Liquid-phase microextraction of protein-bound drugs under non-equilibrium conditions

Recently, we introduced an inexpensive and disposable hollow fiber-based device for liquid-phase microextraction (LPME) where ionic analytes typically were extracted and preconcentrated from 1-4 mL aqueous samples (such as plasma and urine) through an organic solvent immobilized in the pores of a polypropylene hollow fiber and into a 10-25 microL volume of acceptor phase present inside the lumen of the hollow fiber. Subsequently, the acceptor phase was directly subjected to the final analysis by a chromatographic or electrophoretic method. In the present work, attention was focused on LPME of the basic drugs amphetamine, pethidine, promethazine, methadone and haloperidol characterized by substantial differences in the degree of protein binding. Drug-protein interactions in plasma resulted in reduced recoveries and substantially increased extraction times compared with extraction of the drugs from a pure water matrix. However, by addition of 5-50% methanol to the plasma samples, recoveries were comparable with LPME from water samples and ranged between 75 and 100%. The addition of methanol was found not to speed up the LPME process and extractions from plasma were performed in 45 min to reach equilibrium. Because approximately 55-70% of the final analyte concentrations were achieved within the initial 10 min of the LPME process, validation was accomplished after 10 and 45 min of LPME. In general, the results with 10 and 45 min were almost comparable, with precision data in the range 1.2-11.1% (RSD) and with linearity in the concentration range 20-1000 ng mL(-1) (r = 0.999). In conclusion, excellent LPME results may be achieved in a short time under non-equilibrium conditions with a minor loss of sensitivity. In cases of drug-protein interactions, methanol may be added to ensure a high extraction recovery.     

New dimension in nano-imaging: breaking through the diffraction limit with scanning near-field optical microscopy

In recent years scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM) has developed into a powerful surface analytical technique for observing specimens with lateral resolution equal to or even better than 100 nm. A large number of applications, from material science to biology, have been reported. In this paper, two different kinds of near-field optical microscopy, aperture and scattering-type SNOM, are reviewed together with recent studies in surface analysis and biology. Here, near-field optical techniques are discussed in comparison with related methods, such as scanning probe and standard optical microscopy, with respect to their specific advantages and fields of application.     

Equation of state for monomolecular films of melittin at air-water interface

The spread monolayers of proteins at the air-water interface have been reported to be very useful model membrane systems. The charged protein monolayers have been analyzed by using the Gouy-Chapman (-Stern) models. These models gave satisfactory analyses of “non-membrane” proteins, but could not be used for the data of charged melittin monolayers (“membrane protein”). In order to describe these data, a new discrete (net) charge model is developed, and the equation of state for these two-dimensional films is discussed herein. This study shows, for the first time, that discrete (net) charges are present in charged melittin (a peptide with 26 amino acids) monolyers. The measured surface pressure,Π, and surface potential,Δψ, are analyzed with the help of the discrete charge model.     

On the mechanism of the copper-catalyzed cyclopropanation reaction

The selectivity-determining step in enantioselective copper-catalyzed cyclopropanation with diazo compounds has been studied by experimental and computational methods. The addition of the very reactive metallacarbene intermediate in an early transition state to the substrate alkene is concerted but strongly asynchronous, with substantial cationic character on one alkene carbon in the neighborhood of the transition state. Evidence from isotope effects and Hammett studies supports the nature of the transition state. Formation of a metallacyclobutane intermediate by a [2+2] addition is kinetically disfavored. Ligand-substrate interactions influencing the enantio- and diastereoselectivity have been identified, and the preferred orientation of the alkene substrate during the addition is suggested.     

Crystal structure of a partly self-complementary peptide nucleic acid (PNA) oligomer showing a duplex-triplex network

The X-ray structure of a partly self-complementary peptide nucleic acid (PNA) decamer (H-GTAGATCACT-l-Lys-NH(2)) to 2.60 A resolution is reported. The structure is mainly controlled by the canonical Watson-Crick base pairs formed by the self-complementary stretch of four bases in the middle of the decamer (G(4)A(5)T(6)C(7)). One right- and one left-handed Watson-Crick duplex are formed. The two PNA units C(9)T(10) change helical handedness, so that each PNA strand contains both a right- and a left-handed section. The changed handedness in C(9)T(10) allows formation of Hoogsteen hydrogen bonding between C(9)T(10) and G(4)A(5) of a PNA strand in an adjacent Watson-Crick double helix of the same handedness. Thereby, a PNA-PNA-PNA triplex is formed. The PNA unit A(3) forms a noncanonical base pair with A(8) in a symmetry-related strand of opposite handedness; the base pair is of the A-A reverse Hoogsteen type. The structural diversity of this PNA demonstrates how the PNA backbone is able to adapt to structures governed by the stacking and hydrogen-bonding interactions between the nucleobases. The crystal structure further shows how PNA oligomers containing limited sequence complementarity may form complex hydrogen-bonding networks.     

Choosing the maximum from a sequence with a discount function

Choosing the maximum value from a sequence ofN independent values is a well known problem often called the candidate problem or secretary problem. This paper treats the above problem with a discount penalty (0<<1) for each additional observation taken. It is shown that asN increases indefinitely, the optimal stopping policy is bounded although the maximum expected payoff goes to zero, and that there exists a sequence 0= ₀<₁<₂<<1, such that the asymptotic optimal stopping rule is the same for all _i–1<_i.     

The Morphology of Liquid-Crystalline Polymers and the Possible Consequences for their Rheological Behaviour

Abstract

Polymer liquid crystals can occur as polydomain materials where the domain size may be tens of microns. While the material within each domain may be characterized by a common order parameter, the directors of the domains can be more or less randomly distributed. Since the transition from polydomain to monodomain material only involves the removal of grain boundaries and the alignment of directors, the free energy change must necessarily be small. Such a transition can readily be achieved, therefore, by the action of any external field: electrical, magnetic, stress or surface. In this work optical photomicrographs of polymeric liquid crystals with widely varying and in some cases well controlled morphologies are presented. Probable dependence of rheological behaviour on morphology is also discussed. Such dependence is expected to be considerable under certain conditions. Due to experimental and sample limitations, however, direct correlations of rheology and morphology are sparse. Morphological consequences for the rheology of liquid-crystalline materials can be exemplified by the following possibilities. In contrast to the case of isotropic melts, wall effects can be non-negligible. Zero shear rate rheological parameters are not expected to be uniquely defined quantities since the domain sizes are large and the director may not be effectively averaged over typical sample dimensions. Non-zero shear-rate measurements of rheological parameters is effected by the propensity of: (1) individual domain directors to align under the influence of a stress field and (2) flow alignment to dominate surface-induced alignment above some critical shear rate. The effects might be manifested by a non-newtonian regime as well as yield stress behaviour and thixotropy. The kinetics of relaxation from mono- to poly-domain material has implications for the dynamic response and rheological hysterises of the material.     

A Practical Procedure for the Solid-Phase Synthesis of Racemic 2,2′-Dihydroxy-1,1′-binaphthyl

Abstract: A high yielding solid-phase dimerisation of 2-naphthol by means of a ball-milling procedure is described.

     

Lipases,liposomes and lipid-prodrugs

Colloidal and interfacial phenomena lie at the core of drug formulation, drug delivery, as well as drug binding and action at diseased sites, e.g., in cancer therapy. We review a class of liposome-based drug-delivery systems whose design and functional properties are intimately controlled by the stability of sub-micron structures, lipid-bilayer interfaces, and interfacially activated enzymes that can be exploited to target and deliver drugs. Moreover these drugs can themselves be special lipid molecules in the form of lipid prodrugs that both form the liposomal carrier as well as the substrate for endogenously upregulated lipases that turn the prodrugs into potent drugs precisely at the diseased site.     

SPE HG-AAS method for the determination of inorganic arsenic in rice—results from method validation studies and a survey on rice products

The present paper describes the development, validation and application of a method for inorganic arsenic (iAs) determination in rice samples. The separation of iAs from organoarsenic compounds was done by off-line solid-phase extraction (SPE) followed by hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry (HG-AAS) detection. This approach was earlier developed for seafood samples (Rasmussen et al., Anal Bioanal Chem 403:2825–2834, 2012) and has in the present work been tailored for rice products and further optimised for a higher sample throughput and a lower detection limit. Water bath heating (90 °C, 60 min) of samples with dilute HNO₃ and H₂O₂ solubilised and oxidised all iAs to arsenate (As^V). Loading of buffered sample extracts (pH 6?±?1) followed by selective elution of arsenate from a strong anion exchange SPE cartridge enabled the selective iAs quantification by HG-AAS, measuring total arsenic (As) in the SPE eluate. The in-house validation gave mean recoveries of 101–106 % for spiked rice samples and in two reference samples. The limit of detection was 0.02 mg kg^?1, and repeatability and intra-laboratory reproducibility were less than 6 and 9 %, respectively. The SPE HG-AAS method produced similar results compared to parallel high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) analysis. The SPE separation step was tested collaboratively, where the laboratories (N?=?10) used either HG-AAS or ICP-MS for iAs determination in a wholemeal rice powder. The trial gave satisfactory results (HorRat value of 1.6) and did not reveal significant difference (t test, p?>?0.05) between HG-AAS and ICP-MS quantification. The iAs concentration in 36 rice samples purchased on the Danish retail market varied (0.03–0.60 mg kg^?1), with the highest concentration found in a red rice sample.