Mingrui An

Determination of Tetracycline Antibiotic Residues in Honey and Milk by Miniaturized Solid Phase Extraction Using Chitosan-Modified Graphitized Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes

A rapid, simple, and strongly selective miniaturized solid phase extraction (SPE) technique, requiring only small amounts of sorbent (24 mg) and elution solvent (600 μL), coupled with ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography and quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry was developed for detecting tetracycline antibiotics. These analytes were extracted from honey and milk using chitosan-modified graphitized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (G-MWNTs) as the solid sorbent and acetonitrile/acetic acid (8:2, v/v) as the eluent in miniaturized SPE. Under the optimum experimental conditions, a satisfactory linearity (r(2) > 0.992) was obtained, and the limits of detection were in the range of 0.61-10.34 μg/kg for the analytes. The mean recoveries of the five tetracycline antibiotic residues in the real samples were between 81.5 and 101.4%. The results demonstrated that chitosan-modified G-MWNTs comprise a promising material for the enrichment of tetracycline antibiotics from complex food matrices.

High-confidence de novo peptide sequencing using positive charge derivatization and tandem MS spectra merging.

De novo peptide sequencing holds great promise in discovering new protein sequences and modifications but has often been hindered by low success rate of mass spectra interpretation, mainly due to the diversity of fragment ion types and insufficient information for each ion series. Here, we describe a novel methodology that combines highly efficient on-tip charge derivatization and tandem MS spectra merging, which greatly boosts the performance of interpretation. TMPP-Ac-OSu (succinimidyloxycarbonylmethyl tris(2,4,6-trimethoxyphenyl)phosphonium bromide) was used to derivatize peptides at N-termini on tips to reduce mass spectra complexity. Then, a novel approach of spectra merging was adopted to combine the benefits of collision-induced dissociation (CID) and electron transfer dissociation (ETD) fragmentation. We applied this methodology to rat C6 glioma cells and the Cyprinus carpio and searched the resulting peptide sequences against the protein database. Then, we achieved thousands of high-confidence peptide sequences, a level that conventional de novo sequencing methods could not reach. Next, we identified dozens of novel peptide sequences by homology searching of sequences that were fully backbone covered but unmatched during the database search. Furthermore, we randomly chose 34 sequences discovered in rat C6 cells and verified them. Finally, we conclude that this novel methodology that combines on-tip positive charge derivatization and tandem MS spectra merging will greatly facilitate the discovery of novel proteins and the proteome analysis of nonmodel organisms.

Quantitative Proteomic Analysis of Serum Exosomes from Patients with Locally Advanced Pancreatic Cancer Undergoing Chemoradiotherapy

Pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related death in the USA. Despite extensive research, minimal improvements in patient outcomes have been achieved. Early identification of treatment response and metastasis would be valuable to determine the appropriate therapeutic course for patients. In this work, we isolated exosomes from the serum of 10 patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer at serial time points over a course of therapy, and quantitative analysis was performed using the iTRAQ method. We detected approximately 700-800 exosomal proteins per sample, several of which have been implicated in metastasis and treatment resistance. We compared the exosomal proteome of patients at different time points during treatment to healthy controls and identified eight proteins that show global treatment-specific changes. We then tested the effect of patient-derived exosomes on the migration of tumor cells and found that patient-derived exosomes, but not healthy controls, induce cell migration, supporting their role in metastasis. Our data show that exosomes can be reliably extracted from patient serum and analyzed for protein content. The differential loading of exosomes during a course of therapy suggests that exosomes may provide novel insights into the development of treatment resistance and metastasis.

Determination of natural phenols in olive fruits by chitosan assisted matrix solid-phase dispersion microextraction and ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography with quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry.

A simple, efficient and low-cost method based on matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD) microextraction and ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-TOF/MS) was developed for the determination of seven main natural phenols (gallic acid, hydroxytyrosol, methyl gallate, luteolin 7-O-β-d-glucoside, rutin, ellagic acid and oleuropein) and other eleven compounds in olive fruits. The experimental conditions for the MSPD extraction, including the type of adsorbent, the amount of dispersing sorbent, the grinding time, and the type of elution solvent were investigated and optimized. The optimized parameters were determined to be that middle-molecular-weight chitosan was used as adsorbent, the amount of middle-molecular-weight chitosan was selected to be 25mg, the grinding time was chosen to be 60s, and methanol: water (6:4, v:v) was used as elution solvent. Compared with reported methods, the proposed method was more simple, rapid, and efficient. Moreover, this method required less extraction time and less amount of sample and solvent. The method showed good linearity (r(2)≥0.9909) for the seven analytes, with the limits of detection in the range of 69.6-358.4ng/g. And recoveries were above 80.06%. The methodology was successfully applied to the extraction and determination of seven phenolic compounds in olive fruits（Canarii fructus）.

Trace amounts of poly‐β‐cyclodextrin wrapped carbon nanotubes for the microextraction of flavonoids in honey samples by capillary electrophoresis with light‐emitting diode induced fluorescence detection

A novel dispersive micro‐SPE method with trace poly‐β‐CD wrapped multiwalled carbon nanotubes as sorbents was applied to extract flavonoids in honey samples. The analytes were then determined by CE with LED‐induced fluorescence detection. The influencing parameters, such as the sorbent concentration, extraction time, and eluent type, were properly optimized. The established method had the advantages of simplicity, low consumption of sorbent amount (0.009 mg) and organic solvent (100 μL), and high sensitivity, meeting the principle of green chemistry. Under the optimum conditions, the sorbents allowed the extraction and preconcentration of the flavonoids with enrichment factors in the range from 78 to 166. The recovery study performed at two different fortification levels provided an average recovery >91%. LODs for all the compounds ranged from 0.07 to 17.99 ng/mL. These results demonstrated that the proposed method could be used as a convenient and efficient extraction technique for analysis of flavonoids in different honey matrices.

Extraction and enrichment of natural pigments from solid samples using ionic liquids and chitosan nanoparticles

A green and economical method for the extraction and preconcentration of natural pigments (curcumin, demethoxycurcumin and bisdemethoxycurcumin) was developed using ultrasound-assisted extraction combined with dispersive micro solid-phase extraction. In this work, Ionic liquids (ILs) were used for the pre-extraction of natural pigments. The pure chitosan nanoparticles (CS NPs) were then used as a sorbent for the microextraction mode. The method involves the use of ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry. Operating parameters influencing the performance of extraction steps such as type and concentration of ILs, concentration of CS NPs, type of elution solvent, agitation time and pH of sample-extracting solution were investigated. Under the optimum conditions, the proposed method exhibited a low detection limit in the range of 0.11-0.36ng/mL at S/N=3, and good linearities with coefficients of determination (R(2)) higher than 0.9990. The recoveries of turmeric samples were ranging from 90.45% to 105.04% for the three studied curcuminoids with SD of 3.27-6.58. The experimental results indicated that the ILs and CS NPs were the promising materials for the extraction and enrichment of target curcuminoids from complex solid samples.

A green ionic liquid-based vortex-forced MSPD method for the simultaneous determination of 5-HMF and iridoid glycosides from Fructus Corni by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography

A simple and green ionic liquid-based vortex-forced matrix solid phase dispersion (IL-VFMSPD) method was presented to simultaneously extract 5-hydroxymethyl furfurol (5-HMF) and iridoid glycosides in Fructus Corni by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography. Ionic liquid was used as a green elution reagent in vortex-forced MSPD process. A few parameters such as the type of ionic liquid, the type of sorbent, ratio of sample to sorbent, the concentration and volume of ionic liquid, grinding time and vortex time, were investigated in detail and an orthogonal design experiment was introduced to confirm the best conditions in this procedure. With the final optimized method, the recoveries of the target compounds in Fructus Corni were in the range of 95.2-103% (RSD<5.0%) and the method displayed a good linearity within the range of 0.8-200 μg mL-1 for morroniside, sweroside, loganin, cornuside and 1.2-300 μg mL-1 for 5-HMF. The limits of detection ranged from 0.02 to 0.08 μg mL-1 for all compounds. The results showed that the newly established method was efficiently applied to extract and determine iridoid glycosides and 5-HMF for quality control of Fructus Corni.

Cyclodextrin-based miniaturized solid phase extraction for biopesticides analysis in water and vegetable juices samples analyzed by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry

A cyclodextrin-based miniaturized solid-phase extraction was developed to extract biopesticides from water and vegetable juices. The analytes were detected by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry. In the solid-phase extraction (SPE) procedure, the liquid sample solution is passed through a packed column filled with 40mg of HP-β-CD, and then the target analytes are absorbed and finally eluted with methanol-acetic acid (90:10, v/v) into a collection tube. The limits of quantification ranged from 3.73 to 16.51ng/mL for a water matrix, from 2.62 to 13.23ng/mL for an orange juice matrix and from 1.76 to 10.35ng/mL for a tomato juice matrix, respectively. The average recovery values were in the range of 88.3-95.9% for the spiked samples. The established methodology was successfully applied to analyze sanguinarine, berberine, rotenone and osthole in water, orange juice and tomato juice.

CD90 and CD24 Co-Expression Is Associated with Pancreatic Intraepithelial Neoplasias.

Thy-1 (CD90) has been shown to be a potential marker for several different types of cancer. However, reports on CD90 expression in pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PanIN) lesions are still limited where PanINs are the most important precursor lesion of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Herein, we investigate candidate markers for PanIN lesions by examining the distribution and trend of CD90 and CD24 expression as well as their co-expression in various stages of PanINs. Thirty cases of PanINs, which were confirmed histopathologically and clinically, were used to evaluate protein expression of CD90 and CD24 by immunofluoresence double staining. CD90 was found to be mainly expressed in stroma around lesion ducts while not observed in acini and islets in PanINs. CD90 also showed increased expression in PanIN III compared to PanIN I. CD24 was mainly present in the cytoplasm and membrane of pancreatic ductal epithelia, especially in the apical epithelium of the duct. CD24 had higher expression in PanIN III compared with PanIN II or PanIN I. CD90 was expressed around CD24 sites, but there was little overlap between cells that expressed each of these proteins. A correlation analysis showed that these two proteins have a moderate relationship with PanIN stages respectively. These results suggest that co-expression of CD90 and CD24 may have an important role in the development and progression of PanINs, which is also conducive to early detection and treatment of PDAC.

Analysis of isoquinoline alkaloids using chitosan-assisted liquid-solid extraction followed by microemulsion liquid chromatography employing a sub-2-micron particle stationary phase.

A simple, efficient, and green chitosan‐assisted liquid–solid extraction method was developed for the sample preparation of isoquinoline derivative alkaloids followed by microemulsion LC. The optimized mobile phase consisted of 0.8% w/v of ethyl acetate, 1.0% w/v of SDS, 8.0% w/v of n‐butanol, 0.1% v/v acetic acid, and 10% v/v ACN. Compared to pharmacopoeia method and organic solvent extraction, this new approach avoided the use of volatile organic solvents, replacing them with relatively small amounts of chitosan. Under the optimum conditions, good linearity (r2 > 0.9980) for all calibration curves and low detection limits between 0.05 and 0.10 μg/mL were achieved. The presented procedure was successfully applied to determine alkaloids in Rhizoma coptidis with satisfactory recoveries (81.3–106.4%).