Study of donepezil binding to serum albumin by capillary electrophoresis and circular dichroism

The interaction between human serum albumin (HSA) and the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor donepezil, has been studied by means of capillary electrophoresis frontal analysis (CE/FA) and circular dichroism. CE/FA enabled rapid and direct estimation of the quantity of free donepezil present at equilibrium with a physiological level of serum albumin (600 mol L^–1). Application of Scatchard analysis enabled estimation of the binding parameters of HSA towards donepezil, such as association constant and number of binding sites on one protein molecule. Furthermore, due to enantioseparation ability shown by HSA on donepezil in CE mode, displacement experiments were carried out using ketoprofen and warfarin as coadditives to the HSA based running buffer. The addition of these compounds reduced the enantioresolution of donepezil by HSA only when used at high concentration. These data were confirmed and corroborated by circular dichroism (CD) experiments. Using CD, bilirubin was also applied as a ligand specific to site III of HSA. The observed behaviour suggested that donepezil could be considered a ligand with independent binding to sites I and II; although site III is not the highest affinity site, indirect interaction (i.e. cooperative binding) can be assumed.     

Electromagnetic field-induced protection of chick embryos against hypoxia exhibits characteristics of temporal sensing

We previously studied the response of mammalian cultured cells to weak, 60 Hz-electromagnetic (EM) fields. Two time constants, similar to those observed in chemotaxis, were found to govern the cellular response to the field. We concluded that a system of temporal sensing, similar to that employed in chemotaxis by motile bacteria, was operative. We termed the shorter time (approximately 0.1 s) the "sensing" time, and the longer time (approximately 10 s) the "memory" time. To investigate the possibility that temporal sensing was a general property of EM field-cell interaction, the temporal properties of another EM field-induced effect was studied. The EM field-induced protection against the effects of extreme hypoxia was examined in chick embryos. Embryos were exposed to 60 Hz-magnetic fields, the amplitudes of which were regularly altered throughout the 20-min exposure. Alteration was accomplished either by turning the field off and on at regular intervals (1-50 s), or by introducing brief (10 or 100 ms), zero amplitude gaps, once each second, throughout exposure. When the field was turned on and off at 0.1 s intervals, the protective effect conferred by a constant field was lost. At progressively longer on/off intervals, protection was progressively restored, maximizing at intervals of 10-30 s. Gapping the magnetic field for 10 ms, each second of exposure conferred the same protection as that observed for an uninterrupted field, but gapping the field at 100 ms each second produced a significant reduction in protection. These data exhibit remarkable consistency with those obtained in similar temporal studies of the magnetic field-induced enhancement of ornithine decarboxylase activity in L929 fibroblasts. It appears that temporal sensing is a general feature of the EM field-cell interaction.     

Reactivity of the tetrahydroborate copper(I) complexes [(PR3)2Cu(η2-BH4)] (R = Ph,Cy) toward CO2, COS,and SCNPh

CO₂, COS, and SCNPh react under very mild conditions with the copper(I)-tetrahydroborate complexes [(PR₃)₂Cu(η²-BH₄)] (R = Ph, Cy); CO₂ and COS give the complexes [(PR₃)₂Cu(η²-O₂CH)] and [(PR₃)₂Cu(η²-OSCH)] respectively, whereas SCNPh gives the η²-dithiocarbamate complexes [(PR₃)₂Cu-(η²-S₂CNHPh)]. Addition of PPh₃ under CO₂ to solutions of [(PPh₃)₂Cu-(η²-BH₄)] gives [(PPh₃)₃Cu(η¹-O₂CH)] while addition of PPh₃ and NBu₄ClO₄ under CO₂ gives [(PPh₃)₃Cu(η-O₂CH)Cu(PPh₃)₃] ClO₄.     

Configuration-interaction calculations for the ground state of OF2, NO 2 − , CN−: Canonical orbitals and exclusive orbitals

The C.I. method is applied to already published double- SCF wave functions for OF₂, NO ₂ ^– and CN^–. All doubly excited configurations are considered. The second order approximation values presented for those cases are compared with the exact energy values in some minor cases. An attempt has been made to improve the rate of convergency of the process by transforming the canonical SCF occupied orbitals into localized ones and the virtual canonical orbitals into a particular type of localized orbitals. These latter show also an intuitively acceptable spatial conformation.

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Zusammenfassung Die CI Methode wird auf bereits bekannte Doppel-Zeta-SCF-Wellenfuntionen für die Systeme OF₂, NO ₂ ^– und CN^– angewandt. Dabei werden alle doppelt angeregten Konfigurationen berücksichtigt. Um die Konvergenz zu verbessern, werden versuchsweise die kanonischen und besetzten SCF-Orbitale in lokalisierte Orbitale und die virtuellen kanonischen Orbitale in einen besonderen Typ von lokalisierten Orbitalen transformiert. Die letzteren zeigen eine besonders geeignete räumliche Anpassung.

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Résumé Pour un calcul de intéraction de configurations, comprenant toutes le configurations à double excitation, on a employé des fonctions d'onde SCF sur une base doublée. Pour le calcul complet on a essayé des formules d'approximation, qu'on a pu vérifier avec le calcul exact sur des cas réduits.Pour améliorer la vélocité de convergence du procés on a transformé les orbitales canoniques SCF en orbitales localisées et aprés on a construit, selon un procedé particulier, des orbitales virtuelles localisées qui montrent une conformation dans l'espace qui est intuitivement satisfaisante.

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Work supported by the Consiglio Nazionale delie Ricerche.     

A first theoretical study on the origin of the metal-mediated regioselective opening of 2,3-epoxy alcohols

Hybrid density functional theory (B3LYP) method allows the study of the role of metal ions (Li(+)) in the regioselective opening of 2,3-epoxy alcohols with lithium halides (Cl, Br, I) to the corresponding halohydrins. The theoretical results largely confirm the experimental results, especially with regards to the regioselectivity observed in the opening of the oxirane ring. The C3 halogen attack is always preferred to the C2 attack, with a significant difference in the TS structures with the reaction pathway under kinetic control. The central role of the lithium cation, linked to the oxygen atoms of the epoxy alcohol, is well documented in the reaction mechanisms presented. The energy differences between the two structures of the proposed TS appear to be ascribed to the different contribution of the X-H-O hydrogen bond between the hydroxyl groups of the reactant and the incoming halogen nucleophile.     

Comparison of three sequential extraction procedures (original and modified 3 steps BCR procedure) applied to sediments of different origin

The 3 steps sequential extraction procedure proposed by the Standards Measurements and Testing program (SM&T--formerly BCR) of the European Union has been applied for the speciation of metals in sediments. Results obtained by the application of the BCR standardized procedure were compared to those of two four step sequential extraction procedures, which are different from the BCR procedure only for the introduction of an additional step with NaOCl, as 2nd and 3rd step respectively. Five different metals have been taken into consideration: Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn. The analytical performances of the laboratory have been evaluated using three certified reference materials: the BCR 601 lake sediment for the BCR sequential extraction procedure, PACS-1 and MESS-1 for total metal concentration. Results showed that the efficiency of NaOCl treatment is higher or at least equal to that of H2O2 treatment and that its selectivity is quite satisfying. Moreover the NaOCl treatment doesn't significantly influence the extraction of the easily reducible fraction.     

Metal-organic approach to binary optical memory

Two new Ru(II) diimine chromophores, each containing a single photochromic dianthryl unit, have been prepared and characterized. The photoluminescence from the Ru(II) complexes is modulated by the photochromic action of the dianthryl species, which serves as a triplet energy transfer quencher in one photochromic state. The coupling of the dianthryl photochromic action to the Ru(II) complex emission permits nondestructive photoluminescence readout of binary information photochemically recorded on the molecular level. Luminescent images stored on polystyrene films that contain these molecules maintained their integrity for periods of months with no apparent degradation or variation in the image resolution, suggesting their durability for long-term storage in read-only memory applications.     

1,2-fused pyrimidines. V. Synthesis of 1-alkyl or phenyl-2H-dipyrido-[1,2-a:2′,3′-d]pyrimidine-2,5(1H)-diones

The reaction of 2-[(N-acyl, N-alkyl or phenyl)amino]-4H-pyrido[1,2-a]pyrimidin-4-ones 8a-g with the N,N-dimethylformamide/phosphorus oxychloride Vilsmeier reagent 1 (95°, 90 minutes) afforded 1-alkyl or phenyl-2H-dipyrido[1,2-a:2′,3′-d]pyrimidine-2,5(1H)^?diones, 3-alkyl substituted or not, 10a-g . The starting compounds 8 were prepared by treating 2-amino-4H-pyrido[1,2-a]pyrimidin-4-ones N-alkyl substituted 7a,b or N-phenyl substituted 4 with excess anhydrides (130°, 7 hours) when the 2-(alkylamino) derivatives 7 were used in the reaction, compounds 8 were obtained along with very small amounts of 3-acyl-2-(alkylamino)-4H-pyrido[1,2-a]pyrimidin-4-ones 9 .