Investigation of α-dicarbonyl compounds in baby foods by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

Baby foods are exposed to elevated temperatures during processing treatments such as sterilization or spray drying. These treatments decompose sugars leading to the formation of α-dicarbonyl compounds that are of importance since they have been associated with several metabolic disorders. In this study, an analytical method based on high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS) was used to determine α-dicarbonyl compounds in baby foods. The method entailed aqueous extraction of α-dicarbonyl compounds from the samples and derivatization with o-phenylenediamine prior to chromatographic analysis. The results indicated that major degradation product was 3-deoxyglucosone in the samples including cereal-based infant formula, canned fruit and vegetable puree. Its concentration ranged between 3.9 and 827.1 mg/kg in infant formula and between 26.7 and 92.3 mg/kg in fruit puree samples. The concentrations of glucosone, 1-deoxyglucosone, 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furfural, furfural, glyoxal, methylglyoxal, and dimethylglyoxal levels were rather low.

Analysis of sugar degradation products with α-dicarbonyl structure in carbonated soft drinks by UHPLC-DAD-MS/MS

Sugar-sweetened carbonated soft drinks (CSDs) are broadly consumed worldwide. The added sugar, particularly high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), can be an important source of sugar degradation products, such as α-dicarbonyl compounds. This study recorded the α-dicarbonyl profile in CSDs by ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography with hyphenated diode array-tandem mass spectrometry after derivatization with o-phenylenediamine. Thus, 3-deoxy-D-erythro-hexos-2-ulose (3-DG), D-lyxo-hexos-2-ulose (glucosone), 3-deoxy-D-threo-hexos-2-ulose (3-DGal), 1-deoxy-D-erythro-hexos-2,3-diulose (1-DG), 3,4-dideoxyglucosone-3-ene (3,4-DGE), methylglyoxal, and glyoxal were identified as major α-dicarbonyls and, with the exception of glyoxal, quantified (recovery rates, 85.6-103.1%; RSD, 0.8-3.6%). Total α-dicarbonyl concentration in 25 tested commercial products ranged between 0.3 and 116 μg/mL and was significantly higher in HFCS-sweetened CSDs compared to CSDs sweetened with HFCS and sucrose or with sucrose alone. Predominant was 3-DG (≤87 μg/mL) followed by glucosone (≤21 μg/mL), 3-DGal (≤7.7 μg/mL), 1-DG (≤2.8 μg/mL), methylglyoxal (≤0.62 μg/mL), and 3,4-DGE (≤0.45 μg/mL).

Optimized GC-MS method to simultaneously quantify acetylated aldose, ketose, and alditol for plant tissues based on derivatization in a methyl sulfoxide/1-methylimidazole system

The isomers of monosaccharide always produce multiple chromatographic peaks as volatile derivatives during gas chromatography, which may result in the overlapping of different sugar peaks. Whereas reduction and oximation of sugar carbonyl groups for GC analysis do eliminate many isomer derivatives, the approaches create new problems. One ketose can yield two peaks by oximation, and different aldoses and ketoses can yield the same alditol upon reduction, leading to the inability to detect some important monosaccharides. This paper reports an optimal method that yields a single peak per sugar by acetylation directly. By using a methyl sulfoxide (Me2SO)/1-methylimidazole (1-MeIm) system, the carbohydrates in acetic anhydride (Ac2O) esterification reactions were solubilized, and the oxidation that normally occurs was inhibited. The results demonstrate that acetylated derivatives of 23 saccharides had unique peaks, which indicates aldose, ketose, and alditol can be determined simultaneously by GC-MS.

Quantification of the six major α-dicarbonyl contaminants in peritoneal dialysis fluids by UHPLC/DAD/MSMS

During heat sterilization of peritoneal dialysis solutions, glucose is partially transformed into glucose degradation products (GDPs), which significantly reduce the biocompatibility of these medicinal products. Targeted α-dicarbonyl screening identified glyoxal, methylglyoxal, 3-deoxyglucosone, 3,4-dideooxyglucosone-3-ene, glucosone, and 3-deoxygalactosone as the major six GDPs with α-dicarbonyl structure. In the present study, an ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography method was developed which allows the separation of all relevant α-dicarbonyl GDPs within a run time of 15 min after derivatization with o-phenylenediamine. Hyphenated diode array detection/tandem mass spectrometry detection provides very robust quantification and, at the same time, unequivocal peak confirmation. Systematic evaluation of the derivatization process resulted in an optimal derivatization period that provided maximal derivatization yield, minimal de novo formation (uncertainty range ±5%), and maximal sample throughput. The limit of detection of the method ranged from 0.13 to 0.19 μM and the limit of quantification from 0.40 to 0.57 μM. Relative standard deviations were below 5%, and recovery rates ranged between 91% and 154%, dependent on the type and concentration of the analyte (in 87 out of 90 samples, recovery rates were 100 ± 15%). The method was then applied for the analysis of commercial peritoneal dialysis fluids (nine different product types, samples from three lots of each).

Determination of aldoses and ketoses by GC-MS using differential derivatisation

A method has been established by which to determine aldoses and ketoses in plant material simultaneously. Monosaccharides were extracted by sonication with 80% ethanol and sugar oximes formed by treatment of the resultant extract with hydroxylamine and pyridine at 90 degrees C. After reaction, one aliquot of the product was derivatised with acetic anhydride at 90 degrees C, whilst a second aliquot was silylated with HMDS and TMCS at 80 degrees C. Both reaction mixtures were analysed by GC-MS in the SIM mode. Quantivation was linear within the range 1-4 microg/mL and the detection limit for monosaccharides was 5-25 ng/mL. The absolute recoveries were between 73.0 and 90.2% and the RSDs were 3.1-10.0%. This method was applied to analyse the free monosaccharides in Lyceum barbarum L.; eight monosaccharides were present in amounts between 0.26 and 368.65 microg/mg.

Detection of Amadori compounds by capillary electrophoresis coupled to tandem mass spectrometry

Capillary electrophoresis coupled to mass spectrometry (CE-MS) is reported for the first time as an alternative and powerful analytical method for the characterization and monitoring of N-substituted 1-amino-1-deoxyketoses (Amadori compounds). It allows rapid separation and identification of Amadori compounds, while benefiting from the well-known advantages of MS, such as specificity and sensitivity. Amadori compounds of several amino acids, such as glycine, valine, isoleucine, methionine, proline, and phenylalanine, as well as a cysteine-derived compound, were separated and/or discriminated using CE-MS/MS under standard conditions. The technique may also be useful to study the stability and degradation kinetics of other labile charged Maillard intermediates that play an important role in food and medical science.

Identification and quantification of phosphatidylethanolamine-derived glucosylamines and aminoketoses from human erythrocytes--influence of glycation products on lipid peroxidation

While the Maillard reaction of amino acids and proteins as well as its consequences in vivo has been thoroughly investigated, little attention has so far been paid to the glycation of aminophospholipids such as phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) or phosphatidylserine (PS), which are essential for structure and functionality of biological membranes. PE-derived glucosylamines (Schiff-PEs) and aminoketoses (Amadori-PEs) have now for the first time been simultaneously identified and quantified in erythrocytes from diabetics and healthy individuals by liquid chromatography-electrospray mass spectrometry (LC-(ESI)MS). The amounts of glycated PE (gPE) were significantly higher in diabetics (0.18-34.2 mol% Schiff-PE and 0.047-0.375 mol% Amadori-PE) than in controls (0.12-3.99 mol% Schiff-PE and 0.018-0.055 mol% Amadori-PE). A positive correlation between fructosylated hemoglobin (HbA(1c)) and the gPE levels was established. No advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) like 5-hydroxymethylpyrrole-2-carbaldehyde (pyrrole-PE), carboxymethyl (CM-PE), or carboxyethyl (CE-PE) derivatives were detected. To investigate the influence of gPE on lipid peroxidation of biological membranes, liposomes consisting of soy-PE and synthetically prepared Amadori-PE (16:0-16:0) were incubated for several days and the formation of oxidation products was monitored. It could be shown that Amadori-PE extensively promotes lipid peroxidation even in the absence of transition metal ions like Cu(2+) and Fe(3+). Oxidative damage to membrane lipids therefore is supposed to be at least partially caused by the glycation of aminophospholipids.

Analysis of 1,5-anhydro-D-fructose, microthecin, and 4-deoxy-glycero-hexo-2,3-diulose in algae using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry in selected ion monitoring mode

A sensitive and selective method for detection and quantification of 1,5-anhydro-D-fructose, microthecin, and 4-deoxy-glycero-hexo-2, 3-diulose using GC-MS in selected ion monitoring mode has been developed. These compounds, which occur in many biological systems, have here been quantified in the red alga Gracilariopsis lemaneiformis. A screening of other algae showed the occurrence of 1, 5-anhydro-D-fructose in several other species of red algae as well as in some green and brown algae.

Capillary zone electrophoresis of p-aminobenzoic acid derivatives of aldoses, ketoses and uronic acids

Aldoses, ketoses and uronic acids were derivatized with p-aminobenzoic acid and separated as their borate complexes by capillary zone electrophoresis, using a capillary tube of fused silica containing 150 mM borate buffer, pH 10.0, as carrier. The electrophoretic mobilities of 22 carbohydrates were determined and found to increase with increasing stability of the borate complexes formed. Besides the number of hydroxyl groups and the presence of substituents, complex stability depended most strongly on the configuration of the three vicinal hydroxyl groups at C2, C3 and C4. On-column UV monitoring at 285 nm allowed the detection of glucose with a lower mass detection limit of 15 fmol and a concentration sensitivity of 4 microM. Reproducible quantification of carbohydrates was achieved at least in the concentration range of 0.1-10 mM in reaction solutions by the relative peak area method, using cinnamic acid as internal standard. The method was applied successfully to the determination of the monosaccharide composition of polysaccharides extracted from Radix althaeae.

Detection of 3-deoxyfructose and 3-deoxyglucosone in human urine and plasma: evidence for intermediate stages of the Maillard reaction in vivo

3-Deoxyglucose (3-deoxy-D-erythro-hexos-2-ulose) (3-DG) is a reactive dicarbonyl intermediate involved in the polymerization and browning of proteins by glucose in vitro. Damage to protein by formation of 3-DG in vivo is thought to be limited by enzymes which convert 3-DG to less reactive species, such as 3-deoxyfructose (3-DF). We have developed a sensitive and specific assay for measuring 3-DG and 3-DF in human urine and plasma. In this assay, 3-DG and 3-DF are reduced to 3-deoxy-hexitols (3-DH), using either NaBH4 or NaBD4, and then analyzed by selected ion monitoring gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Based on comparative analysis of samples reduced with NaBD4 versus NaBD4, 3-DH in urine was derived exclusively (greater than 99%) from 3-DF, while 3-DG accounted for approximately 15% of 3-DH in plasma. The concentrations of 3-DH in fasting human urine and plasma were 5.3 +/- 1.5 micrograms/mg creatinine (n = 18) and 7.2 +/- 1.7 micrograms/dl (n = 18), respectively. The concentrations of 3-DG and 3-DF in plasma (n = 7) were 1.0 +/- 0.2 and 6.7 +/- 1.6 micrograms/dl, respectively. These results suggest that several milligrams of 3-DG are formed in the body per day and detoxified by reduction to 3-DF and support the role of 3-DG as an intermediate in the browning of protein via the Maillard reaction in vivo.

Colorimetric method for the determination of ketoses using phenol-acetone-boric acid reagent (PABR)

A purplish pink color developed when ketose solution (100 microliters) was mixed with phenol-acetone-boric acid reagent (0.5 ml 5% phenol, 2% acetone, 4% boric acid) and then treated with 96% sulfuric acid (1.4 ml). The absorbance of the reaction mixture was measured at 568 nm after 60 min at 37 degrees C. This method allowed the simple determination of 3-50 nmol of D-fructose with coefficient of variation 7.8% for 3 nmol and 2.8% for 50 nmol. Carbohydrates other then ketoses did not interfere with this reaction. The influence of various chemicals on the colorimetric reaction and applicability of the method for determination of ketoses in natural products are presented.

Structural studies on the glucose-heptose region of the Proteus mirabilis R core

Methylation analysis of the core oligosaccharide of the Proteus mirabilis mutant R4 (derived from serotype 028 was carried out in order to obtain information on the internal (glucose-heptose) region of the P. mirabilis R core. The isolated core oligosaccharide was composed of glucose, L-glycero-D-manno-heptose, 3-deoxy-D-manno-octulosonic acid (dOclA) and phosphorus in a molar ratio of about 1:2:1:1.4. It was methylated either directly or after dephosphorylation. To localize the position of the phosphate substituents, the permethylated product was dephosphorylated with hydrogen fluoride and the oligosaccharide obtained was remethylated using C2H3I. Location of phosphate at C-7 of the terminal heptose was shown by isolation of the sugar phosphate from partial hydrolysates and gas-liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry of the permethylated product. Combining the data of the methylation analysis with the data of an NMR study allows one to formulate the structure of the core oligosaccharide as folllows: (formula: see text).

Mouse-protection experience with monovalent Pseudomonas aeruginosa vaccine

The protective effect of the soluble immunogenic complex from Pseudomonas aeruginosa cell surface was studied on white mice. Vaccines were prepared from a single strain by phenol-water extraction or via preparing the Zn-complex. The immunogenic complex which contained the Pseudomonas "common protective antigen" as well as endotoxin and exotoxins in the form of toxoid, provided reliable protection if it was administered with aluminium hydroxide as adjuvant in three consecutive doses of 10, 100 and 500 microgram per 0.2 ml per mouse at 5-7 day intervals. Under these conditions, the monovaccine produced in mice a 90-100% protective effect against a lethal challenge dose (2 LD100) of toxic P. aeruginosa strains given a week after the last vaccine dose.

Degradation of bacterial lipopolysaccharide by gut juice os the snail Helix pomatia

Lipopolysaccharides from several bacteria were selectively degarded by gut juice of the snail Helix pomatia with extensive loss of anticomplementary activity and changes in the electrophoretic pattern in polyacrylamide gels. The gut juice had little effect on ketodeoxyoctonate content or immunodominant sugars. The lipid A moiety of the lipopolysaccharide appeared to be the main site of attack.

Separation of inner and outer membranes of Rickettsia prowazeki and characterization of their polypeptide compositions

Rickettsia prowazeki were disrupted in a French pressure cell and fractionated into soluble (cytoplasm) and envelope fractions. The envelope contained 25% of the cell protein, with the cytoplasm containing 75%. Upon density gradient centrifugation, the envelope fraction separated into a heavy band (1.23 g/cm3) and a lighter band (1.19 g/cm3). The heavy band had a high content of 2-keto-3-deoxyoctulosonic acid, a marker for bacterial lipopolysaccharide, but had no succinic dehydrogenase, a marker for cytoplasmic membrane activity, and therefore represented outer membrane. The lighter band exhibited a high succinate dehydrogenase activity, and thus contained inner (cytoplasmic) membrane. Outer membrane purified by this method was less than 5% contaiminated by cytoplasmic membrane; however, inner membrane from the gradient was as much as 30% contaminated by outer membrane. The protein composition of each cellular fraction was characterized by sodium dodecyl sulfate--polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The outer membrane contained four major proteins, which were also major proteins of the whole cell. The cytoplasmic membrane and soluble cytoplasm exhibited a more complex pattern on gels.

Structural elucidation of the 3-deoxy-D-manno-octulosonic acid containing meningococcal 29-e capsular polysaccharide antigen using carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance

The capsular polysaccharide antigen from Neisseria meningitidis serogroup 29-e contains equimolar quantities of 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-D-galactose and 3-deoxy-D-manno-octulosonic acid (KDO), the latter of which is rarely found in biopolymers other than lipopolysaccharides. Carbon-13 nuclear mangetic resonance in conjunction with other chemical data indicated that the polysaccharide is composed of an alternating sequence of these two residues, the linkages being at C-3 of galactosamine and C-7 of KDO in the alpha-D and beta-D configuration, respectively. The native 29-e polysaccharide is O-acetylated, the O-acetyl groups being located at C-4 and C-5 of the KDO residues. Assignments of signals in the 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectrum of the 29-e polysaccharide were made by consideration of those in the spectra of the monomer models, which necessitated the first recorded syntheses of methyl-alpha- and beta-D-3-deoxy-manno-octulopyranosonic acid. Like the methyl alpha- and beta-D-ketosides of sialic acid (Na+ salts), the equivalent methyl alpha- and beta-D-ketosides of KDO exhibit large chemical shift differences in the exocyclic C-8 position dependent on anomeric configuration. This can again be attributed to hydrogen bonding between the axial carboxylate group of the methyl beta-D anomer of KDO (C1 conformation) and the primary hydroxyl group at C-8. This phenomenon is also exhibited by the beta-D-linked KDO units of the 29-e polysaccharide.

Isolation and characterization of outer and inner membranes from Pseudomonas aeruginosa and effect of EDTA on the membranes

The outer and inner cytoplasmic membranes of Pseudomonas aeruginosa were separated as small and large membranes, respectively, from the cell envelope of this organism treated with lysozyme in Tris-chloride buffer containing sucrose and MgCl2 by differential centrifugation. The small membrane fraction contained predominantly 2-keto-3-deoxyoctonate (KDO), and little cytochromes or oxidase activities. The small membrane was composed of only 9 polypeptides and showed homogeneous small vesicles electron-microscopically. On the other hand, the large membrane fraction had high cytochrome contents and oxidase activities, and little KDO. The large membrane was composed of a number of polypeptides and showed large fragments or vesicles electron-microscopically. These results indicate that the small and large membranes are the outer and inner cytoplasmic membranes of P. aeruginosa, respectively. The isolated outer membrane showed a symmetrical protein peak with a density of 1.23 on sucrose density gradient centrifugation and the isolated inner membrane showed an unusually high density, probably due to association with ribosomes and extrinsic or loosely bound proteins. EDTA lowered the density of both membranes and caused lethal damage to the outer membrane, causing disintegration with the release of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), proteins and phospholipid.

Electron impact mass spectrometry of some ketosugar derivatives

The electron impact fragmentation of 1,2-O-isopropylidene-alpha-D-glycero-tetros-3-ulofuranose has been studied with the help of deuterium and 18O labelling. The effect of substituting a hydrogen atom of C-4 for a CH3 radical and that of replacing the carbonyl function with a cyanomethylenic substituent is also reported.

Cellular monosaccharide patterns of Neisseriaceae

Sixty-four strains of Neisseria, Moraxella, and Acinetobacter were screened for cellular monosaccharides by gas-liquid chromatography and other chromatographic techniques. The four sugars ribose, glucose, glucosamine, and 2-keto-3-deoxyoctonate (KDO) were detected in all strains. Heptose was detected only in "true neisseriae" (Neisseria gonorrhoeae, N. meningitidis, N. sicca, N. cinerea, N. flavescens, and N. elongata) and in the tentaively named species Moraxella urethralis. Some marked interspecies dissimilarities within groups were revealed. Thus, N. ovis and M. atlantae were characterized by the presence of mannose. Intraspecies differences were also encountered. N. meningitidis strains of serogroups B and C were distinguished from strains of serogroup A by their sialic acid content. This sugar was also detected in two out of three examined strains of M. nonliquefaciens. In Acinetobacter, heterogeneity of monosaccharide patterns was rather pronounced. The results show the applicability of gas chromatographic "monosaccharide" profiles fo whole cells or extracted carbohydrate in bacterial classification and identification, including differentiation at the subspecies level. In addition, such profiles may be useful for monitoring during purification of cellular polysaccharides.

Isolation and characterization of membranes from a hydrocarbon-oxidizing Acinetobacter sp

Membranes were isolated and purified from nutrient broth-yeast extract- and hexadecane-grown cells of Acinetobacter sp. strain HO1-N. Two membrane fractions were isolated from nutrient broth-yeast extract-grown cells, the cytoplasmic membrane and the outer membrane. In addition to these two membrane fractions, a unique membrane fraction was isolated from hexadecane-grown cells (band 1) and characterized as a lipid-rich, low-density membrane containing high concentrations of hexadecane. The outer membrane preparations of Acinetobacter, obtained from nutrient broth-yeast extract- and hexadecane-grown cells, exhibited a low ratio of lipid phosphorus to protein and contained phospholipase activity and 2-keto-3-deoxyoctulosonic acid. Phosphatidic acid cytidyltransferase, adenosine triphosphatase, and reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide oxidase were recovered almost exclusively in the cytoplasmic membrane fractions. The cytoplasmic membrane fractions contained 20 to 25 polypeptide species on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels, and the outer membrane fractions contained 15 to 20 polypeptide species. A major polypeptide species with an apparent molecular weight of approximately 42,000 to 44,000 was found for all outer membrane fractions. The buoyant densities of the cytoplasmic membrane fractions and the outer membrane fractions were closely similar, necessitating their separation by differential centrifugation. Band 1 of hexadecane-grown cells had a ratio of lipid phosphorus to protein that was almost twice that of cytoplasmic membrane and a correspondingly low buoyant density (1.086 g/cm3). Enzyme activities associated with band 1 were identical to those associated with the cytoplasmic membrane. The electrophoretic banding pattern of band 1 was essentially identical to the banding pattern of the cytoplasmic membrane. The phospholipid and neutral lipid compositions of the isolated membrane fractions were determined as qualitatively similar, with significant quantitative differences. The ultrastructure characteristics of the respective membrane fractions were examined by the negative-stain technique.

Characterization of intracytoplasmic hydrocarbon inclusions from the hydrocarbon-oxidizing Acinetobacter species HO1-N

The ultrastructure of Acinetobacter sp. strain HO1-N grown on hydrocarbon and nonhydrocarbon substrates was compared using thin sections and freeze-etching. Hydrocarbon-grown cells were characterized by the presence of intracytoplasmic membrane-bound hexadecane inclusions. This membrane did not exhibit a typical unit membrane structure but appeared as a monolayer. The freeze-etch technique revealed the internal structure of the hexadecane inclusions and provided evidence for the presence of a smooth-surfaced limiting membrane. Freeze-etching also revealed intracytoplasmic membranes in the hexadecane-grown cells. These ultrastructural modifications were not present in nonhydrocarbon-grown cells. The hexadecane inclusions were isolated from Acinetobacter. Negative-staining of the inclusions revealed electron-transparent vesicles approximating the size of the inclusions seen in whole cells. Freeze-etching of the purified inclusions revealed membrane-bound vesicles. The purified inclusions exhibited a relatively high value of lipid phosphorus to protein. The lipid composition and the electrophoretic banding pattern of the inclusions on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels were determined and compared with other membrane fractions (outer membrane and cytoplasmic membrane) previously isolated from this organism.

Studies on the cellular and free lipopolysaccharides from Branhamella catarrhalis

Cellular and free lipopolysaccharides obtained from Neisseria catarrhalis and Branhamella catarrhalis were found to be essentially identical. Both cellular and free lipopolysaccharides contained core-oligosaccharides of the following composition: D-glucose (4 mol), D-galactose (1 mol), 2-amino-2-deoxy-D-glucose (1 mol), and 3-deoxy-D-manno-octulosonic acid. Aldoheptose and phosphate components were below levels of detection. Several physical methods indicated that all core-oligosaccharide preparations were identical. Lipid A preparations from cellular and free lipopolysaccharides of both organisms were qualitatively and quantitatively similar; they were composed of decanoic acid, dodecanoic acid, 3-hydroxy dodecanoic acid, 2-amino-2-deoxy-D-glucose, phosphate, and ethanolamine. The results tend to justify the transfer of Neisseria catarrhalis to the genus Branhamella.

[Study of the lipopolysaccharide from Escherichia coli K12 CR34]

The structure of the lipopolysaccharide from Escherichia coli K12, strain CR34 has been investigated. The lipopolysaccharide contains D-galactose, D-glucose, D-glucosamine, L-glycero D-mannoheptose, 2-keto-3-deoxyoctonate and lipid A. The core region does not contain D-glucosamine but contains galactose, glucose, and heptose in the molar ratios 1:3:6. Methylations were performed on the lipopolysaccharide and on the degraded polysaccharide obtained after acetic acid hydrolysis of the lipopolysaccharide. It was found that galactose is in terminal position partly in the form of galactopyranose, partly in the form of galactofuranose. A part of the heptose was found as unsubstituted heptofuranose. A mole of glucose was 1 leads to 2 linked and another mole of glucose was 1 leads to 6 linked. Periodate oxidation of the lipopolysaccharide followed by borohydride reduction eliminates galactose and only a part of glucose and of heptose. A mole of heptose gave mannose and thus it is unsubstituted in C6 and C7. One mole of glucose and one mole of heptose were not degraded by periodate oxidation.

Circular dichroism studies on alpha- and beta-ketosides of 5-acetamido-3,5-dideoxy-D-glycero-D-galacto- nonulopyranosonic acid (N-acetylneuraminic acid) and of some of its derivatives

The circular dichroism spectra of a number of N-acetylneuraminic acid derivatives in aqueous solution were studied. For all compounds, the Cotton effects were found to be in the spectral range of the acetamido and carboxyl chromophores. The c.d. curves of the methy, ethyl, and allyl alpha-D-ketosides are characterized by a broad, positive band centered at lambda similar to 195 nm with a slight skew towards the higher wavelengths and weak bands between lambda 225 and 255 nm, whereas the methyl beta-D-ketoside and the corresponding methyl ester show only an intense positive band with a broad shoulder in the same spectral range. 5-Acetamido-3,5-dideoxy-D-glycero-beta-D-galacto-nonulopyranose, its methyl beta-D-ketoside, and 5-acetamido-3,5-dideoxy-D-glycero-D-galacto-nonulopyranosonamide containing only the acetamido chromophore showed one single positive Cotton effect centered at lambda similar to 192 nm. The c.d. spectrum of 5-acetamido-3,5-dideoxy-D-glycero-D-galacto-nonulopyranosonic acid confirms the beta-D configuration of the free acid in aqueous solution, whereas the shape of the c.d. curve of O-(N-acetyl-alpha-D-neuraminopyranosyl)-(2yields3)-O-beta-D-galactopyranosyl-(1 yields 4)-D-glucopyranose resembles that of the methyl, ethyl, and allyl alpha-D-ketosides 2-4.

Levans: I. Fractionation, solution viscosity, and chemical analysis of levan produced by Streptococcus salivarius

Levan produced by Streptococcus salivarius was fractionated into a series of 20 fractions of varying molecular weight. The range of intrinsic viscosities of the fractions was 0.07 to 0.18 dl/gm in water and 0.20 to 0.29 dl/gm in dimethyl sulfoxide. The molecular weight of the unfractionated leval determined by light scattering was 31.5 times 10-6. Small amounts of fatty acids and protein were found associated with levan.

Studies of the polysaccharide fraction from the lipopolysaccharide of Pseudomonas alcaligenes

Studies of the lipopolysaccharide of Pseudomonas alcaligenes strain BR 1/2 were extended to the polysaccharide moiety. The crude polysaccharide, obtained by mild acid hydrolysis of the lipopolysaccharide, was fractionated by gel filtration. The major fraction was the phosphorylated polysaccharide, for which the approximate proportions of residues were; glucose (2), rhamnose (0.7), heptose (2-3), galactosamine (1), alanine (1), 3-deoxy-2-octulonic acid (1), phosphorus (5-6). The heptose was l-glycero-d-manno-heptose. The minor fractions from gel filtration contained free 3-deoxy-2-octulonic acid, P(i) and PP(i). The purified polysaccharide was studied by periodate oxidation, methylation analysis, partial hydrolysis, and dephosphorylation. All the rhamnose and part of the glucose and heptose occur as non-reducing terminal residues. Other glucose residues are 3-substituted, and most heptose residues are esterified with condensed phosphate residues, possibly in the C-4 position. Free heptose and a heptosylglucose were isolated from a partial hydrolysate of the polysaccharide. The location of galactosamine in the polysaccharide was not established, but either the C-3 or C-4 position appears to be substituted and a linkage to alanine was indicated. In its composition, the polysaccharide from Ps. alcaligenes resembles core polysaccharides from other pseudomonads: no possible side-chain polysaccharide was detected.