The effect of temperature on the analysis of metanephrine for catechol-O-methyltransferase activity assay by HPLC with electrochemical detection

The enzyme catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) plays an important role in the metabolism of catechol estrogens and degradation of the catecholamine neurotransmitters, such as epinephrine. Several analytical methods, mainly high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical amperometric detection, have been reported for the analysis of catecholamines and their metabolites in biological fluids. In this paper we report the relevance of controlling temperature in calibration procedures of metanephrine, an O-methylated product of catechol-O-methyltransferase, using epinephrine as substrate. The results at higher temperatures show shorter retention times of metanephrine, no undue band-broadening and increased electro signals. This study also showed that, despite different temperatures leading to similarly specific activities of recombinant human COMT as expected, there are additional advantages in flow analytical methods where good sensitivity, efficiency and selectivity is required, mainly in tissues with low levels of COMT activity.     

Induction of apoptosis by photoexcited tetracyclic compounds derivatives of benzo[b]thiophenes and pyridines

The antiproliferative activity, upon UVA irradiation, of two tetracyclic derivatives of benzo[b]thiophenes and pyridines, a benzo[b]thienopyridopyrimidone (1) and a thienocarboline (2), has been investigated in a panel of human tumor cell lines. The two compounds present a remarkable cytotoxicity after UVA irradiation (365 nm), reaching an IC50 of 0.1 microM in the leukaemia cell lines and 0.3-0.5 microM in the solid tumour cell lines. Their effect on the cell cycle was measured by flow cytometry in Jurkat cells. The compounds induce cell cycle perturbations and trigger a massive apoptosis as revealed by the externalisation of Annexin V-targeted residues at the outer plasmatic membrane. Furthermore the drugs induce, upon UVA irradiation significant variations of the mitochondrial potential (Deltapsi(mt)) measured by flow cytometry using the fluorochrome JC-1. In addition we characterized the mitochondrial production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) using the probe dihydroethidine (HE) and the oxidations of the mitochondrial phospholipid cardiolipin using the interacting probe nonyl acridine orange (NAO). Both compounds stimulate the production of ROS, and remarkably induce oxidation of cardiolipin. We have investigated the DNA-binding properties of these two compounds by means of UV-Vis spectroscopy and fluorescence. The two compounds exhibit a low affinity toward the macromolecule. The mode of binding was also investigated by means of flow linear dichroism (LD) which has revealed that the two compounds do not efficiently intercalate into DNA. Finally, the DNA-photocleavaging properties of the test compounds were studied on pBR322 plasmid DNA as a model. Only compound 1 is able to induce a significant production of single strand breaks only after digestion with the base excision repair enzyme Endo III. Altogether these data suggest that DNA is not a preferential target of these molecules and other subcellular structures may be responsible for their high phototoxic activity.     

Preface: artificial intelligence in operations management

Annals of Operations Research -     

Influence of toasting on the nutritious and thermal properties of flaxseed

Chemical and thermal analyses of golden and brown flaxseeds were carried out for raw and toasted seeds aiming at evaluating their nutritional and thermo-oxidative properties. Moisture, lipids, protein, soluble carbohydrates, and ash contents were quantified. Concerning lipids and proteins, in average, no meaningful differences were observed for the two varieties, being also equivalent to the literature data. The golden variety had a lower amount of fibers and a higher amount of soluble carbohydrates than the brown variety. The techniques of thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry were applied for elucidating the thermal degradation process of the seeds. The toasted gold and brown seeds were more stable to thermal decomposition than the raw seeds, under oxidative conditions. Golden seeds seem to be more susceptible to oxidation than brown seeds, under toasting conditions. Finally, no meaningful advantages were observed for the golden seeds in comparison to the brown ones.     

Thermo-oxidative decomposition of biodiesel samples obtained from mixtures of beef tallow,soybean oil,and babassu oil

Biodiesel can be obtained from various fatty acid sources. Each raw material has a different chemical composition that leads to different properties. Owing to these properties, the mixture of different proportions of raw materials can lead to biodiesels with best features in relation to physicochemical parameters such as viscosity, oxidative stability and flow properties, generating a fuel whose characteristics meet the requirements of the current legislation of the Brazilian National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP). The objective of this study was to determine the physicochemical properties of biodiesel samples produced from mixtures of beef tallow, babassu oil, and soybean oil. The thermo-oxidative stability was evaluated using thermogravimetry (TG/DTG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The results showed that all samples were in accordance to the ANP specifications. The biodiesel obtained from a mixture containing 50% of babassu oil had lower values of pour point, cold filter plugging point, and freezing point. This biodiesel also showed a higher thermo-oxidative stability in synthetic air and in oxygen atmospheres.     

Trichloro-bridged diruthenium (III,III) complexes: X-ray isomorphous structures of [Ph3X=O···H···O=XPh3][Ru2Cl7(XPh3)2]·0.5(CH2Cl2)(H2O)(X = As or P)

The triply chloro-bridged binuclear complexes [Ph₃X=O···H···O=XPh₃][Ru₂Cl₇(XPh₃)₂]·0.5(CH₂Cl₂)(H₂O) (X = As or P) were obtained from [RuCl₃(XPh₃)₂DMA]·DMA (DMA = dimethylacetamide) CH₂Cl₂/Et₂O solution. The structures were characterized by X-ray diffraction studies. The complexes are formed from two Ru atoms bridged by three chloride anions. The two ruthenium atoms are also coordinated to two non-bridging Cl atoms and an AsPh₃ or PPh₃ ligand respectively. As an interesting feature, the cations of these complexes are protons, trapped in a very short hydrogen bond between two triphenylarsine or triphenylphosphine oxide molecules.     

Study of hydrophobic interaction adsorption of bovine serum albumin under overloaded conditions using flow microcalorimetry

The adsorption behavior of bovine serum albumin (BSA) on a Sepharose based hydrophobic interaction support has been studied. Flow microcalorimetry has been used to determine the heat of adsorption under overloaded chromatographic conditions. These data have been complemented with capacity factor and isotherm measurements to provide insight on the mechanisms of adsorption. The heat of adsorption data have confirmed that the hydrophobic interaction adsorption of BSA under linear isotherm conditions is driven by entropy changes. Under overloaded (non-linear) conditions, however, it has been shown that the changes in enthalpy can drive adsorption; this behavior is not evident from analyses of capacity factor data. It is postulated that for BSA adsorption on the Sepharose derivative of interest, attractive force interactions between adsorbed protein molecules drive the adsorption process under overloaded conditions in a high (NH4)2SO4 environment. It is further postulated that these interactions are due to a change in confirmation of the adsorbed protein under these conditions.     

Effect of salts and temperature on the adsorption of bovine serum albumin on polypropylene glycol-Sepharose under linear and overloaded chromatographic conditions

The interaction thermodynamics associated with bovine serum albumin (BSA) adsorption on polypropylene glycol (PPG)-Sepharose CL-6B gel, using ammonium and sodium sulfate was studied. Analysis of data under linear conditions was accomplished with the stoichiometric displacement retention model and preferential interaction approach. Preferential interaction analysis indicated a strong entropic driving force due to the release of a large amount of solvent on adsorption. Flow microcalorimetry provided direct heat of adsorption measurements under overloaded conditions and confirmed that the adsorption of BSA on PPG-Sepharose was entropically driven within the range of conditions studied. Using these data in combination with isotherm measurements, it is shown that protein surface coverage, salt concentration, salt type and temperature affect the enthalpic and entropic behavior in hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC). This study shows that protein-sorbent interactions can be strongly influenced by the degree of water release, protein-protein interactions on the surface, and the re-orientation and/or reconfiguration of the adsorbed protein.     

Resistive‐type humidity sensors based on PVP–Co and PVP–I2 complexes

Poly(vinylpyrrolidone) films containing cobalt chloride or iodine were investigated to obtain information on their possible use as a humidity sensor element. FTIR and UV‐VIS spectroscopies were used to characterize the PVP–I₂ and PVP–Co complexes. Infrared spectroscopy revealed a structural change of both shape and intensity of the carbonyl and lactam bands, indicating the formation of an ion‐coordination polymer. The J–E curves for pure PVP, PVP–I₂, and PVP–Co films obey ohm's law at low voltages, deviate from the linear response at higher voltages, and finally display breakdown behavior. An increase in current density of the PVP matrix with iodine or cobalt doping is attributed to the formation of charge transfer complexes. The observed hysteresis of the I–V characteristics implies that there was some standing voltage in the film, which could be attributed to a disorientation of polar side groups of PVP. The electrical conductivities of the polymeric complexes were very sensitive to environmental humidity. An explanation of the humidity‐sensing behavior of the PVP–I₂ and PVP–Co complexes is presented. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 39: 459–469, 2001