Publications by authors named "Giorgio Raspi"

Reverse phase chromatography (RPC) coupled on-line with UV-vis diode array detector (DAD) and cold vapour generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry (CVGAFS) is proposed for the speciation and determination of inorganic and organic mercury (methylmercury, ethylmercury and phenylmercury) in the form of cysteine, penicillamine and glutathione complexes. The mercury-thiol complexes are separated on a C(18) Reverse Phase column and oxidized on-line with bromine, generated in situ by KBr/KBrO(3) in HCl medium, in order to fast convert organic mercury species to inorganic mercury in less than 2.5s, at room temperature, in a 30cm knitted coil.

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Hydrophobic interaction chromatography coupled online with chemical vapour atomic fluorescence spectrometry (HIC-CVGAFS) has been optimized for the analysis of thiolic proteins in denaturing conditions. Proteins are pre-column simultaneously denatured and derivatized in phosphate buffer solution containing 8.0moldm(-3) urea and p-hydroxymercurybenzoate (PHMB) and the derivatized denatured proteins are separated on a silica HIC Eichrom Propyl column in the presence of 8.

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A new procedure is proposed for the sampling and storage of hydrogen sulphide (H2S) and volatile thiols (methanethiol or methyl mercaptan, ethanethiol and propanethiol) for their determination by liquid chromatography. The sampling procedure is based on the trapping/pre-concentration of the analytes in alkaline aqueous solution containing an organic mercurial probe p-hydroxymercurybenzoate, HO-Hg-C6H4-COO- (PHMB), where they are derivatized to stable PHMB complexes based on mercury-sulfur covalent bonds. PHMB complexes are separated on a C18 reverse phase column, allowing their determination by liquid chromatography coupled with sequential non-selective UV-vis (DAD) and mercury specific (chemical vapor generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry, CVGAFS) on-line detectors.

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In this article, a multidimensional dynamic surface tension detector (DSTD), in a parallel configuration with a UV-visible diode array absorbance detector, is presented in a novel flow injection analysis (FIA) application to study the effects of chemical denaturants urea, guanidinium hydrochloride (GdmHCl), and guanidinium thyocyanate (GdmSCN) on the surface activity of globular proteins at the liquid-air interface. The DSTD signal is obtained by measuring the changing pressure across the liquid-air interface of 4-mul drops repeatedly forming at the end of a capillary using FIA. The sensitivity and selectivity of the DSTD signal is related to the surface-active protein concentration in aqueous solution combined with the thermodynamics and kinetics of protein interaction at a liquid-air drop interface.

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Background: We developed a sensitive, specific method for the low-molecular-mass thiols cysteine, cysteinylglycine, glutathione, and homocysteine and validated the method for measurement of glutathione in blood.

Methods: The technique was based on reversed-phase chromatography (RPC) coupled on line with cold vapor generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry (CVGAFS). Thiols were derivatized before introduction on the column by use of a p-hydroxymercuribenzoate (PHMB) mercurial probe and separated as thiol-PHMB complexes on a Vydac C4 column.

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A new analytical hyphenated technique is proposed for determination and characterization of thiolic proteins, based on reverse phase chromatography (RPC) coupled on-line with cold vapour generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry (CVGAFS). Proteins are pre-column simultaneously denatured and derivatized in phosphate buffer solution containing 8.0 mol l(-1) urea and p-hydroxymercurybenzoate (PHMB).

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Hydrophobic-interaction chromatography coupled on-line with chemical-vapor-generation atomic-fluorescence spectrometry (HIC-CVGAFS), optimized recently for the analysis of thiol-containing proteins under denaturing conditions, has been used to study the chemical reduction of denatured proteins. Four proteins chosen as models (human serum albumin (HSA), bovine serum albumin (BSA), alpha-lactalbumin (alpha-Lac) from bovine milk, and lysozyme from chicken egg (Lys)) were denatured with urea and reduced with dithiothreitol (DTT), with selenol as catalyst. The method is based on derivatization of the -SH groups of proteins with p-hydroxymercurybenzoate (PHMB), followed by HIC separation and post-column on-line reaction of the derivatized reduced, denatured proteins with bromine generated in situ.

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Plasma viral load (VL) values and CD4(+) cell count are employed clinically for initiation of therapy in the treatment of patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), as previous clinical studies have shown a marked prevalence of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) development in seropositive individuals with VL values over 30 000 copies/mL. Many studies have shown that reduced glutathione (GSH) and cysteine (Cys) deficiency play an important role in the infection. We have developed capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE)-based assays and have used them to investigate the relationship between plasma and intracellular thiol levels and HIV-1 viremia in plasma.

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S-Adenosyl-L-homocysteine hydrolase (SAHh) inhibitors have long been used as broad-range antivirals and have been recently evaluated as an experimental therapy of filovirus infections. In response to the need for a rapid laboratory testing method that could assess antiviral potency in vivo, our group developed a capillary electrophoresis (CE) method for the determination of the S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine (SAH) to S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM) ratio. After chloroacetaldehyde derivatization, SAH and SAM were detected using laser-induced fluorescence detection with a HeCd laser.

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Multidimensional analysis of denatured milk proteins is reported using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) combined with dynamic surface tension detection (DSTD). A hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC) column (a TSK-Gel Phenyl-5PW column, TosoBiosep), in the presence of 3.0 M guanidine hydrochloride (GdmHCl) as denaturing agent is employed as the mobile phase.

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In this preliminary study hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC) is proposed as a good tool in order to detect conformational changes induced by chemical denaturants in two globular proteins, cytochrome C (Cyt C) and myoglobin (MYO). Alterations in protein structure were manifested chromatographically by reproducible changes in peak heights, retention time, and appearance of multiple peaks. The HIC behavior of the two model proteins denatured by guanidinium thyocyanate (GdmSCN) was investigated, keeping constant various concentrations of urea in the mobile phase in a TSK-Gel Phenyl-5PW column (TosoBiosep).

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Caseins alpha(s1)-, alpha(s2)-, beta- and kappa- from raw cows', ewes' and goats' milk were separated and determined by hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC) by using a Propyl column (Eichrom) in the presence of 8.0 M urea in the mobile phase. The method is based on fast and easy solubilization of real raw samples by 4.

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Separation and determination of denatured alpha-, beta- and kappa-caseins by hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC) was improved by using a TSK-Gel Ether-5PW column (Tosoh Biosep). The method, already proposed and performed by a TSK-Gel Phenyl-5PW column (Tosoh Biosep), is based on fast and easy solubilization of commercial and real samples by 4.0 M guanidine thiocyanate and HIC analysis in the presence of 8.

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