Characterization of Cyclic N-Acyliminium Ions by Infrared Ion Spectroscopy

N-Acyliminium ions are highly reactive intermediates that are important for creating CC-bonds adjacent to nitrogen atoms. Here we report the characterization of cyclic N-acyliminium ions in the gas phase, generated by collision induced dissociation tandem mass spectrometry followed by infrared ion spectroscopy using the FELIX infrared free electron laser. Comparison of DFT calculated spectra with the experimentally observed IR spectra provided valuable insights in the conformations of the N-acyliminium ions.     

Patterns in Protein Flexibility: A Comparison of NMR “Ensembles”, MD Trajectories,and Crystallographic B-Factors

Proteins are molecular machines requiring flexibility to function. Crystallographic B-factors and Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations both provide insights into protein flexibility on an atomic scale. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) lacks a universally accepted analog of the B-factor. However, a lack of convergence in atomic coordinates in an NMR-based structure calculation also suggests atomic mobility. This paper describes a pattern in the coordinate uncertainties of backbone heavy atoms in NMR-derived structural “ensembles” first noted in the development of FindCore2 (previously called Expanded FindCore: DA Snyder, J Grullon, YJ Huang, R Tejero, GT Montelione, Proteins: Structure, Function, and Bioinformatics 82 (S2), 219–230) and demonstrates that this pattern exists in coordinate variances across MD trajectories but not in crystallographic B-factors. This either suggests that MD trajectories and NMR “ensembles” capture motional behavior of peptide bond units not captured by B-factors or indicates a deficiency common to force fields used in both NMR and MD calculations.     

Application of Crude Pomace Powder of Chokeberry,Bilberry, and Elderberry as a Coloring Foodstuff

Berry pomace, rich in polyphenols, especially anthocyanins, accumulates during the production of red juices. Pomace from chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa Michx.), bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.), and elderberry (Sambucus nigra L.) represent good sources of coloring foodstuffs. Pomace powders (PP) were prepared by milling the seedless fractions of the three dried berry pomaces (50 °C, 8 h). Techno-functional properties of the powders such as particle size distribution, bulk density, sedimentation velocity, and swelling capacity were determined to evaluate the powders for possible food applications. Total anthocyanin content was quantified by UHPLC-DAD before and during a storage experiment to monitor the degradation of anthocyanins in the PP and in a yogurt model application. The high content of phenolic compounds and the still intact cell structure ensured high stability of anthocyanins over 28 days of storage. In the model application, color saturation was stable over the whole storage time of 14 days. Regarding the techno-functional properties, only a few differences between the three PP were observed. The particle size of elderberry PP was larger, resulting in lowest bulk density (0.45 g/mL), high cold-water solubility (16.42%), and a swelling capacity of 10.16 mL/g dw. Sedimentation velocity of the three PP was fast (0.02 mL/min) due to cluster formation of the particles caused by electrostatic and hydrophobic properties. Compared to other high-intensity coloring foodstuffs, the use of PP, showing acceptable color stability with potential health-promoting effects, represents a wide applicability in different food applications and especially in products with a longer shelf-life.     

Spectrofluorimetric determination of cephradine in commercial formulation using ethylacetoacetate-formaldehyde as fluorogenic agent

A simple, precise and sensitive spectrofluorimetric method was developed for the determination of cephradine in pharmaceutical formulations. The method is based on reaction of cephradine with ethyl acetoacetate (EAA) in the presence of formaldehyde in acidic media. The fluorescence intensity of the resultant fluorescent derivative was measured at 443 nm after excitation at 350 nm. The effects of various experimental parameters on the formation of the fluorescent product were studied and optimized. A linear relationship between concentration of cephradine and fluorescence intensity was found over the range of 0.1–5.0 μg/mL. The limit of detection and quantification were calculated an found 1.09 × 10^?2 ± 3.64 × 10^?3 μg/mL and 3.64 × 10^?2 ± 3.64 × 10^?3 μg/mL, respectively and with relative standard deviation (RSD) 4.14%. Accuracy of the method was checked by standard addition method and applied to four different commercial formulations. The percentage recovery was found in the range of 97.03 to 103.80% for Velora suspension, 98.16 to 102.90% for velocef injection, 99.00 to 108.10% for Velora capsule and 99.06 to 104.90% for Cefradin capsule. The good percentage recoveries from all samples indicated that there were no interferences from the common excipients of formulations. The proposed method was successfully applied to the analysis of commercial suspension, capsule and injections. The result obtained by the proposed method was statistically validated with reference HPLC method. No significant difference in the results of the two methods was found regarding accuracy and precision using Student’s t-test and the variance ratio F-test.     

Assessment of immobilized PGA orientation via the LC-MS analysis of tryptic digests of the wild type and its 3K-PGA mutant assists in the rational design of a high-performance biocatalyst

The mutant penicillin G acylase (PGA) 3K-PGA contains three additional Lys residues on the surface opposite the active site. This protein was designed to selectively drive its immobilization on aldehyde supports. We describe here a modified bottom-up proteomic method to assess the orientation of the immobilized wild-type and mutant proteins to verify our hypothesis of a driven immobilization induced by the mutations introduced. Tryptic digestion of the immobilized enzymes followed by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis of released peptides was performed. This protocol generated peptides from the most accessible surface areas of the immobilized protein, thus not directly bound to the solid support, providing direct evidence of the areas involved in the linkage to the solid matrix. The results obtained suggest that 72 % of the wild-type PGA is immobilized on aldehyde agarose mainly through the Lys residues on the same side of the active site, whereas 3K-PGA reacted with the same support preferentially through the additional Lys residues introduced by mutation on the opposite side. This demonstrates that the active site of the 3K-PGA faces mostly (63 %) toward the reaction medium, resulting in significantly improved accessibility to the substrates. This finding is supported by the catalytic properties of the immobilized biocatalysts. The two immobilized preparations were tested in the synthesis of mandelyl-7-aminocephalosporanic acid (mandelyl-7-ACA) by N-acylation of the β-lactam nucleus (7-aminocephalosporanic acid) with mandelic acid methyl ester: upon immobilization, the synthetic properties of wild-type PGA strongly decreased, whereas those of 3K-PGA were unaffected. Furthermore, the activity of 3K-PGA was not influenced by the physicochemical nature of the support used for immobilization (glyoxyl agarose or aldehyde Sepabeads) unlike that of wild-type PGA, whose active site is close to the matrix. The results obtained from the analytical characterization correlate well with those obtained by investigation of the synthetic properties of the immobilized enzymes both in the synthesis of mandelyl-7-ACA and in the preparative synthesis of cefazolin. This work highlights the effect exerted by site-directed mutagenesis on the orientation of PGA upon immobilization on solid matrices and suggests how protein engineering tools can be exploited in a synergistic fashion to rationally develop efficient biocatalysts.

A Validated Spectrofluorimetric Method for the Determination of Citalopram in Bulk and Pharmaceutical Preparations Based on the Measurement of the Silver Nanoparticles-Enhanced Fluorescence of Citalopram/Terbium Complexes

A simple, sensitive, and accurate spectrofluorimetric method was developed for the determination of citalopram in bulk and pharmaceutical preparations. The method is based on the enhancement of the weak fluorescence signal (FL) of the Tb (III)-citalopram system in the presence of silver nanoparticles. Fluorescence intensities were measured at 555 nm after excitation at 281 nm. Prepared silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were characterized by UV-Visible spectra and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Various factors affecting the formation of citalopram-Tb (III)-AgNPs complexes were studied and optimized. The fluorescence intensity versus concentration plot was linear over the range 0.02–14 μg?mL^?1, with an excellent correlation coefficient of 0.9978. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) were found to be 7.15?×?10^?6?μg?mL^?1 and 2.38?×?10^?5?μg?mL^?1 respectively. The proposed method was found to have good reproducibility with a relative standard deviation of 3.66 % (n?=?6). The interference effects of common excipients found in pharmaceutical preparations were studied. The developed method was validated statistically by performing recoveries studies and successfully applied for the assay of citalopram in bulk powder and pharmaceutical preparations. Percent recoveries were found to range from 98.98 % to 100.97 % for bulk powder and from 96.57 % to 101.77 % for pharmaceutical preparations.     

Solvent-free microwave-assisted synthesis of imidazo[1,5- a]pyridine and –quinoline derivatives

A quick and highly efficient microwave-assisted preparation of imidazopyridines and –quinolines is described, starting from the corresponding ketones and amines. The method requires no solvent and uses activated MnO₂ as an oxidant. A mechanism for the cyclization is proposed and discussed.