The charged kaon mass measurement

Understanding the structural complexity of ribosomes and their role in protein synthesis requires knowledge of the conformation of their components - rRNAs and proteins. Application of dedicated scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM), electrical discharge of the support carbon film in an atmosphere of pure nitrogen, and determination of the molecular weight of individual rRNAs enabled us to obtain high resolution electron microscopic images of unstained freeze-dried rRNA molecules from BHK cells in a form suitable for evaluation of their 3-D structure. Preliminary values for the molecular weight of 28S RNA from the large and 18S RNA from the small ribosomal subunits as obtained by mass measurement were 1.84 x 106 and 0.97 x 106, respectively. Conformation of rRNAs consists, in general, of alternating segments of intramolecular hairpin stems and single stranded loops in a proportion which depends on their ionic environment, the Mg++ concentration in particular. Molecules of 28S RNA (Fig. 1) and 18S RNA (not shown) obtained by freeze-drying from a solution of 60 mM NH+4 acetate and 2 mM Mg++ acetate, pH 7, appear as partially unfolded coils with compact cores suggesting a high degree of ordered secondary structure.

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Detection and identification of Catalpol metabolites in the rat plasma, urine and faeces using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-Q Exactive hybrid quadrupole-orbitrap high-resolution accurate mass spectrometry

Current Drug Metabolism ◽

10.2174/1389200221999201125205515 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 21 ◽

Author(s):

Zedong Xiang ◽

Shaoping Wang ◽

Haoran Li ◽

Pingping Dong ◽

Fan Dong ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mass Spectrometry ◽

High Resolution ◽

High Performance ◽

Mass Measurement ◽

Neutral Loss ◽

Rat Plasma ◽

Accurate Mass ◽

Chromatographic Retention ◽

Rat Urine ◽

Q Exactive

Background:: Catalpol, an iridoid glycoside, is one of the richest bioactive components present in Rehmannia glutinosa. More and more metabolites of drugs have exhibit various pharmacological effects, thus providing guidance for clinical application. However, few researches have paid attention on the metabolism of catalpol. Objective:: This study aimed to establish a rapid and effective method to identify catalpol metabolites and evaluate the biotransformation pathways of catalpol in rats. Methods:: In this study, catalpol metabolites in rat urine, plasma and faeces were analyzed by UHPLC-Q-Exactive MS for the characterization of metabolism of catalpol. Based on high-resolution extracted ion chromatograms (HREICs) and parallel reaction monitoring mode (PRM), metabolites of catalpol were identified by comparing the diagnostic product ions (DPIs), chromatographic retention times, neutral loss fragments (NLFs) and accurate mass measurement with those of catalpol reference standard. Results: A total of 29 catalpol metabolites were detected and identified in both negative and positive ion modes. Nine metabolic reactions including deglycosylation, hydroxylation, dihydroxylation, hydrogenation, dehydrogenation, oxidation of methylene to ketone, glucuronidation, glycine conjugation and cysteine conjugation were proposed. Conclusion:: A rapid and effective method based on UHPLC-Q-Exactive MS was developed to mine the metabolism information of catalpol. Results of metabolites and biotransformation pathways of catalpol suggested that when orally administrated, catalpol was firstly metabolized into catalpol aglycone, after which phase Ⅰ and phase Ⅱ reactions occurred. However, hydrophilic chromatography-mass spectrometry still needed to further find the polar metabolites of catalpol.

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