C-11 (2-((7-Ethyl-3-methyl-8-(4-(2-(methyl(pyridin-2-yl)-amino)-ethoxy)phenyl)-2,6-dioxo-2,3,6,7-tetrahydro-1H-purin-1-yl)methyl)benzonitrile-one hydrochloride), which is based on the structure of rosiglitazone, was first synthesized in our laboratory and shown to be a promising anti-obesity drug candidate in our previous pharmacological study. Considering the importance of metabolic fate in vivo in the further development of drug candidates during early drug discovery, it is essential to characterize the metabolism of C-11 in vivo. In this work, a method based on ultra-high performance liquid chromatography combined with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC/Q-TOF-MS) was successfully developed to investigate the in vivo metabolic profile of C-11 in rats. Rat urine, feces, and plasma samples were collected from male Sprague–Dawley rats after intravenous administration of C-11 in a single dose of 30 mg kg⁻¹ body weight. Besides the parent drug, a total of 25 metabolites (including 18 phase I and 7 phase II metabolites) were detected and tentatively identified by comparing their mass spectrometry profiles with those of C-11. This enabled the metabolic pathways of C-11 to be proposed for the first time. Our results revealed that N-depyridinylation, N-demethylation, hydroxylation, glucuronidation, and sulfate conjugation are the predominant metabolic pathways of C-11 in rats. The present study provides systematic information on the metabolism of C-11 in vivo, which should lead to a better understanding of its safety and mechanism of action.

     

Spectroscopic and time-dependent density functional investigation of the role of structure on the acid-base effects of citrinin detection

A time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) study was carried out on tautomers of the mycotoxin citrinin in the neutral, anionic, and cationic forms to gain insight into the role of chemical structure on detection. Steady-state fluorescence studies of citrinin in micellar aqueous solutions produced unusual results for ionic surfactants and the neutral Triton X-100 enhanced fluorescence emission. Ground-state and time-dependent density functional studies were carried out on five tautomers of citrinin using the B3LYP density functional and the 6-311+G(2df,2p) basis set. The investigation revealed that deprotonation is a major factor governing the shifts in fluorescence excitation and emission maxima. Moreover, the position of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals is removed from the fluorophore moiety of citrinin in the dianionic state which is consistent with the diminished fluorescence of the toxin in basic solutions. The ionic characteristics of certain chemosensors can influence the structure and intrinsic spectroscopic properties of citrinin.     

含苯并咪唑基配体钴(Ⅱ)配合物的合成、晶体结构和儿茶酚酶活性

合成和表征了一种钴(Ⅱ)配合物,[CoLCl]₂[CoLCl_0.5(H₂O)_0.5]₂ClO₄·10H₂O (1)(LH=(2-(二((1H-苯并咪唑-2-基)甲基)氨基)乙酸))。以3,5-二叔丁基儿茶酚(3,5-DTBC)为反应底物,用紫外光谱测试了1的儿茶酚酶催化活性。研究结果表明:在配合物的晶体结构中,不对称单元的2个Co(Ⅱ)都形成变形的三角双锥构型。在pH=5~11范围内,配合物1对3,5-DTBC的氧化显示了pH值依赖性,它的儿茶酚酶催化活性随着温度的升高而升高,并且其催化氧化3,5-DTBC的动力学符合米氏方程模型。     

钛表面生物活性榍石/氧化钛复合涂层的结构和磷灰石形成机理

采用微弧氧化和热处理复合技术,在钛表面制备了具有双层结构的榍石/氧化钛复合涂层。榍石/氧化钛复合涂层的外层是由微弧氧化涂层经热处理后晶化生成;而内层是由钛基底的氧化生成,并且氧化钛表现出不同的Ti,O原子比。由于钛基底的氧化,孔径在50~500nm的微孔呈层状结构分布在涂层内层。与微弧氧化涂层相比,该复合涂层具有很好的磷灰石诱导能力,这是由于榍石沿着特定晶面和晶向与羟基磷灰石表现出良好的晶体学匹配关系,从而为磷灰石的成核和取向沉积过程提供良好的位点。     

惰性化学键活化与重组

惰性化学键的活化与重组是近几年来非常热门的研究领域, 同时这个领域也非常富有挑战性. 本文以麻生明教授为首席的国家重点基础研究发展项目（973项目）“惰性化学键的选择性激活、重组及其控制”为基础, 阐述了惰性碳-杂原子键, 碳-氢键, 碳-碳键, 二氧化碳和氧气小分子四个方面的活化和重组, 介绍了一些催化合成的新方法. 这些新方法在完成惰性化学键活化和重组的同时, 也注重于降低污染, 使用更温和的条件, 提高了原子经济性, 为可持续发展战略提供了强有力的技术支持.     

Empetrifranzinans A和Empetrifranzinans C的全合成及其抗肿瘤活性

以间苯三酚为起始原料,L-脯氨酸为催化剂,经由两步反应首次合成了Empetrifranzinans A(1a,总收率60%)和Empetrifranzinans C(总收率55%),其结构经1H NMR,13C NMR和HR-MS确证。初步药理筛选实验结果表明,1a对人结肠癌、肝癌、胃癌、肺腺癌、卵巢癌细胞表现出了较强的细胞毒作用,其IC50分别为<0.1,1.31,4.90,8.98和3.65μmol·L-1。     

NO2在黑碳表面的非均相反应

HONO是大气中OH自由基的重要来源,NO2在黑碳表面可反应生成HONO,因此NO2在黑碳表面的非均相反应引起了人们的关注。目前不同研究小组测量的摄取系数可相差7个数量级,选择不同的摄取系数去评估非均相反应的重要性将得到完全不同的结果。本文在深入分析NO2在黑碳表面反应机理的基础上,从反应体系、黑碳表面性质、反应条件等角度对不同小组测量的摄取系数存在差异的原因进行了分析,为模式中摄取系数的选取提供了依据。     

Synthesis and Characterization of Task‐Specific Ionic Liquids Possessing Two Brönsted Acid Sites

Abstract

Task‐specific ionic liquids possessing two Brönsted acid sites with –COOH, HSO^? ₄, or H₂PO^? ₄ groups have been designed, synthesized, and characterized. Under mild conditions and without any additional organic solvent, the esterification of isopropanol by chloroacetic acid could be carried out in these new task‐specific ionic liquids. In comparison with most of acidic ionic liquids in current use, these ionic liquids are halogen free and more environmentally benign as media and catalysts.     

Preparation and Characterization of Styrene/Butyl Acrylate Emulsifier-Free Latex with 2-Acrylamido-2-Methyl Propane Sulfonic Acid as a Reactive Emulsifier

A kind of emulsifier-free latex (FL) was successfully synthesized from styrene (St) and butyl acrylate (BA) with 2-acrylamido-2-methyl propane sulfonic acid (AMPS) as a reactive emulsifier. The particle size of latex particles, stability against electrolytes, minimum film forming temperature (MFT) and water contact angle (CA) were evaluated and compared with a conventional latex (CL). Test results show that FL has larger particle size, better stability against electrolytes and lower MFT value compared with CL; higher AMPS content leads to smaller particle size and smaller water CA.