Essential oil from the leaves of Xylopia langsdorfiana (Annonaceae) as a possible spasmolytic agent

Xylopia langsdorfiana A. St.-Hil. &Tul. (Annonaceae) is popularly known in the northeast of Brazil as ‘pimenteira da terra’, and an essential oil (XL-OE) was extracted from its leaves. Since Xylopia species are cited in folk medicine and diterpenes from X. langsdorfiana have spasmolytic activity, this study aimed to investigate a possible spasmolytic action of XL-OE on smooth muscle models. XL-OE (243 and 729 μg/mL) showed low pharmacologic efficacy on guinea pig trachea and rat aorta and uterus. However, in guinea pig ileum, XL-OE (27–729 μg/mL) inhibited carbachol or histamine-induced phasic contractions (1 μM) in a significant and concentration-dependent manner. In addition, XL-OE (81 μg/mL) reduced fluorescence intensity in ileal myocytes stimulated by histamine, indicating a decrease in cytosolic calcium concentration, which could explain the spasmolytic activity. Thus, XL-OE proved to be a promising natural product to be used in gastrointestinal diseases acting by modulating the cytosolic calcium concentration.     

Surface-Active Fluorinated Quantum Dots for Enhanced Cellular Uptake

Fluorescent nanoparticles, such as quantum dots, hold great potential for biomedical applications, mainly sensing and bioimaging. However, the inefficient cell uptake of some nanoparticles hampers their application in clinical practice. Here, the effect of the modification of the quantum dot surface with fluorinated ligands to increase their surface activity and, thus, enhance their cellular uptake was explored.     

Macrocystis pyrifera Extract Residual as Nutrient Source for the Production of Sophorolipids Compounds by Marine Yeast Rhodotorula rubra

Seaweed processing generates liquid fraction residual that could be used as a low-cost nutrient source for microbial production of metabolites. The Rhodotorula strain is able to produce antimicrobial compounds known as sophorolipids. Our aim was to evaluate sophorolipid production, with antibacterial activity, by marine Rhodotorula rubra using liquid fraction residual (LFR) from the brown seaweed Macrocystis pyrifera as the nutrient source. LFR having a composition of 32% w/w carbohydrate, 1% w/w lipids, 15% w/w protein and 52% w/w ash. The best culture condition for sophorolipid production was LFR 40% v/v, without yeast extract, artificial seawater 80% v/v at 15 °C by 3 growth days, with the antibacterial activity of 24.4 ± 3.1 % on Escherichia coli and 21.1 ± 3.8 % on Staphylococcus aureus. It was possible to identify mono-acetylated acidic and methyl ester acidic sophorolipid. These compounds possess potential as pathogen controllers for application in the food industry.     

Carbon nanotube-carbon black hybrid counter electrodes for dye-sensitized solar cells and the effect on charge transfer kinetics

In this work, the catalytic activity of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), carbon black (CB), and CNT-CB counter electrodes in the I⁻/I₃⁻ reduction reaction is reported and compared with the Pt counter electrode. The fabricated counter electrodes were evaluated in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The results indicate that the best cathodes were made from CNT₁₀ (240 μm) and CB with a charge transfer resistance (R_CT) of 2.70 Ω, and when the complete device shows 19.83 Ω of internal series resistance (R_S), the photovoltaic parameters of these cells were J_SC = 10.47 mA cm⁻²; V_OC = 0.70 V; and FF = 57.90, with an efficiency of 4.29%, indicating a better interaction between the CNT₁₀ in the 3D network of the counter electrode, generating a good charge transfer kinetics, in comparison with only CNT₁₀ or CB.

     

Unraveling the Degradation Mechanism of Purine Nucleotides Photosensitized by Pterins: The Role of Charge‐Transfer Steps

Photosensitized reactions contribute to the development of skin cancer and are used in many applications. Photosensitizers can act through different mechanisms. It is currently accepted that if the photosensitizer generates singlet molecular oxygen (¹O₂) upon irradiation, the target molecule can undergo oxidation by this reactive oxygen species and the reaction needs dissolved O₂ to proceed, therefore the reaction is classified as ¹O₂‐mediated oxidation (type II mechanism). However, this assumption is not always correct, and as an example, a study on the degradation of 2′‐deoxyguanosine 5′‐monophosphate photosensitized by pterin is presented. A general mechanism is proposed to explain how the degradation of biological targets, such as nucleotides, photosensitized by pterins, naturally occurring ¹O₂ photosensitizers, takes place through an electron‐transfer‐initiated process (type I mechanism), whereas the contribution of the ¹O₂‐mediated oxidation is almost negligible.     

Symmetry and the golden ratio in the analysis of a regular pentagon

The regular pentagon had a symbolic meaning in the Pythagorean and Platonic philosophies and a subsequent important role in Western thought, appearing also in arts and architecture. A property of regular pentagons, which was probably discovered by the Pythagoreans, is that the ratio between the diagonal and the side of these pentagons is equal to the golden ratio. Here, we will study some relations existing between a regular pentagon and this ratio. First, we will focus on the group of fivefold rotational symmetry, to find the position in the complex plane of the vertices of this geometric figure. Then, we will propose an analytic method to solve the same problem based on the Cartesian coordinates, a method where we find the golden ratio without any specific geometric consideration. This study shows a comparison of the use of complex numbers, symmetries and analytic methods, applied to a subject which can be interesting for general education in mathematics. In fact, the proposed approach can convey and link several concepts, requiring only a general pre-college education, showing at the same time the richness that mathematics can offer in solving geometric problems.     

A Safety Strategy for Producing Poly(Acrylic Acid) of Low Molar Mass

The synthesis of poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) of low molar mass under safe conditions is difficult due to the high polymerization rate of acrylic acid (AA) and the fast heat generation. The aqueous‐solution “semibatch” polymerization of non‐ionized AA in almost starved conditions involves high initiator loads when low molar masses are required. This article proposes the simultaneous feeding of AA and nonconventional chain transfer agents (CTA) as a strategy aimed at controlling both the molar masses and the generated heat rate. Three CTAs are investigated: 2‐mercaptoethanol, thioglycolic acid, and isopropyl alcohol. Even when PAA of relatively low molar mass can be produced by adequately selecting the flow rates and concentrations of both AA and CTA, it is found that the nature of CTA can have a significant effect on the polymerizations kinetics. The mechanisms responsible for these effects are discussed with the help of a representative mathematical model.

     

The Biochemical Mechanisms of Antimicrobial Photodynamic Therapy†

The unbridled dissemination of multidrug-resistant pathogens is a major threat to global health and urgently demands novel therapeutic alternatives. Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) has been developed as a promising approach to treat localized infections regardless of drug resistance profile or taxonomy. Even though this technique has been known for more than a century, discussions and speculations regarding the biochemical mechanisms of microbial inactivation have never reached a consensus on what is the primary cause of cell death. Since photochemically generated oxidants promote ubiquitous reactions with various biomolecules, researchers simply assumed that all cellular structures are equally damaged. In this study, biochemical, molecular, biological and advanced microscopy techniques were employed to investigate whether protein, membrane or DNA damage correlates better with dose-dependent microbial inactivation kinetics. We showed that although mild membrane permeabilization and late DNA damage occur, no correlation with inactivation kinetics was found. On the other hand, protein degradation was analyzed by three different methods and showed a dose-dependent trend that matches microbial inactivation kinetics. Our results provide a deeper mechanistic understanding of aPDT that can guide the scientific community toward the development of optimized photosensitizing drugs and also rationally propose synergistic combinations with antimicrobial chemotherapy.