Metabolomics profiling was carried out to observe the effect of short-term intensive physical activity on the metabolome of young Saudi professional football players. Urine, plasma and saliva were collected on 2 days pre- and post-training. An Orbitrap Exactive mass spectrometer was used to analyze the samples. A reversed-phase (RP) column was used for the analysis of non-polar plasma metabolites, and a ZIC-pHILIC column was used for the analysis of plasma, saliva and urine. mzMine was used to extract the data, and the results were modelled using Simca-P 14.1 software. There was no marked variation in the metabolite profiles between pre day 1 and 2 or between post day 1 and 2 according to principal components analysis (PCA). When orthogonal partial least squares (OPLSDA) modelling was also used, and then models could be fitted based on a total number of metabolites of 75, 16 and 32 for urine, plasma and saliva using hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) and 6 for analysis of plasma with reversed-phase (RP) chromatography respectively. The present study concludes that acylcarnitine may increase post-exercise in football players suggesting that they may burn fat rather than glucose. The levels of carnitine metabolites in plasma post-exercise could provide an important indicator of fitness.
At the beginning of 2020, the world was swept with a wave of a new coronavirus disease, named COVID-19 by the World Health Organization (WHO 2). The causative agent of this infection is the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The data available on one of the promising therapeutic agents—nucleotide analog remdesivir (Gilead Sciences number GS-5734)—were evaluated. These data were concerned with remdesivir activation from the prodrug to the active molecule—triphosphate containing 1′-cyano group and modified nucleobase. This triphosphate competes with the natural substrate adenosine triphosphate. Additionally, its mechanisms of action based on RNA and proofreading exonuclease inhibition, leading to the delayed RNA chain termination of infected cells, and basic pharmacological data were assessed. Additionally, the analytical determination of remdesivir and its metabolites in cells and body liquids and also some data from remdesivir use in other RNA infections—such as Ebola, Nipah virus infection, and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS)—were summarized. More recent and more detailed data on the clinical use of remdesivir in COVID-19 were reported, showing the intensive efforts of clinicians and scientists to develop a cure for this new disease. Remdesivir as such represents one of the more promising alternatives for COVID-19 therapy, however the current understanding of this disease and the possible ways of dealing with it requires further investigation.
The expanding progression of industrial development has been a pioneer for world economic growth. Green chemistry has been defined as ‘the employment of techniques and methodologies that reduce or eliminate the use or production of feedstocks, products, by-products, solvents, and reagents that are harmful to human health or the environment’. The quality-by-design approach is well-known in the pharmaceutical industry, and it has a great influence on analytical methods and procedures. In the green method of chemistry, the core consideration is directed towards the design of a material or the chemical procedure; four of twelve principles are associated with design, e.g. designing fewer hazardous chemical syntheses, designing harmless chemicals and products, designing for energy effectiveness, and designing for degradation. One of the most active fields of research and development in green chemistry is the establishment of analytical methodologies, leading to the beginning of so-called green analytical chemistry. The influences of green chemistry on pharmaceutical analysis, the environment, the population, the analyst, and companies are discussed in this review, and they are multidimensional. Every selection and analytical attitude affects both the end-product and everything that surrounds it.
Perindopril arginine and Indapamide hemihydrate in combination were proven to have a synergistic antihypertensive impact when compared with the use of each component alone. Therefore, a new Ultra-High Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled with Ultraviolet detector (UHPLC-UV) method has been developed and subsequently validated for simultaneous determination of the anti-hypertensive combination of Perindopril arginine and Indapamide hemihydrate. The separation of Perindopril arginine and Indapamide hemihydrate was achieved using a BEH C18 (1.7 μm, 2.1 × 50 mm) analytical column (Waters® Acquity UPLC) and a mobile phase composed of 0.01% v/v formic acid in water adjusted to pH 4 with acetic acid and acetonitrile (40:60 v/v). The method was able to separate Perindopril arginine and Indapamide hemihydrate within less than 4.5 min with high accuracy, precision, resolution, and sensitivity. The content of Perindopril arginine and Indapamide hemihydrate present in the dosage form Coversyl Plus® (5000 µg of Perindopril arginine/1250 µg of Indapamide hemihydrate) was determined in triplicate to give a concentration of 4991 µg and 1247 µg, respectively, from the manufacturer’s stated amounts with Relative Standard Deviation (%RSD) of ±0.63% for Perindopril arginine and ±0.84% for Indapamide hemihydrate. Moreover, the degradation products of the combination were elucidated by UHPLC-Quadrupole Time of Flight-Mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QToF-MS) under acidic, basic, and thermal conditions. In conclusion, the developed UHPLC-UV method was sensitive, rapid, and precise. Furthermore, forced degradation studies were performed and the degradants were identified by UHPLC-Electro-Spray Ionization-QToF (UHPLC-ESI-QToF).
South Asians have a greater cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type 2 diabetes (T2D) risk than white Europeans, but the mechanisms are poorly understood. This study examined ethnic differences in free fatty acids (FFAs) metabolic profile (assessed using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry), appetite-related hormones and traditional CVD and T2D risk markers in blood samples collected from 16 South Asian and 16 white European men and explored associations with body composition, objectively-measured physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness. South Asians exhibited higher concentrations of five FFAs (laurate, myristate, palmitate, linolenic, linoleate; p ≤ 0.040), lower acylated ghrelin (ES = 1.00, p = 0.008) and higher leptin (ES = 1.11, p = 0.004) than white Europeans; total peptide YY was similar between groups (p = 0.381). South Asians exhibited elevated fasting insulin, C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, triacylglycerol and ratio of total cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and lower fasting HDL-C (all ES ≥ 0.74, p ≤ 0.053). Controlling for body fat percentage (assessed using air displacement plethysmography) attenuated these differences. Despite similar habitual moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (ES = 0.18, p = 0.675), O2max was lower in South Asians (ES = 1.36, p = 0.001). Circulating FFAs in South Asians were positively correlated with body fat percentage (r2 = 0.92), body mass (r2 = 0.86) and AUC glucose (r2 = 0.89) whereas in white Europeans FFAs were negatively correlated with total step counts (r2 = 0.96). In conclusion, South Asians exhibited a different FFA profile, lower ghrelin, higher leptin, impaired CVD and T2D risk markers and lower cardiorespiratory fitness than white Europeans.
Twelve N-substituted-glycinyl triazolyl oxazolidinone derivatives were screened for antimycobacterial activity against susceptible (Mycobacteriumtuberculosis (Mtb) H37Rv) and resistant (isoniazid (INH)-resistant Mtb (SRI 1369), rifampin (RMP)-resistant Mtb (SRI 1367), and ofloxacin (OFX)-resistant Mtb (SRI 4000)) Mtb strains. Most of the compounds showed moderate to strong antimycobacterial activity against all strains tested, with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) value ranges of 0.5–11.5, 0.056–11.6, 0.11–5.8, and 0.03–11.6 μM, and percent inhibition ranges of 41–79%, 51–72%, 50–75%, and 52–71% against Mtb H37Rv, INH-R, RMP-R, and OFX-R M.tuberculosis, respectively. The 3,5-dinitrobenzoyl and 5-nitrofuroyl derivatives demonstrated strong antimycobacterial activities with the N-(5-nitrofuroyl) derivatives (PH-145 and PH-189) being the most potent, with MIC value range of 0.3–0.6 μM against all strains tested. Compounds were not bactericidal, but showed intracellular (macrophage) antimycobacterial activity. A reliable validated analytical method was developed for a representative compound PH-189 using Waters Acquity ultra High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (UHPLC) system with quaternary Solvent Manager (H-Class). A simple extraction method indicated that PH-189 was stable in human plasma after 90 min at 37 °C with more than 90% successfully recovered. Moreover, stress stability studies were performed and degradants were identified by using UHPLC-ESI-QToF under acidic, basic, and oxidative simulated conditions.