Fluorescence Properties of Isolated Intact Normal Human Corneas

Abstract— We have examined the fluorescence properties of excised intact normal human corneas from over a hundred donors, using synchronous excitation fluorescence spectroscopy. In some of the corneas from the donors, a fluoro-phore with an excitation band centered at 330 nm was observed. This fluorophore does not seem to correspond to the dityrosine moiety or to any photoproducts of tryptophan. Isolated corneas irradiated with light of 295 nm wavelength do not produce any fluorescent photoproducts, suggesting that the intact tissue has endogenous quenchers, radical scavengers and antioxidants that inhibit its photodamage. The non-tryptophan fluorophores that accumulate in some corneas thus appear to arise largely from the nonenzymatic glycosylation (glycation) of the constituent proteins as similar fluorophores are detected in the corneas of rats in which diabetes is induced.     

Synthesis, characterization, and biological activities of homo- and heterobimetallic complexes of Sn(IV) and Pd(II) with 2-mercapto-5-methyl benzimidazole

Organotin complexes have been synthesized by refluxing 2-mercapto-5-methyl benzimidazole with R₂SnCl₂/R₃SnCl (R = Me, n-Bu, Ph) in 1:1 molar ratio in the first step. In the second step, synthesized organotin(IV) complexes were treated with CS₂ and R₂SnCl₂/R₃SnCl/PdCl₂ to yield homo- and heterobimetallic complexes. The composition of the synthesized complexes, the bonding behavior of the donor groups, and structural assignments were studied by elemental analysis and different spectral techniques, including IR and multinuclear NMR (¹H, ¹³C). The IR data shows bidentate nature of the ligand which is also confirmed by semiempirical study, while NMR data confirms the four-coordinated geometry in solution. The free ligand and its respective homo- and heterobimetallic complexes were screened in vitro against a number of microorganisms to assess their biocidal properties. The biological activity data show that complexes exhibits significant antibacterial and antifungal activities as compared to ligand with few exceptions.     

Synthesis and Cytotoxicity Evaluation of Novel Andrographolide‐1,2,3‐Triazole Derivatives

A series of new andrographolide‐1,2,3‐triazole derivatives, 3a , 3b , 3c , 3d , 3e , 3f , 3g , 3h , 3i , 3j , 3k , were synthesized from a natural bioactive labdane type diterpenoid, andrographolide. All the derivatives were screened against human cancer cell lines MCF7, MDA‐MB‐231, COLO205, HepG2, K562, Hela, and HEK293 to evaluate their cytotoxic activity. All the compounds showed anticancer activity selectively against K562 cell line, with IC₅₀ values ranging from 8.00 to 17.11 µM, and are inactive against the rest of the cell lines. Compounds 3c and 3d showed significant cytotoxicity among the synthesized derivatives. The in silico docking studies revealed compounds 3b and 3d with high binding affinity against the cancer target, transient receptor potential vanilloid 1.     

Curing and thermal behaviour of epoxy resin in the presence of a mixture of imide-amines

The curing behaviour of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A (DGEBA) was investigated by the dynamic differential scanning calorimetry using varying molar ratios of aromatic imide-amines and 4,4′-diaminodiphenylsulfone (DDS). The imide-amines were prepared by reacting 1 mole of naphthalene 1,4,5,8-tetracarboxylic dianhydride (N) and 4,4′-oxodiphthalic anhydride (O) with 2.5 moles of 4,4′-diaminodiphenyl ether (E) or 4,4′-diaminodiphenyl methane (M) or 4,4′-diaminodiphenylsulfone (S) and designated as NE/OE or NM/OM or NS/OS. The mixture of the imide-amines and DDS at ratio of 0:1, 0.25:0.75, 0.5:0.5, 0.75:0.25 and 1:0 were used to investigate the curing behaviour of DGEBA. A single exotherm was observed on curing with mixture of imide-amines and DDS. This clearly shows that the two amines act as co-curing agents. Curing temperatures were higher with imide-amines having sulfone linkage irrespective of anhydride. Curing of DGEBA with mixture of imide-amines and or DDS resulted in a decrease in characteristic curing temperatures. The thermal stability of the isothermally cured resins was also evaluated using dynamic thermogravimetry in a nitrogen atmosphere. The char yield was higher in case of resins cured imide-amines based on N and E. The activation energy of decomposition and integral procedural decomposition temperature were also calculated from the TG data.     

Synthesis, Characterization and Antibacterial Activity of Some Transition Metal cis-3,7-dimethyl-2,6-octadiensemicarbazone Complexes

The synthesis and characterization of some transition metal cis-3,7-dimethyl-2,6-octadiensemicarbazone (CDOSC) complexes are reported. The ligand CDOSC yields: [ML₂ Cl₂] and [ML₂ Cl₂] Cl type complexes, where M = Cr^III, Mn^II, Fe^III, Co^II, Ni^II, Cu^II, Zn^II, Cd^II and Hg^II, L = CDOSC. Structures of the complexes were determined using elemental analysis, molar conductivity, magnetic measurements, i.r. and electronic, as well as n.m.r spectra. CDOSC acts as a bidentate ligand in all the complexes. All the newly synthesized metal complexes, as well as the ligand, were screened for their antibacterial activity. All the complexes exhibit strong inhibitory action against Gram (+) bacteria Staphylococcus aureus and Gram (−) bacteria Escherichia coli. The antibacterial activities of the complexes are stronger than those of the ligand CDOSC itself.     

Synergistic extraction and spectrophotometric determination of palladium(II), iron(III), and tellurium(IV) at trace level by newly synthesized p-[4-(3,5-dimethylisoxazolyl)azophenylazo]calix(4)arene

A spectrophotometric method for the determination of palladium, iron and tellurium from nitric acid media after extraction of their p-[4-(3,5-dimethylisoxazolyl)azophenylazo]calix(4)arene [DMIAPAC] complexes has been developed and possible synergistic effects have been investigated. Chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, cyclohexane, 1,2-dichloroethane, toluene and xylene were used as the diluents. The maximum enhancement was obtained in the presence of 30% 1,2-dichloroethane. The trace amounts of metals were determined spectrophotometrically. Beer’s law obeyed in the concentration range of 5.0–95.0 μg, 8.0–120.0 μg and 10.0–140.0 μg/10 mL of the final solution of palladium, iron and tellurium, respectively. The molar absorptivities (l mol^?1cm^?1) and Sandell’s sensitivities (μg cm ^?1) were calculated: Pd(II) = 1.73 × 10⁴ and 0.0061; Fe(III) = 1.08 × 10⁴ and 0.0052; Te(IV) = 1.67 × 10⁴ and 0.0077. Ten replicate analyses containing 20 μg of Pd(II), 12.5 μg of Fe(III) and 32 μg of Te(IV) gave mean absorbance of 0.326, 0.242 and 0.418 with relative standard deviation of 0.36, 0.65 and 0.82% for Pd(II), Fe(III) and Te(IV), respectively. The interference of various ions was studied and optimum conditions were developed for the determination of these metals in certain alloys and synthetic mixtures.     

A Ferroelectric Aminophosphonium Cyanoferrate with a Large Electrostrictive Coefficient as a Piezoelectric Nanogenerator

Hybrid materials possessing piezo- and ferroelectric properties emerge as excellent alternatives to conventional piezoceramics due to their merits of facile synthesis, lightweight nature, ease of fabrication and mechanical flexibility. Inspired by the structural stability of aminophosphonium compounds, here we report the first A₃BX₆ type cyanometallate [Ph₂(ⁱPrNH)₂P]₃[Fe(CN)₆] ( 1 ), which shows a ferroelectric saturation polarization (P_s) of 3.71 μC cm⁻². Compound 1 exhibits a high electrostrictive coefficient (Q₃₃) of 0.73 m⁴ C⁻², far exceeding those of piezoceramics (0.034–0.096 m⁴ C⁻²). Piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM) analysis demonstrates the polarization switching and domain structure of 1 further confirming its ferroelectric nature. Furthermore, thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) polymer composite films of 1 were prepared and employed as piezoelectric nanogenerators. Notably, the 15 wt % 1 -TPU device gave a maximum output voltage of 13.57 V and a power density of 6.03 μW cm⁻².     

Superprotonic Conductivity of MOFs Confining Zwitterionic Sulfamic Acid as Proton Source and Conducting Medium

A few metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), which typically use strong acids as proton sources, display superprotonic conductivity (≈10⁻¹ S cm⁻¹); however, they are rare due to the instability of MOFs in highly acidic conditions. For the first time, we report superprotonic conductivity using a moderately acidic guest, zwitterionic sulfamic acid (HSA), which is encapsulated in MOF-808 and MIL-101. HSA acts not only as a proton source but also as a proton-conducting medium due to its extensive hydrogen bonding ability and zwitterion effect. A new sustained concentration gradient method results in higher HSA encapsulation compared to conventional methods, producing 10HSA@MOF-808-(bSA)₂ and 8HSA@MIL-101. These MOFs show impressive superprotonic conductivity of 2.47×10⁻¹ and 3.06×10⁻¹ S cm⁻¹, respectively, at 85 °C and 98 % relative humidity, and maintain stability for 7 days.     

Rhodium-Catalyzed C8-Alkenylation of Isoquinolones with Maleimides

An efficient Rh(III)-catalyzed C−H alkenylation of N-protected isoquinolone with maleimides is reported. The carbonyl group of isoquinolone acts as an inherent directing group. Various N-substituents in the maleimide, including alkyl, aryl, and even H and −OH, were well tolerated under the developed reaction condition. This protocol showed broad substrate scope, good selectivity, and excellent yields. Hammett plot is also drawn to check the effect of substituents on the reaction progress.     

Recent Advances in the Chemistry and Therapeutic Evaluation of Naturally Occurring and Synthetic Withanolides

Natural products are a major source of biologically active compounds that make promising lead molecules for developing efficacious drug-like molecules. Natural withanolides are found in many flora and fauna, including plants, algae, and corals, that traditionally have shown multiple health benefits and are known for their anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-leishmaniasis, and many other medicinal properties. Structures of these withanolides possess a few reactive sites that can be exploited to design and synthesize more potent and safe analogs. In this review, we discuss the literature evidence related to the medicinal implications, particularly anticancer properties of natural withanolides and their synthetic analogs, and provide perspectives on the translational potential of these promising compounds.