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Highly branched polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers presenting biological activities have been envisaged as non-viral gene delivery vectors. They are known to associate with nucleic acid (DNA) in non-covalent complexes via electrostatic interactions. Although their transfection efficiency has been proved, PAMAMs present a significant cytotoxicity due to their cationic surface. To overcome such a drawback, different chemical modifications of the PAMAM surface have been reported such as the attachment of hydrophobic residues. In the present work, we studied the complexation of DNA duplexes with different low-generation PAMAM; ammonia-cored G0(N) and G1(N) PAMAM, native or chemically modified with aromatic residues, i.e., phenyl-modified-PAMAM G0(N) and phenylalanine-modified-PAMAM G1(N). To investigate the interactions involved in the PAMAM/DNA complexes, also called dendriplexes, we used electrospray ionization (ESI) coupled to ion mobility spectrometry-mass-spectrometry (IM-MS). ESI is known to allow the study of non-covalent complexes in native conditions while IM-MS is a bidimensional separation technique particularly useful for the characterization of complex mixtures. IM-MS allows the separation of the expected complexes, possible additional non-specific complexes and the free ligands. Tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) was also used for the structural characterization. This work highlights the contribution of IM-MS and MS/MS for the study of small dendriplexes. The stoichiometries of the complexes and the equilibrium dissociation constants were determined. The [DNA/native PAMAM] and [DNA/modified-PAMAM] dendriplexes were compared.

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Polyamidoamine (PAMAM) are synthetic dendrimers which present attractive properties for the biological and biomedical fields, as they proved to be efficient drug and gene carriers. In order to increase their transfection efficiency, chemical modifications of the amino end-groups had been reported. In this work, the synthesis of the ammonia-cored G1(N) PAMAM and the consecutive chemical modification with glycine or phenylalanine amino-acids were monitored using the coupling of thin layer chromatography (TLC) with matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS). Thus, the monitoring of the PAMAM synthesis included the identification of the by-products such as defective structures of PAMAM dendrimers as well as the study of phenylalanine-grafted PAMAM oligomer distribution.

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Stereochemistry plays an important role in biochemistry, particularly in therapeutic applications. Indeed, enantiomers have different biological activities, which can have important consequences. Many analytical techniques have been developed in order to allow the identification and the separation of stereoisomers. Here, we focused our work on the study of small diastereomers using the coupling of traveling wave ion mobility and mass spectrometry (TWIMS-MS) as a new alternative for stereochemistry study. In order to optimize the separation, the formation of adducts between diastereomers (M) and different alkali cations (X) was carried out. Thus, monomers [M + X](+) and multimers [2M + X](+) and [3M + X](+) ions have been studied from both experimental and theoretical viewpoints. Moreover, it has been shown that the study of the multimer [2Y + M + Li](+) ion, in which Y is an auxiliary diastereomeric ligand, allows the diastereomers separation. The combination of cationization, multimers ions formation, and IM-MS is a novel and powerful approach for the diastereomers identification. Thus, by this technique, diastereomers can be identified although they present very close conformations in gaseous phase. This work presents the first TWIMS-MS separation of diastereomers, which present very close collision cross section thanks to the formation of multimers and the use of an auxiliary diastereomeric ligand.

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Ion mobility-mass spectrometry (IMMS) has been presented as a promising method for analysis of highly complex mixtures. This coupling adds an additional postionization separation dimension to MS. The IM separation of ions is obtained in the millisecond time scale and can be particularly helpful when chromatographic separation is not possible. For obtaining relevant information about the samples, data processing is usually the bottleneck because of the high amount of data generated with IMMS. In the current work, we present a new workflow using specific comparison software dedicated to IMMS data, which allows one to compare m/z-drift time plots to highlight differences between samples. Two diesel fuels have been compared, i.e., the feed and the product of hydrodesulfurization (HDS) process, and this approach allowed us to clearly highlight the variation of intensity of several ions distributed along the plots of both samples. Accurate mass measurements and post IM collision induced dissociation experiments allowed us to identify two series of polycyclic aromatic sulfur-containing heterocycle (PASH) compounds among the matrix ions.

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We reported the use of ion mobility (IM) combined with mass spectrometry (MS) as an analytical tool to investigate low generation polyamidoanine (PAMAM) dendrimers. This analytical approach has been employed to separate ions of defective structures with different charge state but exactly the same m/z value. Tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) after IM separation allowed a comprehensive structural characterization of defective dendrimers. In addition, IM was used to evaluate the collision cross-sections of ions of perfect dendrimers. They showed a good correlation with calculated collision cross-sections obtained by the trajectory method (TM) and were also consistent with dimensions reported by other established analytical methods.

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Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChEI) are one of the drugs families validated for clinical use in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD). For this reason, finding new more potent and more selective AChEIs is always of interest. Since 1961, the inhibitory activity of AChEI is evaluated through the Ellman's method. Herein, we reported a MS-based evaluation of potential new AChEI with the determination of their inhibitory activity (IC(50) and K(I)). Compared to the Ellman's method, that uses the substrate analog acetylthiocholine, the electrospray ionization ion trap mass spectrometry (ESI-IT-MS) consists in monitoring the conversion ratio of a low concentration of the natural substrate - acetylcholine to choline. We present here the inhibition activity of huprine X and six of its derivates (bearing different functional groups at position 9) towards the recombinant human (rhAChE) and Electrophorus electricus acetylcholinesterase (EelAChE). Mechanisms of action of selected inhibitors were evaluated by means of Lineweaver-Burk plot analysis. The Michaelis-Menten constants (K(M)), inhibitory constants (K(I)) were examined as well as the IC(50) to allow classifying a series of huprine derivatives by inhibition potency by a comparison with a reference (huprine X). Our results demonstrate that these drugs are very potent AChE inhibitors, especially (±)-huprine 6 with an inhibitory activity on recombinant human AChE (rhAChE) in the picomolar range. This study reveals the interest of huprine compounds in the treatment of AD.

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RATIONALE: The grafting of maleic anhydride onto fatty C=C double bonds is a well-known and used method to functionalize triglyceride molecules. Nevertheless, grafted products are not actually structurally well defined. In this work, the thermal grafting of maleic anhydride onto (un)saturated fatty acid esters without the use of an initiator was characterized in order to determine the nature of the products formed during this reaction. METHODS: Complementary spectrometric techniques, ESI-MS(n) (ion-trap mass spectrometer), IMS-MS(n) (Q-IMS-TOFMS) and GC/MS, were used to identify the grafted products which were prepared using either ethyl oleate (EtO) or methyl linoleate (MeL) as model molecules and maleic anhydride (MA). Lithiated adducts were investigated since they yield useful structural information when subjected to collision-induced dissociation (CID) in tandem mass spectrometry. RESULTS: A high number of products are formed during MA grafting and various reaction types could occur. Radical addition of maleic anhydride followed by combination or elimination reactions led to succinic and maleic anhydride grafting, respectively. The addition occurred with or without double-bond shift; the resulting derivatives showed succinic and maleic anhydride branching in the α-position relative to the double bond or onto the carbon atom of the initial double bond. Some structures obtained by radical addition and combination were also consistent with the Alder ene functionalization reaction. The Diels-Alder addition between di-unsaturated fatty acid chains and maleic anhydride could yield cyclic forms of MA-grafted derivatives. CONCLUSIONS: We have shown that ESI-MS(n) and IMS-MS(n) allow the identification of grafted products providing relevant structural information concerning isomers. These methods permit the rapid and direct analyses of 'crude reaction mixtures'.

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RATIONALE: Polyamides (PA) belong to the most used classes of polymers because of their attractive chemical and mechanical properties. In order to monitor original PA design, it is essential to develop analytical methods for the characterization of these compounds that are mostly insoluble in usual solvents. METHODS: A low molecular weight polyamide (PA11), synthesized with a chain limiter, has been used as a model compound and characterized by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS). In the solvent-based approach, specific solvents for PA, i.e. trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) and hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP), were tested. Solvent-based sample preparation methods, dried-droplet and thin layer, were optimized through the choice of matrix and salt. Solvent-based (thin layer) and solvent-free methods were then compared for this low solubility polymer. Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization (UHPLC/ESI)-TOF-MS analyses were then used to confirm elemental compositions through accurate mass measurement. RESULTS: Sodium iodide (NaI) and 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid (2,5-DHB) are, respectively, the best cationizing agent and matrix. The dried-droplet sample preparation method led to inhomogeneous deposits, but the thin-layer method could overcome this problem. Moreover, the solvent-free approach was the easiest and safest sample preparation method giving equivalent results to solvent-based methods. Linear as well as cyclic oligomers were observed. Although the PA molecular weights obtained by MALDI-TOF-MS were lower than those obtained by (1)H NMR and acido-basic titration, this technique allowed us to determine the presence of cyclic and linear species, not differentiated by the other techniques. TFA was shown to induce modification of linear oligomers that permitted cyclic and linear oligomers to be clearly highlighted in spectra. CONCLUSIONS: Optimal sample preparation conditions were determined for the MALDI-TOF-MS analysis of PA11, a model of polyamide analogues. The advantages of the solvent-free and solvent-based approaches were shown. Molecular weight determination using MALDI was discussed.

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RATIONALE: Tiagabine hydrochloride monohydrate drug substance (TGB) is an antiepileptic agent effective in the treatment of seizure disorders. The stability of TGB was studied and its degradation products were identified for the first time. METHODS: TGB was heated in the presence of H(2)O(2). Degradation products were analyzed by liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization multistage mass spectrometry (LC/ESI-MS(n)) and high-resolution mass spectrometry (HR-MS). RESULTS: This study showed that TGB was degraded by oxidative pathways involving attack of oxygen at different centers but mainly at the double bond of the molecule. The oxidative cascade reactions initiated by the epoxidation of the double bond of tiagabine led to dihydroxy, ketohydroxy and ketone derivatives as well as bisthiophene ketone. CONCLUSIONS: Nine degradation products of TGB were identified. Some diagnostic MS/MS product ions, characteristic of the piperidine or thiophene moiety, were highlighted.

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Metopimazine (MPZ) is a phenothiazine derivative used to prevent emesis during chemotherapy where few structural analysis of the aforementioned compound have been described in the literature. Thus, this work reports, for the first time, the detailed study of fragmentation pathways of MPZ and its metabolite (AMPZ) using electrospray ionization (EI) with multistage mass spectrometry (ESI-MS(n)) in positive-ion mode. The structures of 21 product ions were identified and their accurate masses were determined using high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) experiments. Characteristic product ions of these two phenothiazine derivatives are more particularly displayed along with differences between their relative abundances and their structures checked by H/D exchange experiments.

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We report the formation of unexpected ions during the analyses of a first-generation polyamidoamine dendrimer in negative ion mode using an ion trap equipped with an electrospray ionisation source. These surprising ions corresponded to an increase of 12 m/z units over those expected. The formation of the unexpected ions was dependent on the tuning of the solution flow rate and the capillary high voltage. In addition, measurements of unusual value of the current suggested that a reaction was occurring in the corona plasma. The influence of methanol in this phenomenon was demonstrated by using CD(3)OH in the sample preparation. We propose two structures to explain the observed adduct based on the results of MS(2) experiments and by referring to previous work dealing with 12 m/z units addition. We showed that a corona discharge caused by alterations taking place to the electrospray capillary emitter was the origin of these unexpected ions. Finally, we discuss the mechanism involved in the formation of the ions and we propose means to control such artefacts.

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The aim of this work was to understand the reactions involved in the photocrosslinking processes of a alpha,omega-unsaturated copolyamide foreseen as a new UV-curable powder coating. The crosslinking reaction was photoinitiated with benzophenone. In this paper, the photochemical reaction between benzophenone and several model compounds was investigated. The model compounds contained functional groups which could be present in copolyamide. The products resulting from UV curing were identified using a combination of high-resolution mass spectrometry and MS(n) experiments. The characterization of the products allowed localization of the hydrogen abstraction by the type II photoinitiator during UV curing and, consequently, the determination of the reactive sites of the unsaturated polyamide chain which were involved in the photochemical reaction.

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A detailed characterization of triacylglycerols (TAGs) present in linseed oil samples from a local producer was performed using electrospray ionization and two mass spectrometric approaches; direct infusion multi-stage mass spectrometry (MS(n)) experiments and liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) using non-aqueous reversed-phase chromatographic conditions. The combination of both approaches permitted the identification of 26 TAGs. Comparison of the two analytical approaches showed that discrimination of regioisomers was achieved from MS3 data while other isobaric species were separated and identified by LC/MS/MS analysis. The results we obtained were also compared with those previously reported. The TAG composition of the studied linseed oil is qualitatively identical to that of linseed oils from various sources in Europe, Canada, Argentina or India. However, a few differences were observed with regard to the proportions of some TAGs; these can be explained by variations in the culture conditions, climate, and variety of the seeds.

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Mass spectrometry was applied to the identification of the destruxins (dtxs), cyclic peptides that are commonly produced by the fungal insect-pathogen, Metarhizium anisopliae. The aim of the study was to optimise a methodology in order to firstly determine whether these compounds were present in other species and to determine the effect of differing growth conditions upon the dtx content detected. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-ToF-MS) was initially used to analyse the dtxs, but limitations were indicated. Nano-scale high-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry (HPLC/ESI-MS) and automated 'data-dependent' tandem mass spectrometric (MS/MS) analysis were also applied, utilising characteristic neutral losses during fragmentation to confirm the presence of the dtxs. This latter approach distinguished the dtx E and B isoforms by retention time and diagnostic neutral losses during fragmentation allowing extraction of the destruxin data from a complex dataset. This process revealed the presence of a number of dtxs in the fungal species Lecanicillium longisporum, a species previously not known to produce dtxs, and dtx production in this species was shown to be significantly higher in aerated cultures compared with still cultures.

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