bioanalytical

Concerns regarding microplastic (MP) contamination in aquatic ecosystems and its impact on seafood require a better understanding of human dietary MP exposure including extensive monitoring. While conventional techniques for MP analysis like infrared or Raman microspectroscopy provide detailed particle information, they are limited by low sample throughput, particularly when dealing with high particle numbers in seafood due to matrix-related residues. Consequently, more rapid techniques need to be developed to meet the requirements of large-scale monitoring...

A multimodal approach combining inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), single-particle ICP-MS (spICP-MS), scanning electron microscopy-energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) and Raman spectroscopy enabled a deeper insight into the balance between total titanium (Ti), the soluble titanium fraction and titanium dioxide based particle fraction levels in periprosthetic tissues collected from patients undergoing revision surgery. Hydrofluoric acid usage in the sample digestion allowed for complete digestion of TiO2 particles, thus enabling accurate estimation of total Ti levels...

As part of the European Bioanalysis Forum's continued commitment to develop young scientists beyond their scientific skills, we also focus on soft skills and a community responsibility during the Young Scientist Symposia, with the Science Café. In previous years, we have focused on topics such as sustainability (green lab) or the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on career development. At the ninth Young Scientist Symposium, the Science Café roundtables focused on the work-life balance and how caring for it can be beneficial for both the individual and the company...

Hybrid small-molecule/protein fluorescent probes are powerful tools for visualizing protein localization and function in living cells. These hybrid probes are constructed by diverse site-specific chemical protein labeling approaches through chemical reactions to exogenous peptide/small protein tags, enzymatic post-translational modifications, bioorthogonal reactions for genetically incorporated unnatural amino acids, and ligand-directed chemical reactions. The hybrid small-molecule/protein fluorescent probes are employed for imaging protein trafficking, conformational changes, and bioanalytes surrounding proteins...

This Feature Article reports general and more specific aspects about microplastic (MP) contamination in continental and marine waters as well as in terrestrial environment. It describes a critical vision of the analytical methods commonly used for MP characterization and determination, including recommendations on green analytical chemistry (GAC) protocols. Insights into MPs as sorption materials and carriers for a variety of emerging contaminants like pharmaceuticals and pesticides are highlighted. Risks to biota living in aquatic and terrestrial environments and human-health-related effects with specific examples of surface and groundwater used for drinking water sources near contaminated sites like landfills are summarized...

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With the development of highly sensitive bioanalytical techniques, the volume of samples necessary for accurate analysis has reduced. Microsampling, the process of obtaining small amounts of blood, has thus gained popularity as it offers minimal-invasiveness, reduced logistical costs and biohazard risks while simultaneously showing increased sample stability and a potential for the decentralization of the approach and at-home self-sampling. Although the benefits of microsampling have been recognised, its adoption in clinical practice has been slow...

The analysis of dietary supplements is far less regulated than pharmaceuticals, leading to potential quality issues. Considering their positive effect, many athletes consume supplements containing L-histidine and β-alanine. A new microfluidic method for the determination of L-histidine and β-alanine in dietary supplement formulations has been developed. For the first time, capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection was employed for the microchip electrophoresis of amino acids in real samples...

The isolated perfused rat liver (IPRL) model provides a mechanistic understanding of the organic-anion-transporting polypeptide (OATP/Oatp)-mediated pharmacokinetics in the preclinical evaluation, which often requires the use of control substrates (i.e., pitavastatin) and monitoring endogenous biomarkers (coproporphyrin I and III). This study aimed to develop and validate an LC-MS method allowing the simultaneous quantification of pitavastatin, coproporphyrin I (CPI), and coproporphyrin III (CPIII) in rat liver perfusion matrices (perfusate, liver homogenate, bile)...

Fabric phase sorptive extraction (FPSE) is a simple microextraction technique that allows analytes to be rescued from matrix components while using a small volume of samples to analyze complex biological systems. This study used FPSE as a microextraction tool and a sample storage and transfer device. Levofloxacin as a model molecule was applied intravenously (IV) to New Zealand male rabbits. The samples were simultaneously extracted by using FPSE and protein precipitation methods. The final solutions were analyzed using LC-MS equipped with an ACE C18 LC Column (150 mm × 4...

BACKGROUND: DPP-4 inhibitors, or gliptins, are new oral antidiabetic drugs for type 2 diabetes. They help to regulate insulin and glucagon. These drugs have the advantage of a lower risk of hypoglycemia compared to some other diabetes medications and are typically prescribed when metformin and sulphonylureas have become less effective. OBJECTIVE: This review analyses a range of analytical and bioanalytical methods for DPP-4 inhibitors, that use spectroscopic techniques, chromatographic, and hyphenated techniques for analysis...

Gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) are a class of novel luminescent nanomaterials that exhibit unique properties of ultra-small size, featuring strong anti-photo-bleaching ability, substantial Stokes shift, good biocompatibility, and low toxicity. Various biomolecules have been developed as templates or ligands to protect AuNCs with enhanced stability and luminescent properties for biomedical applications. In this review, the synthesis of AuNCs based on biomolecules including amino acids, peptides, proteins and DNA are summarized...

Nanoceria have demonstrated a wide array of catalytic activity similar to natural enzymes, holding considerable significance in the colorimetric detection of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), which is a biomarker of various biological disorders. However, the issues of physiological stability and formation of protein corona, which are strongly related to their surface chemistry, limit their practical application. In this work, CeO2 nanoparticles characterized by enhanced dimensional uniformity and specific surface area were synthesized, followed by encapsulation with various polymers to further increase catalytic activity and physiological stability...

A liquid sampling-atmospheric pressure glow discharge (LS-APGD) ionization source operating at a nominal power of 30 W and solution flow rate of 30 µL min-1 and supported in a He sheath gas flow rate of 500 mL min-1 was interfaced to an Orbitrap mass spectrometer and assessed for use in rapid identification of inorganic and organic arsenic species, including As(III), As(V), monomethylarsonic acid, dimethylarsinic acid, and arsenobetaine in a 2% (v/v) nitric acid medium. Mass spectral acquisition in low-resolution mode, using only the ion trap analyzer, provided detection of protonated molecular ions for AsBet (m/z 179), DMA (m/z 139), MMA (m/z 141), and As(V) (m/z 143)...

N-Acyl-homoserine lactones (AHL) play a major role in the communication of Gram-negative bacteria. They influence processes such as biofilm formation, swarming motility, and bioluminescence in the aquatic environment. A comprehensive analytical method was developed to elucidate the "chemical communication" in pure bacterial cultures as well as in the aquatic environment and engineered environments with biofilms. Due to the high diversity of AHLs and their low concentrations in water, a sensitive and selective LC-ESI-MS/MS method combined with solid-phase extraction was developed for 34 AHLs, optimized and validated to quantify AHLs in bacterial conditioned medium, river water, and treated wastewater...

Oblique incidence reflectance difference (OIRD) is an emerging technique enabling real-time and label-free detection of bio-affinity binding events on microarrays. The interfacial architecture of the microarray chip is critical to the performance of OIRD detection. In this work, a sensitive label-free OIRD microarray chip was developed by using gold nanoparticle-decorated fluorine-doped tin oxide (AuNPs-FTO) slides as a chip substrate. This AuNPs-FTO chip demonstrates a higher signal-to-noise ratio and improved sensitivity compared to that built on FTO glass, showing a detection limit of as low as 10 ng mL-1 for the model target, HRP-conjugated streptavidin...

Galactosemia, a severe genetic metabolic disorder, results from the absence of galactose-degrading enzymes, leading to harmful galactose accumulation. In this study, we introduce a novel capillary-based surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) sensor for convenient and sensitive galactose detection. The developed sensor enhances SERS signals by introducing gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) onto the surface of silver nanoshells (Ag NSs) within a capillary, creating Ag NSs with Au NPs as satellites. Utilizing 4-mercaptophenylboronic acid (4-MPBA) as a Raman reporter molecule, the detection method relies on the conversion of 4-MPBA to 4-mercaptophenol (4-MPhOH) driven by hydrogen peroxide (H2 O2 ) generated during galactose oxidation by galactose oxidase (GOx )...

The increasing interest in hemp and cannabis poses new questions about the influence of drying and storage conditions on the overall aroma and cannabinoids profile of these products. Cannabis inflorescences are subjected to drying shortly after harvest and then to storage in different containers. These steps may cause a process of rapid deterioration with consequent changes in precious secondary metabolite content, negatively impacting on the product quality and potency. In this context, in this work, the investigation of the effects of freeze vs tray drying and three storage conditions on the preservation of cannabis compounds has been performed...

Glycerol is a widely used signaling bioanalyte in biotechnology. Glycerol can serve as a substrate or product of many metabolic processes in cells. Therefore, quantification of glycerol in fermentation samples with inexpensive, reliable, and rapid sensing systems is of great importance. In this work, an amperometric assay based on one-step designed electroplated functional Pd layers with controlled design was proposed for a rapid and selective measurement of glycerol in yeast fermentation medium. A novel assay utilizing electroplated Pd-sensing layers allows the quantification of glycerol in yeast fermentation medium in the presence of interfering species with RSD below 3% and recoveries ranged from 99 to 103%...

OBJECTIVE: Curcuminoids, the major component of which is curcumin, are natural polyphenolic compounds from the rhizome of Curcuma longa Linn. and possess extensive biopharmacological properties that are limited in humans due to poor bioavailability. Currently, most commercial bioavailable turmeric extracts use synthetic excipients or the addition of piperine to enhance bioavailability, and are needed in multiple daily doses to achieve clinical efficacy. This study was conducted to compare the bioavailability of a natural, water-dispersible turmeric extract containing 60% natural curcuminoids, the test product, WDTE60N (1 × 250 mg per day), with the reference product, turmeric extract capsules (500 mg curcuminoids and 5 mg piperine, CPC; 3 × 500 mg per day)...