39K nuclear magnetic resonance and a mathematical model of K+ transport in human erythrocytes

Statistical Correlation and Projection Methods for Improved Information Recovery from Diffusion-Edited NMR Spectra of Biological Samples

Although NMR spectroscopic techniques coupled with multivariate statistics can yield much useful information for classifying biological samples based on metabolic profiles, biomarker identification remains a time-consuming and complex procedure involving separation methods, two-dimensional NMR, and other spectroscopic tools. We present a new approach to aid complex biomixture analysis that combines diffusion ordered (DO) NMR spectroscopy with statistical total correlation spectroscopy (STOCSY) and demonstrate its application in the characterization of urinary biomarkers and enhanced information recovery from plasma NMR spectra. This method relies on calculation and display of the covariance of signal intensities from the various nuclei on the same molecule across a series of spectra collected under different pulsed field gradient conditions that differentially attenuate the signal intensities according to translational molecular diffusion rates. We term this statistical diffusion-ordered spectroscopy (S-DOSY). We also have developed a new visualization tool in which the apparent diffusion coefficients from DO spectra are projected onto a 1D NMR spectrum (diffusion-ordered projection spectroscopy, DOPY). Both methods either alone or in combination have the potential for general applications to any complex mixture analysis where the sample contains compounds with a range of diffusion coefficients.

Oxidation-induced calcium-dependent dehydration of normal human red blood cells

Phenazine-methosulphate (PMS) is a strong oxidant that induces reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation in cells. Though it has been shown that PMS increases the red blood cell (RBC) membrane permeability to K(+), the hypotheses on the mechanism of PMS-induced effects are contradictory and there are no data on volume changes induced by this oxidant. Therefore, the influence of the PMS + ascorbate oxidative system on the volume of normal human RBCs was studied. In a Ca(2 + )-containing medium, PMS + ascorbate caused dehydration (shrinking) of RBCs judged by: (1) changes in the density and osmotic resistance distributions of RBCs, and (2) a decrease in their low-angle scattering assessed by FACS analysis. The dehydration resulted from activation of the Gardos channels, was PMS and ascorbate concentration-dependent, was associated with broadening of the density and osmotic resistance distributions of the RBCs, and decreased in the presence of the taxifolin and rutin antioxidants. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the physiology and pathology of oxidatively-modified RBCs and may be of practical significance in estimating the antioxidant activity of various substances.