A Highly Sensitive and Selective Fluorescent Sensor for Folic Acid Detection Based on D-penicillamine Stabilized Ag/Cu Alloy Nanoclusters.

In this work, a highly sensitive and selective method for detecting folic acid (FA) was developed using D-penicillamine (DPA) stabilized Ag/Cu alloy nanoclusters (DPA@Ag/Cu NCs). The yellow emission of DPA@Ag/Cu NCs was found to be quenched upon the addition of FA to the system. The fluorescence intensity quenching value demonstrated a linear relationship with FA concentrations ranging from 0.01 to 1200 µM, with a limit of detection (LOD) of 5.3 nM. Furthermore, the detection mechanism was investigated through various characterization analyses, including high resolution transmission electron microscopy, fluorescence spectra, ultraviolet-visible absorption spectra, and fluorescence lifetime. The results indicated that the fluorescence quenching induced by FA was a result of electron transfer from FA to the ligands of DPA@Ag/Cu NCs. The selectivity of the FA sensor was also evaluated, showing that common amino acids and inorganic ions had minimal impact on the detection of FA. Moreover, the standard addition method was successfully applied to detect FA in human serum, chewable tablets and FA tablets with promising results. The use of DPA@Ag/Cu NCs demonstrates significant potential for detecting FA in complex biological samples.

Development of carbon dot-thiochrome-based sensing system for ratiometric fluorescence detection of D-penicillamine.

A simple and rapid ratiometric fluorescent sensing system for D-penicillamine (D-PA) determination is developed based on yellow carbon dots (Y-CDs) combined with thiochrome (oxVB1) for the first time. The oxidization of thiamine (VB1) can be catalyzed by Alkaline-hydrolyzed artemisinin (a-ART) to form oxVB1, which leads to the occurrence of fluorescence emission peak at 466 nm. Furthermore, the oxidation reaction between a-ART and VB1 could be inhibited by D-PA, and accompanied with the decrease of fluorescence at 466 nm. However, the fluorescence peak of Y-CDs as an internal reference at 566 nm was almost unchanged. The ratiometric signal changes contributed to a robust and sensitive D-PA sensing. Under the optimal condition, a good linear response for the D-PA detection was obtained in the ranges of 0.5-50 µM with a detection limit of 0.33 µM. In addition, Y-CDs and thiochrome-based sensing system was applied to D-PA determination in real samples and obtained acceptable results. We developed a new carbon dots/thiochrome fluorescent nanoprobe for ratiometric fluorescence sensing of D-penicillamine.

Liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometric analysis of penicillamine for its pharmacokinetic evaluation in dogs.

Copper storage disease occurs in multiple dog breeds and is one of the most common causes of chronic hepatitis in this species. The disease is caused by hereditary defects in copper metabolism in conjunction with high dietary copper levels. The progressive copper accumulation leads to hepatitis, cirrhosis, and eventually death if left untreated. Copper chelators are critical in modulating the effects of this disease. It is therefore of significant practicality to understand the pharmacokinetic (PK) parameters of chelating agents, particularly since they are oftentimes quite expensive. A liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric (LC/MS/MS) method was developed to measure plasma levels of one of the most common chelators, d-penicillamine. The compound was discovered to exist in two forms, monomeric and dimeric, and various chemical derivatizations were tried to force the compound into one form or the other. Eventually, the simplest approach was individual determination of penicillamine and its dimer, with summation of the two quantities. This enabled determination of canine PK parameters for penicillamine based on comparison of oral and intravenous administration of the drug, including time to maximum drug level (Tmax), concentration at maximum (Cmax), clearance (Cls) and volume of distribution (Vdss). The drug was found to exist predominantly in the dimeric form in plasma, which is incapable of chelating copper owing to lack of free sulfhydryl groups and must therefore provide a storage form of the drug in equilibrium with its monomeric form in vivo. Mechanisms are discussed for the electrospray-induced fragmentation of penicillamine as well as of its dimer.

Fluorescence turn-on assay for detection of serum D-penicillamine based on papain@AuNCs-Cu2+ complex.

Papain-stabilized gold nanoclusters (papain@AuNCs) with a red fluorescence emission at 639 nm have been generated successfully in aqueous solution. The fluorescence of papain@AuNCs could be quenched in the addition of Cu2+. Subsequently, a unique fluorescent probe based on papain@AuNCs-Cu2+ complex has been constructed for sensitive, selective and "turn-on" detection of D-penicillamine (D-pen). The sensing probe has exhibited a remarkable fluorescence enhancement in the presence of D-pen, which can be measured ranging from 30.0 µM to 2.0 mM (r2 = 0.991) with the detection limit of 5.0 µM. Furthermore, the developed assay has been utilized to explore the metabolic process of D-pen in rats after intraperitoneal injection. As far as we concerned, the present study has reported the first analytical method for sensing serum D-pen in real time by using the fluorescent papain@AuNCs-Cu2+ complex. Our strategy paves a way for digging up the biological and clinical application of the fluorescent AuNCs.

A fluorescence detection of D-penicillamine based on Cu(2+)-induced fluorescence quenching system of protein-stabilized gold nanoclusters.

In this contribution, a luminescent gold nanoclusters which were synthesized by bovine serum albumin as novel fluorescent probes were successfully utilized for the determination of D-penicillamine for the first time. Cupric ion was employed to quench the strong fluorescence of the gold nanoclusters, whereas the addition of D-penicillamine caused obvious restoration of fluorescence intensity of the Cu(2+)-gold nanoclusters system. Under optimum conditions, the increment in fluorescence intensity of Cu(2+)-gold nanoclusters system caused by D-penicillamine was linearly proportional to the concentration of D-penicillamine in the range of 2.0×10(-5)-2.39×10(-4) M. The detection limit for D-penicillamine was 5.4×10(-6) M. With the off-on fluorescence signal at 650 nm approaching the near-infrared region, the present sensor for D-penicillamine detection had high sensitivity and low spectral interference. Furthermore, the novel gold nanoclusters-based fluorescent sensor has been applied to the determination of D-penicillamine in real biological samples with satisfactory results.

A new BODIPY-based long-wavelength fluorescent probe for chromatographic analysis of low-molecular-weight thiols.

A new long-wavelength fluorescent probe, 1,7-dimethyl-3,5-distyryl-8-phenyl-(4'-iodoacetamido)difluoroboradiaza-s-indacene (DMDSPAB-I), was designed and synthesized for thiol labeling in high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The excitation and emission wavelengths of DMDSPAB-I are 620 and 630 nm, respectively, with a high fluorescence quantum yield of 0.557, which is advantageous in preventing interference of intrinsic fluorescence from complex biological matrices and enabling high sensitivity HPLC. Based on DMDSPAB-I, a reversed-phase HPLC method was developed for measuring low-molecular-weight thiols including glutathione, cysteine, homocysteine, N-acetylcysteine, cysteinylglycine, and penicillamine. After the specific reaction of DMDSPAB-I with thiols, baseline separation of all six stable derivatives was achieved through isocratic elution on a C18 column within 25 min, with the limits of detection (signal-to-noise ratio = 3) from 0.24 nmol L(-1) for glutathione to 0.72 nmol L(-1) for penicillamine. The proposed method was validated in part by measuring thiols in blood samples from mice, with recoveries of 95.3-104.3%.

Disruption of elastic lamellae in the aorta by D-penicillamine and its effect on vaso-regulation in rats.

We assessed the effects of D-penicillamine (D-PA) on cross-linkages in elastin and vaso-regulatory function in rats. After administration of D-PA at a dose of 100 mg/kg/day for 7 weeks to adult and young rats, the thoracic aortas were isolated. The elastic lamellae in the aorta were disrupted histopathologically in all the treated groups. The content of cross-linkages in elastin, i.e. desmosine and isodesmosine, which gives elasticity to the aortic wall, was significantly reduced in the D-PA treated groups versus the control groups. On the other hand, the content of pyridinoline as a marker of insoluble collagen was significantly reduced in the D-PA treated groups, even though the total collagen content was not changed. In addition, after 7 weeks of treatment with D-PA, the change between systolic blood pressure before and after sympathetic stimulation (Δ-SBP) by L-epinephrine was about 2.5-fold larger than that in the control group. Similar results were obtained using angiotensin II or ouabain instead of L-epinephrine. These findings demonstrated that D-PA disrupted elastic lamellae of the rat aorta by reduction of the cross-linkages in elastin and collagen, which caused dysfunction of vaso-regulation. Also, they suggested the possibility that long-term treatment with D-PA in patients could cause a decrease in vaso-regulatory function and could increase the risk of cardiovascular events.

Pharmacokinetics and relative bioavailability of D-penicillamine in fasted and nonfasted dogs.

BACKGROUND: D-Penicillamine is the most commonly used copper-chelating agent in the treatment of copper-associated hepatitis in dogs. Response to therapy can be variable, and there is a lack of pharmacokinetic information available for dogs. Coadministering the drug with food to alleviate vomiting has been recommended for dogs, which contradicts recommendations for drug administration to humans. HYPOTHESIS: Coadministration of d-penicillamine with food decreases relative bioavailability and maximum plasma drug concentrations (C(max)) in dogs. ANIMALS: Nine purpose-bred dogs with a median body weight of 17.0 kg. METHODS: Dogs received D-penicillamine (12.5 mg/kg PO) fasted and with food in a randomized, crossover design. Blood samples were collected before and 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 12, and 24 hours after dosing. Total d-penicillamine concentrations were measured using liquid chromatography coupled with tandem quadrupole mass spectrometry. Pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated for each dog. RESULTS: Two fasted dogs (22%) vomited after receiving d-penicillamine. Mean C(max) ± standard deviation (SD) was 8.7 ± 3.1 µg/mL (fasted) and 1.9 ± 1.6 µg/mL (fed). Mean area under the plasma concentration curve ± SD was 16.9 ± 5.9 µg/mL·h (fasted) and 4.9 ± 3.4 µg/mL·h (fed). There were significant reductions in relative bioavailability and C(max) in fed dogs (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Coadministration of d-penicillamine with food significantly decreases plasma drug concentrations in dogs. Decreased drug exposure could result in decreased copper chelation efficacy, prolonged therapy, additional cost, and greater disease morbidity. Administration of d-penicillamine with food cannot be categorically recommended without additional studies.

In-column fiber-optic laser-induced fluorescence detection for CE.

A highly sensitive in-column fiber-optic LIF detector for CE has been constructed and evaluated. In this detection system, a 457-nm diode-pumped solid-state blue laser was used as the excitation light source and an optical fiber (40 mum od) was used to transmit the excitation light. One end of the optical fiber was inserted into the separation capillary and was in situ positioned at the detection window. The other end of the fiber was protruded from the capillary to capture the excitation light beam from the blue laser. Fluorescence emission was collected by a 40 x microscope objective, focused on a spatial filter, and passed through a yellow color filter before reaching the photomultiplier tube. The present CE-fluorescence detection is a simple and compact optical system. It reduces the laser scattering effect from the capillary and fiber as compared to the conventional LIF detection for CE. Its utility was successfully demonstrated by the separation and determination of D-penicillamine labeled with naphthalene-2,3-dicarboxaldehyde. The detection limit was 0.8 nM (S/N = 3). The present detection scheme has been proven to be attractive for sensitive fluorescence detection for CE.

Determination of penicillamine in pharmaceuticals and human plasma by capillary electrophoresis with in-column fiber optics light-emitting diode induced fluorescence detection.

In this paper, a capillary electrophoresis (CE) system with in-column fiber optics light-emitting diode (LED) induced fluorescence detection was developed for the determination of penicillamine (PA). The influence of buffer concentration, buffer pH, applied voltage and injection time was systematically investigated. Optimum separation conditions were obtained with 10 mM borate buffer at pH 9.1, applied voltage 20 kV and 8 s hydrodynamic injection at 30 mbar. The detection system displayed linear dynamic range from 3.2 x 10(-7) to 4.8 x 10(-5) mol L(-1) with a correlation coefficient of 0.9991 and good repeatability (R.S.D.=2.46%). The method was applied to the determination of PA in commercial tablets and human plasma, which the recoveries of standard PA added to tablets and human plasma sample were found to be in the range of 96.26-102.68 and 91.10-99.35%, respectively. The proposed method is cheap, rapid, easy, and accurate, and can be successfully applied to the formulation analysis and bioanalysis.

Oxidized forms of glutathione in peripheral blood as biomarkers of oxidative stress.

BACKGROUND: Reduced glutathione (GSH) and its redox forms, glutathione disulfide (GSSG) and glutathionylated proteins (PSSG), are biomarkers of oxidative stress, but methodologic artifacts can interfere with their measurement. We evaluated the importance of correct sample handling during the preanalytical phase for GSH, GSSG, and PSSG measurement. METHODS: We used human blood for in vitro experiments with oxidants [tert-butylhydroperoxide (t-BOOH), diamide, and menadione]. For in vivo experiments, we used rats in which we cannulated the jugular and femoral veins for both oxidant administration and blood collection. We measured GSH, GSSG, and PSSG with HPLC with or without sample pretreatment with N-ethylmaleimide (NEM) to prevent artifacts. We also measured malondialdehyde (MDA) with HPLC, and protein carbonyls (PCO) with spectrophotometric procedures. RESULTS: When methodologic artifacts were prevented by pretreatment with NEM, GSSG results increased up to 3-fold over the basal concentrations, even in the presence of 5 micromol/L t-BOOH or diamide and 20 micromol/L menadione. PSSG increased by approximately 50% at 20 micromol/L t-BOOH or diamide and at 50 micromol/L menadione. PCO and MDA remained unchanged. In vivo oxidation treatments elicited immediate and significant increases in GSSG and PSSG over basal values (up to 200-fold), whereas PCO and MDA showed only slight variation 120 or 180 min after treatment. CONCLUSIONS: With the use of artifact-free measurement methods, GSH, GSSG, and PSSG are potentially powerful and reliable biomarkers of oxidative stress status and can be used to evaluate whether, and to what extent, oxidative stress may be involved in various diseases.

Plasma D-penicillamine redox state evaluation by capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence.

D-Penicillamine (D-Pen) is a thiol drug used in the treatment of Wilson's disease, rheumatoid arthritis, metal intoxication and cystinuria. We have recently described a new capillary electrophoresis (CE) method to measure physiological thiols, in which separation of total plasma homocysteine, cysteine, cysteinylglycine, glutathione is achieved using the organic base N-methyl-D-glucamine in the run buffer. In this paper, we present an improvement of our method that allows a baseline separation of total plasma D-Pen from the physiological thiols. Moreover, reduced, free and protein-bound forms of drug are measured by varying the order of disulfide reduction with tributylphosphine and proteins precipitation with 5-sulphosalicylic acid (SSA). After derivatization with 5-iodoacetamidofluorescein (5-IAF), samples are separated and measured by capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence in an uncoated fused-silica capillary (57 x 75 microm i.d.) using a phosphate/borate run buffer pH 11.4. In these conditions, the migration time of D-Pen is about 7 min and the time required for each analysis is roughly 10 min. The proposed method has been utilized to measure the various forms of the drug in a D-Pen administered Wilson's disease patient.

High performance liquid chromatography analysis of D-penicillamine by derivatization with N-(1-pyrenyl)maleimide (NPM).

D-Penicillamine (2-amino-3-mercapto-3-methylbutanoic acid), a well-known heavy metal chelator, is the drug of choice in the treatment of Wilson's disease and is also effective for the treatment of several disorders including rheumatoid arthritis, primary biliary cirrhosis, scleroderma, fibrotic lung diseases and progressive systemic sclerosis. The method proposed incorporates a technique, previously developed in our laboratory, that utilizes the derivatizing agent N-(1-pyrenyl)maleimide (NPM) and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The coefficients of variation for within-run precision and between-run precision for 500 nM standard D-penicillamine (D-pen) were 2.27% and 2.23%, respectively. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were given 1 g/kg D-pen i.p. and the amounts of D-pen in liver, kidney, brain and plasma were subsequently analyzed. This assay is rapid, sensitive and reproducible for determining D-pen in biological samples.

Complexation of copper(I) by thioamino acids. Implications for copper speciation in blood plasma.

There is mounting evidence that Cu(I) is the most important oxidation state of copper in many physiological systems. Research into Cu(I)-thioamino acid complex formation serves not only to improve the chelation therapy for treating copper intoxication but may also provide a better understanding of many facets of normal copper metabolism. Formation constants for the ternary mixed ligand complexes of Cu(I) with cysteine (Cys), glutathione (GSH) and penicillamine (Pen) are reported here for the first time. Potentiometric titrations, using techniques specially developed for the stabilization of aqueous Cu(I), were performed at 25 degrees C in 1.00 M (Na)Cl. It was found that precipitation severely limits the experimentally accessible pH range and, consequently, the computer analysis of the binary metal-ligand systems; however, it is also found that this is less of a problem when two different ligands are present. This latter fact permitted better models of the binary systems to be developed. The formation constants of Cu(I)-thioamino acids determined in this work were used in an improved computer simulation of copper speciation in blood plasma which, for the first time, incorporates redox equilibria.

Amperometric detection of organic thiols at a tungsten wire electrode following their separation by liquid chromatography.

The amperometric detection of thiols following their separation by reversed-phase chromatography and reaction into a post-column mercury carrier stream is shown to be a sensitive method when using a tungsten wire sensor as the working electrode in a three-electrode flow cell. Five organic thiols (cysteine, homocysteine, reduced glutathione, D,L-penicillamine and 2-mercaptopropionic acid) and thiourea could be separated within approx. 18 min. The analytical performance is comparable, and stability superior, to chemically modified electrodes previously reported.

Application of an electrochemical detector with a graphite electrode to liquid chromatographic determination of penicillamine and captopril in biological samples.

A high-performance liquid chromatographic determination of penicillamine and captopril in rat serum, liver and kidney samples is described. An electrochemical detector with a graphite working electrode at a potential of +0.9 V vs the Ag/AgCl reference electrode is used for the detection system. Linear responses of the peak height to the amount of samples injected were obtained in a range of 0.1-500 ng on-column and 0.5-500 ng on-column for penicillamine and captopril with correlation coefficients of 0.997 and 0.995, respectively. Detection limits at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3 were 20 and 300 pg for penicillamine and captopril, respectively. The graphite electrode has a long lifetime of about 4 months with continuous use, even with the high voltage supplied. The analytical application of this method to the determination of penicillamine and captopril in biological samples was successful.

A western blot approach to detection of human plasma protein conjugates derived from D-penicillamine.

OBJECTIVES: To develop and apply an immunochemical approach to the study of drug-plasma protein conjugates derived from the anti-arthritic drug D-penicillamine (DP). METHODS: An antiserum with specificity for protein-conjugated DP was raised in a rabbit. Plasma samples from patients receiving DP or from incubations of isolated normal plasma with DP were analysed for DP-derived conjugates by Western blotting using the anti-drug antibody. RESULTS: A single DP-positive protein band was detected in plasma samples from 15/16 patients with rheumatoid arthritis receiving DP but in none of 20 patients of similar disease status who had not taken DP. The positive band appeared in patients' plasma during the course of treatment with DP. It was seen under nonreducing but not reducing conditions indicating that the drug is disulphide linked to the protein. The drug-modified protein migrated to a position intermediate between the trailing edge of albumin and the leading edge of transferrin (both non-reduced) suggesting a molecular weight of between 66 and 77 kDa. Incubations of normal human plasma, but not purified albumin or transferrin, with low concentrations of DP generated the same distinct band plus several less intense DP-positive bands. CONCLUSIONS: Drug-plasma protein conjugates derived from DP in vivo and in vitro can be detected immunochemically by the Western blot method. Theories of DP immunotoxicity have implicated antigenicity of the drug, but this is the first immunochemical demonstration of a potential DP-derived antigen in human plasma. The method we describe may have application to studies of the relationship between DP antigenicity and toxicity.

Nuclear magnetic resonance studies of the binding of captopril and penicillamine by serum albumin.

The metabolism of the thiol-containing drugs penicillamine (beta,beta-dimethylcysteine) and captopril (D-3-mercapto-2-methylpropanoyl-L-proline) involves the formation of mixed disulfides, including mixed disulfides with serum albumin. The reactions of penicillamine and captopril with serum albumin in aqueous solution and in intact human blood plasma have been studied by 500 MHz 1H NMR spectroscopy. Penicillamine was found to react rapidly at the albumin-cysteine mixed disulfide bond to form penicillamine-cysteine mixed disulfide and to react more slowly at other albumin disulfide bonds. The amino acid cysteine was found to react with albumin by the same two pathways. In contrast, captopril rapidly associates with albumin to form noncovalent albumin-captopril complexes. Exchange of captopril between its free and noncovalently bound forms takes place on the NMR time scale. On a longer time scale, captopril reacts with albumin by thiol/disulfide interchange reactions. Noncovalently bound captopril displaced lactate from its albumin binding sites, both in aqueous solution and in human plasma. The results demonstrate that 1H NMR is a useful method for characterizing the state of drug molecules in human plasma and for detecting and monitoring perturbations by drugs of delicately balanced binding equilibria involving endogenous small molecules and macromolecules in plasma.