No description available.

Atherosclerosis is a disease characterized by plaque formation due to an accumulation of fat, cholesterol, and immune cells in the walls of arteries. If a plaque ruptures, an occlusive thrombosis may form that causes either a heart attack or stroke. Macrophages express CB-2 receptors, and are one type of immune cell that plays a role in plaque destabilization and rupture. Endocannabinoids anandamide (AEA) and 2-arachidonyl glycerol (2-AG) have been found to have activity on CB-1 and CB-2 receptors throughout the body and immune system. In this study, we investigated several sample preparation options for the LC-MS quantification of AEA and 2-AG from plasma and aortic tissue. The extractions considered included liquid–liquid (LLE), solid-phase (SPE), and supported liquid (SLE). Some extraction protocols yielded high analyte recovery and prevention of 1-AG/2-AG isomerization. Our results indicate that a liquid-liquid extraction using toluene yields the highest recovery for both analytes, coupled with low ionization suppression in the mass spectrometer. This extraction and corresponding LC-MS/MS assay provides a simple, high throughput mechanism for the quantification of 2-AG and AEA in matrices relevant to the study of endocannabinoids’ role in atherosclerosis.

No description available.

Abstract available in the Pharmacotherapy: The Journal of Human Pharmacology and Drug Therapy.

Abstract available in the Pharmacotherapy: The Journal of Human Pharmacology and Drug Therapy.

No description available.

Due to the large gaps in the fossil record, the evolutionary history of the mammalian order Cetacea is incomplete and controversial. Increasingly researchers are utilizing molecular and biochemical procedures to supplement cetacean paleontology. One of these methods is the comparison of amino acid sequences of myoglobin among species of this order. since this method is time-consuming and expensive, an alternative procedure is desirable.

Choosing a stationary phase is the first step in developing a liquid chromatography (LC) separation method, where the selectivity is governed by the differential interactions of the analytes with the stationary and mobile phases. Introducing a gradient in stationary phase functionality allows for tuning of analyte retention, translating to a possible improvement in selectivity and an increase in resolution versus that offered by uniform stationary phases. In this work, C18-silica, phenylbutyl-silica, and phenylbutyl-ammonium opposed continuous stationary phase gradients were fabricated using controlled rate infusion (CRI) on particle packed LC columns. Characterization of the stationary phase was carried out using spectroscopy and LC analysis to relate the ligand density gradient profile to the observed chromatographic parameters. C18-silica gradients were created with a time-dependent acid hydrolysis infusion and demonstrated an increase in resolution when combined with a mobile phase gradient. Phenylbutyl-silica and phenylbutyl-ammonium gradients were produced using an in-situ silanization CRI method. Phenylbutyl-silica gradients were confirmed to be stable and reproducible; however, produced tailing peak shapes. Phenylbutyl-ammonium gradients were utilized to incorporate an ion exchange model into a simulator built by Jeong et al. The phenylbutyl-ammonium gradient was not reproducible but did exhibit an increase in resolution when combined with a mobile phase gradient. Also, the ion exchange model was successfully added within the simulator, with percent differences for retention prediction all under 5 %. This dissertation serves as a proof-of-concept for gradient stationary phases on particle packed LC columns.

The complexity of biological matrices makes the detection and quantification of compounds of interest challenging. For successful targeted or untargeted identification of compounds within a biological environment, the use of complementary separation techniques is routinely required; in many situations, a single analytical technique is not sufficient. In the present dissertation, a multidimensional analytical technique was developed and evaluated, a combination of new sample preparation/extraction protocols, liquid chromatography, trapped ion mobility and mass spectrometry (e.g., LC-TIMS-MS and LC-TIMS-MS/MS). The performance of these techniques was evaluated for the detection of polybrominated diphenyl ethers metabolites, polychlorinated biphenyls metabolites in human plasma, opioid metabolites in human urine, and lipids in Dictyostelium discoideum cells. The new workflows and methods described in the body of this dissertation allows for rapid, selective, sensitive and high-resolution detection of biomarkers in biological matrices with increased confidence, sensitivity and shorter sample preparation and analysis time.

Although an iontophoretic trans-dermal drug delivery is known as an effective means for drug transportation through the human skin, it is not widely used because of the various side effects that come to life due to a high applied voltage of up to 80V. This study introduces an alternative means of drug transportation through the skin by means of sweat gland activation and reduction of an applied voltage to ensure that the iontophoresis is safe. The skin conductance studies performed on the pulmar area using 50mM of NaCl showed that the activation of sweat glands led to the increase of the skin conductance up to 8-10 times which enabled us to use a lower voltage of 2V in order to achieve noticeable results during the actual drug delivery experiment performed in the points of low ionic resistance that are located on a human biceps, also the application of Vaseline on the experimental surface does not allow the decrease of a skin conductance for as long as 11 hours which enables us to do the drug delivery over a long period of time. Finally, the drug delivery was performed and tested by means of HPLC method.