Anatoxin-a (ANTX) is a neurotoxin produced by several freshwater cyanobacteria and has been implicated in the death of livestock and domestic animals from consumption of tainted surface waters. ANTX is unstable under normal conditions and is somewhat problematic to extract and study. Accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) combined with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC/MS) was used to develop an efficient extraction and analytical method for both ANTX and the more commonly encountered hepatotoxic microcystins produced by cyanobacteria. The effects of nitrogen supply on the cellular production and release of ANTX was investigated in Aphanizomenon issatschenkoi (Ussaczew) Proschkina-Lavrenko (Nostocales). In contrast to the predictions of the carbonnutrient balance hypothesis, the maximum production was observed under moderate N stress. In addition, steady state fugacity-based models were employed to investigate ANTX’s distribution and fate in freshwater ecosytems. ANTX was not found to be very persistent in aquatic ecosystems and did not appear to bioaccumulate in fish, at least not from the dissolved phase.

Malaria is currently one of the most imperative parasitic diseases in developing countries. Artesunate has a short half-life, low aqueous solubility and resultant poor and erratic absorption upon oral administration, which translate to low bioavailability. Mefloquine is eliminated slowly with a terminal elimination half-life of approximately 20 days and has neuropsychiatric side effects. Novel drug delivery systems have been utilised to optimise chemotherapy with currently available antimalarial drugs. Pheroid™ technology is a patented drug delivery system which has the ability to capture, transport and deliver pharmaceutical compounds. Pheroid™ technology may play a key role in ensuring effective delivery and enhanced bioavailability of novel antimalarial drugs. The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible efficacy and bioavailability enhancement of the selected antimalarial drugs, artesunate and mefloquine, in combination with Pheroid™ vesicles. The in vitro efficacy of artesunate and mefloquine co-formulated in the oil phase of Pheroid™ vesicles and entrapped in Pheroid™ vesicles 24 hours after manufacturing were investigated against a 3D7 chloroquine-sensitive strain of Plasmodium falciparum. Parasitemia (%) was quantified with flow cytometry after incubation periods of 48 and 72 hours. Drug sensitivity was expressed as 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) values. An in vivo bioavailability study with artesunate and mefloquine was also conducted in combination with Pheroid™ vesicles, using a mouse model. A sensitive and selective liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method was developed to analyse the drug levels. C57 BL6 mice were used during this study. The selected antimalarial drugs were administered at a dose of 20 mg/kg with an oral gavage tube. Blood samples were collected by means of tail bleeding. The in vitro drug sensitivity assays revealed that artesunate, co-formulated in the oil phase of Pheroid™ vesicles and evaluated after a 48 hour incubation period, decreased the IC50 concentration significantly by 90%. Extending the incubation period to 72 hours decreased the IC50 concentration of artesunate, also co-formulated in the oil phase of Pheroid ™ vesicles significantly by 72%. No statistically significant differences between the reference and Pheroid™ vesicle groups were achieved when artesunate was entrapped 24 hours after manufacturing of Pheroid™ vesicles. Mefloquine co-formulated in the oil phase of Pheroid™ vesicles and evaluated after a 48 hour incubation period decreased the IC50 concentration by 36%. Extending the incubation period to 72 hours increased the efficacy of the Pheroid™ vesicles and the IC50 concentration was significantly decreased by 51%. In contrast with the results obtained with artesunate, entrapment of mefloquine in Pheroid™ vesicles 24 hours after manufacturing decreased the IC50 concentration significantly by 66%. The LC-MS/MS method was found to be sensitive, selective and accurate for the determination of artesunate and its active metabolite, dihydroartemisinin (DHA) in mouse plasma and mefloquine in mouse whole blood. Most of the artesunate plasma concentrations were below the limit of quantification in the reference group and relatively high outliers were observed in some of the samples. The mean artesunate levels of the Pheroid™ vesicle group were lower compared to the reference group, but the variation within the Pheroid™ vesicle group lessened significantly. The mean DHA concentrations of the Pheroid™ vesicle group were significantly higher. DHA obtained a higher peak plasma drug concentration with the Pheroid™ vesicle group (173.0 ng/ml) in relation to the reference group (105.0 ng/ml) and at a much faster time (10 minutes in Pheroid™ vesicles in contrast to 30 minutes of the reference group). Pharmacokinetic models could not be constructed due to blood sampling per animal limitation. The incorporation of mefloquine in Pheroid™ vesicles did not seem to have improved results in relation to the reference group. No statistical significant differences were observed in the pharmacokinetic parameters between the two groups. The relative bioavailability (%) of the Pheroid™ vesicle incorporated mefloquine was 7% less bioavailable than the reference group. / Thesis (M.Sc. (Pharmaceutics))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

The new field of ‘omics’ has spawned the development of metaproteomics, an approach that has the ability to identify and decipher the metabolic functions of a proteome derived from a microbial community that is largely uncultivable. With the development and availabilities of high throughput proteomics, high performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (MS) has been leading the field for metaproteomics. MS-based metaproteomics has been successful in its’ investigations of complex microbial communities from soils to the human body. Like the environment, the human body is host to a multitude of microorganisms that reside within the skin, oral cavity, vagina, and gastrointestinal tract, referred to as the human microbiome. The human microbiome is made up of trillions of bacteria that outnumber human genes by several orders of magnitude. These microbes are essential for human survival with a significant dependence on the microbes to encode and carryout metabolic functions that humans have not evolved on their own. Recently, metaproteomics has emerged as the primary technology to understand the metabolic functional signature of the human microbiome. Using a newly developed integrated approach that combines metagenomics and metaproteomics, we attempted to address the following questions: i) do humans share a core functional microbiome and ii) how do microbial communities change in response to disease. This resulted in a comprehensive identification and characterization of the metaproteome from two healthy human gut microbiomes. These analyses have resulted in an extended application to characterize how Crohn’s disease affects the functional signature of the microbiota. Contrary to measuring highly complex and representative gut metaproteomes is a less complex, controlled human-derived microbial community present in the gut of gnotobiotic mice. This human gut model system enhanced the capability to directly monitor fundamental interactions between two dominant phyla, Bacteroides and Firmicutes, in gut microbiomes colonized with two or more phylotypes. These analyses revealed membership abundance and functional differences between phylotypes when present in either a binary or 12-member consortia. This dissertation aims to characterize host microbial interactions and develop MS-based methods that can provide a better understanding of the human gut microbiota composition and function using both approaches.

The antioxidant capacity of phenolic compounds in red wine is suggested to be responsible for their health-promoting effects. Compared to other wines, little information is available on phenolic compositions and antioxidant capacity of Australian wine. Information related to the fate of these phenolics in the body once consumed is also very limited. The overall aim of this research was to investigate the relevance of red wine consumption as a source of health-giving antioxidants in humans. The phenolic composition of wine was determined using the Folin-Ciocalteu (total phenolic), aluminium chloride (total flavonols), methyl cellulose precipitation (MCP) (total tannins), pH differential (total monomeric anthocyanins), bisulfite bleaching (total polymeric anthocyanin fractions), and liquid chromatographic (LC-MS) (individual phenolics) methods. Antioxidant activities were measured using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2’-azino-bis-93-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assays. The phenolic and antioxidant data were then used to establish the relationship between these two parameters in wines from different varieties (Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot) and winemaking stages (crushing, fermentations, oaking and bottling). By using an in vitro digestion model that mimics the upper gastrointestinal tract (GIT) digestion, the stability of the wine phenolics during digestion was examined. Finally, to gain a better understanding of the post-digestion absorption of wine phenolics, their permeability across Caco-2 cell monolayers was evaluated. A total of 8 monomeric anthocyanins and 17 other phenolic compounds were positively identified in the red wines using LC-MS analysis. Most of the phenolic categories showed some positive correlations with the antioxidant activities but none of the individual phenolic compounds showed a strong correlation with the total antioxidant activity of the wine, implying a combined contribution of many wine phenolics to antioxidant effects. The phenolic compositions and antioxidant activities of three of Australia’s most common red wines varieties - Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot were not different from each other, possibly due to the variability within each grape cultivar. During the winemaking process, the total phenolic content and the associated antioxidant activity of the wine increased during the fermentation process, as more phenolics are being extracted from grape skin, seeds and stems into the wine. During oak and bottle ageing, the total phenolic contents were stabilised. Most of the wine phenolics were more stable under acidic conditions (pH 2 and 5.5) than neutral or alkaline conditions (pH 7.4 and 9). This may partly explain the stability of the wine phenolics subjected to the acidic (pH 2) gastric digestion and their loss following simulated pancreatic digestion (pH 7.4). In addition, sample pre-treatment procedures prior to LC-MS analysis may have removed some antioxidants in the form of degradation products and/or new polymeric compounds following the in vitro gastric and pancreatic digestion processes. The missing products appeared to be detected by both the Folin-Ciocalteu method and ORAC assay, which measured the phenolic compounds and their antioxidant activity, after the pancreatic digestion. This suggests that the instability of phenolic compounds at pH 7.4, results in the transformation of most of the oral phenolic antioxidants into more stable forms in the GIT, which in turn contribute positively to the overall antioxidant activities of the ingested wine. All of the original wine phenolics had very low permeabilities across Caco-2 cell monolayers, except for syringic acid, p-coumaric acid and an unknown phenolic acid. Limited surface area for absorption (0.33 cm2) and the limited peak detection sensitivity in the LC method may have contributed towards the difficulty in detecting and identifying compounds with low permeability. In addition, extensive metabolism of absorbed phenolics by the Caco-2 cells may occur based on the appearance of several new peaks. However, due to their low concentrations and lack of reference, the identities of the new products and metabolites remain unknown. The present in vitro study suggests that upon ingestion, most of the original phenolic compounds in red wine are lost either through degradation to new compounds and/or complexation with other compounds. However, these products seem to possess some antioxidant activity and may be the key compounds responsible for the health-promoting effects of red wine. The limitation of the present study in detecting and fully identifying these breakdown products and metabolites should be addressed in future studies.

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

Ziel der vorliegenden Promotionsarbeit war die Untersuchung von Sepsis-assoziierten Veränderungen des Arachidonsäure (AA)-Metabolismus und die Identifikation differentiell regulierter AA-Metabolite mit Prüfung ihres diagnostischen Potentials bei Patienten mit Sepsis unter Anwendung eines in-vitro Lipopolysaccharid (LPS) Vollblutaktivierungs-Modells. In Zellüberständen von nicht-aktiviertem und LPS-aktiviertem Heparinblut (25 Sepsis- Patienten, 15 Gesunde) wurden AA-Metabolite mittels Flüssigkeitschromatographie-Tandem- Massenspektrometrie analysiert. In einer unabhängigen Kohorte (10 Sepsis-Patienten, 3 Gesunde) wurden nach RNA-Isolation aus Zellmaterial zusätzlich Target-Gene des AAMetabolismus (Cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 und mikrosomale Prostaglandin-E-Synthase (mPGES)-1 mittels quantitativer Reverse Transkriptase-Polymerase Kettenreaktion (RT-PCR) untersucht. Es konnte eine differentielle Freisetzung von AA, AA-Analoga und der COX-assoziierten Metabolite Prostaglandin (PG) E2, 11-Hydroxyeicosatetraensäure (HETE) und Thromboxan (TX) B2 zwischen Patienten und gesunden Kontrollpersonen gezeigt werden. Sepsis-Patienten wiesen dabei gegenüber Gesunden eine deutlich reduzierte Freisetzung von AA und den COXassoziierten Metaboliten 11-HETE und PGE2 auf. Das Ausmaß der reduzierten Mediatorenfreisetzung bei Sepsis-Patienten war mit der Schwere der Erkrankungssymptomatik und dem klinischen Outcome assoziiert. Auf Genexpressionsebene zeigte sich eine reduzierte Induzierbarkeit der COX-2 mRNA-Expression bei Sepsis-Patienten gegenüber Gesunden, jedoch eine erhaltene Induzierbarkeit auf der Ebene der mPGES-1.

Orientador: Pedro de Magalhães Padilha / Resumo: O mercúrio é um metal tóxico, de distribuição ubíqua, com capacidade para bioacumulação e biomagnificação, que provoca alterações em biomoléculas importantes no metabolismo e contribui para o estabelecimento do estresse oxidativo em organismos aquáticos. Logo, o presente estudo teve por objetivo identificar e avaliar possíveis biomarcadores proteicos e/ou enzimáticos da toxicidade do mercúrio em peixes da região amazônica, por meio do estudo metaloproteômico e avaliação do estresse oxidativo. Foram utilizadas metodologias de fracionamento e identificação de proteínas por eletroforese bidimensional (2D PAGE) associada à espectrometria de massas (MS), mapeamento do mercúrio, em spots proteicos, por espectrometria de absorção atômica em forno de grafite (GFAAS) e avaliação de marcadores de estresse oxidativo. As espécies utilizadas foram o Plagioscion squamosissimus (corvina) e Colossoma macropomum (tambaqui), coletados na área da Usina Hidrelétrica de Jirau (rio Madeira-RO), que foram selecionadas em função da abundância populacional, interesse para a pesca e posição diferente na cadeia trófica (carnívoro e onívoro, respectivamente). Os tecidos amostrados foram o hepático, renal e muscular. Os resultados obtidos demonstraram maior concentração de mercúrio total no P. squamosissimus, espécie carnívora, e padrão de distribuição deste elemento igual para ambas as espécies (fígado>rim>músculo). Há tendência para maior atividade enzimática nos tecidos hepático e renal da espécie com... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Doutor

Os agrotóxicos, quando presentes na água, são definidos como micropoluentes: mesmo em baixas concentrações, conferem à água características de toxicidade. Aponta-se o RS como o quarto estado do Brasil com maior volume de vendas anuais de agrotóxicos, chegando a mais de 50 mil toneladas por ano. Desde 2014 está em vigência no território gaúcho uma portaria estadual que acrescenta a exigência de 46 parâmetros de agrotóxicos no padrão de potabilidade da água, além dos 27 já exigidos pela portaria nacional. Neste trabalho, 89 pesticidas foram avaliados conforme três métodos teóricos de predição de risco de contaminação em mananciais subterrâneos e superficiais: índice Ground Ubiquity Score (GUS), método Screening da USEPA e método de GOSS, baseados nas propriedades físico-químicas dos pesticidas. Nos anos de 2015 e 2016, foram realizadas 143 coletas de água para consumo humano em 45 municípios da bacia hidrográfica do Alto Jacuí (G-50), a que possui a maior taxa de aplicação de agrotóxicos do estado, para análises de vigilância através de laboratório contratado, envolvendo os 89 pesticidas presentes na portaria nacional e estadual. Em paralelo, 183 pesticidas presentes em uma solução-padrão foram empregados no desenvolvimento de um novo método de análise multiresíduos, com etapas de pré-tratamento por filtração seguidas por extração em fase sólida e LC-MS/MS, aplicada para os três maiores municípios da G-50 (Carazinho, Soledade e Cruz Alta) em amostras de água bruta e tratada, durante quatro períodos de aplicação de agrotóxicos dos principais cultivos agrícolas da região. Dos pesticidas mencionados nas portarias nacional e estadual, 12 foram classificados com o maior risco de contaminação tanto em água superficial e subterrânea de acordo com os três métodos teóricos empregadas. Nas análises de vigilância foi detectado permetrina em Carazinho e alaclor em Espumoso. No método desenvolvido, 75 pesticidas foram validados de acordo com os critérios propostos e atingiram limites de detecção (LD) e limites de quantificação (LQ) que variaram de 10 a 300 ng L-1. Na aplicação do método nas coletas dos três municípios da G-50 não houve detecção de nenhum pesticida. / Agrochemicals, when present in water, are defined as micropollutants, thus giving the water toxic characteristics, even at low concentrations. The Rio Grande do Sul state in Brazil was found to rank fourth in annual agrochemical sales in the country, surpassing 50 thousand tons per year. A state regulation in effect in the RS state since 2014 requires the inclusion of 46 new agrochemical parameters concerning the standards for potable drinking water, in addition to 27 existing parameters mandated by national ordinance. Seventy-five pesticides were evaluated based on three theoretical methodologies of contamination risk prediction in underground and surface water sources, by measuring the physicochemical properties of pesticides: GUS index, USEPA screening method and Goss method. In 2015 and 2016, 143 water samples were collected from sources of potable water in 45 municipalities located in the Alto Jacuí river basin, a region which has the highest pesticide application rate in the RS state. A private laboratory analyzed samples from 89 pesticides present in the national and state regulation. Paralely, 183 pesticides were evaluated by a new multi-residue analysis method. Filtration was conducted in the pre-treatment steps, followed by a solid phase extraction liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry analysis (SPE-LC-MS/MS) of raw and treated water samples from the three largest G-50 municipalities (Carazinho, Soledade and Cruz Alta), during the four pesticide application periods of the main crops cultivated in the region. Twelve pesticides were classified as of high risk in terms of contamination for both surface and groundwater, in accordance with the three theoretical methodologies implemented. During analysis of the surveillance data collected, the pesticides permethrin and alachlor were found in Carazinho and Espumoso, respectively. Through the methodology developed, 75 pesticides were evaluated according to the criteria proposed, reaching lower detection limit (LD) and quantification limit (LQ) ranging from 10 to 300 ng L-1, respectively. During the implementation of the methodology for sample collections in the three G-50 municipalities, no pesticides were detected.

O comércio ilegal de medicamentos é um problema mundial que afeta milhões de pessoas todos os anos. A inclusão digital contribui para a ascensão das vendas, transformando-se no principal veículo de comércio de medicamentos falsificados no mundo. No Brasil, o número de medicamentos contrabandeados apreendidos pela Polícia Federal aumentou nos últimos anos, principalmente, nas regiões Sul e Sudeste. Sendo que grande parte destes, entraram pelo país pelo Paraguai. Os medicamentos falsificados que predominam no Brasil são para tratamento de disfunção erétil e para perda de peso. O objetivo deste trabalho foi comparar amostras de sibutramina de origens distintas a fim de detectar falsificações e agrupar amostras com propriedades semelhantes, através da quantificação por Cromatografia líquida acoplada à espectrometria de massas (CL-EM); da identificação por espectroscopia de infravermelho (IV) e do perfil físico (determinação do peso médio e exames físicos dos pós e cápsulas). Fez-se previamente o perfil físico das amostras, no qual foi possível identificar grupos com características semelhantes, mas adquiridos por diferentes vias. No entanto, o perfil físico sozinho não é definitivo para determinar uma falsificação e muito menos determinar uma origem comum para a mesma. Na espectroscopia de IV observou-se que quase todas as amostras apresentaram sinais nas regiões características dos grupamentos químicos da sibutramina. Nesta análise, foi possível identificar quatro grupos distintos. Em relação ao método de CL-EM validado, ele se mostrou específico, linear, exato, preciso e robusto. Os resultados da análise por CL-EM revelaram que apenas uma das amostras ilegais da faixa de 90-110%. Duas amostras apresentaram teor acima e sete abaixo. Por fim, das doze amostras analisadas, apenas as duas originais e uma das ilegas apresentaram teor adequado. Assim, pudemos verificar que é muito fácil obter sibutramina de fontes ilegais e que estes medicamentos não têm qualidade. A divulgação destes resultados é a melhor maneira de desencorajar as pessoas a não utilizarem estas fontes para a obtenção de medicamentos. / The illegal trade in drugs is a global problem that affects millions of people every year. Digital inclusion contributes to the rise of the sale of these drugs, making internet the main option in the world. In Brazil, the number of smuggled drugs seized by the Federal Police increased in recent years, mainly in the South and Southeast regions. Since most of them have entered Brazil via Paraguay. Counterfeit drugs that predominate in Brazil are those used to treat erectile dysfunction and to promote weight loss. The objective of this study was to compare samples of sibutramine with different origins in order to detect counterfeits and grouping samples with similar properties through quantification by liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (LC-MS) in previously developed and validated method; identification by infrared spectroscopy (IR) and physical profile (determination of average weight and physical examinations powders and capsules). In order to do so, 12 samples were examined, two original products acquired from local pharmacies and 10 from internet and street vendors. Based on visual examination at least three potential sources of capsules were identified, but acquired from different sources. However, the physical profile alone cannot be used to identify counterfeit drugs. Using infrared spectroscopy we found out that almost all samples showed signals that could be attributed to sibutramine functional groups. Based on IR spectra, four groups were identified, with six, three, two and one brand. Regarding the LC-MS method validated, it proved to be showed specific, linear, accurate, precise and robust. The results of LC-MS analysis revealed that only one of the illegally acquired samples were within the 90-110%. Two samples were above and the other seven were bellows those limits. Overall we found out that is very easy to buy sibutramine in the informal market and most of them are of poor quality and maybe the publication of these data coulb be the best way to discourage people to seek these sources.

A presença de resíduos de medicamentos antibacterianos em alimentos é um importante problema de saúde pública. Estas substâncias podem estar presentes nos alimentos em níveis inaceitáveis como resultados de práticas produtivas inadequadas. Devido a estas preocupações, são estabelecidos limites máximos de resíduos para estas substâncias (LMRs). No caso das sulfonamidas, este valor de LMR refere-se à soma do princípio ativo e de todos seus metabólitos. Neste trabalho, identificam-se e caracterizam-se metabólitos de sulfaquinoxalina (SQX) em diversas espécies animais. Dentro do processo investigativo, foram realizados estudos comparativos de métodos de extração, processos de validação e determinação de efeito de matriz. Foi elaborado e proposto um modelo para a priorização de fármacos baseado em análise de risco e discutiu-se o panorama atual da presença de resíduos de sulfonamidas em amostras ambientais. A investigação da formação de metabólitos de SQX in vitro e in vivo levaram à identificação de três compostos, dois deles ainda não descritos na literatura: N4-acetil-SQX, SQX-OH e N4-acetil-SQX-OH. O perfil de formação destes compostos em diversas espécies animais foi analisado e discutido. / The presence of antibacterial drugs residues in food is an important public health issue. These substances can be present in food at unacceptable levels due to inappropriate veterinary practices. Because of that, maximum residue levels (MRL) are established for these compounds. In the sulfonamide drugs case, this value corresponds to the sum of parent drug and their metabolites. In the present work, sulfaquinoxaline (SQX) metabolites were identified and characterized in several animal species. Inside that investigation process, several studies were developed about extraction methods, validation processes and matrix effects determination. A model for drugs residues prioritization based on risk analysis was proposed. Also, the state-of-art of sulfonamides residues analysis in environmental samples was discussed. The in vivo and in vitro investigation of SQX metabolites formation lead us to the identification of 3 compounds, 2 of them previously unreported: N4-acetyl-SQX, SQX-OH and N4-acetyl-SQX-OH. The formation profile of these compounds in several animal species was analyzed and discussed.