Separation and purification of sulforaphane from broccoli by solid phase extraction.

A simple solid-phase extraction (SPE) method for the determination of sulforaphane in broccoli has been developed. The optimal conditions were found to be use of a silica SPE cartridge, and ethyl acetate and dichloromethane as washing and eluting solvents, respectively, which could eliminate interferences originating from the broccoli matrix. The extracts were sufficiently clean to be directly injected into high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for further chromatographic analysis.

Ionic liquid-based dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction for sensitive determination of aromatic amines in environmental water.

Ionic liquid-based dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction was developed for the extraction and preconcentration of aromatic amine from environmental water. A suitable mixture of extraction solvent (100 μL, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophoshate) and dispersive solvent (750 μL, methanol) were injected into the aqueous samples (10.00 mL), forming a cloudy solution.

Downregulation of osteopontin is associated with fluoxetine amelioration of monocrotaline-induced pulmonary inflammation and vascular remodelling.

1. Osteopontin (OPN) has emerged as a key factor in inflammatory activation and cardiovascular remodelling. The aim of the present study was to investigate the involvement of OPN in fluoxetine amelioration of monocrotaline (MCT)-induced pulmonary inflammation and vascular remodelling in rats.

Fluoxetine inhibited extracellular matrix of pulmonary artery and inflammation of lungs in monocrotaline-treated rats.

Aim: To investigate the effects of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) fluoxetine on extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling of the pulmonary artery and inflammation of the lungs in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) induced by monocrotaline in rats.

Methods: MCT-induced chronic PAH was established in Wistar rats. After treatment with fluoxetine for 3 weeks, pulmonary hemodynamic measurement and morphological investigation of lung tissues were undertaken.

Isosorbide-5-mononitrate (5-ISMN) sustained-release pellets prepared by double layer coating for reducing 5-ISMN migration and sublimation.

The major aim of this study was to prepare isosorbide-5-mononitrate (5-ISMN) sustained-release pellets and evaluate their stability. The pellets were prepared by extrusion/spheronization, and then the core pellets were coated with ethylcellulose (EC 10cp) and Eudragit(®)NE30D. Here, EC was used as the subcoating agent while Eudragit(®)NE30D acted as the outer-coating agent.

Developmental expression of sideroflexin family genes in Xenopus embryos.

Emerging evidence indicates that mitochondrial carriers are not only crucial for metabolism, but also important for embryonic development. Sideroflexin is a novel family of mitochondrial tricarboxylate carrier proteins, of which the in vivo function is largely unknown. Here, we report on the expression patterns of five sideroflexin genes in Xenopus embryos.

Recent applications of ionic liquids in separation technology.

Ionic liquids (ILs) have been applied in different areas of separation, such as ionic liquid supported membranes, as mobile phase additives and surface-bonded stationary phases in chromatography separations and as the extraction solvent in sample preparations, because they can be composed from various cations and anions that change the properties and phase behavior of liquids. Although the applications of ILs in separations are still in their early stages, the academic interest in ILs is increasing. An overview of the principle applications of ILs in separation technology is present in this work.

Supercritical CO2 extraction of essential oils from Chamaecyparis obtusa.

Supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) extraction and hydrodistillation (HD) were used to determine the essential oil composition of the trunks and leaves of Chamaecyparis obtusa. The optimal extraction conditions for the oil yield within the experimental range of variables examined were temperature 50 degrees C, pressure 12 MPa, carbon dioxide flow rate 40 mL/min and extraction time 90 min. The maximum measured extraction yield was 2.

Bis(μ-pyridine-2,4-dicarboxyl-ato)-κN,O:O;κO:N,O-bis-[triaqua-magnesium(II)].

In the title centrosymmetric Mg(II) complex, [Mg(2)(C(7)H(3)NO(4))(2)(H(2)O)(6)], each Mg cation is N,O-chelated by a pyridine-2,4-dicarboxyl-ate dianion and is coordinated by three water mol-ecules. A carboxyl-ate O atom from the neighboring pyridine-2,4-dicarboxyl-ate dianion bridges the Mg cation to complete the MgNO(5) distorted octa-hedral coordination geometry. The dinuclear complex mol-ecules are linked by inter-molecular O-H⋯O hydrogen bonding, forming a three-dimensional supra-molecular structure.

The freeze-thawed and freeze-dried stability of cytarabine-encapsulated multivesicular liposomes.

To investigate the stability of cytarabine-encapsulated multivesicular liposomes (MVLs) following freeze-thawing/freeze-drying, three types of phospholipids (EPC, DPPC, and DOPC) were separately employed to prepare MVLs using a double emulsification method. The cytarabine retention (CR), phase transition behavior, aggregation/rupture of vesicles and particle size were monitored using HPLC, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), digital biological microscopy and a laser diffraction particle size analyzer. The effect of trehalose, the lipid bilayer composition and triglyceride on the drug retention was also investigated.

An overview of liposome lyophilization and its future potential.

Lyophilization is a promising approach to ensure the long-term stability of liposomes. After decades of studies in this field, different lyoprotective mechanisms, such as water replacement and vitrification models, have been proposed. Much progress has been made in developing highly stable liposomes after lyophilization based on optimization of formulation and process parameters.

Determination of mangiferin in rat plasma by liquid-liquid extraction with UPLC-MS/MS.

An ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method employing electrospray ionization (ESI) has been developed for the determination of mangiferin in rat plasma using diphenhydramine as the internal standard (IS). Liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) was used for sample preparation and the analysis was achieved with gradient elution on C(18) reversed phase column. The method was validated over the concentration range 0.

Analysis of Strychnos alkaloids in traditional Chinese medicines with improved sensitivity by sweeping micellar electrokinetic chromatography.

The application of an on-line sweeping preconcentration method in micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) for the determination of Strychnos alkaloids, namely strychnine and brucine, has been investigated in this work. After experimental optimizations, the best separation was achieved in 50 mmol l(-1) H3PO4 (pH 2.0) containing 100 mmol l(-1) SDS and acetonitrile in a ratio of 4:1 (v/v), with an applied voltage of -20 kV at 20 degrees C.

[Determination of carbamate pesticides in reservoir water by hollow fiber-based liquid phase microextraction coupled with high performance liquid chromatography].

An analytical method for the determination of carbamate pesticides (carbofuran, carbaryl, isoprocarb and diethofencarb) in reservoir water using hollow fiber-based liquid phase microextraction (HF-LPME) coupled with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was developed. Some main experimental parameters that affect the extraction efficiency were optimized. Toluene was selected as both the extraction solvent and the impregnation solvent.

[Study on the interaction between brucine and bovine serum albumin].

The interaction between brucine and bovine serum albumin (BSA) was investigated using fluorescence spectroscopy (FS) and ultraviolet spectroscopy (UV). The experimental results showed that the brucine quenches the inner fluorescence by forming a brucine-BSA complex. It was found that both static quenching and non-radiation energy transfer were the main reasons for the fluorescence quenching.

Hollow fiber-based liquid-phase microextraction combined with on-line sweeping for trace analysis of Strychnos alkaloids in urine by micellar electrokinetic chromatography.

A new method for the enrichment of Strychnos alkaloids in biological samples via liquid-phase microextraction (LPME) based on porous polypropylene hollow fibers combined with on-line sweeping in micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) was developed. Strychnos alkaloids were first extracted from urine sample which was adjusted to alkaline conditions (0.5 mol l(-1) NaOH).

[Developments of liquid-phase microextraction based on hollow fiber].

The liquid-phase microextraction (LPME), based on disposable hollow fiber, has been developed to be a new environmentally benign sample preparation technique which incorporate sampling, extraction and concentration into a single step. The novel technique can be easily manipulated in combination with high performance liquid chromatography, gas chromatography and capillary electrophoresis, and can provide excellent sample clean-up effect and high degree of extraction recovery and enrichment. It is proved to be simple, low-cost and virtually solvent-free.

[Simultaneous determination of levodopa and methyldopa in human serum by capillary electrophoresis].

A simple capillary electrophoresis method was developed for the determination of levodopa and methyldopa in human serum. The effects of pH and concentration of buffer, voltage and injection time on separation were investigated. As a result, an optimized separation was obtained with a fused-silica capillary of 60.