Volatiles and Antifungal-Antibacterial-Antiviral Activity of South African Salvia spp. Essential Oils Cultivated in Uniform Conditions

Spontaneous emissions of S. dentata Aiton and S. scabra Thunb., as well as the essential oil (EO) composition of the cited species, together with S. aurea L., were investigated. The chemical profile of the first two species is reported here for the first time. Moreover, in vitro tests were performed to evaluate the antifungal activity of these EOs on Trichophyton mentagrophytes, Microsporum canis, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, and Fusarium solani. Secondly, the EO antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Staphylococcus pseudointermedius was examined, and their antiviral efficacy against the H1N1 influenza virus was assessed. Leaf volatile organic compounds (VOCs), as well as the EOs obtained from the arial part of Salvia scabra, were characterized by a high percentage of sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (97.8% and 76.6%, respectively), mostly represented by an equal amount of germacrene D (32.8% and 32.7%, respectively). Both leaf and flower spontaneous emissions of S. dentata, as well as the EO composition, showed a prevalence of monoterpenes divided into a more or less equal amount of hydrocarbon and oxygenated compounds. Interestingly, its EO had a non-negligible percentage of oxygenated sesquiterpenes (29.5%). S. aurea EO, on the contrary, was rich in sesquiterpenes, both hydrocarbons and oxygenated compounds (41.5% and 33.5%, respectively). S. dentata EO showed good efficacy (Minimal Inhibitory Concentration (MIC): 0.5%) against M. canis. The tested EOs were not active against E. coli and S. aureus, whereas a low inhibition of S. dentata EO was observed on S. pseudointermedius (MIC = 10%). Once again, S. dentata EO showed a very good H1N1 inhibition; contrariwise, S. aurea EO was completely inactive against this virus. The low quantity of S. scabra EO made it impossible to test its biological activity. S. dentata EO exhibited interesting new perspectives for medicinal and industrial uses.     

Optimal design of non-equilibrium experiments for genetic network interrogation

Many experimental systems in biology, especially synthetic gene networks, are amenable to perturbations that are controlled by the experimenter. We developed an optimal design algorithm that calculates optimal observation times in conjunction with optimal experimental perturbations in order to maximize the amount of information gained from longitudinal data derived from such experiments. We applied the algorithm to a validated model of a synthetic Brome Mosaic Virus (BMV) gene network and found that optimizing experimental perturbations may substantially decrease uncertainty in estimating BMV model parameters.     

Physical reasons of emission transformation in infrared CdSeTe/ZnS quantum dots at bioconjugation

The core/shell CdSeTe/ZnS quantum dots (QDs) with emission at 780–800 nm (1.55–1.60 eV) have been studied by means of photoluminescence (PL) and Raman scattering methods in the nonconjugated state and after conjugation to different antibodies (Ab): (i) mouse monoclonal [8C9] human papilloma virus Ab, anti-HPV 16-E7 Ab, (ii) mouse monoclonal [C1P5] human papilloma virus HPV16 E6+HPV18 E6 Ab, and (iii) pseudo rabies virus (PRV) Ab. The transformations of PL and Raman scattering spectra of QDs, stimulated by conjugated antibodies, have been revealed and discussed.The energy band diagram of core/shell CdSeTe/ZnS QDs has been designed that helps to analyze the PL spectra and their transformations at the bioconjugation. It is shown that the core in CdSeTe/ZnS QDs is complex and including the type II quantum well. The last fact permits to explain the nature of infrared (IR) optical transitions (1.55–1.60 eV) and the high energy PL band (1.88–1.94 eV) in the nonconjugated and bioconjugated QDs. A set of physical reasons has been analyzed with the aim to explain the transformation of PL spectra in bioconjugated QDs. Finally it is shown that two factors are responsible for the PL spectrum transformation at bioconjugation to charged antibodies: (i) the change of energy band profile in QDs and (ii) the shift of QD energy levels in the strong quantum confinement case. The effect of PL spectrum transformation is useful for the study of QD bioconjugation to specific antibodies and can be a powerful technique for early medical diagnostics.     

Construction of a Live‐Attenuated HIV‐1 Vaccine through Genetic Code Expansion

A safe and effective vaccine against human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV‐1) is urgently needed to combat the worldwide AIDS pandemic, but still remains elusive. The fact that uncontrolled replication of an attenuated vaccine can lead to regaining of its virulence creates safety concerns precluding many vaccines from clinical application. We introduce a novel approach to control HIV‐1 replication, which entails the manipulation of essential HIV‐1 protein biosynthesis through unnatural amino acid (UAA*)‐mediated suppression of genome‐encoded blank codon. We successfully demonstrate that HIV‐1 replication can be precisely turned on and off in vitro.     

富马酸丙酚替诺福韦合成工艺改进

对富马酸丙酚替诺福韦的合成工艺进行了改进,以干燥的替诺福韦为起始原料,与亚磷酸三苯酯反应得到(R)-9-(2-(苯基磷酰基甲氧基)丙基)腺嘌呤（3）; 3被氯化亚砜氯代得(R)-9-(2-(((苯基)(氯代)(磷酰基)甲氧基)丙基)腺嘌呤（4）; 4与L-丙氨酸异丙酯盐酸盐缩合得9-((R)-2-(((S)-((1-(异丙氧基羰基)乙基)氨基)苯氧基磷酰基)甲氧基)丙基)腺嘌呤（5）; 5经析晶纯化得9-((R)-2-(((S)-（((S)-1-(异丙氧基羰基)乙基)氨基)苯氧基磷酰基)甲氧基)丙基)腺嘌呤（丙酚替诺福韦,6）; 6与富马酸成盐得富马酸丙酚替诺福韦,其结构经¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, MS(ESI),元素分析和XRD确证。按改进工艺进行公斤级规模放大,产品总收率达到32.2%,化学纯度99.92%,非对映异构体纯度99.99%。     

Structure-based virtual screening of influenza virus RNA polymerase inhibitors from natural compounds: Molecular dynamics simulation and MM-GBSA calculation

The resistances of matrix protein 2 (M2) protein inhibitors and neuraminidase inhibitors for influenza virus have attracted much attention and there is an urgent need for new drug. The antiviral drugs that selectively act on RNA polymerase are less prone to resistance and possess fewer side effects on the patient. Therefore, there is increased interest in screening compounds that can inhibit influenza virus RNA polymerase. Three natural compounds were found by using molecular docking-based virtual screening, which could bind tightly within the polymerase acidic protein-polymerase basic protein 1 (PA-PB1) subunit of influenza virus polymerase. Firstly, their drug likeness properties were evaluated, which showed that the hepatotoxicity values of all the three compounds indicating they had less or no hepatotoxicity, and did not have the plasma protein biding (PPB) ability, the three compounds needed to be modified in some aspects, like bulky molecular size. The stability of the complexes of PA-hits was validated through molecular dynamics (MD) simulation, revealing compound 2 could form more stable complex with PA subunit. The torsional conformations of each rotatable bond of the ligands in PA subunit were also monitored, to investigate variation in the ligand properties during the simulation, compound 3 had fewer rotatable bonds, indicating that the molecule had stronger rigidity. The bar charts of protein–ligand contacts and contacts over the course of trajectory showed that four key residues (Glu623, Lys643, Asn703 and Trp706) of PA subunit that participated in hydrogen-bond, water bridge and hydrophobic interactions with the hit compounds. Finally, the binding free energy and contributed energies were calculated by using MM-GBSA method. Out of the three compounds, compound 1 showed the lowest total binding free energy. Among all the interactions, the contribution of the covalent binding and the van der Waals energy were more than other items, compound 1 formed more stable hydrogen bonds with the residues of PA subunit binding pocket. This study smoothed the path for the development of novel lead compounds with improved binding properties, high drug likeness, and low toxicity to humans for the treatment of influenza, which provided a good basis for further research on novel and effective influenza virus PA-PB1 interaction inhibitors.     

The detection of HBV DNA with gold-coated iron oxide nanoparticle gene probes

Gold-coated iron oxide nanoparticle Hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA probes were prepared, and their application for HBV DNA measurement was studied. Gold-coated iron oxide nanoparticles were prepared by the citrate reduction of tetra-chloroauric acid in the presence of iron oxide nanoparticles which were added as seeds. With a fluorescence-based method, the maximal surface coverage of hexaethiol 30-mer oligonucleotides and the maximal percentage of hybridization strands on gold-coated iron oxide nanoparticles were (120 ± 8) oligonucleotides per nanoparticle, and (14 ± 2%), respectively, which were comparable with those of (132 ± 10) and (22 ± 3%) in Au nanoparticle groups. Large network aggregates were formed when gold-coated iron oxide nanoparticle HBV DNA gene probe was applied to detect HBV DNA molecules as evidenced by transmission electron microscopy and the high specificity was verified by blot hybridization. Our results further suggested that detecting DNA with iron oxide nanoparticles and magnetic separator was feasible and might be an alternative effective method.     

黑色素对流感病毒诱导细胞凋亡的抑制效应

用荧光染色技术及流式细胞仪分析方法研究了 Ａ１／京防８６１ 和 Ｂ／沪防９３１ 两株流感病毒感染与细胞凋亡的关系,探讨利用嗜麦芽假单胞菌黑色素抑制流感病毒诱导 Ｍ Ｄ Ｃ Ｋ 细胞凋亡的可能性 结果显示：黑色素在 １００ ｍ ｇ· Ｌ－ １ 浓度范围内,对 Ｍ Ｄ Ｃ Ｋ 细胞无细胞毒性; Ａ１／京防 ８６１ 和 Ｂ／沪防 ９３１ 两株流感病毒均可诱导 Ｍ Ｄ Ｃ Ｋ细胞凋亡,但二者存在毒力差异（ｐ＜ ０．０５）病毒感染１２ ｈ 后,荧光染色可观察到典型的凋亡核形态,流式细胞仪则可检测到病毒诱导 Ｍ Ｄ Ｃ Ｋ 细胞产生的凋亡峰,且细胞凋亡率分别为３７．０２％ 和 ２７２９％ ;２０ ｍ ｇ· Ｌ－ １ 的黑色素可有效抑制两株流感病毒诱导细胞凋亡,使细胞凋亡指数从２５％ ～３５％ 降至３％ 以下 结果表明,黑色素可以抑制 Ａ 和 Ｂ型流感病毒诱导细胞凋亡     

Three-Dimensional Analytical Models for Virus Transport in Saturated Porous Media

Analytical models for virus transport in saturated, homogeneous porous media are developed. The models account for three-dimensional dispersion in a uniform flow field, and first-order inactivation of suspended and deposited viruses with different inactivation rate coefficients. Virus deposition onto solid particles is described by two different processes: nonequilibrium adsorption which is applicable to viruses behaving as solutes; and colloid filtration which is applicable to viruses behaving as colloids. The governing virus transport equations are solved analytically by employing Laplace/Fourier transform techniques. Instantaneous and continuous/periodic virus loadings from a point source are examined.