Human lymphocyte sorting by gravitational field-flow fractionation

Interest in biological studies on various cell types for many biomedical applications, from research to patient treatments, is constantly increasing. The ability to discriminate (sort) and/or quantify distinct subpopulations of cells has become increasingly important. For instance, not only detection but also the highest depletion of neoplastic cells from normal cells is an important requisite in the autologous transplantation of lymphocytes for blood cancer treatments. In this work, gravitational field-flow fractionation (GrFFF) is shown to be effective for sorting a heterogeneous mixture of human, living lymphocytes constituted of neoplastic B cells from a Burkitt lymphoma cell line and healthy T and B lymphocytes from blood samples. GrFFF does not require the use of fluorescent immunotags for sorting cells, and the sorted cells can be collected for their further characterization. Flow cytometry was used to assess the viability of the cells collected, and to evaluate the cell fractionation achieved. A low amount of neoplastic B lymphocytes (less than 2%) was found in a specific fraction obtained by GrFFF. The high depletion from neoplastic cells (more than 98%) was confirmed by a clonogenicity test.     

Can a synthetic thread act as an electrochemically switchable molecular device?

Here we report that at room temperature in acetonitrile after the reduction of the naphthalimide-site, a synthetic molecular thread undergoes a complete conformational change which makes possible an efficient conversion of chemical energy into mechanical work; such results point out the ability of the thread to act as a molecular device under electrochemical control.     

Cholesterylbutyrate solid lipid nanoparticles as a butyric acid prodrug

Cholesterylbutyrate (Chol-but) was chosen as a prodrug of butyric acid. Butyrate is not often used in vivo because its half-life is very short and therefore too large amounts of the drug would be necessary for its efficacy. In the last few years butyric acid's anti-inflammatory properties and its inhibitory activity towards histone deacetylases have been widely studied, mainly in vitro. Solid Lipid Nanoparticles (SLNs), whose lipid matrix is Chol-but, were prepared to evaluate the delivery system of Chol-but as a prodrug and to test its efficacy in vitro and in vivo. Chol-but SLNs were prepared using the microemulsion method; their average diameter is on the order of 100-150 nm and their shape is spherical. The antineoplastic effects of Chol-but SLNs were assessed in vitro on different cancer cell lines and in vivo on a rat intracerebral glioma model. The anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated on adhesion of polymorphonuclear cells to vascular endothelial cells. In the review we will present data on Chol-but SLNs in vitro and in vivo experiments, discussing the possible utilisation of nanoparticles for the delivery of prodrugs for neoplastic and chronic inflammatory diseases.     

Metal-free and transition-metal tetraferrocenylporphyrins part 1: synthesis, characterization, electronic structure, and conformational flexibility of neutral compounds

H(2)TFcP [TFcP = 5,10,15,20-tetraferrocenyl porphyrin(2-)] was prepared by a direct tetramerization reaction between pyrrole and ferrocene carbaldehyde in the presence of a BF(3) catalyst, while the series of MTFcP (M = Zn, Ni, Co and Cu) were prepared by a metallation reaction between H(2)TFcP and respective metal acetates. All compounds were characterized by UV-vis and MCD spectroscopy, APCI MS and MS/MS methods, high-resolution ESI MS and XPS spectroscopy. Diamagnetic compounds were additionally characterized using (1)H and (13)C NMR methods, while the presence of low-spin iron(ii) centers in the neutral compounds was confirmed by M?ssbauer spectroscopy and by analysis of the XPS Fe 2p peaks, revealing equivalent Fe sites. XPS additionally showed the influence on Fe 2p binding energies exerted by the distinct central metal ions. The conformational flexibility of ferrocene substituents in H(2)TFcP and MTFcP, was confirmed using variable-temperature NMR and computational methods. Density functional theory predicts that alpha,beta,alpha,beta atropisomers with ruffled porphyrin cores represent minima on the potential energy surfaces of both H(2)TFcP and MTFcP. The degree of non-planarity is central-metal dependent and follows the trend: ZnTFcP < H(2)TFcP approximately CuTFcP < CoTFcP < NiTFcP. In all cases, a set of occupied, predominantly ferrocene-based molecular orbitals were found between the highest occupied and the lowest unoccupied, predominantly porphyrin-based molecular orbitals. The vertical excitation energies of H(2)TFcP were calculated at the TDDFT level and confirm the presence of numerous predominantly metal-to-ligand charge-transfer bands coupled via configurational interaction with expected intra-ligand pi-pi* transitions.     

Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors. Sulfonamide diuretics revisited--old leads for new applications?

Sulfonamide diuretics such as hydrochlorothiazide, hydroflumethiazide, quinethazone, metolazone, chlorthalidone, indapamide, furosemide and bumetanide were tested as inhibitors of the zinc enzyme carbonic anhydrases (CAs, EC 4.2.1.1). These drugs were discovered in a period when only isoform CA II was known and considered physiologically/pharmacologically relevant. We prove here that although acting as moderate to weak inhibitors of CA II, all these drugs considerably inhibit other isozymes known nowadays to be involved in critical physiologic processes, among the 16 CAs present in vertebrates. Some low nanomolar/subnanomolar inhibitors against such isoforms were detected, such as among others metolazone against CA VII, XII and XIII, chlorthalidone against CA VB, VII, IX, XII and XIII, indapamide against CA VII, IX, XII and XIII, furosemide against CA I, II and XIV, and bumethanide against CA IX and XII. The X-ray crystal structure of the CA II-indapamide adduct was also resolved at high resolution, and the binding of this sulfonamide to the enzyme was compared to that of dichlorophenamide, sulpiride and a pyridinium containing sulfonamide. Indapamide binds to CA II in a manner not seen earlier for any other CA inhibitor, which might be important for the design of compounds with a different inhibition profile.     

Direct-type vinylogous Mukaiyama-Michael addition reactions involving pyrrolinone donors

The direct Mukaiyama-Michael addition of vinylogous tetramate donors to a number of different Michael acceptors has been easily executed, by employing the TMSOTf/Et₃N mixture as soft Lewis acid/base promoter agent. Richly functionalized, highly manipulable γ-substituted pyrrolinone products were practically synthesized in acceptable to excellent yields, and with diastereoselectivities heavily relying upon the substituent at the nitrogen atom of the pyrrolinone donor.