Synthesis and structural characterization of 2'-fluoro-α-L-RNA-modified oligonucleotides

We describe the synthesis and binding properties of oligonucleotides that contain one or more 2'-fluoro-α-L-RNA thymine monomer(s). Incorporation of 2'-fluoro-α-L-RNA thymine into oligodeoxynucleotides decreased thermal binding stability slightly upon hybridization with complementary DNA and RNA with the smallest destabilization towards RNA. Thermodynamic data show that the duplex formation with 2'-fluoro-α-L-RNA nucleotides is enthalpically disfavored but entropically favored. 2'-Fluoro-α-L-RNA nucleotides exhibit very good base pairing specificity following Watson--Crick rules. The 2'-fluoro-α-L-RNA monomer was designed as a monocyclic mimic of the bicyclic α-L-LNA, and molecular modeling showed that this indeed is the case as the 2'-fluoro monomer adopts a C3'-endo/C2'-exo sugar pucker. Molecular modeling of modified duplexes show that the 2'-fluoro-α-L-RNA nucleotides partake in Watson--Crick base pairing and nucleobase stacking when incorporated in duplexes while the unnatural α-L-ribo configured geometry of the sugar is absorbed by changes in the sugar-phosphate backbone torsion angles. The duplex behavior of our new nucleotide follows that of α-L-LNA, by and large.

Pixel selection for near-infrared chemical imaging (NIR-CI) discrimination between fish and terrestrial animal species in animal protein by-product meals

This paper proposes a method based on near-infrared hyperspectral imaging for discriminating between terrestrial and fish species in animal protein by-products used in livestock feed. Four algorithms (Mahalanobis distance, Kennard-Stone, spatial interpolation, and binning) were compared in order to select an appropriate subset of pixels for further partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). The method was applied to a set of 50 terrestrial and 40 fish meals analyzed in the 1000-1700 nm range. Models were then tested using an external validation set comprising 45 samples (25 fish and 20 terrestrial). The PLS-DA models obtained using the four subset-selection algorithms yielded a classification accuracy of 99.80%, 99.79%, 99.85%, and 99.61%, respectively. The results represent a first step for the analysis of mixtures of species and suggest that NIR-CI, providing valuable information on the origin of animal components in processed animal proteins, is a promising method that could be used as part of the EU feed control program aimed at eradicating and preventing bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and related diseases.

Specific PCR detection of tiger, leopard, and lion ingredients from test samples

A PCR method was developed for specific detection of tiger, leopard, and lion DNA from test specimens for inspection and quarantine or for law-enforced animal protection. Three pairs of specific primers were designed based on the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene of tiger, leopard, and lion and used in the PCR testing. To mimic the effect of food processing on the sensitivity of the test, the tiger muscle and bovine bonemeal powder samples were treated at 133 degrees C for 30 min. At this processing condition, the method was sensitive enough to detect as low as 0.05% of tiger-derived ingredients from the mixed bonemeal powders. The data demonstrate that our PCR method is convenient and economic, with high sensitivity and repeatability, and can be used to detect and identify tiger, leopard, and lion ingredients from various test samples.

A comprehensive evaluation of the toxicology of cigarette ingredients: carbohydrates and natural products

CONTEXT

Eleven carbohydrates and natural product ingredients were added individually to experimental cigarettes.

OBJECTIVE

A battery of tests was used to compare toxicity of mainstream smoke from these experimental cigarettes to matched control cigarettes without test ingredients.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Smoke fractions from each cigarette type were evaluated using analytical chemistry; in vitro cytotoxicity (neutral red uptake) and in vitro bacterial (Salmonella) mutagenicity (five strains) testing. For 10 ingredients (β-cyclodextrin, cleargum, D-sorbitol, high fructose corn syrup, honey, invert sugar, maltodextrin, molasses, raisin juice concentrate, and sucrose), 90-day nose-only smoke inhalation studies using rats were also performed.

RESULTS

In general, addition of each ingredient in experimental cigarettes resulted in minimal changes in smoke chemistry; the exceptions were D-sorbitol and sucrose, where reductions in amount of 60% to 80% of control values for some smoke constituents were noted. Additionally, each ingredient resulted in small increases in smoke formaldehyde concentrations. Except for a reduction in cytotoxicity by inclusion of maltodextrin and an increase by inclusion of plum juice concentrate, the cytotoxicity and mutagenicity results were unaffected by addition of the other ingredients in experimental cigarettes. There were also very few statistically significant differences within any of the 10 inhalation studies, and when present, the differences were largely sporadic and inconsistent between sexes.

CONCLUSION

The carbohydrates and natural products tested here as ingredients in experimental cigarettes as a class increased formaldehyde, but resulted in minimal toxicological responses, even at high inclusion levels compared with the levels used in commercial cigarette products.

Generation and analysis of mixed chlorinated/brominated homologs of the halogenated natural product heptachloro-1'-methyl-1,2'-bipyrrole

The 2,3,3',4,4',5,5'-heptachloro-1'-methyl-1,2'-bipyrrole (Q1, MBP-79) and further halogenated 1'-methyl-1,2'-bipyrroles (MBPs) are a class of marine natural products repeatedly detected in seafood and marine mammals from all over the world. Only Q1 is currently commercially available as reference standard and the full synthesis of mixed brominated-chlorinated compound is rather complicated. For this reason, synthetic Q1 (240 mg) was transferred into bromine-containing MBPs by UV-irradiation in the presence of bromine. Bromine, which rapidly vanished from the solutions, was renewed during the reaction in order to generate higher amounts of Br-containing MBPs. A total of ∼150 mg Q1 was transferred after ∼10 min irradiation with high amounts of Br(2) to give 30.5mg BrCl(6)-MBPs along with lower proportions of Br(2)Cl(5)-, Br(3)Cl(4)-, Br(4)Cl(3)- and traces of Br(5)Cl(2)-MBPs. Longer UV-irradiation in the presence of Br(2) even allowed for the detection of Br(6)Cl-MBPs and traces of Br(7)-MBP. However, this reaction also provided some unknown by-products. A sample stored in the dark and later in in-door light (no UV irradiation) also eliminated Q1 after 76 d in favour of heptahalogenated MBPs with up to three bromine substituents. The irradiation products were separated on silica, and fractions containing only Q1 and BrCl(6)-MBPs were then further fractionated by non-aqueous RP-HPLC. A pure isolate of the major BrCl(6)-MBP (∼1.5mg) was characterized by GC/MS and (13)C NMR to be 2-bromo-3,3',4,4',5,5'-hexachloro-1-methyl-1,2'-bipyrrole (Br-MBP-75). Partial GC enantioseparation of the axially chiral Br-MBP-75 was achieved on a β-PMCD column. A full enantioseparation was managed by enantioselective HPLC using a NUCLEOCEL DELTA S column. Low amounts of pure BrCl(6)-MBP enantiomers could be trapped.

Evaluation of the fixed nitrogen-to-protein (N:P) conversion factor (6.25) versus ingredient specific N:P conversion factors in feedstuffs

BACKGROUND

The crude protein (CP) of feedstuffs is important as an indicator of essential and non-essential amino acids for livestock. The protein (P) level needs to be known accurately, to minimize the feeding of excess nitrogen (N) and to reduce N pollution. Laboratory methods for determining N content report N from amino acids, but also N from ammonia and from non-amino acid sources. The determined CP based on 6.25 × N level typically overestimates the true protein of feedstuffs.

RESULTS

Determined ingredient-specific N:P conversion factors k(A) , k(P) and k were not equal to the standard 6.25 factor. The k(A) had the highest value in all ingredients, which leads to the estimation of specific crude protein (SCP), which is closer to true protein (the summation of the total amino acid residues from amino acid analyses). The SCP(k(A) ) was lower than CP and true protein in all ingredients, demonstrating that CP might overestimate the actual protein in feedstuffs.

CONCLUSION

Based on data from 677 feedstuff samples from 2009, it is concluded that the mean k(A) should be 5.68 for corn, 5.64 for soybean meal, 5.74 for corn DDGS, 5.45 for poultry by-product meal and 5.37 for meat and bone meal.

Modelling of environmental impacts from biological treatment of organic municipal waste in EASEWASTE

The waste-LCA model EASEWASTE quantifies potential environmental effects from biological treatment of organic waste, based on mass and energy flows, emissions to air, water, soil and groundwater as well as effects from upstream and downstream processes. Default technologies for composting, anaerobic digestion and combinations hereof are available in the model, but the user can change all key parameters in the biological treatment module so that specific local plants and processes can be modelled. EASEWASTE is one of the newest waste LCA models and the biological treatment module was built partly on features of earlier waste-LCA models, but offers additional facilities, more flexibility, transparency and user-friendliness. The paper presents the main features of the module and provides some examples illustrating the capability of the model in environmentally assessing and discriminating the environmental performance of alternative biological treatment technologies in relation to their mass flows, energy consumption, gaseous emissions, biogas recovery and compost/digestate utilization.

Cytotoxicity, antiviral and antimicrobial activities of alkaloids, flavonoids, and phenolic acids

OBJECTIVE

Some natural products consisting of the alkaloids yohimbine and vincamine (indole-type), scopolamine and atropine (tropane-type), colchicine (tropolone-type), allantoin (imidazolidine-type), trigonelline (pyridine-type) as well as octopamine, synephrine, and capsaicin (exocyclic amine-type); the flavonoid derivatives quercetin, apigenin, genistein, naringin, silymarin, and silibinin; and the phenolic acids namely gallic acid, caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, and quinic acid, were tested for their in vitro antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal activities and cytotoxicity.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Antiviral activity of the compounds was tested against DNA virus herpes simplex type 1 and RNA virus parainfluenza (type-3). Cytotoxicity of the compounds was determined using Madin-Darby bovine kidney and Vero cell lines, and their cytopathogenic effects were expressed as maximum non-toxic concentration. Antibacterial activity was assayed against following bacteria and their isolated strains: Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus mirabilis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, and Bacillus subtilis, although they were screened by microdilution method against two fungi: Candida albicans and Candida parapsilosis.

RESULTS

Atropine and gallic acid showed potent antiviral effect at the therapeutic range of 0.8-0.05 µg ml(-1), whilst all of the compounds exerted robust antibacterial effect.

CONCLUSION

Antiviral and antimicrobial effects of the compounds tested herein may constitute a preliminary step for further relevant studies to identify the mechanism of action.

Identification of human IKK-2 inhibitors of natural origin (part I): modeling of the IKK-2 kinase domain, virtual screening and activity assays

BACKGROUND

Their large scaffold diversity and properties, such as structural complexity and drug similarity, form the basis of claims that natural products are ideal starting points for drug design and development. Consequently, there has been great interest in determining whether such molecules show biological activity toward protein targets of pharmacological relevance. One target of particular interest is hIKK-2, a serine-threonine protein kinase belonging to the IKK complex that is the primary component responsible for activating NF-κB in response to various inflammatory stimuli. Indeed, this has led to the development of synthetic ATP-competitive inhibitors for hIKK-2. Therefore, the main goals of this study were (a) to use virtual screening to identify potential hIKK-2 inhibitors of natural origin that compete with ATP and (b) to evaluate the reliability of our virtual-screening protocol by experimentally testing the in vitro activity of selected natural-product hits.

METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS

We thus predicted that 1,061 out of the 89,425 natural products present in the studied database would inhibit hIKK-2 with good ADMET properties. Notably, when these 1,061 molecules were merged with the 98 synthetic hIKK-2 inhibitors used in this study and the resulting set was classified into ten clusters according to chemical similarity, there were three clusters that contained only natural products. Five molecules from these three clusters (for which no anti-inflammatory activity has been previously described) were then selected for in vitro activity testing, in which three out of the five molecules were shown to inhibit hIKK-2.

CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE

We demonstrated that our virtual-screening protocol was successful in identifying lead compounds for developing new inhibitors for hIKK-2, a target of great interest in medicinal chemistry. Additionally, all the tools developed during the current study (i.e., the homology model for the hIKK-2 kinase domain and the pharmacophore) will be made available to interested readers upon request.

Chemical analyses of wasp-associated streptomyces bacteria reveal a prolific potential for natural products discovery

Identifying new sources for small molecule discovery is necessary to help mitigate the continuous emergence of antibiotic-resistance in pathogenic microbes. Recent studies indicate that one potentially rich source of novel natural products is Actinobacterial symbionts associated with social and solitary Hymenoptera. Here we test this possibility by examining two species of solitary mud dauber wasps, Sceliphron caementarium and Chalybion californicum. We performed enrichment isolations from 33 wasps and obtained more than 200 isolates of Streptomyces Actinobacteria. Chemical analyses of 15 of these isolates identified 11 distinct and structurally diverse secondary metabolites, including a novel polyunsaturated and polyoxygenated macrocyclic lactam, which we name sceliphrolactam. By pairing the 15 Streptomyces strains against a collection of fungi and bacteria, we document their antifungal and antibacterial activity. The prevalence and anti-microbial properties of Actinobacteria associated with these two solitary wasp species suggest the potential role of these Streptomyces as antibiotic-producing symbionts, potentially helping defend their wasp hosts from pathogenic microbes. Finding phylogenetically diverse and chemically prolific Actinobacteria from solitary wasps suggests that insect-associated Actinobacteria can provide a valuable source of novel natural products of pharmaceutical interest.

Simultaneous de novo identification of molecules in chemical mixtures by doubly indirect covariance NMR spectroscopy

The detailed characterization of complex molecular mixtures plays a key role in many areas of modern Chemistry. Here we report a novel NMR spectroscopic method that deconvolutes a complex mixture of organic molecules simultaneously into individual components and depicts their chemical structure without requiring physical separation of the components. Doubly indirect covariance spectroscopy is introduced and applied to 2D (13)C-(1)H HSQC and 2D (1)H-(1)H COSY spectra, which results in a (13)C-(13)C 2D spectrum with unprecedented high resolution. This reconstituted spectrum is indeed a carbon-connectivity map that can be directly analyzed with basic graph theory to obtain the skeletal structures of individual mixture components or their fragments. The method is demonstrated for a model mixture and a natural product mixture extracted from cancer cells. Its suitability for automation makes this approach attractive for the analysis of a broad range of mixtures of natural or synthetic products.

[Determination of the qualitative and quantitative composition of antocyan pigments as components of dietary supplements and drugs for vision]

Bilberry has been long used in folk medicine and credited for an ability to improve vision, primarily night vision. The major active ingredients of bilberries are antocyans. Experimental and clinical studies confirmed the ability of bilberry antocyans to accelerate the regeneration of the photosensitive pigment rhodopsin, to improve nutrition of the retina, and to restore the tissue mechanisms of its protection. The authors studied the level of bilberry antocyans in 5 samples of dietary supplements and medicines for eyes, which had been bought in Moscow drugstores. The total content of antocyans was determined by pH-differential spectrophotometry. All the test samples were shown to contain antocyan pigments; however, their concentration in different samples varied in a wide range of 0.01 to 4.2%. The maximum content was found in the drug "Focus". The qualitative composition of antocyan pigments was estimated by reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography. All the test samples other than Vitrum vision forte turned out to contain just bilberry antocyans. The chromatographic profile of a Vitrum vision forte sample was inconsistent with bilberry antocyan pigments and the agent was likely to have another source.

Screening of natural antioxidants from traditional Chinese medicinal plants associated with treatment of rheumatic disease

In order to find new sources of natural antioxidants, the antioxidant capacities of 50 medicinal plants associated with treatment of rheumatic diseases were systemically evaluated using the ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) assays, and their total phenolic contents were measured by the Folin–Ciocalteu method. Their antioxidant activities of some of these plants were analyzed for the first time. The FRAP and TEAC assay results suggested that the antioxidant compounds in these plants possessed free radicals scavenging activity and oxidant reducing power. A positive linear correlation between antioxidant capacities and total phenolic contents implied that phenolic compounds in these plants could be the main components contributing to the observed activities. The results showed that Geranium wilfordii, Loranthus parasiticus, Polygonum aviculare, Pyrrosia sheaeri, Sinomenium acutum and Tripterygium wilfordii possessed the highest antioxidant capacities and total phenolic content among 50 plants tested, and could be rich potential sources of natural antioxidants.

Aesculus pavia foliar saponins: defensive role against the leafminer Cameraria ohridella

BACKGROUND

Recently, the leafminer Cameraria ohridella Deschka & Dimic has caused heavy damage to the white-flowering horse chestnut in Europe. Among the Aesculus genus, A. pavia L. HBT genotype, characterised by red flowers, showed an atypical resistance towards this pest. Its leaves, shaken in water, originated a dense foam, indicating the presence of saponins, unlike the common horse chestnut tree. The aim was to isolate and identify these leaf saponins and test their possible defensive role against C. ohridella.

RESULTS

Spectroscopic analyses showed that A. pavia HBT genotype leaves contained a mixture of saponins, four of which were based on the same structure as commercial escin saponins, the typical saponin mixture produced by A. hippocastanum and accumulated only within bark and fruit tissues. The mixture showed a repellent effect on C. ohridella moth. The number of mines detected on the leaves of A. hippocastanum plants treated with A. pavia HBT saponins through watering and stem brushing was significantly lower than the control, and in many cases no mines were ever observed.

CONCLUSION

The results showed that the exogenous saponins were translocated from roots/stem to the leaf tissues, and their accumulation seemed to ensure an appreciable degree of protection against the leafminer.

Explorative solid-phase extraction (E-SPE) for accelerated microbial natural product discovery, dereplication, and purification

Microbial natural products (NP) cover a high chemical diversity, and in consequence extracts from microorganisms are often complex to analyze and purify. A distribution analysis of calculated pK(a) values from the 34390 records in Antibase2008 revealed that within pH 2-11, 44% of all included compounds had an acidic functionality, 17% a basic functionality, and 9% both. This showed a great potential for using ion-exchange chromatography as an integral part of the separation procedure, orthogonal to the classic reversed-phase strategy. Thus, we investigated the use of an "explorative solid-phase extraction" (E-SPE) protocol using SAX, Oasis MAX, SCX, and LH-20 columns for targeted exploitation of chemical functionalities. E-SPE provides a minimum of fractions (15) for chemical and biological analyses and implicates development into a preparative scale methodology. Overall, this allows fast extract prioritization, easier dereplication, mapping of biological activities, and formulation of a purification strategy.

Structure determination of two new monocillin I derivatives

Biotransformation of monocillin I (1) by Beauveria bassiana ATCC 7159 was investigated. Two new derivatives 2 and 3 were isolated and identified on the basis of the spectroscopic data. Compounds 2 and 3 are synthesized by hydration at 10,11-double bond and hydrolysis of 14,15-epoxide, respectively. The R configuration of 11-OH in 2 was established by the modified 2-methoxy-2-trifluoromethylphenylacetic acid (MTPA) method. The conversion of 1 to 2 and 3 was reconstituted in an acid solution, indicating that the formation of 2 and 3 is an acid-catalyzed instead of an enzymatic process.

Conformation and dynamics of biopharmaceuticals: transition of mass spectrometry-based tools from academe to industry

Mass spectrometry plays a very visible role in biopharmaceutical industry, although its use in development, characterization, and quality control of protein drugs is mostly limited to the analysis of covalent structure (amino acid sequence and post-translational modifications). Despite the centrality of protein conformation to biological activity, stability, and safety of biopharmaceutical products, the expanding arsenal of mass spectrometry-based methods that are currently available to probe higher order structure and conformational dynamics of biopolymers did not, until recently, enjoy much attention in the industry. This is beginning to change as a result of recent work demonstrating the utility of these experimental tools for various aspects of biopharmaceutical product development and manufacturing. In this work, we use a paradigmatic protein drug interferon beta-1a as an example to illustrate the utility of mass spectrometry as a powerful tool not only to assess the integrity of higher order structure of a protein drug, but also to predict consequences of its degradation at a variety of levels.

Parvovirus 4-like virus in blood products

Porcine plasma and factor VIII preparations were screened for parvovirus 4 (PARV)-like viruses. Although the prevalence of PARV4-like viruses in plasma samples was relatively low, viruses appeared to be concentrated during manufacture of factor VIII. PARV4-like viruses from human and porcine origins coevolved likewise with their hosts.

Biocomposites from abaca strands and polypropylene. Part I: Evaluation of the tensile properties

In this paper, abaca strands were used as reinforcement of polypropylene matrix and their tensile mechanical properties were studied. It was found relevant increments on the tensile properties of the abaca strand-PP composites despite the lack of good adhesion at fiber-matrix interface. Afterwards, it was stated the influence of using maleated polypropylene (MAPP) as compatibilizer to promote the interaction between abaca strands and polypropylene. The intrinsic mechanical properties of the reinforcement were evaluated and used for modeling both the tensile strength and elastic modulus of the composites. For these cases, the compatibility factor for the ultimate tensile strength was deduced from the modified rule of mixtures. Additionally, the experimental fiber orientation coefficient was measured, allowing determining the interfacial shear strengths of the composites and the critical fiber length of the abaca strand reinforcement. The mechanical improvement was compared to that obtained for fiberglass-reinforced PP composites and evaluated under an economical and technical point of view.

Identification and characterization of molecular targets of natural products by mass spectrometry

Natural products, and their derivatives and mimics, have contributed to the development of important therapeutics to combat diseases such as infections and cancers over the past decades. The value of natural products to modern drug discovery is still considerable. However, its development is hampered by a lack of a mechanistic understanding of their molecular action, as opposed to the emerging molecule-targeted therapeutics that are tailored to a specific protein target(s). Recent advances in the mass spectrometry-based proteomic approaches have the potential to offer unprecedented insights into the molecular action of natural products. Chemical proteomics is established as an invaluable tool for the identification of protein targets of natural products. Small-molecule affinity selection combined with mass spectrometry is a successful strategy to "fish" cellular targets from the entire proteome. Mass spectrometry-based profiling of protein expression is also routinely employed to elucidate molecular pathways involved in the therapeutic and possible toxicological responses upon treatment with natural products. In addition, mass spectrometry is increasingly utilized to probe structural aspects of natural products-protein interactions. Limited proteolysis, photoaffinity labeling, and hydrogen/deuterium exchange in conjunction with mass spectrometry are sensitive and high-throughput strategies that provide low-resolution structural information of non-covalent natural product-protein complexes. In this review, we provide an overview on the applications of mass spectrometry-based techniques in the identification and characterization of natural product-protein interactions, and we describe how these applications might revolutionize natural product-based drug discovery.

Screening and isolation of a natural dopamine D1 receptor antagonist using cell-based assays

To develop a cell-based assay to screen for human dopamine D(1) receptor agonists or antagonists from medicinal plant extracts, a stable Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell line (CHO-D1R) expressing the human dopamine D(1) receptor was established using an expression vector containing a scaffold attachment region (SAR) element. CHO-D1R cells showed specific binding to [(3)H]-SCH23390 with high affinity (K(d)=1.47+/-0.17 nM) and dose-dependent responses for the dopamine-mediated stimulation of cAMP concentrations (EC(50)=20.6+/-1.44 nM). The screening of medicinal plant extracts using cell-based cAMP assays revealed that an extract of Gleditsia sinensis Lam., which is known to be rich in saponin, had strong antagonist activity for the D(1) receptor. From the activity-guided fractionation and chemical structural analysis of the G. sinensis extract, a compound called gleditsioside F was isolated and was identified to have antagonist activity for the D(1) receptor. Gleditsioside F showed very effective D(1) antagonist activity by inhibiting ligand binding to the D(1) receptor as well as by inhibiting dopamine-mediated increases in cAMP concentration.

Species identification by analysis of bone collagen using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Species identification of fragmentary bone, such as in rendered meat and bone meal or from archaeological sites, is often difficult in the absence of clear morphological markers. Here we present a robust method of analysing genus-specific collagen peptides by mass spectrometry simply by using solid-phase extraction (a C18 ZipTip) for peptide purification, rather than liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS). Analysis of the collagen from 32 different mammal species identified a total of 92 peptide markers that could be used for species identification, for example, in processed food and animal feed. A set of ancient (>100 ka@10 degrees C) bone samples was also analysed to show that the proposed method has applications to archaeological bone identification.

Determination of halogenated natural products in passive samplers deployed along the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland/Australia

Halogenated natural products (HNPs) have been increasingly reported to occur in marine wild life from all oceans. Several HNPs, such as 2,3,3',4,4',5,5'-heptachloro-1'-methyl-1,2'-bipyrrole (1) and 4,6-dibromo-2-(2',4'-dibromo)phenoxyanisole (2'-MeO-BDE 68 or BC-2), were detected at particularly high concentrations in dolphins from Queensland/Australia. About half of the coastline of Queensland (approximately 2500 km) is covered by the Great Barrier Reef, a rich ecosystem hosting a huge variety of species, many of which are known to produce natural compounds. In this study, semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs) were deployed as passive samplers for about 30 days at 12 marine and 2 nonmarine sites (i.e., rivers) along the Great Barrier Reef as part of a routine monitoring program during November 2007 and May 2008. Q1 and 2'-MeO-BDE 68 were detected at the marine sites with frequencies of about 65% but not in any sample from the two rivers. Further HNPs (2,4,6-tribromophenol, TBP; 2,4,6-tribromoanisole, TBA; 2,2'-dimethoxy-3,3'5,5'-tetrabromobiphenyl, 2,2'-diMeO-BB 80 or BC-1; 3,5-dibromo-2-(2',4'-dibromo)phenoxyanisole, 6-MeO-BDE 47 or BC-3; and 3,5-dibromo-2-(3',5'-dibromo,2'-methoxy)phenoxyanisole, 2',6-diMeO-BDE 68 or BC-11) were detected as well with frequencies of 18-97% in the marine samples, but no polybrominated flame retardants were detected. The highest amount of a single HNP, 2.3 microg/SPMD, was determined for TBP, which had a frequency of detection of only 46%. The maximum (average) amount in the SPMDs from marine sites was 44 ng (12 ng) for (1 and 115 ng (20 ng) for 2'-MeO-BDE 68. A first order kinetic model was used to estimate concentrations of the HNPs in the water phase. Based on the depuration of performance reference compounds obtained at one of the sites, we assumed a sampling rate of 16 L/day. We used this sampling rate to estimate that the highest and average available concentrations of Q1 in the water during the deployment of the SPMD were 97 and 25 pg/L, respectively. The estimated maximum water concentrations of 2'-MeO-BDE 68, 2,2'-diMeO-BB 80, 6-MeO-BDE 47, and 2',6-diMeO-BDE 68 were on average 2-5.5 fold higher than that of Q1. The results confirm that the HNPs are produced throughout the Great Barrier Reef, which appears to be a significant source of these compounds.

Analysis of biopharmaceutical market-appropriate plastic syringe barrel for extractables

A study was designed to evaluate a new syringe system developed specifically for sensitive pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical drug products. An in-depth review of the extractables portion of this program is presented and includes data generated by liquid chromatography-mass spectroscopy, gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy, ion chromatography, and inductively coupled plasma of the Crystal Zenith barrel before and after sterilization. One leachable was identified after e-beam irradiation processing. This leachable, identified as an organic acid species, was then evaluated from a safety assessment viewpoint. The details of this program and associated results are explained in this report.