Sensing an Oxygen Sensor: Development and Application of Activity-Based Assays Directly Monitoring HIF Heterodimerization

Conventionally, hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) activation by prolyl hydroxylase domain enzyme (PHD) inhibition is monitored by gene reporter assays. The principle relies on the monitoring of an upstream event (HIF stabilization) by the downstream transcriptional activity. Here, we developed a novel approach to directly sense HIF activation by monitoring the heterodimerization of the HIFα/HIFβ subunits, constituting the functional HIF transcription factor. Two live cell-based biosensor assay setups were designed, utilizing functional complementation of split-nanoluciferase as a tool to measure HIFα/HIFβ protein–protein interaction resulting from the stabilization of HIF1α or HIF2α. The assay setup in a 96-well format was optimized for a duration of 2 h, and a HEK293T transfection protocol was introduced for the optimal configuration of HIFα/HIFβ-fusion proteins. These new bioassays outperformed hypoxia response element-based gene reporter assay, the current state-of-the-art assay, in terms of sensitivity. Applicability was demonstrated using a panel of PHD inhibitors, including roxadustat, molidustat, daprodustat, desidustat, vadadustat, and FG-2216, for which concentration–response curves were generated, allowing for the derivation of potency (EC50) and efficacy (Emax) data. The broad applicability of the biosensors was established via applying hypoxia mimetic CoCl2, iron chelator desferrioxamine, proteasome inhibitor MG-132, and 2-OG mimetic dimethyloxalylglycine on the assays, indicating concentration-dependent effects

Prediction of the Hematocrit of Dried Blood Spots via Potassium Measurement on a Routine Clinical Chemistry Analyzer

The potential of dried blood spot (DBS) sampling as an alternative for classical venous sampling is increasingly recognized, with multiple applications in, e.g., therapeutic drug monitoring and toxicology. Although DBS sampling has many advantages, it is associated with several issues, the hematocrit (Hct) issue being the most widely discussed challenge, given its possible strong impact on DBS-based quantitation. Hitherto, no approaches allow Hct prediction from nonvolumetrically applied DBS. Following a simple and rapid extraction protocol, K⁺ levels from 3 mm DBS punches were measured via indirect potentiometry, using the Roche Cobas 8000 routine chemistry analyzer. The extracts’ K⁺ concentrations were used to calculate the approximate Hct of the blood used to generate DBS. A linear calibration line was established, with a Hct range of 0.19 to 0.63 (lower limit of quantification, LLOQ, to upper limit of quantification, ULOQ). The procedure was fully validated; the bias and imprecision of quality controls (QCs) at three Hct levels and at the LLOQ and ULOQ was less than 5 and 12%, respectively. In addition, the influence of storage (pre- and postextraction), volume spotted, and punch homogeneity was evaluated. Application on DBS from patient samples (<i>n</i> = 111), followed by Bland and Altman, Passing and Bablok, and Deming regression analysis, demonstrated a good correlation between the “predicted Hct” and the “actual Hct”. After correcting for the observed bias, limits of agreement of ±0.049 were established. Incurred sample reanalysis demonstrated assay reproducibility. In conclusion, potassium levels in extracts from 3 mm DBS punches can be used to get a good prediction of the Hct, one of the most important “unknowns” in DBS analysis

Assay-Dependent Inverse Agonism at the A₃ Adenosine Receptor: When Neutral Is Not Neutral

The A3 adenosine receptor (A3AR) is implicated in a variety of (patho)­physiological conditions. While most research has focused on agonists and antagonists, inverse agonism at A3AR has been scarcely studied. Therefore, this study aimed at exploring inverse agonism, using two previously engineered cell lines (hA3ARLgBiT-SmBiTβarr2 and hA3ARLgBiT-SmBiTminiGαi), both employing the NanoBiT technology. The previously established inverse agonist PSB-10 showed a decrease in basal signal in the β-arrestin 2 (βarr2) but not the miniGαi recruitment assay, indicative of inverse agonism in the former assay. Control experiments confirmed the specificity and reversibility of this observation. Evaluation of a set of presumed neutral antagonists (MRS7907, MRS7799, XAC, and MRS1220) revealed that all displayed concentration-dependent signal decreases when tested in the A3AR-βarr2 recruitment assay, yielding EC50 and Emax values for inverse agonism. Conversely, in the miniGαi recruitment assay, no signal decreases were observed. To assess whether this observation was caused by the inability of the ligands to induce inverse agonism in the G protein pathway, or rather by a limitation inherent to the employed A3AR-miniGαi recruitment assay, a GloSensor cAMP assay was performed. The outcome of the latter also suggests inverse agonism by the presumed neutral antagonists in this latter assay. These findings emphasize the importance of prior characterization of ligands in the relevant test system. Moreover, it showed the suitability of the NanoBiT βarr2 recruitment and the GloSensor cAMP assays to capture inverse agonism at the A3AR, as opposed to the NanoBiT miniGαi recruitment assay

Evaluation of the Performance and Hematocrit Independence of the HemaPEN as a Volumetric Dried Blood Spot Collection Device

Dried blood spots (DBS) are often used as a less invasive alternative to venous blood sampling. Despite its numerous advantages, the use of conventional DBS suffers from the hematocrit (hct) effect when analyzing a subpunch. This effect could be avoided by using hct-independent sampling devices, of which the hemaPEN is a recent example. This device collects the blood via four integrated 2.74 μL microcapillaries, each depositing the blood on a prepunched paper disc. In this study, we evaluated the technical performance of the hemaPEN devices, using an extensive bioanalytical validation and application on authentic patient samples. An LC-MS/MS method quantifying caffeine and its metabolite paraxanthine in dried whole blood (using the hemaPEN device) was fully validated, meeting all preset acceptance criteria. A comparative analysis of 91 authentic patient samples (hct range: 0.17–0.53) of hemaPEN, 3 mm DBS subpunches, and whole blood revealed a limited hct dependence (≤7% concentration difference over a 0.20–0.50 hct range) for the hemaPEN devices, which we could not attribute to the analytical procedure. Using conventional partial-punch DBS (3 mm punches), concentration differences of ≥25% over this hct range were found. The hemaPEN showed to be robust to the effects of blood sample volume, device lot, analytical operator, and storage stability. The technical performance of the hemaPEN when dealing with patients having a high hct and in cases where a large blood drop is present should be further investigated. Based on the successful validation and application on patient samples, we conclude that the hemaPEN device shows good potential for the volumetric collection of DBS

Activity-Based Detection of Consumption of Synthetic Cannabinoids in Authentic Urine Samples Using a Stable Cannabinoid Reporter System

Synthetic cannabinoids (SCs) continue to be the largest group of new psychoactive substances (NPS) monitored by the European Monitoring Center of Drugs and Drugs of Abuse (EMCDDA). The identification and subsequent prohibition of single SCs has driven clandestine chemists to produce analogues of increasing structural diversity, intended to evade legislation. That structural diversity, combined with the mostly unknown metabolic profiles of these new SCs, poses a big challenge for the conventional targeted analytical assays, as it is difficult to screen for “unknown” compounds. Therefore, an alternative screening method, not directly based on the structure but on the activity of the SC, may offer a solution for this problem. We generated stable CB1 and CB2 receptor activation assays based on functional complementation of a split NanoLuc luciferase and used these to test an expanded set of recent SCs (UR-144, XLR-11, and their thermal degradation products; AB-CHMINACA and ADB-CHMINACA) and their major phase I metabolites. By doing so, we demonstrate that several major metabolites of these SCs retain their activity at the cannabinoid receptors. These active metabolites may prolong the parent compound’s psychotropic and physiological effects and may contribute to the toxicity profile. Utility of the generated stable cell systems as a first-line screening tool for SCs in urine was also demonstrated using a relatively large set of authentic urine samples. Our data indicate that the stable CB reporter assays detect CB receptor activation by extracts of urine in which SCs (or their metabolites) are present at low- or subnanomolar (ng/mL) level. Hence, the developed assays do not only allow activity profiling of SCs and their metabolites, it may also serve as a screening tool, complementing targeted and untargeted analytical assays and preceding analytical (mass spectrometry based) confirmation

Evaluation of the Performance and Hematocrit Independence of the HemaPEN as a Volumetric Dried Blood Spot Collection Device

Dried blood spots (DBS) are often used as a less invasive alternative to venous blood sampling. Despite its numerous advantages, the use of conventional DBS suffers from the hematocrit (hct) effect when analyzing a subpunch. This effect could be avoided by using hct-independent sampling devices, of which the hemaPEN is a recent example. This device collects the blood via four integrated 2.74 μL microcapillaries, each depositing the blood on a prepunched paper disc. In this study, we evaluated the technical performance of the hemaPEN devices, using an extensive bioanalytical validation and application on authentic patient samples. An LC-MS/MS method quantifying caffeine and its metabolite paraxanthine in dried whole blood (using the hemaPEN device) was fully validated, meeting all preset acceptance criteria. A comparative analysis of 91 authentic patient samples (hct range: 0.17–0.53) of hemaPEN, 3 mm DBS subpunches, and whole blood revealed a limited hct dependence (≤7% concentration difference over a 0.20–0.50 hct range) for the hemaPEN devices, which we could not attribute to the analytical procedure. Using conventional partial-punch DBS (3 mm punches), concentration differences of ≥25% over this hct range were found. The hemaPEN showed to be robust to the effects of blood sample volume, device lot, analytical operator, and storage stability. The technical performance of the hemaPEN when dealing with patients having a high hct and in cases where a large blood drop is present should be further investigated. Based on the successful validation and application on patient samples, we conclude that the hemaPEN device shows good potential for the volumetric collection of DBS

Untargeted Detection of HIF Stabilizers in Doping Samples: Activity-Based Screening with a Stable In Vitro Bioassay

Hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) stabilizers are listed in the World Anti-Doping Agency’s prohibited list as they can increase aerobic exercise capacity. The rapid pace of emergence of highly structurally diverse HIF stabilizers could pose a risk to conventional structure-based methods in doping control to detect new investigational drugs. Therefore, we developed a strategy that is capable of detecting the presence of any HIF stabilizer, irrespective of its structure, by detecting biological activity. Previously developed cell-based HIF1/2 assays were optimized to a stable format and evaluated for their screening potential toward HIF stabilizers. Improved pharmacological characterization was established by the stable cell-based formats, and broad specificity was demonstrated by pharmacologically characterizing a diverse set of HIF stabilizers (including enarodustat, IOX2, IOX4, MK-8617, JNJ-42041935). The methodological (in solvent) limit of detection of the optimal HIF1 stable bioassay toward detecting the reference compound roxadustat was 100 nM, increasing to 50–100 ng/mL (corresponding to 617–1233 nM in-well) in matching urine samples, owing to strong matrix effects. In a practical context, a urinary limit of detection of 1.15 μg/mL (95% detection rate) was determined, confirming the matrix-dependent detectability of roxadustat in urine. Pending optimization of a universal sample preparation strategy and/or a methodology to correct for the matrix effects, this untargeted approach may serve as a complementing method in antidoping control, as theoretically, it would be capable of detecting any unknown substance with HIF stabilizing activity

Comparative Pharmacological Effects of Lisuride and Lysergic Acid Diethylamide Revisited

Lisuride is a non-psychedelic serotonin (5-HT) 2A receptor (5-HT2A) agonist and analogue of the psychedelic lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). Lisuride also acts as an agonist at the serotonin 1A receptor (5-HT1A), a property known to counter psychedelic effects. Here, we tested whether lisuride lacks psychedelic activity due to a dual mechanism: (1) partial agonism at 5-HT2A and (2) potent agonism at 5-HT1A. The in vitro effects of lisuride, LSD, and related analogues on 5-HT2A signaling were characterized by using miniGαq and β-arrestin 2 recruitment assays. The 5-HT1A- and 5-HT2A-mediated effects of lisuride and LSD were also compared in male C57BL/6J mice. The in vitro results confirmed that LSD is an agonist at 5-HT2A, with high efficacy and potency for recruiting miniGαq and β-arrestin 2. By contrast, lisuride displayed partial efficacy for both functional end points (6–52% of 5-HT or LSD Emax) and antagonized the effects of LSD. The mouse experiments demonstrated that LSD induces head twitch responses (HTRs)­(ED50 = 0.039 mg/kg), while lisuride suppresses HTRs (ED50 = 0.006 mg/kg). Lisuride also produced potent hypothermia and hypolocomotion (ED50 = 0.008–0.023 mg/kg) that was blocked by the 5-HT1A antagonist WAY100635 (3 mg/kg). Blockade of 5-HT1A prior to lisuride restored basal HTRs, but it failed to increase HTRs above baseline levels. HTRs induced by LSD were blocked by lisuride (0.03 mg/kg) or the 5-HT1A agonist 8-OH-DPAT (1 mg/kg). Overall, our findings show that lisuride is an ultrapotent 5-HT1A agonist in C57BL/6J mice, limiting its use as a 5-HT2A ligand in mouse studies examining acute drug effects. Results also indicate that the 5-HT2A partial agonist-antagonist activity of lisuride explains its lack of psychedelic effects

Folate Profiling in Potato (Solanum tuberosum) Tubers by Ultrahigh-Performance Liquid Chromatography–Tandem Mass Spectrometry

An ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and validated for the profiling of six folate species in potatoes. The calibration curves cover a wide, linear range (the lower and upper limits of quantitation range between 0.22–0.24 and 216.07–242.28 μg/100 g of fresh weight), allowing sensitive determination in small amounts of potato flesh. With a single exception, the acceptance criteria for intra- and interday precision and accuracy were met: for all quality controls, the percent relative standard deviation and the percent bias were lower than 15% (or 20% at the lower limit of quantitation). Application of the method on tubers at different stages of maturation demonstrated the large variability within a single variety: the folate content and polyglutamylation rate varied between 10.35 and 24.01 μg/100 g of fresh weight and between 4.96% and 60.49%, respectively. Additionally, the two-dimensional folate profiling of mature tubers demonstrated an increase in folate from center to peel, combined with a stable species distribution and polyglutamylation rate