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Byline: Sami Asir. Al-Robai Keywords: Cissus rotundifolia, Cyphostemma digitatum, Cissus quadrangularis, nutrients, anti-nutrients, bioactive compounds INTRODUCTION Plants play a vital role in almost every culture on earth, and around 80% [...]

Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies in the form of high-dose intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) exert immunomodulatory activity and are used in this capacity to treat inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Reductionist approaches have revealed that terminal sialylation of the single asparagine-linked (N-linked) glycan at position 297 of the IgG1 Fc bestows antiinflammatory activity, which can be recapitulated by introduction of an F241A point mutation in the IgG1 Fc ([Fc.sup.F241A]). Here, we examined the antiinflammatory activity of CHO-K1 cell-produced [Fc.sup.F241A] in vivo in models of autoimmune inflammation and found it to be independent of sialylation. Intriguingly, sialylation markedly improved the half-life and bioavailability of [Fc.sup.F241A] via impaired interaction with the asialoglycoprotein receptor ASGPR. Further, [Fc.sup.F241A] suppressed inflammation through the same molecular pathways as IVIG and sialylated IgG1 Fc and required the C- type lectin SIGN-R1 in vivo. This contrasted with [Fc.sup.Abdeg] (efgartigimod), an engineered IgG1 Fc with enhanced neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) binding, which reduced total serum IgG concentrations, independent of SIGN-R1. When coadministered, [Fc.sup.F241A] and [Fc.sup.Abdeg] exhibited combinatorial antiinflammatory activity. Together, these results demonstrated that the antiinflammatory activity of [Fc.sup.F241A] requires SIGN-R1, similarly to that of high-dose IVIG and sialylated IgG1, and can be used in combination with other antiinflammatory therapeutics that rely on divergent pathways, including [Fc.sup.Abdeg]., Introduction Immunoglobulin G (IgG) is the most prevalent antibody in mammals and accounts for approximately 75% of the total antibodies in typical human circulation (1). IgGs canonically trigger inflammation following [...]

Background Worldwide, noroviruses are the leading cause of acute gastroenteritis (AGE) in people of all age groups. In India, norovirus rates between 1.4 to 44.4% have been reported. Only a very few complete norovirus genome sequences from India have been reported. Objective To perform full genome sequencing of noroviruses circulating in India during 2017-2021, identify circulating genotypes, assess evolution including detection of recombination events. Methodology Forty-five archived norovirus-positive samples collected between October 2017 to July 2021 from patients with AGE from two hospitals in Kolkata, India were processed for full genome sequencing. Phylogenetic analysis, recombination breakpoint analysis and comprehensive mutation analysis were also performed. Results Full genome analysis of norovirus sequences revealed that strains belonging to genogroup (G)I were genotyped as GI.3[P13]. Among the different norovirus capsid-polymerase combinations, GII.3[P16], GII.4 Sydney[P16], GII.4 Sydney[P31], GII.13[P16], GII.16[P16] and GII.17 were identified. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed phylogenetic relatedness with previously reported norovirus strains and all viruses were analyzed by Simplot. GII[P16] viruses with multiple residue mutations within the non-structural region were detected among circulating GII.4 and GII.3 strains. Comprehensive mutation analysis and selection pressure analysis of GII[P16] viruses showed positive as well as negative selection sites. A GII.17 strain (NICED-BCH-11889) had an untypeable polymerase type, closely related to GII[P38]. Conclusion This study highlights the circulation of diverse norovirus strains in eastern India. These findings are important for understanding norovirus epidemiology in India and may have implications for future vaccine development., Author(s): Mahadeb Lo[sup.1], Yen Hai Doan[sup.2], Suvrotoa Mitra[sup.1], Ritubrita Saha[sup.1], Shin-ichi Miyoshi[sup.3,4], Kei Kitahara[sup.3], Shanta Dutta[sup.5], Tomoichiro Oka[sup.6] and Mamta Chawla-Sarkar[sup.1] Introduction Noroviruses are a major cause of acute gastroenteritis [...]

A selective procedure is developed for the determination of glyphosate, aminomethylphosphonic acid, and glufosinate in raw materials of plant origin by chromatography-mass spectrometry. The limit of quantification for glyphosate is 0.1 mg/kg and for glufosinate and aminomethylphosphonic acid, 0.4 mg/kg. The procedure is based on the extraction of analytes from a sample with deionized water acidified with hydrochloric acid, solid-phase purification followed by derivatization with 9-fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl chloride, and the additional purification of the derivatives on a sorbent with weak cation-exchange properties. The extraction and purification procedures for the extracts are optimized. The effect of matrix components on the chromatographic separation and detection of glyphosate on chromatographs-mass spectrometers of various types is studied. Validation of the developed procedure showed that the relative expanded uncertainty lies in the range from 15 to 25%., Author(s): A. V. Sorokin [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.494741.b, 0000 0004 6361 2418, The Russian State Center for Animal Feed and Drug Standardization and Quality (VGNKI), , 123022, Moscow, Russia [...]

A simple method to determine total aminothiols, homocysteine and cysteine, is reported that utilizes the ability of these aminothiols to reduce Fe.sup.3+ to Fe.sup.2+ which complexes with orthophenanthroline to form a colored complex that absorbs light at 512 nm. The method was evaluated in terms of sensitivity, linear dynamic range, limit of detection, and response stability. The method exhibited good analytical figures of merit, with the potential of being utilized to determine homocysteine and cysteine levels in urine., Author(s): Grace W. Muna [sup.1] Christopher Mochel [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.257425.3, 0000 0000 8679 3494, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Indiana University South Bend, , 46634, South Bend, USA [...]

Byline: F. Agouram, Z. Sokar and A. Chait. Keywords: Rhus pentaphylla; antinociceptive activity; antioxidant capacity; total phenolic compounds. INTRODUCTION Humans to prevent, relieve or treat many of the diseases use [...]

Modern mass spectrometry is the most demanded method of analysis of biopolymers, first of all, proteins and peptides. The novel methods of ionization of biomolecules developed at the end of the 20th century allowed increasing the efficiency of mass spectrometry in life sciences, first of all, proteomics. The methods of qualitative and quantitative analysis of these compounds are permanently improving. They become faster, more reliable, informative, sensitive, and selective. Significant role plays automation based on the original algorithms of the machine data processing and usage of spectral databases. One of the challenging questions of mass spectrometry involves analysis of polypeptides of various living organisms, whose genomes remain unknown so far. Amphibians represent a typical example of that species. In these cases, de novo sequencing of novel peptides is required. Development of an automated method of the de novo sequencing exclusively by mass spectrometry is of high scientific priority. It deals with top-down analysis, when an array of tandem mass spectrometry tools allows establishing amino acid sequence of each peptide using their polyprotonated molecules as precursor ions and eliminating assembling based on the hydrolysates of these compounds. A number of nuances still require time-consuming manual spectral elucidation. The present review throws light upon certain problems of mass spectrometry for the de novo sequencing of natural peptides of ranid and hylid frogs as typical representatives of amphibians. It tackles the questions related to post translational modifications, differentiation of isobaric and isomeric amino acid residues, cyclization of short peptides, and application of complementary methods of tandem mass spectrometry to trigger fragmentation. The benefits of mass spectrometry in taxonomy studies, e.g., for the reliable differentiation of closely related ranid and hylid frog species and even populations, are also discussed., Author(s): M. D. Tolpina [sup.1] , I. D. Vasileva [sup.1] , T. Yu. Samgina [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.14476.30, 0000 0001 2342 9668, Moscow State University, , 119991, Moscow, Russia [...]

Triptolide (TP), the major active component in Tripterygium wilfordii Hook. f., is widely used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and autoimmune diseases. However, organ toxicity, especially hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity, limits its clinical application. To fully understand the mechanism underlying TP toxicity, iTRAQ-based 2D-LC-MS/MS proteomics is used to detect differentially expressed proteins in the livers and kidneys of mice administered the LD50 dose of TP. Functional annotation revealed that multiple pathways are involved in TP toxicity, including acute-phase response signaling, the antigen presentation pathway, FXR/RXR activation, LPS/IL-1-mediated inhibition of RXR function, and EIF2 signaling. Members of the cytochrome P450 protein family that are involved in fatty acid (FA) metabolism, such as CYP2E1, show significant differences in expression among groups. Additionally, the proteomics data suggested that FAs are involved in TP-induced toxicity. FA analysis is conducted using HPLC-MRM to characterize the differences among various groups exposed to TP for different times. It has been found that 20 FAs in the liver show significant differences in abundance among groups, whereas in the kidneys, six FAs show significant differences in abundance. By integrating the proteomic and targeted FA analyses, it has been found that differently expressed proteins and FAs both participate in pathways including cellular lipolytic activity, peroxisomal fatty acid beta-oxidation, and so on. Our data contribute to understanding the mechanisms underlying TP-induced organ toxicity. The results may help to improve the clinical efficacy and safety of TP in the future., (© 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Following a hypothesis developed in an earlier paper, here it is discussed how deviations of blood pH from the normal range (namely states of acidemia) together with high blood levels of free fatty acids (FFA) may offer a rationale for many important risk factors for cardiovascular diseases (CVD) by shaping a context for formation of fatty acid micelles and vesicles with an acidic core, which fuse with the endothelia, disrupt vital cell processes, and thereby may initiate atherosclerotic plaque formation. Acidemia may arise primarily from dysregulation of the systemic buffers that control blood pH, chronic diseases of kidneys and lungs, inappropriate diet, or may be induced by some common drugs. The level of free fatty acids may be increased and maintained high by chronic stress, and adrenergic shocks. Elevated concentrations of blood FFA in a context of acidemia allow to understand important cardiovascular aspects: the increased risk of menopausal women, the protective effects of physical exercise, the changes in vascular behavior characteristic of metabolic acidosis/acidemia, the role of diet in the pH balance, on how some known medicines like metformin, steroids, NSAIDS, proton pump inhibitors, and calcium supplements may influence CVD risk, and an explanation is offered for the role of statins.

Recent works have established bio-based carboxylic acids as adaptable precursors to renewable biofuels and chemicals. However, the separation of carboxylic acids is a major energy and cost driver, accounting for 20–40% of the entire processing cost. Improved downstream separation technologies that reduce operating costs compared to conventional approaches are needed, particularly to enable bio-based commodity fuels and chemicals. Here, we combine techno-economic analysis (TEA) and an energy and environmental assessment with experimental results to compare weak-base adsorption (WBA) processes with the conventional strong ion exchange (IX) process for the recovery of the exemplary product, butyric acid. TEA indicates that WBA has the potential to reduce operating expenses from 34% to 6% relative to the selling price of butyric acid ($1.8 kg−1). Our energy analysis shows that the WBA process has 12.2-fold energy reduction and 9.2-fold GHG emission reduction compared to the conventional IX process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Xuelian granule (XL), a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formula, has been used for the treatment of diabetic nephropathy for a long time as a hospital preparation. Because the active ingredients in the XL that can help to treat diabetic nephropathy are still unclear, which limits the interpretation for its pharmacological mechanism, further development and subsequent study on the material basis of its efficacy. Methods: In this study, a screening method based on inhibition activity against aldose reductase (AR) was employed for activity-directed chemical analysis of XL using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography combined with quadrupole-orbitrap high resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-orbitrap-HRMS) technique. Results: A total of 178 compounds, including 46 terpenes, 47 organic acids, 25 flavonoids, 29 phenylethanoid glycosides, and 31 other types, were tentatively identified from XL which might responsible for its AR inhibition activity. Conclusion: This is the first study for a systematic, rapid, and accurate qualitative analysis of XL. This research provides a scientific and experimental basis for further researches on pharmacodynamics material basis and quality control of XL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A method is proposed for the HPLC separation of a mixture of carboxylic acids on a porous graphitized Hypercarb adsorbent under the conditions of gradient elution with formic acid solutions. The analytes were detected using a single quadrupole mass spectrometer. The stepwise gradient of formic acid without an addition of an organic solvent made it possible to achieve good resolution of the analyte peaks and decrease the limits of detection by a factor of 4.4-17.8 compared to their separation with 0.1% formic acid under isocratic conditions. The effect of methanol on the separation of analytes is less pronounced., Author(s): K. S. Gutenev [sup.1] , M. A. Statkus [sup.1] , G. I. Tsizin [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.14476.30, 0000 0001 2342 9668, Department of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, [...]

The giant honeycomb oyster Hyotissa hyotis occurs at a high density in the shallow subtidal rocky bottom of Jeju Island off the south coast of Korea, where the sea surface temperature ranges from 14[degrees]C to 25[degrees]C seasonally. Unlike other oysters, H. hyotis has an extraordinarily large adductor muscle (AM) that accounts for more than 40% of the total tissue weight. This study analyzed the proximate composition, amino acids, and fatty acids of the AM of H. hyotis in Jeju Island to evaluate the nutritional potential. For the analyses, oysters were grouped based on their reproductive condition as prespawning (May-August), spawning (September-November), and postspawning (December-April). The AM contained a high level of protein (54.7%-69.4%) followed by carbohydrate (16.0%-25.3%) and lipid (4.5%-9.9%) throughout the year, indicating that the AM is enriched with protein. The total amino acids (TAA) in the AM ranged from 9.4 to 12.9 g/100 g dry weight annually, and essential amino acids accounted for up to 36.7% of the TAA. Like other marine bivalves, the AM contained a high level of taurine, which accounted for 26.5%-28.5% of the total free amino acids. The AM also included high levels of essential fatty acids, such as palmitic acid, docosahexaenoic acid, and eicosapentaenoic acid, as these fatty acids accounted for 35.9%-37.0% of the total fatty acids. The AM of prespawning oysters collected during May and August contained comparatively higher total proteins and carbohydrates. Results suggested that, like scallops and pen shells, the AM of the giant honeycomb oyster is highly suitable as seafood, and H. hyotis should be considered as a species of high potential for future aquaculture efforts. KEY WORDS: honeycomb oyster, Hyotissa hyotis, adductor muscle, proximate composition, amino acid profile, fatty acid profile, spawning, INTRODUCTION The giant honeycomb oyster Hyotissa hyotis (Linnaeus, 1758) is distributed widely on the subtidal hard bottom of shallow tropical or subtropical waters from the Indo-Pacific to the eastern Pacific [...]

Due to the complex chemical composition of urine and serum samples, the analysis of physiological amino acids has often been difficult. Sample preparation remains a challenge and is perhaps the [...]

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a group of endopeptidases renowned for their ability to degrade the extracellular matrix (ECM) and contribute in different physiological processes. Matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) is a member of this zinc-dependent family of peptidases which also contributes to several pathophysiological disorders including a wide variety of cancer and tumor conditions besides the normal physiological processes. Thus, the development of MMP-9 inhibitors has always been an important target for combating the disorders related to it. Meanwhile, the aryl sulfonamide moiety is one of the structural attributes which can be found frequently in many MMP-9 inhibitors. Additionally, the carboxylic acid group is an interesting zinc-binding group (ZBG) which is able to deliver good chelation with the catalytic zinc of the metalloproteinases. In this study, different molecular modeling approaches were undertaken for a set of diverse MMP-9 inhibitors, containing an arylsulfonamide moiety and a carboxylic acid group in order to identify the structural features contributing toward their activity variation. From this study, the importance of structural features including tetrazole, biphenyl, and carboxamide moieties as well as fundamental molecular properties like molecular weight, number of rings, and hydrogen bond acceptors for their MMP-9 inhibition was observed which will be helpful for further development the MMP-9 inhibitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rationale: Direct non-derivatization analysis of organic acids and acidic compounds by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry (MS) in positive ion mode is not always possible due to the low ionization efficiency of analytes. Some new efficient deprotonating matrices were suggested that allowed the production of negative ions from acidic compounds during MALDI-MS experiments. Methods: Various tested carboxyl-containing compounds as well as compounds with acidic properties were mixed with the suggested deprotonating matrices [4-dimethylaminobenzaldehyde (DMABA), N,N-dimethylamino-p-phenylenediamine or 3-aminoquinoline] and applied on a standard MALDI target followed by recording MALDI mass spectra in negative ion mode. Results: All the tested acidic compounds mixed with the suggested deprotonating matrices produced abundant [M - H]- ions under MALDI conditions. DMABA produced the strongest signals reflecting greater sensitivity of analysis. Conclusions: The suggested deprotonating matrices are commercially available compounds and are good alternatives to well-known matrices of this kind and, in particular, the often used 9-aminoacridine. DMABA is the best of the tested potential matrices and is suitable for the detection of low molecular weight carboxylcontaining compounds, substituted phenols, and mixtures of naphthenic acids by (-) MALDI-MS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glycidyl esters (GEs) and 3-chloroprapane-1,2-diol esters (3-MCPDEs) are processing contaminants in refined edible oils that have raised concerns globally owing to their potentially carcinogenic properties. Official analytical methods for GEs and 3-MCPDEs, such as AOCS Cd 29a-13 and AOCS Cd 29b-13, require up to 16 h for chemical hydrolysis. Also, parallel experiments should be conducted to correct for the conversion of analytes during hydrolysis in AOCS Cd 29b-13. For AOCS Cd 29c-13 with the shortest operating time, the reaction time (3.5-5.5 min) and temperature of alkaline hydrolysis should be carefully controlled, implying the accuracy may be influenced by human errors. Here, we propose a novel method based on Candida rugosa lipase hydrolysis and direct detection of free form GEs, glycidol, which was achieved by sample preparation with modified QuEChERS, to prevent side reactions in previous approaches, and also to shorten the overall sample preparation time. Glycidol was directly analyzed without halogenation and derivatization, whereas 3-MCPD required derivatization for analysis by GC-MS. Our method showed good accuracy and precision in terms of repeatability, intermediate precision, and reproducibility (inter-laboratory precision). The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) for glycidol were 0.02 and 0.1 mg/kg, which is sufficient for practical applications. The proposed method was further compared with AOCS Cd 29c-13 by determination of GEs content in commercial oil samples and spiked samples. Our method with a streamlined procedure seems to possess potential advantage of reduced errors from operational factors. This proposed method based on direct detection of glycidol may serve as a simplified alternative for routine analysis of GEs and 3-MCPDEs in edible oils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new alkaloids (1,2) and one new enoic acid (3), together with three known piericidins (4-6), were isolated from the liquid fermentation of the salt lake derived Streptomyces sp. QHA10. The structures of 1-3 were elucidated based on extensive spectroscopic data (NMR, HRESIMS) as well as single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Compound 3 showed potential anti-inflammatory activity by inhibiting the production of nitric oxide (NO) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW 264.7 mouse macrophages with the IC50 value of 24.5 μM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]