Determination of valepotriates

In this paper an overview is given of qualitative and quantitative methods of analysis used for valepotriates. Methods like spectophotometry, titrimetry, TLC, GC, HPLC, MS, CE as well as p-SFC have been applied. Today HPLC is the method of choice. The usefulness of the individual methods are discussed.     

Enantioseparation of selected N-tert.-butyloxycarbonyl amino acids in high-performance liquid chromatography and capillary electrophoresis with a teicoplanin chiral selector

Enantioseparation of N-tert.-butyloxycarbonyl amino acids (N-t-Boc-Aas) with teicoplanin chiral selector was performed in two different separation systems: A teicoplanin-based chiral stationary phase (CSP-TE) was used in reversed-phase HPLC, and the same chiral selector (CS) was added into a background electrolyte (BGE) in HPCE. The enantioselective interaction with the same CSP/CS can be influenced by several factors, such as mobile phase/background electrolyte composition: the buffer concentration, pH, the CS concentration, the presence of organic modifiers. In addition, the charge of the chiral selector related to the charge of the analyte and to EOF are important variables in CE. The effect of these parameters on enantioselectivity and enantioseparation of selected N-t-Boc-Aas was studied. The presence of a sufficient concentration (1% solution) of a triethylamine acetate buffer in the mobile phase was shown to be essential for enantioseparation of these blocked amino acids in HPLC. A certain concentration of teicoplanin aggregates (along with teicoplanin molecules) in the BGE is required to obtain enantioseparation of N-t-Boc-Aas in HPCE.     

Lignocellulosic biomass for bioethanol: Recent advances,technology trends,and barriers to industrial development

1. Download : Download high-res image (214KB)
2. Download : Download full-size image

     

UVB irradiation of normal human skin favors the development of type-2 T-cells in vivo and in primary dermal cell cultures

To determine the effect of UVB exposure on the balance of type-1 or type-2 T-cells in skin, we examined the expression of key markers interferon (IFN)-gamma and interleukin (IL)-4 in cryostat sections. IFN-gamma mRNA was clearly detectable in nonirradiated control skin, and IFN-gamma protein was found in 2% of the dermal CD3pos T-cells, whereas IL-4 mRNA was hardly detectable, and no IL-4 protein was found. In contrast, IL-4 mRNA expression increased upon irradiation, and IL-4 was found in 2% of the T-cells at day 2 after UVB-exposure. Concomitantly, IFN-gamma mRNA expression decreased, and IFN-gamma protein became absent. We also analyzed T-cells present in primary dermal cell cultures, which were used as an in vitro equivalent of the in vivo situation. As compared with T-cells from control skin, T-cells in dermal cell cultures from UVB-exposed skin displayed an increased IL-4 and decreased IFN-gamma expression. No such skewing occurred when the T-cells from irradiated skin were cloned in the absence of a dermal microenvironment. Except for an occasional positive T-cell, type-1-associated cell-surface markers (CCR5, CXCR3) or type-2 markers (CCR3, CD30, CRTH2) were undetectable in situ. But these markers were expressed on cultured dermal T-cells from UVB-exposed and control skin at a comparable level, but did not correlate with the IFN-gamma and IL-4 production. Altogether, UVB-induced changes of the dermal microenvironment favor the development of type-2 T-cells.     

Quantum chemical calculations and mutational analysis suggest heat shock protein 90 catalyzes trans-cis isomerization of geldanamycin

The affinity of geldanamycin (GA) for binding to heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) is 50- to 100-fold weaker than is the affinity of the structurally distinct natural product radicicol. X-ray crystallography shows that although radicicol maintains its free conformation when bound to HSP90, the conformation of GA is dramatically altered from an extended conformation with a trans amide bond to a kinked shape in which the amide group in the ansa ring has the cis configuration. We have performed ab initio quantum chemical calculations to demonstrate that the trans-cis isomeriztion of GA in solution is both kinetically and thermodynamically unfavorable. Thus, we propose that HSP90 catalyzes the isomerization of GA. We identify Ser113, a conserved residue outside the ATP binding pocket, as essential for the isomerization of GA. In support of this model, we show that radicicol binds equally well to both wild-type HSP90 and the Ser113 mutant, whereas the binding of GA to the Ser113 mutant is decreased significantly from its binding to wild-type HSP90. Based on this finding, a mechanism of keto-enol tautomerization of GA catalyzed by HSP90 is proposed. The added requirement of isomerization prior to tight binding may explain the enhanced binding affinity of GA for HSP90 in a cell extract versus in a purified form.     

Synthesis and 13C NMR of (trifluoromethyl)hydroxypyrazoles

Reaction of ethyl 4,4,4-trifluoroacetoacetate with methylhydrazine produced not only the previously reported 5-hydroxy-3-(trifluoromethyl)pyrazole 1 but also its unknown isomer the 3-hydroxy-5-(trifluoromethyl)pyrazole 4 . The structure assignments are established based on ¹³C nmr spectra. Compound 1 was converted to 5-chloro-3-(trifluoromethyl)pyrazolecarboxylic acid 3 in two steps.     

Extracorporeal Photochemotherapy (Photopheresis) Induces Apoptosis in Lymphocytes: A Possible Mechanism of Action of PUVA Therapy

Abstract— The mechanism of action of psoralen plus UVA (PUVA) and photopheresis is not entirely understood. These therapies are assumed to be immunomodulating partly by gradually decreasing leukocyte viability. We investigated whether this delayed form of cell death was due to apoptosis. Untreated and treated (PUVA exposed) leukocytes obtained from six patients with systemic sclerosis and (untreated) leukocytes from healthy control individuals were studied. Qualitative gel electrophoresis and quantitative in situ nick translation analysis of DNA fragmentation was performed. Apoptosis of the treated cells did occur (gel electrophoresis) after 24 h. At t = 0 h, immediately after exposure to PUVA, there was no evidence of DNA fragmentation in the treated cells. The percentage of treated cells undergoing apoptosis was 20–55% at t = 24 h ( in situ nick translation). The untreated leukocytes of the patients and the healthy individuals showed no distinctive rise in apoptotic cells. Apoptosis of the leukocytes after PUVA or photopheresis treatment might be a mechanism of action and might explain the therapeutic response.     

The preparation and properties of “porous silicon–nickel ferrite” nanoheterocomposites for gas detectors

This paper discusses the preparation and properties of gas detectors based on “porous silicon–nickel ferrite” nanocomposites. Impedance spectroscopy was used to measure sensitivity to ethanol and isopropanol vapours in the presence of an alternating electric field. The results were interpreted with the help of an equivalent electrical circuit. In the analysis of the resistive–capacitive properties in the equivalent circuit a constant phase element was used.     

Offline and online capillary electrophoresis enzyme assays of β-N-acetylhexosaminidase

Enzyme assays of β-N-acetylhexosaminidase from Aspergillus oryzae using capillary electrophoresis in the offline and online setup have been developed. The pH value and concentration of the borate-based background electrolyte were optimized in order to achieve baseline separation of N,N′,N″-triacetylchitotriose, N,N′-diacetylchitobiose, and N-acetyl-d-glucosamine. The optimized method using 25 mM tetraborate buffer, pH 10.0, was evaluated in terms of repeatability, limits of detection, quantification, and linearity. The method was successfully applied to the offline enzyme assay of β-N-acetylhexosaminidase, which was demonstrated by monitoring the hydrolysis of N,N′,N″-triacetylchitotriose. The presented method was also utilized to study the pH dependence of enzyme activity. An online assay with N,N′-diacetylchitobiose as a substrate was developed using the Transverse Diffusion of Laminar Flow Profiles model to optimize the injection sequence and in-capillary mixing of substrate and enzyme plugs. The experimental results were in good agreement with predictions of the model. The online assay was successfully used to observe the inhibition effect of N,N′-dimethylformamide on the activity of β-N-acetylhexosaminidase with nanoliter volumes of reagents used per run and a high degree of automation. After adjustment of background electrolyte pH, an online assay with N,N′,N″-triacetylchitotriose as a substrate was also performed.