Azidopropylvinylsulfonamide as a New Bifunctional Click Reagent for Bioorthogonal Conjugations: Application for DNA–Protein Cross‐Linking

N‐(3‐Azidopropyl)vinylsulfonamide was developed as a new bifunctional bioconjugation reagent suitable for the cross‐linking of biomolecules through copper(I)‐catalyzed azide–alkyne cycloaddition and thiol Michael addition reactions under biorthogonal conditions. The reagent is easily clicked to an acetylene‐containing DNA or protein and then reacts with cysteine‐containing peptides or proteins to form covalent cross‐links. Several examples of bioconjugations of ethynyl‐ or octadiynyl‐modified DNA with peptides, p53 protein, or alkyne‐modified human carbonic anhydrase with peptides are given.     

Stereoselective determination of drugs and metabolites in body fluids,tissues and microsomal preparations by capillary electrophoresis (2000–2010)

During the past two decades, chiral capillary electrophoresis (CE) emerged as a promising, effective and economic approach for the enantioselective determination of drugs and their metabolites in body fluids, tissues and in vitro preparations. This review discusses the principles and important aspects of CE-based chiral bioassays, provides a survey of the assays developed during the past 10 years and presents an overview of the key achievements encountered in that time period. Applications discussed encompass the pharmacokinetics of drug enantiomers in vivo and in vitro, the elucidation of the stereoselectivity of drug metabolism in vivo and in vitro, and bioanalysis of drug enantiomers of toxicological, forensic and doping interest. Chiral CE was extensively employed for research purposes to investigate the stereoselectivity associated with hydroxylation, dealkylation, carboxylation, sulfoxidation, N-oxidation and ketoreduction of drugs and metabolites. Enantioselective CE played a pivotal role in many biomedical studies, thereby providing new insights into the stereoselective metabolism of drugs in different species which might eventually lead to new strategies for optimization of pharmacotherapy in clinical practice.     

A novel fused-silica capillary dropping mercury electrode with long drop-time and its application on determination of critical micelle concentration

A novel long drop time mercury electrode has been constructed from common fused-silica capillary (50 μm I.D., 360 μm E.D.). Proposed device provides reproducible mercury drops with typical lifetime 40-120 s. The electrode was used for a set of electrocapillary measurements aimed at determination of critical micelle concentration of anionic surfactants by a convection controlled drop-time technique. A critical micelle concentration of sodium dodecyl sulfate 5.6 ± 0.4 mmol L⁻¹ and 4.3 ± 0.4 mmol L⁻¹ were obtained in 1 mmol L⁻¹ and 5 mmol L⁻¹ phosphate buffer (pH 7.0), respectively. The values were comparable to those obtained from conductometric measurements under the same conditions (7.0 ± 0.1 mmol L⁻¹ and 5.2 ± 0.1 mmol L⁻¹, respectively) and the difference was explained in accordance with theory of hemi-micelle formation.     

Dynamic high-resolution computer simulation of electrophoretic enantiomer separations with neutral cyclodextrins as chiral selectors

GENTRANS, a comprehensive one-dimensional dynamic simulator for electrophoretic separations and transport, was extended for handling electrokinetic chiral separations with a neutral ligand. The code can be employed to study the 1:1 interaction of monovalent weak and strong acids and bases with a single monovalent weak or strong acid or base additive, including a neutral cyclodextrin, under real experimental conditions. It is a tool to investigate the dynamics of chiral separations and to provide insight into the buffer systems used in chiral capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) and chiral isotachophoresis. Analyte stacking across conductivity and buffer additive gradients, changes of additive concentration, buffer component concentration, pH, and conductivity across migrating sample zones and peaks, and the formation and migration of system peaks can thereby be investigated in a hitherto inaccessible way. For model systems with charged weak bases and neutral modified β-cyclodextrins at acidic pH, for which complexation constants, ionic mobilities, and mobilities of selector-analyte complexes have been determined by CZE, simulated and experimentally determined electropherograms and isotachopherograms are shown to be in good agreement. Simulation data reveal that CZE separations of cationic enantiomers performed in phosphate buffers at low pH occur behind a fast cationic migrating system peak that has a small impact on the buffer composition under which enantiomeric separation takes place.     

On statistical sensitivity analysis in stochastic programming

Different approaches to statistical sensitivity analysis for optimal solutions of stochastic programs are discussed and compared. Possibilities of drawing conclusions about asymptotic behavior of estimated optimal solutions by means of stability properties of auxiliary randomly perturbed convex quadratic programs are indicated and illustrated on a numerical example.     

Postoptimality for multistage stochastic linear programs

The contamination technique is presented as a flexible and relatively easily tractable tool to postoptimality analysis for scenario based multistage stochastic linear programs. It is promising especially in cases when the influence of additional or out-of-sample scenarios on the already solved problem is to be explored.Research supported in part by the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic under Grant No. 402/93/0631.     

FIA titrations of phenothiazine derivatives in aqueous micellar and non-aqueous media

New methods of flow injection analysis (FIA) neutralization titrations of phenothiazine derivatives in aqueous micellar medium of a cationic surfactant using potentiometric and spectrophotometric detection were proposed; titrations with a mixing gradient chamber and high-speed titrations were compared. The FIA titration method in non-aqueous media based on an official method of determination (titration with perchloric acid in anhydrous acetic acid) was also developed. Under optimized reaction conditions and flow-through parameters, the calibration range and equations, the sensitivity, and the repeatability of all methods were found and discussed. All titrations were assayed for medicinal forms.     

Determination of seventeen polar/thermolabile pesticides in apples and apricots by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry

A simple liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) approach for the determination of widely used representatives of polar/thermolabile pesticides in fruits was developed and validated. The group of pesticides comprised benzimidazoles and azoles (carbendazim, thiabendazole, imazalil, propiconazole, prochloraz, epoxiconazole, flusilazole, tebuconazole, bitertanol); N-methylcarbamates (carbaryl, carbofuran, methiocarb); and phenylureas and benzoylphenylureas (linuron, diflubenzuron, triflumuron, teflubenzuron, flufenoxuron). Matrixes (apple, apricot) were extracted with acetonitrile and crude extracts were cleaned up by solid-phase extraction (SPE) using either mixed cation exchange or hydrophilic lipophilic balance cartridges. LC separation of pesticides was performed on a reversed-phase column, Discovery C18. Electrospray ionization and ion trap MS/MS detection were applied. For most pesticides, overall recoveries ranged from 75 to 122%, and repeatability (as relative standard deviation) from 5 repetitive determinations of recovery ranged from 3 to 21%. Carbofuran was the only compound for which recovery was not satisfactory due to its loss in the SPE cleanup step. Limits of detection were 0.1-3 microg/kg for benzimidazole and azole fungicides and carbamate insecticides. For urea insecticides, detection limits were slightly higher (3-10 microg/kg).     

Behaviour of substituted aminomethylphenol dyes in capillary isoelectric focusing with electroosmotic zone displacement

The behaviour of six substituted aminomethylphenol dyes, having pI values between 5.3 and 10.4, in capillary isoelectric focusing with electroosmotic zone displacement is described. Using untreated fused-silica capillaries and different neutral capillary conditioners in the catholyte, the low-molecular-mass dyes are shown to focus and elute reproducibly in the order of decreasing pI values. In the absence of proteins, the detection times of the dyes are independent of the sampled amount. Hence these substances permit the characterization of the pH gradient produced in this capillary isoelectric focusing method. With concurrent focusing of dyes and test proteins, a macromolecular impact on detection times (reduction of electroosmosis)‘ is revealed. The effect is shown to be dependent on the type and amount of proteins applied and has been observed with three different capillary conditioners. Nevertheless, mapping of the pH gradient with these dyes and determining the pI values of known proteins is shown to provide values in agreement with those in the literature. Hence the substituted aminomethylphenol dyes can be employed as pI markers in capillary isoelectric focusing with electroosmotic zone displacement. Further, focusing and separation of two of the six dyes by preparative recycling free fluid isoelectric focusing is described, illustrating that the substituted aminomethylphenol dyes are also applicable to other free fluid focusing methods.     

GC/MS of terpenes in walnut-tree leaves after accelerated solvent extraction

Terpenes, e. g. (+)-alpha-pinene, (-)-camphene, (-)-(-pinene, myrcene, R-(+)-limonene, eucalyptol, (+/-)-linalool, (-)-bornyl acetate, (-)-trans-caryophyllene, and alpha-humulene were determined in leaves of walnut trees from the Juglandaceae family (walnut tree, royal (J. regia L.), black (J. nigra L.), and Siebold (J. sieboldiana, var. Cordiformis Lam.) using gas chromatography with mass spectrometric detection. Terpenes were repeatedly (3 cycles, 5 min each) extracted from leaves of walnut trees by accelerated (pressurized) solvent extraction (ASE) 150 bar and 120 degrees C. The efficiency of ASE extraction was superior to that of steam distillation, solvent extraction according to Soxhlet, sonication, and extraction by agitation. Differences in relative concentrations and distribution of terpenes were studied in dependence on the species of walnut tree and on different locations.