Extraction of capsaicins in aerosol defense sprays from fabrics

The use of aerosol defense sprays has increased as a means of self-defense and as a weapon in the commission of a crime. The residue of these sprays is often left behind as physical evidence on a victim's clothing or personal belongings. As the popularity of self-defense weaponry increases, so does the likelihood that it will be encountered in forensic casework. The extraction, recovery from fabrics, and identification of residue from defense sprays is described. The commonly used extraction method of liquid-liquid extraction is compared to solid phase microextraction (SPME) to recover capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin from cotton swabs. The use of SPME resulted in lower limits of detection and greater recovery efficiency when compared to solvent extraction. SPME also provided more consistent recovery and less variability when compared to solvent extraction. The effect of use of various types of evidence packages on the preservation of this type of evidence is also reported. The collection and analysis of hand swabs after normal discharge of pepper spray canisters was studied indicating the low persistence of these compounds on the hands of the person conducting the spraying. Finally, the results of a real case whereby solvent-solvent extraction did not provide the necessary sensitivity for extracting the capsaicin compounds on the garments of a victim of an alleged spraying and the SPME extraction provided the recovery and identification of the compounds is also presented.     

Aliphatic hydroxylation and epoxidation of capsaicin by cytochrome P450 CYP505X

Microbial cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYPs) are able to mimic the metabolism of human CYPs. One challenge is to identify the respective drug metabolites and to compare substrate specificities to those of the human enzymes. In this study, a class VIII self-sufficient CYP from Aspergillus fumigatus (CYP505X) and variants of this enzyme were heterologously expressed in E. coli. The substrate scope of the variants was determined using active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and (hetero)cyclic compounds. Capsaicin – the active compound in chili peppers – was oxidized most efficiently (4.36?μM/min) in a whole cell mediated biotransformation. The products were isolated, purified and their structures elucidated by 1D and 2D NMR. The two major metabolites showed modifications on the lipophilic side chain. Specifically, capsaicin was hydroxylated at position 8 to give (E)-8-hydroxy-N-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzyl)-8-methylnon-6-enamide and epoxidized at the double bond to give N-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzyl)-5-(3-isopropyloxiran-2-yl)-pentanamide.     

Using Capsaicin Modified Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube Based Electrodes and p‐Chloranil Modified Carbon Paste Electrodes for the Determination of Amines: Application to Benzocaine and Lidocaine

The utilization of the capsaicin modified carbon nanotube modified basal‐plane pyrolytic graphite electrode or p‐chloranil modified carbon paste electrodes are presented for the determination of pharmaceutical compounds containing amine functionality, such as benzocaine and lidocaine. In detection of benzocaine at a capsaicin modified electrode, the guaiacol functional group is irreversibly electrochemically oxidized to form the o‐quinone derivative which then undergoes nucleophilic attack by the aromatic amine group in benzocaine via a 1,4‐Michael addition mechanism forming a catechol‐amine adduct. The electrochemically initiated formation of the capsaicin‐benzocaine adduct causes a linear decrease in the voltammetric signal corresponding to capsaicin which correlates to the added concentration of benzocaine.     

辣椒为什么辣?

辣椒素是辣椒的主要代谢产物,与人们的饮食息息相关。适量地摄入辣椒素不仅能给人带来辣觉,而且对于减缓疲劳、降糖降脂、保护肠胃、缓解疼痛、抵抗辐射、治疗癌症等方面有一定的作用。虽然适量的辣椒素能够给人体带来好处,但过度摄入辣椒素仍存在危害性。本文对辣椒素的作用方式和各项应用进行阐释,并强调在合理用量范围内利用辣椒素以发挥作用。     

辣椒素的分析方法比较

采用可见、紫外分光光度法和高效液相色谱法(HPLC)对辣椒不同部位的辣椒素含量进行了对照分析,同时用上述三种方法对色素、辣椒精及辣椒素晶体的辣椒素含量进行了对照分析。分析结果表明,HPLC方法与前两种方法相比,具有方法可靠、测得的结果准确度高等优点。     

天然结晶辣椒碱的NMR谱研究

用一维¹H NMR谱、¹H-¹H COSY谱和一维¹³C NMR谱、DEPT谱研究辣椒碱分子和二氢辣椒碱分子及其混合物,得到¹H和¹³C的化学位移,采用¹H NMR谱测定天然辣椒碱中辣椒碱和二氢辣椒碱的相对含量.     

Analysis of capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin in peppers and pepper sauces by solid phase microextraction–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry

A simple method for the analysis of capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin in peppers and pepper sauces by solid phase microextraction–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry has been developed. A novel device was designed for direct extraction solid phase microextraction in order to avoid damage to the fiber. The analysis was performed without derivatization for the gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis. Selection fiber, extraction temperature, extraction time and pH, were optimized. The method was linear in the range 0.109–1.323 μg/mL for capsaicin and 0.107–1.713 μg/mL for dihydrocapsaicin with correlation coefficient up to r = 0.9970 for both capsaicinoids. The precision of the method was less than 10%. The method was applied to the analysis of 11 varieties of peppers and four pepper sauces. A broad range of capsaicin (55.0–25 459 μg/g) and dihydrocapsaicin (93–1 130 μg/g) was found in the pepper and pepper sauces samples (4.3–717.3 and 1.0–134.8 μg/g), respectively.     

Electrochemical Sensor for Sensitive Determination of Capsaicin Using Pd Decorated Reduced Graphene Oxide

In this work, the reduced graphene oxide functionalized with poly dimethyl diallyl ammonium chloride (PDDA) modified palladium nanoparticles (PDDA‐rGO/Pd) had been facile synthesized and used as the sensing layer for sensitive determination of capsaicin. The prepared composite was characterized by transmission electron microscopy, UV‐visible absorption spectroscopy. The image demonstrated that Pd nanoparticles were uniformly distributed on the graphene surface. The electrochemical properties of the prepared sensor were investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The results showed that the nanocomposite exhibits attractive electrocatalytic activity towards the oxidation of capsaicin. This attributed to the synergistic action of the excellent properties of Pd nanoparticles and graphene nanosheets. Under optimized conditions, the electrochemical sensor possessed a dynamic linear range from 0.32 μM to 64 μM with a detection limit of 0.10 μM (S/N=3) for capsaicin detection. Moreover, the cost‐effective and simple fabrication procedure, good reproducibility and stability as well as acceptable accuracy for capsaicin determination in actual samples are also the main advantages of this method, which might have broad application in other amide alkaloid detection.     

新型抑菌聚砜超滤膜的制备及性能

将辣素功能结构单体N-(4-羟基-3-甲氧基苯甲基)丙烯酰胺(HMBA)和甲基丙烯酸甲酯(MMA)通过自由基引发合成出抑菌型共聚物P(H-co-M), 通过红外吸收光谱和热重分析证实了共聚物的结构. 采用共混法将共聚物引入聚砜(PSF)铸膜液中, 通过浸没沉淀相转化法制备了新型抑菌超滤膜. 考察了P(H-co-M)含量对超滤膜分离性能及抑菌性能的影响. 结果表明, 当P(H-co-M)质量分数为0.5%时, 超滤膜分离性能最佳, 对5 mg/L腐殖酸溶液的稳定水通量为122.2 L/(m2·h), 截留率为84.4%, 与未添加P(H-co-M)的超滤膜相比, 分别提高了19.2%和9.2%. 改性超滤膜具有较强的抑菌性能, 当P(H-co-M)含量为1.0%时, 抑菌率最大(约80.7%).