Prebiotic Potential of Oligosaccharides Obtained by Acid Hydrolysis of α-(1→3)-Glucan from Laetiporus sulphureus: A Pilot Study

Increasing knowledge of the role of the intestinal microbiome in human health and well-being has resulted in increased interest in prebiotics, mainly oligosaccharides of various origins. To date, there are no reports in the literature on the prebiotic properties of oligosaccharides produced by the hydrolysis of pure fungal α-(1→3)-glucan. The aim of this study was to prepare α-(1→3)-glucooligosaccharides (α-(1→3)-GOS) and to perform initial evaluation of their prebiotic potential. The oligosaccharides were obtained by acid hydrolysis of α-(1→3)-glucan isolated from the fruiting bodies of Laetiporus sulphureus and then, characterized by HPLC. Fermentation of α-(1→3)-GOS and reference prebiotics was compared in in vitro pure cultures of Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, and enteric bacterial strains. A mixture of α-(1→3)-GOS, notably with a degree of polymerization of 2 to 9, was obtained. The hydrolysate was utilized for growth by most of the Lactobacillus strains tested and showed a strong bifidogenic effect, but did not promote the growth of Escherichia coli and Enterococcus faecalis. α-(1→3)-GOS proved to be effective in the selective stimulation of beneficial bacteria and can be further tested to determine their prebiotic functionality.     

Spectroscopic Characterization of Miniaturized Atmospheric-Pressure dc Glow Discharge Generated in Contact with Flowing Small Size Liquid Cathode

The miniaturized atmospheric pressure glow discharge (APGD) generated between a solid electrode and a flowing small size liquid cathode (dimension 2 mm) was investigated here using optical emission spectroscopy. The discharge was studied in an open air atmosphere, and the spectral characteristics of the plasma source was examined. Analysed APGD was operated at a discharge voltage of 1,100–1,700 V, a discharge current of 20 mA and gaps between a solid anode and a liquid cathode in the range from 0.5 to 3.5 mm. The emission intensities of the main species were measured as a function of various experimental conditions, including the solution flow rate, the gap between the electrodes, and the concentration of hydrochloric acid. The excitation temperature, the vibrational temperatures calculated from N₂, OH, and NO bands, and the rotational temperatures determined from band of OH, N₂ and NO, were found to be dependent on these experimental parameters. The electron number density was determined from the Stark broadening of H_β line. Additionally, the ionization temperature and degree were calculated using the Saha–Boltzmann equation, with the ion to atom ratio for magnesium (MgII/MgI). The results demonstrated that T _exc(H), T _vib(N₂), T _vib(OH), T _vib(NO) and T _rot(OH) were well comparable (~3,800–4,200 K) for selected plasma generation conditions (gap ≥2.5 mm, HCl concentration ≥0.1 mol L⁻¹), while the rotational temperatures determined from band of N₂ (~1,700–2,100 K) and band of NO (~3,000 K) were considerably lower. The electron number density was evaluated to be (3.4–6.8) × 10²⁰ m⁻³ and the ionization temperature varied, throughout in the 4,900–5,200 K range.     

Application of linear discriminant analysis to the study of dew chemistry on the basis of samples collected in Poland (2004–2005)

This paper presents the results of determination of selected characteristics (anions, cations, formaldehyde, hydrogen peroxide, phenols, TC, TIC, TOC and metals) in dew samples collected in six different sites in Poland. The influence of local parameters (e.g. wind speed, humidity) was investigated. Discriminant analysis was applied to the study of several dew samples collected from different sampling sites covering six agglomerations in Poland. Discriminant function analysis was used not only for classifying samples into different groups with a better than chance accuracy, but also for detecting the most important variables that discern between the groups of samples considered. In this way it was possible to identify which ions or other physicochemical features are responsible for the similarities or differences observed between different groups of dew samples. A good agreement with their origin and location was observed. It is interesting to note that the classification of all samples was dominated by pH, wind direction, pressure and temperature with a significant contribution of Na⁺ and Cl⁻ ions.      

Isobavachalcone as an Active Membrane Perturbing Agent and Inhibitor of ABCB1 Multidrug Transporter

Isobavachalcone (IBC) is an active substance from the medicinal plant Psoralea corylifolia. This prenylated chalcone was reported to possess antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and anticancer activities. Multidrug resistance (MDR) associated with the over-expression of the transporters of vast substrate specificity such as ABCB1 (P-glycoprotein) belongs to the main causes of cancer chemotherapy failure. The cytotoxic, MDR reversing, and ABCB1-inhibiting potency of isobavachalcone was studied in two cellular models: human colorectal adenocarcinoma HT29 cell line and its resistant counterpart HT29/Dx in which doxorubicin resistance was induced by prolonged drug treatment, and the variant of MDCK cells transfected with the human gene encoding ABCB1. Because MDR modulators are frequently membrane-active substances, the interaction of isobavachalcone with model phosphatidylcholine bilayers was studied by means of differential scanning calorimetry. Molecular modeling was employed to characterize the process of membrane permeation by isobavachalcone. IBC interacted with ABCB1 transporter, being a substrate and/or competitive inhibitor of ABCB1. Moreover, IBC intercalated into model membranes, significantly affecting the parameters of their main phospholipid phase transition. It was concluded that isobavachalcone interfered both with the lipid phase of cellular membrane and with ABCB1 transporter, and for this reason, its activity in MDR cancer cells was presumptively beneficial.     

Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography fingerprinting method for chemical screening of metabolites in cultivation broth

A fingerprinting method for chemical screening of microbial metabolites, potential antibiotics, in spent cultivation broths is described. The method is based on high-throughput ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) separation with UV detection (photodiode array detector). Thirteen antibiotic standards and four cultivation broths were used for the method development. The comparison of ten liquid–liquid and solid phase extraction protocols for sample clean-up and pre-concentration revealed that Oasis HLB C18 sorbent gives the best recoveries. The Acquity BEH C18 chromatographic column was chosen for the samples separation with respect to its universality, selectivity, efficiency and robustness. The method is presented by two 3D fingerprints for every sample that was obtained under different, acidic and alkaline, UHPLC conditions. The acidic mobile phase consisted of 0.5% phosphoric acid with methanol and the alkaline mobile phase of 1 mM ammonium formate, pH 9 with acetonitrile. Each pair of 3D fingerprints includes the following physico-chemical information: polarity (retention time), presence and characterization of chromophores (UV spectra), compound concentration (detector response), and acid–base properties (influence of different pH of the aqueous parts of mobile phases on retention times). The sample extraction and method validation were assessed with relative standard deviation (RSD) of 0.5, 5.0 and 20.0% for retention times, peak areas and minor compound peak areas, respectively.     

Nondestructive evaluation of sol–gels using terahertz time-domain reflectance spectroscopy to probe the effects of dendrimer incorporation and humidity on sol–gel aging

Terahertz (THz) time-domain reflectance spectroscopy is evaluated as a technique for nondestructive analysis of sol–gels over the first week of aging without directly contacting or disturbing the sol–gels. In the sol–gels analyzed, tetramethyl orthosilicate (TMOS) is the precursor and polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers are incorporated into each of two sol–gel sample groups; a third control group contains no dendrimer. The study reports data acquired during sol–gel aging in contrasting humidity and ventilation conditions and determines statistically whether the inclusion of a particular dendrimer and/or the humidity and air circulation of the environment produce significant differences in the THz reflectance intensity observed throughout the first week of sol–gel aging. The results of this study are correlated with previous studies of the same three species analyzed using AFM, impact testing and nitrogen adsorption. The correlations are used to interpret the THz reflectance intensity differences between the sol–gel groups studied using the previously reported results from established methods of analysis regarding the influence of each dendrimer on polymer density, pore size and distribution, and homogeneity of the resulting amorphous silica monoliths.     

Preparation of new imidazol-2-yl-(amino)methylphosphonates,phosphinates and phosphine oxides and their unexpected cleavage under acidic conditions

The efficient synthesis of new imidazol-2-yl-(amino)methylphosphonic acids, phosphonates phosphinate esters and phosphine oxides is described. The synthetic methodology is based on nucleophilic addition of phosphorus species to imidazole-2 derived imines. Additionally, it was discovered that heating the imidazol-2-yl-(amino)methylphosphonates with aqueous HCl or H₂SO₄ leads to their decomposition resulting in a rupture of the C–P bond, elimination of the phosphorous-containing fragment and formation of the corresponding secondary imidazole-2 alkylamines. A mechanistic pathway for the cleavage is postulated.     

Synthesis of 4,4‐Disubstituted‐4H‐benzo[d][1,3]oxathiin‐2‐ones,a New Class of Compounds

4,4‐Dialkyl and 4,4‐diaryl‐4H‐benzo[d][1,3]oxathiin‐2‐ones were synthesized by the reaction of 2‐(mercapto‐phenyl)‐dialkyl‐ (or diaryl)‐methanol with CDI in excellent yield. The 2‐(mercaptophenyl)‐dialkyl‐ (or diaryl)‐methanols were prepared by the reaction of commercially available methylthiosalicylate with an appropriate alkyl or aryl Grignard reagent.     

A MASSive Laboratory Tour. An Interactive Mass Spectrometry Outreach Activity for Children

It is imperative to fascinate young children at an early stage in their education for the analytical sciences. The exposure of the public to mass spectrometry presently increases rapidly through the common media. Outreach activities can take advantage of this exposure and employ mass spectrometry as an exquisite example of an analytical science in which children can be fascinated. The presented teaching modules introduce children to mass spectrometry and give them the opportunity to experience a modern research laboratory. The modules are highly adaptable and can be applied to young children from the age of 6 to 14 y. In an interactive tour, the students explore three major scientific concepts related to mass spectrometry; the building blocks of matter, charged particle manipulation by electrostatic fields, and analyte identification by mass analysis. Also, the students carry out a mass spectrometry experiment and learn to interpret the resulting mass spectra. The multistage, inquiry-based tour contains flexible methods, which teach the students current-day research techniques and possible applications to real research topics. Besides the scientific concepts, laboratory safety and hygiene are stressed and the students are enthused for the analytical sciences by participating in “hands-on” work. The presented modules have repeatedly been successfully employed during laboratory open days. They are also found to be extremely suitable for (early) high school science classes during laboratory visit-focused field trips.

Mass Spectrometric Imaging of Red Fluorescent Protein in Breast Tumor Xenografts

Mass spectrometric imaging (MSI) in combination with electrospray mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) is a powerful technique for visualization and identification of a variety of different biomolecules directly from thin tissue sections. As commonly used tools for molecular reporting, fluorescent proteins are molecular reporter tools that have enabled the elucidation of a multitude of biological pathways and processes. To combine these two approaches, we have performed targeted MS analysis and MALDI-MSI visualization of a tandem dimer (td)Tomato red fluorescent protein, which was expressed exclusively in the hypoxic regions of a breast tumor xenograft model. For the first time, a fluorescent protein has been visualized by both optical microscopy and MALDI-MSI. Visualization of tdTomato by MALDI-MSI directly from breast tumor tissue sections will allow us to simultaneously detect and subsequently identify novel molecules present in hypoxic regions of the tumor. MS and MALDI-MSI of fluorescent proteins, as exemplified in our study, is useful for studies in which the advantages of MS and MSI will benefit from the combination with molecular approaches that use fluorescent proteins as reporters.