Wolfgang Bicker

12/15-Lipoxygenase Orchestrates the Clearance of Apoptotic Cells and Maintains Immunologic Tolerance

Noninflammatory clearance of apoptotic cells (ACs) is crucial to maintain self-tolerance. Here, we have reported a role for the enzyme 12/15-lipoxygenase (12/15-LO) as a central factor governing the sorting of ACs into differentially activated monocyte subpopulations. During inflammation, uptake of ACs was confined to a population of 12/15-LO-expressing, alternatively activated resident macrophages (resMΦ), which blocked uptake of ACs into freshly recruited inflammatory Ly6C(hi) monocytes in a 12/15-LO-dependent manner. ResMΦ exposed 12/15-LO-derived oxidation products of phosphatidylethanolamine (oxPE) on their plasma membranes and thereby generated a sink for distinct soluble receptors for ACs such as milk fat globule-EGF factor 8, which were essential for the uptake of ACs into inflammatory monocytes. Loss of 12/15-LO activity, in turn, resulted in an aberrant phagocytosis of ACs by inflammatory monocytes, subsequent antigen presentation of AC-derived antigens, and a lupus-like autoimmune disease. Our data reveal an unexpected key role for enzymatic lipid oxidation during the maintenance of self-tolerance.

Mixed‐mode ion‐exchangers and their comparative chromatographic characterization in reversed‐phase and hydrophilic interaction chromatography elution modes

A set of particulate silica-supported mixed-mode RP/weak anion-exchangers (RP/WAX) (obtained by bonding of N-undecenoylated 3-aminoquinuclidine, 3-aminotropane and 2-dimethylaminoethylamine as well as of N-butenoyl-(2S,4S,5R)-2-aminomethyl-5-[(2-octylthio)ethyl]-quinuclidine to thiol-modified silica) were chromatographically characterized in comparison to selected commercially available columns using two distinct isocratic elution modes, viz. an aqueous-rich RP-type elution mode (with 40% ACN and 60% buffer) as well as an organic solvent-rich hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC)-type elution mode (95 and 90% ACN). The mixed-mode RP/WAX phases showed multimodal applicability, unlike a polar embedded RP material (Synergi Fusion RP), amino phases (Luna NH(2), BioBasic AX) or typical HILIC packings (ZIC-HILIC, TSKGel Amide-80). Principal component analysis (PCA) of the RP test data confirmed that the in-house developed RP/WAX columns as well as the Acclaim Mixed-Mode WAX-1 phase resemble each other in their chromatographic characteristics having slightly lower hydrophobic selectivity (alpha(CH2) of 1.5) than the tested Synergi Fusion RP (alpha(CH2) approximately 1.8). In contrast, a decrease in mixed-mode character due to lowered ion-exchange capacity and concomitantly increased RP-like behavior could be identified for other mixed-mode phases in the order of Obelisc R > Primesep B2 > Uptisphere MM3. PCA on HILIC data revealed that the RP/WAX phases behave dissimilar to TSKGel Amide-80, ZIC-HILIC and polysulfoethyl A under the chosen elution conditions. Hence, they may be regarded as complementary to these commercial stationary phases with applicability profiles for hydrophilic but also hydrophobic solutes.

Oxidized Phospholipids Are More Potent Antagonists of Lipopolysaccharide than Inducers of Inflammation

Polyunsaturated fatty acids are precursors of multiple pro- and anti-inflammatory molecules generated by enzymatic stereospecific and positionally specific insertion of oxygen, which is a prerequisite for recognition of these mediators by cellular receptors. However, nonenzymatically oxidized free and esterified polyunsaturated fatty acids also demonstrate activities relevant to inflammation. In particular, phospholipids containing oxidized fatty acid residues (oxidized phospholipids; OxPLs) were shown to induce proinflammatory changes in endothelial cells but paradoxically also to inhibit inflammation induced via TLR4. In this study, we show that half-maximal inhibition of LPS-induced elevation of E-selectin mRNA in endothelial cells developed at concentrations of oxidized 1-palmitoyl-2-arachidonoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (OxPAPC) 10-fold lower than those required to induce proinflammatory response. Similar concentration difference was observed for other classes and molecular species of OxPLs. Upon injection into mice, OxPAPC did not elevate plasma levels of IL-6 and keratinocyte chemoattractant but strongly inhibited LPS-induced upregulation of these inflammatory cytokines. Thus, both in vitro and in vivo, anti-LPS effects of OxPLs are observed at lower concentrations than those required for their proinflammatory action. Quantification of the most abundant oxidized phosphatidylcholines by HPLC/tandem mass spectrometry showed that circulating concentrations of total oxidized phosphatidylcholine species are close to the range where they demonstrate anti-LPS activity but significantly lower than that required for induction of inflammation. We hypothesize that low levels of OxPLs in circulation serve mostly anti-LPS function and protect from excessive systemic response to TLR4 ligands, whereas proinflammatory effects of OxPLs are more likely to develop locally at sites of tissue deposition of OxPLs (e.g., in atherosclerotic vessels).

Retention pattern profiling of fungal metabolites on mixed-mode reversed-phase/weak anion exchange stationary phases in comparison to reversed-phase and weak anion exchange separation materials by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionisation-tandem mass spectrometry.

Retention properties of 79 fungal metabolites (including neutral, acidic, basic, and amphoteric compounds) were evaluated on distinct mixed-mode reversed-phase/weak anion exchange (RP/WAX)-type stationary phases by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionisation-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS) in gradient as well as in isocratic elution mode. The RP/WAX separation materials were prepared by functionalising thiol-modified silica with N-(10-undecenoyl)-3-aminoquinuclidine and N-(10-undecenoyl)-3-alpha-aminotropane, respectively. To evaluate complementarity in chromatographic selectivity the physico-chemically heterogeneous solute set was analysed also on a RP phase (C(18)), an amino-type WAX phase, and a commercially available RP/WAX-like mixed-mode phase. Analytes may interact with the RP/WAX ligands via (attractive/repulsive) ionic, RP-like hydrophobic, as well as hydrophilic (HILIC) retention mechanisms. Individual interactive increments were found to be basically controlled by the nature and amount of organic modifier, pH value of eluent, and ionic strength of buffer additives. It could be demonstrated that RP/WAX columns offer the potential to separate compounds by exploiting a combination of various chromatographic interaction modes, which is not accessible with conventional RP and WAX columns. Such multi-modal properties increase both versatility and degrees of freedom for adjustment of chromatographic selectivity. For example, highly polar mycotoxins such as moniliformin were well retained on RP/WAX-type phases without compromising RP-selectivity for neutral (e.g. aflatoxins) and most basic solutes (e.g. epimer separation of ergot alkaloids) under fully MS-compatible conditions like a hydro-organic eluent with acetonitrile as organic modifier and an acetic acid/ammonium acetate buffer. Flexibility of the employed mixed-mode separation materials may be of value particularly for LC-ESI-MS/MS-based bioanalytics involving analytes with widely varying physico-chemical properties or applications prone to matrix effects.

Hydrophilic interaction chromatography in nonaqueous elution mode for separation of hydrophilic analytes on silica-based packings with noncharged polar bondings.

Chromatographic effects of dedicated stationary and mobile phase variations in hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) were investigated using a set of nucleobases, nucleosides and deoxynucleosides as polar test solutes. Retention and selectivity profiles were comparatively mapped on four in-house developed silica materials modified with short alkyl chains (C4, C5) which carry hydroxyl functionalities (including diol motifs) as well as embedded sulphide or sulphoxide groups. These data were complemented by results obtained with two commercially available diol-type phases and a bare silica column. Besides elucidation of packing-related aspects this work concentrated specifically on extending aqueous HILIC (AQ-HILIC) to nonaqueous polar-organic elution conditions herein termed NA-HILIC. The exchange of the polar modifier water by various alcohols in ACN-rich mobile phases containing 5 mM ammonium acetate decreased the eluotropic strength of the resulting eluents. The gain in retention largely followed the order ethanol (EtOH)>methanol (MeOH)>1,2-ethanediol (Et(OH)2) and was accompanied by distinct effects on chromatographic selectivity. For example, on the most polar home-made packing the purine nucleoside selectivity guanosine/adenosine increased from 2.25 in the AQ-HILIC (kguanosine=8.3) to 7.33 (kguanosine=59) in the NA-HILIC mode when EtOH was employed as NA modifier while this value was 5.84 and 2.93 with MeOH and Et(OH)2, respectively (eluent: 5 mM ammonium acetate in ACN/modifier 90:10 v/v). Besides the type of protic modifier its percentage as well the retention and selectivity effects upon varying the ammonium acetate concentration and column temperature, respectively, were also investigated. Notable inter-column differences were found for all of these elution parameters. A mixed-mode retention model composed of partitioning and adsorption is proposed for both AQ- and NA-HILIC retention processes. The potential of (i) the implementation of novel polar bondings (such as ones containing sulphoxide functionalities) and (ii) the comprehensive exploitation of elution variables (type of protic modifiers, salt, etc.) for providing new selectivity increments to the separation of polar analytes in HILIC is emphasised.

Selectivity issues in targeted metabolomics: Separation of phosphorylated carbohydrate isomers by mixed‐mode hydrophilic interaction/weak anion exchange chromatography

Phosphorylated carbohydrates are important intracellular metabolites and thus of prime interest in metabolomics research. Complications in their analysis arise from the existence of structural isomers that do have similar fragmentation patterns in MS/MS and are hard to resolve chromatographically. Herein, we present selective methods for the liquid chromatographic separation of sugar phosphates, such as hexose and pentose phosphates, 2- and 3-phosphoglycerate, dihydroxyacetone phosphate and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate, as well as glucosamine 1- and 6-phosphate utilizing mixed-mode chromatography with reversed-phase/weak anion-exchangers and a charged aerosol detector. The best results were obtained when the reversed-phase/weak anion-exchanger column was operated under hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography elution conditions. The effects of various chromatographic parameters were examined and are discussed on the basis of a simple stoichiometric displacement model for explaining ion-exchange processes. Employed acidic conditions have led to the complete separation of α- and β-anomers of glucose 6-phosphate at low temperature. The anomers coeluted in a single peak at elevated temperatures (>40°C) (peak coalescence), while at intermediate temperatures on-column interconversion with a plateau in-between resolved anomer peaks was observed with apparent reaction rate constants between 0.1 and 27.8×10(-4) s(-1). Dynamic HPLC under specified conditions enabled to investigate mutarotation of phosphorylated carbohydrates, their interconversion kinetics, and energy barriers for interconversion. A complex mixture of six hexose phosphate structural isomers could be resolved almost completely.

Retention and selectivity effects caused by bonding of a polar urea-type ligand to silica: A study on mixed-mode retention mechanisms and the pivotal role of solute–silanol interactions in the hydrophilic interaction chromatography elution mode

The separation properties of five silica packings bonded with 1-[3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl]urea in the range of 0-3.67 μmol m⁻² were investigated in the hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) elution mode. An increase of the ligand surface density promoted retention of non-charged polar compounds and even more so for acids. An opposite trend was observed for bases, while the amphoteric compound tyrosine exhibited a U-shaped response profile. An overall partitioning retention mechanism was incompatible with these observations; rather, the substantial involvement of adsorptive interactions was implicated. Support for the latter was provided by column-specific changes in analyte retention and concomitant selectivity effects due to variations of salt concentration, type of salt, pH value, organic modifier content, and column temperature. Silica was more selective for separating compounds differing in charge state (e.g. tyramine vs. 4-hydroxybenzoic acid), while in cases where structural differences of solutes resided in non-charged polar groups (e.g. tyramine vs. 5-hydroxydopamine, nucleoside vs. nucleobase) more selective separations were obtained on bonded phases. Hierarchical cluster analysis of the home-made urea-type and three commercial amide-type bonded packings evinced considerable differences in separation properties. The present data emphasise that the role of the packing material under HILIC elution conditions is hardly just the polar support for a dynamic coating with a water-enriched layer. Three major retention mechanisms are claimed to be relevant on bare silica and the urea-type bonded packings: (i) HILIC-type partitioning, (ii) HILIC-type weak adsorption such as hydrogen bonding between solutes and ligands or solutes and silanols (potentially influenced by individual degrees of solvation, salt bridging, etc.), (iii) strong electrostatic (ionic) solute-silanol interactions (attractive/repulsive). Even when non-charged polar bonded phases are used, solute-silanol interactions should not be discounted, which makes them a prime parameter to be characterised by HILIC column tests. Multi/mixed-mode type separations seem to be common under HILIC elution conditions, associated with a great deal of selectivity increments. They are accessible and controllable by a careful choice of the type of packing, the mobile phase composition, and the temperature.

Targeted profiling of atherogenic phospholipids in human plasma and lipoproteins of hyperlipidemic patients using MALDI-QIT-TOF-MS/MS

OBJECTIVES Phospholipids (PLs) are increasingly recognized as key molecules with potential diagnostic value in acute inflammation, CVD and atherosclerosis. We introduce a pioneer mass spectrometry (MS)-based approach aiming to investigate the relationship of specific plasma PL-subsets with atherogenic blood parameters in young patients with familial hyperlipidemia representing high-CVD-risk groups. METHODS Plasma of carefully phenotyped FH and FCH patients as well as normolipidemic subjects (age 13 ± 5 years, n = 20) was used. Clinical parameters were assessed using standard laboratory techniques and lipids were subjected to a direct targeted monitoring using LC-ESI-SRM- and MALDI-QIT-TOF-MS/MS, respectively. Statistical analysis was performed to evaluate correlations between PL data and the clinical parameters. RESULTS Most characteristically significant differences of SM/PC and PC/LPC ratios and positive correlations between SM vs. LDL-C (r = 0.946; p = 0.004) and LPC vs. VLDL-C (r = 0.669; p = 0.218) were observed in FH in contrast to the other study groups. OxPC levels were found in the range of ∼2-20 μmol/L with predominance of short-chain aldehydic species (e.g. SOVPC). A positive correlation of OxPCs with IMT (r = 0.952; p = 0.052) and HDL-C (r = 0.893; p = 0.016) but negative correlation with OxLDL (r = -0.910; p = 0.096) was observed. CONCLUSIONS Our study was a first attempt to use a MALDI-QIT-TOF-MS/MS based clinical lipidomics approach to investigate atherogenic dyslipidemia in young patients with familial hyperlipidemia. This technique represents a promising platform for clinical screening of lipid biomarkers in the future.

Analysis of Oxidized Phospholipids by MALDI Mass Spectrometry Using 6-Aza-2-thiothymine Together with Matrix Additives and Disposable Target Surfaces

6-Aza-2-thiothymine (ATT) is introduced as novel matrix system for the analysis of oxidized phospholipids (OxPLs) by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS). A systematic evaluation comparing different established and novel matrix substances, especially 2,4,6-THAP matrix (Stubiger, G.; Belgacem O. Anal. Chem. 2007, 79, 3206-3213) as reference compound for phospholipid analysis, and specific matrix additives was performed. Thereby, ATT turned out to be the reagent of choice for MALDI analysis of major biologically relevant OxPL classes (e.g., OxPC, OxPE, and OxPS) in positive and negative ionization mode. ATT used together with specific chaotropic reagents at low concentration (0.5-2 mM) acting as OxPL ionization enhancers revealed an excellent comatrix system for application with MALDI instrument types employing UV- and Nd:YAG laser systems (337 and 355 nm). Moreover, disposable MALDI targets surfaces with specific physicochemical properties (e.g., metallized glass or polymeric substrates) were revealed as superior over stainless steel in terms of reduced chemical background noise ( approximately 10-fold better S/N ratios), increased mass spectral reproducibility, and enhanced sensitivity (LOD approximately 250-500 fg on target). The combination of these parameters offers a significant advantage for highly sensitive OxPL profiling by MALDI-MS of biological samples (e.g., human plasma) at trace levels.

A simplified procedure for semi-targeted lipidomic analysis of oxidized phosphatidylcholines induced by UVA irradiation

Oxidized phospholipids (OxPLs) are increasingly recognized as signaling mediators that are not only markers of oxidative stress but are also “makers” of pathology relevant to disease pathogenesis. Understanding the biological role of individual molecular species of OxPLs requires the knowledge of their concentration kinetics in cells and tissues. In this work, we describe a straightforward “fingerprinting” procedure for analysis of a broad spectrum of molecular species generated by oxidation of the four most abundant species of polyunsaturated phosphatidylcholines (OxPCs). The approach is based on liquid-liquid extraction followed by reversed-phase HPLC coupled to electrospray ionization MS/MS. More than 500 peaks corresponding in retention properties to polar and oxidized PCs were detected within 8 min at 99 m/z precursor values using a single diagnostic product ion in extracts from human dermal fibroblasts. Two hundred seventeen of these peaks were fluence-dependently and statistically significantly increased upon exposure of cells to UVA irradiation, suggesting that these are genuine oxidized or oxidatively fragmented species. This method of semitargeted lipidomic analysis may serve as a simple first step for characterization of specific “signatures” of OxPCs produced by different types of oxidative stress in order to select the most informative peaks for identification of their molecular structure and biological role.