The usefulness of measuring n-butyric acid concentration as a new indicator of blood decomposition in forensic autopsy

In forensic medicine, although various alcohols have been reported as indicators of decomposition in collected blood, no studies have examined short-chain fatty acids as indicators. In this study, the blood n-butyric acid concentration was quantified, and the association between n-butyric acid and decomposition was investigated to determine whether the detection of n-butyric acid could be a new indicator of decomposition. Among the forensic autopsies performed from 2016 to 2018 in our laboratory, the cases were divided into decomposed (n = 20) and non-decomposed (n = 20) groups based on macroscopic findings. Blood samples collected at the time of autopsy were derivatized with 3-nitrophenylhydrazine hydrochloride after solid-phase extraction. The n-butyric acid concentration was measured using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. In addition, ethanol and n-propanol were measured using a gas chromatography-flame ionization detector. There was a significant difference (p < 0.01) in the concentrations of n-butyric acid between the decomposed and non-decomposed groups (0.343 ± 0.259 [0.030–0.973] and 0.003 ± 0.002 [0.001–0.007] mg/mL, respectively). In the decomposed group, n-butyric acid was detected at high concentrations, even in cases where n-propanol was low. These results suggest that n-butyric acid is more likely to be an indicator of blood decomposition than n-propanol.     

Redox active or thiol reactive? Optimization of rapid screens to identify less evident nuisance compounds

Compounds that exhibit assay interference or undesirable mechanisms of bioactivity are routinely encountered in assays at various stages of drug discovery. We observed that assays for the investigation of thiol-reactive and redox-active compounds have not been collected in a comprehensive review. Here, we review these assays and subject them to experimental optimization to improve their reliability. We demonstrate the usefulness of our assay cascade by assaying a library of bioactive compounds, chemical probes, and a set of approved drugs. These high-throughput assays should complement the array of wet-lab and in silico assays during the initial stages of hit discovery campaigns to pursue only hit compounds with tractable mechanisms of action.     

Pentobarbital overdose: A case of contract killing

Suicides by pentobarbital overdose have increased since about 2012, which appear to be influenced by technical information on active euthanasia that has spread over the Internet. We encountered a pentobarbital poisoning case of a patient with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. A caregiver found the patient unconscious immediately after two visitors left the room. The patient was immediately transferred to the emergency hospital but eventually declared dead. A fatal concentration of pentobarbital was detected in peripheral blood samples collected in the emergency hospital and during autopsy (53.8 μg/mL and 29.4 μg/mL, respectively). Because the ratios of pentobarbital concentrations between the gastric contents and peripheral blood were 35 and 29 in the hospital and autopsy samples, respectively, it is likely that pentobarbital was administered via the gastrostomy tube. The patient had contacted the visitors through social media. Although the patient had requested the doctor perform active euthanasia and expressed a desire to end their life on social media, nobody had noticed the plan to commit suicide.     

地黄不同炮制品薄层色谱鉴别方法的建立

目的:建立地黄不同炮制品的薄层色谱鉴别方法。方法:以D-果糖、梓醇、蔗糖、棉子糖、水苏糖、蜜二糖及甘露三糖为对照品,考察提取溶剂(水,20%甲醇,50%甲醇,80%甲醇),展开剂(正丁醇-甲醇-三氯甲烷-冰乙酸-水,乙酸乙酯-吡啶-冰乙酸-水,正丁醇-冰乙酸-水),显色剂(苯胺-二苯胺-磷酸溶液,茚三酮溶液),点样量(2,4,6μL),检视条件(日光,日光底部灯,365 nm和254 nm)对薄层色谱分析的影响,确定生地黄及熟地黄饮片的供试品溶液制备方法和最佳薄层色谱条件。结果:采用薄层色谱高效硅胶G板,以正丁醇-甲醇-三氯甲烷-冰乙酸-水(13∶5∶5∶1∶2)为展开剂展开,喷以苯胺-二苯胺-磷酸溶液,110℃下加热显色,于日光底部灯下进行检视,所得地黄不同炮制品薄层色谱分离效果和显色效果较佳,斑点清晰且特征性好。结论:该薄层色谱鉴别方法操作简便易行,定性特征明显、结果直观,可有效鉴别地黄不同炮制品,并可为熟地黄的炮制终点确定提供实验依据。     

利用聚多巴胺制备丹参注射液缓释制剂的研究

目的:利用聚多巴胺(PDA)对丹参注射液中多成分进行负载,构建丹参注射液(SMI)缓释制剂(PDA-SMI)。方法:建立丹参注射液的原儿茶醛、迷迭香酸和丹酚酸B3种成分的分析方法并进行含量测定;制备PDA,在pH值2.5的条件下对SMI进行负载,制备PDA-SMI;对PDA-SMI体外释放行为进行考察。结果:SMI中原儿茶醛、迷迭香酸、丹酚酸B的浓度分别为0.344、0.214、0.262 mg/mL;PDA-SMI对原儿茶醛、迷迭香酸、丹酚酸B的载药量分别为8.59%,15.90%和20.57%;PDA-SMI中原儿茶醛、迷迭香酸、丹酚酸B体外累计释放率分别为84.05%,77.57%和63.12%。结论:PDA可以负载SMI的多种成分,载药量较高,并具有良好的缓释效应。     

Nobiletin and its derivatives overcome multidrug resistance (MDR) in cancer: total synthesis and discovery of potent MDR reversal agents

Our recent studies demonstrated that the natural product nobiletin (NOB) served as a promising multidrug resistance (MDR) reversal agent and improved the effectiveness of cancer chemotherapy in vitro. However, low aqueous solubility and difficulty in total synthesis limited its application as a therapeutic agent. To tackle these challenges, NOB was synthesized in a high yield by a concise route of six steps and fourteen derivatives were synthesized with remarkable solubility and efficacy. All the compounds showed improved sensitivity to paclitaxel (PTX) in P-glycoprotein (P-gp) overexpressing MDR cancer cells. Among them, compound 29d exhibited water solubility 280-fold higher than NOB. A drug-resistance A549/T xenograft model showed that 29d, at a dose of 50 mg/kg co-administered with PTX (15 mg/kg), inhibited tumor growth more effective than NOB and remarkably increased PTX concentration in the tumors via P-gp inhibition. Moreover, Western blot experiments revealed that 29d inhibited expression of NRF2, phosphorylated ERK and AKT in MDR cancer cells, thus implying 29d of multiple mechanisms to reverse MDR in lung cancer.     

薄层色谱法在当前中药质量标准中的应用探讨

薄层色谱鉴别在历版《中国药典》中的应用经历了从无到有、从少到多的过程；而薄层扫描含量测定在最近几版《中国药典》中的应用比例逐渐降低。随着对中药质量标准体系要求的进一步提高，薄层色谱法的不足之处陆续显现，如仪器普及率低、设备并不简单、结果重复性和稳定性较差、鉴别速度及准确性不及高效液相色谱法、展开剂毒性大等，逐渐不合时宜。在制定中药质量标准时，研究者不应该墨守成规，薄层色谱鉴别也不应该是雷打不动的定性鉴别必备选项。高效液相色谱法具备完全取代薄层色谱法的可行性，薄层色谱法可作为高效液相色谱法的补充。为充分降低检测成本、缩短检测周期、提高鉴别效率，笔者建议中药质量标准体系应该大幅减少薄层色谱鉴别方法的应用，增加高效液相特征图谱鉴定，尽量做到“一个条件，一张图谱”；除非确有必要，《中国药典》等国家质量标准体系应将薄层色谱鉴别作为推荐方法，而非强制标准。