Functional Analysis of Autoantibody Signatures in Rheumatoid Arthritis

For the identification of antigenic protein biomarkers for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), we conducted IgG profiling on high density protein microarrays. Plasma IgG of 96 human samples (healthy controls, osteoarthritis, seropositive and seronegative RA, n = 24 each) and time-series plasma of a pristane-induced arthritis (PIA) rat model (n = 24 total) were probed on AIT’s 16k protein microarray. To investigate the analogy of underlying disease pathways, differential reactivity analysis was conducted. A total of n = 602 differentially reactive antigens (DIRAGs) at a significance cutoff of p < 0.05 were identified between seropositive and seronegative RA for the human samples. Correlation with the clinical disease activity index revealed an inverse correlation of antibodies against self-proteins found in pathways relevant for antigen presentation and immune regulation. The PIA model showed n = 1291 significant DIRAGs within acute disease. Significant DIRAGs for (I) seropositive, (II) seronegative and (III) PIA were subjected to the Reactome pathway browser which also revealed pathways relevant for antigen presentation and immune regulation; of these, seven overlapping pathways had high significance. We therefore conclude that the PIA model reflects the biological similarities of the disease pathogenesis. Our data show that protein array analysis can elucidate biological differences and pathways relevant in disease as well be a useful additional layer of omics information.     

Simultaneous preconcentration and determination of nickel and cobalt using functionalised mesoporous silica spheres by ICP-OES

In this work functionalised mesoporous silica spheres have been utilised for the simultaneous preconcentration of nickel and cobalt. The silica spheres (SiSPs) prepared by the sol-gel method were functionalised with sodium diethyldithiocarbamate (DDTC-SiSPs). They were characterised by SEM, TEM, XRD, FTIR, CHN and nitrogen adsorption. The adsorption efficiency of DDTC-SiSPs was examined by batch equilibrium technique. The DDTC-SiSPs showed 100% adsorption for Ni (II) and Co (II). The effect of changing variables such as pH, shaking time, sample volume, preconcentration factor, eluent type and volume were investigated so as to obtain maximum recovery with high selectivity over interfering ions. The maximum adsorption capacity was found to be 15.15 mg g^?1 and 11.80 mg g^?1 for Ni (II) and Co (II) respectively using DDTC-SiSPs. 100% recovery was achieved with 5 mL of 2 M HNO₃. The maximum preconcentration factor was 400 and the 3σ limits of detection were 0.201 µg L^?1 and 0.198 µg L^?1 for Ni (II) and Co (II) respectively. Thermodynamic studies showed that adsorption of Ni (II) and Co (II) on DDTC-SiSPs is exothermic with enthalpy changes of –0.514 KJ mol^?1 and –0.854 KJ mol^?1 for Ni (II) and Co (II) respectively. The method was applied to the preconcentration and determination of Ni (II) and Co (II) from tap, river and sea water.     

Gold-Catalyzed C(sp2)−C(sp) Coupling by Alkynylation through Oxidative Addition of Bromoalkynes

A gold(I)-catalyzed cascade cyclization–alkynylation of allenoates using alkynyl bromide to generate β-alkynyl-γ-butenolides was investigated. Whereas alkynyl iodides afforded significant amounts of the homo-coupling of two lactone units, alkynyl bromides led to a selective reaction, and a broad functional group tolerance was observed. Under the optimized reaction conditions, it was possible to directly synthesize a large range of β-alkynyl-γ-butenolides in moderate to good yields without the need for any external oxidant.     

Do Sulfonamides Interact with Aromatic Rings?

Aromatic rings form energetically favorable interactions with many polar groups in chemical and biological systems. Recent molecular studies have shown that sulfonamides can chelate metal ions and form hydrogen bonds, however, it is presently not established whether the polar sulfonamide functionality also interacts with aromatic rings. Here, synthetic, spectroscopic, structural, and quantum chemical analyses on 2,6-diarylbenzenesulfonamides are reported, in which two flanking aromatic rings are positioned close to the central sulfonamide moiety. Fine-tuning the aromatic character by substituents on the flanking rings leads to linear trends in acidity and proton affinity of sulfonamides. This physical-organic chemistry study demonstrates that aromatic rings have a capacity to stabilize sulfonamides via through-space NH–π interactions. These results have implications in rational drug design targeting electron-rich aromatic rings in proteins.     

A comparison of nano‐electrospray gas‐phase electrophoretic mobility macromolecular analysis and matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization linear time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry for the characterization of the recombinant coagulation glycoprotein von Willebrand factor

Von Willebrand factor (VWF), an adhesive glycoprotein with an approximate molecular weight (MW) of the monomer of 260 kDa, circulates in human blood plasma as a series of multimers ranging in size up to 20.000 kDa; thus the determination of the accurate MW of the monomer is of great importance and due to its high MW quite challenging. In this study accurate MW determination of intact recombinant VWF monomer (rVWF) was performed with GEMMA (gas‐phase electrophoretic mobility macromolecular analysis) and MALDI TOF MS (matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization linear time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry). Three rVWF preparations with differing buffer systems and glycoprotein concentrations were analyzed. First investigations directed towards heterogeneity determination by means of capillary gel electrophoresis (CGE)‐on‐the‐chip with a laser‐induced fluorescence detector revealed two compounds (MW of 277 kDa (migration time 44.3 s) and 341 kDa (migration time 49.5 s)) present in each sample to varying extents, namely mature and pro‐rVWF. MALDI MS analysis in the linear positive ion mode allowed the detection of mature rVWF with an exact MW of 256.1 kDa (±0.8%) and pro‐rVWF with a MW of 349.8 kDa (±0.8%). Two samples containing pro‐rVWF in very minor concentration resulted in GEMMA detection of the mature rVWF with a MW of 227.4 kDa (±2.5%), derived from the measured globular size of 10.9 nm. For one sample containing both rVWF species in almost equal concentrations no differentiation of the two species was possible with GEMMA. Due to its lower resolution only a peak representing a mixture of both species at 11.8 nm could be observed, yielding a MW of 298.8 kDa (±1.6%). Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis,Structure, Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy,and Electronic Structures of the Phosphidotrielates Li3AlP2 and Li3GaP2

The lithium phosphidoaluminate Li₉AlP₄ represents a promising new compound with a high lithium ion mobility. This triggered the search for new members in the family of lithium phosphidotrielates, and the novel compounds Li₃AlP₂ and Li₃GaP₂, obtained directly from the elements via ball milling and subsequent annealing, are reported here. It was unexpectedly found through band structure calculations that Li₃AlP₂ and Li₃GaP₂ are direct band gap semiconductors with band gaps of 3.1 and 2.8 eV, respectively. Rietveld analyses reveal that both compounds crystallize isotypically in the orthorhombic space group Cmce (no. 64) with lattice parameters of a=11.5138(2), b=11.7634(2) and c=5.8202(1) Å for Li₃AlP₂, and a=11.5839(2), b=11.7809(2) and c=5.8129(2) Å for Li₃GaP₂. The crystal structures feature TrP₄ (Tr=Al, Ga) corner- and edge-sharing tetrahedra, forming two-dimensional layers. The lithium atoms are located between and inside these layers. The crystal structures were confirmed by MAS-NMR spectroscopy.     

Thermal catalytic conversion of the used isobutyl isoprene rubber into valuable hydrocarbons

An environment friendly method, thermal catalytic pyrolysis of used isobutyl isoprene rubber was investigated. In this method, the used inner butyl tube rubbers were catalytically pyrolyzed into valuable hydrocarbons and carbon black. In this method, the tube rubber was pyrolyzed both thermally (with out catalyst) and catalytically in a batch reactor under atmospheric pressure. The effect of temperature, the amount of catalyst, and the reaction time on the yields of the pyrolyzed products were investigated. Char yield decreased with increase of pyrolysis temperature while total gas and liquid yields increased. The liquid fraction was obtained with boiling point up to 478 K. At optimum conditions, the liquid product was collected and analyzed for different fuel properties. Typical analysis of the used isobutyl isoprene rubber oil for both the cases of parent and refluxed oil has been performed. Phenols and carbonyls were quantitatively determined by spectrophotometric methods using folin-denis and phenyl hydrazine reagents, respectively. The distillation data showed that ~100% of oil has boiling point <473 K which is the boiling point for 80% of distilled product in commercial kerosene. Its specific gravity, viscosity, freezing point, Cetane number, and diesel index were also within the limits of kerosene.     

Quantitative determination of alkannins and shikonins in endemic Mediterranean Alkanna species

The optical antipodes alkannin/shikonin (A/S) and their esters are potent pharmaceutical substances found in the roots of 150 Boraginaceous species. This study estimated and compared total and free A/S content and A/S enantiomeric ratio in roots of 11 Alkanna species (A. corcyrensis, A. tinctoria, A. pindicola, A. orientalis, A. methanaea, A. calliensis, A. graeca, A. primuliflora, A. stribrnyi, A. sieberi and A. noneiformis) growing wild in various Greek regions, to compare with cultivated species. It also re‐characterized the chirality of A/S commercial samples, since most of them were misnamed by the providers. Several Alkanna species were collected (groups 1 and 3) and botanically identified, whereas some Alkanna species were cultivated from collected seeds (group 2). Free A/S and derivatives were extracted from the dried roots of Alkanna species and analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography‐diode array detection (HPLC‐DAD). For total A/S content the hexane extracts of Alkanna roots were hydrolyzed and analyzed by HPLC‐DAD. Chirality determination and A/S enantiomeric ratio estimation was performed for several commercial samples by polarimetry,chiral LC‐DAD and circular dichroism studies. Quantitative analysis revealed that A/S content varied from one region to another even within the same species. Most of the cultivated samples contained greater amounts of free and total A/S compared with the wild ones, wheras no difference was observed in A/S enantiomeric ratio. All the Alkanna samples tested contain mainly alkannin derivatives. Some of the examined Alkanna species of the Greek flora that are endemic to the Mediterranean area could serve as alternative sources for medicinally valuable A/S derivatives. Most of the commercial A/S samples tested were misnamed in terms of chirality and re‐characterized. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.