Elicitor-Induced VOC Emission by Grapevine Leaves: Characterisation in the Vineyard.

The present study is aimed at determining whether leaf volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are good markers of the grapevine response to defence elicitors in the field. It was carried out in two distinct French vineyards (Burgundy and Bordeaux) over 3 years. The commercial elicitor Bastid® (Syngenta, Saint-Sauveur, France) (COS-OGA) was first used to optimise the VOCs' capture in the field; by bagging stems together with a stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) sensor. Three elicitors (Bastid®, copper sulphate and methyl jasmonate) were assessed at three phenological stages of the grapevines by monitoring stilbene phytoalexins and VOCs. Stilbene production was low and variable between treatments and phenological stages. VOCs-particularly terpenes-were induced by all elicitors. However, the response profiles depended on the type of elicitor, the phenological stage and the vineyard, and no sole common VOC was found. The levels of VOC emissions discriminated between weak (Bastid® and copper sulphate) and strong (methyl jasmonate) inducers. Ocimene isomers were constitutively present in the overall blends of the vineyards and increased by the elicitors' treatments, whilst other VOCs were newly released throughout the growing seasons. Nonetheless, the plant development and climate factors undoubtedly influenced the release and profiles of the leaf VOCs.

VOCs Are Relevant Biomarkers of Elicitor-Induced Defences in Grapevine.

Grapevine is susceptible to fungal diseases generally controlled by numerous chemical fungicides. Elicitors of plant defence are a way of reducing the use of these chemicals, but still provide inconsistent efficiency. Easy-to-analyse markers of grapevine responses to elicitors are needed to determine the best conditions for their efficiency and position them in protection strategies. We previously reported that the elicitor sulphated laminarin induced the emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by grapevine leaves. The present study was conducted to characterise and compare VOC emissions in response to other elicitors. Bastid® was first used to test the conditions of VOC collection and analysis. Using SBSE-GC-MS, we detected several VOCs, including the sesquiterpene α-farnesene, in a time-dependent manner. This was correlated with the induction of farnesene synthase gene expression, in parallel with stilbene synthesis (another defence response), and associated to resistance against downy mildew. The other elicitors (Redeli®, Romeo®, Bion®, chitosan, and an oligogalacturonide) induced VOC emission, but with qualitative and quantitative differences. VOC emission thus constitutes a response of grapevine to elicitors of various chemical structures. Therefore, VOC analysis is relevant for studying the impact of environmental factors on grapevine defence responses and optimising the performance of elicitors in vineyards.

Optimization of the derivatization protocol of pentacyclic triterpenes prior to their gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis in plant extracts.

This paper focuses on the application of a two-level full factorial design to optimize the key derivatization step before the GC-FID and GC-MS analysis of pentacyclic triterpenes. The derivatization reaction was screened for influential factors and statistically significant parameters with a p value less than 0.05. A multi-response optimization based on a desirability function was then applied, while simultaneously considering overall detection enhancement of compounds. Results showed that derivatization using N,O-bis(trimethylsilyl)trifluoroacetamide (BSTFA) and trimethylchlorosilane (TMCS) in pyridine (22:13:65v/v/v) for 2h at 30°C was the most efficient method of derivatizing all the hydroxyl and carboxylic acid groups contained in the triterpene structures. The validity of the method was demonstrated using GC-MS analyzes of a mixture containing eleven standards (ß-amyrin, α-amyrin, lupeol, erythrodiol, uvaol, betulin, oleanolic acid, betulinic acid, ursolic acid, maslinic acid and corosolic acid). These compounds are representative of different classes of terpene compounds bearing different functional groups such as alcohols, diols, and carboxylic acids. The derivatization procedure was then tested on four plant extracts: apple pomace, salvia sclarea (dried leaves and flowers), sea buckthorn (Hyppophae rhammnoides L.) berries, and B. serrata resin. The identification of triterpenes was based on the comparison of their retention time and mass spectra to those of standards. The presence of compounds already identified in the literature was confirmed and new ones such as maslinic and corosolic acids were identified in apples, sea buckthorn and salvia sclarea.

Study of tryptophan enantiomer binding to a teicoplanin-based stationary phase using the perturbation technique. Investigation of the role of sodium perchlorate in solute retention and enantioselectivity.

The retention of D,L-tryptophan enantiomers on an immobilized teicoplanin column was investigated in relation to the mobile phase sodium perchlorate concentration using the perturbation method to determine the solute distribution isotherms. From the experimental data, it appeared that the bi-Langmuir model was able to describe D- and L-enantiomer retention on the immobilized selector over the salt concentration range. An increase in the apparent enantioselectivity with an increase in sodium perchlorate concentration was observed. The chiral recognition enhancement was governed by (i) an increase in the difference of the adsorption constants for binding to the high-affinity site (aglycone pocket) between the two enantiomers and (ii) enhancement of the number of aglycone chiral regions interacting with D-tryptophan. It is suggested that an ion-pair formation mechanism between perchlorate and solute and/or selector is responsible for this behavior. In addition, this work shows that additional secondary sites on the teicoplanin surface are involved in the apparent enantioselectivity at low sodium perchlorate concentrations.

Salt effects on the interaction of an amphiphilic model molecule with immobilized phosphatidylcholine monolayers.

The retention of hydrocortisone (used as an amphiphilic model solute) on an immobilized artificial membrane (IAM) column was investigated in relation to the mobile phase concentration of three sodium salts (representing different rankings in the Hofmeister series, i.e. perchlorate, chloride and sulfate) in order to provide insight into the nature of the solute interactions with phospholipid monolayers. The influence of the salt series on solute retention was found to follow the Hofmeister series, emphasizing the role of hydrophobic effect in the solute retention mechanism on phospholipid monolayers. Retention models based on the extended Wyman relations (preferential interaction theory) were developed to analyze more quantitatively the salt effects on the hydrocortisone retention factor. This analysis as well as additional thermodynamic study suggested that the hydrocortisone binding to IAM involved both an insertion into the hydrophobic inside governed by hydrophobic effects and contacts with the interfacial region implying interactions such as van der Waals interactions/hydrogen bonds between the solute hydroxyl groups and the polar headgroups of phospholipidmonolayers.

Solid-phase microextraction of human plasma samples for determination of sufentanil by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

A solid-phase microextraction (SPME) method has been developed for the quantitative analysis of sufentanil from human plasma by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The immersion SPME sampling technique was optimized for the extraction of sufentanil from plasma. The influence of the pH and the ionic strength of the sample on the extraction of the analytes by the SPME fiber were investigated. Sufentanil and fentanyl (internal standard) were extracted from plasma with a 65-microm polydimethylsiloxane-divinylbenzene (PDMS-DVB) fiber for 30 minutes using salting out agents in basic conditions. The calibration curve was linear over a concentration range of 6-50 ng/mL. Intraday and interday relative standard deviations were 3.6% and 10.6%, respectively. The limit of quantification was 6 ng/mL for a plasma volume of 1 mL. With regard to selectivity, simplicity, and low cost, the SPME method described should be useful for a rapid extraction of sufentanil from human plasma.

Vancomycin dimerization and chiral recognition studied by high-performance liquid chromatography.

The retention and separation of D,L-dansylvaline enantiomers (used as test solutes) were investigated using silica gel as stationary phase and vancomycin as chiral mobile-phase additive. A retention model was developed to describe the mechanistic aspects of the interaction between solute and vancomycin in the chromatographic system. It considered the formation of vancomycin dimers both "free" in the mobile phase and adsorbed on silica. By fitting the model equation to experimental data, it appeared clearly that the approach taking into account the vancomycin dimerization described accurately the retention behavior of the compounds. The examination of the model equation parameters showed that the glycopeptide dimerization increased the enantioselectivity by a factor of approximately 3.7. This study demonstrated the preponderant role of the vancomycin dimerization on the chiral recognition process of D,L-dansylvaline. Also, an additional analysis on a vancomycin chiral stationary phase indicated that the addition of vancomycin in the mobile phase promoted a greater enantioselectivity mediated by the formation of dimers in the stationary phase.