In this study, a LC/MS/MS method for the determination of ampicillin antibiotic in fish muscle tissue was developed and accredited according to Commission Decision 2002/657/EC. The metabolism of ampicillin in tilapia was them studied in serum, liver and muscle. The homogenized fish tissue was first extracted with MeOH-H2O(4:1), C18 sorbent was added to remove lipids and impurities, the extract was then evaporated to dryness with a steam of nitrogen gas at 38 ¢XC. The residue was redissolved with H2O, filtered and analyzed by LC/MS/MS equipped with an Agilient HC-C18(5£gm, 150mm ¡Ñ4.6mm), the mobile phase A was 10mM ammonium acetate containing 0.1% formic acid, while the mobile phase B was methanol. The determination of ampicillin was performed with electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry in positive mode using multiple reation monitoring(MRM) for detection. Average recoveries were 81¡V86%, the limit of detection was 6.00 £gg kg-1¡Adecision limit(CC£\) of ampicillin in fish muscle sample was 63.65 ¡Ó 7.99 £gg kg-1. In the metabolism study, the oral administered dose to talipia was 20 mg/kg¡DBW. The maximum concentration of ampicillin in each tissues was obserned at 0.5 hour after oral administration, the maximum concentration in serum, liver and muscle was 27.53 mg L-1, 66.75 mg kg-1 and 1.33 mg kg-1, respectively. The concentration of ampicillin in muscle was 0.04 mg kg-1 24 hours after oral administration, which is lower than the 0.05 mg kg-1 MRL value of European Union resolutions. No residual ampicillin was detected in tilapia 48 hours after oral treatment, which conformed to the drug regulations for aquaculture ainmals in Taiwan.

The main objective of this research was to develop a protocol in which pyridoxal phosphate (PLP) would act as a tag to identify PLP-dependent enzymes from complex mixtures or cell lysates. Following the purification of a PLP-dependent enzyme (CysM), a method was developed to reduce the PLP-lysine Schiff base to form a chemically stable bond between the PLP and the protein. The reduced protein was enzymatically digested resulting in multiple peptide fragments with one or more containing PLP (bound to the active site lysine). These fragments were analyzed by monitoring the absorbance or fluorescence using High Performance Liquid Chromatography. Immobilized Metal Ion Affinity Chromatography (IMAC) was then used to enrich the PLP-peptide(s) from the peptide mixture. The PLP-bound peptide(s) was then analyzed using Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS). More specifically, sodium borohydride (NaBH4) was used to reduce the Lysine-PLP bond in CysM. This reaction was monitored by either UV-vis spectroscopy or mass spectrometry. Trypsin was used to enzymatically digest the reduced CysM before it was enriched with IMAC and analyzed with LC-MS. Since the objective of this project was to develop a method which could be applied to a cell lysate, IMAC was used as an enrichment method to separate the PLP-peptide(s) from other peptides within the mixture. The PLP-peptide(s) was then located in the peptide mixture by monitoring the absorbance at 325 nm. The LC-MS results of the full reaction before IMAC treatment versus the final column, when monitoring the mass spectrum, showed that the treatment using the IMAC column separated the PLP-peptides from all other peptides within the sample. Using IMAC to enrich specifically the PLP-peptides, followed by analysis with LC-MS, may be a useful method for studying PLP-dependent enzymes within the proteome or the "PLP-ome."

The purpose of this research is that investigate the effects of time and concentration of exposure for the accumulation and depletion of malachite green and leucomalachite green in tilapia by pharmacokinetics. LC-MS/MS was used as the analytical instrument in this research, and the detection limit of malachite green and leucomalachite green is 0.51 ppb and 0.48 ppb. The results show that malachite green is unstable at high temperature. Addition of TMPD into the standard can stabilize malachite green. The malachite green in exposure water is easy to adhere to the fiberglass tub and cause the decreases of concentration of malachite green in water. The concentrations of malachite green and leucomalachite green in tilapia are positive related to the time and concentration of exposure. In experiments of exposure of malachite green, the highest concentration of malachite green occurs in liver, accumulation rate constant is 21.62 h-1. Liver is also the major organ for transforming malachite green into leucomalachite green, the net leucomalachite green accumulation rate constant is 213.67 h-1. In the period of water bath, Gill is the fastest organ for eliminating malachite green and leucomalachite green, the elimination rate constant is 0.7799 h-1 and 0.4658 h-1; the leucomalachite green concentration in fat is still increase until 6h of water bath.

The study felld into three sections. The first section that a liquid chromatography method with fluorescence detection was developed for simultaneous determination of 11 quinolones (QNs; marbofloxacin, norfloxacin, ciprofloxacin, lomefloxacin, danofloxacin, enrofloxacin, sarafloxacin, difloxacin, oxolinic acid, nalidixic acid and flumequine) in chicken, pork, fish and shrimp. The analytes were extracted with 0.3% metaphosphoric acid: acetonitrile (1:1, v/v), followed by a HLB cartridge clean-up procedure. The HPLC separation was carried out on a symmetry column C18 (250 mm x 4.5 mm i.d., 5 £gm) with linear gradient elution of 0.1% formic acid: acetonitrile as mobile phase and programmable fluorescence detection. The method was validated by spiking blank animals tissues at three different levels (25, 50 and 250 ng/g; except 6.25, 12.5 and 62.5 ng/g for DAN) and linearity, detection limit, quantification limit, precision and accuracy were checked. Mean recoveries of 11 QNs from edible animal tissues were 71.7-105.3%. The limits of quantification in different muscle tissues ranged from 5.0 to 28.0 ng/g. The results showed it was simple, rapid, sensitive and suitable for routine test. The second section that a LC-ESI-MS/MS method was developed for determining 18 (fluoro)quinolone (QNs) residues in milk, chicken, pork, fish and shrimp. This method is capable of screening and confirming the presence of 12 amphoteric QNs (marbofloxacin, norfloxacin, enrofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, desethylene ciprofloxacin, lomefloxacin, danofloxacin, sarfloxacin, difloxacin, ofloxacin, orbifloxacin and enoxacin) and 6 acidic QNs (oxolinic acid, nalidixic acid, flumequine, cinoxacin, piromidic acid and pipemidic acid). The drugs were extracted from matrix using acetonitrile with 1% formic acid, diluted in 10% acetonitrile and defatted by extraction with hexane. The LC separation was conducted on a XDB C8 (150 x 4.6 mm, 5£gm) column with gradient elution of 20 mM ammonium formate with 0.1% formic acid¡Vacetonitrile as the mobile phase. Mass spectral acquisition was completed in the positive ion mode by applying multiple reaction mode (MRM). The decision limit (CC£\) and detection capability (CC£]) stated in the Decision No. 2002/657/EC and the ISO standard No.11843, has been calculated in the case of the nonauthorized substance. The values of CC£\ ranged from 0.18 to 0.68 ng/g and CC£] ranged from 0.24 to 0.96 ng/g under specified conditions. The third section that the pharmacokinetics of ENR and its active metabolite (CIP and des-CIP) were estimated in tilapia after intravenous (i.v.) and oral (p.o.) administration of a single dose of 2.5 and 10 mg/kg body weigh, respectively. At prefixed time points, from 0.25 h to 7 days after administration, whole blood and main tissue (liver, kidney, bile and muscle) from 4 individuals in each were collected. The concentration of ENR and its active metabolites in the main tissue were simultaneously detected by LC/MS/MS method. Limited of quantitation (LOQ) of this method were 0.01£gg/g. Pharmacokinetic parameters from both routes were described to have a two- compartment open model with first-order elimination. After i.v. administration, the area under the drug concentration-time (AUC), elimination half-life (t1/2£]), maximum plasma concentration (Cmax ), total body clearance (Cltot) and apparent volume of distribution at steady-state (Vss) of ENR were 109.6 ¡Ó 31.33 £gg.h/mL, 55.17 ¡Ó 22.84 h, 4.70 ¡Ó 0.36 £gg/mL, 14.82 ¡Ó 4.24 L/h/kg, 1105 ¡Ó 223.40 L/kg ,respectively. After oral administration, the AUC , t1/2£], Tmax , Cmax of ENR were 599.42 ¡Ó 76.19£gg.h/mL , 75.95 ¡Ó 12.94 h, 0.601¡Ó0.06h, 9.75 ¡Ó 0.46£gg/mL, respectively. After p.o. administration, CIP could be detected in liver, kidney and bile. Regarding des-CIP, the main active metabolite of CIP, could be detected in 120¡ã168 h bile among tissue. ENR and CIP had significance enterohepatic cycle in Tilapia and easily accumulated in bile. It seems reasonable to explain the phenomenon of ENR and CIP maintenance of high concentration in blood and muscle during the test time.

The rise of nutraceutical health formulations has increased the need for more stringent analytical testing methods. Complex matrices present a new problem when determining concentration of compounds of interest. The presented method uses LC-MS analysis with a novel sample preparation method in the determination of Beta-hydroxybutyric acid in health formulations. The use of an aqueous analytical column allows for separations of polar compounds after non-polar compounds are removed through C18 packed column filtration. The samples were analyzed through time-of-flight mass spectrometry and results show that this is an effective method for the presented samples with a range of expected concentrations of total BHB was from 11.80% to 38.92%. It was seen that all samples exhibited a less than 10% percent deviation from the expected concentrations of the nutraceutical health samples with the highest being 9.74 % for sample 9 and the lowest being sample 3 with a deviation of 0.08 % from expected values.

Zugl.: Berlin, Techn. Univ., Diss., 2008

Zugl.: Hohenheim, Univ., Diss., 2008

Zugl.: Hamburg, Univ., Diss., 2008

Tübingen, Univ., Diss., 2004.

Cytokinins are N6 substituted adenine derivatives that affect many aspects of plant growth and development. A multistep phosphorelay systém, including hybrid sensor kinases, histidinecontaining phosphotransfer proteins and two sets of response regulators, is the key part of cytokinin signaling. However, a recent evidence indicates a crucial role for the proteasomeubiquitin systém (UPS) in the cytokinin response. Here, in this thesis entitled 'Protein metabolism disruption and its effect on cytokinin signaling' the major protein degradation mechanisms are outlined and the present-day model of cytokinin metabolism and signaling is discussed. In the experimental part, the UPS-cytokinin interaction is probed in a growth response experiment, an LC-MS proteome analysis and by the datamining of previously published proteomics data. The results indicate an interesting dosage-dependent balance between cytokinin- and proteasome-mediated signaling, and a huge impact of proteasome inhibition on cytokinin response proteins. Key words: proteasome, ubiquitin, growth response, protein degradation, LC-MS, proteome