Simultaneous quantitative analysis of catecholamines (CAs) and their respective acid metabolites in biological fluids can become a powerful tool for diagnosis and treatment of various diseases. However, selective sample preparation procedure is necessary to isolate the aforementioned analytes from the matrix. Therefore, we propose a synthetic strategy for the preparation of a molecularly imprinted sorbent with binding sites for both CAs and their respective acid metabolites. The synthesis combines noncovalent and semicovalent imprinting methods. Methylenebisacrylamide, 4-vynilbenzyl-N,N,N-trimethylammonium (3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)acetate, and 3-phenylpropylacrylate were used as the cross-linker, functional monomer 1/“dummy” template 1, and functional monomer 2/“dummy” template 2 under precipitation polymerization conditions, respectively. The polymer was characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy. The binding properties were studied by constructing adsorption isotherms and conducting competitive binding tests. The performance of the molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) toward CAs and the acids was described by good imprinting factors (3.1–5.6), fast-binding equilibrium, and the ability to differentiate nonmethylated CAs from methylated ones. The MIP was used to simultaneously isolate the analytes from human plasma under dispersive solid-phase extraction conditions with subsequent detection using optimized UHPLC/MS/MS procedure. As a result, no major interferences were detected which suggests that the impurities were well separated from the analytes. Graphical Abstract

The mass spectrometric properties of several (1,2-dimethyl-1 H-imidazol-3-ium-3-yl)-alkane-1-sulfonates (alkane=ethyl, propyl and butyl) are investigated in this study. These substances, named zwitterionic liquids (ZILs), were synthesized using classical transformations and analyzed in positive and negative electrospray ionization mode using collision-induced dissociation (0–50 eV). We have also performed regioselective deuterium labeling of the alkyl chain of 3-(1,2-dimethyl-1 H-imidazol-3-ium-3-yl)-propane-1-sulfonates. Thus, the mass spectra of isotopically-labeled compounds were used for the confirmation of fragmentation pathways of ZILs. Briefly, the data obtained in this study show that the fragmentation of ZILs is dependent on the alkyl chain length between the imidazolium ring and the sulfonate group. In positive electrospray mode, the main fragments are the imidazolium ring containing even electron ions. On the other hand, in negative electrospray mode, sulfur-containing radical-anions are dominant.

The objective of this research was to investigate the feasibility of integrating oat (1 → 3, 1 → 4)-β-D-glucan (β-glucan) dried by two different techniques (freeze drying and spray drying) into a synbiotic formulation with Akkermansia muciniphila. The study evaluated the impact of this synbiotic formulation on the growth of A. muciniphila and its effect on the fermentation process. The extracted oat β-glucans underwent freeze-drying (FD) and spray-drying (SD) processes before being introduced as supplementary carbon sources (1%) to brain heart infusion (BHI) medium containing A. muciniphila MSCL 1582. The BHI medium containing inulin, D-glucose, and BHI without added substrates served as the control. Bacterial growth and short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production were measured before and after 72 h of fermentation. A light microscope and KOVA slides were used for the A. muciniphila count, and SCFA levels were measured via gas chromatography. Our findings revealed that oat β-glucans could effectively function as prebiotic substrates in complementary synbiotic composition with A. muciniphila, without inhibiting growth and causing metabolic impairment. Both FD and SD techniques demonstrated equivalent and favorable impacts on the fermentative capacity of A. muciniphila, rendering them suitable choices for the drying of β-glucans. Incorporating oat β-glucan into synbiotic formulations offers potential benefits, contributing to A. muciniphila growth and the fermentation process.

This paper describes non-covalent complexes between zwitterionic 3-(1-alkyl-3 N-imidazolio)-propane-1-sulfonates and different amines. Electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectrometry and collision-induced dissociation were used to measure the stability of such complexes in solution and in the gas phase. Generally, zwitterionic sulfonates formed more abundant complexes with protonated 5-methylcytosine (5-MCH) than with aliphatic amines. The results show that the association constants and half-dissociation threshold energies of these complexes nonlinearly depend on the alkyl chain length of the zwitterion. It is shown that the complexes with the lowest stability exist in acetonitrile solution or in the gas phase. The factors responsible for this complicated behavior are discussed. The structure of the complexes was investigated by quantum chemical calculations using molecular mechanics and density functional theory. Hydrogen bonding is proposed as the main type of interaction responsible for the stability of ion–zwitterion complexes. In summary, the information obtained in this study could be used for the development of the new derivatization reagents for some compounds containing amidinium groups, like 5-MCH, to increase selectivity of ESI-based methods.