Quantitative analysis of 23-hydroxybetulinic acid in mouse plasma using electrospray liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry

23-Hydroxybetulinic acid is a newly isolated derivative of betulinic acid. The agent exhibits potential anti-tumor activity and functions in this regard via apoptosis. In support of pharmacokinetic and toxicological evaluations, a new assay based on liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) was developed for the quantitative analysis of 23-hydroxybetulinic acid. Sample preparation consisted of extraction of the plasma by the addition of methylene chloride followed by centrifugation. Aliquots of the supernatant were analyzed using an isocratic reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) system coupled to a negative ion electrospray mass spectrometer. Molecules of 23-hydroxybetulinic acid and the internal standard limonin were detected using selected ion monitoring at m/z 471 and 469, respectively. The limit of detection of 23-hydroxybetulinic acid was 0.05 pg (0.11 fmol) injected on-column (10 pg/mL, 5 microL injection volume), and the limit of quantitation was 10 pg (21.19 fmol, 2 ng/mL, 5 muL injection volume). 23-Hydroxybetulinic acid was stable in plasma samples at -20 degrees C for at least 3 weeks. The intra-day and inter-day coefficients of variation of the assay were 3.0 and 4.8%, respectively. The utility of the assay was demonstrated by measuring 23-hydroxybetulinicacid in mouse plasma following intragastric administration (IG) in vivo. Pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated using the 3P97 pharmacokinetic software package. A two-compartment, first-order model was selected for pharmacokinetic modeling. The result showed that after IG of 200 mg/kg 23-hydroxybetulinic acid, the plasma concentrations reached peaks at 2 h with C(max) of 3.1 microg/mL. The 200 mg/kg 23-hydroxybetulinic acid suspension IG doses were found to have long elimination half-lives of 25.6 h and low bioavailability of 2.3%. No interference was noted due to endogenous substances. These analytical methods should be of value in future studies related to the development and characterization of 23-hydroxybetulinic acid.     

High-performance liquid chromatographic assays for protoporphyrinogen oxidase and ferrochelatase in human leucocytes

Rapid, sensitive and specific high-performance liquid chromatographic assays are described for protoporphyrinogen oxidase and ferrochelatase in human leucocytes. The enzyme reaction products were separated and quantitated by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. The optimal pH for the protoporphyrinogen oxidase assay was 8.6 and the Michaelis constant for protoporphyrinogen IX was 9.78 +/- 0.96 microM (mean +/- S.D.). The mean (+/- S.D.) activity of protoporphyrinogen oxidase in fourteen apparently healthy subjects was 0.146 +/- 0.023 nmol protoporphyrin IX per min per mg protein. In one patient with variegate porphyria, the activity was 0.028 nmol protoporphyrin IX per min per mg protein. The optimal pH for ferrochelatase was 7.4 and with protoporphyrin and Zn2+ as substrates, the Michaelis constants were 1.49 and 8.33 microM, respectively. The mean activity of ferrochelatase in ten control subjects was 0.24 nM Zn-protoporphyrin or 2.05 nM Zn-mesoporphyrin formed per h per mg protein.     

Surface modification of polypropylene microfiltration membranes by graft polymerization of N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone

A hydrophilic polymer, poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone), was tethered on the surface of polypropylene microfiltration membrane (PPMM) by UV photo-assisted and γ-ray pre-irradiation induced graft polymerizations. Results revealed that the γ-ray pre-irradiation graft polymerization was more efficient in view of the grafting degree. The chemical changes of the membrane surface were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Pure water contact angle on poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone)-grafted PPMM decreased with the increase of grafting degree, which indicated an enhanced hydrophilicity for the modified membrane. Both bovine serum albumin adsorption and static platelets adhesion were measured to evaluate the bio-compatibility of the poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone)-modified PPMM. The statistical amounts of adsorbed bovine serum albumin and adhered platelets on unit membrane area decreased significantly, which to a certain degree demonstrated that the hemocompatibility of PPMM was improved. The N₂ permeability and the mean pore diameters of different PPMMs increased at first, then decreased after certain grafting degree. The changes of water flux followed a similar tendency. These indicated that at low grafting degree pore degradation induced by γ-ray irradiation had a major impact on permeability, while this was overcompensated by the grafted polymer at high grafting degrees.     

Studies on synthesis and molecular dynamics simulation of dendrimers containing amino acids and peptides

A series of poly(ether-amide) dendrimers with amino acids and peptides as the peripheral functional groups was synthesized, and their structures were confirmed by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) spectrometry. Molecular dynamics simulation of the peptide dendrimers in solution was performed, indicating that, the prior conformations of the dendrimers were atom number dependent, i.e., with the increases of the atom number, the prior conformations were more spherical. Also, the amino acid α-C atom radial distribution indicated that, with larger peripheral groups, more back-folding of the dendrimers occurred. __________ Translated from Acta Chimica Sinica, 2007, 65(1): 21–26 [译自: 化学 通报]     

Stereoselective Synthesis of α-Aminonitril on Glucose Templates

Both proteinogenic and non proteinogenic α-amino acids are of particular interest as constituents of peptide factors, peptidomimetics and antibiotics for the construction of modern selective drugs. [1] Furthemore, α-amino acid derivatives are interesting building units for chiral-pool syntheses of enantiomerically pure natural products. [2] Numerous efforts in modern organic synthesis are centered on the synthesis of enantiomerically pure α-amino acids. [3] During the past three decades efficient methods of asymmetric synthesis of α-amino acids have been developed; most of them are based on electrophilic transformations of organometallic intermediates. [4] Using the concept that the chirality of the carbohydrates can be exploited for diastereoselective reactions, Kunz and his cooperator had developed a Strecker synthesis with glycosyl amines as chiral auxiliaries. [5]     

Influence of ozonized kraft lignin on the crystallization of CaCO3

Results are reviewed from a study examining how structural modifications introduced by ozonization enhance the influence of kraft lignin on the crystallization of CaCO(3). Ozone treatment of kraft lignin in an aqueous environment is shown to increase its carboxylic acid and overall oxygen content and reduce its molecular weight. Calcium concentration and temperature were monitored in heated supersaturated solutions containing ozonized kraft lignins to gauge their influence on CaCO(3) crystallization processes. The presence of kraft lignin raises the temperature necessary to induce crystallization. This effect is shown to level off at relatively low lignin concentrations and be dependent on the extent of ozone treatment the kraft lignin has undergone. A linear correlation is found between crystallization temperatures and the carboxylic acid content of ozonized lignin samples indicating the introduction of these functional groups plays an important role in enhancing its inhibitory effect. Scanning electron microscopy images of crystals grown in the presence of kraft lignins show significant morphological modifications. These are consistent with specific or pseudo specific interactions between the lignin and crystal faces of calcite to inhibit growth parallel to its c axis. The influence over crystal morphology demonstrated by modified kraft lignin increases with increasing ozonization. Also presented here are crystallization temperature data for a range of kraft lignin ultrafiltration fractions, which indicate that the optimal (nominal) molecular weight of kraft lignin for inhibiting the crystallization of CaCO(3) lies between 5000 and 10000.     

青霉素G钾盐在CTAB胶束中的水解及其抑制

以紫外光谱法研究了青霉素G钾盐(Pen-K)在十六烷基三甲基溴化铵（CTAB）胶束体系中的水解反应, 并探讨了水解反应机理.结果表明, CTAB胶束对Pen-K的水解具有抑制作用; Pen-K在CTAB胶束体系水解时,体系pH值的变化与在水中相似, 表明H＋浓度对这种抑制作用影响较小.红外光谱和微极性研究表明,部分Pen-K钾盐定位于CTAB胶束栅栏层中, 增加了其稳定性.     

Particle nucleation and monomer partitioning in styrene O/W microemulsion polymerization

Particle nucleation in the polymerization of styrene microemulsions was found to take place throughout the polymerization as indicated by measurements of the particle number as a function of conversion. A mechanism based on the nucleation in the microemulsion droplets was proposed to explain the experimental findings although homogeneous nucleation and coagulation during polymerization were not completely ruled out. A thermodynamic model was developed to simulate the partitioning of monomer in the different phases during polymerization. The model predicts that the oil cores of the microemulsion droplets were depleted early in the polymerization (4% conversion). Due to the high monomer/polymer swelling ratio of the polymer particles, most of the monomer resides in the polymer particles during polymerization. The termination of chain growth inside the polymer particles was attributed to the chain transfer reaction to monomer. The low n? (less than 0.5) of the microemulsion system was attributed to the fast exit of monomeric radicals.     

苯胺及其衍生物的毛细管电泳行为研究

采用紫外吸收检测，毛细管电泳分离，研究了九种苯胺及其衍生物在毛细管区带电泳(CZE)体系和胶束电动毛细管色谱(MECC)体系中的行为特征。讨论了缓冲溶液的浓度与pH、胶束浓度及混合胶束等在不同体系中对分离组分的影响，发现在CZE体系中，控制分离的主要因素是pKb值；在MECC体系中，控制分离的主要因素是溶质分子中碳原子数。建立了一种分离测定九种苯胺及其衍生物的高效毛细管电泳方法。     

Syntheses, characterization and electrical property of a new silver diphosphonate with zeolite-like framework and three-dimensional silver interactions: [Ag4(O3PCH2CH2PO3)]

A new silver organodiphosphonate, [Ag₄(O₃PCH₂CH₂PO₃)] (1), has been synthesized and characterized by X-ray diffraction, IR, TGA-DSC, electricity measurement and element analysis. 1 crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P2(1)/n (a=6.0115(16) Å, b=8.630(2) Å, c=8.462(2) Å, β=97.693(4)°, Z=2, R₁=0.0604, wR₂=0.1450). 1 contains one-dimensional channels and a three-dimensional Ag?Ag interacted substructural net. TGA and XRD indicate little weight loss up to 300 °C and little structure change after heated at 170 °C for 2 h, respectively. The grain interior conductivity of 1 increases continuously from 50 to 170 °C. Results of EHT calculations show that under thermal or optical excitation the conductivity of 1 is mainly due to transfer of π antibonding electrons of -PO₃ group through O atom to Ag 5s orbital, which also leads to enhancement of Ag?Ag interactions and promotes formation of Ag?Ag substructural net.