Development and validation of a high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for the determination of etodolac in human plasma

A simple and specific method using a one-step liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) with butyl acetate followed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with positive ion electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS) detection was developed for the determination of etodolac in human plasma, using indomethacin as an internal standard (IS). Chromatographic separation was performed isocratically using a Capcellpak MGII C(18) column with 65% acetonitrile and 35% water containing 10mM ammonium formate (adjusted to pH 3.5 with formic acid). Acquisition was performed in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode by monitoring the transitions: m/z 287.99>172.23 for etodolac and m/z 357.92>139.01 for IS. The method was validated to determine its selectivity, linearity, sensitivity, precision, accuracy, recovery and stability. The limit of quantitation (LLOQ) was 0.1microg/mL with a relative standard deviation of less than 15%. The devised method provides an accurate, precise and sensitive tool for determining etodolac levels in plasma.     

Brain cooling maintenance with cooling cap following induction with intracarotid cold saline infusion: a quantitative model

Intracarotid cold saline infusion (ICSI) is potentially much faster than whole-body cooling and more effective than cooling caps in inducing therapeutic brain cooling. One drawback of ICSI is hemodilution and volume loading. We hypothesized that cooling caps could enhance brain cooling with ICSI and minimize hemodilution and volume loading. Six-hour-long simulations were performed in a 3D mathematical brain model. The Pennes bioheat equation was used to propagate brain temperature. Convective heat transfer through jugular venous return and the circle of Willis was simulated. Hemodilution and volume loading were modeled using a two-compartment saline infusion model. A feedback method of local brain temperature control was developed where ICSI flow rate was varied based on the rate of temperature change and the deviation of temperature to a target (32 °C) within a voxel in the treated region of brain. The simulations confirmed the inability of cooling caps alone to induce hypothermia. In the ICSI and the combination models (ICSI and cap), the control algorithm guided ICSI to quickly achieve and maintain the target temperature. The combination model had lower ICSI flow rates than the ICSI model resulting in a 55% reduction of infusion volume over a 6 h period and higher hematocrit values compared to the ICSI model. Moreover, in the combination model, the ICSI flow rate decreased to zero after 4 h, and hypothermia was subsequently maintained solely by the cooling cap. This is the first study supporting a role of cooling caps in therapeutic hypothermia in adults.     

Increase of yeast survival under oxidative stress by the expression of the laccase gene from Coprinellus congregatus

Coprinellus congregatus secreted a laccase isozyme when the culture was transferred to an acidic liquid medium (pH 4.1). The laccase cDNA gene (clac2) was used as a probe for cloning of the genomic laccase gene (lac2) including the promoter (Plac2). The open reading frame (ORF) of lac2 had 526 deduced amino acids and four conserved copper binding domains as other fungal laccases. Recombinant plasmid (pRSlac2p-cDNA) of lac2 cDNA with its own promoter was transformed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Expression of the transformed lac2 gene was induced by oxidative stress (H2O2) in yeast and the survival rate of the transformed yeast strain was greatly increased when compared with that of the control strain transformed with pRS316 yeast vector.     

Enzymatic release of ferulic acid fromIpomoea batatas L. (sweet potato) stem

Ferulic acid is a phenolic compound that serves as a major biosynthetic precursor of vanillin in higher plants. We investigated the ability of the 3 commercial enzymes—Ultraflo L, Viscozyme L, and α-Amylase—to induce the release ferulic acid from theIpomoea batatas L. (sweet potato) stem. The rate of release for ferulic acid was optimal when Ultraflo L (1.0%) was used compared with the other enzymes, whereas Viscozyme L was most effective for the release of vanillic acid and vanillin. Thus, these enzymes may be useful for the large-scale production of ferulic acid and other phenolic compounds from sweet potato stem.     

Nuclear Localization of the Mitochondrial Factor HIGD1A during Metabolic Stress

Cellular stress responses are frequently governed by the subcellular localization of critical effector proteins. Apoptosis-inducing Factor (AIF) or Glyceraldehyde 3-Phosphate Dehydrogenase (GAPDH), for example, can translocate from mitochondria to the nucleus, where they modulate apoptotic death pathways. Hypoxia-inducible gene domain 1A (HIGD1A) is a mitochondrial protein regulated by Hypoxia-inducible Factor-1α (HIF1α). Here we show that while HIGD1A resides in mitochondria during physiological hypoxia, severe metabolic stress, such as glucose starvation coupled with hypoxia, in addition to DNA damage induced by etoposide, triggers its nuclear accumulation. We show that nuclear localization of HIGD1A overlaps with that of AIF, and is dependent on the presence of BAX and BAK. Furthermore, we show that AIF and HIGD1A physically interact. Additionally, we demonstrate that nuclear HIGD1A is a potential marker of metabolic stress in vivo, frequently observed in diverse pathological states such as myocardial infarction, hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), and different types of cancer. In summary, we demonstrate a novel nuclear localization of HIGD1A that is commonly observed in human disease processes in vivo.     

Morphological observations of Echinochasmus japonicus cercariae and the in vitro maintenance of its life cycle from cercariae to adults

The cercaria morphology of Echinochasmus japonicus was investigated using light and scanning electron microscopy. Cercariae, liberated from naturally infected snails (Parafossarulus manchouricus), had ovoid bodies and diminutive tails. The cercaria tegument was covered with minute spines. Four type II sensory papillae were observed on the dorsal side of the oral sucker, and type I papillae were distributed on the dorsal tegument surfaces. When cercariae were kept in the same bath as the freshwater fish, Pseudorasbora parva, which were free from trematode infections, parasites encysted only in the gills of fishes at day 4 postinfection (PI). The outermost metacercaria wall was fully formed in host tissues at day 7 PI. Adult worms were recovered from the intestines of rats, chicks, and ducks 28 days after experimental exposure to metacercariae. The head crown of the adult was armed with 24 collar spines, which were interrupted dorsal to the oral sucker, and the species was identified as E. japonicus.     

Lodopyridones B and C from a marine sediment-derived bacterium Saccharomonospora sp.

HPLC-UV guided isolation of the culture broth of a marine bacterium Saccharomonospora sp. CNQ-490 has led to the isolation of two new natural products, lodopyridones B and C (1 and 2) along with the previously reported lodopyridone A (3). Their chemical structures were established from the interpretation of 2D NMR spectroscopic data and the comparison of NMR data with the lodopyridone A (3). Lodopyridones B and C (1 and 2) possess the thiazole, and chloroquinoline groups which are characteristic features of these molecules. Lodopyridones A–C show weak inhibitory activities on the β-site amyloid precursor protein cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1).     

Crystal structures of human HSP90alpha-complexed with dihydroxyphenylpyrazoles

A series of dihydroxyphenylpyrazole compounds were identified as a unique class of reversible Hsp90 inhibitors. The crystal structures for two of the identified compounds complexed with the N-terminal ATP binding domain of human Hsp90alpha were determined. The dihydroxyphenyl ring of the compounds fits deeply into the adenine binding pocket with the C2 hydroxyl group forming a direct hydrogen bond with the side chain of Asp93. The pyrazole ring forms hydrogen bonds to the backbone carbonyl of Gly97, the hydroxyl group of Thr184 and to a water molecule, which is present in all of the published HSP90 structures. One of the identified compounds (G3130) demonstrated cellular activities (in Her-2 degradation and activation of Hsp70 promoter) consistent with the inhibition of cellular Hsp90 functions.