Ian W. Burton

Isolation and structure elucidation of new and unusual saxitoxin analogues from mussels.

Chemical analyses of plankton and highly toxic mussel samples collected in eastern Canada during an intense bloom of the dinoflagellate Alexandrium tamarense established the presence of a complex mixture of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) toxins. Application of a newly developed technique, hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, confirmed the identities of the known toxins and revealed the presence in the mussels of five saxitoxin analogues (M1-M5) that were not present in the plankton. Four of these compounds were isolated and their structures established by tandem mass spectrometry, 1D- and 2D-NMR spectroscopy, and chemical interconversion experiments. One of these was found to be 11beta-hydroxysaxitoxin (M2), while the other three were found to be new saxitoxin analogues, namely, 11beta-hydroxy-N-sulfocarbamoylsaxitoxin (M1), 11,11-dihydroxy-N-sulfocarbamoylsaxitoxin (M3), and 11,11-dihydroxysaxitoxin (M4). Compound M5 remains unidentified because of insufficient material for characterization.

Assignment of the relative stereochemistry of the spirolides, macrocyclic toxins isolated from shellfish and from the cultured dinoflagellate Alexandrium ostenfeldii

Abstract The relative stereochemistry of 13-desmethyl spirolide C, except for one chiral center, has been determined from NMR data by means of ConGen, a molecular modeling method which applies high-temperature molecular dynamics under distance constraints generated from NOESY and ROESY data. The method shows this spirolide to have the same relative stereochemistry as pinnatoxins A and D in the region of their common structure. Applicability of the ConGen method to molecules of this type is further justified by demonstrating that it yields the correct relative stereochemistry of the pinnatoxins when used with constraints generated from published data. The relative stereochemistries of spirolides B and D are also determined by comparisons of their NMR data with 13-desmethyl spirolide C and further application of ConGen.

NMR metabolic analysis of samples using fuzzy K-means clustering

The global analysis of metabolites can be used to define the phenotypes of cells, tissues or organisms. Classifying groups of samples based on their metabolic profile is one of the main topics of metabolomics research. Crisp clustering methods assign each feature to one cluster, thereby omitting information about the multiplicity of sample subtypes. Here, we present the application of fuzzy K‐means clustering method for the classification of samples based on metabolomics 1D 1H NMR fingerprints. The sample classification was performed on NMR spectra of cancer cell line extracts and of urine samples of type 2 diabetes patients and animal models. The cell line dataset included NMR spectra of lipophilic cell extracts for two normal and three cancer cell lines with cancer cell lines including two invasive and one non‐invasive cancers. The second dataset included previously published NMR spectra of urine samples of human type 2 diabetics and healthy controls, mouse wild type and diabetes model and rat obese and lean phenotypes. The fuzzy K‐means clustering method allowed more accurate sample classification in both datasets relative to the other tested methods including principal component analysis (PCA), hierarchical clustering (HCL) and K‐means clustering. In the cell line samples, fuzzy clustering provided a clear separation of individual cell lines, groups of cancer and normal cell lines as well as non‐invasive and invasive tumour cell lines. In the diabetes dataset, clear separation of healthy controls and diabetics in all three models was possible only by using the fuzzy clustering method. Copyright

Dereplication, residual complexity, and rational naming: The case of the actaea triterpenes

The genus Actaea (including Cimicifuga) has been the source of ∼200 cycloartane triterpenes. While they are major bioactive constituents of complementary and alternative medicines, their structural similarity is a major dereplication problem. Moreover, their trivial names seldom indicate the actual structure. This project develops two new tools for Actaea triterpenes that enable rapid dereplication of more than 170 known triterpenes and facilitates elucidation of new compounds. A predictive computational model based on classification binary trees (CBTs) allows in silico determination of the aglycone type. This tool utilizes the Me (1)H NMR chemical shifts and has potential to be applicable to other natural products. Actaea triterpene dereplication is supported by a new systematic naming scheme. A combination of CBTs, (1)H NMR deconvolution, characteristic (1)H NMR signals, and quantitative (1)H NMR (qHNMR) led to the unambiguous identification of minor constituents in residually complex triterpene samples. Utilizing a 1.7 mm cryo-microprobe at 700 MHz, qHNMR enabled characterization of residual complexity at the 10-20 μg level in a 1-5 mg sample. The identification of five co-occurring minor constituents, belonging to four different triterpene skeleton types, in a repeatedly purified natural product emphasizes the critical need for the evaluation of residual complexity of reference materials, especially when used for biological assessment.

Improved isolation procedure for azaspiracids from shellfish, structural elucidation of azaspiracid-6, and stability studies.

Azaspiracids are a group of lipophilic polyether toxins produced by the small dinoflagellate Azadinium spinosum. They may accumulate in shellfish and can result in illnesses when consumed by humans. Research into analytical methods, chemistry, metabolism, and toxicology of azaspiracids has been severely constrained by the scarcity of high-purity azaspiracids. Consequently, since their discovery in 1995, considerable efforts have been made to develop methods for the isolation of azaspiracids in sufficient amounts and purities for toxicological studies, in addition to the preparation of standard reference materials. A seven-step procedure was improved for the isolation of azaspiracids-1-3 (1, 2, and 3) increasing recoveries 2-fold as compared to previous methods and leading to isolation of sufficiently purified azaspiracid-6 (6) for structural determination by NMR spectroscopy. The procedure, which involved a series of partitioning and column chromatography steps, was performed on 500 g of Mytilus edulis hepatopancreas tissue containing ~14 mg of 1. Overall yields of 1 (52%), 2 (43%), 3 (43%), and 6 (38%) were good, and purities were confirmed by NMR spectroscopy. The structure of 6 was determined by one- and two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. The stability of 6 relative to 1 was also assessed in three solvents in a short-term study that demonstrated the greatest stability in aqueous acetonitrile.

Pre-Symptomatic Activation of Antioxidant Responses and Alterations in Glucose and Pyruvate Metabolism in Niemann-Pick Type C1-Deficient Murine Brain

Niemann-Pick Type C (NPC) disease is an autosomal recessive neurodegenerative disorder caused in most cases by mutations in the NPC1 gene. NPC1-deficiency is characterized by late endosomal accumulation of cholesterol, impaired cholesterol homeostasis, and a broad range of other cellular abnormalities. Although neuronal abnormalities and glial activation are observed in nearly all areas of the brain, the most severe consequence of NPC1-deficiency is a near complete loss of Purkinje neurons in the cerebellum. The link between cholesterol trafficking and NPC pathogenesis is not yet clear; however, increased oxidative stress in symptomatic NPC disease, increases in mitochondrial cholesterol, and alterations in autophagy/mitophagy suggest that mitochondria play a role in NPC disease pathology. Alterations in mitochondrial function affect energy and neurotransmitter metabolism, and are particularly harmful to the central nervous system. To investigate early metabolic alterations that could affect NPC disease progression, we performed metabolomics analyses of different brain regions from age-matched wildtype and Npc1 -/- mice at pre-symptomatic, early symptomatic and late stage disease by 1H-NMR spectroscopy. Metabolic profiling revealed markedly increased lactate and decreased acetate/acetyl-CoA levels in Npc1 -/- cerebellum and cerebral cortex at all ages. Protein and gene expression analyses indicated a pre-symptomatic deficiency in the oxidative decarboxylation of pyruvate to acetyl-CoA, and an upregulation of glycolytic gene expression at the early symptomatic stage. We also observed a pre-symptomatic increase in several indicators of oxidative stress and antioxidant response systems in Npc1 -/- cerebellum. Our findings suggest that energy metabolism and oxidative stress may present additional therapeutic targets in NPC disease, especially if intervention can be started at an early stage of the disease.

Alterations in urinary metabolites due to unilateral ureteral obstruction in a rodent model

Urinary tract obstruction (UTO) results in renal compensatory mechanisms and may progress to irrecoverable functional loss and histologic alterations. The pathophysiology of this progression is poorly understood. We identified urinary metabolite alterations in a rodent model of partial and complete UTO using (1)H nuclear magnetic resonance ((1)H-NMR) spectroscopy. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used for classification and discovery of differentiating metabolites. UTO was associated with elevated urinary levels of alanine, succinate, dimethylglycine (DMG), creatinine, taurine, choline-like compounds, hippurate, and lactate. Decreased urinary levels of 2-oxoglutarate and citrate were noted. The patterns of alteration in partial and complete UTO were similar except that an absence of elevated urinary osmolytes (DMG and hippurate) was noted in complete UTO. This pattern of metabolite alteration indicates impaired oxidative metabolism of the mitochondria in renal proximal tubules and production of renal protective osmolytes by the medulla. Decreased production of osmolytes in complete obstruction better elucidates the pathophysiology of progression from renal compensatory mechanisms to irrecoverable changes. Further confirmation of these potential biomarkers in children with UTO is necessary.

Characterization of Shrimp Oil from Pandalus borealis by High Performance Liquid Chromatography and High Resolution Mass Spectrometry

Northern shrimp (Pandalus borealis) oil, which is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, was recovered from the cooking water of shrimp processing facilities. The oil contains significant amounts of omega-3 fatty acids in triglyceride form, along with substantial long-chain monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs). It also features natural isomeric forms of astaxanthin, a nutritional carotenoid, which gives the oil a brilliant red color. As part of our efforts in developing value added products from waste streams of the seafood processing industry, we present in this paper a comprehensive characterization of the triacylglycerols (TAGs) and astaxanthin esters that predominate in the shrimp oil by using HPLC-HRMS and MS/MS, as well as 13C-NMR. This approach, in combination with FAME analysis, offers direct characterization of fatty acid molecules in their intact forms, including the distribution of regioisomers in TAGs. The information is important for the standardization and quality control, as well as for differentiation of composition features of shrimp oil, which could be sold as an ingredient in health supplements and functional foods.

2D NMR barcoding and differential analysis of complex mixtures for chemical identification: The Actaea triterpenes

The interpretation of NMR spectroscopic information for structure elucidation involves decoding of complex resonance patterns that contain valuable molecular information (δ and J), which is not readily accessible otherwise. We introduce a new concept of 2D-NMR barcoding that uses clusters of fingerprint signals and their spatial relationships in the δ−δ coordinate space to facilitate the chemical identification of complex mixtures. Similar to widely used general barcoding technology, the structural information of individual compounds is encoded as a specifics pattern of their C,H correlation signals. Software-based recognition of these patterns enables the structural identification of the compounds and their discrimination in mixtures. Using the triterpenes from various Actaea (syn. Cimicifuga) species as a test case, heteronuclear multiple-bond correlation (HMBC) barcodes were generated on the basis of their structural subtypes from a statistical investigation of their δH and δC data in the literature. These reference barcodes allowed in silico identification of known triterpenes in enriched fractions obtained from an extract of A. racemosa (black cohosh). After dereplication, a differential analysis of heteronuclear single-quantum correlation (HSQC) spectra even allowed for the discovery of a new triterpene. The 2D barcoding concept has potential application in a natural product discovery project, allowing for the rapid dereplication of known compounds and as a tool in the search for structural novelty within compound classes with established barcodes.

Distinguishing Vaccinium Species by Chemical Fingerprinting Based on NMR Spectra, Validated with Spectra Collected in Different Laboratories

A method was developed to distinguish Vaccinium species based on leaf extracts using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Reference spectra were measured on leaf extracts from several species, including lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium), oval leaf huckleberry (Vaccinium ovalifolium), and cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon). Using principal component analysis, these leaf extracts were resolved in the scores plot. Analysis of variance statistical tests demonstrated that the three groups differ significantly on PC2, establishing that the three species can be distinguished by nuclear magnetic resonance. Soft independent modeling of class analogies models for each species also showed discrimination between species. To demonstrate the robustness of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy for botanical identification, spectra of a sample of lowbush blueberry leaf extract were measured at five different sites, with different field strengths (600 versus 700 MHz), different probe types (cryogenic versus room temperature probes), different sample diameters (1.7 mm versus 5 mm), and different consoles (Avance I versus Avance III). Each laboratory independently demonstrated the linearity of their NMR measurements by acquiring a standard curve for chlorogenic acid (R(2) = 0.9782 to 0.9998). Spectra acquired on different spectrometers at different sites classifed into the expected group for the Vaccinium spp., confirming the utility of the method to distinguish Vaccinium species and demonstrating nuclear magnetic resonance fingerprinting for material validation of a natural health product.