Characteristics of hyaluronate-hydroxyethyl acrylate blend gel and release of cationic amphiphilic solutes

Hyaluronate-hydroxyethyl acrylate blend gel (HA-PHEA) were prepared to modify the brittleness of hyaluronate gel (HA) and the characteristics of HA-PHEA gel were compared with those of HA and polyhydroxyethyl acrylate (PHEA) gels. These gels were high in water content and transparent. HA-PHEA gel was improved in viscoelastic properties due to the elasticity and the high affinity with water of PHEA, and the drying-swelling cycles became reversible. The effective charge densities theta of the gels estimated from membrane potentials were -0.002, -0.008 and 0 mol dm(-3) for HA-PHEA, HA and PHEA gels. Effects of electro- static and nonelectrostatic interactions on absorptions and releases were studied using sodium benzoate (NaBA) as an anionic solute, and methylene blue (MB), chlorpromazine (CPHCl) and benzethonium chloride (BZTCl) as cationic solutes, in which CPHCl and BZTCl are cationic amphiphilic solutes. The releases of MB, CPHCl and BZTCl from HA-PHEA and HA gels were suppressed comparing with those of NaBA. By adding salts, the releases of MB and CPHCl were enhanced but those of BZTCl were suppressed due to enhancement of the intra- and intermicelle formation. In the releases of the cationic solutes from HA-PHEA gel, electrostatic and nonelectrostatic interactions with HA were found to play important roles. Behaviors of the releases from HA-PHEA gel were found to possess the features of HA gel.     

Synthesis of 4′-hydroxymethylated pyrimidine ribo-C-nucleosides

A stereocontrolled synthesis of 4′-hydroxymethylated ribo-$\text{C}$-nucleosides and a new psico-$\text{C}$-nucleoside has been accomplished on the basis of the [3 + 4] reductive cyclocoupling reaction of α,α,α′,α′-tetrabromoacetone and furfuryl acetate.     

A novel technique for detecting single nucleotide polymorphisms by analyzing consumed allele-specific primers

We present a simple and rapid polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based technique, termed consumed allele-specific primer analysis (CASPA), as a new strategy for single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis. The method involves the use of labeled allele-specific primers, differing in length, with several noncomplementary nucleotides added in the 5'-terminal region. After PCR amplification, the amounts of the remaining primers not incorporated into the PCR products are determined. Thus, nucleotide substitutions are identified by measuring the consumption of primers. In this study, the CASPA method was successfully applied to ABO genotyping. In the present method, the allele-specific primer only anneals with the target polymorphic site on the DNA, so it is not necessary to analyze the PCR products. Therefore, this method is only little affected by modification of the PCR products. The CASPA method is expected to be a useful tool for typing of SNPs.     

Isolation of iso-grayanotoxin II from leaves of Leucothoe grayana Max. Its X-ray crystallographic analysis and acute toxicity in mice

The structure of iso-grayanotoxin II, a new diterpenoid from Leucothoe grayana MAX., has been determined as 3 beta,5 beta,6 beta,14 beta,16 alpha-pentahydroxygrayanotox-9(10)-ene by spectroscopic and X-ray crystallographic analysis. The lethal dosage level of iso-grayanotoxin II in mice was lower than that of grayanotoxin III.     

A characteristic effect of pressure on inclusion complexation of phenothiazine dyes with p-sulfonatocalix[6]arene in a room-temperature ionic liquid

The inclusion complexation of p-sulfonatocalix[6]arene (Calix-S6) with three kinds of phenothiazine dyes was studied spectrophotometrically in a mixture of a room-temperature ionic liquid [bmim]BF₄ (1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate) and ethanol. We have determined the association constants of Calix-S6 with phenothiazine dyes under external static pressure up to 767 bar in the [bmim]BF₄-ethanol and alcohol-water mixtures. With increasing external pressure, the inclusion equilibrium in the alcohol-water mixtures was shifted to the dissociation side. Conversely, the inclusion equilibrium of methylene blue (MB) and azure A (AA) in the ionic liquid mixture was shifted to the association side. From the analysis of the pressure effects, the reaction volumes ΔV for inclusion complexation were estimated as −7 to 9 cm³ mol⁻¹ in the [bmim]BF₄-ethanol mixture and 20–32 cm³ mol⁻¹ in the alcohol-water mixtures. Based on the results, we have suggested that there is a competing complexation between the included dye and [bmim]BF₄ molecules in the ionic liquid.     

Crystal structures and Mössbauer spectroscopic studies of oxo-centered trinuclear chloroacetate complexes

The crystal structures of oxo-centered trineclear cobalt-iron chloroacetate complex [Co^IIFe ₂ ^III O(CH₂ClCO₂)₆(H₂O)₃]·3H₂O (1) was compared with that of previously reported trinuclear iron complex [Fe^IIFe ₂ ^III O(CH₂ClCO₂)₆(H₂O)₃]·3H₂O (2) which has an isomorphous structure to 1. Compound 1 crystallizes in space group P2₁/n with Z=4 in a unit cell of a=14.826 (4) Å, b=4.536 (8) Å, c=14.000 (4) Å, =100.32 (2)⁰ and V=2968 (11) ų. The structure was refined to R=0.75 and R_w=0.82. The coordination geometries of the three iron atoms are observed equivalent in 1 indicating a static disorder of the position among cobalt and iron atoms. Two distinct Fe^III doublets observed in Mössbauer spectra of 1 become an indistinguishable broad doublet by dehydration of crystal water. On the other hand, no significant line-broadening is observed after the dehydration in complex 2. The results indicate that the dehydration in 2 induces a local environmental change reordering of an electronic configuration around iron atoms, whereas the remaining disordering is reflected in Mössbauer spectrum after the dehydration in 1.