Article
Biology
Wenchuan Ma, Victoria A. Balta, Weichun Pan, Jeffrey D. Rimer, David J. Sullivan, Peter G. Vekilov
Summary: Hematin crystallization is crucial for heme detoxification in malaria parasites, and inhibiting this process is a common approach in antimalarial treatment. Our study reveals irreversible inhibition of hematin crystal growth due to distinct cooperative mechanisms under biomimetic conditions. The findings demonstrate that both artemisinin metabolites and quinoline-class antimalarials can suppress crystal growth even after being eliminated from the solution. Furthermore, the research shows that short-term exposure to inhibitors has comparable efficacy in inhibiting parasite growth as long-term exposure. These molecular-level mechanisms of action of antimalarial drugs provide valuable insights into inhibiting hematin crystal growth and sequestering crystalline hematin by Plasmodium falciparum.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Camila Wendt, Wanderley de Souza, Alessandro Pinheiro, Leandro Silva, Ana Acacia de Sa Pinheiro, Raynald Gauvin, Kildare Miranda
Summary: Malaria parasites utilize hemozoin crystals to immobilize heme molecules as a defense mechanism, which is crucial for parasite development and is targeted by antimalarial drugs. Comparative analysis of hemozoin crystals from different species revealed structural differences and similar elemental compositions, suggesting potential similar immunomodulatory functions.
CRYSTAL GROWTH & DESIGN
(2021)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Zhonghua Li, Yingshuang Meng, Mingyang Yu, Xiaobin Jiang, Gaohong He
Summary: Pathological crystallization is a problem that leads to inflammation and diseases, requiring interdisciplinary research in the fields of chemical engineering, materials science, and medicine. This review summarizes the progress in pathological crystallization related to stone diseases, including mechanisms, inhibitors, and surface modification strategies.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Robert Domes, Torsten Frosch
Summary: A thorough understanding of the interaction between endoperoxide antimalarial agents and their biological target structures is crucial for the design of future efficient antimalarials. This study used resonance Raman spectroscopy, two-dimensional correlation analysis, and density functional theory calculations to gain detailed insights into the molecular interactions between artesunate and β-hematin. The results showed that the concentration of artesunate affected the spectral properties and crystallinity of the drug-target complexes, and variations in the high-wavenumber region were attributed to distortions in the planarity of the target molecule.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Debakshi Mullick, Katya Rechav, Leslie Leiserowitz, Neta Regev-Rudzki, Ron Dzikowski, Michael Elbaum
Summary: Malaria, a potentially fatal infectious disease caused by parasites, can be treated by interfering with the crystallization process of parasites within human red blood cells. This study used cryo-scanning transmission electron tomography to investigate the chemical environment of crystallization and found no intermediate medium surrounding the crystals. These findings have important implications for evaluating new drug candidates.
FARADAY DISCUSSIONS
(2022)
Article
Humanities, Multidisciplinary
Paola Ricciardi, Kathryn A. Dooley, Douglas MacLennan, Giulia Bertolotti, Francesca Gabrieli, Catherine Schmidt Patterson, John K. Delaney
Summary: A preliminary study of 15th-century Venetian manuscript fragments identified the early use of smalt in illuminated manuscripts. Non-invasive analysis techniques, including XRF spectroscopy, UV-vis-NIR-SWIR reflectance spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and external reflection FT-IR spectroscopy, were used to identify small amounts of smalt in the presence of ultramarine. The study found that elemental XRF spectroscopy was more sensitive in detecting the presence of smalt compared to molecular spectroscopy techniques.
Article
Instruments & Instrumentation
Thulya Chakkumpulakkal Puthan Veettil, Kamila Kochan, Karen J. Edler, Paul De Bank, Philip Heraud, Bayden R. Wood
Summary: Malaria is a significant global health concern, and vibrational spectroscopy shows promise as a rapid and cost-effective tool for early detection. Improvements are needed in the measurement procedures and sample preparation to enhance the efficiency of screening for parasitic infections.
APPLIED SPECTROSCOPY
(2022)
Review
Chemistry, Analytical
Jakub Dybas, Fatih Celal Alcicek, Aleksandra Wajda, Magdalena Kaczmarska, Anna Zimna, Katarzyna Bulat, Aneta Blat, Tetiana Stepanenko, Tasnim Mohaissen, Ewa Szczesny-Malysiak, David Perez-Guaita, Bayden R. Wood, Katarzyna Maria Marzec
Summary: The application of modern and innovative spectroscopic and microscopic approaches in biomedical analysis has provided new insights into the analysis of red blood cells (RBCs). This review critically summarizes the latest Raman-based methodologies for RBC analysis and compares them with other techniques. It highlights the advantages, disadvantages, and capabilities of each technique for detecting RBC deteriorations and RBC-related diseases. Classical techniques currently used in medical analysis are insufficient in providing molecular-level insights into RBC alterations, therefore non-destructive and label-free analytical techniques are in demand for rapid detection and diagnosis of erythropathies.
TRAC-TRENDS IN ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Salman Ali, Mohammed A. Jameel, Glenn Oldham, Akhil Gupta, Mahnaz Shafiei, Steven J. Langford
Summary: The study demonstrated that an amperometric sensor using a tetra core-substituted organic semiconductor as the active layer has high sensitivity, selectivity, quick response, low limit of detection, excellent recyclability, and stability. The incorporation of strong electron-withdrawing groups led to increased charge transfer efficiency in the sensor.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY C
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Kamal Prakash Prasanna Ravindran Nair, Thulya Chakkumpulakkal Puthan Veettil, Bayden R. Wood, Debjani Paul, Tuncay Alan
Summary: The identification of biomarkers from blood plasma is crucial for diagnostic tests. Haemoprocessor, a portable and robust open-fluidic system, utilizes Travelling Surface Acoustic Waves (TSAW) to separate plasma and red blood cells. Spectroscopy and analysis confirmed the quality and integrity of the plasma separation, validating the potential of Haemoprocessor as a platform for cell enrichment and plasma separation.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Charlotte Keung, Philip Heraud, Nathan Kuk, Rebecca Lim, William Sievert, Gregory Moore, Bayden Wood
Summary: This study demonstrates the potential of Fourier-transform infra-red spectroscopy in diagnosing and assessing inflammatory bowel disease. The technique can accurately detect biochemical features of intestinal inflammation, classify normal and inflamed tissue, and quantify the severity of inflammation.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Molong Han, Daniel Smith, Soon Hock Ng, Tomas Katkus, Aravind Simon John Francis Rajeswary, Periyasamy Angamuthu Praveen, Keith R. Bambery, Mark J. Tobin, Jitraporn Vongsvivut, Saulius Juodkazis, Vijayakumar Anand
Summary: In this study, phase imaging of biochemical samples was demonstrated for the first time at the Australian Synchrotron's Infrared Microspectroscopy (IRM) beamline using the usually disregarded near-IR (NIR) region of the synchrotron-IR beam. By aligning a pinhole with one of the lobes of the fork-shaped beam and applying a rapid phase-retrieval algorithm, promising preliminary results were obtained for the development of multimodal imaging capabilities at the IRM beamline.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Thulya Chakkumpulakkal Puthan Veettil, Rebekah N. Duffin, Supti Roy, Jitraporn Vongsvivut, Mark J. Tobin, Miguela Martin, John A. Adegoke, Philip C. Andrews, Bayden R. Wood
Summary: Neglected tropical diseases, including leishmaniasis, are becoming more widespread. This study demonstrates the potential of using synchrotron Fourier transform infrared microspectroscopy and machine learning models to accurately predict Leishmania infection. The use of this technique could pave the way for future clinical studies using portable devices.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Instruments & Instrumentation
Miguela Martin, Molin Wongwattanakul, Noppmats Khemtonglang, Pakaphan Kiatchoosakun, Philip Heraud, Patcharee Jearanaikoon, Bayden R. Wood
Summary: Glucose-6 phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency is a common blood disease, affecting 400 million people globally, especially in malaria-endemic regions. Accurate diagnosis of this deficiency is crucial for malaria eradication efforts. This study investigates the use of attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR FT-IR) as a potential diagnostic technique. Results show that ATR FT-IR combined with multivariate data analysis can accurately classify fully deficient participants and partially deficient females who are often misdiagnosed. This approach has the potential to become a frontline screening tool, improving tailored drug treatments and saving lives.
APPLIED SPECTROSCOPY
(2023)
Review
Instruments & Instrumentation
Callum Gassner, Jitraporn Vongsvivut, Soon Hock Ng, Meguya Ryu, Mark J. J. Tobin, Saulius Juodkazis, Junko Morikawa, Bayden R. R. Wood
Summary: This review provides an overview of the knowledge gathered through polarized infrared spectroscopy on biological materials, including biomolecules, cells, and tissues. The review discusses the factors that can affect the analysis, such as sample preparation, sample properties, and instrumentation. It also highlights the potential impacts of using inherently polarized light sources for biological sample analysis.
APPLIED SPECTROSCOPY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Thulya Chakkumpulakkal Puthan Veettil, Diana Alves, Jitraporn Vongsvivut, Rosemary L. Sparrow, Bayden R. Wood, Gil Garnier
Summary: Oxidative treatment of RBCs prior to freeze-drying stabilizes the cells for storage at room temperature. Synchrotron-based FTIR microspectroscopy was used to analyze single RBCs and compare lipid and protein spectral data before and after oxidation and freeze-drying. The analysis showed that oxidized and freeze-dried RBCs have different spectral profiles compared to untreated RBCs, indicating changes in lipid peroxidation, stiffness of the membrane, and protein secondary structure. Freeze-drying did not introduce additional changes. This study highlights the potential of freeze-dried RBCs as a stable source for blood serology testing and demonstrates the power of synchrotron FTIR microspectroscopic live-cell analysis.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
John A. Adegoke, Callum Gassner, Varun J. Sharma, Sheila K. Patel, Louise Jackett, Isaac O. Afara, Jaishankar Raman, Louise M. Burrell, Bayden R. Wood
Summary: This study demonstrates that a portable handheld near-infrared spectrometer coupled with machine learning algorithms can effectively differentiate between kidney and cardiac fibrosis in a rat model of kidney failure, providing a potential intraoperative surgical tool for detecting and quantifying fibrosis in the heart and kidney.
ANALYSIS & SENSING
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Zack Richardson, Adele Kincses, Elif Ekinci, David Perez-Guaita, Karin Jandeleit-Dahm, Bayden R. Wood
Summary: In this study, a method combining ultracentrifugation, infrared spectroscopy, and machine learning was developed to accurately quantify low level microalbuminuria in urine samples. The results showed high sensitivity and specificity in discriminating between normal and micro/macroalbuminuric samples, and regression analysis provided quantification of albumin concentration. This approach is cost-effective, quick, and portable, making it a valuable tool for early screening of diabetic kidney disease.
ANALYSIS & SENSING
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
John A. Adegoke, Hannah Raper, Callum Gassner, Philip Heraud, Bayden R. Wood
Summary: This study successfully discriminated different stages of functional asexual blood stage parasites using visible microspectrophotometry combined with machine learning, providing an important method for monitoring the progression and recovery of malaria.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Amir Pourabed, Thulya Chakkumpulakkal Puthan Veettil, Citsabehsan Devendran, Prasanna Nair, Bayden R. Wood, Tuncay Alan
Summary: Malaria, a life-threatening disease transmitted by infected mosquitoes, requires better diagnostic platforms to improve detection sensitivity and reduce processing times and costs. With the use of an acoustically actuated microfluidic mixer, blood cell lysis can be enhanced, leading to increased efficiency in releasing hemoglobin into plasma. The combination of acoustofluidic/spectroscopic approach shows promise for point-of-care blood diagnosis, especially in detecting neonatal and congenital malaria.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Zhongyuan Guo, Tianyi Wang, Haikun Liu, Siyao Qiu, Xiaoli Zhang, Yongjun Xu, Steven J. Langford, Chenghua Sun
Summary: This study evaluates the suitability of a 2D layered silicon phosphide material as a substrate for electrochemical nitrogen reduction. The introduction of a phosphorus defect enhances the activation and stability of the material, while suppressing the formation of by-products.