Identification of extracellular nanoparticle subsets by nuclear magnetic resonance

Exosomes are a subset of secreted lipid envelope-encapsulated extracellular vesicles (EVs) of 50–150 nm diameter that can transfer cargo from donor to acceptor cells. In the current purification protocols of exosomes, many smaller and larger nanoparticles such as lipoproteins, exomers and microvesicles are typically co-isolated as well. Particle size distribution is one important characteristics of EV samples, as it reflects the cellular origin of EVs and the purity of the isolation. However, most of the physicochemical analytical methods today cannot illustrate the smallest exosomes and other small particles like the exomers. Here, we demonstrate that diffusion ordered spectroscopy (DOSY) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) method enables the determination of a very broad distribution of extracellular nanoparticles, ranging from 1 to 500 nm. The range covers sizes of all particles included in EV samples after isolation. The method is non-invasive, as it does not require any labelling or other chemical modification. We investigated EVs secreted from milk as well as embryonic kidney and renal carcinoma cells. Western blot analysis and immuno-electron microscopy confirmed expression of exosomal markers such as ALIX, TSG101, CD81, CD9, and CD63 in the EV samples. In addition to the larger particles observed by nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA) in the range of 70–500 nm, the DOSY distributions include a significant number of smaller particles in the range of 10–70 nm, which are visible also in transmission electron microscopy images but invisible in NTA. Furthermore, we demonstrate that hyperpolarized chemical exchange saturation transfer (Hyper-CEST) with ¹²⁹Xe NMR indicates also the existence of smaller and larger nanoparticles in the EV samples, providing also additional support for DOSY results. The method implies also that the Xe exchange is significantly faster in the EV pool than in the lipoprotein/exomer pool.

Diffusion and xenon NMR based methods to determine a very broad range of sizes and sub-sets of extracellular vesicles.     

Water Reduction and Dihydrogen Addition in Aqueous Conditions With ansa-Phosphinoborane

Ortho-phenylene-bridged phosphinoborane (2,6-Cl₂Ph)₂B-C₆H₄-PCy₂ 1 was synthesized in three steps from commercially available starting materials. 1 reacts with H₂ or H₂O under mild conditions to form corresponding zwitterionic phosphonium borates 1-H₂ or 1-H₂O . NMR studies revealed both reactions to be remarkably reversible. Thus, when exposed to H₂, 1-H₂O partially converts to 1-H₂ even in the presence of multiple equivalents of water in the solution. The addition of parahydrogen to 1 leads to nuclear spin hyperpolarization both in dry and hydrous solvents, confirming the dissociation of 1-H₂O to free 1 . These observations were supported by computational studies indicating that the formation of 1-H₂ and 1-H₂O from 1 are thermodynamically favored. Unexpectedly, 1-H₂O can release molecular hydrogen to form phosphine oxide 1-O . Kinetic, mechanistic, and computational (DFT) studies were used to elucidate the unique “umpolung” water reduction mechanism.     

Parahydrogen-Induced Polarization in Heterogeneous Hydrogenations over Silica-Immobilized Rh Complexes

The use of heterogeneous catalysts for parahydrogen-induced polarization (PHIP) of nuclear spins opens new horizons for production of hyperpolarized substances. Immobilization of homogeneous hydrogenation catalysts is a promising approach for designing the efficient heterogeneous catalytic systems capable of PHIP generation. Herein, we study the formation of PHIP in the gas-phase and in the liquid-phase hydrogenations of propyne and propylene catalyzed by silica-immobilized Rh complexes synthesized by the ligand-exchange anchoring of the Wilkinson’s complex RhCl(PPh₃)₃, the binuclear complex Rh₂Cl₂(C₈H₁₂)₂ and the cationic complex [Rh(C₈H₁₂)₂]⁺[BF₄]^? to the phosphine-modified silica gel. We consider the stability and the mechanistic aspects of the hydrogenation over the immobilized Wilkinson’s catalyst in terms of PHIP observation. Using a PASADENA (parahydrogen and synthesis allow dramatically enhanced nuclear alignment) effect, it is found, in particular, that liquid-phase propyne hydrogenation over the immobilized Wilkinsons’s catalyst at 70°C proceeds in a stable regime with a stereoselective cis addition of a hydrogen molecule, while in the gas phase at the same temperature the hydrogenation stereoselectivity is observed only for a short time after the reaction is started, and then the catalyst rapidly loses its activity. The reasons of the catalyst deactivation are discussed based on the literature data, the results of infrared spectroscopy study, and the comparison to the behavior of the immobilized binuclear and cationic Rh complexes. In addition, it is shown that the immobilized Wilkinson’s catalyst is reduced as temperature increases in the range of 90–130°C, as confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.     

Characterization of microfluidic gas reactors using remote-detection MRI and parahydrogen-induced polarization

A substantial boost in sensitivity (almost 10(5) -fold) achieved by combining remote-detection MRI and parahydrogen-induced polarization enabled microfluidic reactor imaging. Quantitative estimates of nuclear spin hyperpolarization, reaction product distribution, mass transport, and adsorption in the microfluidic reactors could thus be determined in?situ. The reactors also serve as microfluidic nuclear spin polarizers.     

Lab‐on‐a‐Chip Reactor Imaging with Unprecedented Chemical Resolution by Hadamard‐Encoded Remote Detection NMR

The development of microfluidic processes requires information‐rich detection methods. Here we introduce the concept of remote detection exchange NMR spectroscopy (RD‐EXSY), and show that, along with indirect spatial information extracted from time‐of‐flight data, it provides unique information about the active regions, reaction pathways, and intermediate products in a lab‐on‐a‐chip reactor. Furthermore, we demonstrate that direct spatial resolution can be added to RD‐EXSY efficiently by applying the principles of Hadamard spectroscopy.