Allosteric switch for electrochemical aptasensor toward heavy metals pollution of Lentinus edodes sensitized with porphyrinic metal-organic frameworks.

BACKGROUND: Lentinan medicament from Lentinus edodes has been considered as natural medicinal products with minimal side effects for cancer therapy, but Lentinus edodes are easily polluted by nonbiodegradable heavy metals, especially silver ion (Ag+). Therefore, it is highly desirable to monitor Ag + pollution in Lentinus edodes considering their adverse impact on lentinan medicament. Electrochemical sensor isn't affected from the interference of matrix turbidity and color, and offers a powerful means for determination of variant analytes. As for electrochemical sensing toward Ag+, there is a great need to design efficient signal probes for specific recognition and signal generation. RESULTS: We present an appropriate electrochemical aptasensor for Ag + assay based on biomimetic catalysis of porphyrin-encapsulated MOF (PorMOF) and allosteric switch of C-rich DNA. Thanks to the excellent biocompatibility, PorMOFs as nanozyme are used to design signal probes by loading duplex-like DNA scaffold. Owing to the specific recognition of Ag+ toward cytosine (C) base-rich DNA, PorMOF at the distal end was close to the underlying electrode via C-Ag+-C formation, leading to an enhanced current of catalytic hydroxylamine oxidation for signal generation. Using the positive correlation between current response and Ag+ level, the electrochemical system provides a promising means for on-line monitoring of Ag+ in Lentinus edodes with recoveries from 92.8% to 106.4% and relative standard deviation from 3.98% to 8.24%, verifying the applicability of the electrochemical aptasensor toward Ag+ in Lentinus edodes. SIGNIFICANCE AND NOVELTY: With merits of portability, simple operation, and rapid response, the electrochemical pattern offers a useful solution for on-line monitoring of Ag+ in Lentinus edodes. By altering the DNA sequence, the proposed aptasensor provides a powerful way for monitoring other heavy metals, capable of protecting medicament production from heavy metal pollution.

[Investigation on Inhibitory Capacities of Seventeen Herbal Extracts on Oxidative Stress using Ultraviolet and Fluorescence Spectroscopy].

Diabetic patients usually suffer from complications and the long-term secondary complications are the main cause of morbidity and mortality. The hyperglycemia-induced oxidative stress is one of the important pathogenesis of diabetic complications, while the oxidative stress is associated with the lipid peroxidation reaction and the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs). Our study was focus on the pathogenesis of diabetic complications and based on the oxidative stress reaction. In this research, the oxidative stress inhibiting effects of seventeen herbal extracts were studied based on spectroscopic methodology. The capacities of herbal extracts against the lipid peroxidation reaction of rat liver in vitro were investigated using spectrophotometric method. It showed that the inhibitory activity of Radix Scutellariae and Flos Sophorae Immaturus were better than other herbal extracts. Additionally, the herbal extracts rich in flavonoids, alkaloids and lignanoids showed good inhibitory activities on the lipid peroxidation reaction. On the contrary, the saponin-rich herbal extracts possessed weak inhibitory effects. We applied the BSA/glucose (fructose) system combined with fluorescent spectroscopy to determine the inhibitory activities of herbal extracts in glycation model reactions. The results showed that the AGEs formation inhibitory activity of Flos Sophorae Immaturus, Radix Scutellariae and Rhizoma Anemarrhenae were better than others in the BSA/glucose (fructose) system by fluorescene analysis. The results demonstrated that the herbal extracts rich in flavonoids were found to be more effective than that of those herbal extracts as alkaloids and terpenoids class in inhibiting oxidative stress, while the saponin-rich herbal extracts showed weak inhibitory activities against oxidative stress. The Flos Sophorae Immaturus and Radix Scutellariae extracts had better inhibitory activity to the oxidative stress, so their pharmacological activity could be explored in further investigations. These results demonstrated in this assay could provide a reference for the study of pharmacological activity, and thus lays the foundation for the further study of the application of natural products in the prevention and treatment of diabetic complications.

Direct analysis in real time-mass spectrometry for the rapid detection of metabolites of aconite alkaloids in intestinal bacteria.

In the present work, direct analysis of real time ionization combined with multi-stage tandem mass spectrometry (DART-MS(n)) was used to investigate the metabolic profile of aconite alkaloids in rat intestinal bacteria. A total of 36 metabolites from three aconite alkaloids were identified by using DART-MS(n), and the feasibility of quantitative analysis of these analytes was examined. Key parameters of the DART ion source, such as helium gas temperature and pressure, the source-to-MS distance, and the speed of the autosampler, were optimized to achieve high sensitivity, enhance reproducibility, and reduce the occurrence of fragmentation. The instrument analysis time for one sample can be less than 10 s for this method. Compared with ESI-MS and UPLC-MS, the DART-MS is more efficient for directly detecting metabolic samples, and has the advantage of being a simple, high-speed, high-throughput method.

Studies on the interactions between ginsenosides and liposome by equilibrium dialysis combined with ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

To study the interactions between components of Panax Ginseng and liposome biomembrane, we applied the equilibrium dialysis system combined with ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) approach to analyze and identify the bioactive components of ginseng. Moreover, the effect of pH value has also been investigated on their interactions between the ginsenosides of ginseng extract and biomembrane. The result shows that seven kinds of ginsenosides have obvious interactions with biomembrane in comparison with the standards in terms of tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) data along with retention time, including four panaxadiol ginsenosides (Rb1, Rb2, Rc, Rd) and three panaxatriol ginsenosides (Re, Rf, Rg2). The value of binding degree decreased with the increase of molecular weight. The sugar moieties which are attached to C-20 were the main factor affecting the binding degree of panaxadiol ginsenosides. The interactions between panaxadiol ginsenosides and biomembrane correlate to the type and number of sugar moieties in ginsenosides. The sugar moieties which are at C-6 and C-20 have been shown to influence the value of binding degree for panaxatriol ginsenosides. In addition, the pH value has been shown to have an impact on the interactions. Overall, ginsenoside Rd has a better absorption character among the seven ginsenosides. In the study, we have screened the potential bioactive components of ginseng in vitro using the equilibrium dialysis-UPLC-MS/MS method, and then predicted the potential bioactivities of ginseng, which contribute to the investigation of the efficacy of ginseng.

[Correlation of lignans content and antioxidant activities of Schisandra chinensis fruits by using stoichiometry method].

OBJECTIVE: To establish a quick method for evaluation of the antioxidant activities based on the correlation analysis of lignans content and antioxidant activities of Schisandra chinensis fruits. METHOD: The content of five lignans components in 37 batches of S. chinensis fruits from different regions of Jilin province were measured by HPLC. Simultaneously, the antioxidant activities of the above samples were detected, such as lipid peroxidation inhibition activity in liver (LPIL), kidney (LPIK) and brain (LPIB) and the clearance rate of DPPH (CRD). Bivariate correlation analysis and stepwise regression analysis were carried out by the software of SPSS for windows 11.5. RESULT: The results of bivariate correlation analysis showed that deoxyschizandrin was negative correlation (P<0.01) to the activity of LPIL, LPIB, CRD. Schisandrin was positive correlation (P<0.01) to the activity of LPIL, LPIB, CRD. Schisandrol B was also positive correlation (P<0.05 or P<0.01) to the above four kinds of antioxidant activity. The results of stepwise regression analysis were mostly consistent with the bivariate correlation analysis results. For the other 10 batches of samples, the simulated antioxidant activities according to the regression equation calculated was consistent with the measured activities. CONCLUSION: By using the bivariate correlation analysis and linear stepwise regression analysis, the bioactive components related to the antioxidant activity of S. chinensis fruits were found. Meanwhile, the antioxidant activity of samples will be inferred according to the content of Schisandra lignans.