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Lora C Robosky

Publications and source records attributed to Lora C Robosky.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

DFTMP, an NMR reagent for assessing the near-neutral pH of biological samples.

A new NMR chemical shift standard and pH indicator, difluorotrimethylsilanylphosphonic acid (DFTMP), is described, and the utility of this reagent is demonstrated for in situ determination of pH in complex biofluids. The pH dependence of this reagent allows accurate in situ determination of aqueous solution pH to within an RMSE of 0.02 pH units over a pH range of 5 to 8. Advantages of this reagent over previously described pH-sensitive components include (1) lack of metal binding affinity, (2) minimal disturbance of endogenous spectral regions, and (3) the potential to function as a multinuclear pH indicator and chemical shift reference point for 19F, 1H, and 31P nuclei. This reagent will be generally useful for NMR experiments on biological systems where the pH needs to be accurately measured at the moment of data acquisition.

Animals↗

Metabonomic identification of two distinct phenotypes in Sprague-Dawley (Crl:CD(SD)) rats.

Genetic drift in animal populations has been a recognized concern for many years. Less understood is the potential for phenotypic "drift" or variation that is not related to any genetic change. Recently, stock Sprague-Dawley (Crl:CD(SD)) rats obtained from the Charles River Raleigh facility demonstrated a distinct endogenous urinary metabonomic profile that differed from historical control SD urine spectral profiles obtained over the past several years in our laboratory. In follow-up studies, the origin of the variant phenotype was narrowed down to animals of both sexes that were housed in one specific room (Room 9) in the Raleigh facility. It is likely that the two phenotypes are related to distinct populations of gut flora that particularly impact the metabolism of aromatic molecules. The most pronounced difference between the two phenotypes is the relative amounts of hippuric acid versus other aromatic acid metabolites of chlorogenic acid. Though both molecular species are present in either phenotype, the marked variation in levels of these molecules between the two phenotypes has led to the designation of high hippuric acid (HIP) and high chlorogenic acid metabolites (CA) phenotypes. Specific urinary components that distinguish the phenotypes have been thoroughly characterized by NMR spectroscopy with additional, limited characterization by LC-MS (high performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry). Co-habitation of rats from the two phenotypes rapidly facilitated a switch of the CA phenotype to the historical Sprague-Dawley phenotype (HIP). The impact of these variant phenotypes on drug metabolism and long-term safety assessment studies (e.g., carcinogenicity bioassays) is unknown.

Animals↗

In vivo toxicity screening programs using metabonomics.

Metabonomics is an emerging technology that enables rapid in vivo screening for toxicity, disease state, or drug efficacy. The technology combines the power of high-resolution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques with statistical data analysis methods to rapidly evaluate the metabolic "status" of an animal. Complimentary to other profiling technologies like proteomics and genomics, metabonomics provides a fingerprint of the small-molecules contained in a given biofluid through the time course of a study. This article reviews the steps in implementing a metabonomics-based screening program from study design through data analysis. While metabonomics is still a relatively new technology in comparison to the other "omics", published results from metabonomics studies demonstrate its potential impact in the drug discovery process by enabling the incorporation of safety endpoints much earlier in the drug discovery process, reducing the likelihood (and cost) of later stage attrition.

Algorithms↗