Development of an LC‐MS/MS method for determining the pharmacokinetics of clonidine following oral administration of Zhenju antihypertensive compound

Zhenju antihypertensive compound (ZJAHC) is a combined Chinese–Western medicine formula including clonidine (CLO), hydrochlorothiazide (HCT), rutin, Chrysanthemum indicum extract and pearl powder. Compared with CLO preparations, ZJAHC shows improved activities and decreased adverse effects. It is believed that the side effects of CLO are caused by its high peak plasma concentration. Hence, study of the influence of ZJAHC on the pharmacokinetic behaviors of clonidine seems essential. In present study, the plasma concentrations of CLO were determined with a liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC‐MS/MS) method. The MS/MS transitions monitored for clonidine and internal standard were 230.2 → 213.1 and 152.2 → 110.2, respectively. The analyte was quantified in a single run within 3 min. The pharmacokinetic study showed that the area under the plasma concentration–time curve of CLO in ZJAHC (60 µg/kg CLO) was similar to that of CLO‐HCT‐high (120 µg/kg CLO) but the peak concentration was much lower than that in CLO‐HCT‐high. ZJAHC could enhance the bioavailability without greatly increasing peak concentration of clonidine. This comprehensive effect of enhancing the bioavailability and avoiding the high peak plasma concentration for CLO might mainly result from the co‐contribution of Western medicine and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), while the effect of TCM was stronger than that of Western medicine. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

硫钒铜矿化合物电子结构和电致变色特性的第一原理研究

基于密度泛函的第一原理赝势平面波方法，计算晶体结构、电子结构和光学性质，研究硫钒铜矿化合物Cu₃VS₄、Cu₃NbS₄和Cu₃TaS₄的电子输运及电致变色特性，探讨作为透明半导体材料应用于太阳能电池和电致变色器件的可能性.电子结构的计算表明这类化合物是间接带隙半导体，其电子能带的导带底和价带顶分别位于布里渊区的X点和R点.价带顶的电子本征态主要来自于Cu原子的d电子轨道，而导带底电子态主要来源于VB族元素原子的d电子轨道.能带结构、电荷布居分析、电子局域化函数和光吸收及反射谱的计算表明这些硫钒铜矿化合物属于极性共价半导体，具有较高的电荷迁移率和优良的电致变色特性，可应用于高效电致变色器件.     

Synthesis,characterization, and biological investigation of new mixed-ligand complexes

A novel series of mixed-ligand complexes of 5,5′-{(1E,1E′)-1,4-phenelynebis(diazene-2,1-diyl)}bis(quinolin-8-ol) (H₂L₁) as a primary ligand and 4-aminoantipyrine(L₂) as a secondary ligand with Mn(II) ion were prepared using two general formulae: [Mn₂(H₂L₁)₂(L₂)₂X₄].4Cl (X = OH₂( 1 ), ONO₂⁻( 2 ), Cl=nil; OAc( 3 ), Cl = nil) and [Mn₂(H₂L₁)(L₂)₂(O₂SO₂)₂]( 4 ). Free ligands and their complexes were characterized. Electronic absorption spectra of the mixed-ligand complexes indicate a distorted octahedral geometry around the central metal ion, and the anions X⁻ are in the axial positions for all compounds. The ligands behave in a neutral bidentate manner, through nitrogen atoms and oxygen atoms of the carbonyl group (L₂), whereas H₂L₁ coordinated through nitrogen and OH groups as a neutral bidentate ligand. All complexes do not contain coordinated water molecules, but complex ( 1 ) contains four water molecules. The water molecules are removed in a single step. The complexes exhibited magnetic susceptibility corresponding to five unpaired electrons. The antimicrobial activity of the Mn(II) mixed-ligand complexes ( 1–4 ) against two gram-positive bacteria, three local gram-negative bacteria, and three fungi species was tested. Mn(II) mixed-ligand complex ( 2 ) exhibited significant antibacterial activity against Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas sp. Mixed-ligand complex ( 2 ) exhibited a high potential cytotoxicity against the growth of human lung cancer cells.     

Crystal Structure of LiRh-type IrZn Determined by Powder X-ray and Selected Area Electron Diffraction

The LiRh-type crystal structure of the equiatomic intermetallic compound IrZn turns out to be a competitor to the otherwise energetically favored CsCl-type structures of congeneric transition metal zinc phases, thus enlightening the structural impact of element-specific factors beyond the Hume-Rothery concept.     

氰基亚胺与亚甲基二氢苯并呋喃二酮类化合物的[3+2]环加成反应:螺吡唑类化合物的合成

采用具有环外双键的二氢苯并呋喃二酮类化合物和氰基亚胺的[3+2]环加成反应,在温和条件下,以高产率(78%~94%)和高非对映选择性(>20∶1dr)构建了一系列具有螺环结构的吡唑类化合物.     

Composite host lattices of 4,4′‐sulfonyldibenzoate water/boric acid in two tetrapropylammonium inclusion compounds

Two novel inclusion compounds of 4,4′‐sulfonyldibenzoate anions and tetrapropylammonium cations with different ancillary molecules of water and boric acid, namely bis(tetrapropylammonium) 4,4′‐sulfonyldibenzoate dihydrate, 2C₁₂H₂₈N⁺·C₁₄H₈O₆S²⁻·H₂O ( 1 ), and bis(tetrapropylammonium) 4,4′‐sulfonyldibenzoate bis(boric acid), 2C₁₂H₂₈N⁺·C₁₄H₈O₆S²⁻·2H₃BO₃ ( 2 ), were prepared and characterized using single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction. In the two salts, the host 4,4′‐sulfonyldibenzoic acid molecules, which are converted to the corresponding anions under basic conditions, can be regarded as proton acceptors which link different proton donors of the ancillary molecules of water or boric acid. In this way, an isolated hydrogen‐bonded tetramer is constructed in salt 1 and a ribbon is constructed in salt 2 . The tetramers and ribbons are then packed in a repeating manner to generate various host frameworks, and the tetrapropylammonium guest counter‐ions are contained in the cavities of the host lattices to give the final stable crystal structures. In these two salts, although the host anion and guest cation are the same, the difference in the ancillary small molecules results in different structures, indicating the significance of ancillary molecules in the formation of crystal structures.     

Effect of the topology on the antibacterial activity of cationic polythioether synthesized by all-click chemistry

Cationic compounds often serve as antibacterial materials for a wide range of applications. However, the relationship of topology−antibacterial activity has been rarely revealed. Herein, three cationic polythioethers (CPTEs) with hyperbranched topologies are well designed and facilely synthesized via an all-click chemistry strategy (including thiol-ene and epoxy-amine additions). These as-prepared CPTEs were found to exhibited outstanding antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus with minimum inhibitory concentrations against E. coli of 7.3, 14.6, and 14.6 μg ml⁻¹, and against S. aureus of 14.6, 29.2, and 29.2 μg ml⁻¹, respectively. The antibacterial activity is coincident with their degree of branching (DB, their DB values of 0.81, 0.48, and 0.27), which is mainly attributed to the inherent three-dimensional structure. The present strategy reveals the relationship of polymer topology and antibacterial activity, providing a novel possibility for designing and/or synthesis of high-efficiency antibacterial agents.     

Unprecedented Reverse Volume Expansion in Spin-Transition Crystals

The current craze for research around the spin crossover phenomenon can be justified to some extent by the mechanical properties due to the decrease of volume associated with the transition of the metal ion from the HS state to the LS state. As demonstrated here, the molecular complex [Fe(PM-pBrA)₂(NCS)₂] exhibits, on the contrary, an increase of the unit-cell volume from HS to LS. This counter-intuitive and unprecedented behavior that concerns both the thermal and the photoexcited spin conversions is revealed by a combination of single-crystal and powder X-ray diffraction complemented by magnetic measurements. Interestingly, this abnormal volume change appears concomitant with the wide rotation of a phenyl ring which induces a drastic modification, though reversible, of the structural packing within the crystal. In addition, the light-induced HS state obtained through the Light-Induced Excited Spin-State Trapping shows a remarkably high relaxation temperature, namely T(LIESST), of 109 K, one of the highest so far reported. The above set of quite unusual characteristics opens up new fields of possibilities within the development of spin crossover materials.     

具有复合幂函数和共存吸引子的新混沌系统的动力学分析与电路仿真

构造一个具有复合幂函数的三维连续自治混沌系统。系统的状态方程仅有5项，其中一项是指数小于1的复合幂函数。该系统具有结构简单、非双曲平衡点、吸引子共存的性质，展现出了复杂的动力学行为。首先，对系统的动力学行为进行分析，包括李雅普诺夫（Lyapunov）指数谱、分岔图以及庞加莱映射等，结果表明此系统具有混沌特性。然后进行混沌系统的电路设计，电路仿真结果验证了理论分析的正确性。     

Insights into the Intraspecific Variability of the above and Belowground Emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds in Tomato

The in-vivo monitoring of volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions is a potential non-invasive tool in plant protection, especially in greenhouse cultivation. We studied VOC production from above and belowground organs of the eight parents of the Multi-Parent Advanced Generation Intercross population (MAGIC) tomato population, which exhibits a high genetic variability, in order to obtain more insight into the variability of constitutive VOC emissions from tomato plants under stress-free conditions. Foliage emissions were composed of terpenes, the majority of which were also stored in the leaves. Foliage emissions were very low, partly light-dependent, and differed significantly among genotypes, both in quantity and quality. Soil with roots emitted VOCs at similar, though more variable, rates than foliage. Soil emissions were characterized by terpenes, oxygenated alkanes, and alkenes and phenolic compounds, only a few of which were found in root extracts at low concentrations. Correlation analyses revealed that several VOCs emitted from foliage or soil are jointly regulated and that above and belowground sources are partially interconnected. With respect to VOC monitoring in tomato crops, our results underline that genetic variability, light-dependent de-novo synthesis, and belowground sources are factors to be considered for successful use in crop monitoring.