Technological advances for analyzing the content of organ-on-a-chip by mass spectrometry.

Three-dimensional (3D) cell cultures, including organ-on-a-chip (OOC) devices, offer the possibility to mimic human physiology conditions better than 2D models. The organ-on-a-chip devices have a wide range of applications, including mechanical studies, functional validation, and toxicology investigations. Despite many advances in this field, the major challenge with the use of organ-on-a-chips relies on the lack of online analysis methods preventing the real-time observation of cultured cells.

Ionic mononuclear [Fe] and heterodinuclear [Fe,Ru] bis(diphenylphosphino)alkane complexes: Synthesis, spectroscopy, DFT structures, cytotoxicity, and biomolecular interactions.

Iron(II) and Ru(II) half-sandwich compounds encompass some promising pre-clinical anticancer agents whose efficacy may be tuned by structural modification of the coordinated ligands. Here, we combine two such bioactive metal centres in cationic bis(diphenylphosphino)alkane-bridged heterodinuclear [Fe, Ru] complexes to delineate how ligand structural variations modulate compound cytotoxicity. Specifically, Fe(II) complexes of the type [(η-CH)Fe(CO)(κ-PPh(CH)PPh)]{PF} (n = 1-5), compounds 1-5, and heterodinuclear [Fe, Ru] complexes, [(η-CH)Fe(CO)(μ-PPh(CH)PPh))(η-p-cymene)RuCl]{PF} (n = 2-5) (compounds 7-10), were synthesized and characterised.

Uncovering the behaviour of ions in the gas-phase to predict the ion mobility separation of isomeric steroid compounds.

Bile acids are steroid compounds involved in biological mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases making them potential biomarkers for diagnosis or treatment. These compounds exist as structural and conformational isomers, which hinder distinguishing them in physiological processes. We aimed to develop tandem mass spectrometry-ion mobility spectrometry (MS/MS-IMS) methodologies to explore and understand the behaviour of isomeric steroids in the gas-phase and rapidly separate them.