• Mass Spectrometry Letters
• /
• v.13 no.4
• /
• pp.95-105
• /
• 2022

Amatoxin-induced mushroom poisoning starts with nonspecific symptoms of toxicity but hepatic damage may follow, resulting in the rapid development of liver insufficiency and, ultimately, coma and death. Accurate detection of amatoxins, such as α-, β-, and γ-amanitin, within the first few hours after presentation is necessary to improve the therapeutic outcomes of patients. Therefore, analytical methods for the identification and quantification of α-, β-, and γ-amanitin in biological samples are necessary for clinical and forensic toxicology. This study presents a literature review of the analytical techniques available for amatoxin detection in biological matrices, and established an inventory of liquid chromatography (LC) techniques with mass spectrometry (MS), ultraviolet (UV) detection, and electrochemical detection (ECD). LC-MS methods using quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry, time-of-flight mass spectrometry, and orbitrap MS are powerful analytical techniques for the identification and determination of amatoxins in plasma, urine, serum, and tissue samples, with high sensitivity, specificity, and reproducibility compared to LC with UV and ECD, enzyme-linked immunoassay, and capillary electrophoresis methods.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.33 no.1
• /
• pp.114-122
• /
• 2023

A family of signal transduction pathways known as wingless type (Wnt) signaling pathways is essential to developmental processes like cell division and proliferation. Mutation in Wnt signaling results in a variety of diseases, including cancers of the breast, colon, and skin, metabolic disease, and neurodegenerative disease; thus, the Wnt signaling pathways have been attractive targets for disease treatment. However, the complicatedness and large involveness of the pathway often hampers pinpointing the specific targets of the metabolic process. In our current study, we investigated the differential metabolic regulation by the overexpression of the Wnt signaling pathway in a timely-resolved manner by applying high-throughput and un-targeted metabolite profiling. We have detected and annotated 321 metabolite peaks from a total of 36 human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cells using GC-TOF MS and LC-Orbitrap MS. The un-targeted metabolomic analysis identified the radical reprogramming of a range of central carbon/nitrogen metabolism pathways, including glycolysis, TCA cycle, and glutaminolysis, and fatty acid pathways. The investigation, combined with targeted mRNA profiles, elucidated an explicit understanding of activated fatty acid metabolism (β-oxidation and biosynthesis). The findings proposed detailed mechanistic biochemical dynamics in response to Wnt-driven metabolic changes, which may help design precise therapeutic targets for Wnt-related diseases.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.33 no.10
• /
• pp.1317-1328
• /
• 2023

Green tea (GT) polyphenols undergo extensive metabolism within gastrointestinal tract (GIT), where their derivatives compounds potentially modulate the gut microbiome. This biotransformation process involves a cascade of exclusive gut microbial enzymes which chemically modify the GT polyphenols influencing both their bioactivity and bioavailability in host. Herein, we examined the in vitro interactions between 37 different human gut microbiota and the GT polyphenols. UHPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap-MS/MS analysis of the culture broth extracts unravel that genera Adlercreutzia, Eggerthella and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum KACC11451 promoted C-ring opening reaction in GT catechins. In addition, L. plantarum also hydrolyzed catechin galloyl esters to produce gallic acid and pyrogallol, and also converted flavonoid glycosides to their aglycone derivatives. Biotransformation of GT polyphenols into derivative compounds enhanced their antioxidant bioactivities in culture broth extracts. Considering the effects of GT polyphenols on specific growth rates of gut bacteria, we noted that GT polyphenols and their derivate compounds inhibited most species in phylum Actinobacteria, Bacteroides, and Firmicutes except genus Lactobacillus. The present study delineates the likely mechanisms involved in the metabolism and bioavailability of GT polyphenols upon exposure to gut microbiota. Further, widening this workflow to understand the metabolism of various other dietary polyphenols can unravel their biotransformation mechanisms and associated functions in human GIT.

• Mass Spectrometry Letters
• /
• v.8 no.4
• /
• pp.109-113
• /
• 2017

Single analytical procedure including extraction, liquid chromatography, and mass spectrometric analysis was evaluated for the simultaneous measurement of lysophospholipids (LPLs). LPLs, particularly, lysophosphatidic acids (LPA) and sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) are lipid messengers ubiquitously found in various biological matrix. The molecular species mediate important physiological roles in association with many diseases (e.g. cancer, inflammation, and neurodegenerative disease), which emphasize the significance of the simple and reliable analytical method for biomarker discovery and molecular mechanistic understanding. Thus, we developed analytical method mainly focusing on, but not limited by those lipid species S1P and LPA using reverse phase liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (RPLC-ESI-MS-MS). Extraction method was modified based on Folch method with optimally minimal level of ionization additive (ammonium formate 10 mM and formic acid). Reverse-phase liquid-chromatography was applied for chromatographical separation in combination with negative ionization mode electrospray-coupled Orbitrap mass spectrometry. The method validation was performed on human blood plasma in a non-targeted lipid profiling manner with full-scan MS mode and data-dependent MS/MS. The proposed method presented good inter-assay precision for primary targets, S1P and LPA. Subsequent analysis of other types of LPLs identified a broad range of lysophosphatidylcholines (LPCs) and lysophosphatidyl-ethanolamines (LPEs).

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
• /
• v.28 no.1
• /
• pp.21-28
• /
• 2020

Background: Owing to its high efficiency in lipid and protein production, peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is considered one of most important crops world-wide. The kernels of peanuts are undoubtedly the most important product this plant, whereas the skin is almost completely neglected in nutraceutical terms. However, peanut skin contains potentially health-promoting phenolics and dietary fiber, and there is considerable potential for commercial exploitation. In this study, we evaluated the α-glucosidase inhibitory activity of an extract of peanut skin (PS). Methods and Results: The α-glucosidase inhibitory effects of 80% ethanol extracts of peanut (A. hypogaea L. 'Sinpalkwang') skin were evaluated and found to have a half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) value of 1.2 ㎍/㎖. Progress curves for enzyme reactions were recorded spectrophotometrically, and the inhibition kinetics revealed time-dependent inhibition with enzyme isomerization. Furthermore, using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography combined with quadrupole-orbitrap mass spectrometry, we identified 26 compounds in the peanut skin extract, namely, catechin, epicatechin, and 24 proanthocyanidins. Conclusions: The results suggest that peanut skin can be utilized as an effective source of α-glucosidase inhibition in functional foods and nutraceuticals.

• Mass Spectrometry Letters
• /
• v.7 no.4
• /
• pp.111-115
• /
• 2016

Glycerol was identified and isolated from endogenous interferences during analysis of human urine using high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) for doping control. Urinary sample preparation was simple; the samples were diluted with an organic solvent and then analyzed using a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry ("dilute and shoot" method). Although the interfering ion peaks were observed at the similar retention time of glycerol, the inference could be identified by isolation with HRMS and further investigation. Thus, creatinine was identified as the endogenous interference for glycerol analysis and it also caused ion suppression resulting in the decrease of glycerol signal. This study reports the first identification and efficient isolation of endogenous interferences in human urine for "dilute and shoot" method. The information about ion suppression could be novel to prevent overestimation or a false result for antidoping analysis.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.14 no.2
• /
• pp.915-921
• /
• 2013

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the leading causes of mortalities worldwide. The search for new therapeutic targets is of utmost importance for improved treatment. Altered expression of HDAC1 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and its requirement for liver formation in zebrafish, suggest that it may regulate key events in liver carcinogenesis and organogenesis. However, molecular mechanisms of HDAC1 action in liver carcinogenesis are largely unknown. The present study was conducted to identify HDAC1 interacting proteins in HepG2 cells using modified SH-double-affinity purification coupled with liquid mass spectrophotemetery. Materials and Methods: HepG2 cells were transfected with a construct containing HDAC1 with a C-terminal strepIII-HA tag as bait. Bait proteins were confirmed to be expressed in HepG2 cells by western blotting and purified by double affinity columns and protein complexes for analysis on a Thermo LTQ Orbitrap XL using a C18 nano flow ESI liquid chromatography system. Results: There were 27 proteins which showed novel interactions with HDAC1 identified only in this study, while 14 were among the established interactors. Various subunits of T complex proteins (TCP1) and prefoldin proteins (PFDN) were identified as interacting partners that showed high affinity with HDAC1 in HepG2 cells. Conclusions: The double affinity purification method adopted in this study was very successful in terms of specificity and reproducibility. The novel HDAC1 complex identified in this study could be better therapeutic target for treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
• /
• v.44 no.5
• /
• pp.680-689
• /
• 2020

Background: Peptides have diverse and important physiological roles in plants and are ideal markers for species identification. It is unclear whether there are specific peptides in Panax quinquefolius L. (PQ). The aims of this study were to identify Quinetides, a series of diverse posttranslational modified native peptides of the ribonuclease-like storage protein (ginseng major protein), from PQ to explore novel peptide markers and develop a new method to distinguish PQ from Panax ginseng. Methods: We used different fragmentation modes in the LTQ Orbitrap analysis to identify the enriched Quinetide targets of PQ, and we discovered Quinetide markers of PQ and P. ginseng using ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry analysis. These "peptide markers" were validated by simultaneously monitoring Rf and F11 as standard ginsenosides. Results: We discovered 100 Quinetides of PQ with various post-translational modifications (PTMs), including a series of glycopeptides, all of which originated from the protein ginseng major protein. We effectively distinguished PQ from P. ginseng using new "peptide markers." Four unique peptides (Quinetides TP6 and TP7 as markers of PQ and Quinetides TP8 and TP9 as markers of P. ginseng) and their associated glycosylation products were discovered in PQ and P. ginseng. Conclusion: We provide specific information on PQ peptides and propose the clinical application of peptide markers to distinguish PQ from P. ginseng.

• Mass Spectrometry Letters
• /
• v.5 no.3
• /
• pp.63-69
• /
• 2014

In this study, we present a new isotope-coded carbamidomethylation (iCCM)-based quantitative proteomics, as a complementary strategy for conventional isotope labeling strategies, with providing the simplicity, ease of use, and robustness. In iCCM-based quantification, two proteome samples can be separately isotope-labeled by means of covalently reaction of all cysteinyl residues in proteins with iodoacetamide (IAA) and its isotope (IAA-$^{13}C_2$, $D_2$), denoted as CM and iCCM, respectively, leading to a mass shift of all cysteinyl residues to be + 4 Da. To evaluate iCCM-based isotope labeling in proteomic quantification, 6 protein standards (i.e., bovine serum albumin, serotransferrin, lysozyme, beta-lactoglobulin, beta-galactosidase, and alpha-lactalbumin) isotopically labeled with IAA and its isotope, mixed equally, and followed by proteolytic digestion. The resulting CM-/iCCM-labeled peptide mixtures were analyzed using a nLC-ESI-FT orbitrap-MS/MS. From our experimental results, we found that the efficiency of iCCM-based quantification is more superior to that of mTRAQ, as a conventional nonisobaric labeling method, in which both of a number of identified peptides from 6 protein standards and the less quantitative variations in the relative abundance ratios of heavy-/light-labeled corresponding peptide pairs. Finally, we applied the developed iCCM-based quantitative method to lung cancer serum proteome in order to evaluate the potential in biomarker discovery study.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
• /
• v.47 no.1
• /
• pp.54-64
• /
• 2023

Background: Panax ginseng Meyer (P. ginseng) is a traditional natural/herbal medicine. The amelioration on inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) activity rely mainly on its main active ingredients that are referred to as ginsenosides. However, the current literature on gut microbiota, gut microbiota-host co-metabolites, and systems pharmacology has no studies investigating the effects of ginsenoside on IBD. Methods: The present study was aimed to investigate the role of ginsenosides and the possible underlying mechanisms in the treatment of IBD in an acetic acid-induced rat model by integrating metagenomics, metabolomics, and complex biological networks analysis. In the study ten ginsenosides in the ginsenoside fraction (GS) were identified using Q-Orbitrap LC-MS. Results: The results demonstrated the improvement effect of GS on IBD and the regulation effect of ginsenosides on gut microbiota and its co-metabolites. It was revealed that 7 endogenous metabolites, including acetic acid, butyric acid, citric acid, tryptophan, histidine, alanine, and glutathione, could be utilized as significant biomarkers of GS in the treatment of IBD. Furthermore, the biological network studies revealed EGFR, STAT3, and AKT1, which belong mainly to the glycolysis and pentose phosphate pathways, as the potential targets for GS for intervening in IBD. Conclusion: These findings indicated that the combination of genomics, metabolomics, and biological network analysis could assist in elucidating the possible mechanism underlying the role of ginsenosides in alleviating inflammatory bowel disease and thereby reveal the pathological process of ginsenosides in IBD treatment through the regulation of the disordered host-flora co-metabolism pathway.