Analysis method of the angiotensin-I converting enzyme inhibitory activity based on micellar electrokinetic chromatography.

A micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) method was developed for estimating the angiotensin-I converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activity by separating the hippuric acid liberated in the ACE reaction mixture in the presence of an inhibitor, captopril. The hippuric acid was successfully separated and detected by MEKC with a 25 mM sodium dodecyl sulfate solution in a 25 mM phosphate-50 mM borate buffer at pH 7.0; the total analysis took about 5 min. A good linear relationship was observed between the inhibitor and the peak area of hippuric acid release. No significant difference in the ACE inhibitory activity (IC50) of captopril (an antihypertensive medicine) or autolyzed-mushrooms (functional foods) was observed between the conventional method and the MEKC method. The MEKC method was found to be a useful technique for a rapid assay of the ACE inhibitory activity.     

Characterization of metal binding properties of rhamnogalacturonan II from plant cell walls by size-exclusion HPLC/ICP-MS.

The binding properties of metal ions to a pectic polysaccharide, rhamnogalacturonan II (RG-II), from plant cell walls were analyzed by size-exclusion HPLC/ICP-MS. The dimeric RG-II borate complex (dRG-II-B) from sugar beet and red wine contained 0.8 - 1.1 mol/mol of B, 0.8 - 1.1 mol/mol of Ca, 0.1 - 0.3 mol/mol of Sr, and 0.03 - 0.07 mol/mol of Ba. The treatment of dRG-II-B with Sr2+, Ba2+, Pb2+ or La3+ exchanged the originally present Ca, Sr and Ba. In contrast, monomeric RG-II (mRG-II), which contained approximately 0.1 mol/mol of Ca, formed complexes with La3+, Eu3+, and Lu3+ added to the solution, but did not do so with Ca2+, Sr2+, Ba2+ and Pb2+. The HPLC/ICP-MS and HPLC/RI (refractive index detector) analysis of the partially hydrolyzed mRG-II that was treated with La3+ indicated that the side chains and backbone of mRG-II together form a lanthanoid binding site.     

Effect of core-shell micelle formation on the redox properties of phenothiazine-labeled poly(ethyl glycidy ether)-block-poly(ethylene oxide)

Redox properties of phenothiazine-labeled poly(ethyl glycidy ether)-block-poly(ethylene oxide) (PT-EGE_n-b-EO_m) are reversibly changed by core-shell micelle formation. In the temperature range higher than the critical micellization temperature (cmt), the anodic potential of PT group positively shifts and concomitantly its anodic current decrease, or levels off compared to those of the reference polymer PT-EO_m without the thermo-responsive EGE_n segment. The former alteration is caused by incorporation of hydrophobic PT groups into a core of the micelle and the latter by the decrease in the diffusion coefficient of PT groups due to formation of the core-shell micelles. The cmt value and the temperature-dependent alteration in the redox properties strongly depend on the polymer structure, especially the length of thermo-responsive EGE_n segment. The electrochemically determined hydrodynamic radii of the polymer aggregates seem to be overestimated, compared to the values reported for the aggregates of other thermo-responsive polymers with similar molecular weights, implying the presence of electrochemically inactive PT groups in the copolymers having longer thermo-responsive segments.     

Tropical Weyl Group Action via Point Configurations and τ-Functions of the q-Painlevé Equations

Starting from certain point sets in the projective plane, we construct a tropical (or subtraction-free birational) representation of Weyl groups over the field of τ-functions. In particular, our construction includes E ₈ ⁽¹⁾ , E ₇ ⁽¹⁾ , E ₆ ⁽¹⁾ and D ₅ ⁽¹⁾ as affine cases; each of them gives rise to the q-difference Painlevé equation.     

Mechanism of catalytic asymmetric hydrogenation of 2-formyl-1-methylene-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline using Ru(CH3COO)2[(S)-binap]

The mechanism of the asymmetric hydrogenation of 2-acyl-1-alkylidene-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinolines, the first reported reaction with the Noyori-Takaya Ru(CH₃COO)₂(binap) complex, has been investigated by means of deuterium labeling, kinetics, and NMR analysis. A series of experiments has revealed that (1) a monohydride-unsaturated mechanism operates involving the initial formation of RuH followed by reaction with the enamide substrate, (2) the hydride transfer from RuH to the olefinic double bond is endothermic and reversible, and (3) the rate is determined in the hydrogenolysis step. This view is consistent with that of proposed for the BINAP-Ru catalyzed Kagan reaction.     

Adsorbed state and vibrational excitation of N2 on Pd(110)

High-resolution vibrational electron energy loss spectroscopy, low-energy electron diffraction and Auger electron spectroscopy have been used to study the interactions of nitrogen with the Pd(110) surface. At 120 K, N₂ is chemisorbed molecularly on the Pd(110) surface, and the (2 × 1)-N₂ structure is formed. Most probably, the N₂ molecules are chemisorbed in the on-top sites of the bulk-like Pd(110) surface in the upright-linear structure. The Pd---N₂ bond energy is estimated to be ˜ 6 kcal/mol. The Pd---N₂ and N---N stretching vibrations of N₂ admolecules on Pd(110) are observed at 30 and 278 meV, respectively. The primary-energy dependence and angle dependence of their excitation cross sections agree reasonably well with the prediction of the dipole theory. The electron beam-induced effects are briefly discussed.     

Tris(1‐ethyl‐3‐methyl­imidazolium) hexa­chloro­lanthanate

In the title complex, (C₆H₁₁N₂)₃[LaCl₆], centrosymmetric octahedral hexa­chloro­lanthanate anions are located at the corners and face‐centers of the monoclinic unit cell. The ring H atoms of the cations interact with the Cl atoms of the anions via hydrogen bonding, and bifurcation of the hydrogen bonding is observed. Cation–cation interactions via hydrogen bonding between the ring H atoms and π‐electrons of aromatic rings are also observed as in other imidazolium salts.     

Proposal of sampling process for collecting human sweat and determination of caffeine concentration in it by using GC/MS

Caffeine concentration in human sweat was estimated by measuring separately the amounts of water and caffeine. After washing a finger with tap water for 15 s and waiting 2 min for drying, 70 microL aqueous ethanol solution in a small vial (0.6 mL) was used to sample for several minutes. Then 3 microL of the aliquot was used for GC/MS analysis of caffeine. As a first-order relationship between the sweat amount secreted on the left and right hands was obtained (correlation factor 0.848), the amount of sweat secretion during sampling on one hand was estimated by the value obtained on the other hand. This new indirect evaluation was used for the estimation of the amount of sweat secreted during sampling. Typical variations of caffeine concentration in sweat were demonstrated. Thirty minutes after the intake of caffeine, it was secreted in sweat, and the secretion had continued for more than 4 h.