Volatile compounds in Chinese Zhizhonghe Wujiapi (WJP) medicinal liquor were extracted by solvent-assisted flavor evaporation extraction (SAFE) and stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE), respectively, and identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Results showed that a total of 123 volatile compounds (i.e., 108 by SAFE, 50 by SBSE, and 34 by both) including esters, alcohols, acids, aldehydes, ketones, heterocycles, terpenes and terpenoids, alkenes, phenols, and other compounds were identified, and 67 of them were confirmed as aroma-active compounds by the application of the aroma extract dilution analysis coupled with gas chromatography-olfactometry. After making a simulated reconstitute by mixing 41 characterized aroma-active compounds (odor activity values ≥1) based on their concentrations, the aroma profile of the reconstitute showed good similarity to that of the original WJP liquor. Omission test further corroborated 34 key aroma-active compounds in the WJP liquor. The study of WJP liquor is expected to provide some insights into the characterization of special volatile components in traditional Chinese medicine liquors for the purpose of quality improvement and aroma optimization.
Suramin, an organic polyanion with six sulphonic groups, is under clinical trials as an agent against hormone-refractory prostate cancer. The drug binds strongly to serum albumin. The objectives were to use electrospray to measure the molecular masses of the intact complexes of albumin and suramin to determine the number of suramin molecules bound under different molar ratios, and to investigate the binding of suramin in human serum. With albumin in excess (2:1 to 25:1 ratio), only 1 and 2 bound suramins were found; with suramin excess (2:1 to 1000:1) up to 20 bound suramin molecules/albumin were found. Up to 5 bound suramins were found in human serum with 4:1 suramin:albumin ratio, which corresponds to recommended therapeutic doses (200-300 micrograms/mL). At 8:1 ratio, which would be toxic, complexes with up to ten bound suramin molecules were found, and unreacted albumin diminished.
Digoxigenin ester (Dig) derivatives of coagulation factors VIIa and X facilitate staining studies to localize tissue factor activity in human atherosclerotic plaques. The larger the number of attached Dig units the easier it is to form highly visual stains. Electrospray ionization was used to characterize the Dig derivatives, as a function of excess derivatization reagent, to determine the optimal derivatives, i.e. the highest number of Dig units attached with the product still retaining enzymatic activity. The enzymatic activity of factor VIIa derivatized at 50-fold Dig excess (with 28, 34, 48 or 52 Dig units attached, masses to 79 kDa) remained the same as that of native factor VIIa. In contrast, the enzymatic activity of factor X derivatives diminished above 15-fold Dig excess (15 Dig units attached, mass 65.6 kDa). The distribution of derivatized lysine, histidine, arginine, tryptophan and tyrosine residues was estimated for several possible configurations.
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