Shotgun lipidomics for candidate biomarkers of urinary phospholipids in prostate cancer

Qualitative and quantitative profiling of six different categories of urinary phospholipids (PLs) from patients with prostate cancer was performed to develop an analytical method for the discovery of candidate biomarkers by shotgun lipidomics method. Using nanoflow liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization–tandem mass spectrometry, we identified the molecular structures of a total of 70 PL molecules (21 phosphatidylcholines (PCs), 11 phosphatidylethanolamines (PEs), 17 phosphatidylserines (PSs), 11 phosphatidylinositols (PIs), seven phosphatidic acids, and three phosphatidylglycerols) from urine samples of healthy controls and prostate cancer patients by data-dependent collision-induced dissociation. Identified molecules were quantitatively examined by comparing the MS peak areas. From statistical analyses, one PC, one PE, six PSs, and two PIs among the PL species showed significant differences between controls and cancer patients (p < 0.05, Student’s t test), with concentration changes of more than threefold. Cluster analysis of both control and patient groups showed that 18:0/18:1-PS and 16:0/22:6-PS were 99% similar in upregulation and that the two PSs (18:1/18:0, 18:0/20:5) with two PIs (18:0/18:1 and 16:1/20:2) showed similar (>95%) downregulation. The total amount of each PL group was compared among prostate cancer patients according to the Gleason scale as larger or smaller than 6. It proposes that the current study can be utilized to sort out possible diagnostic biomarkers of prostate cancer.     

Structure of C-1 substituted glycopyranosyl azides: new insights based on CD measurements

CD spectra have been recorded for a series of peracetylated d-glycopyranosyl azides (d-gluco, d-galacto, d-xylo, d-arabino configuration) substituted at the anomeric position by various groups: amido, azido, cyano, ethoxy, methoxy. Application of the azide octant rule for the interpretation of the sign for the long-wavelength azide band allowed conformation of the azido group in each mono azido derivative investigated to be established. In each 1-cyano derivative, the azido group was in a gauche-like arrangement with respect to the C-1–O^ring bond, which is considered as a manifestation of the exo-anomeric effect of the azido group. For the 1-alkoxy derivatives, an antiparallel orientation of the azido group with respect to the C-1–O^ring bond was found in solution by CD measurement analysis, as already observed for methoxyazide 5 in the solid state. For azidoamide derivatives, intramolecularly (N–H–N^x_azide) H-bonded conformers are believed to prevail in methanol, in contrast to the situation in DMSO.     

Perchlorate-selective membrane electrode based on a new complex of uranil

A potentiometric ion-selective electrode based on new compound, as a carrier, has been successfully developed for detection of perchlorate anion in aqueous solution. Within the perchlorate ion concentration range 1.0×10^–6 to 1.0 mol L^–1 the electrode had a linear response with a Nernstian slope of 60.6±1.0 mV per decade . The limit of detection as determined from the intersection of the extrapolated linear segments of the calibration plot was 8.0×10^–7 mol L^–1. The proposed electrode has fairly a good discriminating ability towards ClO₄^– ion in comparison to other anions. The sensor has a response time of 10 s and can be used for at least 2 months without substantial divergence in potential. It was successfully applied to direct determination of perchlorate in urine and water.     

Photodynamic activity of substituted zinc trisulfophthalocyanines: role of plasma membrane damage

We recently reported that variations in cellular phototoxicity among a series of alkynyl-substituted zinc trisulfophthalocyanines (ZnPcS3Cn) correlates with their hydrophobicity, with the most amphiphilic derivatives showing the highest cell uptake and phototoxicity. In this study we address the role of the plasma membrane in the photodynamic response as it relates to the overall hydrophobicity of the photosensitizer. The membrane tracker dye 1-[4(trimethylamino)phenyl]-6-phenylhexa-1,3,5-triene (TMA-DPH), which is incorporated into plasma membranes by endocytosis, was used to establish plasma membrane uptake by EMT-6 cells of the ZnPcS3C, by colocalization, and TMA-DPH membrane uptake rates after photodynamic therapy were used to quantify membrane damage. TMA-DPH colocalization patterns show plasma membrane uptake of the photosensitizers after short 1 h incubation periods. TMA-DPH plasma membrane uptake rates after illumination of the photosensitizer-treated cells show a parabolic relationship with photosensitizer hydrophobicity that correlates well with the phototoxicity of the ZnPcS3C,. After a 1 h incubation period, overall phototoxicity correlates closely with the postillumination rate of TMA-DPH incorporation into the cell membrane, suggesting a major role of plasma membrane damage in the overall PDT effect. In contrast, after a 24 h incubation, phototoxicity shows a stronger but imperfect correlation with total cellular photosensitizer uptake rather than TMA-DPH membrane uptake, suggesting a partial shift in the cellular damage responsible for photosensitization from the plasma membrane to intracellular targets. We conclude that plasma membrane localization of the amphiphilic ZnPcS3C6-C9 is a major factor in their overall photodynamic activity.     

The effect of lipid oxidation on the water permeability of phospholipids bilayers

The effect of lipid oxidation on water permeability of phosphatidylcholine membranes was investigated by means of both scattering stopped flow experiments and atomistic molecular dynamics simulations. Formation of water pores followed by a significant enhancement of water permeability was observed. The molecules of oxidized phospholipids facilitate pore formation and subsequently stabilize water in the membrane interior. A wide range of oxidation ratios, from 15 to 100 mol%, was considered. The degree of oxidation was found to strongly influence the time needed for the opening of a pore. In simulations, the oxidation ratio of 75 mol% was found to be a threshold for spontaneous pore formation in the tens of nanosecond timescale, whereas 15 mol% of oxidation led to significant water permeation in the timescale of seconds. Once a pore was formed, the water permeability was found to be virtually independent of the oxidation ratio.     

HPLC analysis of mitochondrial membrane phospholipids in rice

The effects of different columns and mobile phases on the separation of mitochondrial membrane phospholipids in rice by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) were studied. The results suggest that the main six kinds of phospholipids in the rice mitochondrial membrane can be successfully separated within 22 min on a KR 100-SIL (250 × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) column with a mobile phase of acetonitrile-methanol-85% phosphoric acid (100: 10: 0.8, V/V) and DAD detector (205 nm). The quantitative analysis of five important components—phospatidylinositol (PI), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidylserine (PS), phosphotidic acid (PA), and phosphatidylcloline (PC)—has been achieved with an external standard method. The linear range is 0.005–2.00 mg/mL, the recovery ratio is 95.9–100.6%, and the relative standard deviation is 0.32–1.24%. The study indicates that the HPLC method that has been applied to the analysis of the trace content of biomembrane phospholipids is characterized by a satisfactory linear relationship, reproducibility, and stability. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

A new lidocaine-selective membrane electrode based on its sulfathiazole ion-pair

A novel lidocaine ion-selective electrode is prepared, characterized and used in pharmaceutical analysis. The electrode incorporates PVC-membrane with lidocaine-sulfathiazole ion pair complex. The influences of membrane composition, temperature, pH of the test solution, and foreign ions on the electrode performance were investigated. The electrode showed a Nernstian response over a lidocaine concentration range from 1.0 ×10⁻⁵ to 1.0 × 10⁻¹ mol L⁻¹ with a slope of 60.1 ± 0.2 mV per decade at 25°C and was found to be very selective, precise, and usable within the pH range 5–9.5. The standard electrode potentials, E ^o, were determined at 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40°C, and used to calculate the isothermal temperature coefficient (dE ^o/dT=−0.0003 V °C⁻¹) of the electrode. However, the electrode performance is significantly decreased at temperatures higher than 45°C. The electrode was successfully used for potentiometric determination of lidocaine hydrochloride in pharmaceutical products. The article is published in the original.     

Sodium ion-selective membrane electrode based on a new crown ether

A sodium ion-selective PVC membrane electrode based on di(o-methoxy)stilbenzo-24-crown-8 is reported. The electrode gives a near-Nernstian response in the range 9×10^?6–1×10^?2 M sodium ion and can be used in the pH range 5–8.5. Selectivity coefficients are 1.8×10^?1 (K⁺), 2.0×10^?4 (Li⁺) 2.5×10^?2 (NH⁺₄) and about 10^?4 for Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺ and Ba²⁺.     

Photodynamic oxidation of iodide ion and aromatic amino acids by eosin

Abstract— The photosensitized oxidation of I^-, tyrosine, and tryptophan by aqueous eosin has been investigated with a photostationary technique, in which the system is irradiated with sinusoidally modulated light and phase sensitive detection is used to measure the spectra of short-lived intermediates and their rate constants. It has been shown that the principal oxidizing agent for I^- is semi-oxidized eosin (X) produced by the reduction of oxygen by triplet state eosin. The same mechanism obtains when femcyanide ion is substitued for oxygen. A second oxidizing agent is effective in oxygenated solutions at high I^- concentrations, attributed to O₂^-. The X mechanism controls when tyrosine or tryptophan are irradiated at low substrate concentrations in the presence of oxygen or femcyanide. However, at high substrate concentrations, or in the absence of the electron accepting agents, the mechanism switches to the ‘dye-substrate’ process where triplet state eosin oxidizes the aromatic substrate and is reduced to the semiquinone. The conversion quantum yields agree with the predictions based on the measured quenching and reaction rate constants.     

Gas-phase carbene radical anions: new mechanistic insights

The gas-phase reactivity of the CHCl*- anion has been investigated with a series of halomethanes (CCl4, CHCl3, CH2Cl2, and CH3Cl) using a FA-SIFT instrument. Results show that this anion primarily reacts via substitution and by proton transfer. In addition, the reactions of CHCl*- with CHCl3 and CH2Cl2 form minor amounts of Cl2*- and Cl-. The isotopic distribution of these two products is consistent with an insertion-elimination mechanism, where the anion inserts into a C-Cl bond to form an unstable intermediate, which eliminates either Cl2*- or Cl- and Cl*. Neutral and cationic carbenes are known to insert into single bonds; however, this is the first observation of such reactivity for carbene anions.     

Photodynamic therapy based on organic small molecular fluorescent dyes

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has shown promise as an effective treatment modality for cancer and other localized diseases due to its noninvasive properties and spatiotemporal selectivity. Near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent dyes based on organic small molecules are characterized with low cytotoxicity, good biocompatibility and excellent phototoxicity, which are widely used in PDT. In this review, we attempt to summarize the development of imaging-induced PDT based on organic small molecules and classify it according to the structures of dyes including cyanines, 4,4-difluoro-4-bora-3a,4a-diaza-s-indacene (BODIPY) analogues, phthalocyanine and other agents such as rhodamine analogues.     

Photodynamic therapy based on organic small molecular fluorescent dyes

This review aims to provide a summary of the progress in organic small molecular fluorescent dyes for photodynamic therapy in recent years and it is classified according to the structures of dyes including cyanines, phthalocyanine, BODIPYs and other agents.     

Catalyst for the oxidation of sulfur-containing compounds based on a polyamide membrane modified with cobalt phthalocyanine

The catalytic activity of phthalocyanine metal complex immobilized on the surface of a porous polyamide membrane is studied in the oxidation reaction of n-propyl mercaptan. Since noncatalytic oxidation is possible in the presence of oxygen, the kinetics of n-propyl mercaptan oxidation is analyzed as its aqueous alkaline solution passes through unmodified membranes. Characteristics of the catalyst’s performance are selected to evaluate the efficiency of the catalytic process. It is shown that the modified membranes with pore diameters of 1 and 2 μm are the most effective catalysts.     

Redox properties of polyoxometalates: new insights on the anion charge effect

In this paper we study the electronic structure of Lindqvist, Keggin, Dawson and Preyssler polyoxometalates (POMs) at the DFT level, particularly their LUMOs and reduction energies. Our aim was to revisit the previously reported evidence that a linear relationship exists between reduction potentials and molecular charges in Keggin anions. In this line of thought, we calculated one simple structural parameter-volume of the clusters-so that the corresponding volume charge density, rho(v), could be estimated. Contrary to what we expected, the connection between rho(v) and the experimental reduction potentials is not evident since q/V itself does not justify the scale of oxidizing powers. Complementary calculations were performed using the clathrate model, anion@W(m)O(3m), analyzing separately the effects of the size of the neutral cages and the molecular charge, q, upon the redox properties. The parameter m emulates the size (volume) of the clusters, only approximately, but with the benefit that it is easily accounted for. A linear relationship was found between the difference in LUMO energies for the neutral and charged clusters and the q/m ratio.     

A facile synthesis of bifunctional phospholipids for biomimetic membrane engineering

We report a facile synthesis of bifunctional phospholipid conjugates by acylation of N-protected lyso-phosphatidylethanolamine with 12-acryloxy-1-dodecanoic acid and followed with deprotection and conjugation with biotin, FITC, Texas Red, or EMC groups. The lipid conjugates can be used to generate a multifunctional substrate-supported phospholipid membrane via bioconjugation reaction to biotin or covalent attachment to EMC at their hydrophilic terminus. In addition, conjugation to fluorophores, FITC or Texas Red, provides a convenient mechanism to monitor lipid membrane formation and stability. Significantly, in situ photopolymerization of the acrylate group at the end of one of two hydrophobic alkyl chains stabilizes the phospholipid membrane.