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Phenylpropanolamine was determined by measuring its fluorescent fluorescamine derivative. The method is rapid, sensitive, and easily automated. Statistics are presented for an effervescent cold product, and recovery data are presented for other commercially available products.
A rapid and specific high-pressure liquid chromatographic (HPLC) assay was developed for the simultaneous determination of amoxicillin and its pencilloic acid metabolite in urine. The two compounds, assayed directly in urine or after dilution with water-methanol (85:15), are separated by reversed-phase chromatography and quantitated spectrofluorometrically following postcolumn derivatization with fluorescamine. Linear calibration curves were measured in the ranges of 25-250 and 50-400 ng injected for amoxicillin and the penicilloic acid metabolite, respectively. The sensitivity limit of the assay is 2.5-5.0 microgram/ml of urine for amoxicillin and the penicilloic acid metabolite. Urine samples (0-8 hr) taken from six subjects following single 250-mg po doses and assayed by HPLC showed ranges of cumulative percent of the dose excreted as amoxicillin and the penicilloic acid metabolite (reported as amoxicillin equivalents) of 50.2-68.0, and 21.6-30.0%, respectively. An excellent correlation (r = 0.985) was demonstrated for the measurement of amoxicillin concentrations by the HPLC and microbiological assays.
We prepared surface-grafted polystyrene (PS) beads with comb-like poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) chains. To accomplish this, conventional gel-type PS beads (35-75 microm) were treated with ozone gas to introduce hydroperoxide groups onto the surface. Using these hydroperoxide groups, poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA, Mn= 22,000-25,000) was grafted onto the surface of the PS beads. The ester groups of the grafted PMMA were reduced to hydroxyl groups with lithium aluminum hydride (LAH). After adding ethylene oxide (EO) to the hydroxyl groups, we obtained the PS-sg-PEG beads, which had a rugged surface and a diameter of 80-150 microm. We could obtain several kinds of the PS-sg-PEG beads by controlling the chain lengths of the grafted PMMA and the molecular weights of the PEG chains. The grafted PEG layer was about 30-50 microm thick, which was verified from the cross-sectioned views of the fluorescamine-labeled beads. These fluorescence images proved that the beads possessed a pellicular structure. Furthermore, we found that the surface-grafted PEG chains had the characteristic property of reducing non-specific protein adsorption on the beads.
The main objective of this study was to investigate the possible cause(s) of the age-related augmentation of oxidatively damaged proteins in animal tissues. The hypothesis that activity of alkaline proteases, involved in the proteolysis of oxidized proteins, declines during aging was tested in the adult male housefly and further explored in the rat. Alkaline protease activity was measured fluorometrically by the release of trichloroacetic acid-soluble fluorescamine-reactive material from X ray-oxidized bovine serum albumin (BSA). Alkaline protease activity in the housefly was linearly related to the number of protein carbonyl groups. Possible involvement of serine or serine and thiol proteases was deduced from a 70% proteolytic inhibition by aprotinin and a 50% inhibition by leupeptin. Protease activity of houseflies for oxidized or native BSA did not alter with age. In contrast, a varied age-related pattern of protease activity was observed in the tissues of the rat. A comparison of 3-, 13-, and 23-month-old Sprague-Dawley rats indicated no age-related decline in alkaline protease activity in the brain, a 50% decline in the liver, and a 20% decline in the heart during 13 to 22 months. Results of this study suggest that in some species or tissues an age-related increase in the oxidized protein content is primarily due to a corresponding increase in the rate of protein oxidation, while in some other tissues a decline in proteolysis may be a contributory factor.
Analysis using sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis indicates that incubation of bovine serum albumin (BSA) with 10 microM-1.0 mM trans,trans-muconaldehyde results in the formation of a new band with molecular weight 105 kDa as well as high-molecular-weight material (> 200 kDa), suggesting intermolecular cross-linking of BSA by muconaldehyde. Muconaldehyde-reacted BSA exhibits a decrease in amino groups as measured by the fluorescamine assay. Spectroscopic analysis of the BSA-muconaldehyde incubation mixture shows the formation of two new peaks with absorption maxima at 340 and 475 nm. Gel filtration chromatography on Sephadex G-200 of muconaldehyde-reacted BSA shows elution of a high-molecular-weight fraction and a second fraction which elutes at the elution volume of monomeric unreacted BSA. Both fractions contain material which absorbs light at 280 nm (protein absorption), as well as at 340 and 475 nm, while chromatographed fractions containing unreacted BSA show absorption at 280 nm only. When excited at 340 nm, fractions of muconaldehyde-reacted BSA also exhibit fluorescence emission with a maximum at about 430 nm, whereas excitation at 475 nm does not result in fluorescence emission. Incubation of BSA with the aldehydic muconaldehyde metabolites trans,trans-6-oxo-hexadienoic acid and trans,trans-6-hydroxy-hexa-2,4-dienal or the corresponding diacid trans,trans-muconic acid did not cause any of the effects described above for muconaldehyde, suggesting that the diene-dialdehyde structure of muconaldehyde is a requirement for cross-linking and for the formation of the fluorescing chromophore.
The physiologically relevant stress of a flux of H2O2 increased hemoglobin (Hb) degradation in red blood cells (RBC) and increased the proteolytic susceptibility of Hb in vitro. After exposure to low H2O2 flux rates (6-32 microM/min) Hb exhibited increased exposure of hydrophobic (Trp, Met) and basic (Lys) amino acid R groups, increased hydrophobicity, and increased proteolytic susceptibility during subsequent incubation with RBC extracts, a partially purified preparation called Fraction II (which retains all of the proteolytic activities of RBC extracts), or the purified 670-kDa RBC multicatalytic proteinase complex proteasome. Hydrophobicity was measured by butyl-Sepharose hydrophobic interaction chromatography, by the free energy of transfer from water to ethanol, and by heat denaturation assays. Proteolytic susceptibility was measured by release of free alanine, by fluorescamine-reactive free amino groups, and by release of acid-soluble radioactivity from radiolabeled Hb. Low H2O2 flux rates also caused significant charge changes in Hb (isoelectric focusing gels) and extensive noncovalent aggregation (presumably due to increased hydrophobic interactions) but only limited covalent cross-linking (comparison of sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and nondenaturing PAGE). Exposure to higher H2O2 flux rates (56-120 microM/min) caused progressive oxidative destruction of exposed hydrophobic amino acids, decreased hydrophobicity as judged by butyl-Sepharose chromatography and heat denaturation assays, increased hydrophilicity as judged by measurements of the free energy of transfer (delta G') from water to ethanol, and decreased proteolytic susceptibility during incubation with RBC extracts, Fraction II, or purified proteasome. High H2O2 flux rates also caused further charge changes and the extensive formation of covalently cross-linked Hb molecules. Linear regression analyses revealed correlations of 0.8-0.99 for the relationship between Hb hydrophobicity and proteolytic susceptibility for both Fraction II and proteasome. Inhibitor studies and SDS activation experiments indicate that proteasome is responsible for most of the Hb degradation during exposure of RBC to H2O2. Previous work yielded essentially identical conclusions for Hb exposed to hydroxyl radicals (R. E. Pacifici, Y. Kono, and K. J. A. Davies, J. Biol. Chem. 268, 15405-15411, 1993). Thus, nonspecific oxidation by .OH and site-specific (metal-catalyzed) oxidation by H2O2 both yield a more hydrophobic Hb molecule with increased proteolytic susceptibility. We propose that increased exposure of hydrophobic, and perhaps basic, amino acids is the general common cause for degradation of oxidized proteins.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
This paper describes the application of 3-(4-carboxybenzoyl)quinoline-2-carboxaldehyde (CBQCA), a sensitive fluorogenic reagent for detection of amines, to the assay of proteins in solution. The sensitivity and dynamic range of CBQCA in the determination of protein concentration is modulated by the number of accessible amines present in the protein assayed. Thus, this method bears the same limitations as other reagents used in fluorogenic assays based on fluorescent amine adducts such as those obtained with fluorescamine or o-phthaldialdehyde, or of other spectrophotometric methods, where the color development is determined by the abundance in the protein of certain amino acids. However, in comparison to other fluorescence-based protein detection methods, CBQCA has proven to be an extremely sensitive reagent with a very broad, essentially linear dynamic range, capable of detecting from 10 ng to 150 micrograms of protein (in a 100- to 200-microL assay volume). The CBQCA reagent also functions well in the presence of substances, such as lipids, known to interfere in many other protein determination methods.
To apply high-pH anion exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection (HPAEC-PAD) to the accurate and sensitive analysis of O-linked oligosaccharide alditol, removal of glycopeptides and peptides from oligosaccharide samples obtained by beta-elimination was first investigated. The results obtained by using fetuin as a model glycoprotein indicated that (glyco)peptides derivatized by fluorescamine are easily removed from the beta-eliminated oligosaccharide sample by means of a Sep-Pak C18 cartridge due to their increased hydrophobicity. This clean-up procedure was also effectively applied to the beta-eliminated oligosaccharide sample obtained from delipidated sheep erythrocyte ghosts. Furthermore, structural analysis of the oligosaccharide alditols by HPAEC-PAD was successfully performed in combination with partial and complete desialylation, composition analysis, periodate oxidation, and glycosidase digestion and revealed that sheep erythrocyte membrane glycoproteins contain Gal beta 1-->3Gal-NAc and Gal beta 1-->4GlcNAc beta 1-->3Gal beta 1-->3GalNac, to which one or two residues of Neu5Ac and Neu5Gc are attached in different combinations.
A method is described for determination of carbohydrate and protein contents of glycoproteins separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and then electroblotted onto polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) membranes. Blots were stained, and appropriate pieces of PVDF membranes were excised, destained, and subjected to sequential hydrolysis with 0.2 M trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) for 1 h at 80 degrees C, then with 2 M TFA for 4 h at 100 degrees C, and finally with 6 M HCl at 100 degrees C for 24 h to release sialic acids, neutral sugars with hexosamines, and amino acids, respectively. In some instances preliminary methanolysis was used. Carbohydrates including sialic acids were quantitated by high pH anion exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection. Protein content of the bands was determined as amino acids by the fluorescamine or ninhydrin method. In the calculation of results proper adjustments were made for small amounts of fucose released by hydrolysis with 0.2 M TFA at 80 degrees C, and for partial degradation of protein during hydrolysis with 2 M TFA at 100 degrees C. Recoveries of amino acids from hydrolysates of glycoproteins that had been electroblotted onto PVDF membranes equaled those of carbohydrates. This was possible because of preliminary hydrolysis of glycoproteins with TFA, as well as washing of wet, instead of dried, PVDF membranes after hydrolysis with 6 M HCl. The two modifications increased yields of amino acids by about 30%. The method was successfully applied to the determination of molar and weight percentage composition of human transferrin, band 3 protein, glycophorin A, and alpha(1)-acid glycoprotein. In each case the results obtained for directly hydrolyzed and electrophoresed/electroblotted glycoproteins were practically identical. We also determined the glucosamine content of band 4.1 protein of erythrocytes.
Calf lens alpha-crystallin was isolated and the lysine residues were extensively modified with a variety of chemical agents. The effect of these modifications on elastase inhibitor activity, apparent molecular size, antibody reactivity and solubility were determined. The addition of either a methyl group or a threose residue did not alter the charge on the lysine residues and had little or no effect on either inhibitor activity or apparent molecular size. The introduction of a negative charge by either carboxymethylation or citraconylation caused a marked decrease in size and an almost complete loss of inhibitor activity. The introduction of a hydrophobic residue by reaction with either a trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid or Bolton Hunter reagent caused a slight increase in size, but a 70% increase in elastase inhibitor activity. Reaction with fluorescamine resulted in the dissociation of alpha-crystallin in a 200-kDa species, yet caused a two to four-fold increase in elastase inhibitor activity, which was similar to the activity of the water-insoluble fraction isolated from aged human lens and cataract. Several of these modified alpha-crystallins were compared for reactivity with a polyclonal alpha-crystallin antiserum using a quantitative slot blot assay. Charge neutral modifications resulted in a two to three-fold loss of antibody recognition, whereas the other preparations showed an almost complete loss of antigenic activity. None of the modifications caused the alpha-crystallin to precipitate at higher salt concentrations (0.3 M) with the exception of threose which caused a 30% decrease in soluble protein.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
A method was developed for the rapid isolation and identification of kallidin produced by hog pancreatic kallikrein on a partially purified bovine plasma kininogen preparation. By means of a reversed phase chromatography on a C18-silica gel column, kallidin was rapidly concentrated from the reaction mixture, and subsequently resolved on a thin-layer plate of silica gel 60. Fluorescamine was used to locate the kinin. Efforts to elute the kinin from the TLC plates for quantitation were not successful.
Ninety-eight samples of feeds associated with 44 cases of equine leukoencephalomalacia (ELEM) and 83 samples of feed associated with 42 cases of a porcine pulmonary edema syndrome (PPE) were analyzed for fumonisin B1 (FB1). For comparison purposes, 51 feed samples not associated with PPE or ELEM were also analyzed. Feed associated with ELEM contained FB1 ranging from less than 1 microgram/g to 126 micrograms/g with 75% of the cases having at least 1 sample above 10 micrograms/g. Feeds associated with PPE ranged from less than 1 microgram/g to 330 micrograms/g with 71% of the cases having at least 1 sample greater than 10 micrograms/g. Quantitation was by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)/fluorescence using the fluorescamine derivative with confirmation by thin layer chromatography (TLC) and/or gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy (GC/MS).
Three different fluorochromes were tested for their ability to label the plasma membrane proteins of neutrophils without labelling intracellular structures. A fluorescence quenching technique was used to differentiate between extra- and intracellularly localized fluorescence. Fluorescamin and fluoresceinisothiocyanate were shown to stain intracellular structures as well as the plasma membranes of the cells. Another fluorochrome, Evans Blue, is proposed since this dye was shown, by using the fluorescence quenching technique, to selectively stain the plasma membrane of viable neutrophils.
Two rapid flourescence procedures are described for detecting sulphydryl, disulphide and isothiocyanate groups of scented and pungent principles present in the vacuolar sap of onion, garlic and cabbage. To localize compounds containing sulphydryl groups, fresh or fixed frozen sections of the plants were treated with mercurochrome. After the fluorochromization, strongly-positive sulphydryl sites emitted an intense orange-red fluorescence, while weakly-positive sites emitted a distinctive red-brown fluorescence. Disulphide groups were detected by first reducing with thioglycolic acid to thiol groups before treating with mercurochrome. To effect isothiocyanate localization, frozen sections were exposed to ammonia: isothiocyanates were converted to thioureas and the engendered amino groups were revealed with fluorescamine.
NMR spectral studies on the HCN oligomers suggest the presence of carboxamide and urea groupings. The release of CO2, H2O, HCN, CH3CN, HCONH2 and pyridine on pyrolysis is consistent with the presence of these groupings as well as carboxylic acid groups. No basic primary amine groupings could be detected with fluorescamine. Hydrazinolysis of the HCN oligomers releases 10% of the amino acids normally released by acid hydrolysis. The oligomers give a positive biuret test but this is not due to the presence of peptide bonds. There is no conclusive evidence for the presence of peptide bonds in the HCN oligomers. No diglycine was detected on partial hydrolysis of the HCN oligomers at pH 8.5 suggesting that HCN oligomers were not a source of prebiotic peptides.
Cathepsin B activity, including that of a plasma membrane-associated cathepsin B, has been linked to tumor malignancy. As cathepsin B at the tumor cell surface has been hypothesized to play a role in the focal degradation of basement membrane during the metastatic cascade, we have examined the ability of human tumor cathepsin B to degrade laminin, an adhesive glycoprotein found exclusively in the basement membrane. We report that at pH 6.5 and 7.0 tumor cathepsin B degraded by specific, limited proteolysis both subunits of native laminin. The disappearance of both subunits and the appearance of lower Mr protein bands could be observed by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Accumulation of degradation products was also observed using gel filtration chromatography and a fluorescamine assay. The proteolysis of laminin by tumor cathepsin B could be inhibited by an active site titrant for cysteine proteinases or stefin B, an endogenous low-Mr cysteine proteinase inhibitor.
Alterations in the membrane organization caused by fibrinogen binding to human blood platelets and their isolated membranes were analyzed by fluorescence and electron spin resonance measurements. The degree of fluorescent anisotropy of DPH, ANS and fluorescamine increased significantly when fibrinogen reacted with its membrane receptors. Both fluorescence and ESR analyses showed that fibrinogen binding to platelet membranes is accompanied by an increase of the membrane lipid rigidity. This effect seems to be indirect in nature and is mediated by altered membrane protein interactions. As it has been shown that an increased membrane lipid rigidity leads to a greater exposure of membrane proteins, including fibrinogen receptors, this might facilitate a formation of molecular linkages between neighboring platelets. On the other hand, changes of fluorescence anisotropy of membrane tryptophans and N-(3-pyrene) maleimide suggest the augmented mobility of the membrane proteins. Evidence is presented which indicated that the binding of fibrinogen to the membrane receptors is not accompanied by any changes in the fluorescence intensity of ANS attached to the membranes. It may suggest that the covering of platelets with fibrinogen does not influence the surface membrane charge. In contrast to fibrinogen, calcium ions caused an increase of the fluorescence intensity resulting from the more efficient binding of ANS to the platelet membranes.
When protein is assayed in human placental microsomes by the fluorescamine procedure, 25--30% of the observed fluorescence results from labeling of phospholipids.