Biomedical subjects

Nuria Sanvicens

Publications and source records attributed to Nuria Sanvicens.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Determination of haloanisols in white wine by immunosorbent solid-phase extraction followed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

A high through-put screening immunochemical method to control the presence of 2,4,6-trichloroanisol (TCA) and 2,4,6-tribromoanisol (TBA), the main agents responsible for the musty odor in wine samples, has been developed. The method involves a selective (antibody-antigen) solid-phase extraction (SPE), followed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) analysis. The sample preparation method established uses for immunosorbents (ISs) prepared by covalently coupling antibodies developed for TCA on a sepharose support. At present, about 200-400 ng L-1 of TBA and TCA can be detected in white wine samples by the IS-SPE-ELISA method described here without any preconcentration step. Simultaneous analyses of many samples are possible with this method. Related chloroanisoles (2,3- and 2,6-dichloroanisols and 2,3,4,5-tetrachloroanisol) and chlorophenols (2,3,4,6-tetrachlorophenol and pentachlorophenol) usually present in contaminated wine samples are also effectively retained by the IS, although only 2,4,6-TCA and 2,4,6-TBA are detected by the ELISA used. The immunopurification procedure developed could also be useful as a selective cleanup method prior to chromatographic analysis.

Anisoles↗

PubMed2006

The radical scavenger CR-6 protects SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells from oxidative stress-induced apoptosis: effect on survival pathways.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and oxidative stress have long been linked to cell death of neurons in many neurodegenerative conditions. However, the exact molecular mechanisms triggered by oxidative stress in neurodegeneration are at present unclear. In the current work we have used the human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cell line as a model for studying the molecular events occurring after inducing apoptosis with H2O2. We show that treatment of SH-SY5Y cells with H2O2 up-regulates survival pathways during early stages of apoptosis. Subsequently, the decline of anti-apoptotic protein levels leads to the activation of the calcium-dependent proteases calpains and the cysteine proteases caspases. Additionally, we demonstrate that CR-6 (3,4-dihydro-6-hydroxy-7-methoxy-2,2-dimethyl-1(2H)-benzopyran) acts as a scavenger of ROS and prevents apoptosis by enhancing and prolonging up-regulation of survival pathways. Furthermore, we show that pre-treatment of SH-SY5Y cells with a cocktail containing CR-6, the pan-caspase inhibitor zVAD-fmk (zVal-Ala-Asp-fluoro-methylketone) and the calpain inhibitor SJA6017 confers almost total protection against apoptosis. In summary, the present work characterizes the molecular mechanisms involved in oxidative stress-induced apoptosis in SH-SY5Y cells. Our findings highlight the relevance of CR-6, alone or in combination with other drugs, as potential therapeutic strategy for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.

Apoptosis↗

PubMed2006

Ceramide is the key mediator of oxidative stress-induced apoptosis in retinal photoreceptor cells.

Nitric oxide and reactive oxygen species play a critical role in photoreceptor apoptosis. However, the exact molecular mechanisms triggered by oxidative stress in photoreceptor cell death remain undefined. Here, we demonstrate that the sphingolipid ceramide is the key mediator of oxidative stress-induced apoptosis in 661W retinal photoreceptor cells. Treatment of 661W cells with the nitric oxide donor, sodium nitroprusside, activates acid sphingomyelinase. As a result, sphingomyelin is hydrolysed, which leads to an increase in the concentration of ceramide. We also show that ceramide is responsible for the activation of the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway in 661W photoreceptor cells and subsequent activation of the caspase cascade. Furthermore, we show for the first time that ceramide is responsible for the increased Ca2+ levels in the mitochondria and cytosol that precedes activation of the calpain-mediated apoptotic pathway. Additionally, we provide evidence that ceramide also activates the endolysosomal protease cathepsin D pathway. In summary, our findings show that ceramide controls the cell death decisions in photoreceptor cells and highlight the relevance of acid sphingomyelinase as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of retinal pathologies.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

Oxidative stress-induced apoptosis in retinal photoreceptor cells is mediated by calpains and caspases and blocked by the oxygen radical scavenger CR-6.

A critical role for reactive oxygen species (ROS) in photoreceptor apoptosis has been established. However, the exact molecular mechanisms triggered by oxidative stress in photoreceptor cell death remain undefined. This study delineates the molecular events that occur after treatment of the photoreceptor cell line 661W with the nitric oxide donor sodium nitroprusside (SNP). Cytosolic calcium levels increased during photoreceptor apoptosis, leading to activation of the calcium-dependent proteases calpains. Furthermore, caspase activation also occurred following SNP insult. However, although treatment with the pan-caspase inhibitor benzyloxycarbonyl-Val-Ala-Asp fluoromethyl ketone inhibited caspase activity per se in SNP-treated 661W cells, it did not prevent apoptosis. On the other hand, CR-6 (3,4-dihydro-6-hydroxy-7-methoxy-2,2-dimethyl-1(2H)-benzopyran) acted as a scavenger of ROS and reduced 661W photoreceptor apoptosis induced by SNP by preventing the activation of a pathway in which calpains have a key role. In summary, we report for the first time that both caspases and calpains are involved in 661W photoreceptor apoptosis and that calpain activation can be prevented by the ROS scavenger CR-6.

Amino Acid Chloromethyl Ketones↗

PubMed2003

Immunochemical determination of 2,4,6-trichloroanisole as the responsible agent for the musty odor in foods. 2. Immunoassay evaluation.

Immunoassays for 2,4,6-trichloroanisol (TCA) have been evaluated. The assays were developed after raising antibodies against three different immunizing haptens (1). Lack of reproducibility has been one of the main problems of these assays. Precision was worse on these assays, reaching lower limits of detection. The high lipophilicity of TCA and its, consequently, low water solubility have been found to be the major cause of this problem. A reliable microplate-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) has been set after consideration of the TCA physicochemical features and evaluation of important parameters affecting immunoassay performance. The immunoassay uses As78 (developed against hapten B-KLH) and C9-OVA as the coating antigen. The selectivity is high although the brominated analogue 2,4,6-TBA is also recognized. In buffered media containing 7% ethanol, the resulting assay shows a good accuracy with an IC(50) value of 0.53 microgram L(-)(1) and a limit of detection of 0.044 microgram L(-)(1). Red and white wine samples caused important interferences in the immunoassay demonstrating the necessity of a cleanup procedure prior to the ELISA.

Anisoles↗

PubMed2003

Immunochemical determination of 2,4,6-trichloroanisole as the responsible agent for the musty odor in foods. 1. Molecular modeling studies for antibody production.

Nine antisera have been raised against 2,4,6-trichloroanisole (2,4,6-TCA) by immunizing them with three different haptens. With the spacer arm at the meta position, hapten A (3-(2,4,6-trichloro-3-methoxyphenyl)propanoic acid) preserved all of the functional groups of the target analyte. In hapten B (5-(2,4,6-trichlorophenoxy)pentanoic acid), the spacer was placed in the molecule substituting the methoxy group. Finally, hapten C (3-(3,5-dichloro-4-methoxyphenyl)propanoic acid) held the spacer arm at the para position instead of the chlorine atom of the target analyte. Using theoretical models, we have studied how the molecular geometry and the electronic distribution are affected by the introduction of the linker. The evaluation of the avidity of the resulting antibodies demonstrates that the orientation produced by the spacer arm must also be considered an essential aspect. The screening for competitive assays performed after synthesizing a battery of heterologous competitors has provided with these antibodies eight indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays with acceptable properties. From the number of assays obtained, their maximal absorbance, their signal-to-noise ratio, the slope, and the IC(50) values obtained, it can be concluded that hapten C provided the best antibodies.

Anisoles↗

PubMed2003

Preparation of antibodies and development of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for determination of dealkylated hydroxytriazines.

The development of an indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for dealkylated hydroxytriazines is reported here for the first time. The assay uses polyclonal antibodies raised against N-(4-amine-6-hydroxy-[1,3,5]triazin-2-yl)-4-aminobutanoic acid (hapten 2g) conjugated to keyhole limpet hemocyanin by the active ester method. The immunizing hapten was synthesized by first introducing the amino group to the triazine ring in a protected form in order to increase its solubility in organic media. Subsequent steps consisted of reacting this compound with an appropriate spacer arm, followed by removal of the protecting group in acidic media. The resulting assay uses a homologous competitor hapten coupled to conalbumin by the mixed anhydride method. Coating antigens prepared using a homologous covalent coupling procedure failed to produce competitive immunoassays. The assay tolerates media with high ionic strength (up to 70 mS cm(-)(1)) and basic pH values (7.5-9.5 units). Under the optimized conditions, this ELISA is specific for dealkylated hydroxytriazines, reaching suitable limits of detection.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Multiplex analysis with peptide-encoded beads.

Paramagnetic beads have considerable potential as identification tags in biological analysis. For example, magnetic sensor-based arrays using the magnetic field generated by paramagnetic beads to test hybridization between interacting molecules have attracted widespread interest in recent years. However, application of paramagnetic beads as identification tags is still limited, since they do not permit differentiation between samples for multiplex analysis. Here, we report the application of a novel encoding of paramagnetic beads with peptide sequences. This strategy allows DNA samples labeled with peptide-encoded paramagnetic beads to be identified by the selective enzymatic cleavage of each peptide cross-linker.

Cross-Linking Reagents↗