Catalytic properties of lipases immobilized on various mesoporous silicates

Lipases SP525, AK, LIP, and PS were immobilized on three kinds of mesoporous silicates (FMS, PESO, and SBA) with diameters of 27 to 92 A. The amount of lipase activity adsorbed on these supports was related to the pore size of the silicate. Enantioselectivities of immobilized lipases were similar to those of free lipases, and recycling could be done in both aqueous and organic solvents.     

Oxidation of ABTS by silicate-immobilized cytochrome c in nonaqueous solutions

Cytochrome c can be readily adsorbed onto mesoporous silicates at high loadings of up to 10 mmol g(-)(1) of silicate. The adsorbed protein retains its peroxidative activity, with no diffusional limitations being observed. The protein can be adsorbed onto the external surface of the silicate or, provided that the pore diameter is sufficiently large, into the channels. In aqueous buffer, the catalytic activity of the adsorbed protein (for the oxidation of ABTS) decreased with increasing temperature, with the decrease being less marked for cytochrome c held within the silicate channels. Similar results were obtained in 95% methanol. Analysis of kinetic data showed that significant increases in k(cat)/K(M) occurred in methanol, ethanol, and formamide, with slight decreases occurring in 1-methoxy-2-propanol. The observed increases were primarily a result of substantial increases in k(cat), while the results in 1-methoxy-2-propanol can be ascribed to increases in K(M). Resonance Raman spectroscopy indicated that the structure of the heme environment of the adsorbed protein was essentially unchanged, in aqueous buffer and in the nonaqueous solvents, methanol, 1-methoxy-2-propanol, and ethanol. In addition, Raman spectra of the lyophilized protein indicated that there were no apparent changes in the heme structure.     

Anti-diabetic activity of the semi-purified fractions of Averrhoa bilimbi in high fat diet fed-streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

The present study was designed to investigate the hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic activities of the semi-purified fractions of an ethanolic leaf extract of Averrhoa bilimbi (ABe) in high fat diet (HFD)-streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats aged 10 weeks (200-250 g) were fed with a high fat diet obtained from Glen Forrest stock feeders (Western Australia) for 2 weeks prior to intraperitoneal injection with streptozotocin (STZ, 50 mg/kg). The leaves of A.bilimbi were exhaustively extracted with 80% ethanol, concentrated at 40 degrees C using a rotavapor and partitioned successively with butanol, ethylacetate and hexane to get aqueous (AF), butanol (BuF), ethylacetate (EF), and hexane fractions (HF). The fractions were freeze-dried to obtain powders of each. To investigate the effect of long term administration of the hypoglycemic fractions, diabetic animals were treated with vehicle (distilled water), AF (125 mg/kg), or BuF (125 mg/kg), twice a day for 14 days. The long term administration of AF and BuF at a dose of 125 mg/kg significantly (P < 0.05) lowered blood glucose and triglyceride concentrations when compared to the vehicle. The hepatic glycogen content was significantly higher (P < 0.05) in AF-treated rats when compared to diabetic control, however no change was found in the BuF-treated rats. Moreover, AF as well as BuF did not cause any significant change in the total cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol. There was also no difference in liver thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and cytochrome P450 values between AF, BuF and vehicle-treated control rats. In conclusion, the results indicate that AF is more potent than BuF in the amelioration of hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia in HFD fed-STZ diabetic rats. Hence, AF is a potential source for the isolation of active principle(s) for oral anti-diabetic therapy.     

Arcuate fasciculus abnormalities and their relationship with psychotic symptoms in schizophrenia

Disruption of fronto-temporal connections involving the arcuate fasciculus (AF) may underlie language processing anomalies and psychotic features such as auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia. No study to date has specifically investigated abnormalities of white matter integrity at particular loci along the AF as well as its regional lateralization in schizophrenia. We examined white matter changes (fractional anisotropy (FA), axial diffusivity (AD), asymmetry indices) along the whole extent of the AF and their relationship with psychotic symptoms in 32 males with schizophrenia and 44 healthy males. Large deformation diffeomorphic metric mapping and Fiber Assignment Continuous Tracking were employed to characterize FA and AD along the geometric curve of the AF. Our results showed that patients with schizophrenia had lower FA in the frontal aspects of the left AF compared with healthy controls. Greater left FA and AD lateralization in the temporal segment of AF were associated with more severe positive psychotic symptoms such as delusions and hallucinations in patients with schizophrenia. Disruption of white matter integrity of the left frontal AF and accentuation of normal left greater than right asymmetry of FA/AD in the temporal AF further support the notion of aberrant fronto-temporal connectivity in schizophrenia. AF pathology can affect corollary discharge of neural signals from frontal speech/motor initiation areas to suppress activity of auditory cortex that may influence psychotic phenomena such as auditory hallucinations and facilitate elaboration of delusional content.     

Heterogeneous nucleation of protein crystals on fluorinated layered silicate

Here, we describe an improved system for protein crystallization based on heterogeneous nucleation using fluorinated layered silicate. In addition, we also investigated the mechanism of nucleation on the silicate surface. Crystallization of lysozyme using silicates with different chemical compositions indicated that fluorosilicates promoted nucleation whereas the silicates without fluorine did not. The use of synthesized saponites for lysozyme crystallization confirmed that the substitution of hydroxyl groups contained in the lamellae structure for fluorine atoms is responsible for the nucleation-inducing property of the nucleant. Crystallization of twelve proteins with a wide range of pI values revealed that the nucleation promoting effect of the saponites tended to increase with increased substitution rate. Furthermore, the saponite with the highest fluorine content promoted nucleation in all the test proteins regardless of their overall net charge. Adsorption experiments of proteins on the saponites confirmed that the density of adsorbed molecules increased according to the substitution rate, thereby explaining the heterogeneous nucleation on the silicate surface.     

The Use of Ammonium Formate as a Mobile-Phase Modifier for LC-MS/MS Analysis of Tryptic Digests

A major challenge facing current mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics research is the large concentration range displayed in biological systems, which far exceeds the dynamic range of commonly available mass spectrometers. One approach to overcome this limitation is to improve online reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RP-LC) separation methodologies. LC mobile-phase modifiers are used to improve peak shape and increase sample load tolerance. Trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) is a commonly used mobile-phase modifier, as it produces peptide separations that are far superior to other additives. However, TFA leads to signal suppression when incorporated with electrospray ionization (ESI), and thus, other modifiers, such as formic acid (FA), are used for LC-MS applications. FA exhibits significantly less signal suppression, but is not as effective of a modifier as TFA. An alternative mobile-phase modifier is the combination of FA and ammonium formate (AF), which has been shown to improve peptide separations. The ESI-MS compatibility of this modifier has not been investigated, particularly for proteomic applications. This work compares the separation metrics of mobile phases modified with FA and FA/AF and explores the use of FA/AF for the LC-MS analysis of tryptic digests. Standard tryptic-digest peptides were used for comparative analysis of peak capacity and sample load tolerance. The compatibility of FA/AF in proteomic applications was examined with the analysis of soluble proteins from canine prostate carcinoma tissue. Overall, the use of FA/AF improved online RP-LC separations and led to significant increases in peptide identifications with improved protein sequence coverage.     

Standardization and validation of a new atomic absorption spectroscopy technique for determination and quantitation of Aluminium adjuvant in immunobiologicals

In the present study, Aluminium quantification in immunobiologicals has been described using atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) technique. The assay was found to be linear in 25-125 microg/ml Aluminium range. The procedure was found to be accurate for different vaccines with recoveries of external additions ranging between 93.26 and 103.41%. The mean Limit of Variation (L.V.) for both intra- and inter-assay precision was calculated to be 1.62 and 2.22%, respectively. Further the procedure was found to be robust in relation to digestion temperature, alteration in acid (HNO(3) and H(2)SO(4)) ratio used for sample digestion and storage of digested vaccine samples up to a period of 15 days. After validation, AAS method was compared for its equivalency with routinely used complexometric titration method. On simultaneously applying on seven different groups of both bacterial and viral vaccines, viz., DPT, DT, TT, Hepatitis-A and B, Antirabies vaccine (cell culture) and tetravalent DPT-Hib, a high degree of positive correlation (+0.85-0.998) among AAS and titration methods was observed. Further AAS method was found to have an edge over complexometric titration method that a group of vaccines, viz., ARV (cell culture, adsorbed) and Hepatitis-A, in which Aluminium estimation is not feasible by pharmacopoeial approved complexometric titration method (possibly due to some interference in the sample matrix), this newly described and validated AAS assay procedure delivered accurate and reproducible results.     

Immobilized chitosan as biosorbent for the removal of Cd(II), Cr(III) and Cr(VI) from aqueous solutions

The generation of layer-by-layer silicate-chitosan composite biosorbent was studied. The films were evaluated on its stability regarding the polymer leakage and its capability in the removal of Cd(II), Cr(III) and Cr(VI) from an aqueous solution. SEM, EDAX and ATR-IR techniques were applied for material characterization. Silicate-chitosan films with a final layer of silicate demonstrated chitosan retention and had better sorption capacities than those without it. For metal species, such as Cd(II) and Cr(III), the greatest adsorption was obtained when the pH of the solution was 7. When Cr(VI) was evaluated, pH 4 was the optimal for its adsorption. Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms were modeled for the equilibrium data. An 80% of the adsorbed metal was recovered by HNO(3) incubation. This non-covalent immobilization method allowed chitosan surface retention and did not affect its adsorption properties. The use of a coated surface would facilitate sorbent removal from medium after adsorption.     

Sheep-pox vaccine prepared from formaldehyde inactivated virus adsorbed to aluminium hydroxide gel

The aim of the study was to produce an efficacious formaldehyde inactivated, adsorbed vaccine from the Mongolian sheep-pox MH virus strain. Aluminium hydroxide gel prepared from AlCl3 X 6 H2O proved to be the most efficacious adsorbent among the gels prepared from different substances. Above 1.8% Al2O3 content the unadsorbed virus quantity was less than 1% of the original one. Using gel prepared from KAl(SO4)2 and AlCl3 X 6 H2O, respectively, the quantity of adsorbed virus was the same during the adsorption period from 10 min to 24 h. Intradermal inoculation of sheep proved more advantageous for virus production than subcutaneous inoculation. Three vaccines containing different quantities of antigen were prepared from virus propagated in sheep. The vaccine containing 19 800 ID50 inactivated virus did not protect the sheep even against a virus challenge of 25 ID50, while that of 67 000 ID50 content protected 50% of the animals infected with 125 to 287 ID50, and that of 395 000 ID50 content protected 100% of the animals against challenge with more than 100 000 ID50. More than 3 million sheep were inoculated in Mongolia with vaccines of 350 000 ID50 virus content in the last years. In the areas where vaccination has been introduced no sheep-pox epizootic has occurred.     

Palladium adsorbing properties of UV-curable chitosan derivatives and surface analysis of chitosan-containing paint

The results of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses indicated that palladium chloride was adsorbed on a plastic surface coated with a chitosan-containing paint (C-Paint), and was completely reduced to Pd(0) after reduction with dimethylamine-borane. To improve the stability and hardening properties of C-Paint, UV-curable chitosan derivatives, such as N-[3-methoxy-4-(2-hydroxy-3-methacryloyloxypropoxy)phenyl]methylated chitosan and N-(3-methoxy-4-methacryloyloxyphenyl)methylated chitosan, were synthesized. The derivatives showed better affinity for organic solvents. After UV irradiation for 20s, an acidic solution of these derivatives was transformed to a gel, and the dried films exhibited good palladium(II) adsorption at pH 1.1.     

Preparation of a robust biocatalyst of d-amino acid oxidase on sepabeads supports using the glutaraldehyde crosslinking method

In this work different protocols to immobilize d-amino acid oxidase (DAAO) on sepabeads were assayed (ionic adsorption on different supports and covalent attachment using glutaraldehyde), studying the stability of the final preparations. The highest stability was achieved by the treatment with glutaraldehyde of DAAO adsorbed on Sepabeads EA (a commercial aminated support having ethylendiamine groups). In fact, this derivative was six times more stable than the enzyme adsorbed only by ionic interaction and much more stable than the soluble enzyme. The effect of the nature of the amino groups in the support was then analyzed. DAAO adsorbed on sepabeads coated with polyethylenimine (PEI) yielded a higher stability than the preparation on Sepabeads EA. The treatment with glutaraldehyde of DAAO adsorbed on Sepabeads PEI yielded the best results in terms of stability, being 200 times more stable than DAAO adsorbed onto Sepabeads EA. The effects of polyethylenimine size and glutaraldehyde concentration were also studied. sepabeads coated with 25 kDa polyethylenimine and treatment with 0.5% glutaraldehyde solution were the optimal parameters regarding the stability (the half life time was 9 h at 56° C, 600 times more stable than the soluble enzyme). Moreover, the optimal derivative showed a maximum load capacity of 15 mg/g of support. This derivative seems to fulfill the requirements for industrial applications.     

Chiral recognition ability and solvent versatility of bonded amylose tris(3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamate) chiral stationary phase: enantioselective liquid chromatographic resolution of racemic N-alkylated barbiturates and thalidomide analogs

The chiral recognition ability and solvent versatility of a new chiral stationary phase containing amylose 3,5-dimethylphenylcarabamate immobilized onto silica gel (CHIRALPAK IA) is investigated. Thus, the direct enantioselective separation of a set of racemic N-alkylated barbiturates and 3-alkylated analogs of thalidomide was conducted using different nonstandard solvents as eluent and diluent, respectively in high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The separation, resolution, and elution order of the investigated compounds were compared on both immobilized and coated amylose tris(3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamate) chiral stationary phases (Chiralpak IA and Chiralpak AD, respectively) using a mixture of n-hexane/2-propanol (90:10 v/v) as mobile phase with different flow-rates and fixed UV detection at 254 nm. The effect of the immobilization of the amylose tris(3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamate) chiral stationary phase on silica (Chiralpak IA) on the chiral recognition ability was noted as the bonded phase (Chiralpak IA) was superior in chiral recognition and possesses a higher resolving power in most of the reported cases than the coated one (Chiralpak AD). A few racemates were not or poorly resolved on the immobilized Chiralpak IA or the coated Chiralpak AD when using standard solvents were most efficiently resolved on the immobilized Chiralpak IA upon using nonstandard solvents. Furthermore, the immobilized phase withstands the nonstandard (prohibited) HPLC solvents such as dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, tetrahydrofuran, methyl-tert-butyl ether, and others when used as eluents or as a dissolving agent for the analyte itself. The direct analysis of a real sample extracted from plasma using DCM on Chiralpak IA is also shown.     

Melatonin-like Immunoreactivity in the Presence of Different Chemicals as Determined by the Radioimmunoassay

To determine the nature of the molecule(s) that is responsible for the melatonin like immunoreactivity (MLI), we measured the effect of pretreatment of plasma samples with detergents, reducing agent, and proteinase K. Nonidet P-40 Triton X-100, and ethylacetate extraction had no effect, while sodium deoxycholate, sodium dodecyl sulfate, β-mercaptoethanol, ether extraction, proteinase K, and temperature increased the MLI. Since the radioimmunoassay (RIA) was sensitive to proteinase K, ionic detergents, and a reducing compound, we hypothesize that a proteinaceous molecule might be responsible for this MLI. We compared our column procedure for RIA of plasma melatonin (1) with procedures involving extraction with either ethylacetate or ether. In our hands preextraction of samples with organic solvents caused a loss of immunoreactivity. We also found that passing samples through the column is more efficient in eliminating interference in the melatonin assay than extracting samples either with ethylacetate or ether.     

A comparison of gibberellin-like substances in germinating cotyledons of tall and dwarf varieties of Phaseolus vulgaris L.

Amounts of gibberellin-like substances (gibb.) in seed cotyledonsof tall and dwarf varieties of kidney bean were compared throughfractionation with various solvents. Cotyledons of tall varietiescontained greater amounts of gibb. in all fractions than didthose of dwarf varieties. The amounts of gibb. in both varietiesdecreased as seedlings grew, but in the tall variety they decreasedmore rapidly in the acidic ethylacetate and in n-butanol fractions.Growing modes of seedlings may correlate with the activity ofgibb.; especially in the non-acidic ethylacetate fraction, whichis detectable only in the tall variety after germination. (Received November 12, 1969; )     

Immobilized lipase Candida sp. 99-125 catalyzed methanolysis of glycerol trioleate: solvent effect

The immobilized lipase Candida sp. 99-125 catalyzed methanolysis of glycerol trioleate was studied in twelve different solvents in order to deduce the solvent effect through an attempt to correlate the highest yield with such solvent properties as hydrophobicity (log P), dielectric constant (epsilon), and Hildebrand solubility parameter (delta). The results showed that the conversion of glycerol trioleate and yield of oleic acid methyl ester were quite dependent on the solvent. The catalyst lipase in various solvents also needed different optimum amount of water to keep its maximum activity, and generally this lipase in more hydrophobic solvents required more water. The correlation between the highest yield and log P value was found to be reasonable except deviation of data points of certain solvents, while no obvious correlation existed between the other two parameters, dielectric constant (epsilon) and Hildebrand solubility parameter (delta), and the enzyme activity. The study revealed that more hydrophobic solvents such as n-hexane or cyclohexane were more suitable solvents for Candida sp. 99-125 catalyzed transesterification of glycerol trioleate to oleic acid methyl ester.     

Liquid chromatographic separation of darunavir enantiomers on coated and immobilized amylose tris(3, 5-dimethylphenylcarbamate) chiral stationary phases

Liquid chromatographic separation of darunavir enantiomers on covalently bonded and physically adsorbed polysaccharide chiral stationary phases was studied at different temperatures. The separations were accomplished under normal-phase conditions by using different combinations of hexane, organic modifiers (2-propanol, 1-propanol and ethanol), and diethylamine as mobile phase solvents. The effect of organic modifiers and the column temperature on retention, separation, and resolution was investigated. The observed differences were explained in terms of the coated and immobilized nature of the two columns. Van't Hoff plots (ln k' vs. 1/T, ln α vs. 1/T) and apparent thermodynamic parameters were derived to understand the effect of temperature on separation.     

瑞香狼毒根中活性物质的分离鉴定及作用机理

以瑞香狼毒根为研究材料,模式植物拟南芥为受体,采用实验室活体生物实验方法研究了瑞香狼毒根提取物及不同极性溶剂萃取物对7 d龄拟南芥幼苗的生长抑制作用;采用活性跟踪的化合物分离方法,分析了其中的活性化合物成分,并通过拟南芥DR5-GUS转基因株系,研究了单体化合物对拟南芥生长发育及根系生长素分布的影响.结果显示,瑞香狼毒根乙醇提取物对拟南芥有很强的生长抑制作用,其乙酸乙酯和氯仿萃取物的抑制活性最为显著,从氯仿萃取物中分离得到两种香豆素类化合物伞形花内酯(1)和西瑞香素(2),其中化合物1能够显著抑制拟南芥幼苗生长及根系发育,且明显降低了根部内源生长素的分布水平;化合物2也有较为明显的抑制活性.研究表明,氯仿和乙酸乙酯萃取物是瑞香狼毒植物毒活性的主要有效部位;伞形花内酯(1)和西瑞香素(2)是瑞香狼毒植物毒活性的有效成分,化合物1对拟南芥生长发育的抑制作用与生长素途径密切相关.     

Immobilization of thermoalkalophilic recombinant esterase enzyme by entrapment in silicate coated Ca-alginate beads and its hydrolytic properties

Thermoalkalophilic esterase enzyme from Bal?ova (Agamemnon) geothermal site were aimed to be immobilized effectively via a simple and cost-effective protocol in silicate coated Calcium alginate (Ca-alginate) beads by entrapment. The optimal immobilization conditions of enzyme in Ca-alginate beads were investigated and obtained with 2% alginate using 0.5mg/ml enzyme and 0.7 M CaCl(2) solution. In order to prevent enzyme from leaking out of the gel beads, Ca-alginate beads were then coated with silicate. Enzyme loading efficiency and immobilization yield for silicate coated beads was determined as 98.1% and 71.27%, respectively and compared with non-coated ones which were 68.5% and 45.80%, respectively. Surface morphologies, structure and elemental analysis of both silicate coated and non-coated alginate beads were also compared using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) equipped with Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Moreover, silicate coated alginate beads enhanced reusability of esterase in continuous processes compared to non-coated beads. The hydrolytic properties of free and immobilized enzyme in terms of storage and thermal stability as well as the effects of the temperature and pH were determined. It was observed that operational, thermal and storage stabilities of the esterase were increased with immobilization.     

Staphylococcal Enterotoxin B: Solid-Phase Radioimmunoassay

An immunoassay employing (125)I-labeled enterotoxin B and polystyrene tubes coated with specific antibody was used for assaying purified and crude enterotoxin. Antibody was adsorbed to untreated polystyrene tubes. Unlabeled enterotoxin competed with (125)I-labeled enterotoxin for antibody-combining sites. The uptake of (125)I-labeled toxin reflected the concentration of unlabeled toxin present. The test is sensitive to 1 to 5 ng of purified and crude enterotoxin B per ml, and cross-reactions with heterologous enterotoxins did not interfere with the specificity. This test possesses the combination of sensitivity and objectivity absent in current methods for assaying enterotoxin and provides a model for investigating other enterotoxin serotypes.     

Regulation of helper cell activity by specifically adsorbable T lymphocytes.

Mice immunized with soluble proteins such as human serum albumin (HSA) or ovalbumin (OA) develop in their spleens antigen-specific T and B lymphocytes. These populations of lymphocytes can be separated from each other by different means; e.g. treatment with anti-theta-antiserum and complement removes selectively T lymphocytes, whereas passage through glass bead columns coated with mouse immunoglobulin (Ig): anti-Ig complexes creates a relatively pure population of T lymphocytes. During the course of such separation studies it was observed that the helper capacity of HSA (or OA) immune mouse spleen cells after Ig:anti-Ig column passage frequently was higher than expected from the enrichment in theta-positive cells. In addition, after adsorption onto antigen coated Bio-Gel beads this effect was even more pronounced, i.e., and increase in the relative helper capacity of about 3 or 4 times compared with an increase in the content of theta-positive cells from about 30% to 40 to 50% after adsorption. The present results will demonstrate that the increased helper capacity was a specific phenomenon which was regulated by theta-positive cells. The regulatory cells specifically adsorbed onto antigen-coated Bio-Gel beads have not been successfully eluted by EDTA or excess-free antigen so far, and they were still adsorbed after pre-incubation with anti-Ig antibodies under conditions where specific B lymphocyte adsorption was almost prevented.