Inhibition of Synaptosomal Neurotransmitter Uptake by Hallucinogens

The effect of 13 hallucinogens on the uptake of serotonin and norepinephrine into hippocampal synaptosomes and of serotonin and dopamine into caudate synaptosomes was found to be inhibitory, except for lysergic acid diethylamide and 2-bromolysergic acid diethylamide, which were inactive. The indoleal-kylamines were generally more potent than the phenylethylamines. The reported inhibition of uptake of serotonin by 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine and lysergic acid diethylamide into whole brain synaptosomes was not reproducible at concentrations 10² to 10⁴ times higher than those stated in the literature.     

Chromatographic and mass spectrometric methods for determination of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and metabolites in body fluids

Continued illicit use of the potent psychedelic drug lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) has stimulated efforts to develop effective analytical methods for detection of the drug and its metabolites in body fluids from suspected LSD users. Recently reported methods based on gas and liquid chromatography, combined with single- and multiple-stage mass spectral analysis, now permit accurate detection and quantitation of LSD at sub-nanogram/milliliter concentrations.     

Determination of corticosterone in mouse plasma by a sweeping technique using micellar electrokinetic chromatography

The separation and on-line concentration of corticosterone in mouse blood was achieved by means of capillary electrophoresis/UV absorbance using sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) as a surfactant. The procedure involved the use of an on-line sample concentration method by sweeping-micellar electrokinetic chromatography (sweeping-MEKC). Optimal on-line concentration and separation conditions were determined. The detection limit for this method was 5 ng/ml (S/N=3) and photodiode array detection at 247 nm was used for identification. For the analysis of actual samples, corticosterones from blood samples of a non-stressed and stressed mouse were determined. The results show that only a minor amount of corticosterone was produced by a non-stressed mouse, whereas a significant amount was present in the blood sample from a stressed mouse. The method developed here can be used to examine corticosterone levels as a marker of stress in test animals and may also be used for estimating the effect of stress-release medications.     

Detection of metabolites of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) in human urine specimens: 2-oxo-3-hydroxy-LSD,a prevalent metabolite of LSD

Seventy-four urine specimens previously found to contain lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) were analyzed by a new procedure for the LSD metabolite 2-oxo-3-hydroxy-LSD (O-H-LSD) using a Finnigan LC–MS–MS system. This procedure proved to be less complex, shorter to perform and provides cleaner chromatographic characteristics than the method currently utilized by the Navy Drug Screening Laboratories for the extraction of LSD from urine by GC–MS. All of the specimens used in the study screened positive for LSD by radioimmunoassay (Roche Abuscreen^®). Analysis by GC–MS revealed detectable amounts of LSD in all of the specimens. In addition, isolysergic diethylamide (iso-LSD), a byproduct of LSD synthesis, was quantitated in 64 of the specimens. Utilizing the new LC–MS–MS method, low levels of N-desmethyl-LSD (nor-LSD), another identified LSD metabolite, were detected in some of the specimens. However, all 74 specimens contained O-H-LSD at significantly higher concentrations than LSD, iso-LSD, or nor-LSD alone. The O-H-LSD concentration ranged from 732 to 112 831 pg/ml (mean, 16 340 pg/ml) by quantification with an internal standard. The ratio of O-H-LSD to LSD ranged from 1.1 to 778.1 (mean, 42.9). The presence of O-H-LSD at substantially higher concentrations than LSD suggests that the analysis for O-H-LSD as the target analyte by employing LC–MS–MS will provide a much longer window of detection for the use of LSD than the analysis of the parent compound, LSD.     

Lack of effect of antagonists on serotonin-induced inhibition in rat hippocampus

Four putative central nervous system 5-hydroxytryptamine antagonists, methysergide, cyproheptadine, metergoline, and ketanserin and also lysergic acid diethylamide were applied by iontophoresis to firing CA1 hippocampal pyramidal cells to test their action on the inhibition produced by 5-hydroxytryptamine. In contrast to a previous report, none of these peripherally active 5-hydroxytryptamine antagonists altered the inhibitory response to submaximal doses of 5-hydroxytryptamine, but they did block after-excitations that followed the inhibitions. All the antagonists and lysergic acid diethylamide produced a depression of firing. When picrotoxin was used to drive the cells, 5-hydroxytryptamine was still able to produce a normal inhibition. The results of this study suggest that CA1 hippocampus is another structure, innervated by serotonergic neurones, where all (peripherally active) serotonin antagonists tested to date are ineffective against 5-hydroxytryptamine induced inhibition.     

Antagonism of 5-Hydroxytryptamine by Methiothepin shown in Micro-electrophoretic Studies of Neurones in the Lateral Geniculate Nucleus

THERE has been little success in the search for a specific antagonist of the actions of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) on central neurones, although several compounds reduce the effects of both tryptamine derivatives and catecholamines in the central nervous system^1,2. The recent report that lysergic acid diethylamide blocked the excitant action of 5-HT, but not that of noradrenaline, on medullary reticular neurones³ has not been confirmed⁴. Moreover, an earlier investigation of olfactory bulb neurones indicated that lysergic acid diethylamide blocked the action of noradrenaline more readily than that of 5-HT⁵.     

High performance liquid chromatography of integral glycoproteins of peripheral nerve myelin

Peripheral nerve myelin contains a large quantity of integral glycoproteins, such as PO and PASII protein. The present paper reports a fast and sensitive method for separation of these glycoproteins. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with TSK-GEL 3000 SW column in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) or lithium dodecyl sulfate (LDS) was used. Whereas the separation of PO and PASII was inadequate with low concentrations of the detergent, better separation profiles were obtained with high concentrations (1–2%) of the detergent in 0.1 M phosphate buffer. The two glycoproteins were able to be purified by rechromatography. High concentration of the detergent presumably diminished hydrophobic interaction between these glycoproteins. LSD-phosphate, SDS-lithium citrate or SDS-Tris buffer as an eluent was also compared with SDS-phosphate system. This method will be applicable to the detection and purification of proteins from myelin or other organelles.     

Sodium dodecyl sulfate activation of a plant polyphenoloxidase. Effect of sodium dodecyl sulfate on enzymatic and physical characteristics of purified broad bean polyphenoloxidase

Latent broad bean polyphenoloxidase was purified and shown to be activated by sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). Further characterization of the enzyme was carried out in the presence and absence of SDS. Activation of the enzyme increased in a sigmoidal manner with increasing SDS concentrations up to a maximum of 1.75 mM. The presence of SDS eliminated a low pH optimum induced by acid shocking. Increased thermolability of the enzyme was observed in the presence of SDS as well as an increased binding of [14C]dihydroxy-phenylalanine. Size exclusion chromatography on high performance liquid chromatography showed that the size and apparent molecular mass of the enzyme were slightly altered in the presence (48 kDa) versus absence (47 kDa) of SDS. Although the estimations were larger than those obtained by size exclusion techniques, no large differences in molecular weight were observed after sedimentation equilibrium of the enzyme in the presence (53.9 kDa) and absence (52.3 kDa) of SDS. Relative electrophoretic mobility and intrinsic fluorescence of tyrosine and tryptophan residues increased in a complex fashion as the SDS concentration was increased. Plateau regions in these latter experiments corresponded to concentrations of SDS needed for activation. The ability of SDS to activate the enzyme alters both its enzymatic and physical characteristics and suggests that a limited conformational change, due to binding of small amounts of SDS, may induce or initiate the activation of latent enzyme.     

Effects of LSD and 2-bromo LSD on striatal DOPAC levels.

Administration of d-lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and its analogue 2-bromo lysergic acid diethylamide (BOL) resulted in a shortlasting increase of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) levels in the rat striatum. BOL was more potent than LSD in the dose range 0.5–4.0 mg/kg. Since there was a concomitant increase in the striatal $\text{in}$$\text{vivo}$ tyrosine hydroxylation as measured by DOPA accumulation after decarboxylase inhibition, our findings suggest that LSD and BOL increase the impulse flow in the nigro-neostriatal pathway probably by central dopamine (DA) receptor antagonism. However, 4 hrs after LSD the DOPAC level was decreased, while the DOPA accumulation was not. Thus the effect of LSD on the dopaminergic system appears not to be limited to a pure receptor antagonism. The possibility also exists that the effect of LSD on the nigro-neostriatal DA pathway is secondary to its effect on the central 5-hydroxytryptaminergic system.     

The Activity-Integrated Method for Quality Assessment of Reduning Injection by On-Line DPPH-CE-DAD

A sensitive on-line DPPH-CE-DAD method was developed and validated for both screening and determining the concentration of seven antioxidants of Reduning injection. The pH and concentrations of buffer solution, SDS, β-CD and organic modifier were studied for the detection of DPPH and seven antioxidants. By on-line mixing DPPH and sample solution, a DPPH-CE method for testing the antioxidant activity of the complex matrix was successfully established and used to screen the antioxidant components of Reduning injection. Then, antioxidant components including caffeic acid, isochlorogenic acid A, isochlorogenic acid B, isochlorogenic acid C, chlorogenic acid, neochlorogenic acid and cryptochlorogenic acid were quantified by the newly established CE–DAD method. Finally, the total antioxidant activity and the multiple active components were selected as markers to evaluate the quality of Reduning injection. The results demonstrated that the on-line DPPH-CE-DAD method was reagent-saving, rapid and feasible for on-line simultaneous determination of total pharmacological activity and contents of multi-components samples. It was also a powerful method for evaluating the quality control and mechanism of action of TCM injection.     

Pharmacological Evidence for the Existence of Multiple Functional Pools of Brain Serotonin: Analysis of Brain Perfusate From Conscious Rats

Abstract: The serotonin reuptake inhibitor fluoxetine significantly reduced levels of endogenous 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) in brain perfusate of rats implanted with push-pull cannulas. This occurred in conjunction with its suppressant effect upon fixed-ratio operant behavior. Behavior suppressed with the serotonin agonist lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) occurred in conjunction with a reduction of 5-HIAA only after 5-HIAA was elevated, shortly before, by 5 mg/kg of the serotonin precursor 5-hydroxytryptophan. Our data demonstrate the likely existence of multiple functional pools of serotonin in brain and support the notion that LSD preferentially affects a newly synthesized pool of this transmitter.     

Fractional factorial design optimization of the separation of pilocarpine and its degradation products by capillary electrophoresis

The separation of pilocarpine and its degradation products by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MECC) has been optimized by using fractional factorial design of the experiments. Critical parameters were identified in a screening design, and an optimization design was used to optimize the separation. The optimal separation method was based on a borate buffer with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). It is concluded that by using fractional factorial design it is possible to improve the separation of pilocarpine, it trans epimer, isopilocarpine and their hydrolysis products, pilocarpic acid and isopilocarpic acid.     

Distribution analysis of cellulose acetate phthalate by ion-exclusion-moderated size exclusion chromatography

Ion-exclusion is the electrostatic repulsive interaction between a charged polymer and charges of the same sign on the surface of a column packing. Controlled ion-exclusion allows compensation of hydrophobic adsorption in size exclusion chromatography of negatively charged cellulose acetate phthalate (CAP) polymers in acetone/water/LiCl (80/20) as a mobile phase. Properly selected low-ionic-strength conditions provide correct separation in size-exclusion mode also in binary solvent mixtures. Possible interfering effects related to light scattering at low-salt conditions are shown to be negligible if on-line concentration/light scattering detection is used. The absence of these interferences is easily checked by a comparison of experiments at two different low-salt concentrations. Molecular weight averages and distributions identical within the experimental error are obtained when both salt concentrations are properly selected.     

Chiral Separation of Four Stereoisomers of Ketoconazole Drugs Using Capillary Electrophoresis

This work aimed to develop a chiral separation method of ketoconazole enantiomers using electrokinetic chromatography. The separation was achieved using heptakis (2, 3, 6‐tri‐O‐methyl)‐β‐cyclodextrin (TMβCD), a commonly used chiral selector (CS), as it is relatively inexpensive and has a low UV absorbance in addition to an anionic surfactant, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). The influence of TMβCD concentration, phosphate buffer concentration, SDS concentration, buffer pH, and applied voltage were investigated. The optimum conditions for chiral separation of ketoconazole was achieved using 10 mM phosphate buffer at pH 2.5 containing 20 mM TMβCD, 5 mM SDS, and 1.0% (v/v) methanol with an applied voltage of 25 kV at 25 °C with a 5‐s injection time (hydrodynamic injection). The four ketoconazole stereoisomers were successfully resolved for the first time within 17 min (total analysis time was 28 min including capillary conditioning). The migration time precision of this method was examined to give repeatability and reproducibility with RSDs ≤5.80% (n =3) and RSDs ≤8.88% (n =9), respectively. Chirality 27:223–227, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Non-competitive immunoassay for alpha-fetoprotein using micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography and laser-induced fluorescence detection

A non-competitive immunoassay based on micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MECC) with laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) detection has been developed for the determination of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP). The anti-AFP antibody was labeled with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) and the product was used as a fluorescent tracer, then AFP was mixed with the labeled antibody. After incubation, the immune AFP-antibody complex was separated from labeled free antibody by MECC. The parameters affecting separation such as the concentration of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), the buffer pH and separation voltage were investigated and the following conditions were selected: 20 mM tetraborate containing 100 mM SDS at pH 9.50, and 20 kV separation voltage. The detection limit of this assay was 0.1 ng/ml with a linear range spanning two orders of magnitude. This method was applied to determine AFP in human serum.     

Contamination of serotonin-2 binding sites by an alpha-1 adrenergic component in assays with (3H)spiperone

(3H)Spiperone binds to two sites in mouse cortical membranes. These binding sites are discriminated by methysergide and prazosin, but not by butaclamol, lysergic acid diethylamide, or ketanserin. One of these sites is serotonergic in nature and is the authentic S-2 binding site. The other component is adrenergic and corresponds to the alpha-1 adrenoreceptor. This alpha-1 component may be present in other S-2 binding assays using (3H)spiperone, or (3H)ketanserin. No (3H)spiperone binding to dopaminergic D-2 sites was found in mouse cortex. Methods of avoiding alpha-1 contamination of S-2 binding assays are suggested.     

Simultaneous determination of phthalate di- and monoesters in poly(vinylchloride) products and human saliva by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

This paper reports on the selectivity behaviour of tryptic peptides on a Cu(2+)-loaded immobilised metal ion affinity chromatography (IMAC) support. Ovalbumin was chosen as a model protein for investigation of the selection and separation of histidine-containing peptides by IMAC off-line coupled with capillary electrophoresis and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF). Two of five histidine-containing peptides in addition to some non-histidine-containing peptides from a tryptic digest of ovalbumin were captured by IMAC. To separate and purify the selected peptides, the IMAC sample was analysed by capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE). The sample was not separated by capillary zone electrophoresis, therefore, micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) using 10-75 mM SDS was used. Analysis of IMAC sample by MEKC, using low concentrations of SDS (10 mM) was characterised by MALDI-TOF. When using SDS at 75 mM, the migration times of reversed-phase fractions of the IMAC sample, were used to identify the peaks. One of the two selected histidine-containing peptides with two histidine residues was identified, analysing the sample by CZE or MEKC.     

Enantioseparation of racemic mixtures based on solvent sublation

A method of solvent sublation was developed for the enantioseparation of racemic ofloxacin (rac Oflx) and racemic tryptophan (rac Trp). In this method, dibenzoyl-L-tartaric acid (L-DBTA) and di-(2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid (D2EHPA) and sodium lauryl sulfate (SDS) were used as chiral coextractants and foamer, respectively. Several important parameters influencing the separation performances, such as pH in aqueous phase, concentrations of rac mixtures, L-DBTA, D2EHPA, and SDS, were investigated. Under the optimal operation conditions, the enantiomeric excess and enantioselectivity were 60.08% and 5.58 for Oflx and 65.09% and 6.31 for Trp, respectively. The yields of D-enantiomer and L-enantiomer were 34.23% and 8.54% for Oflx and 18.59% and 3.93% for Trp, respectively. The results suggest that the enantioselectivities have been enhanced compared with the traditional chiral extraction. This technique is an efficient chiral separation method, with many advantages such as low expenditures of organic solvent, low consumption of chiral extractant, and easy realization of multistage operation.     

Demonstration of an Autoreceptor Modulating the Release of [3H]5-Hydroxytryptamine from a Synaptosomal-Rich Spinal Cord Tissue Preparation

A superfusion system employed to measure the K+-stimulated release of [3H]5-hydroxytryptamine [(3H]5-HT, [3H]serotonin) from a synaptosomal-rich spinal cord tissue preparation was carefully characterized, then used to examine the regulation of spinal 5-HT release. Spinal 5-HT release is apparently modulated by an autoreceptor. Exogenous 5-HT depressed, in a concentration-dependent manner, the K+-stimulated release of [3H]5-HT. Similarly, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) produced a concentration-dependent decrease in [3H]5-HT release. Methiothepin and quipazine blocked the inhibition of release induced by exogenous 5-HT. The 5-HT2 receptor antagonists spiperone and ketanserin failed to alter the action of 5-HT at the spinal 5-HT autoreceptor. Spiperone and ketanserin were shown, however, to alter the storage of [3H]5-HT. When used in concentrations greater than 10 nM, the drugs evoked increases in basal [3H]5-HT and [3H]5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid ( [3H]5-HIAA) effluxes which were independent of the presence of calcium ions. A good agreement existed between the potencies of drugs for modifying autoreceptor function and their abilities to compete for high-affinity [3H]5-HT binding in the spinal cord (designated 5-HT1). Furthermore quipazine, in concentrations that preferentially interact with the 5-HT1B subtype, antagonized the actions of exogenous 5-HT on K+-stimulated release. Spiperone, in a concentration that approximated the affinity constant of 5-HT1A sites for the drug, was ineffective in altering the ability of exogenous 5-HT to modulate K+-stimulated [3H]5-HT release. These results suggest that 5-HT1B sites are associated with serotonergic autoreceptor function in the spinal cord.     

Decreased Number of Benzodiazepine Receptors in Frontal Cortex of Rat Brain Following Long-Term Lithium Treatment

Chronic administration of lithium led to a decreased number of benzodiazepine receptors (ca. 20%) in frontal cortex of rat brain, whereas no change was observed in the binding characteristics in the remaining part of the cortex and in the hippocampus and the cerebellum. Long-term lithium treatment did not change the binding of [3H]lysergic acid diethylamide and [3H]quinuclidinyl benzilate to membranes of various brain regions in the rat. We concluded that the effect of lithium on the benzodiazepine receptor is brain region specific and cannot be explained as a consequence of a reduced gamma-aminobutyric acid-ergic stimulation of benzodiazepine receptor, as the change in receptor binding was due to a change in the number of receptors rather than in the affinity constant.