Optimization of metabolomics pretreatment method of cholangiocarcinoma cells based on ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry.

Metabolomics intends to maximize the quantity of available metabolites for the global metabolome, which largely depends on sample pretreatment protocols. However, there are few studies that comprehensively examined the effects of extraction and reconstitution solvents on metabolome coverage of adherent mammalian cells. In this study, the human cholangiocarcinoma TFK-1 cells were chosen as a cell model, and eight extraction solvents and five reconstitution solvents were used for the pretreatment based on ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (UPLC/MS). The coverage, reproducibility, and stability of the data were norms to evaluate the effectiveness of different extraction solvents and reconstitution solvents. Based on the number of metabolites, the mean Euclidean distance (EDMEAN) in the principal component analysis (PCA) 3D score plots and the relative standard deviation (RSD) distribution of metabolites, it was demonstrated that MeOH-CHCl3-H2O (8:1:1, v/v/v) was the optimal extraction solvent and MeOH-H2O (1:1, v/v) or H2O was superior to other reconstitution solvents for RP column analysis, and the extraction solvent MeOH-ACN-H2O (2:2:1, v/v/v) and the reconstitution solvents ACN-H2O (4:1, v/v) or MeOH-H2O (1:1, v/v) provide the best performance for HILIC column analysis. The optimized pretreatment methods explored in this study expand the coverage of polar and non-polar metabolites and improve the reproducibility and stability of the metabolic data, which can be applied to UPLC/MS-based global metabolomics study on cholangiocarcinoma cells, potentially providing better extraction solvents and reconstitution solvents for other adherent mammalian cells with similar chemical and physical properties.

One-Step Synthesis and Oriented Immobilization of Strep-Tag II Fused PDGFRß for Screening Intracellular Domain-Targeted Ligands.

Accurate orientations and stable conformations of membrane receptor immobilization are particularly imperative for accurate drug screening and ligand-protein affinity analysis. However, there remain challenges associated with (1) traditional recombination, purification, and immobilization of membrane receptors, which are time-consuming and labor-intensive; (2) the orientations on the stationary phase are not easily controlled. Herein, a novel one-step synthesis and oriented-immobilization membrane-receptor affinity chromatography (oSOMAC) method was developed to realize high-throughput and accurate drug screening targeting specific domains of membrane receptors. We employed Strep-tag II as a noncovalent immobilization tag fused into platelet-derived growth factor receptor ß (PDGFRß) through CFPS, and meanwhile, the Strep-Tactin-modified monolithic columns are prepared in batches. The advantages of oSOMAC are as follows: (1) targeted membrane receptors can be expressed independent of living cell within 1-2 h; (2) orientation of membrane receptors can be flexibly controlled and active sites can expose accurately; and (3) targeted membrane receptors can be synthesized, purified, and orientation-immobilized on monolithic columns in one step. Accordingly, three potential PDGFRß intracellular domain targeted ligands: tanshinone IIA (Tan IIA), hydroxytanshinone IIA, and dehydrotanshinone IIA were successfully screened out from Salvia miltiorrhiza extract through oSOMAC. Pharmacological experiments and molecular docking further demonstrated that Tan IIA could attenuate hepatic stellate cells activation by targeting the protein kinase domain of PDGFRß with a KD value of 9.7 µM. Ultimately, the novel oSOMAC method provides an original insight for accurate drug screening and interaction analysis which can be applied in other membrane receptors.

A novel standard-free detection of adulteration method for sildenafil derivatives in dietary supplements.

The rapid and accurate detection of illegal adulteration of chemical drugs into dietary supplements is a big challenge in the food chemistry field. Detection of compounds without a standard reference is even more difficult; however, this is a common situation. Here in this study, a novel "standard-free detection of adulteration" (SFDA) method was proposed and phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor derivatives were used as an example to figure out the possibility and reliability of this SFDA method. After analysis by quadrupole coupled time of flight-tandem mass spectrometry detection and multivariable statistics, six common fragment ions were chosen to indicate whether adulteration was present or not, while 20 characteristic fragment ions indicated whether adulteration was by nitrogen-containing heterocycles or by anilines. Furthermore, the quantitative methods were conducted by high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. In a word, this strategy allows for a quick determination of dietary supplement adulteration without any need for standard materials, improving the efficacy of food safety testing.

A dual-target SPR screening system for simultaneous ligand discovery of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and its receptor ACE2 from Chinese herbs.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a supremely valuable resource for the development of drug discovery. Few methods are capable of hunting for potential molecule ligands from TCM towards more than one single protein target. In this study, a novel dual-target surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensor was developed to perform targeted compound screening of two key proteins involved in the cellular invasion process of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2): the spike (S) protein receptor binding domain (RBD) and the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). The screening and identification of active compounds from six Chinese herbs were conducted taking into consideration the multi-component and multi-target nature of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Puerarin from Radix Puerariae Lobatae was discovered to exhibit specific binding affinity to both S protein RBD and ACE2. The results highlight the efficiency of the dual-target SPR system in drug screening and provide a novel approach for exploring the targeted mechanisms of active components from Chinese herbs for disease treatment.

High-throughput BCRP inhibitors screening system based on styrene maleic acid polymer membrane protein stabilization strategy and surface plasmon resonance biosensor.

Multidrug resistance (MDR) is a dominant challenge in cancer chemotherapy failure. The over-expression of breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP) in tumorous cells, along with its extensive substrate profile, is a leading cause of tumor MDR. Herein, on the basis of styrene maleic acid (SMA) polymer membrane protein stabilization strategy and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensor, a novel high-throughput screening (HTS) system for BCRP inhibitors has been established. Firstly, LLC-PK1 and LLC-PK1/BCRP cell membranes were co-incubated with SMA polymers to construct SMA lipid particles (SMALPs). PK1-SMALPs were thus immobilized in channel 1 of the L1 chip as the reference channel, and BCRP-SMALPs were immobilized in channel 2 as the detection channel to establish the BCRP-SMALPs-SPR screening system. The methodological investigation demonstrated that the screening system was highly specific and stable. Three active compounds were screened out from 26 natural products and their affinity constants with BCRP were determined. The KD of xanthotoxin, bergapten, and naringenin were 5.14 µM, 4.57 µM, and 3.72 µM, respectively. The in vitro cell verification experiments demonstrated that xanthotoxin, bergapten, and naringenin all significantly increased the sensitivity of LLC-PK1/BCRP cells to mitoxantrone with possessing reversal BCRP-mediated MDR activity. Collectively, the developed BCRP-SMALPs-SPR screening system in this study has the advantages of rapidity, efficiency, and specificity, providing a novel strategy for the in-depth screening of BCRP inhibitors with less side effects and higher efficacy.

Effect of P-Glycoprotein on the Blood-Brain Barrier Transport of the Major Active Constituents of Salvia miltiorrhiza Based on the MDCK-MDR1 Cell Model.

Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge (S. miltiorrhiza) is a traditional Chinese medicine that has been widely used in the treatment of various central nervous system (CNS) diseases. However, the mechanism of active components of S. miltiorrhiza crossing the blood-brain barrier (BBB) stays unclear. The purpose of this study was to clarify the mechanism of four ingredients of S. miltiorrhiza, i.e., cryptotanshinone (CTS), dihydrotanshinone I (DTS I), tanshinone IIA (TS IIA), and protocatechuic acid (PCTA) crossing the BBB using the in vitro model. The bidirectional transport of detectable components was tested using the MDCK-MDR1 monolayers. High performance liquid chromatography coupled to triple-quadrupole mass spectrometry (HPLC-QQQ/MS) was used to detect the content changes of S. miltiorrhiza monomer components transported through the BBB. Papp of CTS, DTS I, and TS IIA in the absorption direction were lower than 1.0 × 10-6 cm/s, suggesting that these components were poorly absorbed, while PCTA was moderately absorbed through the BBB. The efflux ratio (ER) of CTS, DTS I, TS IIA, and PCTA were 1.65, 0.92, 4.27, and 1.48, respectively. After treatment with P-gp inhibitor tariquidar, the efflux ratio (ER) of CTS, DTS I, and TS IIA significantly decreased from 1.65 to 1.27, 0.92 to 0.36, and 4.27 to 0.86 (P < 0.05), respectively, while the efflux ratio of PCTA decreased without significance from 1.48 to 0.80. This indicated that the transport of CTS, DTS I, and TS IIA might be related to P-gp. TS IIA and CTS were verified as the substrates of P-gp among the four components since the ER of TS IIA and CTS is greater than 1.5. For PCTA and DTS I, their transport mechanism may be related to other transport proteins or passive transport. The results were confirmed by molecular docking in our current work. In this study, an in vitro BBB model was established and applied to the trans-BBB study of active components in S. miltiorrhiza for the first time, which may provide a basis for further research on the mechanisms of other TCMs in treating CNS diseases and is of great significance in promoting the rational and effective use of TCMs.

Construction of a novel blood brain barrier-glioma microfluidic chip model: Applications in the evaluation of permeability and anti-glioma activity of traditional Chinese medicine components.

Since most anti-glioma drug candidates hardly permeate through the blood-brain barrier (BBB), preclinical models that can integrate the complexity of the tumor microenvironment and the structure and function of the BBB is urgently needed for the treatment of glioma. Herein, we constructed an in vitro BBB-glioma microfluidic chip model lined by primary human brain microvascular endothelial cells, pericytes, astrocytes and glioma cells, which could recapitulate the high level of barrier function of the in vivo human BBB and glioma microenvironment. The BBB unit in BBB-glioma microfluidic chip (BBB-U251 chip) displayed selective permeability to fluorescein isothiocyanate isomer-dextran (FITC-dextran) with different molecular weights and three model drugs with different permeability behavior across BBB, which indicated that this glioma model included a functional barrier. Six potential anti-glioma components in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) were delivered into the blood channel and the permeated amount was quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography combined with ultraviolet (HPLC-UV). The permeated drugs then directly acted on 3D cultured glioma cells (U251) to evaluate the drug efficacy. The results of permeability coefficients of drugs showed that the data were closer to the in vivo data of traditional Transwell model. The effect of the drugs on U251 cells in the BBB-U251 chip was significantly lower due to the existence of BBB. Drug responses on glioma demonstrated the necessity to take BBB into account during the development of anti-glioma new drugs. Therefore, this 3D glioma microfluidic models integrating the BBB functionality can be a useful platform for screening the anticancer drug for brain tumors.

Label-free target protein characterization for small molecule drugs: recent advances in methods and applications.

Target protein identification is the key to identification of the mechanisms, side effects, and evaluating druglikeness of small-molecule drugs. The commonly used "labeled" target-characterization methods, including activity-based proteome profiling (ABPP), require the synthesis of a derivatized probe, which are time-consuming and may affect the active drug conformation. Label-free target identification methods do not involve any chemical modification of small-molecules drugs and have received increasing attention in recent years. We reviewed the basic principles, workflow, applications, advantages, and disadvantages of the promising label-free target identification methods, including cellular thermal shift assay (CETSA), thermal proteome profiling (TPP), pulse proteolysis (PP), stability of proteins from rates of oxidation (SPROX), drug affinity responsive target stability (DARTS), limited proteolysis-coupled mass spectrometry (LiP-MS) and solvent-induced protein precipitation (SIP). We also reviewed the prospective applications of these label-free methods for efficient target identification. The approaches based on peptide mapping using high-resolution mass spectrometry (MS) may provide more information regarding comprehensive target proteins and binding sites, which may be useful for target identification in multi-target or complex drug systems.

In Vitro Evaluation of the Interaction of Seven Biologically Active Components in Anemarrhenae rhizoma with P-gp.

The efficacy and pharmacokinetics of the biologically active components in Anemarrhenae rhizoma (AR) would be affected by the interaction of P-glycoprotein(P-gp) and effective components in AR. However, little is known about the interaction between them. The goal of this research was to examine the transmembrane absorption of timosaponin AIII(TAIII), timosaponin BII(TBII), sarsasapogenin (SSG), mangiferin(MGF), neomangiferin(NMGF), isomangiferin(IMGF), and baohuosideI(BHI) in AR and their interaction with P-gp. Seven effective components in AR(TAIII, TBII, SSG, MGF, NMGF, IMGF, and BHI) were investigated, and MDCK-MDR1 cells were used as the transport cell model. CCK-8 assays, bidirectional transport assays, and Rhodamine-123 (Rh-123) transport assays were determined in the MDCK-MDR1 cells. LC/MS was applied to the quantitative analysis of TAIII, TBII, MGF, NMGF, IMGF, SSG, and BHI in transport samples. The efflux ratio of MGF, TAIII, TBII, and BHI was greater than 2 and significantly descended with the co-administration of Verapamil, indicating MGF, TAIII, TBII, and BHI as the substrates of P-gp. The efflux ratio of the seven effective components in the extracts (10 mg/mL) of AR decreased from 3.00~1.08 to 1.92~0.48. Compared to the efflux ratio of Rh-123 in the control group (2.46), the efflux ratios of Rh-123 were 1.22, 1.27, 1.25, 1.09, 1.31, and 1.47 by the addition of TAIII, TBII, MGF, IMGF, NMGF, and BHI, respectively, while the efflux ratio of Rh-123 with the co-administration of SSG had no statistical difference compared to the control group. These results indicated that MGF, TAIII, TBII, and BHI could be the substrates of P-gp. TAIII, TBII, MGF, IMGF, NMGF, and BHI show the effect of inhibiting P-gp function, respectively. These findings provide important basic pharmacological data to assist the therapeutic development of AR constituents and extracts.

Screening of immune cell activators from Astragali Radix using a comprehensive two-dimensional NK-92MI cell membrane chromatography/C18 column/time-of-flight mass spectrometry system.

Astragali Radix (AR) is a clinically used herbal medicine with multiple immunomodulatory activities that can strengthen the activity and cytotoxicity of natural killer (NK) cells. However, owing to the complexity of its composition, the specific active ingredients in AR that act on NK cells are not clear yet. Cell membrane chromatography (CMC) is mainly used to screen the active ingredients in a complex system of herbal medicines. In this study, a new comprehensive two-dimensional (2D) NK-92MI CMC/C18 column/time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOFMS) system was established to screen for potential NK cell activators. To obtain a higher column efficiency, 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane-modified silica was synthesized to prepare the NK-92MI CMC column. In total, nine components in AR were screened from this system, which could be washed out from the NK-92MI/CMC column after 10 min, and they showed good affinity for NK-92MI/CMC column. Two representative active compounds of AR, isoastragaloside I and astragaloside IV, promoted the killing effect of NK cells on K562 cells in a dose-dependent manner. It can thus suggest that isoastragaloside I and astragaloside IV are the main immunomodulatory components of AR. This comprehensive 2D NK-92MI CMC analytical system is a practical method for screening immune cell activators from other herbal medicines with immunomodulatory effects.

Novel transketolase inhibitor oroxylin A suppresses the non-oxidative pentose phosphate pathway and hepatocellular carcinoma tumour growth in mice and patient-derived organoids.

BACKGROUND: Transketolase (TKT), a key rate-limiting enzyme in the non-oxidative branch of the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP), provides more than 85% of the ribose required for de novo nucleotide biosynthesis and promotes the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Pharmacologic inhibition of TKT could impede HCC development and enhance treatment efficacy. However, no safe and effective TKT inhibitor has been approved. METHODS: An online two-dimensional TKT protein immobilised biochromatographic system was established for high-throughput screening of TKT ligands. Oroxylin A was found to specifically bind TKT. Drug affinity responsive target stability, cellular thermal shift assay, surface plasmon resonance, molecular docking, competitive displacement assay, and site mutation were performed to identify the binding of oroxylin A with TKT. Antitumour effects of oroxylin A were evaluated in vitro, in human xenograft mice, diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-induced HCC mice, and patient-derived organoids (PDOs). Metabolomic analysis was applied to detect the enzyme activity. Transcriptome profiling was conducted to illustrate the anti-HCC mechanism of oroxylin A. TKT knocking-down HCC cell lines and PDOs were established to evaluate the role of TKT in oroxylin A-induced HCC suppression. RESULTS: By targeting TKT, oroxylin A stabilised the protein to proteases and temperature extremes, decreased its activity and expression, resulted in accumulation of non-oxidative PPP substrates, and activated p53 signalling. In addition, oroxylin A suppressed cell proliferation, induced apoptosis and cell-cycle arrest, and inhibited the growth of human xenograft tumours and DEN-induced HCC in mice. Crucially, TKT depletion exerted identical effects to oroxylin A, and the promising inhibitor also exhibited excellent therapeutic efficacy against clinically relevant HCC PDOs. CONCLUSIONS: These results uncover a unique role for oroxylin A in TKT inhibition, which directly targets TKT and suppresses the non-oxidative PPP. Our findings will facilitate the development of small-molecule inhibitors of TKT and novel therapeutics for HCC.

I n situ synthesis and unidirectional insertion of membrane proteins in liposome-immobilized silica stationary phase for rapid preparation of microaffinity chromatography.

Cell membrane affinity chromatography has been widely applied in membrane protein (MP)-targeted drug screening and interaction analysis. However, in current methods, the MP sources are derived from cell lines or recombinant protein expression, which are time-consuming for cell culture or purification, and also difficult to ensure the purity and consistent orientation of MPs in the chromatographic stationary phase. In this study, a novel in situ synthesis membrane protein affinity chromatography (iSMAC) method was developed utilizing cell-free protein expression (CFE) and covalent immobilized affinity chromatography, which achieved efficient in situ synthesis and unidirectional insertion of MPs into liposomes in the stationary phase. The advantages of iSMAC are: 1) There is no need to culture cells or prepare recombinant proteins; 2) Specific and purified MPs with stable and controllable content can be obtained within 2 h; 3) MPs maintain the transmembrane structure and a consistent orientation in the chromatographic stationary phase; 4) The flexible and personalized construction of cDNAs makes it possible to analyze drug binding sites. iSMAC was successfully applied to screen PDGFRß inhibitors from Salvia miltiorrhiza and Schisandra chinensis. Micro columns prepared by in-situ synthesis maintain satisfactory analysis activity within 72 h. Two new PDGFRß inhibitors, salvianolic acid B and gomisin D, were screened out with K D values of 13.44 and 7.39 µmol/L, respectively. In vitro experiments confirmed that the two compounds decreased α-SMA and collagen Ӏ mRNA levels raised by TGF-ß in HSC-T6 cells through regulating the phosphorylation of p38, AKT and ERK. In vivo, Sal B could also attenuate CCl4-induced liver fibrosis by downregulating PDGFRß downstream related protein levels. The iSMAC method can be applied to other general MPs, and provides a practical approach for the rapid preparation of MP-immobilized or other biological solid-phase materials.

Therapeutic effect and mechanism of Anemarrhenae Rhizoma on Alzheimer's disease based on multi-platform metabolomics analyses.

Anemarrhenae Rhizoma (AR) has multiple pharmacological activities to prevent and treat Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the effect and its molecular mechanism are not elucidated clear. This study aims to evaluate AR's therapeutic effect and mechanism on AD model rats induced by D-galactose and AlCl3 with serum metabolomics. Behavior study, histopathological observations, and biochemical analyses were applied in the AD model assessment. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF/MS) were combined with multivariate statistical analysis to identify potential biomarkers of AD and evaluate the therapeutic effect of AR on AD from the perspective of metabolomics. A total of 49 biomarkers associated with the AD model were identified by metabolomics, and pathway analysis was performed to obtain the metabolic pathways closely related to the model. With the pre-treatment of AR, 32 metabolites in the serum of AD model rats were significantly affected by AR compared with the AD model group. The regulated metabolites affected by AR were involved in the pathway of arginine biosynthesis, arginine and proline metabolism, ether lipid metabolism, glutathione metabolism, primary bile acid biosynthesis, and steroid biosynthesis. These multi-platform metabolomics analyses were in accord with the results of behavior study, histopathological observations, and biochemical analyses. This study explored the therapeutic mechanism of AR based on multi-platform metabolomics analyses and provided a scientific basis for the application of AR in the prevention and treatment of AD.

A multi-omics study of the anti-cancer effect of a ferulic acid derivative FA-30.

The active ingredients of Traditional Chinese Medicine are an important source of bioactive molecules and play an important role in the research and development of innovative drugs. FA-30, which is a derivative of natural product ferulic acid, inhibited cervical cancer cell proliferation and induced apoptosis as well. To understand the underlying mechanisms of FA-30, a complementary multi-omics study was conducted. Cysteine and methionine metabolism and aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis pathways were significantly changed both at the metabolic level and proteomic level. This may help us to get a better understanding of cervical cancer and FA-30 at the same time.

Screening potential P-glycoprotein inhibitors by combination of a detergent-free membrane protein extraction with surface plasmon resonance biosensor.

P-glycoprotein (P-gp) highly expressed in cancer cells can lead to multidrug resistance (MDR) and the combination of anti-cancer drugs with P-gp inhibitor has been a promising strategy to reverse MDR in cancer treatment. In this study, we established a label-free and detergent-free system combining surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensor with styrene maleic acid (SMA) polymer membrane proteins (MPs) stabilization technology to screen potential P-gp inhibitors. First, P-gp was extracted from MCF-7/ADR cells using SMA polymer to form SMA liposomes (SMALPs). Following that, SMALPs were immobilized on an SPR biosensor chip to establish a P-gp inhibitor screening system, and the affinity between P-gp and small molecule ligand was determined. The methodological investigation proved that the screening system had good specificity and stability. Nine P-gp ligands were screened out from 50 natural products, and their affinity constants with P-gp were also determined. The in vitro cell verification experiments demonstrated that tetrandrine, fangchinoline, praeruptorin B, neobaicalein, and icariin could significantly increase the sensitivity of MCF-7/ADR cells to Adriamycin (Adr). Moreover, tetrandrine, praeruptorin B, and neobaicalein could reverse MDR in MCF-7/ADR cells by inhibiting the function of P-gp. This is the first time that SMALPs-based stabilization strategy was applied to SPR analysis system. SMA polymer can retain P-gp in the environment of natural lipid bilayer and thus maintain the correct conformation and physiological functions of P-gp. The developed system can quickly and accurately screen small molecule ligands of complex MPs and obtain affinity between complex MPs and small molecule ligands without protein purification.

Metabolomic profiling of cerebrospinal fluid reveals an early diagnostic model for central nervous system involvement in acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

The pathogenesis of central nervous system involvement (CNSI) in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) remains unclear and a robust biomarker of early diagnosis is missing. An untargeted cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) metabolomics analysis was performed to identify independent risk biomarkers that could diagnose CNSI at the early stage. Thirty-three significantly altered metabolites between ALL patients with and without CNSI were identified, and a CNSI evaluation score (CES) was constructed to predict the risk of CNSI based on three independent risk factors (8-hydroxyguanosine, l-phenylalanine and hypoxanthine). This predictive model could diagnose CNSI with positive prediction values of 95.9% and 85.6% in the training and validation sets respectively. Moreover, CES score increased with the elevated level of central nervous system (CNSI) involvement. In addition, we validated this model by tracking the changes in CES at different stages of CNSI, including before CNSI and during CNSI, and in remission after CNSI. The CES showed good ability to predict the progress of CNSI. Finally, we constructed a nomogram to predict the risk of CNSI in clinical practice, which performed well compared with observed probability. This unique CSF metabolomics study may help us understand the pathogenesis of CNSI, diagnose CNSI at the early stage, and sequentially achieve personalized precision treatment.

Investigation of the apoptosis-inducing effect of docetaxel by comprehensive LC-MS-based metabolomics and network pharmacology approaches.

Docetaxel is one of the clinical first-line drugs and its combination with other chemotherapy agents for advanced or metastatic cancers has attracted widespread attention. Therefore, to promote the clinical application of docetaxel alone or in combination, a comprehensive investigation of the metabolic mechanism of docetaxel is of great importance. Here, we apply an integrative analysis of metabolomics and network pharmacology to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of docetaxel. After taking the intersection of the aforesaid two methods, five pathways including ABC (ATP-binding cassette) transporters, central carbon metabolism in cancer, glycolysis and gluconeogenesis, cysteine and methionine metabolism, and arginine biosynthesis have been screened. Concerning the interaction network of these pathways and the anti-apoptosis effect of docetaxel itself, the central carbon metabolism in cancer pathway was mainly focused on. This study may help delineate global landscapes of cellular protein-metabolite interactions, to provide molecular insights about their mechanisms of action as well as to promote their clinical applications.

Simultaneous Determination of Seven Lipophilic and Hydrophilic Components in Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge by LC-MS/MS Method and Its Application to a Transport Study in a Blood-Brain-Barrier Cell Model.

Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge (SM) has been extensively used in Alzheimer's disease treatment, the permeability through the blood-brain barrier (BBB) determining its efficacy. However, the transport mechanism of SM components across the BBB remains to be clarified. A simple, precise, and sensitive method using LC-MS/MS was developed for simultaneous quantification of tanshinone I (TS I), dihydrotanshinone I (DTS I), tanshinone IIA (TS IIA), cryptotanshinone (CTS), protocatechuic aldehyde (PAL), protocatechuic acid (PCTA), and caffeic acid (CFA) in transport samples. The analytes were separated on a C18 column by gradient elution. Multiple reaction monitoring mode via electrospray ionization source was used to quantify the analytes in positive mode for TS I, DTS I, TS IIA, CTS, and negative mode for PAL, PCTA, and CFA. The linearity ranges were 0.1-8 ng/mL for TS I and DTS I, 0.2-8 ng/mL for TS IIA, 1-80 ng/mL for CTS, 20-800 ng/mL for PAL and CFA, and 10-4000 ng/mL for PCTA. The developed method was accurate and precise for the compounds. The relative matrix effect was less than 15%, and the analytes were stable for analysis. The established method was successfully applied for transport experiments on a BBB cell model to evaluate the apparent permeability of the seven components.

Development of a surface plasmon resonance biosensor for accurate and sensitive quantitation of small molecules in blood samples.

Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) has played an important role in clinical medicine for precise dosing. Currently, chromatographic technology and immunoassay detection are widely used in TDM and have met most of the needs of clinical drug therapy. However, some problems still exist in practical applications, such as complicated operation and the influence of endogenous substances. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) has been applied to detect the concentrations of small molecules, including pesticide residues in crops and antibiotics in milk, which indicates its potential for in vivo drug detection. In this study, a new SPR-based biosensor for detecting chloramphenicol (CAP) in blood samples was developed and validated using methodological verification, including precision, accuracy, matrix effect, and extraction recovery rate, and compared with the classic ultra-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet (UPLC-UV) method. The detection range of SPR was 0.1-50 ng/mL and the limit of detection was 0.099 ± 0.023 ng/mL, which was lower than that of UPLC-UV. The intra-day and inter-day accuracies of SPR were 98%-114% and 110%-122%, which met the analysis requirement. The results show that the SPR biosensor is identical to UPLC-UV in the detection of CAP in rat blood samples; moreover, the SPR biosensor has better sensitivity. Therefore, the present study shows that SPR technology can be used for the detection of small molecules in the blood samples and has the potential to become a method for therapeutic drug monitoring.

The unique carrier mobility of monolayer Janus MoSSe nanoribbons: a first-principles study.

Charge-carrier mobility is a determining factor of the transport properties of semiconductor materials and is strongly related to the optoelectronic performance of nanoscale devices. Here, we investigate the electronic properties and charge carrier mobility of monolayer Janus MoSSe nanoribbons by means of first-principles simulations coupled with deformation potential theory. These simulations indicate that zigzag nanoribbons are metallic. Conversely, armchair nanoribbons are semiconducting and show oscillations in the calculated band gap as a function of edge-width according to the 3p < 3p + 1 < 3p + 2 rule, with p being the integer number of repeat units along the non-periodic direction of the nanoribbon. Although the charge-carrier mobility of armchair nanoribbons oscillates with the edge-width, its magnitude is comparable to its two-dimensional sheet counterpart. A robust room-temperature carrier mobility is calculated for 3.5 nm armchair nanoribbons with values ranging from 50 cm2 V-1 s-1 to 250 cm2 V-1 s-1 for electrons (e) and holes (h), respectively. A comparison of these values with the results for periodic flat sheet (e: 73.8 cm2 V-1 s-1; h: 157.2 cm2 V-1 s-1) reveals enhanced (suppressed) hole (electron) mobility in the Janus MoSSe nanoribbons. This is in contrast to what was previously found for MoS2 nanoribbons, namely larger mobility for electrons in comparison with holes. These differences are rationalized on the basis of the different structures, edge electronic states and deformation potentials present in the MoSSe nanoribbons. The present results provide the guidelines for the structural and electronic engineering of MoSSe nanoribbon edges towards tailored electron transport properties.