Cyclodextrin host as a supramolecular catalyst in nonpolar solvents: stereoselective synthesis of (E)-3-alkylideneoxindoles

Heptakis(6-O-triisopropylsilyl)-β-cyclodextrin (TIPS-β-CD) effectively formed inclusion complexes with oxindole and its derivatives as guests in nonpolar solvents. Their inclusion complex formation was remarkably affected by the position and size of substituents on the oxindole ring of the guest. The Knoevenagel condensation reaction of these oxindoles with cinnamaldehyde to give 3-alkylideneoxindoles was accelerated with enhanced E/Z selectivities in the presence of catalytic amounts of TIPS-β-CD.     

Unique catalytic effect of a cyclodextrin host on photodimerization of coumarin in nonpolar solvents

Heptakis(6-O-tert-butyldimethylsilyl)-β-cyclodextrin (TBDMS-β-CD) formed inclusion complexes with coumarin in benzene and cyclohexane. The inclusion mode of coumarin within the TBDMS-β-CD cavity was different between these solvents. Photodimerization of coumarin in the solvents was remarkably accelerated by the inclusion within the TBDMS-β-CD cavity. In particular, the largest rate increase was observed when 1.0 equiv of TBDMS-β-CD was added to coumarin.     

Synthesis and preparation of nanoparticles composed of amphiphilic poly(γ-glutamic acid) with different hydrophobic side chains and their potential of membrane disruptive activity

In the development of nanoparticle-based vaccine adjuvants, the interaction between nanoparticles (NPs) and the cells is a key factor. To control them, we focused on the relationship between the hydrophobicity of the side chains and the cell membrane. In this study, amphiphilic poly(γ-glutamic acid) (γ-PGA), using various types of hydrophobic side chains, was synthesized and used to prepare NPs for evaluating the membrane disruptive activity. When leucine ethyl ester (Leu), methionine ethyl ester (Met), or tryptophan ethyl ester (Trp) was grafted, each polymer formed monodispersed NPs at physiological conditions. Significantly, NPs composed of Leu and Trp showed a membrane disruptive activity at the endosomal environment (pH 5–6.5), while NPs composed of Met did not show. This might be due to the weak hydrophobicity of Met compared to that of Leu and Trp, which demonstrated that the interaction between NPs and cells could be controlled by designing the polymer compositions.     

Novel functional polymers: Poly(dimethyl siloxane)–polyamide multiblock copolymers. XI. The effects of sequence regularity on the thermal and mechanical properties

Poly(aramid silicone) (PAS) multiblock copolymers were synthesized by the low‐temperature solution polycondensation of isophthaloyl dichloride (IPC) and two diamines, diamino poly(dimethyl siloxane) (PDMS; number‐average molecular weight = 1680) and 3,4′‐diaminodiphenylether (3,4′‐DAPE), in tetrahydrofuran/dimethylacetamide (2/1 v/v). Two synthetic methods for the control of the PAS sequence were used: a one‐step synthesis that presumably gave PAS with a random sequence and the polymerization of 3,4′‐DAPE with a presynthesized dimer, IPC–PDMS–IPC (two‐step synthesis), that presumably gave PAS with an alternating sequence of 3,4′‐DAPE and PDMS segments. In a ¹H NMR study of the amide protons of the 3,4′‐DAPE component in PAS, the relative length of the 3,4′‐DAPE segment of randomly sequenced PAS to that of ideally sequenced PAS could be estimated. The glass‐transition temperatures of the 3,4′‐DAPE and PDMS segments of random PAS were 152–234 and ?104 to ?117 °C, respectively, whereas the alternating PAS sequences showed no glass transition for the 3,4′‐DAPE segments. A tensile test indicated that randomly sequenced PAS behaved like a rubber‐toughened material at lower PDMS contents and like a thermoplastic elastomer at higher PDMS contents, whereas the alternately sequenced PAS behaved like a very soft rubber, showing a high value of elongation at the breaking point. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 841–852, 2003     

Three‐Dimensional Tissue Models Constructed by Cells with Nanometer‐ or Micrometer‐Sized Films on the Surfaces

Living tissues or organ modules consist of different types of highly organized cells and extracellular matrices (ECMs) in a hierarchical manner, such as the multilayered structure of blood vessels and the radial structures of hepatic lobules. Due to animal examinations being banned in the EU since 2013 and a shortage in the demand for tissue repair or organ transplantation, the creation of artificial 3D tissues possessing specific structures and functions similar to natural tissues are key challenges in tissue engineering. To date, we have developed a simple but unique bottom‐up approach, a hierarchical cell manipulation technique, with a nanometer‐sized ECM matrix consisting of fibronectin (FN) and gelatin (G) on cell surfaces. About 10 nm thick FN/G ECM films on cell surfaces were coated successfully by using layer‐by‐layer coating methodology. Various 3D constructs with higher cell density with different types of cells were successfully constructed. In addition to the construction of tissues with higher cell densities, other tissues, such as cartilage or skin tissues, with different cell densities are also important tissue models for tissue engineering and pharmaceutical industries. Thus, we recently developed other methodologies, the collagen coating method and multiple coating method, to fabricate micrometer‐sized level ECM layers on cell surfaces. Various micro‐ or millimeter‐sized 3D constructs with lower cell densities were constructed successfully. By using these two methods, cell distances in 2D or 3D views can be controlled by different thicknesses of ECM layers on cell surfaces at the single‐cell level. Both FN/G and the collagen coating method resulted in homogenous 3D tissues with a controlled layer numbers, cell type, cell location, and properties; these will be promising to achieve different goals in tissue engineering.

     

Denaturation of alpha-lactalbumin and ubiquitin studied by electrospray and laser spray

Electrospray and laser spray mass spectra of human alpha-lactalbumin and bovine ubiquitin were studied, with an emphasis on the denaturation induced by laser spray. There were no remarkable differences in the electrospray and laser spray mass spectra for acidic and basic aqueous solutions of alpha-lactalbumin in positive and negative modes of operations. This originates from the fact that this protein is tightly folded with four disulfide bonds. For ubiquitin, however, denaturation was induced by laser spray for the positive mode of operation and the [M+nH](n+) with a maximum of n = 13 was observed, i.e., all the acidic amino acid residues are fully neutralized (protonated). In contrast, the laser-induced denaturation was not observed for the negative mode of operation, i.e., denaturation of ubiquitin is largely suppressed in the negatively charged liquid droplets. The marked difference observed in the positive and negative modes of operations for ubiquitin is ascribed to the difference in the susceptibility of side-chain/main-chain interactions in the positive-ion excess and in the negative-ion excess liquid droplets. That is, the interactions between the basic residues and main-chain amide carbonyl groups (-NH(3) (+)***O=C< or -NH(2)***O=C<) which play an important role in stabilizing the protein structures are not so affected in the negative mode of operation but are weakened in the positive mode of operation.     

Impact of limited oxidation on protein ion mobility and structure of importance to footprinting by radical probe mass spectrometry

The effect of hydroxyl radical induced oxidation on the collision cross-sections of hen egg lysozyme and bovine ubiquitin was investigated by travelling wave ion mobility mass spectrometry for the first time. The oxidized ions of lysozyme and ubiquitin share common collision cross-sections with their unoxidized counterparts suggesting that they share common structures that were unaffected by limited oxidation. In the case of bovine ubiquitin, two distinct conformers were detected for the protein in its unoxidized and oxidized states though no change in the levels of each was observed upon oxidation. This supports the validity of Radical Probe Mass Spectrometry (RP-MS) using an electrical discharge source for protein footprinting experiments. Travelling wave ion mobility mass spectrometry has been used for the first time to confirm that limited oxidation does not have an impact on the global structure of proteins.     

Synthesis of platinum colloids sterically stabilized by poly(N-vinylformamide) or poly(N-vinylalkylamide) and their stability towards salt

Colloidal dispersions of nanometer-sized platinum colloids were prepared by ethanol reduction of PtCl₆ ²⁻ in the presence of poly(N-vinylformamide) (PNVF), poly(N-vinylacetamide) (PNVA) or poly(N-vinylisobutyramide) (PNVIBA) and analyzed by UV-vis spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The dispersion stability of each colloid to the presence of added KCl was determined by a stirring and centrifugation procedure. The platinum colloid stabilized by PNVF (PNVF-Pt) was the most stable and its critical flocculation concentration was not observed up to the highest electrolyte concentration employed (4.0 M). The stability of the platinum colloids stabilized by poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) and poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) was also examined. The sequence of polymer-stabilized platinum colloids in increasing order of dispersion stability was found to be PNIPAAm-Pt < PNVIBA-Pt < PVP-Pt < PNVA-Pt < PNVF-Pt. Received: 25 August 1998 Accepted in revised form: 14 January 1999     

Modulation Frequency Characteristics of Erbium-Doped Fiber Amplifier

The modulation frequency characteristics of an erbium-doped fiber amplifier are analyzed theoretically and experimentally for various values of modulation frequency. The theoretical predictions by the approximate equations in the low and high frequency modulation and that by the Runge-Kutta method for all modulation frequencies are in good agreement with the experimental results. In the low frequency modulation, the population inversion is depleted because of the saturation effect due to the instantaneous power of the incident light, and a distorted output is obtained without phase delay. In the high frequency modulation, the linear amplification is obtained with the gain depletion determined by the time averaged power of the incident signal. In the intermediate frequency modulation, the highly distorted output is obtained with phase delay.