<p><strong>For 24 years, Karel Šmejkal of the Faculty of Pharmacy has focused on pharmacognosy and phytochemistry. This year he received the MU Rector’s Award for long-term excellence in research in the field of natural sciences and medicine.</strong></p>
<h5><strong>How did you feel when you accepted the award?</strong></h5>
<p>I was happy of course, it’s an important award. But at the same time, I was a bit surprised to find out that I had been recognised for my long-term contribution. It almost felt like I was about to retire! But I hope I haven’t said the last word in my research. I’m definitely not quitting, on the contrary – I have many new challenges ahead of me. There is still room for progress and training in new technologies.</p>
<p><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/Magazin_M_Radek_Mica_Vyzkum_je_pro_me_porad_vzrusujici_hra_cover_photo_f9db602277.jpg" alt="Magazín M / Radek Miča: Karel Šmejkal"/></p>
<h5><strong>You specialise mainly in the study of natural substances. Why did they become the object of your interest?</strong></h5>
<p>It started at university when I was looking for a topic for my diploma thesis. I originally wanted to focus on pharmacology, but there were a lot of people interested in that topic, so I ended up with natural substances. I dug deeper into it and thought that was where the interesting stuff was. And it hasn’t really left me to this day. Since ancient times, medicinal and poisonous plants have served as a source of various medicinal applications and diverse uses. In the last 30 years, natural substances have been involved in the development and introduction of about 30 per cent of new medicines. Nature is very powerful in this respect. It&#39;s fascinating how every plant contains many specific substances that can be extracted, broken down and studied. The process of extracting natural substances is very interesting and adventurous. The more you get into it, the more you enjoy it. A friend of mine once told me that I was chasing coloured water from flask to flask for a living, and he was basically right.</p>
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<h4><strong>I originally wanted to focus on pharmacology, but there were a lot of people interested in that topic, so I ended up with natural substances. I dug deeper into it and thought that was where the interesting stuff was. And it hasn’t really left me to this day.</strong></h4>
</blockquote>
<h5><strong>The PSE Trends in Natural Products 2024 pharmaceutical conference, which your faculty is organising in Brno from 21 to 24 May, will focus on the natural sciences. How prestigious is this event?</strong></h5>
<p>It is a travelling conference that has been held in Paris and Crete in previous years. We applied to host the event before Covid-19 and now it has finally come to fruition. The event was sponsored by the Rector of Masaryk University and traditionally by the Phytochemical Society of Europe, of which I am a member and have been a board member in previous years. Coincidentally, this was the first international conference in 2008 that I actively participated in. This event is mainly aimed at young assistant professors and postgraduate students, giving them the opportunity to present their research to an international audience. It is a unique opportunity for supervisors and professors to share information and experience with young people in the field. We have 140 registered participants, and the programme will include around 50 presentations by students, PhD students and other distinguished guests. The main topic will be new developments in the field and the use of natural products in phytochemistry, pharmacy, food industry and cosmetics.</p>
<h5><strong>Your secondary focus is on bioassays of natural products, especially their anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial effects. What results have you achieved in this area?</strong></h5>
<p>Our long-term focus has been on the effect of natural products on chronic inflammatory diseases, in particular the study of plant-derived polyphenols and their potential for practical application. We have isolated a number of substances called prenylated phenolics, e.g. from plants of the Moraceae family, which have anti-inflammatory properties comparable to reference corticosteroids. We are currently investigating modifications of such compounds to improve their solubility and bioavailability and thus potential practical applications. We have also investigated the effects of compounds on tumour growth. In this area, we have mainly collaborated with colleagues from Slovakia. With colleagues from the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Medicine, we have worked on the problem of multidrug resistance (MDR), which is a common problem in the treatment of cancer with chemotherapy.</p>
<h5><strong>For the first time this academic year, the Faculty of Pharmacy is offering a new Bachelor’s degree in Cosmetic Products. What feedback have you received?</strong></h5>
<p>We have been pleasantly surprised by the level of interest, which is expected to continue for years to come. We have already seen the number of applications for the next academic year almost double. It’s always great when we can choose from among the applicants and select the best candidates. But there has been a consistently high demand for our faculty for many years. Indeed, the pharmaceutical market is large and unsaturated, so the job prospects for our Master’s graduates are excellent, with a 99.9 per cent success rate. Most graduates go on to work in pharmacies, but there are also opportunities as clinical pharmacists, in research, in the pharmaceutical industry or in regulatory bodies.</p>
<p><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/Magazin_M_Radek_Mica_Vyzkum_je_pro_me_porad_vzrusujici_hra_b4f236c373.jpg" alt="Magazín M / Radek Miča: Karel Šmejkal: I still find research an exciting game."/></p>
<h5><strong>How much will the Faculty’s move to the MUNI BioPharma Hub on the Bohunice campus contribute to additional opportunities for students?</strong></h5>
<p>This is of course an excellent opportunity, as we will have modern facilities fully equipped with everything we need. It will be especially great that all three faculties and other associated institutes of Masaryk University – the Faculties of Medicine, Science and Pharmacy, CEITEC and RECETOX – will be under one roof on the campus. We will be even more closely linked and have more opportunities for cooperation. The premises will also include a GMP laboratory, which will further strengthen the possibilities of scientific research and its practical application.</p>
<h5><strong>You also serve as Vice-Dean for International Relations and Internationalisation. How is the Faculty’s involvement in international projects going?</strong></h5>
<p>We greatly benefit in this respect from our internal Support for Strategic Management Projects programme, which I believe is the most useful programme of its kind at Masaryk University in terms of internationalisation. Thanks to it, we can welcome many international researchers and visiting professors to the Faculty of Pharmacy. Every semester we have about 10 experts from abroad who give lectures mainly to Master’s students. This is a great way to establish international contacts and cooperation.</p>
<h5><strong>Being Vice-Dean of the Faculty involves a lot of administrative and office work. How do you balance this with your research?</strong></h5>
<p>I try to keep in touch with the field. I continue to lecture, for example in the Toxicology of Natural Compounds course, which I am really passionate about. And I’m still active in the lab, helping to write new grant projects. I don’t want to lose the joy that has been with me since I started doing science. For me, research is still an exciting game where you’re playing with sophisticated, expensive instruments and gadgets. What I enjoy most is the contrast between precise and detailed research work and a certain playfulness that gives it a different perspective.</p>


Karel Šmejkal: I still find research an exciting game

<p><strong>🎤 Presenter:</strong> Kevin Hayes (Mount Royal University)</p><p>💾 <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://gcms.labrulez.com/paper/32773"><strong>PDF presentation</strong></a></p><h3><strong>Abstract</strong></h3><p><strong>An elemental analysis was conducted on matched pairs of new and used aircraft engine oils for various aircraft engine types (piston, turboprop, and jet). The analysis aimed to determine what, if any, accumulation or loss of oil and fuel additives may occur with engine use. Losses in elemental loadings from new to used oils imply that there may be a possibility for the element-containing compounds to enter the pneumatic system of bleed air pressurized aircraft at a higher rate than that of oil attrition and potentially impact cabin air quality. Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP OES) was employed to complete the elemental analysis, and results describe a greater than twenty percent loss of phosphorus from new to used jet oils and a significant accumulation of lead in the oil of piston aircraft (Range: below LOD to 6821 ± 83 mg kg-1 ; n=2).</strong></p><p>In an effort to speciate and identify compounds of concern, the oil samples were introduced to a flow modulated GCxGC-TOFMS (SepSolv BenchTOF). Data was analyzed utilizing Chromspace and Analyzer Pro XD. The new and used oils were compared, and compounds exclusive to the used oils were screened to determine the possibility of increased risk associated with hazardous accumulations in the used oil. This used oil, which is adulterated by either amendment or contamination, is not fully described to individuals who may interact with the product, and therefore an apparent risk is potentially unmitigated.</p><h3><strong>Video transcription</strong></h3><h4><strong>2. Background: Aircraft Engine Oils</strong></h4><p>Aircraft engine oils are chemically complex and vary depending on:</p><ul><li>Manufacturer</li><li>Aircraft type</li><li>Engine type</li></ul><h5><strong>2.1 Piston Engine Oils</strong></h5><ul><li>Typically mineral oil-based</li><li>Simpler formulations</li><li>Lower temperature and pressure requirements</li></ul><h5><strong>2.2 Jet and Turboprop Oils</strong></h5><ul><li>Often based on pentaerythritol esters</li><li>Contain organophosphate additives</li><li>Designed to withstand high temperatures and pressures</li><li>May include aftermarket additives (sometimes required by FAA airworthiness directives)</li></ul><h4><strong>3. Engine Types and Fuels</strong></h4><p>The study included oils from:</p><ul><li>Jet aircraft</li><li>Turboprop aircraft</li><li>Piston engine aircraft</li></ul><h5><strong>3.1 Fuel Differences</strong></h5><ul><li><strong>Jet and turboprop aircraft</strong><ul><li>Jet A (U.S.)</li><li>Jet A-1 (international)</li><li>Jet B (naphtha-based, cold climates)</li><li>Kerosene-based fuels</li></ul></li><li><strong>Piston aircraft</strong><ul><li>Use aviation gasoline (avgas)</li><li>Notably contains tetraethyl lead (anti-knock additive)</li></ul></li></ul><h5><strong>3.2 Engine Construction Differences</strong></h5><ul><li>Jet/turboprop engines:<ul><li>Contain superalloys (steel alloys with molybdenum, nickel, etc.)</li></ul></li><li>Piston engines:<ul><li>Simpler construction</li><li>No need for high-temperature superalloys</li></ul></li></ul><h4><strong>4. Purpose of the Study</strong></h4><p>The research aimed to determine:</p><ol><li>Whether compounds are lost from oils during use</li><li>Whether oils accumulate new compounds during service</li><li>Whether these changes pose occupational health risks</li><li>Whether lost compounds could enter aircraft cabins via bleed air pathways (jet/turboprop engines)</li></ol><h4><strong>5. Elemental Analysis (ICP-OES)</strong></h4><h5><strong>5.1 Sample Collection</strong></h5><ul><li>Used oils from:<ul><li>University aviation fleet (piston aircraft)</li><li>Airport partners (turboprop)</li><li>European business jet operator (limited jet samples)</li></ul></li></ul><h5><strong>5.2 Analytical Technique</strong></h5><ul><li>Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES)</li></ul><h4><strong>6. Results: Wear Metals</strong></h4><p>Fresh oil:</p><ul><li>No wear metals detected (as expected)</li></ul><p>Used piston oils:</p><ul><li>Increased iron and nickel (expected wear metals)</li><li>Cadmium detected (potential concern)</li></ul><p>Used jet/turboprop oils:</p><ul><li>Lower wear metals overall</li><li>Presence of molybdenum (consistent with superalloys)</li></ul><h4><strong>7. Unexpected Findings</strong></h4><h5><strong>7.1 Sulfur</strong></h5><ul><li>Increased sulfur in piston oils</li><li>Expected due to aviation fuel allowances</li></ul><h5><strong>7.2 Lead (Major Finding)</strong></h5><ul><li>Extremely high levels (&gt;6000 mg/kg)</li><li>Lead content 7–8× higher in oil than in avgas</li><li>Oil actively accumulates lead from combustion</li></ul><p>Source:</p><ul><li>Tetraethyl lead in aviation gasoline</li></ul><h4><strong>8. Phosphorus Trends</strong></h4><h5><strong>8.1 Piston Engines</strong></h5><ul><li>~600 ppm phosphorus detected</li><li>Source unclear (likely additive-related)</li></ul><h5><strong>8.2 Jet and Turboprop Engines</strong></h5><ul><li>Phosphorus levels decreased during use</li><li>Likely linked to organophosphate additive depletion</li><li>Important because:<ul><li>Phosphorus stabilizes oil at high temperatures</li><li>Loss may indicate additive degradation</li><li>Possible availability to bleed air pathway</li></ul></li></ul><p><i>Note: Large jet aircraft often do not undergo traditional oil changes; oil is replenished continuously.</i></p><h4><strong>9. GC×GC Analysis</strong></h4><h5><strong>9.1 Method</strong></h5><ul><li>Oil diluted in hexane</li><li>High split ratio</li><li>Instrumentation:<ul><li>Agilent 7890 GC</li><li>Insight flow modulator</li><li>Benchtop mass spectrometer</li></ul></li><li>Hard ionization (70 eV)</li></ul><h4><strong>10. Organo-Phosphate Speciation</strong></h4><h5><strong>10.1 Jet and Turboprop Oils</strong></h5><p>Detected:</p><ul><li>Tricresyl phosphate (TCP) isomers<ul><li>Tri-meta-cresyl phosphate</li><li>Tri-para-cresyl phosphate</li></ul></li></ul><p>Unknown peaks:</p><ul><li>Likely additional TCP isomers</li></ul><p>Important:</p><ul><li>No confirmation yet of ortho-TCP</li><li>Ortho-TCP is neurotoxic</li><li>Historically responsible for "Jake Leg Syndrome"</li></ul><p>Conclusion:<br>Phosphorus loss likely linked to degradation of TCP molecules.</p><h4><strong>11. Oil Complexity After Use</strong></h4><p>Used oils showed:</p><ul><li>Increased chromatographic complexity</li><li>More peaks in early chromatogram</li><li>Likely degradation/pyrolysis products of pentaerythritol esters</li></ul><p>Work ongoing to identify these products.</p><h4><strong>12. Lead Speciation</strong></h4><h5><strong>12.1 Tetraethyl Lead Behavior</strong></h5><p>Characteristics:</p><ul><li>Early elution (low boiling point)</li><li>Distinctive fragmentation pattern</li><li>Easy to identify</li></ul><p>Finding:</p><ul><li>No tetraethyl lead detected in used oils</li></ul><p>Implication:</p><ul><li>Likely fully degraded during combustion</li><li>Remaining species likely lead oxide</li><li>Still toxic, but less dermally bioavailable than tetraethyl lead</li></ul><h4><strong>13. Phosphorus in Piston Oils</strong></h4><p>Expected:</p><ul><li>Tricresyl phosphate (TCP)</li></ul><p>Observed:</p><ul><li>Triphenyl phosphate</li><li>Possibly tert-butyl phenyl diphenyl phosphate (tentative identification)</li></ul><p>Significance:</p><ul><li>Different compound than expected</li><li>Less hazardous than ortho-TCP</li><li>2D separation critical to avoid misidentification</li></ul><h4><strong>14. Overall Conclusions</strong></h4><ul><li>Aircraft engine oils are chemically dynamic</li><li>Oils change significantly during service</li><li>Accumulation (e.g., lead) and depletion (e.g., phosphorus additives) both occur</li><li>Used oil composition differs from safety data sheet composition</li><li>ICP-OES provides screening-level insight</li><li>GC×GC enables detailed compound-level resolution</li></ul><p>The aviation oil space remains a promising area for continued research.</p><blockquote><p><strong>This text has been automatically transcribed from a video presentation using AI technology. It may contain inaccuracies and is not guaranteed to be 100% correct.</strong></p></blockquote>

Analysis of fresh and used aircraft oil: Exposure possibility to pollutants (Kevin Hayes, MDCW 2026)

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