Absorption and luminescence spectroscopic analysis of tautomeric forms of protonatedN,N-dimethyl-N′-(1-nitro-9-acridinyl)-1,3-propanediamine (nitracrine) and its nitro isomers in poly(vinyl alcohol) films

The electronic absorption, fluorescence, and phosphorescence excitation spectra, as well as the fluorescence and phosphorescence spectra, at either room or liquid nitrogen temperatures, were measured forN,N-dimethyl-N-(1-nitro-9-acridinyl)-1,3-propanediamine and its three nitro isomers in acidified poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) film. The spectral characteristics obtained reveal the existence of the compounds studied in at least two structural forms. The results are interpreted in terms of the tautomeric phenomena which originate due to the migration of the hydrogen atom, which is bound to the nitrogen atom attached to the carbon atom (9), to the acridine ring nitrogen.     

TLC and HPLC Analysis of the Flavonoid Glycosides in the Aerial Parts of Peucedanum tauricum Bieb.

JPC – Journal of Planar Chromatography – Modern TLC - Flavonoid glycosides from the aerial parts (leaves, flowers, and fruits) of Peucedanum tauricum Bieb. (Apiaceae) have been analyzed...     

Micro Assay for Malondialdehyde in Human Serum by Extraction-Spectrophotometry Using an Internal Standard

Malondialdehyde (MDA) is a widely accepted biomarker of lipid peroxidation. Thus, the measurement of MDA in clinical samples is useful in the evaluation of oxidative stress. In this study, a micro-extraction-spectrophotometric assay was developed, based on the formation of MDA–thiobarbituric acid (TBA) adduct. To enhance the analytical performance, Erioglaucine A was used as an internal standard (IS), and the first derivative spectra were obtained. The volume of serum sample was 20µL and the total volume of aqueous phase 420µL (200µL of 0.6% TBA in acetic acid, pH 2.5 and 200µL of 6.25·10^–4% IS). The extraction of adduct and IS was carried out with 300µL of aliquat 336 (0.06%) in ethyl acetate. The analytical signal S was defined as the ratio between the first derivative absorbances measured at 543.1nm (adduct) and 644.4nm (IS). In the calibration range up to 10µmolL^–1 MDA, the linear regression coefficient was 0.9998. The quantification limit was 0.19µmolL^–1 and the CV values for 2µmolL^–1 and 5µmolL^–1 MDA, respectively, were 0.8% and 0.7%. The procedure was applied to the analysis of diabetic sera and the results compared with those obtained by HPLC (derivatization with 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine). Lower HPLC results (about 15%) indicated that interferences from other TBA reactive substances had not been completely eliminated by the extraction procedure and derivatization of spectral data. On the other hand, the micro-procedure presents important advantages: it is simple, precise and environmentally friendly (small amounts of reagents), which makes it readily adaptable to the analysis of large sample series. The feasibility of micro-assay in the evaluation of lipid peroxidation status was demonstrated in the analysis of 156 serum samples from diabetic patients divided into three groups according to the stage of development of typical complications.     

Thermochemistry of aqueous solutions of alkylated nucleic acid bases V. Enthalpies of hydration of N-methylated adenines

Enthalpies of solution in water, H _sol ^o , and of sublimation, H _subl ^o , were determined experimentally for a number of crystalline N-methyl adenines: m⁶Ade, m ₂ ^6,6 Ade, m⁹Ade, m ₂ ^6,9 Ade, and m ₃ ^6,6,9 Ade. Derived standard enthalpies of hydration H _hydr ^o , were corrected for the calculated cavity terms H _cav ^o to yield enthalpies of interaction H _int ^o of the solutes with their hydration shells. The increments of H _int ^o per unit area of the water-accessible molecular surface S _B , H _int ^o (CH₃)/S _B (CH₃), for the particular methyl groups: is considered to be the net effect of the gain in the energy resulting from van der Waals' interactions and of the loss in the energy due to polar interactions upon methyl substitution. It proved to vary somewhat numerically in agreement with the theoretically predicted hydration schemes of adenine. Comparison of H _int ^o /S _B value for adenine with those previously determined for uracil and thymine indicates that the aminopurine moiety is less hydrated than the diketopyrimidine ring.     

HPLC-ICP-MS determination of selenium distribution and speciation in different types of nut

In addition to determination of total selenium in nuts, the element distribution among different fractions (lipid extract, low molecular weight, and protein fractions), and speciation analysis were studied. Improved precision for total selenium determination was observed after elimination of lipids. Because selenium was not detected in any of the lipid extracts obtained from the different types of nuts (ICP-MS), in each determination and/or speciation procedure used in this work lipids were extracted (chloroform-methanol, 2:1) and discarded before analysis. In agreement with previously reported data, high selenium levels were found in Brazil nuts (those purchased without shells contained approximately a quarter the content than those purchased with shells) and significantly lower levels in walnuts, cashews, and pecans nuts. Low-molecular-weight compounds were extracted with perchloric acid (0.4 mol L(-1)) to furnish a fraction containing 3 to 15% of the total selenium in different types of nuts. The proteins were isolated from nut samples by dissolution in 0.1 mol L(-1) sodium hydroxide and subsequent precipitation with acetone. They were then dissolved in phosphate buffer pH 7.5. Analysis of protein fractions focused on selenium in two possible states - weakly and firmly bound to proteins. Results obtained for Brazil nuts by size-exclusion chromatography with on-line ICP-MS detection, in the absence and in the presence of beta-mercaptoethanol, showed that approximately 12% of total selenium was weakly bound to proteins. To obtain information about firmly bound selenium, the protein extracts were hydrolyzed enzymatically with proteinase K. Speciation was performed by means of ion-pairing HPLC-ICP-MS. The primary species found in all types of nuts was Se-methionine (19-25% of total selenium for different types of nuts).     

Rosa platyacantha Schrenk from Kazakhstan—Natural Source of Bioactive Compounds with Cosmetic Significance

Plants belonging to the Rosa genus are known for their high content of bioactive molecules and broad spectrum of healing and cosmetic activities. Rosa platyacantha Schrenk is a wild-type species abundant in the mountainous regions of Kazakhstan. The phytochemical composition as well as the bioactivity of R. platyacantha extracts have not been fully investigated to date. In this study, various parts of R. platyacantha plant, collected in Almaty region, Kazakhstan, were used to prepare five hydroalcoholic extracts (R1–R5). The extracts were compared for the content of phytochemicals and selected biological activities, which are important for the potential cosmetic application of R. platyacantha. Extract R3, prepared from flower buds, showed the most significant antioxidant and tyrosinase inhibitory potential, decreasing the monophenolase and diphenolase activities of tyrosinase. Extract R3 showed also collagenase inhibitory activity and cytotoxicity against human melanoma cells A375, being less cytotoxic for noncancerous skin keratinocytes HaCaT. Analysis of fractions E and F, obtained from R3 extracts, revealed that quercetin, kaempferol, rutin, and their derivatives are more likely responsible for the tyrosinase inhibitory properties of R. platyacantha extracts.     

Sensitivity Analysis for Optimal Control Problems Subject to Higher Order State Constraints

A family of parameter dependent optimal control problems is considered. The problems are subject to higher-order inequality type state constraints. It is assumed that, at the reference value of the parameter, the solution exists and is regular. Regularity conditions are formulated under which the original problems are locally equivalent to some other problems subject to equality type constraints only. The classical implicit function theorem is applied to these new problems to investigate Fréchet dif ferentiability of the stationarity points with respect to the parameter.     

Is Phytomelatonin Complex Better Than Synthetic Melatonin? The Assessment of the Antiradical and Anti-Inflammatory Properties

This work aims to assess the recently established anti-inflammatory and antioxidant potential of melatonin of plant origin extracted from the plant matrix as a phytomelatonin complex (PHT-MLT), and compare its activity with synthetic melatonin (SNT-MLT) when used on its own or with vitamin C. For this purpose, a COX-2 enzyme inhibitory activity test, an antiradical activity in vitro and on cell lines assays, was performed on both PHT-MLT and SNT-MLT products. COX-2 inhibitory activity of PHT-MLT was found to be ca. 6.5 times stronger than that of SNT-MLT (43.3% and 6.7% enzyme inhibition, equivalent to the activity of acetylsalicylic acid in conc. 30.3 ± 0.2 and 12.0 ± 0.3 mg/mL, respectively). Higher antiradical potential and COX-2 inhibitory properties of PHT-MLT could be explained by the presence of additional naturally occurring constituents in alfalfa, chlorella, and rice, which were clearly visible on the HPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS fingerprint. The antiradical properties of PHT-MLT determined in the DPPH test (IC₅₀ of 21.6 ± 1 mg of powder/mL) were found to originate from the presence of other metabolites in the 50% EtOH extract while SNT-MLT was found to be inactive under the applied testing conditions. However, the antioxidant studies on HaCaT keratinocytes stimulated with H₂O₂ revealed a noticeable activity in all samples. The presence of PHT-MLT (12.5, 25 and 50 µg/mL) and vitamin C (12.5, 25 and 50 µg/mL) in the H₂O₂-pretreated HaCaT keratinocytes protected the cells from generating reactive oxygen species. This observation confirms that MLT-containing samples affect the intracellular production of enzymes and neutralize the free radicals. Presented results indicated that MLT-containing products in combination with Vitamin C dosage are worth to be considered as a preventive alternative in the therapy of various diseases in the etiopathogenesis, of which radical and inflammatory mechanisms play an important role.     

Space-Time ARIMA Modeling for Regional Precipitation Forecasting

An aggregate regional forecasting model class belonging to the general family of space-time auto regressive moving average (STARMA) process is investigated. These models are characterised by autoregressive and moving average terms lagged in both time and space. The paper demonstrates an iterative procedure for buling a starima model of precipitation time series. Eleven raingage sites located in a watershed in southern Ontario, Canada, sampled at 15-day intervals for the period of 1966 to 1980 are used in the numerical analysis. The identified model is STMA($l_2)$. The model parameters are estimated by the polytope technique, a nonlinear optimization algorithm. The developed model performed well in regional forecasting and in describing the spatio-temporal characteristics of the precipitation time series.     

The Influence of External Electric Field on Local Orientations and Phase Transitions in Polymer Liquid Crystals (PLCs)

The starting point is our previous study of influence of the internal molecular mean field of dipole‐dipole interactions on local orientation and phase transitions in polymer liquid crystal (PLC) systems of longitudinal chains.^{[1, 2]} Electric dipoles are created by LC mesogen moieties. The longitudinal PLC is a macromolecule of consecutively copolymerized LC and flexible polymer sequences. We now amplify the model by inclusion of dipole‐external electric field interactions. We find that the external fields can seriously modify the local orientational order of the system and affect phase transition parameters dependent on that order. In particular, the external fields induce the formation of disoriented nematic phases with negative values of the second order orientation parameter 〈P₂〉 for LC sequences in the longitudinal PLCs while the first order parameter 〈P₁〉 is positive. However, some rapid decreases in 〈P₁〉 are observed at points of positive‐to‐negative transitions of 〈P₂〉; thus the LC disorientation manifests itself. The limiting case of the monomer liquid crystal (MLC) systems is included also.