Global chemical effects of the microbiome include new bile-acid conjugations

A mosaic of cross-phylum chemical interactions occurs between all metazoans and their microbiomes. A number of molecular families that are known to be produced by the microbiome have a marked effect on the balance between health and disease. Considering the diversity of the human microbiome (which numbers over 40,000 operational taxonomic units), the effect of the microbiome on the chemistry of an entire animal remains underexplored. Here we use mass spectrometry informatics and data visualization approaches to provide an assessment of the effects of the microbiome on the chemistry of an entire mammal by comparing metabolomics data from germ-free and specific-pathogen-free mice. We found that the microbiota affects the chemistry of all organs. This included the amino acid conjugations of host bile acids that were used to produce phenylalanocholic acid, tyrosocholic acid and leucocholic acid, which have not previously been characterized despite extensive research on bile-acid chemistry. These bile-acid conjugates were also found in humans, and were enriched in patients with inflammatory bowel disease or cystic fibrosis. These compounds agonized the farnesoid X receptor in vitro, and mice gavaged with the compounds showed reduced expression of bile-acid synthesis genes in vivo. Further studies are required to confirm whether these compounds have a physiological role in the host, and whether they contribute to gut diseases that are associated with microbiome dysbiosis

American Gut: an Open Platform for Citizen Science Microbiome Research

McDonald D, Hyde E, Debelius JW, et al. American Gut: an Open Platform for Citizen Science Microbiome Research. mSystems. 2018;3(3):e00031-18

Direct reductive coupling of indoles to nitrostyrenes en route to (indol-3-yl)acetamides

A highly efficient one-pot method for the reductive coupling of indoles to nitrostyrenes in polyphosphoric acid doped with PCl3 was developed. This method allows direct and expeditious access to primary (indol-3-yl)acetamides, interesting as anti-cancer drug candidates

Rational design of an efficient one-pot synthesis of 6H-pyrrolo[2,3,4-gh]perimidines in polyphosphoric acid

Several highly efficient one-pot synthetic protocols were developed, enabling polyphosphoric acid-activated nitroalkanes to act as electrophiles in reactions with aminonapthalenes. The featured methods allow for the single step assembly of polyheterocyclic aromatic derivatives of 6H-pyrrolo[2,3,4-gh]perimidine scaffold in high yields

Assessing the Homogeneity of Forage Mixtures Using an RGB Camera as Exemplified by Cattle Rations

The article examines existing methods for assessing the homogeneity of feed mixes in the feed industry and agriculture. As an alternative to existing approaches, the authors offer a low-cost online technology to assess the homogeneity of feed. The feedstuff under study includes feed mixes for cattle or compound feed consisting of naturally-grown feed (green mass of freshly cut grass, haylage, corn silage, etc.) and concentrated components (grain milling, sunflower, and soybean meal). The proposed method based on an RGB camera, a diode lamp, filters, and software is approved by a preliminary study of the physical properties of feed mix components by Specim IQ hyperspectral camera and revealing characteristics of light absorption of each type of components (concentrated/natural origin). The article presents a method of processing a feed mix image fixed by an RGB camera through light filters using Matlab Image Processing Toolbox tools, namely, a Color Thresholder app and Image Region Analyzer app

SPME-based mobile field device for active sampling of volatiles

Monitoring plant volatile organic compound (VOC) profiles can reveal information regarding the health state of the plant, such as whether it is nutrient stressed or diseased. Typically, plant VOC sampling uses sampling enclosures. Enclosures require time and equipment which are not easily adapted to high throughput sampling in field environments. We have developed a new, easily assembled active sampling device using solid phase microextraction (SPME) that uses a commercial off the shelf (COTS) hand vacuum base to provide rapid and easy mobile plant VOC collection. Calibration curves for three representative plant VOCs (α-pinene, limonene, and ocimene) were developed to verify device functionality and enable the quantification of field-samples from a Meyer lemon tree. We saw that the active sampling allowed us to measure and quantify this chemical in an orchard setting. This device has the potential to be used for VOC sampling as a preliminary diagnostic in precision agriculture applications due to its ease of manufacturing, availability, and low cost of the COTS hand vacuum module

The Reactions of N,N′-Diphenyldithiomalondiamide with Arylmethylidene Meldrum’s Acids

The Michael addition reaction between dithiomalondianilide (N,N′-diphenyldithiomalondiamide) and arylmethylidene Meldrum’s acids, accompanied by subsequent heterocyclization, was investigated along with factors affecting the mixture composition of the obtained products. The plausible mechanism includes the formation of stable Michael adducts which, under the studied conditions, undergo further transformations to yield corresponding N-methylmorpholinium 4-aryl-6-oxo-3-(N-phenylthio-carbamoyl)-1,4,5,6-tetrahydropyridin-2-thiolates and their oxidation derivatives, 4,5-dihydro-3H-[1,2]dithiolo[3,4-b]pyridin-6(7H)-ones. The structure of one such product, N-methylmorpholinium 2,2-dimethyl-5-(1-(2-nitrophenyl)-3-(phenylamino)-2-(N-phenylthiocarbamoyl)-3-thioxopropyl)-4-oxo-4H-1,3-dioxin-6-olate, was confirmed via X-ray crystallography

Identification of fungal metabolites from inside Gallus gallus domesticus eggshells by non-invasively detecting volatile organic compounds (VOCs)

The natural porosity of eggshells allows hen eggs to become contaminated with microbes from the nesting material and environment. Those microorganisms can later proliferate due to the humid ambient conditions while stored in refrigerators, causing a potential health hazard to the consumer. The microbes' volatile organic compounds (mVOCs) are released by both fungi and bacteria. We studied mVOCs produced by aging eggs likely contaminated by fungi and fresh eggs using the non-invasive detection method of gas-phase sampling of volatiles followed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis. Two different fungal species (Cladosporium macrocarpum and Botrytis cinerea) and two different bacteria species (Stenotrophomas rhizophila and Pseudomonas argentinensis) were identified inside the studied eggs. Two compounds believed to originate from the fungi themselves were identified. One fungus-specific compound was found in both egg and the fungi: trichloromethane. Graphical abstract Trichloromethane is a potential biomarker of fungal contamination of eggs

The first-order structural transition in NiO at high pressure

The physics of NiO under applied pressure has long been debated and the material has been a key contributor to our understanding of Mott insulators and strongly correlated materials more generally. Here, the authors perform high-pressure X-ray diffraction measurements reporting a pressure-induced structural phase transition for NiO, which they suggest is linked with the metal-insulator transition of this system