Journal of Pharmaceutical Analysis

2022, 12(6): ii-ii. doi: 10.1016/S2095-1779(22)00109-5

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Potential use of a dried saliva spot (DSS) in therapeutic drug monitoring and disease diagnosis

Yu Han, Xi-Ling Li, Minghui Zhang, Jing Wang, Su Zeng, Jun Zhe Min

2022, 12(6): 815-823. doi: 10.1016/j.jpha.2021.11.001

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In recent years, scientific researchers have increasingly become interested in noninvasive sampling methods for therapeutic drug monitoring and disease diagnosis. As a result, dried saliva spot (DSS), which is a sampling technique for collecting dried saliva samples, has been widely used as an alternative matrix to serum for the detection of target molecules. Coupling the DSS method with a highly sensitive detection instrument improves the efficiency of the preparation and analysis of biological samples. Furthermore, dried blood spots, dried plasma spots, and dried matrix spots, which are similar to those of the DSS method, are discussed. Compared with alternative biological fluids used in dried spot methods, including serum, tears, urine, and plasma, saliva has the advantage of convenience in terms of sample collection from children or persons with disabilities. This review aims to provide integral strategies and guidelines for dried spot methods to analyze biological samples by illustrating several dried spot methods. Herein, we summarize recent advancements in DSS methods from June 2014 to March 2021 and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the key aspects of this method, including sample preparation and method validation. Finally, we outline the challenges and prospects of such methods in practical applications.

Rabdosia serra alleviates dextran sulfate sodium salt-induced colitis in mice through anti-inflammation, regulating Th17/Treg balance, maintaining intestinal barrier integrity, and modulating gut microbiota

Hongyi Li, Yi Wang, Shumin Shao, Hui Yu, Deqin Wang, Chuyuan Li, Qin Yuan, Wen Liu, Jiliang Cao, Xiaojuan Wang, Haibiao Guo, Xu Wu, Shengpeng Wang

2022, 12(6): 824-838. doi: 10.1016/j.jpha.2022.08.001

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Rabdosia serra (R. serra), an important component of Chinese herbal tea, has traditionally been used to treat hepatitis, jaundice, cholecystitis, and colitis. However, the chemical composition of R. serra and its effect against colitis remain unclear. In this study, the chemical composition of the water extract of R. serra was analyzed using ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled with a hybrid linear ion trap quadrupole-orbitrap mass spectrometer (UPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap-MS). A total of 46 compounds, comprising ent-kaurane diterpenoids, flavonoids, phenolic acids, and steroids, were identified in the water extract of R. serra, and the extract could significantly alleviate dextran sulfate sodium salt-induced colitis by improving colon length, upregulating anti-inflammatory factors, downregulating proinflammatory factors, and restoring the balance of T helper 17/T regulatory cells. R. serra also preserved intestinal barrier function by increasing the level of tight junction proteins (zonula occludens 1 and occludin) in mouse colonic tissue. In addition, R. serra modulated the gut microbiota composition by increasing bacterial richness and diversity, increasing the abundance of beneficial bacteria (Muribaculaceae, Bacteroides, Lactobacillus, and Prevotellaceae_UCG-001), and decreasing the abundance of pathogenic bacteria (Turicibacter, Eubacterium_fissicatena_group, and Eubacterium_xylanophilum_group). Gut microbiota depletion by antibiotics further confirmed that R. serra alleviated colitis in a microbiota-dependent manner. Overall, our findings provide chemical and biological evidence for the potential application of R. serra in the management of colitis.

Identification of potential anti-pneumonia pharmacological components of Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma after the treatment with Gan An He Ji oral liquid

Xiaojuan Jiang, Yihua Lin, Yunlong Wu, Caixia Yuan, Xuli Lang, Jiayun Chen, Chunyan Zhu, Xinyi Yang, Yu Huang, Hao Wang, Caisheng Wu

2022, 12(6): 839-851. doi: 10.1016/j.jpha.2022.07.004

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Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma, a traditional Chinese medicine also known as Gan Cao (GC), is frequently included in clinical prescriptions for the treatment of pneumonia. However, the pharmacological components of GC for pneumonia treatment are rarely explored. Gan An He Ji oral liquid (GAHJ) has a simple composition and contains GC liquid extracts and paregoric, and has been used clinically for many years. Therefore, GAHJ was selected as a compound preparation for the study of GC in the treatment of pneumonia. We conducted an in vivo study of patients with pneumonia undergoing GAHJ treatments for three days. Using the intelligent mass spectrometry data-processing technologies to analyze the metabolism of GC in vivo, we obtained 168 related components of GC in humans, consisting of 24 prototype components and 144 metabolites, with 135 compounds screened in plasma and 82 in urine. After analysis of the metabolic transformation relationship and relative exposure, six components (liquiritin, liquiritigenin, glycyrrhizin, glycyrrhetinic acid, daidzin, and formononetin) were selected as potential effective components. The experimental results based on two animal pneumonia models and the inflammatory cell model showed that the mixture of these six components was effective in the treatment of pneumonia and lung injury and could effectively downregulate the level of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). Interestingly, glycyrrhetinic acid exhibited the strongest inhibition on iNOS and the highest exposure in vivo. The following molecular dynamic simulations indicated a strong bond between glycyrrhetinic acid and iNOS. Thus, the current study provides a pharmaceutical basis for GC and reveals the possible corresponding mechanisms in pneumonia treatment.

LC-MS/MS method for the quantitation of serum tocilizumab in rheumatoid arthritis patients using rapid tryptic digestion without IgG purification

Takashi Mochizuki, Kaito Shibata, Takafumi Naito, Kumiko Shimoyama, Noriyoshi Ogawa, Masato Maekawa, Junichi Kawakami

2022, 12(6): 852-859. doi: 10.1016/j.jpha.2022.08.003

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The quantitation of serum tocilizumab using liquid chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method has not been widely applied in clinical settings because of its time-consuming and costly sample pretreatments. The present study aimed to develop a validated LC-MS/MS method for detecting serum tocilizumab by utilizing immobilized trypsin without an immunoglobulin G purification step and evaluate its applicability in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients administered intravenously or subcutaneously with tocilizumab. The tocilizumab-derived signature peptide was deciphered using a nano-LC system coupled to a hybrid quadrupole-orbitrap mass spectrometer. The serum tocilizumab was rapidly digested by immobilized trypsin for 30 min. The chromatographic peak of the signature peptide and that of the internal standard were separated from the serum digests for a total run time of 15 min. The calibration curve of serum tocilizumab concentration was linear with a range of 2–200 μg/mL. The intra- and inter-day accuracy and relative standard deviation (RSD) were 90.7%–109.4% and <10%, respectively. The serum tocilizumab concentrations in the RA patients receiving intravenous and subcutaneous injections were 5.8–28.9 and 2.4–63.5 μg/mL, respectively. The serum tocilizumab concentrations using the current method positively correlated with those using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, although a systematic error was observed between these methods. In conclusion, a validated LC-MS/MS method with minimal sample pretreatments for monitoring serum tocilizumab concentrations in RA patients was developed.

Development of a radiolabeled site-specific single-domain antibody positron emission tomography probe for monitoring PD-L1 expression in cancer

Yinfei Chen, Shiyu Zhu, Jiayu Fu, Jianguo Lin, Yan Sun, Gaochao Lv, Minhao Xie, Tao Xu, Ling Qiu

2022, 12(6): 869-878. doi: 10.1016/j.jpha.2022.09.001

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Despite advances in immunotherapy for the treatment of cancers, not all patients can benefit from programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) immune checkpoint blockade therapy. Anti-PD-L1 therapeutic effects reportedly correlate with the PD-L1 expression level; hence, accurate detection of PD-L1 expression can guide immunotherapy to achieve better therapeutic effects. Therefore, based on the high affinity antibody Nb109, a new site-specifically radiolabeled tracer, ⁶⁸Ga-NODA-cysteine, aspartic acid, and valine (CDV)-Nb109, was designed and synthesized to accurately monitor PD-L1 expression. The tracer ⁶⁸Ga-NODA-CDV-Nb109 was obtained using a site-specific conjugation strategy with a radiochemical yield of about 95% and radiochemical purity of 97%. It showed high affinity for PD-L1 with a dissociation constant of 12.34 ± 1.65 nM. Both the cell uptake assay and positron emission tomography (PET) imaging revealed higher tracer uptake in PD-L1-positive A375-hPD-L1 and U87 tumor cells than in PD-L1-negative A375 tumor cells. Meanwhile, dynamic PET imaging of a NCI-H1299 xenograft indicated that doxorubicin could upregulate PD-L1 expression, allowing timely interventional immunotherapy. In conclusion, this tracer could sensitively and dynamically monitor changes in PD-L1 expression levels in different cancers and help screen patients who can benefit from anti-PD-L1 immunotherapy.

A highly efficient protein corona-based proteomic analysis strategy for the discovery of pharmacodynamic biomarkers

Yuqing Meng, Jiayun Chen, Yanqing Liu, Yongping Zhu, Yin-Kwan Wong, Haining Lyu, Qiaoli Shi, Fei Xia, Liwei Gu, Xinwei Zhang, Peng Gao, Huan Tang, Qiuyan Guo, Chong Qiu, Chengchao Xu, Xiao He, Junzhe Zhang, Jigang Wang

2022, 12(6): 879-888. doi: 10.1016/j.jpha.2022.07.002

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The composition of serum is extremely complex, which complicates the discovery of new pharmacodynamic biomarkers via serum proteome for disease prediction and diagnosis. Recently, nanoparticles have been reported to efficiently reduce the proportion of high-abundance proteins and enrich low-abundance proteins in serum. Here, we synthesized a silica-coated iron oxide nanoparticle and developed a highly efficient and reproducible protein corona (PC)-based proteomic analysis strategy to improve the range of serum proteomic analysis. We identified 1,070 proteins with a median coefficient of variation of 12.56% using PC-based proteomic analysis, which was twice the number of proteins identified by direct digestion. There were also more biological processes enriched with these proteins. We applied this strategy to identify more pharmacodynamic biomarkers on collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) rat model treated with methotrexate (MTX). The bioinformatic results indicated that 485 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were found in CIA rats, of which 323 DEPs recovered to near normal levels after treatment with MTX. This strategy can not only help enhance our understanding of the mechanisms of disease and drug action through serum proteomics studies, but also provide more pharmacodynamic biomarkers for disease prediction, diagnosis, and treatment.

Metabolomic and elemental profiling of blood serum in bladder cancer

Krzysztof Ossoliński, Tomasz Ruman, Valérie Copié, Brian P. Tripet, Leonardo B. Nogueira, Katiane O.P.C. Nogueira, Artur Kołodziej, Aneta Płaza-Altamer, Anna Ossolińska, Tadeusz Ossoliński, Joanna Nizioł

2022, 12(6): 889-900. doi: 10.1016/j.jpha.2022.08.004

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Bladder cancer (BC) is one of the most frequently diagnosed types of urinary cancer. Despite advances in treatment methods, no specific biomarkers are currently in use. Targeted and untargeted profiling of metabolites and elements of human blood serum from 100 BC patients and the same number of normal controls (NCs), with external validation, was attempted using three analytical methods, i.e., nuclear magnetic resonance, gold and silver-109 nanoparticle-based laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (LDI-MS), and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). All results were subjected to multivariate statistical analysis. Four potential serum biomarkers of BC, namely, isobutyrate, pyroglutamate, choline, and acetate, were quantified with proton nuclear magnetic resonance, which had excellent predictive ability as judged by the area under the curve (AUC) value of 0.999. Two elements, Li and Fe, were also found to distinguish between cancer and control samples, as judged from ICP-OES data and AUC of 0.807 (in validation set). Twenty-five putatively identified compounds, mostly related to glycans and lipids, differentiated BC from NCs, as detected using LDI-MS. Five serum metabolites were found to discriminate between tumor grades and nine metabolites between tumor stages. The results from three different analytical platforms demonstrate that the identified distinct serum metabolites and metal elements have potential to be used for noninvasive detection, staging, and grading of BC.

Tumor-targeting intravenous lipid emulsion of paclitaxel: Characteristics, stability, toxicity, and toxicokinetics

Jun Ye, Lin Li, Jiye Yin, Hongliang Wang, Renjie Li, Yanfang Yang, Yongbiao Guan, Xuejun Xia, Yuling Liu

2022, 12(6): 901-912. doi: 10.1016/j.jpha.2022.08.002

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Lipid nanoemulsions are promising nanodrug delivery carriers that can improve the efficacy and safety of paclitaxel (PTX). However, no intravenous lipid emulsion of PTX has been approved for clinical treatment, and systemic safety profiles have not yet been reported. Here we outline the development of a PTX-loaded tumor-targeting intravenous lipid emulsion (PTX Emul) and describe its characteristics, colloidal stability, and systemic safety profiles in terms of acute toxicity, long-term toxicity, and toxicokinetics. We also compare PTX Emul with conventional PTX injection. Results showed that PTX Emul exhibited an ideal average particle size (approximately 160 nm) with narrow size distribution and robust colloidal stability under different conditions. Hypersensitivity reaction and hemolysis tests revealed that PTX Emul did not induce hypersensitivity reactions and had no hemolytic potential. In addition, where the alleviated systemic toxicity of PTX Emul may be attributed to the altered toxicokinetic characteristics in beagle dogs, including the decreased AUC and increased plasma clearance and volume of distribution, PTX Emul alleviated acute and long-term toxicity as evidenced by the enhanced the median lethal dose and approximate lethal dose, moderate body weight change, decreased bone marrow suppression and organ toxicity compared with those under PTX injection at the same dose. A fundamental understanding of the systemic safety profiles, high tumor-targeting efficiency, and superior antitumor activity in vivo of PTX Emul can provide powerful evidence of its therapeutic potential as a future treatment for breast cancer.

Fluorescent aptasensor for detection of live foodborne pathogens based on multicolor perovskite-quantum-dot-encoded DNA probes and dual-stirring-bar-assisted signal amplification

Liu Liu, Juncheng Hong, Wenhai Wang, Shu Xiao, Hongzhen Xie, Qiqin Wang, Ning Gan

2022, 12(6): 913-922. doi: 10.1016/j.jpha.2022.07.001

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In this study, a fluorescent (FL) aptasensor was developed for on-site detection of live Salmonella typhimurium (S.T.) and Vibrio parahaemolyticus (V.P.). Complementary DNA (cDNA) of aptamer (Apt)-functionalized multicolor polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane-perovskite quantum dots (cDNA-POSS-PQDs) were used as encoded probes and combined with dual-stirring-bar-assisted signal amplification for pathogen quantification. In this system, bar 1 was labeled with the S.T. and V.P. Apts, and then bar 2 was functionalized with cDNA-POSS-PQDs. When S.T. and V.P. were introduced, pathogen-Apt complexes would form and be released into the supernatant from bar 1. Under agitation, the two complexes reached bar 2 and subsequently reacted with cDNA-POSS-PQDs, which were immobilized on MXene. Then, the encoded probes would be detached from bar 2 to generate FL signals in the supernatant. Notably, the pathogens can resume their free state and initiate next cycle. They swim between the two bars, and the FL signals can be gradually enhanced to maximum after several cycles. The FL signals from released encoded probes can be used to detect the analytes. In particular, live pathogens can be distinguished from dead ones by using an assay. The detection limits and linear range for S.T. and V.P. were 30 and 10 CFU/mL and 10²–10⁶ CFU/mL, respectively. Therefore, this assay has broad application potential for simultaneous on-site detection of various live pathogenic bacteria in water.

Peptide-RNA complexation-induced fluorescence “turn on” displacement assay for the recognition of small ligands targeting HIV-1 RNA

Liang Qi, Jiayun Zhang, Ying Gao, Pin Gong, Chengyuan Liang, Yao Su, Qiao Zeng, Yafeng Zhang

2022, 12(6): 923-928. doi: 10.1016/j.jpha.2022.07.003

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The regulator of expression of virion (Rev) protein binds specifically to the Rev-responsive element (RRE) RNA in order to regulate the expression of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 genes. Fluorescence indicator displacement assays have been used to identify ligands that can inhibit the Rev–RRE interaction; however, the small fluorescence indicators cannot fully replace the Rev peptide or protein. As a result, a single rhodamine B labeled Rev (RB-Rev) model peptide was utilized in this study to develop a direct and efficient Rev–RRE inhibitor screening model. Due to photon-induced electron transfer quenching of the tryptophan residue on the RB fluorophore, the fluorescence of RB in Rev was weakened and could be dramatically reactivated by interaction with RRE RNA in ammonium acetate buffer (approximately six times). The interaction could reduce the electron transfer between tryptophan and RB, and RRE could also increase RB fluorescence. The inhibitor screening model was evaluated using three known positive Rev–RRE inhibitors, namely, proflavin, 6-chloro-9-[3-(2-chloroethylamino)propylamino]-2-methoxyacridine (ICR 191), and neomycin, as well as a negative drug, arginine. With the addition of the positive drugs, the fluorescence of the Rev–RRE decreased, indicating the displacement of RB-Rev. This was confirmed using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and the fluorescence was essentially unaffected by the addition of arginine. The results demonstrated that RB-Rev can be used as a fluorescent probe for recognizing small ligands that target RRE RNA. The Rev–RRE inhibitor screening model offers a novel approach to evaluating and identifying long-acting Rev inhibitors.

Development of a surface plasmon resonance biosensor for accurate and sensitive quantitation of small molecules in blood samples

Minyu Qi, Diya Lv, Ying Zhang, Dongyao Wang, Xiaofei Chen, Zhenyu Zhu, Zhanying Hong, Yifeng Chai, Hai Zhang, Yan Cao

2022, 12(6): 929-936. doi: 10.1016/j.jpha.2022.06.003

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Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) has played an important role in clinical medicine for precise dosing. Currently, chromatographic technology and immunoassay detection are widely used in TDM and have met most of the needs of clinical drug therapy. However, some problems still exist in practical applications, such as complicated operation and the influence of endogenous substances. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) has been applied to detect the concentrations of small molecules, including pesticide residues in crops and antibiotics in milk, which indicates its potential for in vivo drug detection. In this study, a new SPR-based biosensor for detecting chloramphenicol (CAP) in blood samples was developed and validated using methodological verification, including precision, accuracy, matrix effect, and extraction recovery rate, and compared with the classic ultra-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet (UPLC-UV) method. The detection range of SPR was 0.1–50 ng/mL and the limit of detection was 0.099 ± 0.023 ng/mL, which was lower than that of UPLC-UV. The intra-day and inter-day accuracies of SPR were 98%–114% and 110%–122%, which met the analysis requirement. The results show that the SPR biosensor is identical to UPLC-UV in the detection of CAP in rat blood samples; moreover, the SPR biosensor has better sensitivity. Therefore, the present study shows that SPR technology can be used for the detection of small molecules in the blood samples and has the potential to become a method for therapeutic drug monitoring.

Discovery of pulmonary fibrosis inhibitor targeting TGF-β RI in Polygonum cuspidatum by high resolution mass spectrometry with in silico strategy

Huarong Xu, Jiameng Qu, Jian Wang, Kefei Han, Qing Li, Wenchuan Bi, Ran Liu

2022, 12(6): 860-868. doi: 10.1016/j.jpha.2020.05.007

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Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is an irreversible lung disease that is characterized by excessive scar tissue with a poor median survival rate of 2–3 years. The inhibition of transforming growth factor-β receptor type-I (TGF-β RI) by an appropriate drug may provide a promising strategy for the treatment of this disease. Polygonum cuspidatum (PC) is a well-known traditional Chinese herbal medicine which has an anti-PF effect. Accordingly, a combination of high resolution mass spectrometry with an in silico strategy was developed as a new method to search for potential chemical ingredients of PC that target the TGF-β RI. Based on this strategy, a total of 24 ingredients were identified. Then, absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME)-related properties were subsequently predicted to exclude compounds with potentially undesirable pharmacokinetics behaviour. Molecular docking studies on TGF-β RI were adopted to discover new PF inhibitors. Eventually, a compound that exists in PC known as resveratrol was proven to have excellent biological activity on TGF-β RI, with an IC₅₀ of 2.211 μM in vitro. Furthermore, the complex formed through molecular docking was tested via molecular dynamics simulations, which revealed that resveratrol had strong interactions with residues of TGF-β RI. This study revealed that resveratrol has significant potential as a treatment for PF due to its ability to target TGF-β RI. In addition, this research demonstrated the exploration of natural products with excellent biological activities toward specific targets via high resolution mass spectrometry in combination with in silico technology is a promising strategy for the discovery of novel drugs.

Corrigendum to “The potential of miRNA-based therapeutics in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection: A review” [J. Pharma. Anal. 11 (2021) 265–271]

Leonny Dwi Rizkita, Indwiani Astuti

2022, 12(6): 937-937. doi: 10.1016/j.jpha.2022.11.001

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2022 Vol. 12, No. 6