Filter Plate-Based Screening of MIP SPE Materials for Capture of the Biomarker Pro-Gastrin-Releasing Peptide

Comparison of different extraction methods of active ingredients of Chinese medicine and natural products

Like other traditional medicine in the world, Chinese traditional medicine (CTM) has a long history, which is a treasure of the combination of medicine and Chinese classical culture even more than 5000 years. For thousands of years, CTM has made great contributions to the reproduction and health of the Chinese people. It was an efficient therapeutic tool under the guidance of Chinese traditional medical theory, its source is generally natural products, but there are also a small number of it are natural products after some processing methods. In fact, the definition of Chinese medicine (CM) includes both traditional and new CM developed by modern technology. It is well known that the chemical composition of most CM and natural products is very complex, for example, a single herb may contain hundreds of different chemicals, including active ingredients, side effects, and even toxic ingredients. Therefore, the extraction process is particularly crucial for the quality and clinical efficacy of CM and natural products. In this work, a new classification method was proposed to divide the extraction technologies of CM and natural products into 21 kinds in recent years and analyze their status, advantages, and disadvantages. Then put forward a new technical route based on ultra-high-pressure extraction technology for rapid extraction else while removing harmful impurities and making higher utilization of CM and natural products. It is a useful exploration for the extraction industry of medicinal materials and natural products in the world.

Modern automated microextraction procedures for bioanalytical, environmental, and food analyses

Sample preparation frequently is considered the most critical stage of the analytical workflow. It affects the analytical throughput and costs; moreover, it is the primary source of error and possible sample contamination. To increase efficiency, productivity, and reliability, while minimizing costs and environmental impacts, miniaturization and automation of sample preparation are necessary. Nowadays, several types of liquid-phase and solid-phase microextractions are available, as well as different automatization strategies. Thus, this review summarizes recent developments in automated microextractions coupled with liquid chromatography, from 2016 to 2022. Therefore, outstanding technologies and their main outcomes, as well as miniaturization and automation of sample preparation, are critically analyzed. Focus is given to main microextraction automation strategies, such as flow techniques, robotic systems, and column-switching approaches, reviewing their applications to the determination of small organic molecules in biological, environmental, and food/beverage samples.

MALDIViz: A Comprehensive Informatics Tool for MALDI-MS Data Visualization and Analysis

Recently, mass spectrometry (MS) has emerged as an important tool for high-throughput screening (HTS) providing a direct and label-free detection method, complementing traditional fluorescent and colorimetric methodologies. Among the various MS techniques used for HTS, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) provides many of the characteristics required for high-throughput analyses, such as low cost, speed, and automation. However, visualization and analysis of the large datasets generated by HTS MALDI-MS can pose significant challenges, especially for multiparametric experiments. The datasets can be generated fast, and the complexity of the experimental data (e.g., screening many different sorbent phases, the sorbent mass, and the load, wash, and elution conditions) makes manual data analysis difficult. To address these challenges, a comprehensive informatics tool called MALDIViz was developed. This tool is an R-Shiny-based web application, accessible independently of the operating system and without the need to install any program locally. It has been designed to facilitate easy analysis and visualization of MALDI-MS datasets, comparison of multiplex experiments, and export of the analysis results to high-quality images.

Exploring the peptide retention mechanism in molecularly imprinted polymers

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) have been used as useful sorbents in solid-phase extraction for a wide range of molecules and sample matrices. Their unique selectivity can be fine-tuned in the imprinting process and is crucial for the extraction of macromolecules from complex matrices such as serum. A relevant example of this is the application of MIPs to peptides in diagnostic assays. In this article the selectivity of MIPs, previously implemented in a quantitative mass-spectrometric assay for the biomarker pro-gastrin-releasing peptide, is investigated. Partial least squares regression was used to generate models for the evaluation and prediction of the retention mechanism of MIPs. A hypothesis on interactions of MIPs with the target peptide was verified by ad hoc experiments considering the relevant peptide physicochemical properties highlighted from the multivariate analysis. Novel insights into and knowledge of the driving forces responsible for the MIP selectivity have been obtained and can be directly used for further optimization of MIP imprinting strategies. Graphical Abstract Applied analytical strategy: the Solid Phase Extraction (SPE) of digested Bovin Serum Albumin (BSA), using Molecularly Imprinted Polymers (MIP), is followed by the liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis for the identification of the retained peptides. The further application of multivariate analysis allows setting up a Partial Least Square (PLS) model, which describes the peptide retention into the MIP and gives additional knowledge to be used in the optimization of the MIP and the whole SPE method.