Inhibition of the mammalian soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) is a promising new therapy in the treatment of disorders resulting from hypertension and vascular inflammation. A spectrophotometric assay (4-nitrophenyl-trans-2,3-epoxy-3-phenylpropyl carbonate, NEPC) is currently used to screen libraries of chemicals; however this assay lacks the required sensitivity to differentiate the most potent inhibitors. A series of fluorescent α-cyanoester and α-cyanocarbonate epoxides that produce a strong fluorescent signal on epoxide hydrolysis by both human and murine sEH were designed as potential substrates for an in vitro inhibition assay. The murine enzyme showed a broad range of specificities, whereas the human enzyme showed the highest specificity for cyano(6-methoxynaphthalen-2-yl)methyl trans- [(3-phenyloxiran-2-yl) methyl] carbonate. An in vitro inhibition assay was developed using this substrate and recombinant enzyme. The utility of the fluorescent assay was confirmed by determining the IC 50 values for a series of known inhibitors. The new IC 50 values were compared with those determined by spectrophotometric NEPC and radioactive tDPPO assays. The fluorescent assay ranked these inhibitors on the basis of IC 50 values, whereas the NEPC assay did not. The ranking of inhibitor potency generally agreed with that determined using the tDPPO assay. These results show that the fluorescence-based assay is a valuable tool in the development of sEH inhibitors by revealing structure-activity relationships that previously were seen only by using the costly and labor-intensive radioactive tDPPO assay. KeywordsSoluble epoxide hydrolase; α-Cyanoester; α-Cyanocarbonate; Kinetic assay; Fluorescent substrateThe soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH, EC 3.3.2.3) 1 is a member of the α/β-hydrolase fold family of enzymes [1] and catalyzes the hydrolysis of an epoxide to its corresponding diol through the catalytic addition of a water molecule [2]. The endogenous substrates for the sEH include epoxides of arachidonic acid [3,4] and linoleic acid [5,6]. Arachidonic acid epoxides (epoxyeicosatrienoic acid epoxides, EETs) are known modulators of blood pressure [7,8] and vascular permeability [9,10]. It has been shown that sEH inhibition not only lowers blood * Corresponding author. Fax: +1 530 752 1537. E-mail address:bdhammock@ucdavis.edu (B.D. Hammock).. 1 Abbreviations used: sEH, soluble epoxide hydrolase; EET, epoxyeicosatrienoic acid epoxides; NEPC, 4-nitrophenyl-trans-2,3-epoxy-3-phenylpropyl carbonate; TEA, triethylamine; TLC, thin-layer chromatography; TMS, tetramethylsilane; ppm, parts per million; oa-TOF, orthogonal acceleration time-of-flight; THF, tetrahydrofuran; m-CPBA, m-chloroperbenzoic acid; BSA, bovine serum albumin; RFU, relative fluorescent units; OD, optical density; DMSO, dimethyl sulfoxide; EDCI, 1-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-3-ethylcarbodiimide hydrochloride; tDPPO, [ 3 H] pressure in rodent models but also offers protection against hypertension-related renal damage [4,11,12].For the past 6 years, we have investi...

Gravity has been a constant force throughout the Earth’s evolutionary history. Thus, one of the fundamental biological questions is if and how complex cellular and molecular functions of life on Earth require gravity. In this study, we investigated the influence of gravity on the oxidative burst reaction in macrophages, one of the key elements in innate immune response and cellular signaling. An important step is the production of superoxide by the NADPH oxidase, which is rapidly converted to H2O2 by spontaneous and enzymatic dismutation. The phagozytosis-mediated oxidative burst under altered gravity conditions was studied in NR8383 rat alveolar macrophages by means of a luminol assay. Ground-based experiments in “functional weightlessness” were performed using a 2 D clinostat combined with a photomultiplier (PMT clinostat). The same technical set-up was used during the 13th DLR and 51st ESA parabolic flight campaign. Furthermore, hypergravity conditions were provided by using the Multi-Sample Incubation Centrifuge (MuSIC) and the Short Arm Human Centrifuge (SAHC). The results demonstrate that release of reactive oxygen species (ROS) during the oxidative burst reaction depends greatly on gravity conditions. ROS release is 1.) reduced in microgravity, 2.) enhanced in hypergravity and 3.) responds rapidly and reversible to altered gravity within seconds. We substantiated the effect of altered gravity on oxidative burst reaction in two independent experimental systems, parabolic flights and 2D clinostat / centrifuge experiments. Furthermore, the results obtained in simulated microgravity (2D clinorotation experiments) were proven by experiments in real microgravity as in both cases a pronounced reduction in ROS was observed. Our experiments indicate that gravity-sensitive steps are located both in the initial activation pathways and in the final oxidative burst reaction itself, which could be explained by the role of cytoskeletal dynamics in the assembly and function of the NADPH oxidase complex.

A molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) film for domoic acid (DA) was synthesised by direct photo-grafting onto a gold chip suitable for a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) based bioanalytical instrument system, the BIAcore 3000 TM . The gold surface was first functionalised with a selfassembled monolayer of 2-mercaptoethylamine and subsequent carbodiimide chemistry was performed for covalent attachment of the photoinitiator, 4,4'-azobis(cyanovaleric acid). This ensured that the formation of the MIP thin film, comprising 2-(diethylamino) ethyl methacrylate as functional monomer and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as cross-linker, occurred only at the surface level. Optimisation and control over the grafting procedure were achieved using contact angle measurements and atomic force microscope (AFM) imaging. The surface grafting resulted in the formation of thin and homogeneous MIP film with thickness of 40 nm. A competitive binding assay was performed with free DA and its conjugate with horseradish peroxidase, which was used as a refractive label. The sensor was evaluated for its sensitivity, cross-reactivity, and robustness by using a BIAcore 3000 TM . Likewise, monoclonal antibodies acting as natural receptors for the toxin were studied with the same BIAcore system. Results of a comparison between the artificial and natural receptors are reported. In contrast to monoclonal antibodies, the regeneration of MIP chip 2 did not affect its recognition properties and continuous measurement was possible over a period of at least two months.

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