Acetylcholine Promotes Binding of α‐Conotoxin MII at α3β2 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors

α‐Conotoxin MII (α‐CTxMII) is a 16‐residue peptide with the sequence GCCSNPVCHLEHSNLC, containing Cys2–Cys8 and Cys3–Cys16 disulfide bonds. This peptide, isolated from the venom of the marine cone snail Conus magus, is a potent and selective antagonist of neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). To evaluate the impact of channel–ligand interactions on ligand‐binding affinity, homology models of the heteropentameric α₃β₂‐nAChR were constructed. The models were created in MODELLER with the aid of experimentally characterized structures of the Torpedo marmorata‐nAChR (Tm‐nAChR, PDB ID: 2BG9) and the Aplysia californica‐acetylcholine binding protein (Ac‐AChBP, PDB ID: 2BR8) as templates for the α₃‐ and β₂‐subunit isoforms derived from rat neuronal nAChR primary amino acid sequences. Molecular docking calculations were performed with AutoDock to evaluate interactions of the heteropentameric nAChR homology models with the ligands acetylcholine (ACh) and α‐CTxMII. The nAChR homology models described here bind ACh with binding energies commensurate with those of previously reported systems, and identify critical interactions that facilitate both ACh and α‐CTxMII ligand binding. The docking calculations revealed an increased binding affinity of the α₃β₂‐nAChR for α‐CTxMII with ACh bound to the receptor, and this was confirmed through two‐electrode voltage clamp experiments on oocytes from Xenopus laevis. These findings provide insights into the inhibition and mechanism of electrostatically driven antagonist properties of the α‐CTxMIIs on nAChRs.     

Detection of the 15-acetate of prostaglandin E2 methyl ester as a prominent component of the prostaglandins in the gorgonian coral Plexaura homomalla

15R-Prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂) methyl ester 15-acetate (1) was isolated from the R-variety of the Caribbean sea whip coral, Plexaura homomalla collected in the Florida Keys. It was present in coral samples from separate collections in 2–10% of the abundance of the major prostaglandin component, PGA₂ methyl ester 15-acetate. The structure of 1 was assigned based on one- and two-dimensional ¹H NMR, HPLC, and LC-MS analyses. A sample of the S-variety of P. homomalla was found to contain a similar abundance of the corresponding 15S product, prostaglandin E₂ methyl ester 15-acetate. The significance of PGE acetylation is discussed in relation to the proposed mechanism of PGA synthesis in the coral.     

HPLC and 13C-NMR study of carboxymethyl-β-(1 → 6)-D-gluco-β-(1 → 3)-D-glucan derived from saccharomyces cerevisiae

Sodium salt of carboxymethyl-β-(1 → 6)-D-gluco-β-(1 → 3)-D-glucan (CMG-Na) was prepared from β-D-glucan isolated from baker's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). Three samples, Fractions I, II, and III, were further separated from the crude CMG-Na derivative. For the physicochemical characterization of the separated fractions, the methods of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) in the size-exclusion mode and carbon?13 nuclear magnetic resonance (¹³C-NMR) spectroscopy were applied. The HPLC method revealed that the molecular weights, M_n, M_w, and M_z averages, of Fraction II were 9.71 × 10⁴, 2.27 × 10⁵, and 3.59 × 10⁵ Da, respectively, whereas those of Fraction III were 1.52 × 10⁴, 2.13 × 10⁴, and 3.57 × 10⁴ Da, respectively. The ¹³C-NMR spectra of Fraction II showed a ratio of 3 : 1 for β?(1 → 3) / β?(1 → 6), whereas for Fraction III, the content of β-(1 → 3) units was smaller. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Modification with Organometallic Compounds Improves Crossing of the Blood–Brain Barrier of [Leu5]‐Enkephalin Derivatives in an In Vitro Model System

Enkephalin peptides are thought to be suitable vectors for the passage of the blood–brain barrier (BBB). Modifications that do not alter the amino acid sequence are often used to improve the permeation through living membrane systems. As a new type of modification we introduce organometallic compounds, in particular ferrocene carboxylic acid. Derivatives of [Leu⁵]enkephalin were synthesised and labelled with organometallic compounds by using solid‐phase synthesis techniques. All new metal–peptide bioconjugates were comprehensively characterised by HPLC, NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry and found to be at least 95 % pure. For the first time, permeation coefficients in a BBB model for organometal–peptide derivatives were determined in this work. The uptake and localisation of fluorescein‐labelled enkephalins was monitored by fluorescence microscopy on three cancer cell lines. Octanol/H₂O partition coefficients of the compounds were measured by HPLC. The introduction of the organometallic moiety enhances the uptake into cells and the permeation coefficient of [Leu⁵]‐enkephalin. This could be due to an increase in lipophilicity caused by the organometallic label. The metal–peptide conjugates were found to be nontoxic up to mM concentrations. The low cytotoxicity encourages further experiments that could take advantage of the selectivity of enkephalin derivatives for opioid receptors.     

Synthesis and characterization of glycerol dimethacrylate cross-linked polymethyl methacrylate: a resin for solid phase peptide synthesis

The new glycerol dimethacrylate cross-linked polymethyl methacrylate polymer support (GDMA-PMMA) for solid phase synthesis is presented. The synthesis of GDMA-PMMA resin is based on the cross-linking of GDMA with methyl methacrylate by free radical polymerization, affording a polymer containing ester and secondary hydroxyl groups. The polymer was prepared using benzoyl peroxide as initiator either via bulk polymerization or via suspension polymerization in polyvinyl alcohol, the latter yielding a beaded resin. The polymerization reaction was investigated with respect to the effect of amount of cross-linking agent in order to vary the swelling, loading and the mechanical stability of the resin. The polymer was characterized by FT-IR and ¹³C CP MAS NMR spectroscopic techniques. The solvent uptake of the polymer was studied in relation to cross-linking and compared with Merrifield resin. The stability of the resin was tested in various synthetic conditions used in solid phase peptide synthesis. The resin was derivatized with chloro and amino functional groups. The C-terminal amino acid incorporation, Nα-Fmoc deprotection, acylation reactions and removal of target peptide from the support were optimized. The efficiency of the resin was demonstrated by synthesizing leucyl-alanyl-glycil-valine, alanine-alanine-alanine-alanine, acyl carrier protein (65-74) and retro-acyl carrier protein (74-65) fragments under optimal conditions and is compared with Merrifield resin. The purity of the peptides was checked by HPLC and identities were established by amino acid analysis and mass spectroscopic techniques.     

Acyl Migration Kinetics of 2-Monoacylglycerols from Soybean Oil via <Superscript>1</Superscript>H NMR

The acyl migration kinetics of neat 2-monoacylglycerol (2-MAG) to form 1-MAG was determined using ¹H NMR spectroscopy to monitor the β-proton integration ratios of the two species over time. 2-MAG was synthesized by the Novozym 435-catalyzed alcoholysis of soybean oil and isolated by solvent extraction or molecular distillation at a mole fraction (X _2-MAG) of 0.94 relative to total MAG. The kinetics parameters of the neat 2-MAG acyl migration were investigated over the temperature range of 23–80 °C. The 2-MAG mol fraction remained unchanged at 23 °C over the course of 168 h and reached an equilibrium of X _2-MAG = 0.09 at only 80 °C. Modeling of the kinetics data revealed a 2-MAG half life (t _1/2) of 3,500 and 22.8 h at 23 and 80 °C, respectively, with an activation energy of 79.0 ± 6.5 kJ mol⁻¹. The use of ¹H NMR spectroscopy proved an expedient method for monitoring the acyl migration in 2-MAG compared to other reported methods (e.g. GC, HPLC, and ¹³C-NMR spectroscopy), requiring no sample manipulation and minimizing the deleterious effects of high temperatures and solvent exposure. Product names are necessary to report factually on available data; however, the USDA neither guarantees nor warrants the standard of the product, and the use of the name by the USDA implies no approval of the product to the exclusion of others that may be suitable.     

Asymmetric oxidative coupling polymerization of dihydroxynaphthalene derivatives with cobalt-salen complexes

Summary The oxidative coupling polymerization of dihydroxynaphthalene derivatives with a novel catalyst system, the cobalt(II)-salen complexes, was investigated. For example, the asymmetric polymerization of 2,3-dihydroxynaphthalene with (R,R)-(–)-N,N’-bis(3,5-di-tert-butylsalicylidene)-1,2-cyclohexanediaminocobalt(II) in a dichloromethane-methanol mixed solvent at room temperature for 0.5 h under an oxygen atmosphere, followed by acetylation of the hydroxyl groups, produced a methanol-insoluble polymer with the specific rotation value [α]_D of +165, which was rich in the R-configuration. To estimate the enantioselectivity during the polymerization, the corresponding acetylated dimer product was isolated from a polymerization mixture and determined to be 58% e.e.     

Separation of α‐Lactalbumin and β‐Lactoglobulin by a Convenient Liquid‐Solid Extraction System: Application to Milk Whey

A liquid‐solid extraction system based on Tween 80/phosphate was developed. Under the optimized conditions (9 wt % Tween 80, 1.6 : 1 (molar ratio) K₂HPO₄ : NaH₂PO₄, 1.25 mol/L total phosphate, pH = 7.4), α‐Lactalbumin (α‐La) and β‐Lactoglobulin (β‐Lg) were separated with recovery rates of 87.6 % (in the solid polymeric phase) and 98.2 % (in the salt aqueous phase), respectively. Under the effects of water and salt, the solid phase had the ability to form a new liquid‐solid extraction system, and 85.1 % of α‐La could be reversely extracted into the new salt aqueous phase. Following dialysis against water, proteins obtained through extraction and reverse extraction, were analyzed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) and thin‐layer scanning. The method was applied successfully to separate α‐La and β‐Lg from milk whey.     

Application and Comparison of High-Speed Countercurrent Chromatography and High Performance Liquid Chromatography in Preparative Enantioseparation of α-Substitution Mandelic Acids

This paper is mainly about extending research on application and comparison of preparative high-speed countercurrent chromatography (HSCCC) and preparative high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) in chiral separations. Preparative enantioseparations of α-cyclopentylmandelic acid and α-methylmandelic acid by HSCCC and HPLC were compared using hydroxypropy-β-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD) and sulfobutyl ether-β-cyclodextrin (SBE-β-CD) as the chiral mobile phase additives. In preparative HPLC the enantioseparation was achieved on the ODS C₁₈ reverse phase column with the mobile phase composed of a mixture of acetonitrile and 0.10 mol L^?1 phosphate buffer at pH 2.68 containing 20 mmol L^?1 HP-β-CD for α-cyclopentylmandelic acid and 20 mmol L^?1 SBE-β-CD for α-methylmandelic acid. The maximum sample size for α-cyclopentylmandelic acid and α-methylmandelic acid was only about 10 mg and 5 mg, respectively. In preparative HSCCC the enantioseparations of these two racemates were performed with the two-phase solvent system composed of n-hexane-methyl tert.-butyl ether-0.1 molL^?1 phosphate buffer solution at pH 2.67 containing 0.1 mol L^?1 HP-β-CD for α-cyclopentylmandelic acid (8.5:1.5:10, v/v/v) and 0.1 mol L^?1 SBE-β-CD for α-methylmandelic acid (3:7:10, v/v/v). Under the optimum separation conditions, totally 250 mg of racemic α-cyclopentylmandelic acid could be completely enantioseparated by HSCCC with HP-β-CD as a chiral mobile phase additive in a single run, yielding 114-116 mg of enantiomers with 98-99% purity and 89-92% recovery. But, no complete enantioseparation of α-methylmandelic acid was achieved by preparative HSCCC with either of the chiral selectors due to their limited enantioselectivity. In this paper, preparative enantioseparation by HSCCC and HPLC was compared from various aspects.     

Synthesis and Characterization of Octapeptide Somatostatin Analogues with Backbone Cyclization: Comparison of Different Strategies,Biological Activities and Enzymatic Stabilities

Somatostatin octapeptide analogues of the general sequence DPhe⁵‐Phe ⁶‐Tyr⁷‐DTrp⁸‐Lys⁹‐Val¹⁰‐Ph ¹¹‐Thr¹²‐NH₂ containing two types of backbone cyclization have been synthesized by the solid phase methodology. Backbone cyclization in these peptides was achieved via N‐modified phenylalanines in position 6 and 11. The N‐modified amino acids were incorporated as dipeptide building units which have been prepared in solution prior to the solid phase synthesis. Two dipeptide units of structure a) Fmoc‐aa ₁ ψ[CO—N((CH₂)_n‐X)]Phe—OH or b) Fmoc‐aa₁ ψ[CH₂—N(COlpar;CH₂)_n‐X)]Phe—OH have been introduced into the peptide sequence. Different resins and linkers were examined for an optimized peptide assembly and monitoring. The synthesized somatostatin analogues are highly resistant against enzymatic degradation as determined in vitro by incubation with rat liver homogenate. The biological activity was determined in binding experiments to the somatostatin receptors expressed in CHO‐ or BON‐1 cells. Most analogues show moderate activity without differentiation between the receptor subtypes.     

Synthesis and characterization of Schiff Base Chelates of Tetramic Acids as NMR Contrast Agents for micro imaging

Novel Cu(II) complexes derived from N,N′ P-ethylene-bis-(1′,5′,5′-trimethyltetramic acid-3′-acetiminato)copper(II) aCu [1] were evaluated as contrast agents for NMR microscopy and therefore tested for penetration into living cells (Xenopus laevis oocytes). By in vitro ¹H NMR relaxation (T₁) and atomic absorption spectroscopy measurements (AAS) we confirmed, that independent of the complex isomers (Z/Z, Z/E, E/E, E/Z) compounds with alkyl substituents in R¹ – R⁵ exclusively were able to penetrate the plasma membranes. It is noteworthy that compounds containing the tetramic acid moieties from both a penetrating and a non-penetrating complex most likely were accumulated in the plasma membrane and/or plasma membrane-associated vesicles, which was concluded from in vitro NMR measurements combined with AAS trace analyses. In this context the crystal and molecular structure of the ‘chimerical’ C₁₇H₂₂N₄O₄Cu · 3H₂O kCu · 3H₂O were determined by x-ray analysis. The x-ray structural parameters are discussed in detail.     

Novel Polyisobutylene Stars. XXVIII. A star block comprising three poly (isobutylene-b-acrylonitrile) arms radiating from an aromatic core: Synthesis and characterization*

Summary The synthesis and characterization of a novel three arm star-block comprising a cumyl core out of which radiate three poly(isobutylene-b-acrylonitrile) arms is presented. The synthesis strategy comprised three major steps (see Scheme 1): 1. The synthesis of ?(PIB-OH)₃, 2. Quantitative transformation of the -OH termini to -OCOC(CH₃)₂Br termini, and 3. Controlled ATRP of acrylonitrile mediated by the latter termini. The definition of a suitable solvent system, methylene chloride/cyclohexanone (CH₂Cl₂/CHO) was critical for the synthesis. The ?(PIB-b-PAN)₃, M_{n,PIB block}= 6000 g/mol and M_{n,PAN block}= 1,800 g/mol was characterized by solid state ¹³C NMR spectroscopy, thermal gravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, and dynamic mechanical analysis. Received: 8 January 2002/Revised version: 4 March 2002/ Accepted: 5 March 2002     

Design and processing of ZnO doped tricalcium phosphate based materials: Influence of β/α polymorph phase assemblage on microstructural evolution

Tricalcium phosphate (TCP) based biomaterials are excellent candidates in hard tissue engineering due to their similarity to the natural bone composition and outstanding properties. The presence of additives such as (Mg²⁺, Zn ²⁺, F⁻, CO₃²⁻ and/or SiO₄⁻) in solid solution in the structure of TCP, affects the stability of its different polymorphs and therefore the properties of TCP based biomaterials. It is known that the incorporation of zinc in TCP in the non-toxic level stimulates bone growth and its mineralization, hence its interest. Nevertheless its effect on phase assemblage and microstructure evolution has not been clearly established. The main purpose of this study was to synthesize TCP and zinc doped monophasic/biphasic α/β-TCP dense biomaterials, by solid-state sintering process, with different ZnO contents and controlled phase proportions and microstructure on the final material. The effect of ZnO content and sintering temperature on phase assemblage, densification and microstructural evolution has been investigated.     

Purification and characterization of solvent‐tolerant,thermostable, alkaline metalloprotease from alkalophilic Pseudomonas aeruginosa MTCC 7926

BACKGROUND: Microbial proteases are becoming imperative for commercial applications. The protease secreted by Pseudomonas aeruginosa MTCC 7926, isolated from solvent‐contaminated habitat was purified and characterized for activity at various edaphic conditions. The purified alkaline protease was investigated for dehairing of animal skin, anti‐staphylococcal activity and processing of X‐ray film. RESULTS: The protease was 24‐fold purified by ammonium sulfate fractionation, sephadex G‐100 gel filtration and DEAE‐cellulose, with 36% recovery. K_M and V_max, using casein were 2.94 mg mL^?1 and 1.27 µmole min^?1, respectively. The apparent molecular mass by SDS‐PAGE was 35 kDa. Alkaline protease was active at pH 6–11 and temperature 25–65 °C. Its activity was (a) 86.8% in 100 mmol L^?1 NaCl, (b) >95% in metal ions (Mn²⁺, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Fe²⁺) for 1 h, (c) >90% in bleaching agents and chemical surfactants, (d) 135.4 ± 2.0% and 119.9 ± 6.2% with rhamnolipid and cyclodextrin, respectively, (e) stable in solvents for 5–30 days at 27 °C, and (f) inhibited by EDTA, indicating metalloprotein. CONCLUSION: This work showed that purified protease retained its activity in surfactants, solvents, metals, and bleaching agents. The enzyme is an alternative for detergent formulations, dehairing of animal skin, X‐ray film processing, treatment of staphylococcal infections and possibly non‐aqueous enzymatic peptide synthesis. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry     

Separation and Purification of Bioactive Flavonol Glycosides from Hedyotis diffusa Willd by High-Speed Counter-Current Chromatography

Three flavonoid glycosides including quercetin-3-O-[2″-O-(6″′-O-E-sinapoyl)-β-D-glucopyranosyl]-β-D-glucopyranoside(I), quercetin-3-O-[2″-O-(6″′-O-E-feruloyl)-β-D-glucopyranosyl]-β-D-glucopyranoside(II) and quercetin-3-O-[2″-O-(6″′-O-E-feruloyl)-β-D-glucopyranosyl]-β-D-galactopyranoside(III) were isolated and purified from Hedyotis diffusa Willd by high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC). This run was carried out with a two-phase solvent system composed of n-hexane–ethyl acetate–n-butanol–methanol–1.0% acetic acid (1:1:3.5:1:4.5, v/v) by eluting the lower phase as the mobile phase with a flow-rate at 2.0 ml/min. Consequently, 29.6 mg of I, 35.1 mg of II, 41.3 mg of III with purities of over 95% were obtained from 200 mg of the crude extracts in a single run in less than 130 min. The structure of the isolated compounds was confirmed by MS, ¹H NMR, and ¹³C NMR analysis.     

Electrical resistance tomography-assisted analysis of dispersed phase hold-up in a gas-inducing mechanically stirred vessel

Tomographic analysis of the hydrodynamic attributes of the gas–liquid–solid mixing in a 1-l capacity stirred-tank equipped with a 4-blade gas-entrainment impeller has been used to obtain the dispersed phase hold-up distribution as a function of stirring speed (impeller Reynolds Number, Re_I) and solid particle loading. Although the liquid phase stirring was turbulent, both gas and solid flows went through different hydrodynamic regimes and experienced radial hold-up gradient over the range of impeller speed employed. Global solid phase hold-up profile exhibited a sigmoid-shape with respect to the impeller Reynolds number indicative of three solid suspension regimes across the stirring range (1.0≤Re_I≤6.25×10⁴) investigated. The solid phase hold-up distribution was adequately captured by, ε_s=ε_s,max[1−exp(−τ_sppRe_I)]^γ with ε_s,max and γ dependent on solid loading. An analogous expression was also obtained for the radial solid phase hold-up distribution and has enabled the proposition of a criterion for existence of radial transport gradient in gas-induced stirred tanks (GIST). Additionally, correlations for estimating the mixing time and power number for gas-induced mechanical agitators also gave good agreement with the empirical data.     

2-(2′-乙酰氧基-5′-溴甲基苯基)-2H-苯并三唑的合成

2-(2′-羟基-5′-甲基苯基)-2H-苯并三唑(UV-P)经过羟基乙酰化、N-溴代丁二酰亚胺(NBS)溴代,合成了具有高反应活性的2-(2′-乙酰氧基-5′-溴甲基苯基)-2H-苯并三唑。为提高目标产物产率和反应效率,分别对溶剂、引发剂、反应温度、反应时间、反应物投料比和反应底物浓度进行了研究。得出较优合成条件为:氮气保护下,四氯化碳为溶剂,偶氮二异丁腈(AIBN)引发,NBS与2-(2′-乙酰氧基-5′-甲基苯基)-2H-苯并三唑摩尔比1∶1,回流反应1h。在上述条件下,2-(2′-乙酰氧基-5′-溴甲基苯基)-2H-苯并三唑产率为60%。产物经过IR、1HNMR、MS分析证明结构正确。     

Total Synthesis and Structural Revision of Kasumigamide,and Identification of a New Analogue

Kasumigamide is an antialgal hybrid peptide–polyketide isolated from the freshwater cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa (NIES-87). The biosynthetic gene cluster was identified from not only the cyanobacterium but also Candidatus “Entotheonella”, associated with the Japanese marine sponge Discodermia calyx. Therefore, kasumigamide is considered to play a key role in microbial ecology, regardless of the terrestrial and marine habitats. We now report synthetic studies on this intriguing natural product that have led to a structural revision and the first total synthesis. During this study, a new analogue, deoxykasumigamide, was also isolated and structurally validated. This study confirmed the presence of the unusual pathway in the biosynthesis of a hybrid peptide–polyketide natural product.     

Homogeneous liquid–liquid extraction using perfluorooctanesulfonic acid and calcium and its application to the separation and recovery of vitamin B12

A new phase separation phenomenon was observed in which the perfluorooctanesulfonate ion (PFOS⁻) and calcium ion form an ion‐pair associator and the sedimented liquid phase occurs from the homogeneous aqueous solution. This phenomenon was observed in the neutral pH region at room temperature (25 °C). The optimum concentration conditions for the reagents were [PFOS⁻]_T = 7 × 10⁻³ mol dm^‐3 and [Ca²⁺]_T = 1.1 mol dm^‐3. When these findings were applied to the homogeneous liquid–liquid extraction of vitamin B₁₂, the extraction percentage (E) was 83% and the concentration ratio (ie V_a/V_s, where V_a is the volume of the aqueous phase and V_s is the volume of the sedimented liquid phase) was a maximum of 149. The recovery of vitamin B₁₂ was achieved by adding the propanol–acetone (20 : 80 v/v%) mixed solvent to the sedimented liquid phase; the vitamin B₁₂ precipitated and was filtered. Both the PFOS⁻ and Ca²⁺ were removed by dissolution in the mixed solvent. The recovery percentage of vitamin B₁₂ was 78%. © 1999 Society of Chemical Industry     

Application of High-Speed Counter-Current Chromatography Preparative Separation of Flavone C-Glycosides From Lophatherum gracile

Preparative high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) was used to separate and purify bioactive constituents from the stems and leaves of Lophatherum gracile Brongn. Six flavone C-glycosides each at over 95% purity including two new compounds were obtained in one-step separation by HSCCC with an optimized two-phase solvent system composed of ethyl acetate-n-butanol-ethanol-water at volume ratio of 4:2:1.5:8.5 (v/v/v/v). The experiment yielded 19.9 mg of luteolin 6-C-β-D-galactopyranosiduronic acid (1→2)-β-D-glucopyranoside (1), 28.5 mg of luteolin 6-C-α-L-arabinopyranosyl-7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (2), 31.5 mg of isoorientin (3), 44.8 mg of orientin (4), 25.3 mg of swertiajaponin (5) and 12.1 mg of apigenin 6-C-β-D-galactopyranosiduronic acid (1→2)-β-D-glucopyranoside (6) from 500 mg of crude extracts. The purity of these compounds was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Their chemical structures were identified by electron spray ionization mass spectroscopy (ESI-MS), ¹H and ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR).