Storage method, drying processes and extraction procedures strongly affect the phenolic fraction of rosemary leaves: an HPLC/DAD/MS study

The Rosmarinus officinalis L. is widely known for its numerous applications in the food field but also for the increasing interest in its pharmaceutical properties. Two groups of compounds are mainly responsible for the biological activities of the plant: the volatile fraction and the phenolic constituents. The latter group is mainly constituted by rosmarinic acid, by a flavonoidic fraction and by some diterpenoid compounds structurally derived from the carnosic acid. The aim of our work was to optimize the extractive and analytical procedure for the determination of all the phenolic constituents. Moreover the chemical stability of the main phenols, depending on the storage condition, the different drying procedures and the extraction solvent, have been evaluated.This method allowed to detect up to 29 different constituents at the same time in a relatively short time. The described procedure has the advantage to being able to detect and quantify several classes of compounds, among them numerous minor flavonoids, thus contributing to improving knowledge of the plant.The findings from this study have demonstrated that storing the raw fresh material in the freezer is not appropriate for rosemary, mainly due to the rapid disappearing of the rosmarinic acid during the freezing/thawing process. Regarding the flavonoidic fraction, consistent decrements, were highlighted in the dried samples at room temperature if compared with the fresh leaf. Rosmarinic acid, appeared very sensitive also to mild drying processes. The total diterpenoidic content undergoes to little changes when the leaves are freeze dried or frozen and limited losses are observed working on dried leaves at room temperature. Nevertheless it can be taken in account that this fraction is very sensitive to the water presence during the extraction that favors the conversion of carnosic acid toward it oxidized form carnosol. From our findings, it appear evident that when evaluating the phenolic content in rosemary leaves, several factors, mainly the type of storage, the drying process and the extraction methods, should be carefully taken into account because they can induce partial losses of the antioxidant components.     

Biofunctionalization of anisotropic nanocrystalline semiconductor-magnetic heterostructures

Asymmetric binary nanocrystals (BNCs) formed by a spherical γ-Fe(2)O(3) magnetic domain epitaxially grown onto a lateral facet of a rodlike anatase TiO(2) nanorod have been functionalized with PEG-terminated phospholipids, resulting in a micellar system that enables the BNC dispersion in aqueous solution. The further processability of the obtained water-soluble BNC including PEG lipid micelles and their use in bioconjugation experiments has been successfully demonstrated by covalently binding to bovine serum albumin (BSA). The whole process has also been preliminarily performed on spherical iron oxide nanocrystals (NCs) and TiO(2) nanorods (NRs), which form single structural units in the heterostructures. Each step has been thoroughly monitored by using optical, structural, and electrophoretic techniques. In addition, an investigation of the magnetic behavior of the iron oxide NCs and BNCs, before and after incorporation into PEG lipid micelles and subsequently bioconjugation, has been carried out, revealing that the magnetic characteristics are mostly retained. The proposed approach to achieving water-soluble anisotropic BNCs and their bioconjugates has a large potential in catalysis and biomedicine and offers key functional building blocks for biosensor applications.     

The photodegradation of quercetin: relation to oxidation

The photostability of quercetin in alcoholic solutions was studied. Both UVA and UVB light induced degradation of quercetin, yielding a single product 1 deriving from oxidation and addition of an alcohol molecule to the 2,3 double bond. The same mechanism operated when quercetin was dissolved in alkaline solutions, and again a product 2 due to oxidation and addition of water was characterized. Comparison with quercetin analogs confirmed that, despite the presence of five hydroxy groups in quercetin, those in positions 3, 3', and 4' are mainly involved in the antioxidant activity of the compound , as well as in its photolability.     

Highly efficient intramolecular Cannizzaro reaction between 1,3-distal formyl groups at the upper rim of a cone-calix[4]arene

The 1,3-distal cone-calix[4]arene dialdehyde 1 undergoes Cannizzaro disproportionation in the presence of strong base, but its 1,2-vicinal regioisomer 3 and the analogous monoaldehyde 2 are unreactive under the same conditions. The high intramolecular reactivity of the 1,3-distal regioisomer 1 is measured and discussed in terms of Effective Molarity (EM).     

A Simple Route to New Cyclic (Chloroalkyl)phosphane‐, Diphosphane‐, and Aminophosphane Derivatives

The reaction between benzothiadiphosphole and, in sequence, a bis‐Grignard and a chloroalkyl Grignard reagent has been reported. It produced, after treatment of the crude reaction mixture with elemental sulfur, new chloroalkyl cyclic tertiary phosphane sulfides. These compounds have been successfully employed as precursors of new nonsymmetric phosphoamino and diphosphano derivatives.     

DESI-MS<Superscript>2</Superscript>: a rapid and innovative method for trace analysis of six cytostatic drugs in health care setting

With the aim of establishing exposure levels for hospital personnel preparing and administering cytostatic drugs (CDs), here, we present an innovative screening method based on the use of the desorption electrospray ionization (DESI) interface coupled with a hybrid quadrupole linear ion trap mass spectrometer. A rapid, simple, and sensitive procedure was developed for the simultaneous surface monitoring of cyclophosphamide, dacarbazine, methotrexate, vincristine, gemcitabine, and cytarabine. Since analytes were in the solid state, a novel approach based on the use of passive samplers was combined with the direct analysis of wipes. A PTFE-printed glass slide was used as a passive sampler, while hydrophobic centers of Swiffer® cloths were judged extremely efficient as wipe samplers. After the sampling period, the CD collectors were directly processed with the DESI-MS system without any further treatment. MS/MS confirmatory analysis was conducted using selected reaction monitoring in the positive ion mode and detection limits were evaluated. Values were at the picograms per square millimeter levels on the passive collector and at the picograms per square centimeter levels for the wipe ones. Direct determination on solid-state samples combined with mass spectrometry selectivity provided a powerful tool so far unapplied to occupational hygiene.

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Figure DESI interface detail (spray emitter and MS inlet) with 3D spacefill structures of the six cytostatic drugs analyzed

     

Red Orange and Bitter Orange IntegroPectin: Structure and Main Functional Compounds

DRIFT, HPLC-MS, and SPME-GC/MS analyses were used to unveil the structure and the main functional compounds of red (blood) orange (Citrus sinensis) and bitter orange (Citrus aurantium). The IntegroPectin samples show evidence that these new citrus pectins are comprised of pectin rich in RG-I hairy regions functionalized with citrus biophenols, chiefly flavonoids and volatile molecules, mostly terpenes. Remarkably, IntegroPectin from the peel of fresh bitter oranges is the first high methoxyl citrus pectin extracted via hydrodynamic cavitation, whereas the red orange IntegroPectin is a low methoxyl pectin. C. aurantium IntegroPectin has a uniquely high concentration of adsorbed flavonoids, especially the flavanone glycosides hesperidin, naringin, and eriocitrin.     

The chemical state of arsenic in minerals of environmental interest--an XPS and an XAES study

A systematic analytical study using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray induced Auger electron spectroscopy (XAES) has been carried out to characterize the chemical state of arsenic in complex environmental samples. The conventional approach, which relies on the chemical shift of the core levels As3d, provides ambiguous results in determining the chemical environment of arsenic. A more accurate approach, based on the Auger parameter and on the Wagner (Chemical State) plot, which combines AsLMM kinetic energy and As3d binding energy, was adopted. This novel method for determining the chemical state of arsenic was employed to completely characterize arsenic in complex environmental samples.     

Non-equilibrium properties of fluid interfaces: Aperiodic diffusion-controlled regime 1. Theory

Surface relaxation processes of liquid solutions, under not-far-from-equilibrium conditions, are interpreted from a phenomenological point of view by application of the theory of distributed systems. In the case of diffusion-controlled adsorption, exact analytical expressions describe the transient responses of bulk concentration and dynamic surface tension, consequent to trapezoidal pulses of relative surface area. The mathematical treatment shows that surface responses have a definite physical significance, as they manifest a constitutive property of the system, i.e. the surface dilational modulus.     

Stereospecific epoxidation of anthracyclinones: a route to 8(r)-methoxydaunomycinone

Stereoselective epoxidation of $\text{1}$, the 7,8-unsaturated derivative of daunomycinone, followed by $\text{trans}$ opening of the epoxide $\text{2}$, afforded 8(R)-methoxydaunomycinone $\text{6a}$; its configuration at C-8 was determined by chemical correlation and PMR studies.