Comparative Enantiomer-Resolving Ability of Coated and Covalently Immobilized Versions of Two Polysaccharide-Based Chiral Selectors in High-Performance Liquid Chromatography

The separation of enantiomers of over 175 randomly selected chiral acidic, basic, and neutral compounds was studied on 4 polysaccharide-based chiral columns made by coating or covalent attachment of cellulose 3,5-dichlorophenylcarbamate or amylose 3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamate on the surface of silica. Triscarbamate derivatives of cellulose or amylose were used for the preparation of coated-type columns, while in the case of covalently immobilized chiral stationary phases, the respective polysaccharides were not completely carbamoylated but only close to triscarbamates. It was found that this minimal difference in the chemical composition of the polysaccharide derivatives resulted in significantly different enantiomer-resolving ability for certain groups of chiral compounds while only marginally different for other chiral analytes. This potential difference between coated- and covalently immobilized versions of the “same” chiral selector must be considered in method development with these columns, as well as in method transfer between them.     

The Antiproliferative and Apoptosis-Inducing Effects of the Red Macroalgae Gelidium latifolium Extract against Melanoma Cells

The red macroalga Gelidium latifolium is widely distributed in the coastal areas of Indonesia. However, current knowledge on its potential biological activities is still limited. In this study, we investigated the potential bioactive compounds in Gelidium latifolium ethanol extract (GLE), and its cytotoxic effects against the murine B16-F10 melanoma cell line. GLE shows high total phenolic content (107.06 ± 17.42 mg GAE/g) and total flavonoid content (151.77 ± 3.45 mg QE/g), which potentially contribute to its potential antioxidant activity (DPPH = 650.42 ± 2.01 µg/mL; ABTS = 557.01 ± 1.94 µg/mL). ESI-HR-TOF-MS analysis revealed large absorption in the [M-H]^- of 327.2339 m/z, corresponding to the monoisotopic molecular mass of brassicolene. The presence of this compound potentially contributes to GLE’s cytotoxic activity (IC₅₀ = 84.29 ± 1.93 µg/mL). Furthermore, GLE significantly increased the number of apoptotic cells (66.83 ± 3.06%) compared to controls (18.83 ± 3.76%). Apoptosis was also confirmed by changes in the expression levels of apoptosis-related genes (i.e., p53, Bax, Bak, and Bcl2). Downregulated expression of Bcl2 indicates an intrinsic apoptotic pathway. Current results suggest that components of Gelidium latifolium should be further investigated as possible sources of novel antitumor drugs.     

Maxwell speed distribution and analogue Hawking–Unruh temperature in an ontological model of a Harmonic oscillator ground state

Within an ontological (hidden variable) model of quantum fluctuation, one can discuss the actual   properties of a system regardless (independent) of measurement. Here we apply an ontological model proposed earlier to investigate a Harmonic oscillator in the quantum mechanical ground state. We first show that the actual speed of the oscillator fluctuates randomly following the Maxwell–Boltzmann distribution. On the other hand, the actual energy obeys a broad Gamma distribution with an average 3?ω/2$3?\omega /2$, where ω$\omega$ is the classical angular frequency, so that one may conclude that the outcome of a single energy measurement reveals the average of the actual energy. The distribution of actual speed (energy) thus formally resembles the distribution of speed (energy) of an ideal gas in thermal equilibrium of temperature T_g=?ω/2$T_g=?\omega /2$. We shall then argue that T_g$T_g$ can be written in a form analogous to the Hawking temperature for a Schwarzschild black hole in which the average distance of the oscillator from the origin plays the analogous role of the radius of the black hole event horizon. It can also be written in a form analogous to the Unruh temperature experienced by a body moving with a uniform acceleration. In the analogy, the oscillator suffers an effective acceleration which balances the attractive force of the trapping Harmonic potential, thus keeps its average position away from the origin.     

Ruthenium-catalyzed selective synthesis of monoalkylated barbituric acids through “borrowing hydrogen” methodology

An environmentally benign alkylation of barbituric acids via “borrowing hydrogen” process with ruthenium catalysis has been established. The corresponding 5-(alkyl)barubituric acids were obtained in good to excellent yields with low catalyst loading. Various substrates including aliphatic alcohols were tolerated in the present catalytic system. A novel method for construction of barbituric acid-fused benzopyrane derivatives was also demonstrated.     

Enzymatic Preparation of Bioactive Peptides Exhibiting ACE Inhibitory Activity from Soybean and Velvet Bean: A Systematic Review

The Angiotensin-I-converting enzyme (ACE) is a peptidase with a significant role in the regulation of blood pressure. Within this work, a systematic review on the enzymatic preparation of Angiotensin-I-Converting Enzyme inhibitory (ACEi) peptides is presented. The systematic review is conducted by following PRISMA guidelines. Soybeans and velvet beans are known to have high protein contents that make them suitable as sources of parent proteins for the production of ACEi peptides. Endopeptidase is commonly used in the preparation of soybean-based ACEi peptides, whereas for velvet bean, a combination of both endo- and exopeptidase is frequently used. Soybean glycinin is the preferred substrate for the preparation of ACEi peptides. It contains proline as one of its major amino acids, which exhibits a potent significance in inhibiting ACE. The best enzymatic treatments for producing ACEi peptides from soybean are as follows: proteolytic activity by Protease P (Amano-P from Aspergillus sp.), a temperature of 37 °C, a reaction time of 18 h, pH 8.2, and an E/S ratio of 2%. On the other hand, the best enzymatic conditions for producing peptide hydrolysates with high ACEi activity are through sequential hydrolytic activity by the combination of pepsin-pancreatic, an E/S ratio for each enzyme is 10%, the temperature and reaction time for each proteolysis are 37 °C and 0.74 h, respectively, pH for pepsin is 2.0, whereas for pancreatin it is 7.0. As an underutilized pulse, the studies on the enzymatic hydrolysis of velvet bean proteins in producing ACEi peptides are limited. Conclusively, the activity of soybean-based ACEi peptides is found to depend on their molecular sizes, the amino acid residues, and positions. Hydrophobic amino acids with nonpolar side chains, positively charged, branched, and cyclic or aromatic residues are generally preferred for ACEi peptides.     

Stability of various PLGA and lipid nanoparticles in temperature and in time and new technology for the preparation of liposomes for anticancer and antibiotic loading

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - The stabilizer, which is used during the preparation of Poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) nanoparticles (NPs), is of great importance for particle...     

Self-gravitating static non-critical black holes in 4<Emphasis Type="Italic">D</Emphasis> Einstein–Klein–Gordon system with nonminimal derivative coupling

We study static non-critical hairy black holes of four dimensional gravitational model with nonminimal derivative coupling and a scalar potential turned on. By taking an ansatz, namely, the first derivative of the scalar field is proportional to square root of a metric function, we reduce the Einstein field equation and the scalar field equation of motions into a single highly nonlinear differential equation. This setup implies that the hair is secondary-like since the scalar charge-like depends on the non-constant mass-like quantity in the asymptotic limit. Then, we show that near boundaries the solution is not the critical point of the scalar potential and the effective geometries become spaces of constant scalar curvature.     

Influence of anthocyanin co-pigment on electron transport and performance in black rice dye-sensitized solar cell

This work reports the novel contribution of chlorophyll b as natural anthocyanin co-pigment in unpurified black rice extract for improved electron transport and performance of natural dye-sensitized solar cell. The dyes are extracted as prominent photosensitizers by considering the concentration, the dye electronic structure, the extraction, and immersion time. The anthocyanin dye containing 1.92 mM cyanidin-3-O-glucoside structure has been extracted without purification. Interestingly, 0.33 mM chlorophyll b is found as a natural co-sensitizer in unpurified anthocyanin. The role of chlorophyll b supporting the electron transfer of anthocyanin dye will be investigated for improved cell performance. Both purified and unpurified dyes are compared in the same anthocyanin concentration. The combined Tauc plot and voltametric method will be conducted to show the interfacial electronic band edges of TiO₂-dye-electrolyte. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy method will investigate electron transfer dynamic in both cell systems. As a result, chlorophyll b has dominantly acted as two intermediate states in boosting electron injection and dye regeneration to improve cell efficiency from 1.31 to 2.17 % due to the narrower LUMO–TiO₂ conduction band gap and the narrower HOMO-iodide (I ^?) potential gap, respectively. According to the electron transport, the co-sensitizer contributes to the smaller transport resistance (R _t?=?21.9 Ω), the higher chemical diffusion coefficient (D_n?=?1.696?×?10^?3 cm²/s), the higher chemical capacitance (C_μ?=?14.32 μF), and the faster electron transport (τ_d?=?39.88 μs).     

A Review of Analytical Methods for Codeine Determination

Codeine is derived from morphine, an opioid analgesic, and has weaker analgesic and sedative effects than the parent molecule. This weak opioid is commonly used in combination with other drugs for over-the-counter cough relief medication. Due to the psychoactive properties of opioid drugs, the easily obtained codeine often becomes subject to misuse. Codeine misuse has emerged as a concerning public health issue due to its associated adverse effects such as headache, nausea, vomiting, and hemorrhage. Thus, it is very important to develop reliable analytical techniques to detect codeine for both quality control of pharmaceutical formulations and identifying drug misuse in the community. This review aims to provide critical outlooks on analytical methods applicable to the determination of codeine.