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Erica Pasini

Publications and source records attributed to Erica Pasini.

5 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

MAPU: Max-Planck Unified database of organellar, cellular, tissue and body fluid proteomes.

Mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics has become a powerful technology to map the protein composition of organelles, cell types and tissues. In our department, a large-scale effort to map these proteomes is complemented by the Max-Planck Unified (MAPU) proteome database. MAPU contains several body fluid proteomes; including plasma, urine, and cerebrospinal fluid. Cell lines have been mapped to a depth of several thousand proteins and the red blood cell proteome has also been analyzed in depth. The liver proteome is represented with 3200 proteins. By employing high resolution MS and stringent validation criteria, false positive identification rates in MAPU are lower than 1:1000. Thus MAPU datasets can serve as reference proteomes in biomarker discovery. MAPU contains the peptides identifying each protein, measured masses, scores and intensities and is freely available at http://www.mapuproteome.com using a clickable interface of cell or body parts. Proteome data can be queried across proteomes by protein name, accession number, sequence similarity, peptide sequence and annotation information. More than 4500 mouse and 2500 human proteins have already been identified in at least one proteome. Basic annotation information and links to other public databases are provided in MAPU and we plan to add further analysis tools.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

New approach for the detection of BSH and its metabolites using capillary electrophoresis and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry.

Boron neutron capture therapy is a promising binary treatment for cancer. It is based on the nuclear fission that occurs when non-radioactive 10B absorbs thermal neutrons. One of the two boron compounds currently used in clinical trials for this therapy is BSH. To ensure differentiated retention in the tumour versus normal tissue prior to treatment, routine analytical methods to determine pharmacokinetics must be available. For this purpose we have developed a new, easy and time saving approach, in which the separation of boron derivatives is performed by means of capillary electrophoresis (CE). The CE method allows analyses to be performed in short times (less than 18 min), sensitively (LOD 8 pg loaded on the capillary) quantitatively (LOQ 5 microg/ml) and with a high efficiency of separation. Moreover it is simpler than HPLC and more reproducible (intra- and inter-day values were +/-1% and +/-3%, respectively), and does not require a specific column of derivatization. Mass spectrometry analysis of boron derivatives in different samples was also performed to ensure correct attribution of the CE peaks.

Boron Compounds↗
PubMed2002

Structure-activity relationships in 4-aminoquinoline antiplasmodials. The role of the group at the 7-position.

Antiplasmodial activities versus the chloroquine sensitive D10 strain of Plasmodium falciparum of a series of N(1),N(1)-diethyl-N(2)-(4-quinolinyl)-1,2-ethanediamines with 11 different substituents at the 7-position on the quinoline ring have been investigated in vitro. Electron-withdrawing groups at the 7-position have been shown to lower the pK(a) of both the quinoline ring nitrogen atom and the tertiary amino nitrogen in the alkyl side chain. The quinoline nitrogen pK(a) ranges from 6.28 in the nitro derivative to 8.36 in the amino derivative, while the tertiary amino nitrogen has a pK(a) ranging between 7.65 in the trifluoromethyl derivative and 10.02 in the amino derivative. Calculation suggests that the resulting pH trapping of these compounds in the parasite food vacuole ranges between about 7% of that observed in chloroquine for the NO(2) derivative and 97% in the amino derivative. A direct proportionality between antiplasmodial activity normalized for pH trapping and beta-hematin inhibitory activity was observed. Activity could not be correlated with any other observed physical parameter. The beta-hematin inhibitory activity of these derivatives appears to correlate with both the hematin-quinoline association constant and the electron-withdrawing capacity of the group at the 7-position (Hammett constant). For the compounds under investigation, the hematin association constant is in turn influenced by the lipophilicity of the group at the 7-position.

Aminoquinolines↗
PubMed2002

Does chloroquine really act through oxidative stress?

To assess whether molecular oxygen and oxidative stress contribute to chloroquine activity, we cultivated strains of Plasmodium falciparum in erythrocytes with carboxyhemoglobin and an atmosphere containing 2% CO, 5% CO(2) and 93% N(2). Results indicate that, contrary to common belief, oxygen is not involved in the activity of chloroquine. Reactive radicals formation is suggested.

Animals↗