Development of a membraneless extraction module for the extraction of volatile compounds: application in the chromatographic analysis of vicinal diketones in beer.
A membraneless extraction module (MLEM) for the sample preparation of volatile compounds and its use for the chromatographic analysis of vicinal diketones in beer are reported. The extraction process is based on the same principles of gas diffusion (GD) and pervaporation (PV); however it does not use a membrane. This module has a lower chamber where the sample continuously flows, while volatile compounds evaporate to the headspace. Inside the module there is a suspended small reactor, where a small volume of a suitable acceptor solution is placed. This extraction module was tested in the determination of vicinal diketones (VDKs) in beer (CV=5%; LOD=4 microg L(-1)), showing applicability with real samples. Several parameters of the extraction process, such as temperature, sample flow and extraction time, were studied and optimized. This module proved to be a good tool for the sampling of volatile compounds, since the extraction is made without using a membrane avoiding all the robustness problems related with its use.
Pervaporation: an integrated evaporation/gas-diffusion approach to analytical continuous separation techniques.
A flexible pervaporation module was developed and characterized. The spacers it uses allows the volume of the donor and/or acceptor to be altered as required. The performance of the module was tested as regards both dynamic behaviour and continuous pervaporation in terms of flow-rates, temperature, type of membrane, flow mode, etc. A method for the determination of ethanol in different types of wine was developed and applied to various samples in order to validate the proposed continuous separation approach.
Mode of action of bredinin with guanylic acid on L5178Y mouse leukemia cells.
Moderate concentrations of bredinin (1.2 X 10(-5) M) strongly inhibited growth of L5178Y cells, with the effect being reversed by guanylic acid (GMP). However, at higher concentrations of breeding the inhibition was not reversed completely by GMP added in excess. Bredinin was cytocidal at concentrations above 2 X 10(-5) M, but 5 X 10(-5) M bredinin in the presence of excess GMP, bredinin was cytostatic. Bredinin inhibited nucleic acid synthesis of L5178Y cells, but bredinin itself was not incorporated into the nucleic acid. Inhibition of nucleic acid synthesis was clearly reversed by GMP. Similarly chromosomal aberrations in L5178Y cells caused by bredinin were reversed by GMP. In contrast, the effect of ahigh concentration of bredinin on cell multiplication was not reversed by GMP. The modal volume of L5178Y cells increased during incubation in the presence of bredinin and GMP for 24 hours, 5 X 10(-5) M bredinin with GMP causing a 70% increase in cell volume. This increase in cell volume was mainly due to an increase in the protein content of the cells. The cytostatic effect of bredinin with GMP was reversed completely by adenosine-3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cyclic AMP). Other cyclic nucleotides and nucleotides were ineffective. The reversing effect of cyclic AMP on cell survival depended upon the concentration of GMP, and was not seen in the absence of GMP. It was concluded that cyclic AMP influences the secondary cytostatic effect of bredinin, and not the primary cytotoxic effect reversed by GMP.