Solvent-modified MEKC for the enantioseparation of palonosetron hydrochloride and related enantiomeric impurities.

The effect of ten water-soluble organic solvents on MEKC separation of palonosetron hydrochloride (PALO) stereoisomers using sodium cholate (SC) as chiral selector has been studied. The first chiral CE method fit for the analysis of unwanted PALO distomers (enantiomeric impurities) of low concentrations in the presence of high concentration of the main eutomer has been developed, based on solvent-modified MEKC mode. It was found that methanol provides the best separation among the solvents tested. And an SC concentration of 30 mM is proper to provide good resolutions in shorter time and adequate sample capacity, instead of 70 mM as previously reported. The developed method can be used to analyze unwanted PALO distomers of a few micrograms per milliliter in the presence of the main eutomer with a concentration as high as 1.0 mg/mL.

Separation mechanisms for palonosetron stereoisomers at different chiral selector concentrations in MEKC.

The separation mechanisms for palonosetron (PALO) stereoisomers in MEKC using sodium cholate (SC) as surfactant and chiral selector have been studied, in a wide range of concentrations below and above the CMC. It was found that SC micelles only provide chirally selective recognition for 3a carbon chiral center in PALO molecules. The resolution of the configurations of 2 carbon chiral center is achieved by the difference of mobility in continuous phase. A schematic diagram depicting the separation mechanisms and the corresponding migration orders among all of four stereoisomers was proposed based on the measured separation parameters. A MEKC method to achieve the complete separation of four stereoisomers in very short time using a very low chiral selector concentration, instead of high concentrations generally considered, was developed based on the understanding of the mechanisms.

Effect of low concentration sodium dodecyl sulfate on the electromigration of palonosetron hydrochloride stereoisomers in micellar electrokinetic chromatography.

The effect of low concentrations of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) on the separation of palonosetron hydrochloride (PALO) stereoisomers by micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) has been investigated. It was found that the addition of SDS prolongs the migration time and the migration order of four stereoisomers changes regularly with the SDS concentration. Good separations for all the four stereoisomers were achieved at appropriate SDS concentration. The effect of SDS on the electromigration (mobilities) of PALO stereoisomers has been studied, in order to explain its effect on the separation by MEKC. It was found that low concentrations of SDS added into the separation media forms negatively charged complexes with PALO stereoisomers and hence reverses their electromigration direction. Furthermore, the migration order between two enantiomeric pairs is also reversed because the enantiomeric pair with a bigger positive mobility than that of another pair turns to have a bigger negative mobility when bound with SDS. Based on these results, the effect of SDS on the MEKC separation of PALO stereoisomers was elucidated reasonably. The performance of the developed chiral MEKC method was validated by the analysis of a real sample.

A new class of pluripotent stem cell cytotoxic small molecules.

A major concern in Pluripotent Stem Cell (PSC)-derived cell replacement therapy is the risk of teratoma formation from contaminating undifferentiated cells. Removal of undifferentiated cells from differentiated cultures is an essential step before PSC-based cell therapies can be safely deployed in a clinical setting. We report a group of novel small molecules that are cytotoxic to PSCs. Our data indicates that these molecules are specific and potent in their activity allowing rapid eradication of undifferentiated cells. Experiments utilizing mixed PSC and primary human neuronal and cardiomyocyte cultures demonstrate that up to a 6-fold enrichment for specialized cells can be obtained without adversely affecting cell viability and function. Several structural variants were synthesized to identify key functional groups and to improve specificity and efficacy. Comparative microarray analysis and ensuing RNA knockdown studies revealed involvement of the PERK/ATF4/DDIT3 ER stress pathway. Surprisingly, cell death following ER stress induction was associated with a concomitant decrease in endogenous ROS levels in PSCs. Undifferentiated cells treated with these molecules preceding transplantation fail to form teratomas in SCID mice. Furthermore, these molecules remain non-toxic and non-teratogenic to zebrafish embryos suggesting that they may be safely used in vivo.

[Digital signal acquisition and processing software for atomic fluorescence spectrometry and its application to elemental speciation].

A program was developed to collect and process digital signal by using Visual C++ for atomic fluorescence spectrometry (AFS). The software solves the data acquisition problem of coupling AFS with HPLC and other successive separation techniques. This program employs three signal processing techniques, i.e. Savitzky-Golay smoothing, Fourier filter and wavelet denoising, to smooth and filter the noisy data. The processes and comparisons of these techniques have been discussed. The program was successfully applied to the preliminary study of Cd speciation by using cation exchange HPLC coupled to AFS, and will provide a new possibility for extending the application of atomic fluorescence spectrometry to the field of elemental speciation analysis.