Characterization of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pf</Emphasis>TrxR inhibitors using antimalarial assays and <Emphasis Type="Italic">in silico</Emphasis>techniques

Background

The compounds 1,4-napthoquinone (1,4-NQ), bis-(2,4-dinitrophenyl)sulfide (2,4-DNPS), 4-nitrobenzothiadiazole (4-NBT), 3-dimethylaminopropiophenone (3-DAP) and menadione (MD) were tested for antimalarial activity against both chloroquine (CQ)-sensitive (D6) and chloroquine (CQ)-resistant (W2) strains of Plasmodium falciparum through an in vitro assay and also for analysis of non-covalent interactions with P. falciparum thioredoxin reductase (PfTrxR) through in silico docking studies.

Results

The inhibitors of PfTrxR namely, 1,4-NQ, 4-NBT and MD displayed significant antimalarial activity with IC₅₀ values of?<?20 μM and toxicity against 3T3 cell line. 2,4-DNPS was only moderately active. In silico docking analysis of these compounds with PfTrxR revealed that 2,4-DNPS, 4-NBT and MD interact non-covalently with the intersubunit region of the enzyme.

Conclusions

In this study, tools for the identification of PfTrxR inhibitors using phenotyphic screening and docking studies have been validated for their potential use for antimalarial drug discovery project.

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Mechanical, thermal and surface properties of polyacrylamide/dextran semi-interpenetrating network hydrogels tuned by the synthesis temperature

The mechanical, rheological, thermal, and surface behaviors of three polyacrylamide/dextran (PAAm/Dx) semi-interpenetrating polymer network (semi-IPN) hydrogels, prepared at 22°C, 5°C and ?18°C, were investigated. The results were compared with those obtained on cross-linked PAAm without Dx synthesized under the same conditions. Hydrogels prepared at the lowest temperature were the most mechanically stable. The thermal stability of the semi-IPN hydrogels is slightly lower than the corresponding PAAm gels, irrespective of preparation temperature. The water vapor sorption capacity depended on the presence of Dx as well as preparation temperature, which determines the network morphology.      

Strategy of Cr detoxification by Callitriche cophocarpa

The present work focused on the qualitative and quantitative analysis of Cr detoxification strategy of aquatic cosmopolitan plant Callitriche cophocarpa. This plant species has just been described in the context of its unusual accumulation potential of Cr. The emphasis of the work was placed on the redox reaction Cr(VI)→Cr(III) which is considered to be remediation mechanism of highly reactive and mobile Cr(VI) ions. Plants were immersed for 5 days in 1 mM of Cr(VI) (potassium dichromate) or 1 mM of Cr(III) (chromium sulphate) solutions in semi-natural conditions. Cr was effectively removed from the solution up to the extent of ca.58% or 35% of the starting amount, in the case of Cr(III) and Cr(VI), respectively. No plant-induced Cr(VI) reduction accompanying Cr accumulation was observed in Cr(VI) solutions except from the apparent one, noticed at the fourth day of incubation. On the contrary to these results, according to the method of electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy (L-band EPR), biphasic signal of Cr(V) attending Cr(VI) to Cr(III) reduction was detected inside the plant tissue every day of investigations. Our results show that phytoextraction but not phytostabilization is the main strategy of Cr detoxification by C. cophocarpa in aquatic systems.      

Use of direct immersion solid-phase microextraction on polyacrylate and polydimethylsiloxane stationary phases for simultaneous determination of the neutral and basic pharmaceuticals in wastewater

Direct immersion solid-phase microextraction has been optimized and applied to the simultaneous determination of the neutral and basic pharmaceuticals: caffeine, carbamazepine, clomipramine, chlorprothixene and clotrimazole at low concentrations in municipal wastewater. Two absorption type stationary phases: polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and polyacrylate (PA) have been found to be most effective for extraction of target analytes. The separation and detection were carried out by gas chromatograph coupled with mass spectrometer working in the selected ion monitoring mode. The method was validated for linearity, detection and quantitation limits, selectivity and precision. The average correlation coefficient of the calibration curves was 0.9933. The LOD values in influent and effluent wastewater were in the range of 10–145 ng L^?1 and 4–111 ng L^?1, respectively, which were a bit higher than those in the deionized water due to matrix effect. The high values of distribution coefficient (K _fs ) in PDMS/water and PA/water systems (log K _fs between 3.05 and 4.23) indicates the very high applicability of these stationary phases for determination of carbamazepine, clomipramine, chlorprothixene and clotrimazole in water samples.

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Changes of organic acids and phenolic compounds contents in grapevine berries during their ripening

Changes of total content of phenolic substances, alteration in total titratable acidity and differences in tartaric acid content in grapes of four white (Müller-Thurgau — MT, Pinot Blanc — Rulandské bílé in Czech, RB, Sauvignon (Sg), and Muscat Ottonel — Mu?kát Ottonel in Czech, MO) and two blue (Dornfelder — Df and Blue Frankish — Frankovka in Czech, Fr) grapevine varieties throughout their growth, ripening and maturing (July–November). Potentiometric titration was applied for the determination of total titratable acids in grapes (expressed as tartaric acid equivalents in g L^?1). A spectrophotometric method according Rebelein based on the formation of a colored complex of ammonium metavanadate and tartaric acid was used for determination of tartaric acid in green juice made by pressing unripe grapes. A spectrophotometric method based on reduction of phosphomolybdato-tungsten complex in alkaline solution using Folin-Ciocalteau reagent was applied for determination of total content of phenolic substances (TCP).

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Decontamination of radionuclides on construction materials

A wide variety of materials can become contaminated by radionuclides, either from a terrorist attack or an industrial or nuclear accident. The final disposition of these materials depends, in large part, on the effectiveness of decontamination measures. This study reports on investigations into the decontamination of a selection of building materials. The aim has been to find an effective, easy-to-use and inexpensive decontamination system for radionuclides of cesium and cobalt, considering both the chemical and physical nature of these potential contaminants. The basic method investigated was surface washing, due to its ease and simplicity. In the present study, a basic decontamination formulation was modified by adding isotope-specific sequestering agents, to enhance the removal of cesium(I) and cobalt(II) from such construction materials as concrete, marble, aluminum and painted steel. Spiking solutions contained ¹³⁴Cs or ⁶⁰Co, which were prepared by neutron activation in the SLOWPOKE-2 nuclear reactor facility at the Royal Military College of Canada. Gamma spectroscopy was used to determine the decontamination efficiency. The results showed that the addition of sequestering agents generally improved the radiological decontamination. Although the washing of both cesium and cobalt from non-porous materials, such as aluminum and painted steel, achieved a 90–95 % removal, the decontamination of concrete and marble was more challenging, due to the porous nature of the materials. Nevertheless, the removal efficiency from 6-year-old concrete increased from 10 % to approximately 50 % for cobalt(II), and from 18 to 55 % for cesium(I), with the use of isotope binding agents, as opposed to a simple water wash.     

Amide,urea and thiourea‐containing triphenylene derivatives: influence of H‐bonding on mesomorphic properties

The synthesis and thermotropic properties are reported for a series of hexaalkoxytriphenylenes that contain an amide, urea or thiourea group in one of their alkoxy tails. The intermolecular hydrogen bonding abilities of these molecules have a disturbing influence on the formation and stability of the columnar liquid crystalline phases. The stronger the hydrogen bonding the more the liquid crystallinity is suppressed, probably due to disturbance of the π–π stacking of the triphenylene discs. As a direct result, urea‐ and amide‐containing triphenylene derivatives are not liquid crystalline, but several thiourea derivatives show hexagonal columnar mesophases.     

β-Galactosidase-Catalyzed Synthesis of Galactosyl Chlorphenesin and Its Characterization

We synthesized galactosyl chlorphenesin (CPN-G) using β-gal-containing Escherichia coli (E. coli) cells in which the conversion yield of chlorphenesin (CPN) to CPN-G reached about 64 % during 12 h. CPN-G was identified and characterized using high-performance liquid chromatography, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, Fourier transform-infrared spectrometry, and nuclear magnetic resonance analysis (¹H and ¹³C). We verified that a galactose was covalently bound to a CPN alcohol group during CPN-G synthesis throughout these analyses. In particular, by the hydrolysis of CPN-G using β-gal, it was confirmed that a galactose was bound to CPN. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) results showed that the CPN-G MICs were fairly similar to those of CPN. HACAT cell viability was significantly higher in CPN-G-treated cells than in CPN-treated cells at concentrations of 0.0–20.0 mM. Finally, we accomplished the synthesis of less toxic CPN-G, compared with CPN, using β-gal-containing E. coli cells as whole cells without changes in the MICs against microorganisms.     

Calorimetric determination of the effect of additives on cement hydration process

Possibilities of a multicell isoperibolic-semiadiabatic calorimeter application for the measurement of hydration heat and maximum temperature reached in mixtures of various compositions during their setting and early stages of hardening are presented. Measurements were aimed to determine the impact of selected components?? content on the course of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) hydration. The following components were selected for the determination of the hydration behaviour in mixtures: very finely ground granulated blast furnace slag (GBFS), silica fume (microsilica, SF), finely ground quartz sand (FGQ), and calcined bauxite (CB). A commercial polycarboxylate type superplasticizer was also added to the selected mixtures. All maximum temperatures measured for selected mineral components were lower than that reached for cement. The maximum temperature increased with the decreasing amount of components in the mixture for all components except for silica fume. For all components, except for CB, the values of total released heat were higher than those for pure Portland cement samples.