Ugo Bussy

In situ ultrafast 2D NMR spectroelectrochemistry for real-time monitoring of redox reactions.

The in situ implementation of an electrochemical cell (EC) inside a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometer is extremely powerful to study redox reactions in real time and identify unstable reaction intermediates. Unfortunately, the implementation of an electrochemical device near the sensitive volume of an NMR probe significantly affects the quality of the NMR signal, inducing significant line broadening resulting in peak overlap and partial loss of the multiplet structures. Two-dimensional (2D) NMR spectroscopy allows one to bypass signal overlapping by spreading the peaks along two orthogonal dimensions, while providing precious information in terms of structural elucidation. Nevertheless, the acquisition of 2D NMR data suffers from long acquisition durations which are incompatible with fast redox processes taking place in solution. Here, we present a new approach to deal with this issue, consisting of coupling EC-NMR with ultrafast 2D spectroscopy, capable of recording 2D spectra much faster than conventional 2D NMR. This approach is applied to the real-time monitoring of a model reaction. Fast correlation spectroscopy (COSY) spectra are recorded every 3 min in the course of the 80 min reaction, leading to the unambiguous identification of one reaction intermediate and two reaction products. The evolution of 2D NMR peak volumes in the course of time provides further insight into the mechanism of this reaction involving an unstable intermediate. This study demonstrates the feasibility and the relevance of coupling in situ spectroelectrochemistry with ultrafast 2D spectroscopy to monitor real-time electrochemical reactions in the NMR tube.

(+)- and (−)-Petromyroxols: Antipodal Tetrahydrofurandiols from Larval Sea Lamprey (Petromyzon marinus L.) That Elicit Enantioselective Olfactory Responses

(+)- and (-)-petromyroxol [(+)-1 and (-)-1, respectively], two novel tetrahydrofuran (THF)-diol fatty acid enantiomers, were isolated from water conditioned with larval sea lamprey. We herein describe their isolation and subsequent resolution using chiral chromatography. The absolute configuration of each enantiomer was determined by a combination of Mosher ester analysis and comparison with related natural and synthetic products. Electro-olfactogram (EOG) assays indicated that (+)-petromyroxol (1) possesses potent olfactory activity for sea lamprey.

Acebutolol and alprenolol metabolism predictions: comparative study of electrochemical and cytochrome P450-catalyzed reactions using liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry

AbstractA comparative study of the electrochemical conversion and the biotransformation performed by the cytochrome P450 (CYP450) obtained by rat liver microsomes has been achieved to elucidate the oxidation mechanism of both acebutolol and alprenolol. For this purpose, a wide range of reactions such as N-dealkylation, O-dealkoxylation, aromatic hydroxylation, benzyl hydroxylation, alkyl hydroxylation, and aromatic hydroxylation have been examined in this study, and their mechanisms have been compared. Most of the results of the electrochemical oxidation have been found to be in accordance with those obtained by incubating acebutolol and alprenolol in the presence of CYP450, i.e., N-dealkylation, benzyl hydroxylation, and O-dealkoxylation reactions catalyzed by liver microsomes were found to be predicted by the electrochemical oxidation. The difficulty for the electrochemical process to mimic both aromatic and alkyl hydroxylation reactions has also been discussed, and the hypothesis for the absence of aromatic hydroxylated and alkyl hydroxylated products, respectively, for alprenolol and acebutolol, under the anodic oxidation has been supported by theoretical calculation. The present study highlights the potential and limitation of coupling of electrochemistry–liquid chromatography–high-resolution mass spectrometry for the study of phase I and phase II reactions of acebutolol and alprenolol. FigureThe electrochemical conversion versus the biotransformation catalyzed by CYP450

Advances in the Electrochemical Simulation of Oxidation Reactions Mediated by Cytochrome P450

Combining electrochemistry with mass spectrometry constitutes an increasingly useful approach for simulating reactions catalyzed by cytochrome P450 (CYP450). In this review, we discuss the ability of the electrochemical cell to act as a reliable tool to mimic CYP450. The electrochemical oxidation process and CYP450-catalyzed reactions are compared in terms of mechanistic pathways, chemical structures of reactive intermediate metabolites, and final chemical structures of oxidation products. The oxidation reactions mediated by CYP450 are known to occur by either a single electron transfer (SET) or a hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) mechanism. The similarities between the reactions mediated electrochemically or by CYP450 are discussed in terms of SET and HAT mechanisms.

Recent Advances and Applications of Experimental Technologies in Marine Natural Product Research

Marine natural products are a rich source of novel and biologically active compounds. The number of identified marine natural compounds has grown 20% over the last five years from 2009 to 2013. Several challenges, including sample collection and structure elucidation, have limited the development of this research field. Nonetheless, new approaches, such as sampling strategies for organisms from extreme ocean environments, nanoscale NMR and computational chemistry for structural determination, are now available to overcome the barriers. In this review, we highlight the experimental technology innovations in the field of marine natural products, which in our view will lead to the development of many new drugs in the future.

A Quantitative Assay for Reductive Metabolism of a Pesticide in Fish Using Electrochemistry Coupled with Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry

This is the first study to use electrochemistry to generate a nitro reduction metabolite as a standard for a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry-based quantitative assay. This approach is further used to quantify 3-trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol (TFM) reductive metabolism. TFM is a widely used pesticide for the population control of sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus), an invasive species of the Laurentian Great Lakes. Three animal models, sea lamprey, lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens), and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), were selected to evaluate TFM reductive metabolism because they have been known to show differential susceptibilities to TFM toxicity. Amino-TFM (aTFM; 3-trifluoromethyl-4-aminophenol) was the only reductive metabolite identified through liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry screening of liver extracts incubated with TFM and was targeted for electrochemical synthesis. After synthesis and purification, aTFM was used to develop a quantitative assay of the reductive metabolism of TFM through liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry. The concentrations of aTFM were measured from TFM-treated cellular fractions, including cytosolic, nuclear, membrane, and mitochondrial protein extracts. Sea lamprey extracts produced the highest concentrations (500 ng/mL) of aTFM. In addition, sea lamprey and sturgeon cytosolic extracts showed concentrations of aTFM substantially higher than those of rainbow trout. However, other fractions of lake sturgeon extracts tend to show aTFM concentrations similar to those of rainbow trout but not with sea lamprey. These data suggest that the level of reductive metabolism of TFM may be associated with the sensitivities of the animals to this particular pesticide.

Chemical derivatization of neurosteroids for their trace determination in sea lamprey by UPLC-MS/MS.

This article describes the development and validation of a sensitive and robust method for the determination of neurosteroids in sea lamprey, an ancestral animal in vertebrate evolution. Chemical derivatization was used to enhance the detection of neurosteroids containing ketone function by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). Iminooxy derivatives of 12 oxosteroids and three internal standards were monitored by positive electrospray tandem mass spectrometry using the neutral loss of sulfate. Limit of quantification, extraction recovery and matrix effect were first evaluated and SPE using C18 sorbent was selected after comparison with liquid/liquid extraction and protein precipitation. Matrix effect ranged from 89.6% to 113.1% in plasma and from 79.8% to 100.0% in the brain. Recovery values ranged from 80.0% to 103.8% in plasma and from 86.3% to 107.9% in the brain. Chromatographic separation was achieved by reverse phase chromatography (2.1mm×100mm, 1.7µm particle size, C18) with a binary gradient between methanol and 0.1% formic acid in water. Limit of quantification ranged from 5 to 10pg/mL and was up to 80 times lower than those for non-derivatized steroids. Accuracy and precision parameters were determined and inter- and intra-day at three concentrations: 50, 500 and 5000pg/mL. This method was applied to analyze real samples. progesterone (P), pregnenolone (P5), 7-hydroxy-pregnenolpne (7P5), 17-hydroxy-pregnenolpne (17P5)dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), androstenedienone (A4), testosterone (T), dihydrotestosterone (DHT), allopregnanolone (THP), 11-hydroxy-androstenedienone (11A4) and 11-Deoxycortisol (S) were measured in sea lamprey brain and plasma matrixes.

Ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry for simultaneous determination of natural steroid hormones in sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) plasma and tissues

This study aims to provide a rapid, sensitive and precise UPLC-MS/MS method for target steroid quantitation in biological matrices. We developed and validated an UPLC-MS/MS method to simultaneously determine 16 steroids in plasma and tissue samples. Ionization sources of Electrospray Ionization (ESI) and Atmospheric Pressure Chemical Ionization (APCI) were compared in this study by testing their spectrometry performances at the same chromatographic conditions, and the ESI source was found up to five times more sensitive than the APCI. Different sample preparation techniques were investigated for an optimal extraction of steroids from the biological matrices. The developed method exhibited excellent linearity for all analytes with regression coefficients higher than 0.99 in broad concentration ranges. The limit of detection (LOD) was from 0.003 to 0.1ng/mL. The method was validated according to FDA guidance and applied to determine steroids in sea lamprey plasma and tissues (fat and testes) by the developed method.

Application of liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry in quantitative bioanalyses of organic molecules in aquatic environment and organisms

Analytical methods using liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) for the simultaneous determination of metabolites or contaminants (or both) in various tissues of aquatic organisms and in the aquatic environment have received increasing attention in the last few years. This review discusses the findings relevant to such procedures published between 2005 and 2015. The aim is to evaluate the advantages, restrictions, and performances of the procedures from sample preparation to mass spectrometry measurement. To support these discussions, a general knowledge on LC-MS/MS is also provided.

iso-Petromyroxols: Novel Dihydroxylated Tetrahydrofuran Enantiomers from Sea Lamprey (Petromyzon marinus)

An enantiomeric pair of new fatty acid-derived hydroxylated tetrahydrofurans, here named iso-petromyroxols, were isolated from sea lamprey larvae-conditioned water. The relative configuration of iso-petromyroxol was elucidated with 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic analyses. The ratio of enantiomers (er) in the natural sample was measured by chiral-HPLC-MS/MS to be ca. 3:1 of (–)- to (+)-antipodes.