Ke-Jun Zhong’s research while affiliated with Hunan University and other places

Despite the significance of cigarette smoke for carcinogenesis, the molecular mechanisms that lead to increased susceptibility of human cancers are not well-understood. In our present study, the oncogenic transforming effects of cigarette smoke condensate (CSC) were examined using papillomavirus-immortalized human bronchial epithelial cells (BEP2D). Growth kinetics, saturation density, resistance to serum-induced terminal differentiation, anchorage-independent growth and tumorigenicity in nude mice were used to investigate the various stages of transformation in BEP2D cells. Illumina microarray platforms were used to explore the CSC-induced alteration of global mRNA expression profiles of the earlier period and the advanced stage of CSC-treated BEP2D cells. We showed here that a series of sequential steps arose among CSC-treated immortalized human bronchial epithelial cells, including altered growth kinetics, resistance to serum-induced terminal differentiation, and anchorage-independence growth. In the earlier period of CSC treatment, 265 genes were down-regulated and 63 genes were up-regulated, respectively, and in the advanced stage of CSC treatment, 313 genes were down-regulated and 145 genes were up-regulated, respectively. Notably, among those genes, the expression of some of imprinted genes such as IGF2, NDN, H19 and MEG3 were all silenced or down-regulated in CSC-treated cells. These genes reactivated after 5 microM 5-aza-2-deoxycytidine (5-aza-dC) treatment. These results demonstrated that long-term treatment of human bronchial epithelial cells with CSC may adversely affect their genetic and epigenetic integrity and lead to further transformation.

Chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used to analyze the volatile components of cut tobacco samples with the help of heuristic evolving latent projections (HELP). After extracting with simultaneous distillation and extraction method, the volatile components in cut tobacco were detected by GC-MS. Then the obtained original two-dimensional data were resolved into pure mass spectra and chromatograms. The qualitative analysis was performed by similarity searches in the national institute of standards and technology (NIST) mass database with the obtained pure mass spectrum of each component and the quantitative results were obtained by calculating the volume of total two-way response. The accuracy of qualitative and quantitative results were greatly improved by using the two-dimensional comprehensive information of chromatograms and mass spectra. 107 of 141 separated constituents in the total ion chromatogram of the volatile components were identified and quantified, accounting for about 88.01% of the total content. The result proves that the developed method is powerful for the analysis of complex cut tobacco samples.

In this paper, chromatographic fingerprint was firstly used for quality control of tobacco flavors. Based on gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and combined chemometrics methods, a simple, reliable and reproducible method for developing chromatographic fingerprint of coffee flavor, one of tobacco flavors, was described. Six coffee flavor samples obtained from different locations were used to establish the fingerprint. The qualitative and quantitative analysis of coffee flavor sample from Shenzhen was completed with the help of subwindow factor analysis (SFA). Fifty-two components of 68 separated constituents in coffee flavor sample from Shenzhen, accounting for 88.42% of the total content, were identified and quantified. Then, spectral correlative chromatography (SCC) was used to extract the common peaks from other five studied coffee flavor samples. Thirty-eight components were found to exist in all six samples. Finally, the method validation of fingerprint analysis was performed based on the relative retention time and the relative peak area of common peaks, sample stability and similarity analysis. The similarities of six coffee flavor samples were more than 0.9104 and showed that samples from different locations were consistent to some extent. The developed chromatographic fingerprint was successfully used to differentiate coffee flavor from cocoa flavor and some little difference sample prepared with coffee flavor and cocoa flavor by both similarity comparison and principal component projection analysis. The developed method can be used for quality control of coffee flavor.

A fast, accurate, sensitive, selective and reliable method using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry coupling with an electrospray ionization interface was developed and validated for the determination of finasteride in human plasma. After deprotienation with acetonitrile, centrifugation, evaporation to dryness and dissolving in mobile phase, satisfactory separation was achieved on a Hypersil-Keystone C(18) reversed-phase column using a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile-water (46:54, v/v), 0.1% acetic acid and 0.1% trifluoracetic acid. Carbamazepine (IS) was used as internal standard. This method involved the use of the [M+H](+) ions of finasteride and IS at m/z 373 and 237 with the selective ion monitoring (SIM) mode. The calibration curve was linear in the range of 0.2-120 ng ml(-1). The limit of quantification for finasteride in plasma was 0.2 ng ml(-1) with good accuracy and precision. The intra-assay precision and accuracy were in the range of 2.1-11.2% and -1.3% to 8.5%, respectively. The inter-assay precision and accuracy were in the order of 3.4-12.1% and -1.5% to 11.5%, respectively. The mean sample extract recoveries of the method were higher than 85% and 74% for finasteride and internal standard (IS), respectively. The assay has been successfully used to estimate the pharmacokinetics of finasteride after oral administration of a 5mg tablet of finasteride to 24 healthy volunteers.

A combined approach of subwindow factor analysis and orthogonal projection resolution was used to analyze the volatile components of cut tobacco samples from different sources. After extracted with simultaneous distillation and extraction method, the volatile components in cut tobacco from five different locations were detected by GC-MS. Then, the qualitative and quantitative analysis of the volatile components of cut tobacco from Changde area was completed with the help of subwindow factor analysis resolving two-dimensional original data into pure mass spectra and chromatograms. One hundred and two volatile components among 138 separated peaks were identified and quantified, accounting for about 88.90% of the total content. Finally, orthogonal projection method was used to extract the common peaks from different locations. Among the identified components, there were 74 components coexisting in five studied samples although the relative content of each component showed difference to some extent. The results showed a fair consistency in their GC-MS fingerprints. It was the first time to apply orthogonal projection method to compare different cut tobacco samples, and it reduced the burden of qualitative analysis as well as the subjectivity. The obtained results proved the combined approach powerful for the analysis of complex cut tobacco samples. The developed method can be used to compare the sameness and differences of cut tobacco from different sources and for quality control of cigarette production and materials.

The volatile and semi-volatile components in tobacco flavor additives were extracted by both simultaneous distillation extraction and solid-phase micro-extraction. Extraction conditions for solid-phase micro-extraction were optimized with information theory. Then, detection were accomplished by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Characteristic of each method was compared. Qualitative analysis and quantitative analysis of 6# tobacco flavor sample were accomplished through both simultaneous distillation extraction and solid-phase micro-extraction. The experimental results show that solid-phase micro-extraction method is the first choice for qualitative analysis and simultaneous distillation extraction is another good selection for quantitative analysis. By means of simultaneous distillation extraction, 20 components are identified, accounting for 92.77% of the total peak areas. Through solidphase micro-extraction, there are 17 components identified accounting for 91.49% of the total peak areas. The main aromatic components in 6# tobacco flavor sample are propanoic acid, 2-hydroxy-, ethyl ester, menthol and menthyl acetate. The presented method has been successfully used for quality control of tobacco flavor.

The effect of N'-nitrosonornicotine (NNN), one of the tobacco-specific nitrosamines, on the catalytic activity of glutamate dehydrogenase (GLDH) in the alpha-ketoglutarate amination, using reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide as coenzyme, was studied by a chronoamperometric method. The maximum reaction rate of the enzyme-catalyzed reaction and the Michaelis-Menten constant, or the apparent Michaelis-Menten constant, were determined in the absence and presence of NNN. NNN remarkably inhibited the bio-catalysis activity of GLDH, and was a reversible competitive inhibitior with K(i), estimated as 199 micromol l(-1) at 25 degrees C and pH 8.0.