Activity and Stability of Nanoconfined Alpha-Amylase in Mesoporous Silica.

Mesoporous silica particles (MSPs) have been studied for their potential therapeutic uses in controlling obesity and diabetes. Previous studies have shown that the level of digestion of starch by α-amylase is considerably reduced in the presence of MSPs, and it has been shown to be caused by the adsorption of α-amylase by MSPs. In this study, we tested a hypothesis of enzymatic deactivation and measured the activity of α-amylase together with MSPs (SBA-15) using comparably small CNP-G3 (2-chloro-4-nitrophenyl alpha-d-maltotrioside) as a substrate. We showed that pore-incorporated α-amylase was active and displayed higher activity and stability compared to amylase in solution (the control). We attribute this to physical effects: the coadsorption of CNP-G3 on the MSPs and the relatively snug fit of the amylase in the pores. Biosorption in this article refers to the process of removal or adsorption of α-amylase from its solution phase into the same solution dispersed in, or adsorbed on, the MSPs. Large quantities of α-amylase were biosorbed (about 21% w/w) on the MSPs, and high values of the maximum reaction rate (Vmax) and the Michaelis-Menten constant (KM) were observed for the enzyme kinetics. These findings show that the reduced enzymatic activity for α-amylase on MSP observed here and in earlier studies was related to the large probe (starch) being too large to adsorb in the pores, and potato starch has indeed a hydrodynamic diameter much larger than the pore sizes of MSPs. Further insights into the interactions and environments of the α-amylase inside the MSPs were provided by 1H fast magic-angle spinning (MAS) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and 13C/15N dynamic nuclear polarization MAS NMR experiments. It could be concluded that the overall fold and solvation of the α-amylase inside the MSPs were nearly identical to those in solution.

Exploiting solid-state dynamic nuclear polarization NMR spectroscopy to establish the spatial distribution of polymorphic phases in a solid material.

Solid-state DNP NMR can enhance the ability to detect minor amounts of solid phases within heterogenous materials. Here we demonstrate that NMR contrast based on the transport of DNP-enhanced polarization can be exploited in the challenging case of early detection of a small amount of a minor polymorphic phase within a major polymorph, and we show that this approach can yield quantitative information on the spatial distribution of the two polymorphs. We focus on the detection of a minor amount (<4%) of polymorph III of m-aminobenzoic acid within a powder sample of polymorph I at natural isotopic abundance. Based on proposed models of the spatial distribution of the two polymorphs, simulations of 1H spin diffusion allow NMR data to be calculated for each model as a function of particle size and the relative amounts of the polymorphs. A comparison between simulated and experimental NMR data allows the model(s) best representing the spatial distribution of the polymorphs in the system to be established.

Atomic-level structure determination of amorphous molecular solids by NMR.

Structure determination of amorphous materials remains challenging, owing to the disorder inherent to these materials. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) powder crystallography is a powerful method to determine the structure of molecular solids, but disorder leads to a high degree of overlap between measured signals, and prevents the unambiguous identification of a single modeled periodic structure as representative of the whole material. Here, we determine the atomic-level ensemble structure of the amorphous form of the drug AZD4625 by combining solid-state NMR experiments with molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and machine-learned chemical shifts. By considering the combined shifts of all 1H and 13C atomic sites in the molecule, we determine the structure of the amorphous form by identifying an ensemble of local molecular environments that are in agreement with experiment. We then extract and analyze preferred conformations and intermolecular interactions in the amorphous sample in terms of the stabilization of the amorphous form of the drug.

Imaging Radial Distribution Functions of Complex Particles by Relayed Dynamic Nuclear Polarization.

The physical properties of many modern multi-component materials are determined by their internal microstructure. Tools capable of characterizing complex nanoscale architectures in composite materials are, therefore, essential to design materials with targeted properties. Depending on the morphology and the composition, structures may be measured by laser diffraction, scattering methods, or by electron microscopy. However, it can be difficult to obtain contrast in materials where all the components are organic, which is typically the case for formulated pharmaceuticals, or multi-domain polymers. In nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, chemical shifts allow a clear distinction between organic components and can in principle provide the required chemical contrast. Here, we introduce a method to obtain radial images of the internal structure of multi-component particles from NMR measurements of the relay of nuclear hyperpolarization obtained from dynamic nuclear polarization. The method is demonstrated on two samples of hybrid core-shell particles composed of a core of polystyrene with a shell of mesostructured silica filled with the templating agent CTAB and is shown to yield accurate images of the core-shell structures with a nanometer resolution.

Direct observation of hyperpolarization breaking through the spin diffusion barrier.

Dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) is a widely used tool for overcoming the low intrinsic sensitivity of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and imaging. Its practical applicability is typically bounded, however, by the so-called "spin diffusion barrier," which relates to the poor efficiency of polarization transfer from highly polarized nuclei close to paramagnetic centers to bulk nuclei. A quantitative assessment of this barrier has been hindered so far by the lack of general methods for studying nuclear polarization flow in the vicinity of paramagnetic centers. Here, we fill this gap and introduce a general set of experiments based on microwave gating that are readily implemented. We demonstrate the versatility of our approach in experiments conducted between 1.2 and 4.2 K in static mode and at 100 K under magic angle spinning (MAS)-conditions typical for dissolution DNP and MAS-DNP-and directly observe the marked dependence of polarization flow on temperature.

High Sensitivity Detection of a Solubility Limiting Surface Transformation of Drug Particles by DNP SENS.

We investigate the presence of a surface species for the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) AZD9496 with dynamic nuclear polarization surface enhanced nuclear spectroscopy (DNP SENS). We show that using DNP we can elucidate the presence of an amorphous form of the API at the surface of crystalline particles of the salt form. The amorphous form of the API has distinguishable 13C chemical shifts when compared to the salt form under various acidic conditions. The predominant form in frozen particles of AZD9496 is the salt, and we provide evidence to suggest that the amorphous layer at the surface is mainly made up of the dissociated free form.

Scaling analyses for hyperpolarization transfer across a spin-diffusion barrier and into bulk solid media.

By analogy to heat and mass transfer film theory, a general approach is introduced for determining hyperpolarization transfer rates between dilute electron spins and a surrounding nuclear ensemble. These analyses provide new quantitative relationships for understanding, predicting, and optimizing the effectiveness of hyperpolarization protocols, such as Dynamic Nuclear Polarization (DNP) under magic-angle spinning conditions. An empirical DNP polarization-transfer coefficient is measured as a function of the bulk matrix 1H spin density and indicates the presence of two distinct kinetic regimes associated with different rate-limiting polarization transfer phenomena. Dimensional property relationships are derived and used to evaluate the competitive rates of spin polarization generation, propagation, and dissipation that govern hyperpolarization transfer between large coupled spin ensembles. The quantitative analyses agree closely with experimental measurements for the accumulation, propagation, and dissipation of hyperpolarization in solids and provide evidence for kinetically-limited transfer associated with a spin-diffusion barrier. The results and classical approach yield general design criteria for analyzing and optimizing polarization transfer processes involving complex interfaces and composite media for applications in materials science, physical chemistry and nuclear spintronics.

Metabolic contrast agents produced from transported solid 13C-glucose hyperpolarized via dynamic nuclear polarization.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging combined with hyperpolarized 13C-labelled metabolic contrast agents produced via dissolution Dynamic Nuclear Polarization can, non-invasively and in real-time, report on tissue specific aberrant metabolism. However, hyperpolarization equipment is expensive, technically demanding and needs to be installed on-site for the end-user. In this work, we provide a robust methodology that allows remote production of the hyperpolarized 13C-labelled metabolic contrast agents. The methodology, built on photo-induced thermally labile radicals, allows solid sample extraction from the hyperpolarization equipment and several hours' lifetime of the 13C-labelled metabolic contrast agents at appropriate storage/transport conditions. Exemplified with [U-13C, d7]-D-glucose, we remotely produce hyperpolarized 13C-labelled metabolic contrast agents and generate above 10,000-fold liquid-state Magnetic Resonance signal enhancement at 9.4 T, keeping on-site only a simple dissolution device.

Hyperpolarization via dissolution dynamic nuclear polarization: new technological and methodological advances.

Dissolution-DNP is a method to boost liquid-state NMR sensitivity by several orders of magnitude. The technique consists in hyperpolarizing samples by solid-state dynamic nuclear polarization at low temperature and moderate magnetic field, followed by an instantaneous melting and dilution of the sample happening inside the polarizer. Although the technique is well established and the outstanding signal enhancement paved the way towards many applications precluded to conventional NMR, the race to develop new methods allowing higher throughput, faster and higher polarization, and longer exploitation of the signal is still vivid. In this work, we review the most recent advances on dissolution-DNP methods trying to overcome the original technique's shortcomings. The review describes some of the new approaches in the field, first, in terms of sample formulation and properties, and second, in terms of instrumentation.

Hyperpolarized water through dissolution dynamic nuclear polarization with UV-generated radicals.

In recent years, hyperpolarization of water protons via dissolution Dynamic Nuclear Polarization (dDNP) has attracted increasing interest in the magnetic resonance community. Hyperpolarized water may provide an alternative to Gd-based contrast agents for angiographic and perfusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) examinations, and it may report on chemical and biochemical reactions and proton exchange while perfoming Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) investigations. However, hyperpolarizing water protons is challenging. The main reason is the presence of radicals, required to create the hyperpolarized nuclear spin state. Indeed, the radicals will also be the main source of relaxation during the dissolution and transfer to the NMR or MRI system. In this work, we report water magnetizations otherwise requiring a field of 10,000 T at room temperature on a sample of pure water, by employing dDNP via UV-generated, labile radicals. We demonstrate the potential of our methodology by acquiring a 15N spectrum from natural abundance urea with a single scan, after spontaneous magnetization transfer from water protons to nitrogen nuclei.

Rapid Structure Determination of Molecular Solids Using Chemical Shifts Directed by Unambiguous Prior Constraints.

NMR-based crystallography approaches involving the combination of crystal structure prediction methods, ab initio calculated chemical shifts and solid-state NMR experiments are powerful methods for crystal structure determination of microcrystalline powders. However, currently structural information obtained from solid-state NMR is usually included only after a set of candidate crystal structures has already been independently generated, starting from a set of single-molecule conformations. Here, we show with the case of ampicillin that this can lead to failure of structure determination. We propose a crystal structure determination method that includes experimental constraints during conformer selection. In order to overcome the problem that experimental measurements on the crystalline samples are not obviously translatable to restrict the single-molecule conformational space, we propose constraints based on the analysis of absent cross-peaks in solid-state NMR correlation experiments. We show that these absences provide unambiguous structural constraints on both the crystal structure and the gas-phase conformations, and therefore can be used for unambiguous selection. The approach is parametrized on the crystal structure determination of flutamide, flufenamic acid, and cocaine, where we reduce the computational cost by around 50%. Most importantly, the method is then shown to correctly determine the crystal structure of ampicillin, which would have failed using current methods because it adopts a high-energy conformer in its crystal structure. The average positional RMSE on the NMR powder structure is ⟨rav⟩ = 0.176 Å, which corresponds to an average equivalent displacement parameter Ueq = 0.0103 Å2.

Core-Shell Structure of Organic Crystalline Nanoparticles Determined by Relayed Dynamic Nuclear Polarization NMR.

The structure of crystalline nanoparticles (CNPs) is determined using dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) enhanced NMR spectroscopy experiments. The CNPs are composed of a crystalline core containing an active pharmaceutical ingredient (compound P), coated with a layer of PEG (DSPE-PEG 5000) located at the crystal surface, in a D2O suspension. Relayed DNP experiments are performed to study 1H-1H spin diffusion and to determine the size of the crystalline core as well as the thickness of the PEG overlayer. This is achieved through selective doping to create a heterogeneous system in which the D2O contains glycerol and organic radicals, which act as polarization sources, and the CNPs are exempt of radical molecules. We observe features that are characteristic of a core-shell system: high and constant DNP enhancement for components located in the surrounding radical solution, short build-up times for the PEG layer, and longer build-up times and time dependent enhancements for compound P. By comparing numerical simulations and experimental data, we propose a structural model for the CNPs with a core-shell organization and a high affinity between the radical and the PEG molecules.

BDPA-Nitroxide Biradicals Tailored for Efficient Dynamic Nuclear Polarization Enhanced Solid-State NMR at Magnetic Fields up to 21.1 T.

Dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) has developed into an invaluable tool for the investigation of a wide range of materials. However, the sensitivity gain achieved with many polarizing agents suffers from an unfavorable field and magic angle spinning (MAS) frequency dependence. We present a series of new hybrid biradicals, soluble in organic solvents, that consist of an isotropic narrow electron paramagnetic resonance line radical, α,γ-bisdiphenylene-ß-phenylallyl (BDPA), tethered to a broad line nitroxide. By tuning the distance between the two electrons and the substituents at the nitroxide moiety, correlations between the electron-electron interactions and the electron spin relaxation times on one hand and the DNP enhancement factors on the other hand are established. The best radical in this series has a short methylene linker and bears bulky phenyl spirocyclohexyl ligands. In a 1.3 mm prototype DNP probe, it yields enhancements of up to 185 at 18.8 T (800 MHz 1H resonance frequency) and 40 kHz MAS. We show that this radical gives enhancement factors of over 60 in 3.2 mm sapphire rotors at both 18.8 and 21.1 T (900 MHz 1H resonance frequency), the highest magnetic field available today for DNP. The effect of the rotor size and of the microwave irradiation inside the MAS rotor is discussed. Finally, we demonstrate the potential of this new series of polarizing agents by recording high field 27Al and 29Si DNP surface enhanced NMR spectra of amorphous aluminosilicates and 17O NMR on silica nanoparticles.

Bulk Nuclear Hyperpolarization of Inorganic Solids by Relay from the Surface.

NMR is a method of choice to determine structural and electronic features in inorganic materials, and has been widely used in the past, but its application is severely limited by its low relative sensitivity. We show how the bulk of proton-free inorganic solids can be hyperpolarized with a general strategy using impregnation dynamic nuclear polarization through homonuclear spin diffusion between low-γ nuclei. This is achieved either through direct hyperpolarization or with a pulse cooling cross-polarization method, transferring hyperpolarization from protons to heteronuclei at particle surfaces. We demonstrate a factor of 50 gain in overall sensitivity for the 119Sn spectrum of powdered SnO2, corresponding to an acceleration of a factor >2500 in acquisition times. The method is also shown for 31P spectra of GaP, 113Cd spectra of CdTe, and 29Si spectra of α-quartz.

DNP enhanced NMR with flip-back recovery.

DNP methods can provide significant sensitivity enhancements in magic angle spinning solid-state NMR, but in systems with long polarization build up times long recycling periods are required to optimize sensitivity. We show how the sensitivity of such experiments can be improved by the classic flip-back method to recover bulk proton magnetization following continuous wave proton heteronuclear decoupling. Experiments were performed on formulations with characteristic build-up times spanning two orders of magnitude: a bulk BDPA radical doped o-terphenyl glass and microcrystalline samples of theophylline, l-histidine monohydrochloride monohydrate, and salicylic acid impregnated by incipient wetness. For these systems, addition of flip-back is simple, improves the sensitivity beyond that provided by modern heteronuclear decoupling methods such as SPINAL-64, and provides optimal sensitivity at shorter recycle delays. We show how to acquire DNP enhanced 2D refocused CP-INADEQUATE spectra with flip-back recovery, and demonstrate that the flip-back recovery method is particularly useful in rapid recycling regimes. We also report Overhauser effect DNP enhancements of over 70 at 592.6 GHz/900 MHz.

Structure of Lipid Nanoparticles Containing siRNA or mRNA by Dynamic Nuclear Polarization-Enhanced NMR Spectroscopy.

Here, we show how dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) NMR spectroscopy experiments permit the atomic level structural characterization of loaded and empty lipid nanoparticles (LNPs). The LNPs used here were synthesized by the microfluidic mixing technique and are composed of ionizable cationic lipid (DLin-MC3-DMA), a phospholipid (distearoylphosphatidylcholine, DSPC), cholesterol, and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) (dimyristoyl phosphatidyl ethanolamine (DMPE)-PEG 2000), as well as encapsulated cargoes that are either phosphorothioated siRNA (50 or 100%) or mRNA. We show that LNPs form physically stable complexes with bioactive drug siRNA for a period of 94 days. Relayed DNP experiments are performed to study 1H-1H spin diffusion and to determine the spatial location of the various components of the LNP by studying the average enhancement factors as a function of polarization time. We observe a striking feature of LNPs in the presence and in the absence of encapsulating siRNA or mRNA by comparing our experimental results to numerical spin-diffusion modeling. We observe that LNPs form a layered structure, and we detect that DSPC and DMPE-PEG 2000 lipids form a surface rich layer in the presence (or absence) of the cargoes and that the cholesterol and ionizable cationic lipid are embedded in the core. Furthermore, relayed DNP 31P solid-state NMR experiments allow the location of the cargo encapsulated in the LNPs to be determined. On the basis of the results, we propose a new structural model for the LNPs that features a homogeneous core with a tendency for layering of DSPC and DMPE-PEG at the surface.

DNP-enhanced solid-state NMR spectroscopy of active pharmaceutical ingredients.

Solid-state NMR spectroscopy has become a valuable tool for the characterization of both pure and formulated active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). However, NMR generally suffers from poor sensitivity that often restricts NMR experiments to nuclei with favorable properties, concentrated samples, and acquisition of one-dimensional (1D) NMR spectra. Here, we review how dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) can be applied to routinely enhance the sensitivity of solid-state NMR experiments by one to two orders of magnitude for both pure and formulated APIs. Sample preparation protocols for relayed DNP experiments and experiments on directly doped APIs are detailed. Numerical spin diffusion models illustrate the dependence of relayed DNP enhancements on the relaxation properties and particle size of the solids and can be used for particle size determination when the other factors are known. We then describe the advanced solid-state NMR experiments that have been enabled by DNP and how they provide unique insight into the molecular and macroscopic structure of APIs. For example, with large sensitivity gains provided by DNP, natural isotopic abundance, 13 C-13 C double-quantum single-quantum homonuclear correlation NMR spectra of pure APIs can be routinely acquired. DNP also enables solid-state NMR experiments with unreceptive quadrupolar nuclei such as 2 H, 14 N, and 35 Cl that are commonly found in APIs. Applications of DNP-enhanced solid-state NMR spectroscopy for the molecular level characterization of low API load formulations such as commercial tablets and amorphous solid dispersions are described. Future perspectives for DNP-enhanced solid-state NMR experiments on APIs are briefly discussed.

Dynamic Nuclear Polarization Efficiency Increased by Very Fast Magic Angle Spinning.

Dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) has recently emerged as a tool to enhance the sensitivity of solid-state NMR experiments. However, so far high enhancements (>100) are limited to relatively low magnetic fields, and DNP at fields higher than 9.4 T significantly drops in efficiency. Here we report solid-state Overhauser effect DNP enhancements of over 100 at 18.8 T. This is achieved through the unexpected discovery that enhancements increase rapidly with increasing magic angle spinning (MAS) rates. The measurements are made using 1,3-bisdiphenylene-2-phenylallyl dissolved in o-terphenyl at 40 kHz MAS. We introduce a source-sink diffusion model for polarization transfer which is capable of explaining the experimental observations. The advantage of this approach is demonstrated on mesoporous alumina with the acquisition of well-resolved DNP surface-enhanced 27Al cross-polarization spectra.

Dynamic Nuclear Polarization of Long-Lived Nuclear Spin States in Methyl Groups.

We have induced hyperpolarized long-lived states in compounds containing 13C-bearing methyl groups by dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) at cryogenic temperatures, followed by dissolution with a warm solvent. The hyperpolarized methyl long-lived states give rise to enhanced antiphase 13C NMR signals in solution, which often persist for times much longer than the 13C and 1H spin-lattice relaxation times under the same conditions. The DNP-induced effects are similar to quantum-rotor-induced polarization (QRIP) but are observed in a wider range of compounds because they do not depend critically on the height of the rotational barrier. We interpret our observations with a model in which nuclear Zeeman and methyl tunnelling reservoirs adopt an approximately uniform temperature, under DNP conditions. The generation of hyperpolarized NMR signals that persist for relatively long times in a range of methyl-bearing substances may be important for applications such as investigations of metabolism, enzymatic reactions, protein-ligand binding, drug screening, and molecular imaging.

Microwave-gated dynamic nuclear polarization.

Dissolution dynamic nuclear polarization (D-DNP) has become a method of choice to enhance signals in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Recently, we have proposed to combine cross-polarization (CP) with D-DNP to provide high polarization P(13C) in short build-up times. In this paper, we show that switching microwave irradiation off for a few hundreds of milliseconds prior to CP can significantly boost the efficiency. By implementing microwave gating, 13C polarizations on sodium [1-13C]acetate as high as 64% could be achieved with a polarization build-up time constant as short as 160 s. A polarization of P(13C) = 78% could even be reached for [13C]urea.