Pharmacokinetics of valerenic acid after single and multiple doses of valerian in older women.

Insomnia is a commonly reported clinical problem with as many as 50% of older adults reporting difficulty in falling and/or remaining asleep. Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) is a commonly used herb that has been advocated for promoting sleep. Valerenic acid is used as a marker for quantitative analysis of valerian products with evidence of pharmacological activity relevant to the hypnotic effects of valerian. The objective of this study was to determine the pharmacokinetics of valerenic acid in a group of elderly women after receiving a single nightly valerian dose and after 2 weeks of valerian dosing. There was not a statistically significant difference in the average peak concentration (C(max)), time to maximum concentration (T(max)) area under the time curve (AUC), elimination half-life (T(1/2)) and oral clearance after a single dose compared with multiple dosing. There was considerable inter- and intra-subject variability in the pharmacokinetic parameters. C(max) and AUC deceased and T(1/2) increased with increased body weight. The variability between the capsules was extremely low: 2.2%, 1.4% and 1.4%, for hydroxyvalerenic acid, acetoxyvalerenic acid and valerenic acid, respectively. In conclusion, large variability in the pharmacokinetics of valerenic acid may contribute to the inconsistencies in the effect of valerian as a sleep aid.

Rapid quantitation of cyclophosphamide metabolites in plasma by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.

A method is described for the quantification of two metabolites of cyclophosphamide, specifically 4-hydroxycyclophosphamide (HCy), and carboxyethylphosphoramide mustard (CEPM). Plasma HCy is derivatized to the phenylhydrazone which is quantitated by LC-MS monitoring the chloride adduct of the derivative. The LLOQ based on material applied to the system is approximately 20 fmol. Plasma CEPM concentration is determined using LC-MS with a deuterated internal standard. Both assays have 50-fold dynamic range and require less than 4h to complete. The development of this rapid analytical method makes it feasible to adjust the dose of cyclophosphamide based on the pharmacokinetic disposition of HCy and CEPM in hopes of decreasing nonrelapse mortality in cancer patients.

Validation of a soy food-frequency questionnaire and evaluation of correlates of plasma isoflavone concentrations in postmenopausal women.

BACKGROUND: Soy foods may have various health benefits, but little is known about the patterns and correlates of soy consumption among postmenopausal women in the United States. OBJECTIVE: We assessed the reliability and validity of a soy food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and examined demographic, lifestyle, and dietary correlates of plasma isoflavone concentrations in postmenopausal women. DESIGN: In this cross-sectional study, soy isoflavone intake and plasma isoflavone concentration were analyzed in 96 postmenopausal women aged 50-79 y; the data were obtained at 2 visits that were 1 wk apart. Intake was determined with a 20-item soy FFQ and a comprehensive FFQ that included questions about tofu and soymilk. Fasting plasma daidzein and genistein concentrations were determined with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. RESULTS: Intraclass correlations between week 1 and week 2 values were >0.98 for both the soy and comprehensive FFQs. Median reported isoflavone intake was <2 mg/d. Pearson's product-moment correlation coefficients relating isoflavone intakes with plasma isoflavone concentrations ranged from 0.35 to 0.43. Plasma isoflavone concentrations were positively associated with age, fiber consumption, servings of fruit and vegetables, and dietary supplement use and were inversely associated with caffeine consumption; no associations with body mass index, education, dietary beliefs, activity level, alcohol intake, or fat intake were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Within a population with low soy consumption, the soy FFQ and comprehensive FFQ showed good reliability and moderate validity. Associations of plasma isoflavone concentrations with other dietary behaviors suggest that these compounds may serve as biomarkers of health behaviors in populations with low soy consumption.

Characterization of a noncovalent lipocalin complex by liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization mass spectrometry.

Nanoscale liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization mass spectrometry was used to identify the nature of the ligand that binds noncovalently to siderocalin (lipocalin 2). The folded state siderocalin-ligand complex was separated from free, unfolded siderocalin using reversed phase chromatography, and the molecular weight of the siderocalin ligand was then determined from the deconvoluted molecular weights of the complex and of the free protein. The ligand was identified as dihydroxybenzoyl-serine, a breakdown product of enterobactin, an iron-chelating compound ("siderophore") synthesized in bacteria. These results demonstrate that, in some cases, electrostatic noncovalent protein complexes can survive the denaturing conditions of reversed phase liquid chromatography and the gas phase transfer occurring during electrospray ionization.

The Sauromatum guttatum appendix as an osmophore: excretory pathways, composition of volatiles and attractiveness to insects.

This report combines chemical, electron microscopic and ecological studies on the volatiles liberated by the Sauromatum guttatum appendix on D-Day, the day of inflorescence-opening and heat-production. More than 100 compounds from at least nine different chemical classes (monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, fatty acids, ketones, alcohols, aldehydes, indole, and phenolic and sulphur compounds) are liberated during the thermogenic activity. The volatiles were identified using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Electron microscopy provides additional evidence that the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) interacts with the plasma membrane, creating novel routes of excretion of the volatiles to the exterior of the cell. It seems that the fusion event creates channels from the interior to the exterior of the cell. Furthermore, a multitubular body, conceivably originating in the ER, seems to fuse with the plasma membrane and to appear only on D-day. This multitubular body is closely associated with lipid bodies during heat-production and might be involved in the oxidation of lipids to volatile products. The foul odour produced by the appendix attracts at least 30 species of insects.

Validation of a soy food frequency questionnaire with plasma concentrations of isoflavones in US adults.

OBJECTIVE: To validate assessment of soy intake using food frequency questionnaires (FFQs) compared with plasma isoflavone (genistein and daidzein) concentrations. DESIGN: Cross-sectional analysis of soy isoflavone intake and plasma analysis of isoflavones. SUBJECTS: 77 men and women, age range 20 to 40 years, recruited from the Seattle metropolitan area. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Isoflavone intake was determined from responses to a 40-item soy FFQ and from tofu and soymilk intake assessed as part of a comprehensive FFQ used for the Women's Health Initiative (WHI FFQ). Isoflavone concentrations in fasting blood samples were determined by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. STATISTICAL ANALYSES: Correlation coefficients were calculated for: a) isoflavone intake assessed by the soy FFQ and the WHI FFQ, b) intake assessed by the soy FFQ and plasma isoflavone concentrations, and c) intake assessed by the WHI FFQ and plasma isoflavone concentrations. RESULTS: Isoflavone intake was highly correlated between the soy FFQ and the WHI FFQ (r = 0.84). Genistein and daidzein intakes determined by the soy FFQ were significantly correlated with plasma concentrations (r = 0.53 and 0.45, respectively). Isoflavone intake assessed from the WHI FFQ was also correlated with plasma concentration (r = 0.46 and 0.45). Soymilk and tofu were the two major contributors to isoflavone intake (38.6%). CONCLUSIONS: A soy-specific, 40-item FFQ assessed isoflavone intake with good validity. Isoflavone intake assessed by the WHI FFQ (tofu and soymilk) had lower correlations with plasma concentrations compared with the soy FFQ. Nonetheless, assessment of the two foods is a reasonably good marker for soy food consumption in this sample.

Purification of a NAD(P) reductase-like protein from the thermogenic appendix of the Sauromatum guttatum inflorescence.

A NAD(P) reductase-like protein with a molecular mass of 34.146 ± 34 Da was purified to homogeneity from the appendix of the inflorescence of the Sauromatum guttatum. On-line liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry was used to isolate and quantify the protein. For the identification of the protein, liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry analysis of tryptic digests of the protein was carried out. The acquired mass spectra were used for database searching, which led to the identification of a single tryptic peptide. The 12 amino acid tryptic peptide (FLPSEFGNDVDR) was found to be identical to amino acid residues at the positions 108-120 of isoflavone reductase in the Arabidopsis genome. A BLAST search identified this sequence region as unique and specific to a class of NAD(P)-dependent reductases involved in phenylpropanoid biosynthesis. Edman degradation revealed that the protein was N-terminally blocked. The amount of the protein (termed RL, NAD(P) reductase-like protein) increased 60-fold from D-4 (4 days before inflorescence-opening, designated as D-day) to D-Day, and declined the following day, when heat-production ceased. When salicylic acid, the endogenous trigger of heat-production in the Sauromatum appendix, was applied to premature appendices, a fivefold decrease in the amount of RL was detected in the treated section relative to the non-treated section. About 40 % of RL was found in the cytoplasm. Another 30 % was detected in Percoll-purified mitochondria and the rest, about 30 % was associated with a low speed centrifugation pellet due to nuclei and amyloplast localization. RL was also found in other thermogenic plants and detected in Arabidopsis leaves. The function of RL in thermogenic and non-thermogenic plants requires further investigation.

Two global conformation states of a novel NAD(P) reductase like protein of the thermogenic appendix of the Sauromatum guttatum inflorescence.

A novel NAD(P) reductase like protein (RL) belonging to a class of reductases involved in phenylpropanoid synthesis was previously purified to homogeneity from the Sauromatum guttatum appendix. The Sauromatum appendix raises its temperature above ambient temperature to ~30 °C on the day of inflorescence opening (D-day). Changes in the charge state distribution of the protein in electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry spectra were observed during the development of the appendix. RL adopted two conformations, state A (an extended state) that appeared before heat-production (D - 4 to D - 2), and state B (a compact state) that began appearing on D - 1 and reached a maximum on D-day. RL in healthy leaves of Arabidopsis is present in state A, whereas in thermogenic sporophylls of male cones of Encephalartos ferox is present in state B. These conformational changes strongly suggest an involvement of RL in heat-production. The biophysical properties of this protein are remarkable. It is self-assembled in aqueous solutions into micrometer sizes of organized morphologies. The assembly produces a broad range of cyclic and linear morphologies that resemble micelles, rods, lamellar micelles, as well as vesicles. The assemblies could also form network structures. RL molecules entangle with each other and formed branched, interconnected networks. These unusual assemblies suggest that RL is an oligomer, and its oligomerization can provide additional information needed for thermoregulation. We hypothesize that state A controls the plant basal temperature and state B allows a shift in the temperature set point to above ambient temperature.

Human ortholog of a plant salicylic acid receptor found in SK-N-SH cell line.

Our previous studies have described the purification and characterization of a novel plant NAD(P)-reductase like protein (RL) from the thermogenic appendix of the Sauromatum guttatum inflorescence. RL is mainly located in cytoplasm of thermogenic plants and it can act like a bistable switch. It adopts a compact conformation during heat-production and a more expanded conformation when heat is not generated. Addition of salicylic acid, a natural thermogenic inducer, at picomolar concentration to a solution of purified RL induced a discontinuous volume phase transition in which the volume of RL in the oligomeric form expanded and shrunk repeatedly every 4-5 min. In the present study using ESI-MS analysis we have demonstrated the existence of RL in the human SK-N-SH cell line and in mouse brain tissue. The molecular mass of human RL is in the same range as of its plant counterpart, 34,140 ± 34 Da. The charge state distribution of the human RL is identical to its plant counterpart from the Sauromatum appendix during heat-production. Human RL was present in the compact state when it was purified from the SK-N-SH cell line When these cells were treated with salicylic acid (10 µM) a shift to a much more compact conformation was observed. It seems that the potential of RL to respond to salicylic acid was conserved. These results may reveal the existence of a thermoregulation system that is evolutionarily conserved and is operating by conformational changes. This discovery may also represent an opportunity for a better understanding of some of the diverse functions of salicylic acid and aspirin in plants and humans.

A NAD(P) reductase like protein is the salicylic acid receptor in the appendix of the Sauromatum guttatum inflorescence.

The mode of action of the thermogenic inducers (salicylic acid, aspirin, and 2,6-dihydroxybenzoic acid) in the appendix of the Sauromatum guttatum inflorescence is poorly understood. Using ESI-MS and light scattering analysis, we have demonstrated that NAD(P) reductase like protein (RL) is the salicylic acid receptor in the Sauromatum appendix. RL was self-assembled in water into a large unit with a hydrodynamic diameter of 800 nm. In the presence of 1 pM salicylic acid, RL exhibited discontinuous and reversible volume phase transitions. The volume phase changed from 800 to 300 nm diameter and vice versa. RL stayed at each volume phase for ~4-5 min with a fast relaxation time between the 2 phases. ESI-MS analysis of RL extracted from appendices treated with salicylic acid, aspirin, and 2,6-DHBA at a micromolar range demonstrated that these compounds are capable of inducing graded conformational changes that are concentration-dependent. A strong correlation between RL conformations and heat-production induced by salicylic acid was also observed. These preliminary findings reveal structural and conformational roles for RL by which plants regulate their temperature and synchronize their time keeping mechanisms.

Analysis of testosterone and dihydrotestosterone from biological fluids as the oxime derivatives using high-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry.

A sensitive liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC/ESI-MS/MS) method for the simultaneous quantitative analysis of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and testosterone (T) from biological fluids has been developed. Commercially available deuterated analogues were used as internal standards. Steroids were extracted from serum or testicular fluid with hexane/ethyl acetate, evaporated to dryness, and treated with hydroxylamine to form their oxime derivatives. Upon chromatographic separation, the compounds were quantified using selected reaction monitoring (SRM). For T, the [M+H](+) ion at m/z 304 and the fragment ion at m/z 124 were used as the precursor and product ions. For DHT the ion cluster [M+H+ACN](+) at m/z 347 and the dissociated ion [M+H](+) at m/z 306 were used as the precursor and product ions, respectively. The limits of detectability on-column were in the sub-femtomole range for both compounds and the intra-day coefficient of variation (CV) for analysis from serum was less than 7% for both compounds. Given its high reproducibility, sensitivity, and relative simplicity, this assay should be of use in determining androgen levels in biospecimens, particularly in settings where sample quantity or steroid concentration are low.

Chloramphenicol is a substrate for a novel nitroreductase pathway in Haemophilus influenzae.

The p-nitroaromatic antibiotic chloramphenicol has been used extensively to treat life-threatening infections due to Haemophilus influenzae and Neisseria meningitidis; its mechanism of action is the inhibition of protein synthesis. We found that during incubation with H. influenzae cells and lysates, chloramphenicol is converted to a 4-aminophenyl allylic alcohol that lacks antibacterial activity. The allylic alcohol moiety undergoes facile re-addition of water to restore the 1,3-diol, as well as further dehydration driven by the aromatic amine to form the iminoquinone. Several Neisseria species and most chloramphenicol-susceptible Haemophilus species, but not Escherichia coli or other gram-negative or gram-positive bacteria we examined, were also found to metabolize chloramphenicol. The products of chloramphenicol metabolism by species other than H. influenzae have not yet been characterized. The strains reducing the antibiotic were chloramphenicol susceptible, indicating that the pathway does not appear to mediate chloramphenicol resistance. The role of this novel nitroreductase pathway in the physiology of H. influenzae and Neisseria species is unknown. Further understanding of the H. influenzae chloramphenicol reduction pathway will contribute to our knowledge of the diversity of prokaryotic nitroreductase mechanisms.

Porphyromonas gingivalis lipopolysaccharide lipid A heterogeneity: differential activities of tetra- and penta-acylated lipid A structures on E-selectin expression and TLR4 recognition.

Porphyromonas gingivalis is a gram-negative bacterium strongly associated with periodontitis, a chronic inflammatory disease of the tissue surrounding the tooth root surface. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) obtained from P. gingivalis is unusual in that it has been shown to display an unusual amount of lipid A heterogeneity containing both tetra- and penta-acylated lipid A structures. In this report, it is shown that penta-acylated lipid A structures facilitate E-selectin expression whereas tetra-acylated lipid A structures do not. Furthermore, it is shown that tetra-acylated lipid A structures are potent antagonists for E-selectin expression. Both tetra- and penta-acylated lipid A structures interact with TLR4 although experiments utilizing human, mouse and human/mouse chimeric TLR4 proteins demonstrated that they interact differentially with the TLR4 signalling complexes. The presence of two different structural types of lipid A in P. gingivalis LPS, with opposing effects on the E-selectin response suggests that this organism is able to modulate innate host responses by alterations in the relative amount of these lipid A structures.

Porphyromonas gingivalis lipopolysaccharide contains multiple lipid A species that functionally interact with both toll-like receptors 2 and 4.

The innate host response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) obtained from Porphyromonas gingivalis is unusual in that different studies have reported that it can be an agonist for Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) as well as an antagonist or agonist for TLR4. In this report it is shown that P. gingivalis LPS is highly heterogeneous, containing more lipid A species than previously described. In addition, purification of LPS can preferentially fractionate these lipid A species. It is shown that an LPS preparation enriched for lipid A species at m/z 1,435 and 1,450 activates human and mouse TLR2, TLR2 plus TLR1, and TLR4 in transiently transfected HEK 293 cells coexpressing membrane-associated CD14. The HEK cell experiments further demonstrated that cofactor MD-2 was required for functional engagement of TLR4 but not of TLR2 nor TLR2 plus TLR1. In addition, serum-soluble CD14 effectively transferred P. gingivalis LPS to TLR2 plus TLR1, but poorly to TLR4. Importantly, bone marrow cells obtained from TLR2(-/-) and TLR4(-/-) mice also responded to P. gingivalis LPS in a manor consistent with the HEK results, demonstrating that P. gingivalis LPS can utilize both TLR2 and TLR4. No response was observed from bone marrow cells obtained from TLR2 and TLR4 double-knockout mice, demonstrating that P. gingivalis LPS activation occurred exclusively through either TLR2 or TLR4. Although the biological significance of the different lipid A species found in P. gingivalis LPS preparations is not currently understood, it is proposed that the presence of multiple lipid A species contributes to cell activation through both TLR2 and TLR4.