Quantification of Apixaban, Dabigatran, Edoxaban, and Rivaroxaban in Human Serum by UHPLC-MS/MS-Method Development, Validation, and Application.

BACKGROUND: Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are prescribed for anticoagulation in patients with atrial fibrillation and venous thromboembolic disease. Fixed doses are recommended, but measuring their serum drug concentrations as a basis for dose adjustments may be useful in some clinical settings. METHODS: An ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for the analysis of the DOACs apixaban, dabigatran, edoxaban, and rivaroxaban in human serum was developed and validated. A 100-µL serum sample was handled using a pipetting robot. Protein precipitation was performed with 375 µL of 1% formic acid in acetonitrile (vol/vol), and phospholipid removal was performed using a Waters Ostro 96-well plate. The injection volume was 1 µL, and run time was 3.0 minutes. RESULTS: The calibration range was 5-800 nmol/L. The between-day precision relative SDs were in the range of 3.3%-10%. Recoveries ranged from 85% to 105%, and matrix effects from 88% to 102%, when corrected with internal standard. Edoxaban was, in contrast to the other DOACs, unstable when stored for more than 6 hours at 30°C. The suitability of the method was demonstrated by analyzing routine samples from 345 patients undergoing anticoagulation treatment. CONCLUSIONS: The developed method fulfilled the set validation criteria, and its suitability was demonstrated in a routine setting. The instability of edoxaban may complicate the transport of routine samples to the laboratory.

Crystal structure of ß-glucosidase 1A from Thermotoga neapolitana and comparison of active site mutants for hydrolysis of flavonoid glucosides.

The ß-glucosidase TnBgl1A catalyses hydrolysis of O-linked terminal ß-glycosidic bonds at the nonreducing end of glycosides/oligosaccharides. Enzymes with this specificity have potential in lignocellulose conversion (degrading cellobiose to glucose) and conversion of bioactive flavonoids (modification of glycosylation results in modulation of bioavailability). Previous work has shown TnBgl1A to hydrolyse 3, 4' and 7 glucosylation in flavonoids, and although conversion of 3-glucosylated substrate to aglycone was low, it was improved by mutagenesis of residue N220. To further explore structure-function relationships, the crystal structure of the nucleophile mutant TnBgl1A-E349G was determined at 1.9 Å resolution, and docking studies of flavonoid substrates were made to reveal substrate interacting residues. A series of single amino acid changes were introduced in the aglycone binding region [N220(S/F), N221(S/F), F224(I), F310(L/E), and W322(A)] of the wild type. Activity screening was made on eight glucosylated flavonoids, and kinetic parameters were monitored for the flavonoid quercetin-3-glucoside (Q3), as well as for the model substrate para-nitrophenyl-ß-d-glucopyranoside (pNPGlc). Substitution by Ser at N220 or N221 increased the catalytic efficiency on both pNPGlc and Q3. Residue W322 was proven important for substrate accomodation, as mutagenesis to W322A resulted in a large reduction of hydrolytic activity on 3-glucosylated flavonoids. Flavonoid glucoside hydrolysis was unaffected by mutations at positions 224 and 310. The mutations did not significantly affect thermal stability, and the variants kept an apparent unfolding temperature of 101°C. This work pinpoints positions in the aglycone region of TnBgl1A of importance for specificity on flavonoid-3-glucosides, improving the molecular understanding of activity in GH1 enzymes. Proteins 2017; 85:872-884. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A review of available analytical technologies for qualitative and quantitative determination of nitramines.

This review aims to summarize the available analytical methods in the open literature for the determination of some aliphatic and cyclic nitramines. Nitramines covered in this review are the ones that can be formed from the use of amines in post-combustion CO2 capture (PCC) plants and end up in the environment. Since the literature is quite scarce regarding the determination of nitramines in aqueous and soil samples, methods for determination of nitramines in other matrices have also been included. Since the nitramines are found in complex matrices and/or in very low concentration, an extraction step is often necessary before their determination. Liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) using dichloromethane and solid phase extraction (SPE) with an activated carbon based material have been the two most common extraction methods. Gas chromatography (GC) or reversed phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) has been used often combined with mass spectrometry (MS) in the final determination step. Presently there is no comprehensive method available that can be used for determination of all nitramines included in this review. The lowest concentration limit of quantification (cLOQ) is in the ng L(-1) range, however, most methods appear to have a cLOQ in the µg L(-1) range, if the cLOQ has been given.

An on-line method for pressurized hot water extraction and enzymatic hydrolysis of quercetin glucosides from onions.

A novel environmentally sound continuous-flow hot water extraction and enzymatic hydrolysis method for determination of quercetin in onion raw materials was successfully constructed using a stepwise optimization approach. In the first step, enzymatic hydrolysis of quercetin-3,4'-diglucoside to quercetin was optimized using a three level central composite design considering temperature (75-95°C), pH (3-6) and volume concentration of ethanol (5-15%). The enzyme used was a thermostable ß-glucosidase variant (termed TnBgl1A_N221S/P342L) covalently immobilized on either of two acrylic support-materials (Eupergit(®) C 250L or monolithic cryogel). Optimal reaction conditions were irrespective of support 84°C, 5% ethanol and pH 5.5, and at these conditions, no significant loss of enzyme activity was observed during 72 h of use. In a second step, hot water extractions from chopped yellow onions, run at the optimal temperature for hydrolysis, were optimized in a two level design with respect to pH (2.6 and 5.5), ethanol concentration (0 and 5%) and flow rate (1 and 3 mL min(-1)) Obtained results showed that the total quercetin extraction yield was 1.7 times higher using a flow rate of 3 mL min(-1) (extraction time 90 min), compared to a flow rate of 1 mL min(-1) (extraction time 240 min). Presence of 5% ethanol was favorable for the extraction yield, while a further decrease in pH was not, not even for the extraction step alone. Finally, the complete continuous flow method (84°C, 5% ethanol, pH 5.5, 3 mL min(-1)) was used to extract quercetin from yellow, red and shallot onions and resulted in higher or similar yield (e.g. 8.4±0.7 µmol g(-1) fresh weight yellow onion) compared to a conventional batch extraction method using methanol as extraction solvent.

Molecular imprinted polymer for solid-phase extraction of flavonol aglycones from Moringa oleifera extracts.

Molecular imprinted polymer produced using quercetin as the imprinting compound was applied for the extraction of flavonol aglycones (quercetin and kaempferol) from Moringa oleifera methanolic extracts obtained using heated reflux extraction method. Identification and quantification of these flavonols in the Moringa extracts was achieved using high performance liquid chromatography with ultra violet detection. Breakthrough volume and retention capacity of molecular imprinted polymer SPE was investigated using a mixture of myricetin, quercetin and kaempferol. The calculated theoretical number of plates was found to be 14, 50 and 8 for myricetin, quercetin and kaempferol, respectively. Calculated adsorption capacities were 2.0, 3.4 and 3.7 µmol/g for myricetin, quercetin and kaempferol, respectively. No myricetin was observed in Moringa methanol extracts. Recoveries of quercetin and kaempferol from Moringa methanol extracts of leaves and flowers ranged from 77 to 85% and 75 to 86%, respectively, demonstrating the feasibility of using the developed molecularly imprinted SPE method for quantitative clean-up of both of these flavonoids. Using heated reflux extraction combined with molecularly imprinted SPE, quercetin concentrations of 975 ± 58 and 845 ± 32 mg/kg were determined in Moringa leaves and flowers, respectively. However, the concentrations of kaempferol found in leaves and flowers were 2100 ± 176 and 2802 ± 157 mg/kg, respectively.

Molecularly imprinted polymers targeting quercetin in high-temperature aqueous solutions.

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) targeting quercetin were prepared from 4-vinylpyridine and ethylene dimethacrylate (EDMA) under various solvent systems with the aim to form MIPs with high recognition for the quercetin molecule in aqueous systems at high temperature. A MIP prepared from the three-component solvent mixture of THF/H(2)O/MeOH showed potential in its application for the determination of quercetin in plants (onion). The polymer particles before and after washing were characterized by infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. Surface morphology was recorded by scanning electron microscopy. The binding capacity of the MIPs was investigated at 25 and 84 °C, respectively, in batch mode. Parameters, including the influence of pH, extraction time and binding capacity, were evaluated. The slopes for the effect of extraction time revealed that the mass transfer of the analytes was higher at 84 °C than at 25 °C. Also, the binding capacity for the most promising MIP and its corresponding NIP was higher at 84 °C. The binding capacity for the MIP was ~30 µmol g(-1) at 25 °C and ~120 µmol g(-1) at 84 °C, while for the corresponding NIP, it was ~15 and ~90 µmol g(-1), at 25 and 84 °C, respectively. A demonstration of MIP selectivity at higher temperature using standard solutions of selected flavonols showed that the MIP still retained its selectivity for quercetin. Similar selectivity was observed when preliminary application studies on aqueous yellow onion extracts were investigated.

Aglycone specificity of Thermotoga neapolitana ß-glucosidase 1A modified by mutagenesis, leading to increased catalytic efficiency in quercetin-3-glucoside hydrolysis.

BACKGROUND: The thermostable ß-glucosidase (TnBgl1A) from Thermotoga neapolitana is a promising biocatalyst for hydrolysis of glucosylated flavonoids and can be coupled to extraction methods using pressurized hot water. Hydrolysis has however been shown to be dependent on the position of the glucosylation on the flavonoid, and e.g. quercetin-3-glucoside (Q3) was hydrolysed slowly. A set of mutants of TnBgl1A were thus created to analyse the influence on the kinetic parameters using the model substrate para-nitrophenyl-ß-D-glucopyranoside (pNPGlc), and screened for hydrolysis of Q3. RESULTS: Structural analysis pinpointed an area in the active site pocket with non-conserved residues between specificity groups in glycoside hydrolase family 1 (GH1). Three residues in this area located on ß-strand 5 (F219, N221, and G222) close to sugar binding sub-site +2 were selected for mutagenesis and amplified in a protocol that introduced a few spontaneous mutations. Eight mutants (four triple: F219L/P165L/M278I, N221S/P165L/M278I, G222Q/P165L/M278I, G222Q/V203M/K214R, two double: F219L/K214R, N221S/P342L and two single: G222M and N221S) were produced in E. coli, and purified to apparent homogeneity. Thermostability, measured as Tm by differential scanning calorimetry (101.9°C for wt), was kept in the mutated variants and significant decrease (ΔT of 5-10°C) was only observed for the triple mutants. The exchanged residue(s) in the respective mutant resulted in variations in KM and turnover. The KM-value was only changed in variants mutated at position 221 (N221S) and was in all cases monitored as a 2-3 × increase for pNPGlc, while the KM decreased a corresponding extent for Q3.Turnover was only significantly changed using pNPGlc, and was decreased 2-3 × in variants mutated at position 222, while the single, double and triple mutated variants carrying a mutation at position 221 (N221S) increased turnover up to 3.5 × compared to the wild type. Modelling showed that the mutation at position 221, may alter the position of N291 resulting in increased hydrogen bonding of Q3 (at a position corresponding to the +1 subsite) which may explain the decrease in KM for this substrate. CONCLUSION: These results show that residues at the +2 subsite are interesting targets for mutagenesis and mutations at these positions can directly or indirectly affect both KM and turnover. An affinity change, leading to a decreased KM, can be explained by an altered position of N291, while the changes in turnover are more difficult to explain and may be the result of smaller conformational changes in the active site.

Mediator-assisted simultaneous probing of cytosolic and mitochondrial redox activity in living cells.

This work describes an electron transfer mediator-assisted amperometric flow injection method for assessing redox enzyme activity in different subcellular compartments of the phosphoglucose isomerase deletion mutant strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, EBY44. The method is demonstrated using the ferricyanide-menadione double mediator system to study the effect of dicoumarol, an inhibitor of cytosolic and mitochondrial oxidoreductases and an uncoupler of the electron transport chain. Evaluation of the role of NAD(P)H-producing pathways in mediating biological effects is facilitated by introducing either fructose or glucose as the carbon source, yielding either NADH or NADPH through the glycolytic or pentose phosphate pathway, respectively. Respiratory noncompetent cells show greater inhibition of cytosolic menadione-reducing enzymes when NADH rather than NADPH is produced. Spectrophotometric in vitro assays show no difference between the cofactors. Respiratory competent cells show cytosolic inhibition only when NADPH is produced, whereas production of NADH reveals uncoupling at low dicoumarol concentrations and inhibition of complexes III and IV at higher concentrations. Spectrophotometric assays only indicate the presence of cytosolic inhibition regardless of the reduced cofactor used. This article shows the applicability of the amperometric method and emphasizes the significance of determining biological effects of chemicals in living cells.