Simultaneous determination of cinnamaldehyde and its metabolite in rat tissues by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry

Cinnamaldehyde (CA), an active ingredient isolated from the traditional Chinese medicine Cortex Cinnamomi, has a wide range of bioactivities. To clarify the distribution characteristics of CA, a selective and sensitive method utilizing gas chromatography–mass spetrometry was initially developed for simultaneously determining the concentration of CA and its metabolite cinnamyl alcohol in rat tissues. Selected ion masses of m/z 131, 105 and 92 were chosen, and separation of the analytes was performed on a DB‐5 ms (30 m × 0.25 mm, 0.25 µm, thickness) capillary column by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The calibration curves demonstrated good linearity and reproducibility over the range of 20–2000 and 20–4000 ng/mL for various tissue samples. Recoveries ranged from 86.8 to 107.5%, while intra‐ and interday relative standard deviations were all <11.3%. The analysis method was successfully applied in tissue distribution studies for CA and cinnamyl alcohol. As CA and cinnamyl alcohol may inter‐convert to one another, simultaneous determination of both analytes provides a comparative and accurate data for tissue study. The concentrations of CA and cinnamyl alcohol remaining in spleen were the highest among the main organs, including heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney and brain. In addition, there was no long‐term accumulation of CA in rat tissues. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Oxidative Epigallocatechin Gallate Coating on Polymeric Substrates for Bone Tissue Regeneration

Plant derived flavonoids have not been well explored in tissue engineering applications due to difficulties in efficient formulations with biomaterials for controlled presentation. Here, the authors report that surface coating of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) on polymeric substrates including poly (L‐lactic acid) (PLLA) nanofibers can be performed via oxidative polymerization of EGCG in the presence of cations, enabling regulation of biological functions of multiple cell types implicated in bone regeneration. EGCG coating on the PLLA nanofiber promotes osteogenic differentiation of adipose‐derived stem cells (ADSCs) and is potent to suppress adipogenesis of ADSCs while significantly reduces osteoclastic maturation of murine macrophages. Moreover, EGCG coating serves as a protective layer for ADSCs against oxidative stress caused by hydrogen peroxide. Finally, the in vivo implantation of EGCG‐coated nanofibers into a mouse calvarial defect model significantly promotes the bone regeneration (61.52 ± 28.10%) as compared to defect (17.48 ± 11.07%). Collectively, the results suggest that EGCG coating is a simple bioinspired surface modification of polymeric biomaterials and importantly can thus serve as a promising interface for tuning activities of multiple cell types associated with bone fracture healing.     

Optimal vaccine scheduling in cancer immunotherapy

Cancer immunotherapy aims at stimulating the immune system to react against cancer stealth capabilities. It consists of repeatedly injecting small doses of a tumor-associated molecule one wants the immune system to recognize, until a consistent immune response directed against the tumor cells is observed.

We have applied the theory of optimal control to the problem of finding the optimal schedule of injections of an immunotherapeutic agent against cancer. The method employed works for a general ODE system and can be applied to find the optimal protocol in a variety of clinical problems where the kinetics of the drug or treatment and its influence on the normal physiologic functions have been described by a mathematical model.

We show that the choice of the cost function has dramatic effects on the kind of solution the optimization algorithm is able to find. This provides evidence that a careful ODE model and optimization schema must be designed by mathematicians and clinicians using their proper different perspectives.     

Analysis of cardiac tissue by gold cluster ion bombardment

Specific molecules in cardiac tissue of spontaneously hypertensive rats are studied by using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS). The investigation determines phospholipids, cholesterol, fatty acids and their fragments in the cardiac tissue, with special focus on cardiolipin. Cardiolipin is a unique phospholipid typical for cardiomyocyte mitochondrial membrane and its decrease is involved in pathologic conditions. In the positive polarity, the fragments of phosphatydilcholine are observed in the mass region of 700-850 u. Peaks over mass 1400 u correspond to intact and cationized molecules of cardiolipin. In animal tissue, cardiolipin contains of almost exclusively 18 carbon fatty acids, mostly linoleic acid. Linoleic acid at 279 u, other fatty acids, and phosphatidylglycerol fragments, as precursors of cardiolipin synthesis, are identified in the negative polarity. These data demonstrate that SIMS technique along with Au₃⁺ cluster primary ion beam is a good tool for detection of higher mass biomolecules providing approximately 10 times higher yield in comparison with Au⁺.     

Endoscopic Observation of Tissue by Narrowband Illumination

We propose a new illumination method for a medical endoscope: narrow band imaging (NBI), in which the spectral bandwidth of the filtered light is narrowed. To confirm how the spectral specifications of the filtered light influence a reproduced image, an experiment was conducted observing the endoscopic images of the back mucosa of a human tongue. In addition, the effect of NBI on endoscopic images was investigated through preliminary clinical tests in colonoscopy and upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. It has been shown that NBI can enhance the capillary pattern and the crypt pattern on the mucosa. These patterns are useful features for diagnosing an early cancer.     

Biomagnetic measurements utilising a superparamagnetic marker: a feasibility study

Summary A preliminary study is here reported on a new potential marker for biomagnetic measurements. The marker consists of superparamagnetic polymer microspheres which were detected in the presence of external steady magnetic fields by means of an r.f.-SQUID magnetometer. The particles were prepared in samples differing in the concentration value and immersed in a homogeneous magnetic field of variable intensity. A simple model was taken into account for the distribution of the microspheres in the samples, so that the theoretical values were compared to the marker field values measured by the biomagnetic sensor. The overall sensitivity of the experimental apparatus and the minimum concentration value of the marker were then estimated.     

Synthesis and characterization of novel thermoresponsive‐co‐biodegradable hydrogels composed of N‐isopropylacrylamide,poly(L‐lactic acid), and dextran

A series of novel multifunctional hydrogels that combined the merits of both thermoresponsive and biodegradable polymeric materials were designed, synthesized, and characterized. The hydrogels were copolymeric networks composed of N‐isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAM) as a thermoresponsive component, poly(L‐lactic acid) (PLLA) as a hydrolytically degradable and hydrophobic component, and dextran as an enzymatically degradable and hydrophilic component. The chemical structures of the hydrogels were characterized by an attenuated total reflection–Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR–FTIR) technique. The hydrogels were thermoresponsive, showing a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) at approximately 32 °C, and their swelling properties strongly depended on temperature changes, the balance of the hydrophilic/hydrophobic components, and the degradation of the PLLA component. The degradation of the hydrogels caused by hydrolytic cleavage of ester bonds in the PLLA component was faster at 25 °C below the LCST than at 37 °C above the LCST, determined by the ATR–FTIR technique. Due to their multifunctional properties, the designed hydrogels show great potential for biomedical applications, including drug delivery and tissue engineering. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 5054–5066, 2004     

Polarization Sensitive Spectral Interferometric Optical Coherence Tomography for Biological Samples

A spectral interferometric optical coherence tomography (OCT) system which has polarization sensitivity is developed. This system reduces the mechanical scanning dimension by employing the principle of spectral interferometry, and measures a two dimensional cross-sectional image of biological tissue with one dimensional mechanical scanning. Sixteen OCT images with different polarization conditions are measured, and two dimensional distributions of each element of the Müller matrix of a sample to be measured are calculated.     

Synthesis of 5‐Radioiodoarabinosyl Uridine Analog for Probing the HSV‐1 Thymidine Kinase Gene

Tumor cells transduced with herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase gene have been intensively applied to the field of positron emission tomography via imaging of its substrate. As a pilot synthesis approach, a facile preparation of 5‐[¹²⁵I] iodoarabinosyl uridine starting from commercially available uridine is reported herein.