Statistical analysis of computational docking of large compound data bases to distinct protein binding sites

The results of 16 docking simulations with rigid receptor sites and flexible ligands (∼60,000 compounds in each case) are statistically analyzed and compared. Different combinations of binding sites, scoring functions, and compound collections are used in these calculations. The docking scores are not randomly distributed over the scoring range; they follow Gaussian distributions (regardless of the binding sites), scoring functions, or screened compounds. If the docking sites are small, the Gaussian distributions are positively skewed. Peaks of the Gaussian distributions are populated with compounds having similar scores but different sizes and binding modes. These findings have implications for compound selection via computational docking. ©1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Comput Chem 20: 1634–1643, 1999     

New Gilman-type lithium cuprate from a copper(II) salt: synthesis and deprotonative cupration of aromatics

Deprotonative cupration of aromatics including heterocycles (anisole, 1,4-dimethoxybenzene, thiophene, furan, 2-fluoropyridine, 2-chloropyridine, 2-bromopyridine, and 2,4-dimethoxypyrimidine) was realized in tetrahydrofuran at room temperature using the Gilman-type amido-cuprate (TMP)₂CuLi in situ prepared from CuCl₂·TMEDA through successive addition of 1 equiv of butyllithium and 2 equiv of LiTMP. The intermediate lithium (hetero)arylcuprates were evidenced by trapping with iodine, allyl bromide, methyl iodide, and benzoyl chlorides, the latter giving the best results. Symmetrical dimers were also prepared from lithium azine and diazine cuprates using nitrobenzene as an oxidative agent.     

Influence of mesoporous structure type on the controlled delivery of drugs: release of ibuprofen from MCM-48, SBA-15 and functionalized SBA-15

Ordered mesoporous materials exhibit potential features to be used as controlled drug delivery systems, including their wide range of chemical compositions and their outstanding textural and structural properties. Therefore, it is possible to control the drug release kinetics by tailoring such parameters. In this paper, mesoporous materials such as MCM-48 and SBA-15, which present different pore sizes (3.7 and 8.8 nm) and structural characteristics (3D-bicontinuous cubic and 2D-hexagonal, respectively) have been synthesized to evaluate their application as drug delivery system and to determine their influence on release kinetic of ibuprofen. Moreover, a chemical modification of the SBA-15 mesoporous material with octadecyltrimethoxysilane has also been performed to study its influence on the release rate of ibuprofen. The structural characteristics (3D cubic and 2D hexagonal pore system) do not affect the release kinetic profiles of ibuprofen. On the contrary, the pore size affects highly to the release kinetic profiles from first-order kinetic to zero-order kinetic for MCM-48 and SBA-15, respectively. Moreover, the importance of surface functionalization was demonstrate through the very fast delivery of ibuprofen from SBA-15 mesoporous materials functionalized with octadecyl chains.     

Ferrocene and Porphyrin Monolayers on Si(100) Surfaces: Preparation and Effect of Linker Length on Electron Transfer

The missing link : Ferrocene and porphyrin monolayers are tethered on silicon surfaces with short (see picture, left) or long (right) linkers. Electron transfer to the silicon substrate is faster for monolayers with a short linker.

     

Development and validation of a liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry method for the determination of the novel anticancer agent 17-DMAG in human plasma

An accurate, sensitive, robust and selective liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) method for the determination of 17-(dimethylaminoethylamino)-17-demethoxygeldanamycin hydrochloride (17-DMAG) in human plasma has been developed and validated. Plasma samples were prepared by liquid/liquid extraction with ethyl acetate. The chromatographic separation was achieved within 9 min on a Synergy Polar column with a linear gradient and a mobile phase consisting of methanol and 0.1% formic acid in water. Detection of 17-DMAG and the internal standard (IS), olomoucine, was achieved by MS/MS with electrospray ionisation in positive ion mode. The calibration curve, ranging from 1.89 to 1890 nM, was linear r > 0.994 using a 1/y2 weighted linear regression. The assay showed no significant interferences from endogenous compounds. The lower limit of quantitation (LLOQ) was 1.89 nM, using 250 microL of plasma, with inter-assay precision (%RSD) and accuracy (%RE) values of 11.6% and -5.8%, respectively. Intra-assay precision ranged from 7.8-13.6%. The method described here is being used to evaluate the pharmacokinetic profiles of 17-DMAG given as a once weekly infusion in patients with advanced solid tumours.     

5-Aminolevulinic acid derivatives in photomedicine: Characteristics, application and perspectives

The introduction of lipophilic derivatives of the naturally occurring heme precursor 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) into photomedicine has led to a true revival of this research area. 5-ALA-mediated photodynamic therapy (PDT) and fluorescence photodetection (FD) of neoplastic disease is probably one of the most selective cancer treatments currently known in oncology. To date, this method has been assessed experimentally for the treatment of various medical indications. However, the limited local bioavailability of 5-ALA has widely prevented its use in daily clinical practice. Although researchers were already aware of this drawback early during the development of 5-ALA-mediated PDT, only recently have well-established concepts in pharmaceutical science been adapted to investigate ways to overcome this drawback. Recently, two derivatives of 5-ALA, methylaminolevulinate (MAL) and hexylaminolevulinate (HAL), gained marketing authorization from the regulatory offices in Europe and Australia. MAL is marketed under the trade name Metvix for the treatment of actinic keratosis and difficult-to-treat basal cell carcinoma. HAL has recently been launched under the trade name Hexvix to improve the detection of superficial bladder cancer in Europe. This review will first present the fundamental concepts underlying the use of 5-ALA derivatives in PDT and FD from a chemical, biochemical and pharmaceutical point of view. Experimental evidences from preclinical data on the improvements and limits observed with 5-ALA derivatives will then be introduced. The state-of-the-art from clinical studies with 5-ALA esters will be discussed, with special emphasis placed on the process that led to the development of MAL in dermatology and to HAL in urology. Finally, we will discuss promising medical fields in which use of 5-ALA derivatives might potentially lead to further use of this methodology in photomedicine.     

Identification of the elastic properties of an artificial capsule membrane with the compression test: effect of thickness

The mechanical properties of a capsule membrane are evaluated by means of a compression experiment between two parallel plates. Since large deformations of the membrane are involved, the choice of the wall material constitutive law is essential. In this paper, we explore different classical laws to describe the behavior of the membrane and evaluate also the limit of application of the thin shell approximation. A numerical study of the compression process is performed using Abaqus software and an inverse method is used to identify the material constants of the constitutive laws. The comparison between the model predictions and experimental measurements on capsules with serum albumin-alginate membranes, indicates that the thin shell approximation is valid only for thickness to radius ratios up to 5% and that thick membranes obey non linear elastomer type constitutive laws. The Young modulus of the membrane material is found to increase non-linearly with membrane thickness, thus indicating that fabrication of thicker serum albumin-alginate walls results in capsules stiffer than expected.     

TiO2 anatase-based membranes with hierarchical porosity and photocatalytic properties

Taking benefit of previously obtained results, stable complex organic-inorganic hybrid suspensions are successfully prepared by mixing a polystyrene latex aqueous suspension, a titania hydrosol and a nonionic triblock copolymer. These suspensions can be then deposited as thin films on dense or porous substrates. Solvent evaporation induces the formation of spherical micelles by self-assembly of the amphiphilic molecules during the drying of the films. Two types of isolated spherical macropores (few ten nanometers) and mesopores (4-5 nm) are generated inside the layers by the thermal removal of the polystyrene particles and of the micelles, respectively. The remaining inorganic network exhibits an additional interconnected microporosity with a mean pore size of 1.5 nm, resulting from the aggregation of the anatase nanoparticles. A complete removal of the templating units at low temperature is possible using the photocatalytic properties of the anatase network. Such layers exhibit attractive properties for the design of ceramic membranes. They can be advantageously used in order to increase the permeability of the separative layer and to reduce the number of intermediate layers of these asymmetric structures.     

Influence of interfacial features in the supramolecular assembly of 3,5-dihydroxybenzylalcohol based dendrimers on Si/SiO2 surfaces

Self-organization of 3,5-dihydroxybenzylalcohol (DHBA) based dendrimers of generations 0-3 (G0-G3) on bare and functionalized single crystal silicon (Si/SiO2) surfaces has been examined. The underlying monolayer plays a significant role in the supramolecular assembly leading to ordered structures of DHBA (G0) and generation 1-3 (G1-G3) dendrimers at interfaces. Ordered hyperbranched structures are formed on surfaces containing self-assembled monolayers with complimentary features to the assembling molecules, whereas no such organized assemblies are observed on unfunctionalized surfaces.     

Age-dependent DNA repair and cell cycle distribution of human skin fibroblasts in response to UVA irradiation

Ageing process in cells is associated with oxidative stress. Ultraviolet A produces reactive oxygen species responsible for accumulation of DNA and cellular damage. After the evaluation of antioxidant enzyme activities and oxidative stress markers at the basal state, we have studied the responses to UVA stress of coetaneous fibroblasts, isolated from different male donors (2-88 years, n=23) in terms of cytotoxicity, genotoxicity and DNA repair capacities. For this purpose, we have determined level of DNA damage using the comet assay (single strand breaks and alkali-labile sites) and the cell cycle distribution after a 5 J/cm2 irradiation. No differences with age were observed for antioxidant enzyme activities and oxidative stress markers. DNA strand breaks after UVA irradiation (5-20 J/cm2), was found to be age-dependent. DNA repair was slow and also significantly affected by ageing. The cell cycle distribution analysis showed that high repair correlated with high proliferative capacities at basal level. Twenty-four hours after the stress, fraction of young fibroblasts blocked in G1 phase was significantly increased whereas significant modifications concerned the G2-M phase for adult and older fibroblasts. These results indicate an age-dependent decline in the DNA repair capacities correlated with modifications of the cell cycle parameters.