Polyphenols and Visual Health: Potential Effects on Degenerative Retinal Diseases

Dietary polyphenols are a group of natural compounds that have been proposed to have beneficial effects on human health. They were first known for their antioxidant properties, but several studies over the years have shown that these compounds can exert protective effects against chronic diseases. Nonetheless, the mechanisms underlying these potential benefits are still uncertain and contradictory effects have been reported. In this review, we analyze the potential effects of polyphenol compounds on some visual diseases, with a special focus on retinal degenerative diseases. Current effective therapies for the treatment of such retinal diseases are lacking and new strategies need to be developed. For this reason, there is currently a renewed interest in finding novel ligands (or known ligands with previously unexpected features) that could bind to retinal photoreceptors and modulate their molecular properties. Some polyphenols, especially flavonoids (e.g., quercetin and tannic acid), could attenuate light-induced receptor damage and promote visual health benefits. Recent evidence suggests that certain flavonoids could help stabilize the correctly folded conformation of the visual photoreceptor protein rhodopsin and offset the deleterious effect of retinitis pigmentosa mutations. In this regard, certain polyphenols, like the flavonoids mentioned before, have been shown to improve the stability, expression, regeneration and folding of rhodopsin mutants in experimental in vitro studies. Moreover, these compounds appear to improve the integration of the receptor into the cell membrane while acting against oxidative stress at the same time. We anticipate that polyphenol compounds can be used to target visual photoreceptor proteins, such as rhodopsin, in a way that has only been recently proposed and that these can be used in novel approaches for the treatment of retinal degenerative diseases like retinitis pigmentosa; however, studies in this field are limited and further research is needed in order to properly characterize the effects of these compounds on retinal degenerative diseases through the proposed mechanisms.     

固相微萃取-气相色谱/质谱法测定博物馆空气中总挥发性有机物

采用固相微萃取-气相色谱/质谱(SPME-GC/MS)法测定博物馆室内空气中总挥发性有机物(TVOC)的含量,建立了一种更适合于博物馆室内空气中TVOC的检测方法.对7种挥发性有机物标样进行SPME-GC/MS定性定量分析,进样口温度230 ℃,柱温:起始温度45 ℃,保持3 min,以16 ℃/min的速率程序升温至250 ℃,保持5 min.结果表明,该方法在0.014～0.914 μg/L浓度范围内具有良好的线性关系,最低检出限在1.4～14 ng/L之间,相对标准偏差小于5.28%.该方法方便快捷、对待测物的选择性高、重复性好、采样无需电源、无需溶剂.     

Senna alata leaves are a good source of propelargonidins

Proanthocyanidins (PA) in Senna alata leaves were investigated by thiolysis with benzyl mercaptan, LC–MS and NMR and consisted of almost pure propelargonidins with <6% procyanidins, had B-type linkages and a mean degree of polymerisation of three. Epiafzelechin was the major flavan-3-ol subunit (>94%) and epicatechin a minor constituent (6.4%) in residual PA and mainly detected as an extension unit.     

Development of Sustainable Chemistry in Madagascar: Example of the Valuation of CNSL and the Use of Chromones as an Attractant for Mosquitoes

This article describes a part of the results obtained from the cooperation between the University of Lyon1 (France) and the University of Antananarivo (Madagascar). It shows (among others) that useful research can be carried out in developing countries of the tropics if their social, technical, and economic conditions are taken into account. The concepts and methods associated with so-called “green chemistry” are particularly appropriated for this purpose. To illustrate this approach, two examples are shown. The first deals with industrial ecology and concerns waste transformation from the production of cashew nut into an amphiphilic product, oxyacetic derivatives. This product was obtained with a high yield and in a single step reaction. It exhibited an important surfactant property similar to those of the main fossil-based ones but with a much lower ecological impact. The second talks about chemical ecology as an alternative to insecticides and used to control dangerous mosquito populations. New substituted chromones were synthesized and showed biological activities toward Aedes albopictus mosquito species. Strong repellent properties were recorded for some alkoxylated products if others had a significant attractant effect (Kairomone) depending on their stereochemistry and the length of the alkyl chain.     

Growth mechanism of thermally processed Cu(In,Ga)S2 precursors for printed Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)2 solar cells

We investigate a process used for the selenisation of particle‐based precursors to prepare low‐cost Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)₂ (CIGS) solar cells. It is suitable for high throughput with a short optimum selenisation duration of 3–5 min and employs a rapid thermal annealing system with elemental selenium vapour. Homogeneous crack‐free Cu(In,Ga)S₂ precursor films of up to 1 µm are obtained via doctor blading. The high selenium vapour pressure in the selenisation reaction chamber results in the formation of a compact Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)₂ layer on top of a carbon‐rich underlayer. In order to investigate the phase development in the film, the selenisation process was interrupted at different stages and the samples were monitored via XRD and surface‐sensitive Raman measurements. We find the formation of a polycrystalline Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ phase already after 1 s at the target temperature of 550 °C. Furthermore, the effect of initial precursor thickness on solar cell parameters is discussed. Complete solar cells are prepared by conventional methods, leading to conversion efficiencies well above 8%. (© 2012 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

黄芪中微量元素的形态分析

按照传统煎煮法对中药黄芪中铜、锌、铁、镁、钙和铬6种元素进行提取;用微孔滤膜分离提取液中的可溶态与悬浮态;利用大孔吸附树脂柱对可溶态中的有机态与无机态进行分离;采用火焰原子吸收光谱法对各种形态中的6种元素进行测定。结果显示:黄芪中6种元素的总提取率在44.0%~74.4%,浸留比在79·4%~293.8%,悬浮态颗粒吸附率在10%左右,可溶态中铬的有机态与无机态的比例为114.6%,铜、锌、铁、镁、钙的有机态与无机态的比例在3.7%~43.5%。该法对各元素的加标回收率在96.8%~103.1%;相对标准偏差小于1.5%。     

Stereomeric studies on the oxidation and alkylation of 4-thiazolidinones

Diastereoselectivity in the oxidation of different 4-thiazolidinones was discussed. Alkylation of these compounds with benzyl bromide was also studied. The stereoselectivity obtained was interpreted by the presence of the sulfoxide.     

Flow Friedel–Crafts alkylation of 1-adamantanol with arenes using HO-SAS as an immobilized acid catalyst

In this communication flow Friedel–Crafts alkylation was studied using hydroxy-substituted sulfonic acid-functionalized silica as a catalyst and 1-adamantanol as a model substrate. The reaction of 1-adamantanol ( 1a ) with toluene ( 2a ) proceeded well with 5 min of residence time at 120°C to give good yield of 1-tolyladamantane ( 3a ) as a 1:9 mixture of meta and para isomers. When the flow synthesis was carried out over 2.5 hr of running time, the collected five fractions contain the product 3a in 97–92% yields, suggesting the durability of the catalyst.     

Combustion synthesis and characterization of nanocrystalline WO3

The energy payback time associated with the semiconductor active material is an important parameter in a photovoltaic solar cell device. Thus lowering the energy requirements for the semiconductor synthesis step or making it more energy-efficient is critical toward making the overall device economics more competitive relative to other nonpolluting energy options. In this communication, combustion synthesis is demonstrated to be a versatile and energy-efficient method for preparing inorganic oxide semiconductors such as tungsten trioxide (WO3) for photovoltaic or photocatalytic solar energy conversion. The energy efficiency of combustion synthesis accrues from the fact that high process temperatures are self-sustained by the exothermicity of the combustion process, and the only external thermal energy input needed is for dehydration of the fuel/oxidizer precursor mixture and bringing it to ignition. Importantly, we show that, in this approach, it is also possible to tune the optical characteristics of the oxide semiconductor (i.e., shift its response toward the visible range of the electromagnetic spectrum) in situ by doping the host semiconductor during the formative stage itself. As a bonus, the resultant material shows enhanced surface properties such as markedly improved organic dye uptake relative to benchmark samples obtained from commercial sources. Finally, this synthesis approach requires only very simple equipment, a feature that it shares with other "mild" inorganic semiconductor synthesis routes such as sol-gel chemistry, chemical bath deposition, and electrodeposition. The present study constitutes the first use of combustion synthesis for preparing WO3 powder comprising nanosized particles.     

Molecular model of the neural dopamine transporter

The dopamine transporter (DAT) regulates the action of dopamine by reuptake of the neurotransmitter into presynaptic neurons, and is the main molecular target of amphetamines and cocaine. DAT and the Na⁺/H⁺ antiporter (NhaA) are secondary transporter proteins that carry small molecules across a cell membrane against a concentration gradient, using ion gradients as energy source. A 3-dimensional projection map of the E. coli NhaA has confirmed a topology of 12 membrane spanning domains, and was previously used to construct a 3-dimensional NhaA model with 12 trans-membrane -helices (TMHs). The NhaA model, and site directed mutagenesis data on DAT, were used to construct a detailed 3-dimensional DAT model using interactive molecular graphics and empiric force field calculations. The model proposes a dopamine transport mechanism involving TMHs 1, 3, 4, 5, 7 and 11. Asp79, Tyr252 and Tyr274 were the primary cocaine binding residues. Binding of cocaine or its analogue, (–)-2-carbomethoxy-3-(4-fluorophenyl)tropane (CFT), seemed to lock the transporter in an inactive state, and thus inhibit dopamine transport. The present model may be used to design further experimental studies of the molecular structure and mechanisms of DAT and other secondary transporter proteins.