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Thermosensitive liposomes (TSL) have been used for localized temperature-responsive release of chemotherapeutics into solid cancers, with a minimum of one invention currently in clinical trials (phase III). In this study, TSL was designed using a lipid blend comprising 1,2-dipalmitoyl

Marine algae are a rich source of biologically active compounds that can be utilized in various food and pharmaceutical applications. In this study, ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) was optimized to maximize yield and total carbohydrate content extracted from the red algae, Pterocladia capillacea. The extract was shown to possess potent antioxidant activity of up to ~70%, and was successfully used as a reducing and capping agent in the green synthesis of copper nanoparticles, which were characterized by UV-spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and dynamic light scattering (DLS). Primarily, CuO nanoparticles with an average size of 62 nm were produced. FTIR spectra for the extract and algal-mediated CuO nanoparticles showed characteristic polysaccharide peaks. The synthesized CuO nanoparticles were subsequently loaded with nedaplatin where UV data suggested a complex formation. Nedaplatin release profiles showed a sustained release that reached a maximum at 120 h. The formulation was shown to have greater cytotoxicity relative to nedaplatin on hepatocellular carcinoma, breast cancer and ovarian cancer cell lines with IC50 values of 0.40 ± 0.08, 1.50 ± 0.12, and 0.70 ± 0.09 µg/mL, respectively. Loading nedaplatin onto CuO nanoparticles synthesized using red algae extract, greatly enhances its anticancer effect.

The preoxidation effects of H2O2, NaClO, and KMnO4 on the dewaterability of sewage sludge were compared by analyzing the changes in specific resistance to filtration (SRF), filter cake moisture content (FCMC), extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) fractions and components, and floc properties. The three oxidants varied in oxidation efficiency and exhibited distinctive mechanisms. NaClO not only destroyed sludge flocs and EPSs but also effectively caused cell lysis, resulting in release of a considerable amount of organic matters and subsequently significant deterioration of dewatering performance. The oxidation of H2O2 and KMnO4 was relatively mild and occurred mainly on the outer layers of the sludge flocs and cell-bound EPSs. By contrast, the SRF and FCMC of the sludge conditioned with a low dose of KMnO4 were slightly improved, and a fraction of soluble EPS was compressed because of the coagulation effect of the oxidation product MnO2. The pH of the sludge conditioned with H2O2 and KMnO4 showed no considerable change. Meanwhile, NaClO evidently increased the alkalinity of the sludge because of the hydrolysis effect. After the pH of the NaClO-treated sludge was readjusted to 7.0, the partial protonation efficiency slightly alleviated the deterioration of sludge dewatering performance. The preoxidized sludge was then subjected to reflocculation treatment using FeCl3, polyacrylamide, and a cationic starch-based flocculant, respectively. The combined treatment of preoxidation and reflocculation showed a high dewatering efficiency owing to their synergistic effect.

Fava bean peels, Vicia faba (FBP) are investigated as biosorbents for the removal of Methylene Blue (MB) dye from aqueous solutions through a novel and efficient sorption process utilizing ultrasonic-assisted (US) shaking. Ultrasonication remarkably enhanced sorption rate relative to conventional (CV) shaking, while maintaining the same sorption capacity. Ultrasonic sorption rate amounted to four times higher than its conventional counterpart at 3.6 mg/L initial dye concentration, 5 g/L adsorbent dose, and pH 5.8. Under the same adsorbent dose and pH conditions, percent removal ranged between 70–80% at the low dye concentration range (3.6–25 mg/L) and reached about 90% at 50 mg/L of the initial dye concentration. According to the Langmuir model, maximum sorption capacity was estimated to be 140 mg/g. A multiple linear regression statistical model revealed that adsorption was significantly affected by initial concentration, adsorbent dose and time. FBP could be successfully utilized as a low-cost biosorbent for the removal of MB from wastewater via US biosorption as an alternative to CV sorption. US biosorption yields the same sorption capacities as CV biosorption, but with significant reduction in operational times.

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The preoxidation effects of H

Organophosphate esters (OPEs) are commonly used as flame retardants (FRs) and plasticizers. The usage of OPEs has increased recently due to the ban of several brominated flame retardants, but information on levels in the environment, including the indoor environment is still limited. We investigated the occurrence and distribution of 12 OPEs in urban house dust from Vancouver, Canada; Istanbul, Turkey; and Cairo, Egypt. The medianSOPE concentration was 41.4 mu g/g in the Vancouver samples while median levels in Istanbul and Cairo were significantly lower. The median composition profiles of OPEs in Vancouver and Cairo were dominated by tris (2-butoxyethyl) phosphate (TBOEP), accounting for 56 and 92% of total OPEs respectively while it showed a detection frequency of only 14% in Istanbul. Tris (2-chloropropyl) phosphate (TCPP) was the most abundant chlorinated OPE representing 20 and 36% of the total OPEs in Vancouver and Istanbul respectively, but was below the detection limit in the Cairo dust samples. Consistent with other studies, SOPE concentrations were similar to 1 to 2 orders of magnitude higher than PBDEs and currently used flame retardants in the same dust samples. The mean estimated daily intakes (EDI) of SOPE from dust were 115, 38 and 9 ng/kg/bw/day in Vancouver, Cairo and Istanbul respectively for toddlers where adults were similar to 10 times lower. The total toddler OPE intake ranged from 115 to 2900, 38 to 845 and from9 to 240 ng/kg bw/day across the three cities. TBOEP had the largest contribution to the EDI in both toddler and adults, where toddler TBOEP exposures via dust represented 4% to 80%, 2% to 44% and 0.1% to 6% of the Reference Doses (RfD) in the mean and high intake scenarios for toddlers in Vancouver, Cairo and Istanbul respectively. Crown Copyright (C) 2018 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Fragrant and antimicrobial properties were conferred to cotton fabrics following microencapsulation using green materials. Limonene and vanillin microcapsules were produced by complex coacervation using chitosan/gum Arabic as shell materials and tannic acid as hardening agent. The effect of two emulsifiers; Span 85 and polyglycerol polyricinoleate (PGPR), on the encapsulation efficiency (EE%), microcapsule’s size and morphology, and cumulative release profiles was studied. The mean diameter of the produced microcapsules ranged between 10.4 and 39.0 μm, whereas EE% was found to be between 90.4% and 100%. The use of Span 85 resulted in mononuclear morphology while PGPR gave rise to polynuclear structures, regardless of the core material (vanillin or limonene). The obtained microcapsules demonstrated a sustained release pattern; namely the total cumulative release of the active agents after 7 days at 37 ± 1 °C was 75%, 52% and 19.4% for the polynuclear limonene microcapsules, the mononuclear limonene microcapsules and the polynuclear vanillin microcapsules, respectively. Grafting of the produced microcapsules onto cotton fabrics through na esterification reaction using citric acid as a nontoxic cross-linker followed by thermofixation and curing, was confirmed by SEM and FTIR spectroscopy. Standard antibacterial assays conducted on both microcapsules alone and impregnated onto the fabrics indicated a sustained antibacterial activity. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Macromolecules including macrocyclic species have been reported to have the potential to encapsulate biologically active compounds such as drugs through host-guest complexation to increase their solubility, stability and bioavailability. Here we investigate the complexation between nedaplatin, a second generation antineoplastic drug, and p-4-sulfocalix[4]arene, a macromolecule possessing a bipolar amphiphilic structure with good biocompatibility and relatively low haemolytic toxicity for potential use as a drug delivery system. Data from 1H NMR, UV-Vis spectroscopy, Job’s plot analysis, HPLC, DSC and DFT calculations are detailed and suggest the formation of a 1:1 complex. The stability constant of the complex was experimentally estimated to be 3.6 × 104 M−1 and 2.1 × 104 M−1 which correspond to values of −6.2 and −5.9 kcal mol−1, respectively for the free energy of complexation while the interaction free energy is calculated to be −4.9 kcal mol−1. The formed species is shown to be stabilised in solution through hydrogen bonding between the host and the guest. The complex displayed enhanced antitumor activity against MDA-MB-231 cells compared to nedaplatin which may allow for its application in cancer therapy.

Protein phosphorylation and de-phosphorylation, provide one of the most common signalling pathways within cells, being involved in regulating cellular processes, mediating enzyme inhibition, protein–protein recognition and protein degradation. Compared with normal proteomics, phosphoproteomics poses some additional challenges requiring more initial separation and additional sensitivity to detect and quantify potentially ultra-low abundance species. In this work, the selective detection of phosphopeptides is described based on the incorporation of a metal tag, gallium–N,N-biscarboxymethyl lysine (Ga-LysNTA), in solution before separation and detection by liquid chromatography coupled to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LC–ICP-MS). Experimental and theoretical characterisation of the resulting Ga–phosphopeptide complex is presented based on linear ion trap electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), Fourier transform mass spectrometry (FT-MS) and molecular modelling data. Linear ion trap electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) was employed to study the interaction of the gallium tag with platelet derived growth factor beta receptor (s-PDGF), a small phosphopeptide. In addition high resolution Fourier transform mass spectrometry (FT-MS) was used for accurate mass determination and multistage tandem mass spectrometry of the gallium–s-PDGF complex identified the fragmentation pathway. Finally, molecular modelling was used to investigate the energetically favoured structures of both the Ga-LysNTA material and the s-PDGF–Ga-LysNTA complex.

This paper describes methodologies, based on sector field inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry (SF-ICP-MS), and their application in the holistic study of the fate of Pt in human cell populations following treatment with cis- or oxaliplatin and combination treatments. Pt–DNA adduct formation data at several time points has been determined in the leukocytes from patients undergoing Pt-based chemotherapy demonstrating significant inter-patient variability and excellent reproducibility of the assay. The sensitivity of the technique enabled quantitation of as little as 0.2 Pt adducts per 10 6 nucleotides using 10 μg of patient DNA. Further, the first ever reported in vivo sub-cellular Pt fractionation data on a patient sample is presented indicating the feasibility of applying the methods presented here in a clinical environment. For in vitro studies, three cell models were used: A549 human lung adenocarcinoma epithelial cells were exposed to 50 μM cisplatin for 1 h; HCA7 human colorectal cancer cells were treated with either FOLFOX (200 μM 5-fluorouracil, 200 μM folinic acid and 50 μM oxaliplatin) or 50 μM oxaliplatin; and HT29 human colorectal cancer cells were treated with 50 μM oxaliplatin in combination with 20 μM methaneseleninic acid, CH 3 SeO 2 H (MSA). The cells were harvested and either the DNA extracted and/or a commercially available kit used to fractionate the treated cells into four sub-cellular compartments. Each of the sub-cellular fractions and extracted DNA were digested separately, evaporated to dryness and reconstituted in 2% nitric acid for analysis by SF-ICP-MS. The sub-cellular Pt distribution for cisplatin treated A549 cells was shown to be as follows: ∼70% localized in the cytosol, ∼17% in the membrane and membrane localized fraction, ∼9% in the nuclear fraction and ∼4% in the cytoskeletal fraction. Both FOLFOX and oxaliplatin treated HCA7 cells showed comparable sub-cellular Pt distributions, and Pt–DNA adduct formation was similar for the oxaliplatin and FOLFOX treatments with adduct yields of 5.6 and 5.5 adducts per 10 6 nucleotides respectively. It was found that the combination of oxaliplatin with 20 μM MSA did not change the distribution of Pt or significantly alter its accumulation in the cytosol of the HT29 cells. Mass balance experiments showed a >99% recovery of the total Pt in the sub-cellular fractions. These experiments are the first to provide such a detailed quantitation of Pt-drug partitioning and they show that the Pt broadly follows the total protein content of the individual compartments with the majority being scavenged in the cytosol compartment.

PFASs concentrations in dust samples collected from three microenvironments in Cairo ranged from 1.3 to 69 ng g(-1) with FTOHs being dominant. The 8:2 FTOH was detected in all samples. Among the FOSAs and FOSEs the MeFOSE was dominant while among ionic PFASs, PFOS and PFOA were most prominent. The concentrations of PFASs were among the lowest worldwide. Correlations between worldwide concentrations of PFOS + PFOA and country development indexes highlight higher usage and human exposure in more developed countries. Food packaging was analyzed for PFSAs, PFCAs and PAPs. The 6:2 and 8:2 monoPAPs were found to be above the MDL in 18% of the samples. PFOA was detected in 79% of the samples with median concentration of 2.40 ng g(-1). PFOS was detected in 58% of the samples with median concentration of 0.29 ng g(-1) while PFHxS and PFDS were below detection limit. Different human exposure scenarios were estimated.

The gas-phase dissociation chemistries of protonated 3-iodo- l -tyrosine, 3,5-diiodo- l -tyrosine and 3,3′,5,5′-tetraiodo-thyronine (thyroxine) have been examined using a combination of tandem mass spectrometry and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. It was found that, at low collision energy, all protonated tyrosines exhibit common fragmentation pathways, including the competitive eliminations of NH3 and the concomitant loss of H2O and CO, but there are significant differences in relative abundances, depending on the combined electron-donating abilities of the substituents in the phenyl ring. The ions initially formed by loss of NH3 are phenonium ions, but subsequent fragmentation is most easily understood in terms of the isomeric benzyl cation structures. These [M + H − NH3]+ ions fragment at relatively low collision energies, mainly by loss of ketene; by contrast, the [M + H − H2O − CO]+ ions are more stable towards dissociation. At higher collision energies, losses of one, two and even three iodine atoms were observed. DFT calculations (at the B3LYP/DZVP level of theory) were performed on protonated 3-iodotyrosine to compare the reaction profiles for the fragmentation mechanisms. The iodo-substituent in the 3-position is weakly electron-withdrawing and this results in a barrier (27.5 kcal/mol at 0 K) that is slightly higher than that for protonated tyrosine (26.8 kcal/mol). The phenoxy group PhO– is a weaker electron-donor than HO– and protonated 3,5-diiodo-4-phenoxytyrosine has an even higher barrier (31.1 kcal/mol) to NH3 loss than protonated 3,5-diiodotyrosine (28.8 kcal/mol). Linear free energy plots for Δ H 0 ° ‡ and Δ G 298 ° ‡ against σ+ for the four protonated tyrosine derivatives show good correlations. More importantly, as the products of the dissociation are higher in energy than the transition states to their formation, the plots of Δ H 0 ° and Δ G 298 ° for the overall reaction for NH3 loss also correlate very well with σ+ (correlation coefficients of 0.99 and 0.98, respectively). The positive slopes of these Hammett plots show that the barriers to the loss of NH3 by the neighboring-group mechanism are increased by the presence of electron-withdrawing groups in the phenyl rings.

The room-temperature reactivities of complexes of Cu + and Ag + with glycine have been investigated using an inductively coupled plasma-selected ion flow tube (ICP-SIFT)/multicollision-induced dissociation (CID) tandem mass spectrometer. These complexes were produced in a flow tube, collisionally thermalized and then allowed to react with CO, D 2 O or NH 3 . The measured reactivities of the CuGly + and AgGly + complexes have been compared with those of the bare metal cations towards the same neutral reagents. All observed reactions resulted in adduct formation, with helium buffer gas presumably acting as a stabilizing agent. Reaction rate enhancements of up to three orders of magnitude and lower extents of ligation were the main characteristics of the reactions initiated by the metal cation–glycine adducts as compared with those initiated by the bare metal cations. The kinetic information combined with equilibrium analyses and CID results suggest that, irrespective of the reagent, ligation to CuGly + is stronger than to AgGly + and, in both instances, ligation of carbon monoxide and water has comparable strengths, while much stronger coordination is achieved with ammonia. The structures of the complexes have been investigated computationally using density functional theory (DFT) at the B3LYP level employing the DZVP basis set. Optimized structures and the free energy changes associated with ligation have been computed. A good correlation was obtained between the experimental reaction efficiencies and the calculated free energies of bonding. Also, results are presented for the potential energy surfaces for the conversion of the “charge solvated” forms into the “metal salt” forms of CuGly + and AgGly + and of their adducts with CO or NH 3 . The computations indicate a modest catalytic effect of the CO and NH 3 on this conversion.

The binding energies at 0 K of sodium and silver ions to ammonia, methylamine, ethylamine, acetonitrile, and benzonitrile were determined using threshold collision-induced dissociation (CID) and molecular orbital calculations at the ab initio and density functional theory levels. There is good agreement between experimental and calculated binding energies. For the five ligands, threshold CID/CCSD(t)(fu)/6-311++G(2df,p)//MP2(fu)/6-311++G(d,p) Na+ binding energies are the following: ammonia, 25.6 ± 2.8/24.8; methylamine, 27.0 ± 1.4/25.9; ethylamine, 27.7 ± 2.3/27.1; acetonitrile, 30.0 ± 2.3/30.3; and benzonitrile, 32.7 ± 1.4/35.0 (B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p)//B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p)) kcal/mol. Threshold CID and B3LYP/DZVP Ag+ binding energies are the following: ammonia, 40.6 ± 3.0/38.9; methylamine, 41.5 ± 2.3/41.1; ethylamine, 42.9 ± 1.4/43.2; acetonitrile, 40.8 ± 2.0/39.3; and benzonitrile, 41.5 ± 2.8/43.1 kcal/mol. Wherever comparisons with literature data are possible, the Na+ binding energies determined in this ...

The complexes of silver ion, Ag+, with the twenty naturally occurring amino acids have been calculated using hybrid density functional theory at the B3LYP/DZVP level. For all of these silver complexes, several possible structures were examined, but as there are remarkable similarities between all the structures at the global minima, only summarized data are reported. All of the complexes, except that with proline, are solvated ions. Amino acids containing only hydrocarbon side chains are bidentate, coordinating through the amino and carbonyl groups and the remaining amino acids (with the exception of proline) are tricoordinate with the same two interactions as in the simpler amino acids and an additional interaction through the side chain. The proline complex contains zwitterionic proline with the Ag+ ion attached to the carboxylate anion. Enthalpies (at 298 K) for dissociation of Ag+ from the complexes range from 49.3 kcal mol-1 for glycine to 80.4 kcal mol-1 for arginine. Free energies for these reactio...

The binding enthalpies at 0 K of the silver ion to water, methanol, ethanol, diethyl ether, and acetone were calculated using density functional theory (DFT) using the hybrid B3LYP level of theory with the DZVP basis set; they were also measured using the threshold collision-induced dissociation (CID) method. There is good agreement between the two sets of data. For the five ligands, the DFT/threshold CID values are: water, 28.1/31.6 ± 2.5; methanol, 30.1/33.0 ± 3.7; ethanol, 32.0/33.9 ± 3.5; diethyl ether, 33.3/33.2 ± 1.5; and acetone, 36.2/38.0 ± 1.4 kcal/mol. The average of the absolute differences between the DFT and threshold CID results is 2.0 kcal/mol, a value smaller than the average experimental uncertainty of 2.5 kcal/mol. For identical ligands, the silver ion binding energies are lower than the lithium ion binding energies, but higher than the sodium ion binding energies.

Gas-phase collision-induced dissociation of the Ag+-proline complex shows six major product ions. Tandem mass spectrometry reveals that at least three of the fragment ions are formed directly from the complex. These are a cyclic immonium ion, formed after elimination of AgH from the Ag+-proline complex, another cyclic immonium ion formed after the elimination of both AgH and CO2, and finally an ion formed as the product of a reductive-elimination reaction in which H2 is lost as a neutral. Selective and nonselective deuterium labeling experiments and hybrid density functional calculations have been employed to probe fragmentation mechanisms that account for all experimental results. The mechanisms for the competitive losses of AgH and H2 from the Ag+-proline complex have been calculated at B3LYP/DZVP.

Tandem mass spectrometry performed on a pool of 18 oligopeptides shows that the product ion spectra of argentinated peptides, the [b n + OH + Ag]+ ions and the [y n − H + Ag]+ ions bearing identical sequences are virtually identical. These observations suggest strongly that these ions have identical structures in the gas phase. The structures of argentinated glycine, glycylglycine, and glycylglycylglycine were calculated using density functional theory (DFT) at the B3LYP/DZVP level of theory; they were independently confirmed using HF/ LANL2DZ. For argentinated glycylglycylglycine, the most stable structure is one in which Ag+ is tetracoordinate and attached to the amino nitrogen and the three carbonyl oxygen atoms. Mechanisms are proposed for the fragmentation of this structure to the [b2 + OH + Ag]+ and the [y2 − H + Ag]+ ions that are consistent with all experimental observations and known calculated structures and energetics. The structures of the [b2 − H + Ag]+ and the [a2 − H + Ag]+ ions of glycylglycylglycine were also calculated using DFT. These results confirm earlier suggestions that the [b2 − H + Ag]+ ion is an argentinated oxazolone and the [a2 − H + Ag]+ an argentinated immonium ion.

The [M − nH + mNa](m−n)+ and [M − nH + mK](m−n)+ ions are common in the electrospray mass spectra of proteins and peptides. The feasibility of forming these ions in the gas phase via collision activation and/or ion-molecule reaction is investigated. Sodium and potassium affinities of the N-methylacetamide anion, the acetate anion, and the 1-propanamide anion have been calculated using density functional theory at the B3LYP/6-311+ +G(d,p) level of theory. These anions were chosen as models for the functional groups on a protein or peptide. These affinity values are then used to calculate reaction enthalpies of alkali hydroxides, chlorides, and hydrates with N-methylacetamide, acetic acid, the acetate anion, and 1-propanamine, model reactions that may lead to formation of the [M − nH + mNa](m−n)+ and [M − nH + mK](m−n)+ ions. It is found that a number of these reactions are exothermic or slightly endothermic (ΔH 0 < + 20 kcal/mol) and are accessible after collision activation in the lens region. The potential energy hypersurfaces of model reactions between NaOH and formamide as well as NaCl and formamide show relatively flat surfaces devoid of significant barriers.

Density functional calculations at B3LYP/6-31+G(d) and B3LYP/DZVP are reported for Mg(NH 3 ) n +· , where n = 1–6 and for some solvated ions Mg(NH 3 ) n +· … NH 3 ( n = 1–3, 6). After correction for basis set superposition errors, the enthalpies for sequential addition of NH 3 to Mg +· resulting from direct coordination to the metal are 38.1, 26.6, 21.2, 13.7, 12.1, and 11.3 kcal mol −1 . The free energies for these same addition reactions are all negative, although for complexes with n ≥ 4 the values are very small. Attempts at optimising structures with higher coordination numbers all resulted in the formation of solvated octahedral complexes. Enthalpies for solvation through hydrogen bonding to one of the ligated NH 3 molecules are all less than 16 kcal mol −1 and decrease rapidly as the number of ligated NH 3 molecules increases. Molecular orbital calculations at B3LYP/DZVP have been used to optimise structures for ions Ag(NH 3 ) n + , where n = 1–6. The five-coordinate and six-coordinate structures have very small binding enthalpies (4.3 and 2.6 kcal mol −1 ) and the free energies for formation of these ions are positive. The binding energies for the addition of the first and second NH 3 molecules added to Ag + are 40.1 and 36.1 kcal mol −1 , while those for the third and fourth additions are much smaller (15.1 and 11.0 kcal mol −1 ). Adducts up to n = 3 have been detected in electrospray experiments. The first three adducts of Ag + with NH 3 have been formed in the selected ion flow tube apparatus and multicollision induced dissociation experiments show Ag(NH 3 ) 3 + to have a lower binding enthalpy than both Ag(NH 3 ) 2 + and Ag(NH 3 ) + .

Molecular orbital calculations at B3LYP/6-31++G(d,p) are reported for bases 2-(aminomethyl)-5-oxazolone, 2-(aminomethyl)-4-methyl-5-oxazolone, 2-phenyl-5-oxazolone, and 2-phenyl-4 methyl-5-oxazolone and for the cations formed by protonation of these bases on their imino nitrogens. Structures and relative energies for isomers generated by protonation at each of the four heteroatoms of 2-(aminomethyl)-5-oxazolone are reported. Lithium and silver cations both add to 2-(aminomethyl)-5-oxazolone, but unlike the proton, they bind with two heteroatoms simultaneously. For both the lithiated and argentinated 2-(aminomethyl)-5-oxazolone cations the lowest energy isomers have the metal coordinated with the two nitrogen atoms. Proton affinities of these bases are in the range 217.0-221 kcal mol -1 , with the methyl group at C4 increasing the proton affinity by 3 kcal mol -1 . Single-point calculations were performed at MP4(fc)/6-311++G(2df,p)//B3LYP/6-31++G(d,p) for 2-(aminomethyl)-5-oxazolone, diketopiperazine, glycine, and alanine and their conjugate acids. The proton affinities from this level of theory are lower by as much as 2.7 kcal mol -1 than those calculated at B3LYP/6-31++G(d,p). Enthalpies of formation calculated at B3LYP/6-31++G(d,p) from isodesmic reactions for glycine, alanine, and their conjugate acids are all within 1 kcal mol -1 of the experimental values, but those calculated at MP4 deviate by as much as 4.8 kcal mol -1 . Enthalpies of formation from atomization reactions at the MP4 level are in larger disagreement with experimental values.

The presence of an interacting water or methanol molecule has been shown to catalyze the 1,3-proton shift in a peptide linkage between the tautomers of protonated formamide and glycylglycylglycine. Density functional theory calculations at the B3LYP/6-31++G(d,p) level of theory show that, for glycylglycylglycine, the forward barrier of this shift decreases from a free energy at 298 K of 39.6 kcal/mol in the absence of solvent to 26.7 kcal/mol in the presence of water and to 22.0 kcal/mol in the presence of methanol. Protonation at the amide nitrogen of the second residue results in a large increase in the C -N bond distance from 1.336 to 1.519 A, whereas protonation at the carbonyl oxygen leads to a decrease in the C-N bond distance from 1.336 to 1.321 A. Solvent-catalyzed tautomerism may play an important role in the fragmentation of electrosprayed, protonated peptides in the gas phase.

The complexation of the Pt-based anti-cancer drug oxaliplatin (OxPt) with biological ligands other than DNA is believed to be a major cellular sink for the drug reducing its therapeutic potential and acting as a potential cause of toxicity. In this paper, the very first hypothesis driven investigation of the role of the naturally abundant cytoplasmic dipeptide ligand β-alanyl-l-histidine dipeptide (carnosine) in OxPt detoxification is presented. In vitro studies on hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cells suggest that carnosine may inhibit the cytotoxic action of OxPt most likely through the formation of complexes that are less cytotoxic than OxPt alone. Evidence is provided to suggest that pre-exposure of HepG2 cells to elevated levels of carnosine appears to have a lasting effect on reducing the cytotoxicity of OxPt even after the removal of the externally added carnosine. This effect, however, is likely under kinetic control as its magnitude was shown not to vary significantly with the level of carnosine exposure within the concentration range used in this study. Various mass spectrometry techniques employing electrospray ionization and chip nanospray were employed to study the interaction of oxaliplatin with carnosine as well as two of its derivatives β-alanyl-N-methylhistidine (anserine) and N-acetylcarnosine (NAC). Evidence of complexation between OxPt and each of the three ligands examined is presented. Most species observed were unambiguously assigned and compared to their theoretical isotopic patterns. Common fragmentation products due to the collisionally-activated protonated complexes of each of the ligands examined with OxPt, [M + OxPt + H](+), where M = carnosine, anserine or NAC, were reported. Density functional calculations at the B3LYP/LANL2DZ level were used to obtain structural information and relative free energies of different isomers of the observed precursor [Carnosine + OxPt + H](+) both in the gas phase and in solution as well as to probe its fragmentation, highlighting plausible fragmentation mechanisms that account for all the experimental results. Data are presented to show several binding modes between electron rich sites such as N and O centers of carnosine and the Pt metal of OxPt. Calculations were also employed to obtain proton affinities and free energies of key reactions. The proton affinities of carnosine, anserine and NAC at 298 K were calculated to be 254.4, 255.9 and 250.2 kcal mol(-1) respectively. To the best of our knowledge the proton affinities of anserine and N-acetyl-carnosine are the first reported values in the literature.

Collision-induced dissociation experiments on the Ag+–phenylalanine complex using several collision energies were shown to yield ten different fragment ions. Unambiguous assignment of these fragment ions were made by careful analysis of deuterium labeling experiments. The losses of H2O, CO, CO2, and AgH were commonly observed; also encountered were the losses of H2, Ag, and H. Deuterium labeling experiments and density functional calculations have been employed to probe fragmentation mechanisms that account for all experimental results.