Page 5 - Shimadzu Journal vol.2 Issue1

Insight from a customer Insight from a customer

Shimadzu:
Prof. Richard B. van Breemen, Finally, can you please share any requests that you have with respect
to analytical instrument vendors?
University of Illinois, Chicago, USA
Prof. van Breemen:
Like most academic biomedical mass spectrometry laboratories, we
We interviewed Professor Richard B. van Breemen who is studying medicinal properties of natural products at the University are always pushing the limits of technology in terms of speed and
of Illinois, College of Pharmacy, in Chicago, using advanced mass spectrometry. Recently he found that lycopene (the red sensitivity in the analysis of clinical and research specimens.
carotenoid in tomatoes) could reduce risk of prostate cancer. Shimadzu has been supporting Prof. van Breemen’s laboratory Fortunately, the performance specifications of mass spectrometers
for six years, by providing Shimadzu’s state-of-the-art mass spectrometry such as IT-TOF, LCMS-8040 and LCMS-8050. continue to increase and thereby enable us to be more productive
than ever. For example, we are looking forward to seeing how much
more research we can accomplish each day using Shimadzu’s new
LCMS-8050 triple quadrupole mass spectrometer.
Shimadzu: Shimadzu:
Shimadzu:
First, could you outline your research and achievements? Then, your article in this journal addresses the quantitative analysis of
bisphenol A (BPA) in water using the LCMS-8050. Why are biomedical Thank you very much.
Prof. van Breemen: researchers concerned about human exposure to BPA?
My research group investigates natural cancer chemoprevention Prof. van Breemen:
agents and the safety and efficacy of botanical dietary supplements.
We specialize in mass spectrometric studies of natural products that BPA is a high volume industrial product used in a wide range of (3)Gaba RC, Yap FY, Martinez EM, Li Y, Guzman G, Parvinian A, van
span the range from discovery to clinical investigation. An early consumer products from polycarbonate bottles to epoxy resins lining Breemen RB, Kumar N. Transarterial sorafenib
proponent of MS-based screening, we use our ultrafiltration-mass the inside of canned foods. The release of BPA into the environment chemoembolization: preliminary study of technical feasibility in a
spectrometry approach to find pharmacologically active compounds in might result in its accumulation in lakes and rivers where it might rabbit model. J. Vasc. Interv. Radiol. 24, 744-750 (2013).
complex natural product extracts. Then, we use high resolution affect aquatic wildlife due to its endocrine disruption activity. There is
LC-MS/MS to investigate the metabolism of lead compounds. Finally in particular concern that exposure of children to endocrine disrupting (4)Conda-Sheridan M, Park EJ, Beck DE, Reddy PV, Nguyen TX, Hu B,
support of clinical trials, we use quantitative UHPLC-MS-MS to chemicals like BPA might be especially significant. Chen L, White JJ, van Breemen RB, Pezzuto JM, Cushman M.
measure levels of the active natural products and their metabolites as Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of
indenoisoquinoline rexinoids with chemopreventive potential. J.
well as biomarkers of efficacy in clinical specimens. Shimadzu:
Med. Chem. 56, 2581-2605 (2013).
How are our instruments helping you?
Some of our most successful projects have included studies of (5)Yu R, Zhao G, Christman JW, Xiao L, van Breemen RB. Method
carotenoid bioavailability and chemoprevention that are exemplified Prof. van Breemen: development and validation for ultra-high pressure liquid
by our clinical trials of prostate cancer chemoprevention by the chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry determination of
tomato carotenoid lycopene. As I am director of the oldest academic My research group has witnessed many innovations in mass Here are selected 2013 publications citing Shimadzu multiple prostanoids in biological samples. J. AOAC Intl. 96,
center in the United States focused on the safety and efficacy of spectrometry and chromatography over the last 25+ years that include mass spectrometers (7 out of 15 for 2013): 67-76 (2013).
botanical dietary supplements (UIC/NIH Center for Botanical Dietary the introduction of novel of ionization techniques such as MALDI and And here are the latest publications by Prof. van Breemen : (6)Hajirahimkhan A, Simmler C, Yuan Y, Anderson JR, Chen SN,
Supplements Research), we help to safeguard women’s health by electrospray, the invention of new tandem mass spectrometers such as Nikolić D, Dietz BM, Pauli GF, van Breemen RB, Bolton JL.
investigating mechanisms of action and safety of botanicals used by MALDI TOF/TOF and IT TOF instruments, and the introduction of (1)Nikolic D, van Breemen RB. Analytical methods for quantitation Evaluation of estrogenic activity of licorice species in comparison
menopausal women as alternatives to conventional estrogen UHPLC. All of these innovations contribute to our research by enabling of prenylated flavonoids from hops. Curr. Anal. Chem. 9, 71-85 with hops used in botanicals for menopausal symptoms. PLoS
replacement therapy. Qualitative and quantitative applications of mass faster MS-based screening of botanical and marine extracts, faster (2013). One 8(7):e67947 Jul 12 (2013). doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0067947
spectrometry are essential at every stage of these botanical dietary structural characterization of natural product lead compounds and
supplement studies. faster and more sensitive quantitative analysis in support of preclinical (2)Yuan Y, Yu L-F, Qiu X, Kozikowski AP, van Breemen RB. (7)Andreani A, Leoni A, Locatelli A, Morigi R, Rambaldi M,
and clinical studies. Pharmacokinetics and brain penetration of LF-3-88, Cervellati R, Greco E, Kondratyuk TP, Park E-J, Huang K, van
(2-[5-[5-(2(S)-azetidinylmethoxyl)-3-pyridyl]-3-isoxazolyl]-ethan Breemen RB, Pezzuto JM. Chemopreventive and antioxidant
Shimadzu:
Shimadzu: ol, a selective Ћ4Ќ2-nAChR partial agonist and promising activity of 6-substituted imidazo[2,1-b]thiazoles, Eur. J. Med.
Why are you interested in those fields? antidepressant. J. Chromatogr. B 912, 38-42 (2013). Chem. 68C, 412-421 (2013).
What are Shimadzu’s strengths compared to other companies?
Prof. van Breemen: (not limited to the instruments)
Our interest in natural products as sources of new drugs is based on Prof. van Breemen:
the fact that at least half of all existing pharmaceuticals are natural
products or are derived from them, which should be no surprise as For many years, Shimadzu has been a leader in HPLC and UHPLC by
Nature has already preselected these substances for bioactivity. Now providing highly reliable as well as high performance chromatography
that most major pharmaceutical companies have abandoned their instrumentation. Shimadzu is also highly respected for providing high
natural products drug discovery programs, our search for new natural quality service support. In the field of MALDI TOF/TOF, Shimadzu offers
pharmaceutical agents has become even more imperative. Since the the highest performance and features not available from most vendors
Women’s Health Initiative indicated that conventional estrogen due to innovations such implementation of the late Prof. Robert
replacement therapy might increase risks of certain forms of cancer, Cotter’s curved-field reflectron and high-energy CID features, which
cardiovascular disease and even dementia, many women have sought facilitate structural studies using charge-remote fragmentation.
relief from menopausal symptoms by using botanical dietary Shimadzu’s high resolution IT-TOF mass spectrometer offers MS n
supplements with the expectation that they may be safer as well as capabilities not obtainable with QqTOF instruments, and Shimadzu
effective. In response, our Botanical Center is working to ensure the continues to lead the world in fast triple quadrupole mass spectrometer
safety of these botanical products as well to determine their technology with the LCMS-8030, LCMS-8040 and now the fastest
mechanisms of action and potential efficacy. scanning and most sensitive of all, the LCMS-8050.

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