Evaluation of a high-performance thin-layer chromatographic technique for the determination of salbutamol serum levels in clinical trials.

Salbutamol concentrations were determined by high-performance thin-layer chromatography in the sera of two sets of ten volunteers at hourly intervals for 6 h after taking one 8-mg slow-release tablet. The influence of time lapse in processing of serum samples, i.e. centrifugation, extraction and chromatography, was studied. A statistical significant instability of salbutamol in the sera of patients was found which was not present in standard drug-free serum samples spiked with salbutamol and used for construction of standard curves.     

Polarography of disodium pentacyanonitrosylferrate(II): Part 2. Determination at Therapeutic Levels in Serum,Plasma, and Whole Blood

Disodium pentacyanonitrosylferrat(II) (sodium nitroprusside) is determined at therapeutic (ng ml^?1) levels in plasma, serum and blood with conventional and high-performance differential pulse polarography (d.p.p. and h.p.d.p.p.) at a dropping mercury electrode or a static mercury drop electrode. Serum or plasma (3 ml) is treated with perchloric acid containing 1 mg ml^?1 potassium hexacyanoferrate(II), centrifuged for 10 min and subjected to polarography. For spiked serum, calibration graphs are linear over the range 30–1000 ng ml^?1 sodium nitroprusside, regardless of the polarographic technique; the estimated detection limit is 15 ng ml^?1 (5 × 10^?8 M). Calculated therapeutic levels range from 100 to 1000 ng ml^?1. Similar results were obtained for spiked plasma. A similar procedure is suitable for whole blood and was used to study the in-vitro degradation of sodium nitroprusside (200 ng ml^?1) on incubation at 37°C. The in-vitro loss is rapid (t_{$\text{1}\text{2}$} ≈ 6 min) but meaningful in-vivo levels can be obtained when the blood is collected in a 0.9% sodium chloride solution at 0°C. Thiocyanate, the main metabolite of nitroprusside, and thiosulphate, which is a potential antidote for cyanide, do not interfere.     

Metabolic Profile of Agropyron repens (L.) P. Beauv. Rhizome Herbal Tea by HPLC-PDA-ESI-MS/MS Analysis

Agropyron repens (L.) P. Beauv. (couch grass) is a world-wide infesting rhizomatous plant with pharmacological applications. Chemical research is focused on its allelopathic and anti-inflammatory components, which are mainly present in the essential oil. Conversely, the aqueous extracts have been sparingly investigated, although the herbal tea is by far the most used formulation. To fill the gap, the metabolic profile of Agropyron repens rhizome herbal tea was investigated by electrospray ionization (ESI) tandem–mass spectrometry (MS/MS); the phenolic profile was investigated by HPLC-PDA-ESI-MS/MS. ESI-MS fingerprinting was provided, evidencing diagnostic ions for saccharides, organic acids and amino acids. The HPLC-PDA-ESI-MS/MS analysis evidenced at least 20 characteristic phenolic compounds, the most representative being caffeoyl and feruloyl quinic esters, followed by coumaric, caffeic and ferulic acids, and hesperidin among flavonoids. In addition, the essential amino acid tryptophan was identified for the first time. The results suggest new perspectives of applications for Agropyron repens rhizome.     

Harnessing Protein-Ligand Interaction Fingerprints to Predict New Scaffolds of RIPK1 Inhibitors

Necroptosis has emerged as an exciting target in oncological, inflammatory, neurodegenerative, and autoimmune diseases, in addition to acute ischemic injuries. It is known to play a role in innate immune response, as well as in antiviral cellular response. Here we devised a concerted in silico and experimental framework to identify novel RIPK1 inhibitors, a key necroptosis factor. We propose the first in silico model for the prediction of new RIPK1 inhibitor scaffolds by combining docking and machine learning methodologies. Through the data analysis of patterns in docking results, we derived two rules, where rule #1 consisted of a four-residue signature filter, and rule #2 consisted of a six-residue similarity filter based on docking calculations. These were used in consensus with a machine learning QSAR model from data collated from ChEMBL, the literature, in patents, and from PubChem data. The models allowed for good prediction of actives of >90, 92, and 96.4% precision, respectively. As a proof-of-concept, we selected 50 compounds from the ChemBridge database, using a consensus of both molecular docking and machine learning methods, and tested them in a phenotypic necroptosis assay and a biochemical RIPK1 inhibition assay. A total of 7 of the 47 tested compounds demonstrated around 20–25% inhibition of RIPK1’s kinase activity but, more importantly, these compounds were discovered to occupy new areas of chemical space. Although no strong actives were found, they could be candidates for further optimization, particularly because they have new scaffolds. In conclusion, this screening method may prove valuable for future screening efforts as it allows for the exploration of new areas of the chemical space in a very fast and inexpensive manner, therefore providing efficient starting points amenable to further hit-optimization campaigns.     

A System for Determination of Precise Isotopic Vapor Pressure Differences from —20 to 110 °C,including Temperature Control to 0·001 over that Range)

An experimental system for the precise measurement of small vapor pressure differences over the range —20 to 110°C is described.     

The Stabilization of Metal Oxide Nanocrystals by the Addition of Alumina

A problem in the study of nanoparticles is that they will tend to grow at moderate temperatures. For example, most oxides (e.g. SnO₂, ZrO₂, MgO) will show significant grain growth at 400°C. This severely limits experimental studies that require measurements over an extensive temperature range. In this contribution we demonstrate that the incorporation of A1₂O₃, can significantly restrict grain growth in MgO and ZrO₂ even at high temperatures.