The role of ionic liquids in the biocatalytic evaluation of bisphenol levels as contaminant: an automatic approach.

An automatic assay was developed that is intended to be a generic tool for evaluation of a horseradish peroxidase activity in different ionic liquids (ILs). Ionic liquids with different characteristics were used and their effects on the enzymatic reaction, were compared with those obtained with conventional organic solvents. In addition, ILs were tested as solvents for the enzyme substrate (bisphenol A (BPA)).

Chiral Derivatives of Xanthones: Investigation of the Effect of Enantioselectivity on Inhibition of Cyclooxygenases (COX-1 and COX-2) and Binding Interaction with Human Serum Albumin.

Searching of new enantiomerically pure chiral derivatives of xanthones (CDXs) with potential pharmacological properties, particularly those with anti-inflammatory activity, has remained an area of interest of our group. Herein, we describe in silico studies and in vitro inhibitory assays of cyclooxygenases (COX-1 and COX-2) for different enantiomeric pairs of CDXs. The evaluation of the inhibitory activities was performed by using the COX Inhibitor Screening Assay Kit.

Environmental Impact of Ionic Liquids: Recent Advances in (Eco)toxicology and (Bio)degradability.

This Review aims to integrate the most recent and pertinent data available on the (bio)degradability and toxicity of ionic liquids for global and critical analysis and on the conscious use of these compounds on a large scale thereafter. The integrated data will enable focus on the recognition of toxicophores and on the way the community has been dealing with them, with the aim to obtain greener and safer ionic liquids. Also, an update of the most recent biotic and abiotic methods developed to overcome some of these challenging issues will be presented.

Assessment of ionic liquids' toxicity through the inhibition of acylase I activity on a microflow system.

Acylase I (ACY I) plays a role in the detoxication and bioactivation of xenobiotics as well in other physiological functions. In this context, an automated ACY I assay for the evaluation of ionic liquids' (ILs) toxicity was developed. The assay was implemented in a sequential injection analysis (SIA) system and was applied to eight commercially available ILs.

Automated cytochrome c oxidase bioassay developed for ionic liquids' toxicity assessment.

A fully automated cytochrome c oxidase assay resorting to sequential injection analysis (SIA) was developed for the first time and implemented to evaluate potential toxic compounds. The bioassay was validated by evaluation of 15 ionic liquids (ILs) with distinct cationic head groups, alkyl side chains and anions. The assay was based on cytochrome c oxidase activity reduction in presence of tested compounds and quantification of inhibitor concentration required to cause 50% of enzyme activity inhibition (EC50).

Automated evaluation of protein binding affinity of anti-inflammatory choline based ionic liquids.

In this work, an automated system for the study of the interaction of drugs with human serum albumin (HSA) was developed. The methodology was based on the quenching of the intrinsic fluorescence of HSA by binding of the drug to one of its binding sites. The fluorescence quenching assay was implemented in a sequential injection analysis (SIA) system and the optimized assay was applied to ionic liquids based on the association of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs with choline (IL-API).

Exploitation of pulsed flows for on-line dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction: Spectrophotometric determination of formaldehyde in milk.

Formaldehyde is often added to foods as a preservative, but it is highly toxic to humans, having been identified as a carcinogenic substance. It has also been used for the adulteration of milk in order to diminish the bacteria count and increase the shelf life of the product. Herein, we present a green dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction procedure in a flow-batch system for the determination of formaldehyde in milk.

Nanoparticle-based assays in automated flow systems: A review.

Nanoparticles (NPs) exhibit a number of distinctive and entrancing properties that explain their ever increasing application in analytical chemistry, mainly as chemosensors, signaling tags, catalysts, analytical signal enhancers, reactive species generators, analyte recognition and scavenging/separation entities. The prospect of associating NPs with automated flow-based analytical is undoubtedly a challenging perspective as it would permit confined, cost-effective and reliable analysis, within a shorter timeframe, while exploiting the features of NPs. This article aims at examining state-of-the-art on continuous flow analysis and microfluidic approaches involving NPs such as noble metals (gold and silver), magnetic materials, carbon, silica or quantum dots.

The aquatic impact of ionic liquids on freshwater organisms.

Ionic liquids (ILs), also known as liquid electrolytes, are powerful solvents with a wide variety of academic and industrial applications. Bioassays with aquatic organisms constitute an effective tool for the evaluation of ILs' toxicity, as well as for the prediction and identification of possible moieties that act as toxicophores. In this work, the acute toxicity of six ILs and two commonly used organic solvents was evaluated using freshwater organisms: Daphnia magna, Raphidocelis subcapitata and Hydra attenuata.

Evaluation of ionic liquids as alternative solvents for aldolase activity: Use of a new automated SIA methodology.

An automated methodology is proposed for the evaluation of a set of ionic liquids (ILs) as alternative reaction media for aldolase based synthetic processes. For that, the effect of traditionally used organic solvents and ILs on the activity of aldolase was studied by means of a novel automated methodology. The implemented methodology is based on the concept of sequential injection analysis (SIA) and relies on the aldolase based cleavage of d-fructose-1,6 diphosphate (DFDP), to produce dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP) and d-glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate (G3P).

Immobilization of Distinctly Capped CdTe Quantum Dots onto Porous Aminated Solid Supports.

Immobilization of quantum dots (QDs) onto solid supports could improve their applicability in the development of sensing platforms and solid-phase reactors by allowing the implementation of reusable surfaces and the execution of repetitive procedures. As the reactivity of QDs relies mostly on their surface chemistry, immobilization could also limit the disruption of solution stability that could prevent stable measurements. Herein, distinct strategies to immobilize QDs onto porous aminated supports, such as physical adsorption and the establishment of chemical linking, were evaluated.

Toxicity assessment of ionic liquids with Vibrio fischeri: an alternative fully automated methodology.

A fully automated Vibrio fischeri methodology based on sequential injection analysis (SIA) has been developed. The methodology was based on the aspiration of 75 μL of bacteria and 50 μL of inhibitor followed by measurement of the luminescence of bacteria. The assays were conducted for contact times of 5, 15, and 30 min, by means of three mixing chambers that ensured adequate mixing conditions.

Improved activity of α-chymotrypsin in mixed micelles of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and ionic liquids: a kinetic study resorting to sequential injection analysis.

In the present work an automatic methodology, based on sequential injection analysis, (SIA) for the kinetic evaluation of α-chymotrypsin (α-CT) activity in cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)/ionic liquid (IL) mixed micelles, was developed. The α-CT-catalysed hydrolysis of N-succinyl-l-phenylalanine-p-nitroanilide (SPpNA) was monitored by following the change in absorbance at 410nm brought about by the formation of p-nitroaniline (pNA). The influence of parameters such as reagents concentration, flow rate, as well as reaction coil length, on the sensitivity and performance of the SIA system were studied and the optimum reaction conditions were subsequently selected.

Automated evaluation of pharmaceutically active ionic liquids' (eco)toxicity through the inhibition of human carboxylesterase and Vibrio fischeri.

The toxicity of 16 pharmaceutical active ionic liquids (IL-APIs) was evaluated by automated approaches based on sequential injection analysis (SIA). The implemented bioassays were centered on the inhibition of human carboxylesterase 2 and Vibrio fischeri, in the presence of the tested compounds. The inhibitory effects were quantified by calculating the inhibitor concentration required to cause 50% of inhibition (EC50).

Imidazolium ionic liquids as solvents of pharmaceuticals: influence on HSA binding and partition coefficient of nimesulide.

In this work, the influence of imidazolium ionic liquids (ILs) on bio-chemical parameters that influence the in vivo behavior of nimesulide was evaluated. In this context, the binding of nimesulide to human serum albumin (HSA), in IL media, was studied. In parallel, the evaluation of the interaction of drug-IL systems, with micelles of hexadecylphosphocholine (HDPC), enabled the calculation of partition coefficients (K(p)).

Automated carboxylesterase assay for the evaluation of ionic liquids' human toxicity.

Aiming the prediction of ionic liquids' (ILs) human toxicity, an automated carboxylesterase activity assay was developed. The method was implemented on a sequential injection analysis (SIA) system and relied on the hydrolysis of 4-methylumbelliferyl acetate by the enzyme, to produce the fluorescent compound 4-methylumbelliferone (λ(exc)=365 nm; λ(em)=460 nm). The adopted approach was based on activity/inhibition assays in which the reduction of enzyme activity was denoted by a decrease of fluorescence.

β-Galactosidase activity in mixed micelles of imidazolium ionic liquids and sodium dodecylsulfate: A sequential injection kinetic study.

An automated methodology for the kinetic study of β-galactosidase activity in sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS)/ionic liquid (IL) mixed micelles was developed. The main objective of the work was the evaluation of mixed micelles as reaction media for the industrial synthesis of glyco-oligossacharides. Enzyme activity was evaluated by means of a model reaction with the fluorescent substrate 4-methylumbelliferyl-α-d-galactopyranoside (MUG).

Automated high-throughput Vibrio fischeri assay for (eco)toxicity screening: application to ionic liquids.

An automated high-throughput Vibrio fischeri assay was developed and further applied to the evaluation of ionic liquids (ILs) (eco)toxicity. The assay was based on the reduction of bacterial bioluminescence in the presence of test compounds and the results were presented as EC(50). The assays were performed with eight commercially available ILs with distinct cationic head groups, alkyl side chains and anions.

Enzyme based assays in a sequential injection format: a review.

Sequential injection analysis systems have been extensively exploited in the last decades for the implementation of enzyme based assays aiming the evaluation of enzyme activity or the determination of specific analytes. The most prominent aspects of the automation of enzymatic assays in these systems are discussed in this review. Special attention is devoted to the mode of enzyme manipulation in homogeneous or heterogeneous media and to the comparison with batch and flow injection enzyme methodologies.

Automated evaluation of the effect of ionic liquids on catalase activity.

An automated assay for the evaluation of the influence of ionic liquids on the activity of catalase was developed. The activity and inhibition assays were implemented in a sequential injection analysis (SIA) system and intended to contribute for the estimation of the toxicity of the tested compounds. The fast developed methodology was based on the oxidation of the non-fluorescent probe amplex red, in the presence of H₂O₂, to produce resorufin, a strong fluorescent compound.

Sequential injection fluorimetric determination of Sn in juices of canned fruits.

The present work describes the development of a fast and robust sequential injection fluorimetric procedure for the determination of Sn in juices of canned fruits. The developed automatic methodology is based on the complexation of Sn with 8-hydroxyquinoline-5-sulfonic acid (HQSA) to form a fluorimetric product (lambda(exc)=354 nm; lambda(em)=510 nm). The influence of dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) and cetylpyridinium bromide (CPB) on the sensitivity of the fluorimetric determination was evaluated.

Enzymatic determination of glucose in milk samples by sequential injection analysis.

The present work describes a comparative study involving two sequential injection enzymatic procedures for the spectrophotometric determination of glucose in milk samples. The determinations were based on the use of the enzymes, glucose oxidase and peroxidase, in solution or immobilized, and 4-aminophenazone and phenol as chromogenic reagents. In the first procedure, 8.

Fluorimetric determination of aminocaproic acid in pharmaceutical formulations using a sequential injection analysis system.

A sequential injection analysis (SIA) methodology for the fluorimetric determination of aminocaproic acid in pharmaceutical formulations is proposed. The developed analytical procedure is based on the derivatisation reaction of the aminocaproic primary amine with o-phthalaldehyde (OPA) and N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and fluorimetric detection of the formed product (lambda(ex)=350 nm; lambda(em)=450 nm). The implementation of a SIA flow system allowed for the development of a simple, fast and versatile automated methodology, which exhibits evident advantages regarding the US Pharmacopoeia 24 (USP 24) reference procedure.

Sensitive sequential injection determination of naproxen based on interaction with beta-cyclodextrin.

A sensitive sequential injection analysis (SIA) methodology for the fluorimetric determination of naproxen is proposed. The developed automatic analytical procedure is based on the complexation of naproxen with beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD) yielding an enhanced fluorimetric signal (lambda(ex)=280nm, lambda(em)=356nm). Linear calibration plots were obtained for naproxen concentrations up to 1x10(-5)moll(-1).