A Supramolecular Chiral Auxiliary Approach: “Remote Control” of Stereochemistry at a Hierarchically Assembled Dimeric Helicate

Dimeric hierarchically‐assembled titanium(IV) helicates are in solvent‐dependent equilibrium with the corresponding monomers. Statistically formed mixtures of such complexes bearing chiral stereocontrolling ligands and achiral diene‐substituted ligands show high diastereoselectivity and reasonable enantioselectivity in the Diels–Alder reaction with maleimides if the reaction proceeds with the dimer but not with the monomer. Thus, solvent dependent switching between the monomer and dimer enables on/off switching of the enantioselectivity.     

Luminescent PtII and PtIV Platinacycles with Anticancer Activity Against Multiplatinum-Resistant Metastatic CRC and CRPC Cell Models

Platinum-based chemotherapy persists to be the only effective therapeutic option against a wide variety of tumours. Nevertheless, the acquisition of platinum resistance is utterly common, ultimately cornering conventional platinum drugs to only palliative in many patients. Thus, encountering alternatives that are both effective and non-cross-resistant is urgent. In this work, we report the synthesis, reduction studies, and luminescent properties of a series of cyclometallated (C,N,N′)Pt^IV compounds derived from amine–imine ligands, and their remarkable efficacy at the high nanomolar range and complete lack of cross-resistance, as an intrinsic property of the platinacycle, against multiplatinum-resistant colorectal cancer (CRC) and castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) metastatic cell lines generated for this work. We have also determined that the compounds are effective and selective for a broader cancer panel, including breast and lung cancer. Additionally, selected compounds have been further evaluated, finding a shift in their antiproliferative mechanism towards more cytotoxic and less cytostatic than cisplatin against cancer cells, being also able to oxidize cysteine residues and inhibit topoisomerase II, thereby holding great promise as future improved alternatives to conventional platinum drugs.     

Capillary zone electrophoresis of lipoarabinomannan by multi-layered concentration

The present article describes a capillary zone electrophoresis method which relies on a multilayered water-alkali solvent stacking with online ionization to enhance detection of mannose, arabinose, and their oligosaccharides, which are used as the migration profile standards but are also the distinctive structural components of lipoarabinomannan. Lipoarabinomannan is detected in patients having tuberculosis. The capillary electrophoresis method with ionization of the whole saccharides without degradation in alkaline solution inside the capillary is based on the structural deprotonation of the molecules under ultrahigh pH conditions. The validation of the capillary electrophoresis parameters revealed that the 15-fold electrolyte–water-injection plug allowed detection of one-third lower concentrations than detected without online concentration. For the first time, the better detectability was seen especially for highly polymerized, but otherwise poorly ionized, arabinooctaose. The applicability of the method for detecting whole large biological saccharide complexes was confirmed by the glycolipid lipoarabinomannan. For the first time also, the migration of the indestructible lipoarabinomannan was detected together with oligosaccharides used representing the capping units, namely mannose, mannobiose, and mannotriose. The myo-inositol-phosphate-lipid unit was seen to migrate separately from the arabinomannan, since it was hydrolyzed from one lipoarabinomannan product under alkaline conditions in capillary electrophoresis.     

A Halogen‐Bonded Dimeric Resorcinarene Capsule

Iodine (I₂) acts as a bifunctional halogen‐bond donor connecting two macrocyclic molecules of the bowl‐shaped halogen‐bond acceptor, N‐cyclohexyl ammonium resorcinarene chloride 1 , to form the dimeric capsule [(1,4‐dioxane)₃@ 1 ₂(I₂)₂]. The dimeric capsule is constructed solely through halogen bonds and has a single cavity (V=511 ų) large enough to encapsulate three 1,4‐dioxane guest molecules.     

The Effect of the Side Chain on Gelation Properties of Bile Acid Alkyl Amides

Six bile acid alkyl amide derivatives were studied with respect to their gelation properties. The derivatives were composed of three different bile acids with hexyl or cyclohexyl side chains. The gelation behaviour of all six compounds were studied for 36 solvents with varying polarities. Gelation was observed mainly in aromatic solvents, which is characteristic for bile-acid-based low molecular weight gelators. Out of 108 bile acid-solvent combinations, a total of 44 gel systems were formed, 28 of which from lithocholic acid derivatives, only two from deoxycholic acid derivatives, and 14 from cholic acid derivatives. The majority of the gel systems were formed from bile acids with hexyl side chains, contrary to the cyclohexyl group, which seems to be a poor gelation moiety. These results indicate that the spatial demand of the side chain is the key feature for the gelation properties of the bile acid amides.     

N‐Alkyl Ammonium Resorcinarene Salts as High‐Affinity Tetravalent Chloride Receptors

N‐Alkyl ammonium resorcinarene salts (NARYs, Y=triflate, picrate, nitrate, trifluoroacetates and NARBr) as tetravalent receptors, are shown to have a strong affinity for chlorides. The high affinity for chlorides was confirmed from a multitude of exchange experiments in solution (NMR and UV/Vis), gas phase (mass spectrometry), and solid‐state (X‐ray crystallography). A new tetra‐iodide resorcinarene salt (NARI) was isolated and fully characterized from exchange experiments in the solid‐state. Competition experiments with a known monovalent bis‐urea receptor ( 5 ) with strong affinity for chloride, reveals these receptors to have a much higher affinity for the first two chlorides, a similar affinity as 5 for the third chloride, and lower affinity for the fourth chloride. The receptors affinity toward chloride follows the trend K₁?K₂?K₃≈ 5 >K₄, with K_a=5011 m ^?1 for 5 in 9:1 CDCl₃/[D₆]DMSO.     

Bifunctional coordination polymers as efficient catalysts for carbon dioxide conversion

The multidentate ligand H₂ L upon complexation with Zn (II) and Cd (II) provide a one‐dimensional polymeric networks. These coordination polymers (CPs) CP‐1 and CP‐2 containing Zn (II) and Cd (II) metals respectively are well characterized. The single crystal structural analysis confirms the formation of one‐dimensional coordination polymer with zigzag fashion in CP‐1 and ladder chain CP‐2 . Both the CPs are applied as catalysts to synthesize various cyclic carbonates from epoxides and carbon dioxide. The catalysts are giving better conversion under solvent‐free and additive‐free condition using 10 bar CO₂ and 100 °C as optimized pressure and temperature. The detailed kinetic experiments suggesting the first order kinetics, the energy of activation (Ea) is calculated for this catalytic conversion.     

Characteristics and safety of nano-sized cellulose fibrils

A finely ground fibrillated cellulose was fractionated into separate size fractions. The characteristics of the smallest size fractions were studied, and the toxicity to humans was tested as part of a safety assessment. Morphological studies performed with state-of-the-art methods, such as scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy, showed that the fraction obtained consisted of long thin fibrils but also larger fibril agglomerates, and spherical particles were present. The finest fraction did not show any sub-lethal effects as assessed by RNA inhibition test in vitro, nor were there any indications of genotoxicity as tested by the Ames test in vitro. Systemic effects tested in vivo with the nematode were also absent. No cytotoxic effects were seen in the highest tolerated dose test in vitro, but some indication of cytotoxicity was observed in the total protein content test in vitro at the highest sample concentration. The significance of this toxicity test result should be addressed in relation to the other toxicity tests, in which no toxicity was observed, with special emphasis on the in vivo test. Given this, the overall toxicity analyses support the conclusion that nano-scale cellulose fibrils can be considered to be safe towards humans. However, the reason for the positive cytotoxicity test result and, in addition, the effect of the biocide used in sample preservation on the toxicity tests need to be clarified before generalizing these results and declaring nanocellulose to be unambiguously safe.