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There is a straightforward line in the recent development of the functional model connecting the experimental mass spectrometric variable intensity of a peak of an analyte ion with its thermodynamic, kinetic and diffusion parameters. It has been shown that the temporal behavior of the outcome intensity obeys a certain law: ${{\text{D}}_{{\text{SD}}}}{\text{ }} = {\text{ }}1.3193{\text{ }} \times {\text{ }}{10^{ - 14}}{\text{ }} \times {\text{ }}A{\text{ }} \times {\text{ }}{{(\overline {{I^2}} - {{(\bar I)}^2})} \over {{{(I - \bar I)}^2}}}.$DSD = 1.3193 × 10−14 × A × (I2¯−(I¯)2)(I−I¯)2. This formula is universally applicable and empirically testable and verifiable. It connects the intensity with the so-called stochastic dynamic diffusion “DSD” parameter. Its application to small-scale research, so far, using soft-ionization electrospray, atmospheric pressure chemical ionization, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization or collision-induced dissociation methods has shown that the DSD parameter is linearly connected with the so-called quantum chemical diffusion parameter “DQC,” obtained within Arrhenius’s theory. Therefore, the DSD parameter connects experimental measurable parameters of ions with their three-dimensional (3D) molecular and electronic structures. The corroborated empirical proof, so far, has convincingly argued that the mass spectrometry appears to be not only a robust instrumentation for highly accurate, precise and selective quantification but also is capable of providing the exact 3D molecular structure of the analytes, when it is used complementary to high accuracy methods of the computational quantum chemistry.

A new dimeric naphtho-γ-pyrone, 2-hydroxydihydronigerone (1), along with five compounds, nigerone (2), pyrophen (3), kojic acid (4), 4-(hydroxymethyl)-5-hydroxy-2H-pyran-2-one (5), and p-hydroxyphenylacetic acid (6), was isolated from an endophytic fungus Aspergillus niger AKRN associated with the roots of Entandrophragma congoënse. The structure of the new compound has been elucidated using spectroscopic data including 1D and 2D NMR as well as the high-resolution mass spectrometry. Compounds 1–5 showed weak antimicrobial activity on five selected Gram-negative bacteria, namely Enterobacter aerogenes (CM64), Enterobacter cloacae (BM67), Klebsiella pneumonia (K2), and Escherichia coli (ATCC8739 and ATCC10536). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aqueous-ethanolic extract (AEE) of high altitude Podophyllum hexandrum has earlier been reported to render a radioprotective effect against lethal gamma radiation in in vitro model. AEE has also been reported to possess metal chelating and DNA protecting properties. The present study was undertaken to isolate and characterize the bioactive principle present in AEE and investigate its role in radiation protection. A novel molecule was found to be present in AEE and was assigned as 3-O-beta-D-galactoside of quercetin by acid hydrolysis, LC-MS, LC-APCI-MS/MS and 13C NMR spectra. Various biological activities were investigated at in vitro level. The antioxidant potential of AEE in lipid and aqueous phase was determined against numerous stresses. AEE was found to be significantly (p < 0.05) protective, i.e., against Fe2+ and Cu2+-induced linoleic acid degradation, respectively. Radiation-induced lipid oxidation studies revealed that AEE maximally works at a [lignan]/0.25 kGy ratio 400 (ratio of concentration of AEE divided by the radiation dose, i.e., 0.25 kGy) and no drug-induced lipid oxidation at all concentrations tested was found. In a time-dependent study, total antioxidant activity was maximally exhibited at 1 mg/ml. The site-specific and non-site-specific deoxyribose degradation assay exhibited a dose-dependant hydroxyl scavenging potential of AEE (0.05-500 microg/ml). The anti-lipid peroxidation ability of AEE against radiation (0.25 kGy)-induced lipid peroxidation was higher in case of neural tissue homogenate as compared to kidney homogenate [activity ratio: 0.039 (brain) < 0.24 (kidney)]. The protein protection study using bovine serum albumin was also done for two time intervals (2 h and 4 h) and significant (p < 0.05) protection was observed at 500 microg/ml (> 97%). This study implies that 3-O-beta-D-galactoside present in AEE renders radioprotection by protecting lipids, proteins in renal and neural model system against supra-lethal (0.25 kGy) gamma radiation.