Enrica Calleri

Validation of a RP-LC method for the simultaneous determination of isoniazid, pyrazinamide and rifampicin in a pharmaceutical formulation.

A simple and accurate liquid chromatographic method was developed and validated for estimation of isoniazid (ISN), pyrazinamide (PYR) and rifampicin (RIF) in combined dosage forms. Drugs were chromatographed on a reverse phase C18 column using a mobile phase gradient and monitored at the corresponding maximum of each compounds. Peaks were identified with retention time as compared with standards and confirmed with characteristic spectra using diode-array detector. Solution concentrations were measured on a weight basis to avoid the use of an internal standard. The method does not require any specific sample preparation except the use of a guard column. The method is linear (r(2)>0.999), precise (RSD%: 0.50% for ISN, 0.12% for PYR and 0.98% for RIF), accurate (overall average recovery yields: 98.55% for ISN, 98.51 for PYR and 98.56% for RIF) and selective. Due to its simplicity and accuracy the method is suitable for routine quality control analysis of antitubercolosis combination dosage form.

Development of an immobilized GPR17 receptor stationary phase for binding determination using frontal affinity chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry

A liquid chromatographic stationary phase containing immobilized membranes from cells expressing the P2Y-like receptor GPR17 is described. Cellular membranes from 1321N1 cells transiently transfected with GPR17 vector [GPR17+] and from the same cell line transfected with the corresponding empty vector [GPR17(-)] were entrapped on immobilized artificial membrane (IAM) support and packed into 6.6-mm-i.d. glass columns to create GPR17(+)-IAM and GPR17(-)-IAM stationary phases. Frontal chromatography experiments on both GPR17(+)-IAM and GPR17(-)-IAM demonstrated the presence of a specific interaction with GPR17 only in the former that was maximized by increasing the membrane/IAM ratio. GPR17(+)-IAM was used in frontal affinity chromatography experiments to calculate the dissociation constants (K(d)) of three ligands-the antagonist cangrelor (formerly AR-C69931MX, a P2Y(12)/P2Y(13) antagonist), MRS2179 (a P2Y(1) receptor antagonist), and the agonist UDP-all of which have been reported to also interact with GPR17. Immobilized GPR17 retained its ability to specifically bind the three analytes, as demonstrated by the agreement of the calculated K(d) values with previously reported data. Preliminary ranking experiments suggest the application of GPR17(+)-IAM in ranking affinity studies for the selection of new potential candidates.

Resveratrol and its metabolites bind to PPARs

Resveratrol, a modulator of several signaling proteins, can exert off‐target effects involving the peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor (PPAR) transcription factors. However, evidence for the direct interaction between this polyphenol and PPARs is lacking. Here, we addressed the hypothesis that resveratrol and its metabolites control aspects of PPAR transcriptional activity through direct interaction with PPARs. Bioaffinity chromatographic studies with the immobilized ligand‐binding domains (LBDs) of PPARγ and PPARα and isothermal titration calorimetry allowed the binding affinities of resveratrol, resveratrol 3‐O‐glucuronide, resveratrol 4‐O‐glucuronide, and resveratrol 3‐O‐sulfate to both PPAR‐LBDs to be determined. Interaction of resveratrol, resveratrol 3‐O‐glucuronide, and resveratrol 4‐O‐glucuronide with PPARγ‐LBD occurred with binding affinities of 1.4, 1.1, and 0.8 μM, respectively, although only resveratrol bound to the PPARα‐LBD with a binding affinity of 2.7 μM. Subsequently, X‐ray crystallographic studies were carried out to characterize resveratrol binding to the PPARγ‐LBD at the molecular level. The electron density map from the crystal structure of the complex between PPARγ‐LBD and resveratrol revealed the presence of one molecule of resveratrol bound to the LBD of PPARγ, with the ligand occupying a position close to that of other known PPARγ ligands. Transactivation assays were also performed in HepG2 cells, with the results showing that resveratrol was not a PPAR agonist but instead was able to displace rosiglitazone from PPARγ and Wy‐14643 from PPARα with IC50 values of (27.4±1.8) μM and (31.7±2.5) μM, respectively. We propose that resveratrol acts as a PPAR antagonist through its direct interaction with PPARγ and PPARα.

Immobilized trypsin on epoxy organic monoliths with modulated hydrophilicity: Novel bioreactors useful for protein analysis by liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry

The development of epoxy organic monoliths with modulated hydrophilicity for the preparation of novel trypsin-based microreactors is reported. Porous polymer monoliths have been prepared using methacrylate chemistry triggered by γ-ray irradiation. In situ polymerization has been optimized and extended to medium and high polymer densities using glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) as reactive monomer as well as to the hydrophilic nature of the co-monomers (glyceryl monomethacrylate, GlyMA and acrylamide, AMD). Enzyme immobilization was smoothly achieved by passing a buffered trypsin solution through the columns kept at room temperature. The activities of the immobilized enzyme were characterized by the apparent Michaelis constant (K(m)) and the apparent maximum velocity (V(max)) of the reaction using a non chromogenic, low-molecular mass substrate N-α-benzoyl-l-arginine ethyl ester (BAEE). For the kinetic constants determination a new off-line chromatographic procedure was developed on purpose. The most efficient IMERs were obtained by immobilizing trypsin on monolithic skeleton prepared with hydrophilic monomers (GlyMA and AMD). One of the most promising bioreactor was applied to the digestion of model proteins with different molecular weight and complexity such as human serum albumin (HSA), β-casein and ribonuclease B (RNase B), and the produced peptides were analyzed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Using a digestion time of only 25 min the proteins were recognized by the database with satisfactory sequence coverage, which was 78.22, 49.76 and 80.68% for HSA, β-casein and RNase B, respectively.

Target-Based Drug Discovery: the Emerging Success of Frontal Affinity Chromatography Coupled to Mass Spectrometry

Frontal affinity chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (FAC–MS) has been reported as a potential method for screening compound mixtures against immobilized target proteins. The potentiality of this analytical approach is described and illustrated with a number of examples based on targets of pharmaceutical interest.

Frontal affinity chromatography in characterizing immobilized receptors

The state-of-the-art in frontal affinity chromatography (FAC) applied to receptor of pharmaceutical interest is here reported. This review will first discuss the principles of FAC for ligand characterization (K(d) determination) and for screening studies, and will examine the different strategies that have been followed for the immobilization of a broad range of receptors (cytosolic and membrane receptors). Several reported applications will then be presented demonstrating that FAC is an interesting tool enabling convenient and efficient screening in the identification of new potential ligands. Moreover new applications of FAC including dual binding site assay, receptor subtype characterization, and multi-receptor binding experiments will be underlined.

Evaluation of a penicillin G acylase-based chiral stationary phase towards a series of 2-aryloxyalkanoic acids, isosteric analogs and 2-arylpropionic acids

The chiral recognition properties of a new chiral stationary phase based on immobilized penicillin G acylase were investigated using 35 acidic racemates. Twenty-seven compounds were resolved with high separation factors. The influences of mobile phase pH, type of organic modifier and ionic strength on enantioselective retention were studied. The most important tool for affecting the enantioselectivity was the mobile phase pH and interestingly the retention order of the enantiomers of some analytes could be controlled by this parameter. The analysis time for resolving enantiomers could be adjusted with a minor decrease in enantioselectivity using a high ionic strength mobile phase buffer while both retention and enantioselectivity decreased by adding organic modifier to the mobile phase. Displacement studies have demonstrated that the enzymatically active site and the chiral adsorption site overlap.

Development of an integrated chromatographic system for on-line digestion and characterization of phosphorylated proteins.

The development of an integrated chromatographic system for complete phosphoprotein analysis is described. The digestion of phosphoproteins with trypsin- or pronase-based monolithic bioreactors is carried out on-line with selective enrichment on a TiO(2) trap and separation of the produced phosphopeptides by reversed-phase liquid chromatography-multiple mass spectrometry (RPLC/MS(n)). A detailed study on the selective extraction of peptides with different degrees of phosphorylation on TiO(2) cartridges is discussed. This analytical strategy has been optimized using beta-casein as a standard phosphoprotein, and then applied to the identification of phosphorylation sites in insulin-like grow factor-binding protein 1 (IGFBP-1) isolated from amniotic fluid.

On‐line multi‐enzymatic approach for improved sequence coverage in protein analysis

The development of a new mixed bioreactor for proteomic studies based on trypsin and chymotrypsin is described. Trypsin and chymotrypsin were simultaneously bonded to an epoxy monolithic silica column (100 mmx4.6 mm id) in a one-step reaction via epoxy-groups. In order to compare the catalytic properties of the two enzymes in the isolated and in the multi-enzymatic approach, two other single enzyme bioreactors based on trypsin and chymotrypsin were prepared following the same immobilization protocol. The kinetic parameters of the multi-enzymatic bioreactor were derived and it was demonstrated that it retains the individual catalytic activity of the two enzymes. To prove the power of this experimental approach the new mixed bioreactor was integrated in an LC-ESI-MS/MS system for digestion, enrichment, separation and identification of the test protein insulin-like growth factor binding-protein 1 (IGFBP-1). The peptide map and protein sequence coverage obtained with the three bioreactors were compared. The results clearly indicate that the proposed multi-enzyme approach can reduce both digestion and analysis time, accelerate data interpretation and increase the confidence degree in protein identification.

New monolithic chromatographic supports for macromolecules immobilization: challenges and opportunities.

This mini-review reports on some recent advances in the field of immobilized protein employing both silica and polymer-based monoliths as supports, and their application in affinity chromatography and immobilized enzyme reactors (IMERs) developments. The major emphasis is put on some interesting challenges and opportunities related to the development of new monolithic affinity supports based on biofriendly sol-gel inorganic monoliths with entrapped proteins and on organic monolithic supports with improved hydrophilicity for IMERs development in proteomic studies. The ease of preparation of monoliths and the multitude of functionalization techniques, make monoliths interesting for an increasing number of biochemical and medical applications.