Microfluidic capillary zone electrophoresis mass spectrometry analysis of alkaloids in Lobelia cardinalis transgenic and mutant plant cell cultures.

Application of a microfluidic CE* device for CZE-MS allows for fast, rapid, and in-depth analysis of large sample sets. This microfluidic CZE-MS device, the 908 Devices ZipChip, involves minimal sample preparation and is ideal for small cation analytes, such as alkaloids. Here, we evaluated the microfluidic device for the analysis of alkaloids from Lobelia cardinalis hairy root cultures. Extracts from wild-type, transgenic, and selected mutant plant cultures were analyzed and data batch processed using the mass spectral processing software MZmine2 and the statistical software Prism 8. In total 139 features were detected as baseline resolved peaks via the MZmine2 software optimized for the electrophoretic separations. Statistically significant differences in the relative abundance of the primary alkaloid lobinaline (C27 H34 N2 ), along with several putative "lobinaline-like" molecules were observed utilizing this approach. Additionally, a method for performing both targeted and untargeted MS/MS experiments using the microfluidic device was developed and evaluated. Coupling data-processing software with CZE-MS data acquisition has enabled comprehensive metabolomic profiles from plant cell cultures to be constructed within a single working day.

Acamprosate inhibits the binding and neurotoxic effects of trans-ACPD, suggesting a novel site of action at metabotropic glutamate receptors.

BACKGROUND: Several reported effects of acamprosate within the glutamatergic system could result from interactions with metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs). The following experiments were performed to determine whether acamprosate could compete with trnas-ACPD (+/--1-aminocyclopentane-trans-1,3-dicarboxylic acid, an equimolecular mixture of 1S, 3R and 1R, 3S-ACPD and an agonist at both group I and group II mGluRs) sensitive binding sites and protect against trans-ACPD-induced neurotoxicity in organotypic hippocampal slice cultures. METHODS: A P2 membrane preparation of cortices, cerebellums, and hippocampi of adult, male Sprague Dawley rats was used to determine the abilities of N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) and trans-ACPD to displace [3H]glutamate in both the absence and the presence of the sodium salt of acamprosate (sodium mono N-acetyl homotaurine or Na-acamprosate). A comparison of the effects of 100 microM guanosine 5'-triphosphate on unlabeled glutamate, trans-ACPD, and Na-acamprosate was performed in the same paradigm. For the neurotoxicity studies, organotypic hippocampal slice cultures from male and female 8-day-old neonatal rats were exposed to either 500 microM -ACPD or 50 microM NMDA for 24 hr in normal culture medium containing serum on day 20 in vitro. The effects of Na-acamprosate and 2-methyl-6-(2-phenylethenyl)pyridine (SIB-1893), a noncompetitive antagonist at metabotropic type 5 receptors (mGluR5s), were assessed by determining differences in propidium iodide uptake as compared with neurotoxic challenges alone. RESULTS: Na-acamprosate displaced 31% of [3H]glutamate but did not compete with NMDA for [3H]glutamate binding sites. Na-acamprosate displayed total competition with trans-ACPD. The presence of 100 microM guanosine 5'-triphosphate differentially altered the displacing capabilities of the two mGluR agonists, unlabeled glutamate and trans-ACPD, as compared with Na-acamprosate. Na-acamprosate (200-1000 microM) and SIB-1893 (20-500 microM) both were neuroprotective against trans-ACPD induced neurotoxicity that likely results from mGluR potentiation of NMDARs. In turn, Na-acamprosate and SIB-1893 had no direct effects on NMDA-induced neurotoxicity. CONCLUSIONS: Na-acamprosate demonstrates the binding and functional characteristics that are consistent with a group I mGluR antagonist. The functional similarities between Na-acamprosate and SIB-1893 support an interaction of Na-acamprosate at mGluR5s. The neuroprotective properties of acamprosate and possibly its ability to reduce craving in alcohol-dependent patients may result from its alterations in glutamatergic transmission through mGluRs.

Neurotoxic effects of the human immunodeficiency virus type-1 transcription factor Tat require function of a polyamine sensitive-site on the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor.

Human immunodeficiency virus type-I (HIV-1) infection is often associated with neuronal loss in cortical and subcortical regions that may manifest as motor dysfunction and dementia. The function of the HIV-1 transcription protein Tat and subsequent activation of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDAr) have been implicated in this form of neurodegeneration. However, it is unclear if Tat interacts directly with the NMDAr and the role of specific NMDAr subunit composition in mediating effects of Tat is also unclear. The present studies examined the ability of HIV-1 Tat1-72 protein (10 pM-1.0 microM) to displace [3H]MK-801 binding and to attenuate spermidine-induced potentiation of this binding in rat brain homogenate comprised of cerebellum, hippocampus, and cerebral cortex. The role of NMDAr polyamine-site function in the neurotoxic effects of Tat was determined using organotypic hippocampal slice cultures. Binding of [3H]MK-801 in adult rat brain homogenate was not reduced by Tat at concentrations below 1 microM. Tat potently inhibited the potentiation of [3H]MK-801 binding produced by co-exposure of membranes to the NMDAr co-agonist spermidine (IC(50)=3.74 nM). In hippocampal explants, Tat produced neurotoxicity in the CA3 and CA1 pyramidal cell layers, as well as in the dentate gyrus, that was significantly reduced by co-exposure to MK-801 (20 microM) and the NMDAr polyamine-site antagonist arcaine (10 microM). Exposure to the HIV-1 Tat deletion mutant (Tatdelta31-61) did not produce neurotoxicity in hippocampal explants. These data suggest that the neurotoxic effects of HIV-1 Tat are mediated, in part, by direct interactions with a polyamine-sensitive site on the NMDAr that positively modulates the function of this receptor.

Radioligand binding studies reveal agmatine is a more selective antagonist for a polyamine-site on the NMDA receptor than arcaine or ifenprodil.

Ifenprodil, arcaine and agmatine have all been reported to inhibit the NMDA receptor by actions at polyamine-sites, however the specific sites with which these compounds interact is unknown. Here we used radioligand binding of [3H]MK-801 to a membrane preparation from rat cerebral cortex to investigate the interactions of these compounds with the NMDA receptor complex. In the absence of exogenous polyamines, agmatine reduced [3H]MK-801 binding only at concentrations over 500 micro M, as opposed to the putative polyamine-site antagonists arcaine and ifenprodil which directly reduce ligand binding at much lower concentrations (5 micro M) in the absence of polyamines. In our studies, all three compounds significantly reduced spermidine-potentiated [3H]MK-801 binding, however agmatine was the only compound effective at concentrations below those that produced direct inhibition of [3H]MK-801 binding. Under these conditions, agmatine had a K(i)=14.8 micro M for spermidine-potentiated [3H]MK-801 binding and displayed characteristics of a competitive antagonist. Agmatine, as well as ifenprodil and arcaine, also displaced [3H]spermidine from rat cortical membranes at concentrations similar to those that were effective at reducing spermidine-potentiated [3H]MK-801 binding. In conclusion, these data suggest that agmatine reduces the potentiating effects of polyamines by competitive antagonism at a specific site on the NMDA receptor complex, and that these actions of agmatine differ from those of ifenprodil and arcaine.