Polymerization-induced self-assembly of amino-acid-based nano-objects by reversible addition–fragmentation chain-transfer dispersion polymerization

A series of amino-acid-based amphiphilic diblock copolymer nano-objects having different morphologies were developed by reversible addition–fragmentation chain-transfer (RAFT) dispersion polymerization of styrene (St) in methanol. This was mediated by six different hydrophilic poly(N-acryloyl amino acid) macro-chain transfer agents (CTAs), including three carboxylic-acid-containing ones, poly(N-acryloyl-l -proline) (PAProOH), poly(N-acryloyl-4-trans-hydroxy-l -proline) (PAHypOH), and poly(N-acryloyl-l -threonine) (PAThrOH) prepared by RAFT polymerization, and their methyl ester forms, PAProOMe, PAHypOMe, and PAThrOMe. The effects of polymerization conditions on RAFT dispersion polymerization of St using a dithiocarbamate-terminated PAProOH was investigated. A systematic study of the effects of monomer conversion and concentration afforded the formation of various morphologies (i.e., spheres, worms, and vesicles). The effects of hydrogen-bonding and ionic interactions of the macro-CTAs on the assembled structures of the nano-objects were evaluated using six different macro-CTAs. Transforming the products from methanol to water via dialysis produced amino-acid-based block copolymer nano-objects, exhibiting pH-responsive morphological change, in aqueous solution.     

Biochemical Properties of Tyrosinase from Aspergillus terreus and Penicillium copticola; Undecanoic Acid from Aspergillus flavus,an Endophyte of Moringa oleifera,Is a Novel Potent Tyrosinase Inhibitor

Tyrosinase is a copper-containing monooxygenase catalyzing the O-hydroxylation of tyrosine to 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine then to dopaquinone that is profoundly involved in melanin synthesis in eukaryotes. Overactivation of tyrosinase is correlated with hyperpigmentation that is metabolically correlated with severe pathological disorders, so, inhibition of this enzyme is the most effective approach in controlling the overproduction of melanin and its hazardous effects. Thus, searching for a powerful, selective inhibitor of human tyrosinase to limit the hyper-synthesis of melanin is a challenge. Unlike the difficulty of overexpression of human tyrosinase, using fungal tyrosinase as a model enzyme to the human one to evaluate the mechanistics of enzyme inhibition in response to various compounds is the most feasible strategy. Thus, the purification of highly catalytic-efficient fungal tyrosinase, exploring a novel inhibitor, and evaluating the mechanistics of enzyme inhibition are the main objectives of this work. Aspergillus terreus and Penicillium copticola were reported as the most potential tyrosinase producers. The biochemical properties suggest that this enzyme displays a higher structural and catalytic proximity to human tyrosinase. Upon nutritional bioprocessing by Plackett–Burman design, the yield of tyrosinase was increased by about 7.5-folds, compared to the control. The purified tyrosinase was strongly inhibited by kojic acid and A. flavus DCM extracts with IC₅₀ values of 15.1 and 12.6 µg/mL, respectively. From the spectroscopic analysis, the main anti-tyrosinase compounds of A. flavus extract was resolved, and verified as undecanoic acid. Further studies are ongoing to unravel the in vivo effect and cytotoxicity of this compound in fungi and human, that could be a novel drug to various diseases associated with hyperpigmentation by melanin.     

Unexpectedly Long Lifetime of the Excited State of Benzothiadiazole Derivative and Its Adducts with Lewis Acids

We report a study of photoluminescent properties of 4-bromo-7-(3-pyridylamino)-2,1,3-benzothiadiazole (Py-btd) and its novel Lewis adducts: (PyH-btd)₂(ZnCl₄) and [Cu₂Cl₂(Py-btd)₂{PPO}₂]·2C₇H₈ (PPO = tetraphenyldiphosphine monoxide), whose crystal structure was determined by X-ray diffraction analysis. Py-btd exhibits a lifetime of 9 microseconds indicating its phosphorescent nature, which is rare for purely organic compounds. This phenomenon arises from the heavy atom effect: the presence of a bromine atom in Py-btd promotes mixing of the singlet and triplet states to allow efficient singlet-to-triplet intersystem crossing. The Lewis adducts also feature a microsecond lifetime while emitting in a higher energy range than free Py-btd, which opens up the possibility to color-tune luminescence of benzothiadiazole derivatives.     

Polyphenols and Fish Oils for Improving Metabolic Health: A Revision of the Recent Evidence for Their Combined Nutraceutical Effects

Polyphenols and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids from fish oils, i.e., eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids, are well-recognized nutraceuticals, and their single antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties have been demonstrated in several studies found in the literature. It has been reported that the combination of these nutraceuticals can lead to three-fold increases in glutathione peroxidase activity, two-fold increases in plasma antioxidant capacity, decreases of 50–100% in lipid peroxidation, protein carbonylation, and urinary 8-isoprotanes, as well as 50–200% attenuation of common inflammation biomarkers, among other effects, as compared to their individual capacities. Therefore, the adequate combination of those bioactive food compounds and their single properties should offer a powerful tool for the design of successfully nutritional interventions for the prevention and palliation of a plethora of human metabolic diseases, frequently diet-induced, whose etiology and progression are characterized by redox homeostasis disturbances and a low-grade of chronic inflammation. However, the certain mechanisms behind their biological activities, in vivo interaction (both between them and other food compounds), and their optimal doses and consumption are not well-known yet. Therefore, we review here the recent evidence accumulated during the last decade about the cooperative action between polyphenols and fish oils against diet-related metabolic alterations, focusing on the mechanisms and pathways described and the effects reported. The final objective is to provide useful information for strategies for personalized nutrition based on these nutraceuticals.     

Tetramethyl guanidine-assisted synthesis and thermal crosslinking of multifunctional benzoxazine monomers based on natural phloretic acid

An efficient strategy to synthesize novel biobased multifunctional benzoxazine compounds was developed using the 1,1,3,3-tetramethyl guanidine (TMG)-triggered esterification of natural phloretic acid with organic halides as a key synthetic step. First, phloretic acid was combined with either aniline or furfurylamine to prepare the corresponding carboxylic acid-functional monobenzoxazine monomer. Next, the use of TMG enabled an efficient esterification of these compounds with di-, tri-, and tetra-functional benzyl bromide compounds at room temperature to afford a series of new multi-benzoxazine monomers tethered to an aromatic core. The effect of the functionality of the monomers on the curing process was analyzed, indicating that the reactivity during the thermally induced ring-opening increases with the number of furan and oxazine rings in the monomers. The resulting thermosets revealed good correlation between the number of oxazine rings in the structure of the monomer and the properties of the crosslinked materials. Furfurylamine-based polybenzoxazines showed improved thermal behavior compared to the aniline-based systems, due to the role of furan rings. All materials showed high T_g, good thermal stability, and promising flame retardancy properties.     

Terephthalic Acid Copolyesters Containing Tetramethylcyclobutanediol for High-Performance Plastics

There is a need for high-performance applications for terephthalic acid (TPA) polyesters with high heat resistance, impact toughness, and optical clarity. Bisphenol A (BPA) based polycarbonates and polyarylates have such properties, but BPA is an endocrine disruptor. Therefore, new TPA polyesters that are less hazardous to health and the environment are becoming popular. Tetramethylcyclobutanediol (TMCD) is a difunctional monomer that can be polymerized with TPA and other diols to yield copolyesters with superior properties to conventional TPA polyesters. It has a cyclobutyl ring that makes it more rigid than cyclohexanedimethanol (CHDM) and EG. Thus, TMCD containing TPA copolyesters can have high heat resistance and impact strength. TPA can be made from abundantly available upcycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Therefore, this review discusses the synthesis of monomers and copolyesters, the impact of diol composition on material properties, molecular weight, effects of photodegradation, health safety, and substitution of cyclobutane diols for future polyesters.     

基于有机羧酸配体的Co(Ⅲ)/Cu(Ⅱ)配合物的合成、结构及表征

在溶剂热条件下,以含卤素有机羧酸3-溴-吡啶-2,6-二甲酸(H₂L)为配体,以硝酸钴、硝酸铜为金属源,合成了两例配合物:[Co(L′)₃](1)和[Cu(L′)₂]_n(2)(HL′=5-溴-吡啶-2-甲酸),通过元素分析(EA)、X射线单晶衍射(SXRD)、X射线粉末衍射(PXRD)、红外光谱(IR)和热重分析(TGA)进行结构表征。X射线单晶衍射结果表明,配体H₂L在反应过程中发生脱羧现象,生成单羧酸配体5-溴-吡啶-2-甲酸。在配合物1中,每个Co(Ⅲ)都位于略微扭曲的八面体几何构型中,不对称单元中含有两个单核单元,单核单元通过C—H…O氢键形成三维超分子结构。配合物2的不对称单元中含有一个Cu(Ⅱ),两个脱质子的L′^-配体,每个Cu(Ⅱ)都是六配位的,位于扭曲的八面体几何构型中。Cu(Ⅱ)由配体连接生成1D链结构,通过C—H…O氢键形成三维超分子结构。此外,研究了两例配合物的热稳定性能。     

Synthesis and Anti-Hepatocarcinoma Effect of Amino Acid Derivatives of Pyxinol and Ocotillol

Aiming at seeking an effective anti-hepatocarcinoma drug with low toxicity, a total of 24 amino acid derivatives (20 new along with 4 known derivatives) of two active ocotillol-type sapogenins (pyxinol and ocotillol) were synthesized. Both in vitro and in vivo anti-hepatocarcinoma effects of derivatives were evaluated. At first, the HepG2 human cancer cell was employed to evaluate the anti-cancer activity. Most of the derivatives showed obvious enhanced activity compared with pyxinol or ocotillol. Among them, compound 2e displayed the most excellent activity with an IC₅₀ value of 11.26 ± 0.43 µM. Next, H22 hepatoma-bearing mice were used to further evaluate the anti-liver cancer activity of compound 2e. It was revealed that the growth of H22 transplanted tumor was significantly inhibited when treated with compound 2e or compound 2e combined with cyclophosphamide (CTX) (p < 0.05, p < 0.01), and the inhibition rates of tumor growth were 35.32% and 55.30%, respectively. More importantly, compound 2e caused limited damage to liver and kidney in contrast with CTX causing significant toxicity. Finally, the latent mechanism of compound 2e was explored by serum and liver metabolomics based on ultra-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF-MS) technology. A total of 21 potential metabolites involved in 8 pathways were identified. These results suggest that compound 2e is a promising agent for anti-hepato-carcinoma, and that it also could be used in combination with CTX to increase efficiency and to reduce toxicity.     

Synthesis,structure and catalytic properties of Pdii-based bimetallic complexes with ferrocenecarboxylic acid

Novel highly soluble palladium-based complexes with ferrocenecarboxylic acid of general formula [Pd(lut)₂(FcCOO)₂] (lut is 2,6-or 3,4-lutidines) were synthesized and structurally characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The catalytic oxidation of 1,2-diphenyl-acetylene with these complexes gave dibenzo[a,e]pentalene derivative along with other products.     

Single-Molecule Sensing of Acidic Catecholamine Metabolites Using a Programmable Nanopore

Acidic catecholamine metabolites, which could serve as diagnostic markers for many diseases, demonstrate an importance of accurate sensing. However, they share a highly similar chemical structure, which is a challenge in the design of sensing strategies. A nanopore may be engineered to sense these metabolites in a single molecule manner. To achieve this, a recently developed programmable nano-reactor for stochastic sensing (PNRSS) technique adapted with a phenylboronic acid (PBA) adaptor was applied. Three acidic catecholamine metabolites, including 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC), 3,4-dihydroxymandelic acid (DHMA) and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxymandetic acid (VMA) were investigated by PNRSS. Specifically, DHMA, which contains an α-hydroxycarboxylate moiety and an adjacent cis-hydroxyl groups on its benzene ring, reports two binding modes simultaneously resolvable by PNRSS. Assisted with the high resolution of PNRSS, direct regulation of these two binding modes by pH can also be observed. A custom machine learning algorithm was also developed to achieve automatic event classification.