Mass spectrometric techniques for characterisation of platinum–humic substance complexes in soil and street dust samples

Abstract

Increased platinum concentrations have been detected in environmental samples since the introduction of catalytic converters in Europe. It was previously believed that PGE are relatively inert and that the soluble fraction of automobile catalyst emitted PGE is only a few percent. However, new studies suggested that metallic Pt is oxidised in the soil and that the majority of the Pt species could be humic substance complexes.

The aim of the present paper is the characterisation of platinum-humic acid complexes in spiked soil and street dust samples. A number of different soft ionisation mass spectrometric techniques, such as ESI-Q-MS, ESI-ION TRAP-MS and MALDI-TOF-MS have been tested. The ESI mass spectra of the soil humic acids were characterised by high complexity and irreproducibility.

MALDI-TOF-MS was used for humic acid complexes characterisation in positive and negative modes. Positive ionisation was less effective and produced more simple and less informative spectra than negative ionisation. Two different MALDI matrices (CHCA, DHBA) were tested for use with humic substances. DHBA yielded better results, exhibiting superior ionisation efficiency, low spectral background and the matrix peaks were almost completely suppressed causing no interferences with identified analyte peaks. The application of MALDI-TOF-MS shows its suitability for humic substance characterisation. The comparison of the MALDI-spectra of humic acids, extracted from spiked and native soil proved that Pt undergoes transformation in the environment to humic acid complexes.     

Mass spectrometric analysis of rat hemoglobin by FAB-overlapping: Primary structure of the α-major and of four β constitutive chains

• 1.1. The globin chain components of Sprague-Dawley rat hemoglobin were obtained by reverse-phase HPLC which showed the presence of two α-chain and four β-chains.
• 2.2. The accurate molecular weight of each globin chain was determined by means of electrospray mass spectrometry. Extensive mass spectrometric analysis on several enzymatic digests by fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry (FAB-overlapping) meant to determine the complete sequence of the α-major and of the four β-globins.
• 3.3. The primary structure of the α-major globin was found in agreement with literature data (Garrick et al., 1975 Biochem. J.149, 245–258; Chua et al., 1987).
• 4.4. Sequence analysis of the four β -globin chains showed that amino acid differences are restricted to two protein portions: the region 22–25 and 123–125, the remaining portions of the molecule being unchanged in the four globins. Furthermore, all the amino acid replacements correspond to single point DNA mutations and (with the exception of the substitution Asp 22 → Asn in the β₂-globin) involve uncharged substitutions.

     

Targeting radiopharmaceuticals—II. Evaluation of new trivalent metal complexes with different overall charges

Three new multidentate ligands designed to have high affinity for Ga³⁺, In³⁺ and Fe³⁺ have been synthesized, N-(2-hydroxybenzyl)-N′-pyridoxylethylenediamine-N,N′-diacetic acid (HBPLED), N-(2-hydroxy-3,5-dimethylbenzyl)-N′-(3-hydroxy-1,2,5-trimethyl-4-pyridylmethyl)ethylenediamine-N,N′-diacetic acid (Me₄HBPLED) and N,N′-bis(3-hydroxy-1,2,5-trimethyl-4-pyridylmethyl) ethylenediamine-N,N′-diacetic acid (DMPLED). These ligands give metal-ligand (M–L) complexes with (M = Ga³⁺, In³⁺, Fe³⁺) overall charges of −1, 0 and + 1, respectively. The ⁶⁷Ga, ⁶⁸Ga and ¹¹¹In complexes of each of the three ligands and the ⁵⁹Fe complex of Me₄HBPLED were prepared, characterized and their biodistributions determined in rats after intravenous injection. Despite the differences in overall charge, the biological behavior of all three ¹¹¹In complexes were similar, in that the radioactivity cleared rapidly via the kidney. The biodistributions of the ⁶⁸Ga and ⁶⁷Ga complexes were comparable to that of the ¹¹¹In complex counterpart. Also, the ⁵⁹Fe-Me₄HBPLED biodistribution was not significantly different from those of the ⁶⁸Gaand ¹¹¹In-Me₄HBPLED. The renal clearance rate seems insensitive to the overall M-L charge; suggesting that the hydrophilic periphery of the ligand rather than the overall molecular charge determines the biological fate (with respect to renal clearance).     

Comparison of methods for the analysis of therapeutic immunoglobulin G Fc-glycosylation profiles—Part 2: Mass spectrometric methods

To monitor the Fc glycosylation of therapeutic immunoglobulin G in bioprocess development, product characterization and release analytics, reliable techniques for glycosylation analysis are needed. Several analytical methods are suitable for this application. We recently presented results comparing detection methods for glycan analysis that are separation-based, but did not include mass spectrometry (MS). In the study reported here, we comprehensively compared MS-based methods for Fc glycosylation profiling of an IgG biopharmaceutical. A therapeutic antibody reference material was analyzed 6-fold on 2 different days, and the methods investigated were compared with respect to precision, accuracy, throughput and analysis time. Emphasis was put on the detection and quantitation of sialic acid-containing glycans. Eleven MS methods were compared to hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography of 2-aminobenzamide labeled glycans with fluorescence detection, which served as a reference method and was also used in the first part of the study. The methods compared include electrospray MS of the heavy chain and Fc part after limited digestion, liquid chromatography MS of a tryptic digest, porous graphitized carbon chromatography MS of released glycans, electrospray MS of glycopeptides, as well as matrix assisted laser desorption ionization MS of glycans and glycopeptides. Most methods showed excellent precision and accuracy. Some differences were observed with regard to the detection and quantitation of low abundant glycan species like the sialylated glycans and the amount of artefacts due to in-source decay.     

Molecular complexes of ivy triterpene glycosides with β-cyclodextrin

Molecular complexes of triterpene glycosides such as α-hederin (hederagenin 3-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 → 2)-O-α-L-arabinopyranoside) and hederasaponin C (hederagenin 3-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 → 2)-O-α-L-arabinopyranosyl-28-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 → 4)-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 → 6)-O-β-D-glucopyranoside) with β-cyclodextrin were synthesized. The complex formation was studied by FTIR spectroscopy. Toxic properties of the molecular complexes were examined.     

The interaction of D-galactonic acid with CrVI and CrIII. Structure,stability and physical properties of CrIII—aldonate complexes

The redox reaction between D-galactonic acid and potassium chromate yields ((lyxonateH₋₁)(galactonateH₋₁)Cr(OH₂))K·H₂O_n, with both aldonate molecules acting as bidentate ligands with the carboxylate and one alkoxo function as the donor sites. The shift of the CO₂^{poststaggered−} stretching vibration towards lower frequencies upon coordination and the high value of Δv indicate that the carboxylate acts as a monodentate donor site. Magnetic susceptibility data for the compound in the temperature range 3–300 K exhibit a drop in the effective magnetic moment with temperature below 70 K, which is indicative of antiferromagnetic interactions between the Cr^III centres. The molar magnetic susceptibility versus temperature plot could be fitted with the Fisher Hamiltonian for the case of infinite chains, equation-modified for the presence of monomeric species. The EPR and UV-Vis spectroscopic studies reveal that, in solution, the complex retains the distorted octahedral local coordination geometry. The ((lyxonateH₋₁)(galactonateH₋₁)Cr(OH₂))K_n dissociates slowly in aqueous solution but faster at high [H⁺], because of the rapid protonation of the alkoxo bridges linking the monomeric units. The potentiometric evaluation of the closely related binary system Cr^III-d-galactonate shows that the (Cr(galactonateH_−n)₂)^{1 − 2n} complexes are the major species in the 4–12 pH range, when a 1:2 Cr^III:ligand ratio is used. ¹³C NMR reveals that theCO₂^{poststaggered−} group is one of the coordination sites of the ligand.     

Spectroscopic characterization of the inclusion complexes of luteolin with native and derivatized β-cyclodextrin

The inclusion complexes of Luteolin (LU) with cyclodextrins (CDs) including β-cyclodextrin (βCD), hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HPβCD) and dimethyl-β-cyclodextrin (DMβCD), Scheme 1, have been investigated using the method of steady-state fluorescence. The stoichiometric ratio of the three complexes was found to be 1:1 and the stability constants (K) were estimated from spectrofluorometric titrations, as well as the thermodynamic parameters. Maximum inclusion ability was obtained in the case of HPβCD followed by DMβCD and βCD. Moreover, ¹H NMR and 2D NMR were carried out, revealing that LU has different form of inclusion which is in agreement with molecular modeling studies. These models confirm that when LU–βCD and LU–DMβCD complexes are formed, the B-ring is oriented toward the primary rim; however, for LU–HPβCD complex this ring is oriented toward the secondary rim. The ESR results showed that the antioxidant activity of luteolin was the order LU–HPβCD > LU–DMβCD > LU–βCD > LU, hence the LU-complexes behave are better antioxidants than luteolin free.     

The reaction of zinc sulphide with ionic copper—the biological implications. Part 1. Surface area studies of zinc sulphide and its reaction with copper complexes and copper containing proteins

The role of metal sulphides vis-à-vis the availability of dietary copper in ruminant animals has been investigated using zinc sulphide as a model metal sulphide and a selection of copper complexes and copper containing proteins as models for sources of dietary copper. The extent of reactivity of zinc sulphide towards the copper complexes is dependent upon the type of donor atom co-ordinated to copper:

The order to reactivity is found to be CuO > CuN > CuS complexes and is in keeping with the reported values for the instability constant pK_n of the complexes. In contrast, no reaction is observed between zinc sulphide and the copper containing proteins studied (azurin, superoxide dismutase and cerulophasmin) and is attributed to the protection of the copper centres by the protein backbone. The results facilitate an understanding of copper metabolism in ruminants and a mechanism is proposed for the removal of dietary copper sources in such species.Reactions between copper(II) sulphate solutions and samples of zinc sulphide having a range of specific surface areas (prepared by sintering at differing temperatures) have been studied. The fact that the reactivity is found to be highly dependent upon the specific surface area of the metal sulphide may well be of significance when considering the fate of copper in sulphur-rich biological systems.     

Pilot study of gas chromatographic–mass spectrometric screening of newborn urine for inborn errors of metabolism after treatment with urease

Gas chromatographic–mass spectrometric (GC–MS) techniques for urinary organic acid profiling have been applied to high-risk screening for a wide range of diseases, mainly for inborn errors of metabolism (IEM), rather than to low-risk screening or mass screening. Using a simplified procedure with urease-pretreatment and the GC–MS technique, which allows simultaneous determination of organic acids, amino acids, sugars and sugar acids, we performed a pilot study of the application of this procedure to neonatal urine screening for 22 IEM. Out of 16 246 newborns screened, 11 cases of metabolic disorders were chemically diagnosed: two each of methylmalonic aciduria and glyceroluria, four of cystinuria, and one each of Hartnup disease, citrullinemia and α-aminoadipic aciduria/α-ketoadipic aciduria. The incidence of IEM was thus one per 1477, which was higher than the one per 3000 obtained in the USA in a study targeting amino acids and acylcarnitines in newborn blood spots by tandem mass spectrometry. Also, 227 cases were found to have transient metabolic abnormalities: 108 cases with neonatal tyrosinuria, 99 cases with neonatal galactosuria, and 20 cases with other transient metabolic disorders. Two hundred and thirty-eight cases out of 16 246 neonates (approximately 1/68) were thus diagnosed using this procedure as having either persistent or transient metabolic abnormalities.     

Functional modifications of α2-macroglobulin by primary amines. Kinetics of inactivation of α2-macroglobulin by methylamine, and formation of anomalous complexes with trypsin

The unique steric inhibition of endopeptidases by human alpha(2)M (alpha(2)-macroglobulin) and the inactivation of the latter by methylamine were examined in relation to each other. Progressive binding of trypsin by alpha(2)M was closely correlated with the loss of the methylamine-reactive sites in alpha(2)M: for each trypsin molecule bound, two such sites were inactivated. The results further showed that, even at low proteinase/alpha(2)M ratios, no unaccounted loss of trypsin-binding capacity occurred. As alpha(2)M is bivalent for trypsin binding and no trypsin bound to electrophoretic slow-form alpha(2)M was observed, this indicates that the two sites must react (bind trypsin) in rapid succession. Reaction of [(14)C]methylamine with alpha(2)M was biphasic in time; in the initial rapid phase complex-formation with trypsin caused a largely increased incorporation of methylamine. In the subsequent slow phase trypsin had no such effect. These results prompted further studies on the kinetics of methylamine inactivation of alpha(2)M with time of methylamine treatment. It was found that conformational change of alpha(2)M and decrease in trypsin binding (activity resistant to soya-bean trypsin inhibitor) showed different kinetics. The latter decreased rapidly, following pseudo-first-order kinetics. Conformational change was much slower and followed complex kinetics. On the other hand, binding of (125)I-labelled trypsin to alpha(2)M did follow the same kinetics as the conformational change. This discrepancy between total binding ((125)I radioactivity) and trypsin-inhibitor-resistant binding of trypsin indicated formation of anomalous complexes, in which trypsin could still be inhibited by soya-bean trypsin inhibitor. Further examination confirmed that these complexes were proteolytically active towards haemoglobin and bound (125)I-labelled soya-bean trypsin inhibitor to the active site of trypsin. The inhibition by soya-bean trypsin inhibitor was slowed down as compared with reaction with free trypsin. The results are discussed in relation to the subunit structure of alpha(2)M and to the mechanism of formation of the complex.     

Reactions of ketones with coordinated nitriles on β-diketonato ruthenium complexes leading to formation of compounds with new carbon-carbon bonds

The reactions of [Ru(acac)₂(CH₃CN)₂] with four ketones (acetone, ethyl methyl ketone, acetylacetone and monochloroacetone), and the reactions of [Ru(acac)₂(C₆H₅CN)₂] with two ketones (acetone and ethyl methyl ketone) yielded six novel compounds of β-ketiminato ruthenium complexes: [Ru(acac)₂(mhmk)], [Ru(acac)₂(ehmk)], [Ru(acac)₂(mAmk)], [Ru(acac)₂(mClmk)], Ru(acac)₂(mhbk)], and [Ru(acac)₂(ehbk)] (mhmk = 4-iminopentane-2-one mono anion, ehmk = 5-iminohexane-3-one mono anion, mAmk = 3-(1-iminoethyl)-2,4-pentanedione mono anion, mClmk = 3-chloro-4-imino-pentane-2-one mono anion, mhbk = 1-phenyl-1-iminobutane-3-one mono anion, ehbk = 1-phenyl-1-iminopentane-3-one mono anion). All the new complexes have been characterized by elemental analyses, ¹H NMR, MS and electronic spectral data. Crystal and molecular structures for the six β-ketimine complexes have been solved by single crystal X-ray diffraction studies. A mechanism involving the attack of ketones on the coordinated nitrile has been proposed. The electrochemical redox behavior of the β-ketimine complexes has been elucidated.     

Somatic Embryogenesis for Mass Propagation of Ericaceae – A Case Study with Leucopogon verticillatus

An efficient three-phase culture has been developed for plant regeneration of Leucopogon verticillatus (R. Br.) (Ericaceae formerly Epacridaceae [Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 85 (1998): 531–553]) via somatic embryogenesis as indicative of likely culture scenarios for other Ericaceae. The Ericaceae, particularly many Australian species, are often difficult to propagate by conventional forms of nursery propagation. Initiation of somatic embryos was best achieved using Gamborgs B₅ medium, pH 6, 4% maltose, 0.7% agar with the plant growth regulators 10 µM TDZ and 5 µM IAA. Somatic embryos were removed from the parent tissue and transferred to half strength basal GB₅ medium for elongation. Root development did not occur unless specific treatments were used, a 2–5 day pulse treatment of 100 µM IBA significantly increased root production. All roots produced in agar-medium were fine and easily damaged when removed from culture. The most successful rooting medium (>60%) was sand on oat medium, which facilitated easy removal from the substrate and improved the survival of plants when transferred to soil.     

Cytotoxicity of bovine α-lactalbumin: Oleic acid complexes correlates with the disruption of lipid membranes

HAMLET/BAMLET (Human/Bovine α-Lactalbumin Made Lethal to Tumors) is a tumoricidal substance composed of partially unfolded human/bovine α-lactalbumin (HLA/BLA) and several oleic acid (OA) molecules. The HAMLET mechanism of interaction involves an insufficiently understood effect on the membrane or its embedded components. We examined the effect of BLAOA (bovine α-lactalbumin complexed with oleic acid, a HAMLET-like substance) and its individual components on cells and artificial lipid membranes using viability staining and metabolic dyes, fluorescence spectroscopy, leakage integrity assays and microscopy. Our results show a dose-dependency of OA used to prepare BLAOA on its ability to induce tumor cell death, and a correlation between leakage and cell death. BLAOA incorporates into the membrane, tightens the lipid packing and lowers their solvent accessibility. Fluorescence imaging reveals that giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) develop blebs and eventually collapse upon exposure to BLAOA, indicating that the lipid packing reorganization can translate into observable morphological effects. These effects are observed to be local in GUVs, and a tightly packed and solvent-shielded lipid environment is associated with leakage and GUV disruption. Furthermore, the effects of BLAOA on membrane are pH dependent, with an optimum of activity on artificial membranes near neutral pHs. While BLA alone is effective at membrane disruption at acidic pHs, OA is ineffective in a pH range of 4.5 to 9.1. Taken together, this supports a model where the lipid, fatty acid and protein components enhance each other's ability to affect the overall integrity of the membrane.