Standard-based method for proton-electron double resonance imaging of oxygen

Proton-electron double resonance imaging (PEDRI) has been utilized for indirect determination of oxygen concentrations in aqueous samples and living systems. Due to the complexity of the problem, there are seven oxygen related parameters that need to be measured to determine the distribution of oxygen. We present an improved approach in which image intensities from only two PEDRI acquisitions with different EPR irradiation powers are required to determine the distribution of a paramagnetic probe and oxygen in an analyzed sample. This is achieved using three reference samples with known concentrations of a paramagnetic probe and oxygen placed inside the resonator together with the measurement sample. An EPR-off image, which has low signal intensity at low magnetic field (0.02 T) is not required for the calculations, significantly reducing the total time of the experiments and the noise while enhancing the accuracy of these oxygen measurements. The Finland trityl radical was used as the paramagnetic probe and oxygen concentrations could be accurately measured and imaged over the physiological range from 0 to 240 μM.     

Proton-Electron Double-Resonance Imaging of pH Using Phosphonated Trityl Probe

Variable radio frequency proton-electron double-resonance imaging (VRF PEDRI) enables extracting a functional map from a limited number of images acquired at pre-selected EPR frequencies using specifically designed paramagnetic probes with high-quality spatial resolution and short acquisition times. In this work we explored the potential of VRF PEDRI for pH mapping of aqueous samples using recently synthesized pH-sensitive phosphonated trityl radical, pTR. The ratio of Overhauser enhancements measured at each pixel at two different excitation frequencies corresponding to the resonances of protonated and deprotonated forms of pTR probe allows for a pH map extraction. Long relaxation times of pTR allow for pH mapping at EPR irradiation power as low as 1.25 W during 130 s acquisition time with spatial resolution of about 1 mm. This is particularly important for in vivo applications enabling one to avoid sample overheating by reducing RF power deposition.     

Variable radio frequency proton-electron double-resonance imaging: application to pH mapping of aqueous samples

Proton-electron double-resonance imaging (PEDRI) offers rapid image data collection and high resolution for spatial distribution of paramagnetic probes. Recently we developed the concept of variable field (VF) PEDRI which enables extracting a functional map from a limited number of images acquired at pre-selected EPR excitation fields using specific paramagnetic probes (Khramtsov et al., J. Magn. Reson. 202 (2010) 267-273). In this work, we propose and evaluate a new modality of PEDRI-based functional imaging with enhanced temporal resolution which we term variable radio frequency (VRF) PEDRI. The approach allows for functional mapping (e.g., pH mapping) using specifically designed paramagnetic probes with high quality spatial resolution and short acquisition times. This approach uses a stationary magnetic field but different EPR RFs. The ratio of Overhauser enhancements measured at each pixel at two different excitation frequencies corresponding to the resonances of protonated and deprotonated forms of a pH-sensitive nitroxide is converted to a pH map using a corresponding calibration curve. Elimination of field cycling decreased the acquisition time by exclusion periods of ramping and stabilization of the magnetic field. Improved magnetic field homogeneity and stability allowed for the fast MRI acquisition modalities such as fast spin echo. In total, about 30-fold decrease in EPR irradiation time was achieved for VRF PEDRI (2.4s) compared with VF PEDRI (70s). This is particularly important for in vivo applications enabling one to overcome the limiting stability of paramagnetic probes and sample overheating by reducing RF power deposition.     

Enhanced Overhauser contrast in proton-electron double-resonance imaging of the formation of an alginate hydrogel

Proton-electron double-resonance imaging (PEDRI) was recently employed to monitor the process of formation of a calcium alginate hydrogel at a field of 16mT. Here, under the same experimental conditions, images obtained through this technique are compared to images obtained by conventional T(2)-weighted method. The results confirm that the image contrast obtained using PEDRI, thanks to the Overhauser effect, exhibits an improved sensitivity with respect to changes in water mobility as previously suggested in the literature. Furthermore, by increasing the echo time interval for the T(2)-weighted images, important features of the gelling dynamics obtained via PEDRI could not be reproduced.     

Variable Field Proton–Electron Double-Resonance Imaging: Application to pH mapping of aqueous samples

A new concept of Variable Field Proton–Electron Double-Resonance Imaging (VF PEDRI) is proposed. This allows for functional mapping using specifically designed paramagnetic probes (e.g. oxygen or pH mapping) with MRI high quality spatial resolution and short acquisition time. Studies performed at 200 G field MRI with phantoms show that a pH map of the sample can be extracted using only two PEDRI images acquired in 140 s at pre-selected EPR excitation fields providing pH resolution of 0.1 pH units and a spatial resolution of 1.25 mm. Note that while concept of functional VF PEDRI was demonstrated using the pH probe, it can be applied for studies of other biologically relevant parameters of the medium such as redox state, concentrations of oxygen or glutathione using specifically designed EPR probes.     

强电场电离放电产生羟基等离子体反应过程的研究

从强电场等离子体反应室结构、电介质材料及加工工艺等方面出发．研究了在建立强电场并把O2、H2O电离后在分子层次上加工成OH^ 、eaq^-(水合电子)等自由基的等离子体反应过程。用这种方法产生的自由基的浓度、产成量均能满足工程上的需要．达到绿色化学12条原则要求,从源头上解决了环境污染问题。着重研究了羟基治理烟气SO2的绿色资源化的新方法．在无吸收剂、催化剂条件下,仅在0．8s内就能把烟气中SO2、H2O和O2电离后在分子层次上加工成H2SO4。     

EPR of C60 thermal/photochemical reactions with polystyrene and polymethyl methacrylate

Thermal and photochemical free radical reaction products of C₆₀ with polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and polystyrene (PS) in orthodichlorobenzene solution were detected by EPR (electron paramagnetic resonance). Thermal radicals (<100°C) of C₆₀/PMMA and C₆₀/PS samples gave single line first-derivative EPR spectra withg=2.0029. Ultraviolet photolysis of a C₆₀/PMMA solid phase sample gave two radical species; whereas, photolysis of a C_60/PS solid phase sample gave only one free radical. EPR signals were also recorded for UV and thermal C₆₀ reaction with free radical initiator, azobis(isobutyronitrile).     

Role of Rare Earth Oxide Nanoparticles (CeO2 and La2O3) in Suppressing the Photobleaching of Fluorescent Organic Dyes

Aqueous solutions with Rhodamine dye, and fluorescently labeled polymer samples of fibrin and collagen were mixed with aqueous dispersions of cerium oxide, lanthanum oxide, iron (II) oxide nanoparticles, and OxyFluor, a commonly used reagent for suppressing photobleaching. From time dependent studies of the fluorescence from these samples, we observed that the dyes in samples containing rare earth oxide nanoparticles exhibited significantly slower rates of fluorescence decay compared to control samples without additives, or containing OxyFluor or iron oxide nanoparticles. We posit that this may be related to the oxygen free radical scavenging properties of rare earth oxides.     

香叶天竺葵叶非精油组分清除自由基、抗氧化作用

活性氧与许多疾病的发生和发展密切相关,与食品的氧化也息息相关。所以筛选天然抗氧化剂显得非常重要。因此,分别采用水、乙醇和乙酸乙酯提取法从提取精油后的残渣中提取香叶天竺葵叶非精油有效组分,并分别采用超氧阴离子自由基(O2-·),羟自由基(·OH),过氧亚硝基(ONOO-)和.OH氧化损伤DNA的四种化学发光体系和二苯代苦味肼基自由基(DPPH·)和脂质过氧化两种比色体系检测香叶天竺葵叶非精油组分清除多种自由基、活性氧的能力以及对DNA的保护作用。结果表明,香叶天竺葵叶非精油组分的3种不同提取物均能有效地清除O2-·、·OH、DPPH·和ONOO-,减轻或消除·OH对DNA的氧化损伤,抑制脂质过氧化,是一种有效的、多功能的天然抗氧化剂和自由基清除剂。由于非精油组分是从制取精油组分后的残渣中提取的,提取装置和工艺也非常简单,故本研究不仅为香叶天竺葵种植效益的提高和综合利用提供了可能,也为天然香料加工后废弃物的开发研究提供了资料,对经济环境保护和资源的再利用也有借鉴意义。目前国内外对芳香植物的研究与开发主要聚焦于精油组分,而研究表明,更多的抗氧化物质是存在于非精油组分中,由于非精油组分是从制取精油组分后的残渣中提取的,并且提取装置和工艺简单,是值得进一步开发利用的天然产物。     

Stochastic Liouville equation studies of FT-EPR spectra of singlet-triplet mixing photo-chemically generated radical pair system

A stochastic Liouville equation (SLE) was numerically solved to obtain pulsed Fourier-transform (FT) EPR spectra on a radical pair system created in a photo-induced chemical reaction. Numerical calculations were applied to the photo-chemical reaction of deuterated acetone and 2-propanol at low temperatures. In this reaction system, the antiphase structures of the EPR signals, so called spin-correlated radical pair (SCRP) signals of two identical isopropyl ketyl radicals and spin-polarized free isopropyl ketyl radicals were observed by FT-EPR and continuous wave time-resolved (CW TR) EPR techniques. In the present work, FT-EPR spectra of the antiphase structure signals of the radical pair themselves as well as spin-polarized free radical signals were simulated. Additionally, rising behavior of free radical signals polarized by the radical pair mechanism (RPM) was also clarified. Furthermore two-dimensional (2D) FT-EPR nutation spectra were simulated in the both cases with and without the radical pairs by the use of SLE. In these simulations, strong DC components in the nutation frequency dimension, were well reproduced as was obtained in experiments. It was shown that relaxation during the microwave pulse was essential for the appearance of the DC components.     

High‐Performance UV Protective Waterborne Polymer Coatings Based on Hybrid Graphene/Carbon Nanotube Radicals Scavenging Filler

Ultraviolet (UV) degradation is one of the most important challenges of waterborne coatings in exterior applications. One of the ways to address this issue is addition of radical scavenging species within the polymer matrix. Herein, hybrids of graphene (G) and multiwall carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in different ratios are used as radical scavenging species. Evaluated by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, it is found that the hybrid made of G/CNTs in ratio of 10:1 efficiently captures and quenches the free radicals. The waterborne polymer composites containing 1 wt% of hybrid G/CNT are synthesized by in situ miniemulsion free radical polymerization using a water soluble initiator. However, due to excellent efficiency to capture free radicals, the polymerization performed using water soluble initiators in the presence of 10:1 G/CNT filler is hindered. This is resolved by physical separation of the free radicals and the scavenging materials within different phases by use of oil soluble initiator. The resulting polymer composites, beside having excellent mechanical resistance, present exceptional stability under accelerated aging conditions during 400 h, suppressing almost completely the UV photodegradation. This is attributed to the efficient radical scavenging of the G/CNTs hybrid filler distributed within polymer matrix, resulting in high‐performance UV protective waterborne composite coatings.     

电子顺磁共振法(EPR)对银杏叶提取物及其卷烟捕获自由基能力研究

自由基存在于人体和卷烟烟气中,会引起人体病理反应和氧化损伤,种类和形态多样,如：O-·₂,HO·,R·,RO·,ROO·。电子顺磁共振法(EPR)是检测和定量分析自由基的重要方法之一。银杏叶提取物(EGB)是由黄酮、内酯、原花青素类成分组成的植物药,具有较好清除自由基和抗氧化能力。本文以槲皮素、芦丁、原花青素等化合物为对照,运用EPR法结合自旋捕集技术研究EGB和EGB卷烟对DPPH,HO·,O2-·、烟气气相自由基、烟气粒相自由基的抑制水平。结果表明,EGB能够有效抑制化学/生物系统和卷烟烟气产生的自由基。尽管抑制自由基整体水平比黄酮单体和原花青素弱,但EGB提取方法简单容易得到,可作为天然抗氧化剂和自由基清除剂用于食品和烟草等行业。EPR法灵敏度高,稳定性好,是用于自由基研究的可靠方法。捕集剂DEPMPO捕集O2-·更加高效,PBN捕集烟气气相自由基比DMPO更有优势。该研究讨论了EGB清除自由基的机理,丰富的酚羟基结构是其抗氧化作用的主要原因。     

Peculiarities of free induction and primary spin echo signals for spin-correlated radical pairs

Keeping in mind ion-radical pairs in a photosynthesis reaction centre first of all, we calculated free induction and spin echo (ESE) signals for an ensemble of radical pairs which initially start in a singlet state. It was shown that the intensity of signals should oscillate depending on the time interval τ between the start of a pair and a microwave pulse forming free induction (FI) or between the start of a pair and the first of two microwave pulses forming primary ESE signal. ESE phase of spin-correlated pairs does not coincide with the corresponding ESE phase of radical pairs in thermal equilibrium. One should also note an interesting feature of FI: immediately after the microwave pulse free induction signal equals zero, and non-zero free induction signal appears only due to spin evolution. This behaviour formally resembles the situation occurring when the primary ESE is formed: a light pulse which creates spin-correlated radical pairs acts as the first microwave pulse in conventional spin echo experiments. Analysis of FI and ESE in experiments on pulse photolysis or radiolysis may provide useful information about the contribution of spin-correlated radical pairs.     

Effect of Zn2+ and Cu2+ on free radical properties of melanin fromCladosporium cladosporioides

Effect of metal ions on free radical properties of natural melanin produced by soil fungiCladosporium cladosporioides was studied. The electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectrum of the studied melanin consists mainly of a single line of eumelanin, and only a very weak signal of pheomelanin was observed. o-Semiquinone free radicals form paramagnetic centers in melanin. Diamagnetic Zn²⁺ ions produce an increase in the free radical concentration in melanin. Quenching of melanin EPR lines was obtained for melanin and paramagnetic Cu²⁺ ion complexes. Slow spin-lattice relaxation processes are characteristic for the free radicals in melanin samples and fast spin-lattice relaxation was observed for Cu²⁺ ions. The EPR lines of copper ions saturate at higher microwave powers than the EPR lines of melanin.     

Major factors involved in the inhibition of ultrasound-induced free radical production and cell killing by pre-sonication incubation or by high cell density

To identify the factors involved in the inhibition of ultrasound (US)-induced free radical production and cell killing by pre-sonication incubation or by high cell density, we used different densities of U937 cells, and with (up to 2 h) or without pre-sonication incubations, the cell suspensions were exposed to 1 MHz US (10% duty factor at 100 Hz pulse rate; intensities 0.1-0.5 W/cm(2) for 1 min). The intensity 0.3 W/cm(2) was used for cell killing experiments and 0.5 W/cm(2) for free radical experiments. Free radical production was determined by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR)-spin trapping with DMPO while cell killing was determined by assays for lysis, loss of cell viability, apoptosis and necrosis. The results show that at higher cell densities, CO(2) in the medium rapidly increased, with shorter pre-sonication incubation required to attain complete inhibition of both free radical production and cell killing. Cell killing at 0.3 W/cm(2) and free radical production at 0.5 W/cm(2) were both inhibited at 10 million cells/ml without incubation, and at 2 million cells/ml incubated for 2 h before sonication. Level of CO(2) alone could not account for the inhibition; consumption of gases in the medium is also considered in the inhibitory effect of pre-sonication, while suppression of cavitational activities due to the "viscosity effect" is considered a more important factor in the inhibition by high cell density.     

The influence of the quantum dot/polymethylmethacrylate composite preparation method on the stability of its optical properties under laser radiation

Photoluminescent semiconductor nanocrystals, quantum dots (QDs), are nowadays one of the most promising materials for developing a new generation of fluorescent labels, new types of light-emitting devices and displays, flexible electronic components, and solar panels. In many areas the use of QDs is associated with an intense optical excitation, which, in the case of a prolonged exposure, often leads to changes in their optical characteristics. In the present work we examined how the method of preparation of quantum dot/polymethylmethacrylate (QD/PMMA) composite influenced the stability of the optical properties of QD inside the polymer matrix under irradiation by different laser harmonics in the UV (355 nm) and visible (532 nm) spectral regions. The composites were synthesized by spin-coating and radical polymerization methods. Experiments with the samples obtained by spin-coating showed that the properties of the QD/PMMA films remain almost constant at values of the radiation dose below ~10 fJ per particle. Irradiating the composites prepared by the radical polymerization method, we observed a monotonic increase in the luminescence quantum yield (QY) accompanied by an increase in the luminescence decay time regardless of the wavelength of the incident radiation. We assume that the observed difference in the optical properties of the samples under exposure to laser radiation is associated with the processes occurring during radical polymerization, in particular, with charge transfer from the radical particles inside QDs. The results of this study are important for understanding photophysical properties of composites on the basis of QDs, as well as for selection of the type of polymer and the composite synthesis method with quantum dots that would allow one to avoid the degradation of their luminescence.     

EPR Studies of DOPA–Melanin Complexes with Fe(III)

Paramagnetic centers in 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine–melanin and its complexes with Fe(III) were examined by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. Paramagnetic centers of melanin play an important role in detoxification of environment and they reveal high activity in binding of metal ions. Two different signals were observed in EPR spectra: lines of o-semiquinone free radicals and lines of paramagnetic Fe(III). Amplitudes of EPR lines of both free radicals and iron ions decrease with increasing Fe(III) content in melanin–metal ion complexes. Free radical concentrations in the melanin samples, g-factors, amplitudes and line widths of EPR spectra were determined. It was stated that fast spin–lattice relaxation processes exist in both free radical system and paramagnetic iron ions in melanin complexes.     

甲酸钠增敏鲁米诺化学发光机理研究及应用

在表面活性剂十二烷基苯磺酸钠(SDBS)存在下,传统意义上的自由基清除剂甲酸钠反而对铬酸钾一鲁米诺-腺嘌呤化学发光体系表现出了很好的化学发光增敏效果,文章通过化学发光发射光谱,紫外可见光谱及化学反应等手段探讨了这一化学发光体系的增敏机理,结果表明:化学发光体系的增敏是由于反应体系中甲酸钠的存在使原有发光体系中的羟基自由基(OH·)转化为氧自由基(O2·)所致.以此为基础建立了流动注射化学发光法测定腺嘌呤的高灵敏方法,腺嘌呤在2.45×10-11～8.18×10-9 mol·L-1范围内成良好的线性关系(R2=0.999 3),检出限为8.72×10-12 mol·L-1.该法已成功用于测定维生素B4药品中的腺嘌呤的含量,结果令人满意.     

An Electron Spin Resonance Study of Gamma-Irradiated 5,6-Dihydropyrimidines

Electron spin resonance (ESR) spectra are observed from gamma-irradiated, poly-crystalline samples of 5,6-dihydrouracil, 5,6-dihydro-5-methyluracil, and 5,6-dihydro-6-methyluracll. The spectra indicate that the radiation-induced free radicals are formed by the loss of hydrogen atoms from the parent compounds. The crystal structure of the dihydropyrimidines is apparently such that there is a proton near the unpaired electron which can simultaneously flip with the flip of the unpaired electron resulting in the formation of satellite lines relative to the main spectral lines. Annealing the irradiated samples at 100°C produces a decrease in the radical content of all compounds except in dihydro-5-methyluracll where the radical content increases. These differences are discussed in terms of the close proximity of the radicals formed during irradiation of dihydro-5-methyluracil. The     

Probing the behaviour of surface-adsorbed free radicals using ALC μSR

Preliminary investigations show that the avoided level crossing muon spin rotation technique is well suited to the study of surface-adsorbed free radicals. The samples used were monolayer films of benzene and anisole on small (7 nm and 14 nm) amorphous silica grains. The observed cyclohexadienyl radical resonances indicate a reduction in mobility down to a temperature of about 125 K, beyond which measurements are unreliable due to weak signals. However, the failure to observe any anisotropy in the resonances shows that the residual mobility is mainly translational. For a benzene multilayer, on the other hand, we found clear evidence of anisotropic behaviour, co-existing with signals from a mobile phase. It seems likely that this arises from a thin fluid surface layer in equilibrium with frozen bulk.