Determination of phenols in natural and waste waters by capillary electrophoresis after preconcentration on magnetic nanoparticles coated with aminated hypercrosslinked polystyrene.

An efficient sorbent for magnetic solid-phase extraction was developed from Fe3 O4 nanoparticles covered with aminated hypercrosslinked polystyrene. The sorbent has a saturation magnetization of 47 emu/g and a surface area of 509 mg/g and was tested for the extraction of 11 phenols from aqueous media. The optimum conditions were as follows: pH 3; adsorbent mass, 20.0 mg; adsorption time, 30 min; eluent (acetone) volume, 0.5 mL; and desorption time, 5 min. The enrichment factor after desorption reached 1595-1716 and the maximum adsorption capacity was 501-909 mg/g. Capillary electrophoresis was applied successively to separate 11 phenols after solid-phase extraction. The best separation was achieved using a fused silica capillary and borate buffer (pH 10.7) as a supporting electrolyte. After optimization, the linearity range was from 0.2 to 950 µg/L, and the limits of detection were 0.05-0.2 µg/L. The relative standard deviation varied from 6.1 to 8.7% (C = 1 µg/L) and from 2.9 to 3.5% (C = 500 µg/L). The determination of phenols is complicated in eutrophic water and spring water with a high content of humic and fulvic acids.

Both Chemical and Non-Chemical Steps Limit the Catalytic Efficiency of Family 4 Glycoside Hydrolases.

The glycoside hydrolase family 4 (GH4) α-galactosidase from Citrobacter freundii (MelA) catalyzes the hydrolysis of fluoro-substituted phenyl α-d-galactopyranosides by utilizing two cofactors, NAD+ and a metal cation, under reducing conditions. In order to refine the mechanistic understanding of this GH4 enzyme, leaving group effects were measured with various metal cations. The derived ßlg value on V/ K for strontium activation is indistinguishable from zero (0.05 ± 0.12). Deuterium kinetic isotope effects (KIEs) were measured for the activated substrates 2-fluorophenyl and 4-fluorophenyl α-d-galactopyranosides in the presence of Sr2+, Y3+, and Mn2+, where the isotopic substitution was on the carbohydrate at C-2 and/or C-3. To determine the contributing factors to the virtual transition state (TS) on which the KIEs report, kinetic isotope effects on isotope effects were measured on these KIEs using doubly deuterated substrates. The measured D V/ K KIEs for MelA-catalyzed hydrolysis of 2-fluorophenyl α-d-galactopyranoside are closer to unity than the measured effects on 4-fluorophenyl α-d-galactopyranoside, irrespective of the site of isotopic substitution and of the metal cation activator. These observations are consistent with hydride transfer at C-3 to the on-board NAD+, deprotonation at C-2, and a non-chemical step contributing to the virtual TS for V/ K.

Transition-state structure for the quintessential SN2 reaction of a carbohydrate: reaction of α-glucopyranosyl fluoride with azide ion in water.

We report that the SN2 reaction of α-d-glucopyranosyl fluoride with azide ion proceeds through a loose (exploded) transition-state (TS) structure. We reached this conclusion by modeling the TS using a suite of five experimental kinetic isotope effects (KIEs) as constraints for the calculations. We also report that the anomeric (13)C-KIE is not abnormally large (k12/k13 = 1.024 ± 0.006), a finding which is at variance with the previous literature value (Zhang et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1994, 116, 7557).

Comparing microfluidics and ultrasonication as formulation methods for developing hempseed oil nanoemulsions for oral delivery applications.

Emerging formulation technologies aimed to produce nanoemulsions with improved characteristics, such as stability are attractive endeavors; however, comparisons between competing technologies are lacking. In this study, two formulation techniques that employed ultrasound and microfluidic approaches, respectively, were examined for relative capacity to produce serviceable oil in water nanoemulsions, based on hempseed oil (HSO). The ultrasound method reached > 99.5% entrapment efficiency with nanoemulsions that had an average droplet size (Z-Ave) < 180 nm and polydispersity index (PDI) of 0.15 ± 0.04. Surfactant concentration (% w/v) was found to be a significant factor (p < 0.05) controlling the Z-Ave, PDI and zeta potential of these nanoparticles. On the other hand, the microfluidic approach produced smaller particles compared to ultrasonication, with good stability observed during storage at room temperature. The Z-Ave of < 62.0 nm was achieved for microfluidic nanoemulsions by adjusting the aqueous : organic flow rate ratio and total flow rate at 4:1 and 12 mL/min, respectively. Further analyses including a morphology examination, a simulated gastrointestinal release behavior study, transepithelial transport evaluations and a toxicity test, using a Caco2-cell model, were performed to assess the functionality of the prepared formulations. The results of this study conclude that both approaches of ultrasound and microfluidics have the capability to prepare an HSO-nanoemulsion formulation, with acceptable characteristics and stability for oral delivery applications.

Tylopeptin B peptide antibiotic in lipid membranes at low concentrations: Self-assembling, mutual repulsion and localization.

The medium-length peptide Tylopeptin B possesses activity against Gram-positive bacteria. It binds to bacterial membranes altering their mechanical properties and increasing their permeability. This action is commonly related with peptide self-assembling, resulting in the formation of membrane channels. Here, pulsed double electron-electron resonance (DEER) data for spin-labeled Tylopeptin B in palmitoyl-oleoyl-glycero-phosphocholine (POPC) model membrane reveal that peptide self-assembling starts at concentration as low as 0.1 mol%; above 0.2 mol% it attains a saturation-like dependence with a mean number of peptides in the cluster = 3.3. Using the electron spin echo envelope modulation (ESEEM) technique, Tylopeptin B molecules are found to possess a planar orientation in the membrane. In the peptide concentration range between 0.1 and 0.2 mol%, DEER data show that the peptide clusters have tendency of mutual repulsion, with a circle of inaccessibility of radius around 20 nm. It may be proposed that within this radius the peptides destabilize the membrane, providing so the peptide antimicrobial activity. Exploiting spin-labeled stearic acids as a model for free fatty acids (FFA), we found that at concentrations of 0.1-0.2 mol% the peptide promotes formation of lipid-mediated FFA clusters; further increase in peptide concentration results in dissipation of these clusters.

Glycoside hydrolase stabilization of transition state charge: new directions for inhibitor design.

Carbasugars are structural mimics of naturally occurring carbohydrates that can interact with and inhibit enzymes involved in carbohydrate processing. In particular, carbasugars have attracted attention as inhibitors of glycoside hydrolases (GHs) and as therapeutic leads in several disease areas. However, it is unclear how the carbasugars are recognized and processed by GHs. Here, we report the synthesis of three carbasugar isotopologues and provide a detailed transition state (TS) analysis for the formation of the initial GH-carbasugar covalent intermediate, as well as for hydrolysis of this intermediate, using a combination of experimentally measured kinetic isotope effects and hybrid QM/MM calculations. We find that the α-galactosidase from Thermotoga maritima effectively stabilizes TS charge development on a remote C5-allylic center acting in concert with the reacting carbasugar, and catalysis proceeds via an exploded, or loose, SN2 transition state with no discrete enzyme-bound cationic intermediate. We conclude that, in complement to what we know about the TS structures of enzyme-natural substrate complexes, knowledge of the TS structures of enzymes reacting with non-natural carbasugar substrates shows that GHs can stabilize a wider range of positively charged TS structures than previously thought. Furthermore, this enhanced understanding will enable the design of new carbasugar GH transition state analogues to be used as, for example, chemical biology tools and pharmaceutical lead compounds.

An Epoxide Intermediate in Glycosidase Catalysis.

Retaining glycoside hydrolases cleave their substrates through stereochemical retention at the anomeric position. Typically, this involves two-step mechanisms using either an enzymatic nucleophile via a covalent glycosyl enzyme intermediate or neighboring-group participation by a substrate-borne 2-acetamido neighboring group via an oxazoline intermediate; no enzymatic mechanism with participation of the sugar 2-hydroxyl has been reported. Here, we detail structural, computational, and kinetic evidence for neighboring-group participation by a mannose 2-hydroxyl in glycoside hydrolase family 99 endo-α-1,2-mannanases. We present a series of crystallographic snapshots of key species along the reaction coordinate: a Michaelis complex with a tetrasaccharide substrate; complexes with intermediate mimics, a sugar-shaped cyclitol ß-1,2-aziridine and ß-1,2-epoxide; and a product complex. The 1,2-epoxide intermediate mimic displayed hydrolytic and transfer reactivity analogous to that expected for the 1,2-anhydro sugar intermediate supporting its catalytic equivalence. Quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics modeling of the reaction coordinate predicted a reaction pathway through a 1,2-anhydro sugar via a transition state in an unusual flattened, envelope (E 3) conformation. Kinetic isotope effects (k cat/K M) for anomeric-2H and anomeric-13C support an oxocarbenium ion-like transition state, and that for C2-18O (1.052 ± 0.006) directly implicates nucleophilic participation by the C2-hydroxyl. Collectively, these data substantiate this unprecedented and long-imagined enzymatic mechanism.

Measurement of Kinetic Isotope Effects by Continuously Monitoring Isotopologue Ratios Using NMR Spectroscopy.

Nuclear magnetic spectroscopic (NMR) methods are discussed for the measurement of heavy atom (13C, 18O, 15N) and secondary deuterium kinetic isotope effects. The discussion focuses primarily on the NMR methods that enable the measurement of quantitative spectra and not on methods to make labeled substrates. Two main techniques are considered: single-point determinations on natural abundance material and the continuous monitoring of isotopically enriched materials. The second method is described in more detail, and we include a discussion of the current state of instrumentation and computer programs for data acquisition and analysis.