Selenium redox cycling in the protective effects of organoselenides against oxidant-induced DNA damage

The biological role of selenium is a subject of intense current interest, and the antioxidant activity of selenoenzymes is now known to be dependent upon redox cycling of selenium within their active sites. Exogenously supplied or metabolically generated organoselenium compounds, capable of propagating a selenium redox cycle, might therefore supplement natural cellular defenses against the oxidizing agents generated during metabolism. We now report evidence that selenium redox cycling can enhance the protective effects of organoselenium compounds against oxidant-induced DNA damage. Phenylaminoethyl selenides were found to protect plasmid DNA from peroxynitrite-mediated damage by scavenging this powerful cellular oxidant and forming phenylaminoethyl selenoxides as the sole selenium-containing products. The redox properties of these organoselenoxide compounds were investigated, and the first redox potentials of selenoxides in the literature are reported here. Rate constants were determined for the reactions of the selenoxides with cellular reductants such as glutathione (GSH). These kinetic data were then used in a MatLab simulation, which showed the feasibility of selenium redox cycling by GSH in the presence of the cellular oxidant, peroxynitrite. Experiments were then carried out in which peroxynitrite-mediated plasmid DNA nick formation in the presence or absence of organoselenium compounds and GSH was monitored. The results demonstrate that GSH-mediated redox cycling of selenium enhances the protective effects of phenylaminoethyl selenides against peroxynitrite-induced DNA damage.     

Experimental observation of light-induced solitary waves of analyte bands in capillary electrophoresis.

The phenomenon of electrophoresis in free solution has been studied theoretically down to the molecular level for decades. In addition, intermolecular photo-induced proton transfer reactions, which occur in a wide class of molecules (phenols and aminoarenes) as well as proteins (green fluorescent protein), were also studied extensively. However, the study of the effect of light-induced electrophoretic mobility changes of the analytes in electrophoresis was begun only recently. In the present work, capillary zone electrophoresis was chosen as the environment to measure the magnitude of these electrophoretic mobility shifts induced by light. Background electrolytes (running electrolytes) with high refractive indices were developed, allowing the capillary to work like an optical fiber. The experimental conditions for obtaining stable coupling and guided laser light along the liquid core are discussed. Experimental evidence of band compression is observed, leading to a solitary wave behavior of the analyte band (2-naphthol). These solitary waves result from competition between thermal diffusion (dispersion mechanism) and a nonlinear (band compression) effect due to the combined electrophoresis phenomenon and absorption of guided light by the molecules of the band (which are subjected to a "reversible intermolecular proton transfer reaction" as one of their decay routes). The possibilities of applying this effect to different methods and techniques are also discussed.     

Metabolic profiling of urinary organic acids by single and multicolumn capillary gas chromatography

High-resolution gas chromatography (HRGC) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) are the techniques of choice to determine the retention indices of more than 200 organic acids as their trimethylsilyl (TMS) or oxime-trimethylsilyl derivatives. Several types of apolar and semipolar fused-silica capillary columns (OV-1, SE-52, and OV-1701), used to analyze and separate organic acids isolated from urine samples, are evaluated.     

The chemical ionization mass spectra of 2-tert-butyl-substituted 1,3-cycloalkanediol diacetates and dimethyl ethers

The chemical ionization (CI) mass spectra of the 2-tert-butyl-substituted 1,3-cyclopentane- and 1,3-cyclohexanediol diacetates and dimethyl ethers have been determined using isobutane and methane as reagent gases. From the differences in the spectra of these compounds, it clearly follows that steric and conformational effects are expresssed in the CI mass spectra. The relative impact of these effects, however, is strongly dependent on diol derivatization and 2-alkyl substitution.     

New sensitive liquid chromatography method coupled with tandem mass spectrometric detection for the clinical analysis of vinorelbine and its metabolites in blood, plasma, urine and faeces

A new sensitive and specific liquid chromatographic method coupled with tandem mass spectrometric detection was set up and validated for the simultaneous quantitation of vinorelbine, its main metabolite, 4-O-deacetylvinorelbine and two other minor metabolites, 20'-hydroxyvinorelbine and vinorelbine 6'-oxide. All these compounds, including vinblastine (used as internal standard) were deproteinised from blood, plasma and faeces (only diluted in urine), analysed on a cyano column and detected on a Micromass Quattro II system in the positive ion mode after ionisation, using an electrospray ion source. Under tandem mass spectrometry conditions, the specific product ions led one to accurately quantify vinorelbine and its metabolites in all biological fluids. In whole blood, linearity was assessed up to 200 ng/ml for vinorelbine and up to 50 ng/ml for the metabolites. The limit of quantitation was validated at 250 pg/ml for both vinorelbine and 4-O-deacetylvinorelbine. In the other biological media, the linearity was assessed within a same range and the limit of quantitation was adjusted according to the expected concentrations of each compound. This method was initially developed in order to identify the metabolite structures and to elucidate the metabolic pathway of vinorelbine. Thanks to its high sensitivity, this method has enabled the quantitation of vinorelbine and all its metabolites in whole blood over 168 h (i.e., 4-5 elimination half lives) whilst the previous liquid chromatographic methods allowed their measurement for a maximum of 48-72 h. Therefore, using this method has improved the reliability of the pharmacokinetic data analysis of vinorelbine.     

Studies on synthetic inorganic ion exchangers-V: preparation, properties and ion-exchange behaviour of amorphous and crystalline thorium tungstate

Amorphous and crystalline thorium tungstate have been prepared by mixing 0.1M thorium nitrate and 0.1M sodium tungstate under different conditions. The physico-chemical properties, chemical stability, composition, TGA, DTA, X-ray, infrared absorption and ion-exchange behaviour of thorium-tungstate are reported and discussed. Distribution coefficients of metal ions on thorium tungstate have been determined at pH 2-3 and 5.5-6.5. Selective ion-exchange separations of bismuth and mercury from other metal ions have been achieved on a column of thorium tungstate.     

Coupling of narrow-bore liquid chromatography to thin-layer chromatography : Part I. Interfacing

The coupling of liquid chromatography (l.c.) on narrow-bore columns to thin-layer chromatography (t.l.c.) is described. The effluent from a l.c. column can be deposited on a t.l.c. plate after a normal-phase or reversed-phase separation without serious loss of chromatographic information. Both silica and alkyl-modified silica plates can be used for storage. The interface is a fused silica capillary which connects the column outlet to the spray jet assembly of a Linomat applicator for t.l.c. The stored chromatogram can serve as starting point for a new separation, but also allows the use of detection principles which are normally not compatible with l.c. The chromatography of some polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons is used to illustrate the possibilities of the combinations.     

Generalized quadrangles in finite projective spaces

If a pointset of the projective spacePG(d,q), together with a lineset ofPG(d,q) form a generalized quadrangleS, thenS is of classical type. This beautiful theorem was proved by F. Buekenhout and C. Lefèvre. In this paper we give a simple proof of this theorem in the cased 4 (we suppose that the result is established ford = 3). We remark that in our proof a central role is played by the theory of subquadrangles.     

On the isomer shifts of129I impurities implanted in semiconductors

Mössbauer spectra of the 27.8 keV transition in¹²⁹I have been measured with sources of^129mTe implanted in - and -tin and - and -SiC. The spectra mainly show two single line components, just as those obtained in earlier investigations with sources of^129mTe implanted in diamond, silicon and germanium. The component with isomer shift corresponding to a decreased s-electron density relative to the I^– ion is attributed to the substitutionally implanted impurities, that with shift corresponding to an increased s-electron density to interstitial impurities. Plots of the shifts of both component show a linear dependence on the lattice constant for diamond, silicon and germanium and -tin. For SiC, however, the shifts are considerably smaller than expected on the basis of this linear dependence. All shifts can be quantitatively understood on the basis of a simple model that attributes the shifts of the interstitial impurities to a compression in the host lattice and shifts of the substitutional impurities to the combined effect of compression and hybridized bonding.