Solid-Phase Synthesis of a Fragment of the Capsular Polysaccharide of Haemophilus Influenzae Type B Using H-Phosphonate Intermediates

Abstract

A pentameric fragment of the capsular polysaccharide of Haemophilus influenzae type b, containing a linker group, was synthesized by a simple solid-phase procedure. Cross-linked polystyrene was used as a solid phase, and a benzyl-protected ribosylribitol H-phosphonate was used as monomer. A non-promoted glycosidation reaction was used for preparation of the ribosylribitol monomer.     

Asymmetric synthesis of the 2,2,3-trisubstituted cyclopentanone,D-ring fragment of 9,11-secosterols

As a part of our studies on the total synthesis of 9,11-secosterols, the possibility of creating a substituted and functionalized D-ring fragment with three consecutive stereocentres, one of which was quaternary, was studied. The simple starting compound 2-methyl-cyclopent-2-ene-1-one was subjected to asymmetric 1,4-addition with (S,S)-crotyl phosphonamide and alkylation with methyl bromoacetate, resulting in a 2,2,3-substituted cyclopentanone in high diastereoselectivity. The covalently bonded chiral auxiliary was removed using oxidative methods. As a result, a stable D-ring fragment was obtained. The relative configuration of the substituents on the cyclopentane ring was assigned by comparison of the experimental with the quantum chemically calculated ¹H–¹H and ¹H–¹³C J-coupling constants.     

Application of Polyfolates in the Development of Electrochemical Glucose Biosensors

Folic acid was polymerised electrochemically at a glassy carbon electrode surface from 0.1 mol L^?1 phosphate buffer saline solution, pH 5.0, containing 0.1 mmol L^?1 monomer. The obtained thin film was porous with a pore size of 50–60 nm. Since its electrochemical stability was rather short, the polyfolate film was covered with a graphene‐chitosan composite layer which increased its stability significantly. The best strategy to immobilise the enzyme was crosslinking with glutaraldehyde. The lifetime of this glucose biosensor in use was at least 12 days, on‐shelf life time was at least 30 days. The linear range was up to 1 mmol L^?1 and the LOD was 0.6 µmol L^?1. The first polyfolate‐based biosensor was applied to analysis of natural samples.     

Synthesis of the Repeating Unit of the Capsular Polysaccharide of Streptococcus Pneumoniae Type 3 as a Building Block Suitable for Formation of Oligomers

Abstract

The synthesis of a cellobiouronic thioglycoside donor 12, protected with a selectively removable 3′-O-benzyl group is described. The donor 12 is suitable as a monomer building block in the construction of oligomer structures corresponding to the capsular polysaccharide of Streptococcus pneumoniae type 3. The carboxyl function was introduced through regioselective TEMPO-oxidation of a 4′,6′-diol cellobiose derivative. If the oxidation was performed on a 2,3,2′,3′,4′,6′-hexaol derivative, oxidation also of the secondary 2- and 3-hydroxyl groups was observed to give a tricarboxyl derivative as one of the major products. The thioglycoside was formed by acidic mercaptolysis of a 1,6-anhydro bridge. The donor 12 was transformed into a suitable starting monomer acceptor through glycosylation with a spacer alcohol and subsequent debenzylation.     

Preparation of 125I-Lanreotide and its biodistribution in murine model of melanoma

Lanreotide, a somatostatin analogue, was radioiodinated with ¹²⁵I to explore the possibility of using ¹²³I labeled lanreotide as a diagnostic radiopharmaceutical for tumors overexpressing somatostatin (SST) receptors. Radioiodination was carried out with ¹²⁵I using chloramine T as the oxidant. The labeling yield was >90%. Characterization of ¹²⁵I-Lanreotide was carried out by paper electrophoresis as well as HPLC. ¹²⁵I-Lanreotide was purified by chromatography using a C18 Sep-Pak column. Radiochemical purity of the purified ¹²⁵I-Lanreotide thus obtained was >99%. Significant tumor uptake of ¹²⁵I-Lanreotide was observed in C57BL/6 mice bearing melanoma.     

Study of degradation kinetics of sunflower oil on H-Beta zeolite

In this study, were studied the degradation of pure sunflower oil and mixed with H-Beta zeolite. This zeolite was synthesized by the hydrothermal method, followed by calcination and ion exchanged. The characterization of the zeolite was performed by X-ray diffraction and nitrogen adsorption/desorption by the method of BET. The analysis showed that H-Beta zeolite presented a good crystallinity and the template was completely removed from the catalyst. The thermal and catalytic degradation study was carried out using the TG/DTG method in multiple heating rates of 5, 10, and 20 °C min⁻¹. The isoconversion method proposed by Vyazovkin was applied to determine the kinetic parameters for degradation of the sunflower oil. The activation energy for the degradation process of pure sunflower oil was 193 kJ mol⁻¹, while for sunflower oil mixed with 20% of H-Beta zeolite was equivalent to 88 kJ mol⁻¹. It was verified that for the degradation of 90% of the sunflower oil mixed with H-Beta, for a period of 1 h, a temperature of 356 °C was required, whereas for the pure vegetable oil, this value was of 387 °C, at the same time period, showing that the catalyst was effective for the degradation process of sunflower oil.     

LC Evaluation of Intestinal Transport of Praziquantel

Praziquantel (PZQ) is a highly lipophilic drug with low aqueous solubility. Despite this, it is well absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. In this study, a simple LC method was developed and validated, in order to monitor the concentration of PZQ in TC-199 buffer in vitro, in the rat everted gut sac absorption model. PZQ was analyzed by a reversed-phase LC method with an isocratic mobile phase containing acetonitrile and water in the proportions 45:55. The flow-rate was 1 mL min⁻¹ and PZQ was determined by measuring absorbance at 215 nm, at 25 °C. The method was found to be specific, as none of the components of TC-199 or intestinal sac artefacts interfered with the drug peak. Recovery was within acceptable statistical limits. The limit of detection was 0.54 μg mL⁻¹ and the limit of quantitation was 1.63 μg mL⁻¹. The calibration curve was found to be linear in the concentration range of 10–90 μg mL⁻¹ PZQ. The proposed method was found to be rapid and selective and hence can be applied in the monitoring of the absorption of PZQ in in vitro everted gut sac absorption studies.     

Polymerization of Vinyl Monomers with Binary Initiator System of N-Chlorosuccinimide and Lewis Acids

The polymerization of vinyl monomers with a binary system composed of N-chlorosuccinimide (NCS) and some Lewis acids was investigated by means of kinetic and spectral determinations. It was found that the NCS-ZnCl₂ system was the most effective as an initiator of radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate, and this polymerization was initiated by a radical produced via the reaction of NCS and ZnCl₂, and terminated bimolecularly. By applying a spin trapping technique to the reaction of NCS with ZnCl₂, it was shown that the initiating radical was N-succinimidyl radical which was obtained through a homolysis at the N-Cl bond.     

Enhancement effect of cysteine on anodic stripping voltammetry of copper

The anodic stripping behaviour of copper in the presence of compounds with a mercapto group, such as cysteine, was investigated. In the presence of cysteine, a copper stripping wave at ?0.12 V vs. SCE decreased, and instead a new sharp wave was observed at more positive potential. Its peak height increased with increasing concentration of cysteine, and at 1 × 10^?5M cysteine it became about seven times as large as that observed in the absence of cysteine. Then the method using this enhanced wave was studied for the determination of trace cupric ion. The results were that the relative standard deviation for five repetitive determinations was about 4% at 10^?8M Cu(II) and the detection limit was 6 × 10^?10M Cu(II). From the investigation by means of cyclic voltammetry, it was found that this enhanced wave was due to the transformation from a cupric—cysteinate complex to a mercuric—cysteinate complex.     

The use of experimental design in the development of an HPLC-ECD method for the analysis of captopril

An accurate, sensitive and specific high performance liquid chromatography-electrochemical detection (HPLC-ECD) method that was developed and validated for captopril (CPT) is presented. Separation was achieved using a Phenomenex^® Luna 5 μm (C₁₈) column and a mobile phase comprised of phosphate buffer (adjusted to pH 3.0): acetonitrile in a ratio of 70:30 (v/v). Detection was accomplished using a full scan multi channel ESA Coulometric detector in the “oxidative-screen” mode with the upstream electrode (E₁) set at +600 mV and the downstream (analytical) electrode (E₂) set at +950 mV, while the potential of the guard cell was maintained at +1050 mV. The detector gain was set at 300. Experimental design using central composite design (CCD) was used to facilitate method development. Mobile phase pH, molarity and concentration of acetonitrile (ACN) were considered the critical factors to be studied to establish the retention time of CPT and cyclizine (CYC) that was used as the internal standard. Twenty experiments including centre points were undertaken and a quadratic model was derived for the retention time for CPT using the experimental data. The method was validated for linearity, accuracy, precision, limits of quantitation and detection, as per the ICH guidelines. The system was found to produce sharp and well-resolved peaks for CPT and CYC with retention times of 3.08 and 7.56 min, respectively. Linear regression analysis for the calibration curve showed a good linear relationship with a regression coefficient of 0.978 in the concentration range of 2-70 μg/mL. The linear regression equation was y = 0.0131x + 0.0275. The limits of detection (LOQ) and quantitation (LOD) were found to be 2.27 and 0.6 μg/mL, respectively. The method was used to analyze CPT in tablets. The wide range for linearity, accuracy, sensitivity, short retention time and composition of the mobile phase indicated that this method is better for the quantification of CPT than the pharmacopoeial methods.     

Low temperature crystallization of a stable phase of microspherical MoO2

MoO₂ microspheres were synthesized by a facile wet chemical method using the molybdenum trioxide as an inorganic precursor and paraphenylendiamine as a reducing agent and also a template, via a hydrothermal way. The as prepared product was characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, DTA–TG, and IR. It was found that this product was composed by MoO₂ nanoparticles encapsulated into the organic shell microspheres with diameters of 1–3 μm. The influence of the temperature on the crystallinity of the products was investigated. Optimal conditions founded were: reaction temperature: 220 °C, reaction time: 72 h and cooling time remains unchanged. The possible formation mechanism of MoO₂ microspheres was also discussed.     

A New Class of Polyconjugated Systems: Synthesis and Properties of Polymetacyclophanes

A unique polyconjugated systems having longitudinal π-electron overlaps was synthesized by using a metacyclophane monomer, 8, 16-dihydroxy-[2,2]-metacyclophane. The monomer was synthesized according to Tashiro's method and was converted to two types of polycyclophanes. One was obtained as a quinoid-type polymer from FeCI₃ -catalyzed oxidative coupling of the 2,5-disubstituted phenols. The polymer obtained was composed of [2,2,] -metacyclophane units polymerized via a diphenoquinone linkage. Amorphous, bright reddish-orange powders were obtained quantitatively under mild reaction condition. Another one was a phenol-type polymer that contained [2,2] -metacyclophane units linked with a 4,4′-dihydroxybiphenyl skeleton. This polymer was obtained by way of a unique polycondensation reaction characteristic of cyclophane compounds. The polymer obtained had a fine whisker form with a golden luster and partial crystallinity. The structures of these polymers were confirmed by various spectroscopic methods and elemental analysis. The electrical conductivity of both polymers was of almost the same order of magnitude (10^?8 S/cm). When doped with sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄) vapor, the phenol-type polymer exhibited a conductivity of 0.25 S/cm, which was much higher than that of the quinoidtype polymer (10^?4 S/cm).     

Kinetics of Lime Pretreatment of Sugarcane Bagasse to Enhance Enzymatic Hydrolysis

The objective of this work was to determine the optimum conditions of sugarcane bagasse pretreatment with lime to increase the enzymatic hydrolysis of the polysaccharide component and to study the delignification kinetics. The first stage was an evaluation of the influence of temperature, reaction time, and lime concentration in the pretreatment performance measured as glucose release after hydrolysis using a 2³ central composite design and response surface methodology. The maximum glucose yield was 228.45 mg/g raw biomass, corresponding to 409.9 mg/g raw biomass of total reducing sugars, with the pretreatment performed at 90°C, for 90 h, and with a lime loading of 0.4 g/g dry biomass. The enzymes loading was 5.0 FPU/dry pretreated biomass of cellulase and 1.0 CBU/dry pretreated biomass of β-glucosidase. Kinetic data of the pretreatment were evaluated at different temperatures (60°C, 70°C, 80°C, and 90°C), and a kinetic model for bagasse delignification with lime as a function of temperature was determined. Bagasse composition (cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin) was measured, and the study has shown that 50% of the original material was solubilized, lignin and hemicellulose were selectively removed, but cellulose was not affected by lime pretreatment in mild temperatures (60–90°C). The delignification was highly dependent on temperature and duration of pretreatment.     

Development of a liposome-based immunochromatographic strip assay for the detection of Salmonella

Salmonella species are ubiquitous human pathogens which pose a dangerous threat to the elderly and children worldwide. In this study, to develop a more efficient assay procedure for the rapid detection of Salmonella Typhimurium, an immunochromatographic strip assay was developed using immunoliposome (anti-Salmonella IgG-tagged) encapsulated with sulforhodamine B (SRB). The detection sensitivity of the developed immunochromatographic assay was compared with a commercial immunochromatographic test strip using colloidal gold nanoparticles. The liposomes were prepared through a reverse-phase evaporation method by using a lipid and phospholipid mixture and SRB, a fluorescence dye, which was encapsulated in the phospholipid bilayer. Furthermore, the outer surface of the SRB-encapsulated liposome was conjugated with antibody (affinity-purified polyclonal goat anti-Salmonella IgG) to form an immunoliposome (size, 223 nm), used as the analytical reagent in the developed immunoassay. For this strip assay, a plastic-backed nitrocellulose strip was immobilized with two antibody zones. The lower zone of the strip referred to Salmonella antigen capture zone (test line), while the other zone served as a positive control (control line). The lower zone was coated with affinity-purified polyclonal goat anti-Salmonella IgG, while the upper zone was coated with rabbit anti-goat IgG. During capillary migration of the wicking solution (diluted liposome and Salmonella culture, each 50 μl), Salmonella was captured with surface-bound immunoliposomes at the antigen capture zone, while the unbound liposomes migrated upward and bound to another zone. The color density of the antigen capture zone was directly proportional to the amount of S. Typhimurium in the test sample. As a result, the detection limit of the immunochromatographic strip assay developed in this study against S. Typhimurium was found to be 10² CFU/ml, which was significantly higher than the detection limit (10⁷ CFU/ml) of the commercial immunochromatographic test strip assay.     

Enhancement of enzymatic hydrolysis of corncob by microwave-assisted alkali pretreatment and its effect in morphology

Bioethanol produced from a conventional fermentation process using Saccharomyces cerevisiae utilizing pretreated and hydrolyzed corncob as a substrate was studied. It was found that the morphology of corncob was significantly changed after microwave-assisted alkali pretreatment was applied. An increase in the crystallinity index and surface area of the pretreated corncob was also observed. The highest total sugar concentration of 683.97 mg/g of pretreated corncob, or 45.60 g L^?1, was obtained from the optimum pretreatment conditions of 2 % NaOH at 100 °C for 30 min in a microwave oven. Microwave-assisted alkali pretreatment was an efficient way to improve the enzymatic hydrolysis accessibility of corncob in a shorter amount of time and at a lower temperature, compared to other methods.     

Dual-temperature reagentless concentration of solutions of electrolytes based on the influence of temperature on the sorption of water by ionites

A new method of dual-temperature concentration and purification of pure and mixed solutions of calcium, magnesium, and sodium chlorides without solvent vaporization and the use of auxiliary reagents was studied. The method was based on the influence of temperature on the swelling of polymethacrylic and polyacrylic ionites. It was continuous solution passage through a column with a cationite with periodic temperature changes. A substantial increase in the concentration of solutions occurred at the “cold” stage of the process, and a decrease in concentration was observed at the “hot” stage.     

Shock-tube study of thermal decomposition of propene in the presence of deuterium

The thermal decomposition of propene in the presence of D₂ was studied in a single-pulse shock tube in the temperature range of 1200–1400°K. The main decomposition products were methane, ethylene, allene, and propyne. Furthermore, deuterated species were observed of each product and of propene, with characteristic compositions that were dependent on propene conversion. Geometrical isomers of monodeuterated propene, as the result of H-D exchange, were analyzed by microwave spectroscopy. From these observations, the reactivities of n- and isopropyl radicals at high temperatures were determined. The former was found to be an intermediate of methane and ethylene and the latter was found to be responsible for the formation of the deuterated propene as follows: The rate constant ratio k_n/k_i was estimated to be 0.5–0.8, which was more than ten times greater than that obtained at room temperature. It was also found that allene or propyne was produced from allyl radicals and that acetylene was produced from vinyl radicals. In addition, the rate constant of the hydrogen abstraction by the hydrogen atom from C₃H₆ was found to be six times greater than that by the hydrogen atom from D₂.     

Production of citric acid using immobilized conidia of Aspergillus niger

Conidia of Aspergillus niger were immobilized in calcium alginate gel for the production of citric acid. First, the type of the preactivation medium, together with the preactivation period, was investigated. It was found that A. niger requires a 2-d preactivation period at a 0.05 g/L NH₄NO₃ concentration. Second, preactivated cells were used to determine the effects of nitrogen concentration and the flow rate of oxygen and air on the production of citric acid. Maximum citric acid production was attained with medium containing 0.01 g/L of NH₄NO₃. The rate of citric acid production in the nitrogenous medium was 33% higher when oxygen was used instead of air during the production phase. This corresponds to an increase of 85% when compared to production when neither oxygen nor air was fed into the system. In the nonnitrogenous medium citric acid concentration remained similar regardless of the use of air or oxygen. However, in the nonnitrogenous production medium, citric acid production was not influenced considerably when oxygen was used instead of air. The advantage of using immobilized cells is that production is achieved easily in the continuous system. Therefore, citric acid production was also tested using a packed-bed bioreactor, and an increase in productivity by a factor of 22 was achieved compared to the batch system.     

Effect of column combinations on two-dimensional separation in comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography: Estimation of orthogonality and exploring of mechanism

With the analysis of Chinese liquor Moutai as an example, the effect of different column combinations was studied on two-dimensional separation in comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC × GC). A method to optimize column combinations was developed for achieving maximum orthogonality. Using a geometric approach to factor analysis, the degree of separation orthogonality was quantitatively estimated. The parameters evaluated include peak spreading angle, retention correlation, and practical peak capacity. When using the “reversed-type” column combinations (a polar column as the first dimension and a non- or less polar one as the second dimension), correlation coefficient was lower than or equal to 0.221, the spreading angle was higher than or equal to 77°, and more than 92% of the theoretical peak capacity was reasonably used. For Moutai liquor mainly consisting of some polar compounds, the HP-Innowax + DB1701 column combination was optimal. In addition, through the test of Grob mixture and McReynolds constant, the mechanism of solute-stationary phase interactions was disclosed in details, which validated the estimation of GC × GC orthogonality in a molecular level.     

LC Evaluation of Intestinal Transport of Praziquantel

Praziquantel (PZQ) is a highly lipophilic drug with low aqueous solubility. Despite this, it is well absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. In this study, a simple LC method was developed and validated, in order to monitor the concentration of PZQ in TC-199 buffer in vitro, in the rat everted gut sac absorption model. PZQ was analyzed by a reversed-phase LC method with an isocratic mobile phase containing acetonitrile and water in the proportions 45:55. The flow-rate was 1 mL min⁻¹ and PZQ was determined by measuring absorbance at 215 nm, at 25 °C. The method was found to be specific, as none of the components of TC-199 or intestinal sac artefacts interfered with the drug peak. Recovery was within acceptable statistical limits. The limit of detection was 0.54 μg mL⁻¹ and the limit of quantitation was 1.63 μg mL⁻¹. The calibration curve was found to be linear in the concentration range of 10–90 μg mL⁻¹ PZQ. The proposed method was found to be rapid and selective and hence can be applied in the monitoring of the absorption of PZQ in in vitro everted gut sac absorption studies.