Simultaneous determination of four sesame lignans and conversion in Monascus aged vinegar using HPLC method.
A simple, accurate and specific high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method has been developed and validated for simultaneous determination of sesamol, sesamin, asarinin and sesamolin in Monascus aged vinegar. The effects of acid hydrolysis and four heating treatments on the components content in Monascus aged vinegar were discussed. The results showed that the isomerisation of sesamin to asarinin, and decomposition of sesamolin to sesamol significantly increased, regardless of heating or acid hydrolysis. Thermal processes and acid hydrolysis increased the content of sesamol and asarinin, respectively, but severe thermal processes resulted in the loss of total sesame lignans. Sesamol and asarinin reached the highest (2.720 ± 0.202 μg/mL and 2.064 ± 0.075 μg/mL) for autoclaving (125 °C, 15 min) and acid hydrolysis (25 °C, 15 min, nature pH), respectively. Therefore, autoclaving and acid hydrolysis were considered as the optimal way to obtain higher content of sesamol and asarinin.
Effect of milling, soaking, malting, heat-treatment and fermentation on phytate level of four Sudanese sorghum cultivars
Abstract Four cultivars of Sudanese sorghum ( Sorghum bicolor ) were analysed for their phytate content, with respect to effects of processing operations, namely milling extraction, water soaking, malting, heat-treatment and fermentation. The conditions of processing used were: decortication to give an 80% extraction meal; 12 and 24 h soaking in tap water; 96 h germination; fermentation for 3,6,9 and 12 h; and cooking at 95°C until starch gelatinized. Total phosphorus, phytate phosphorus and phytic acid were determined. Results showed that phytic acid phosphorus formed >85% of total phosphorus of the sorghum cultivars studied. All treatments investigated caused phytic acid reduction to various extents. Enzymic methods of phytic acid removal (fermentation and malting) were found to be more effective than physical extraction methods, i.e. milling, soaking and heating.
Measurement of imatinib uptake by flow cytometry
One of the essential parameters of targeted therapy efficiency in cancer treatment is the amount of drug reaching the therapeutic target area. Imatinib (IM) was the first specifically targeted drug to be developed and has revolutionized the treatment of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). To evaluate cellular uptake of IM, we developed a method based on the chemical structure of the molecule and using the natural UV fluorescence that we quantified by flow cytometry. In two CML cell lines, we obtained a satisfactory relationship between intracellular IM (ICIM) levels and media concentrations, and we found a strong correlation between ICIM at 1 h and IM efficacy at 24 h, demonstrating that ICIM at 1 h might be a relevant predictive parameter of cell sensitivity. Our method was more sensitive than the standard physicochemical method. We applied our method to primary cells and found cell morphology‐dependant IM accumulation. Moreover, in CML cells from patients at diagnosis, IM accumulation was heterogeneous. In all cases, ICIM at the single‐cell level was much higher than in culture media arguing in favor of a predominantly active uptake process. We developed a simple method directly applicable to primary cells that has shown two major advantages: only a small number of cells are required, and cell subsets can be identified according to morphological criteria and/or the presence of particular antigenic sites. This method provides a new tool to assess CML cell sensitivity to IM, and ICIM levels in native CML cells could be used to monitor therapeutic response. © 2012 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry