Direct synthesis of Poly(Ԑ-Caprolactone)-block-poly (glycidyl methacrylate) copolymer and its usage as a potential nano micelles carrier for hydrophobic drugs

Ring-opening (ROP) and enzymatic copolymerization (ECP) are among the most widely used approaches for synthesizing copolymers of polycaprolactone (PCL). It involves multiple-step reactions and the utilization of enzymes that make the process a lot more complicated, time consuming, and expensive. Atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) has been adopted to synthesize a novel amphiphilic copolymer in our study. The study presents a method to eliminate the ROP/ECP multiple steps in monomer polymerization thus making the process simpler and smoother. The synthesis of cationic polymer micelles copolymer of PCL-PGMA (polycaprolactone grafted poly glycidyl methacrylate) was carried out using direct functionalization of hydroxy group in crude PCL to achieve a higher degree of functionalization, i.e., 12.8% for macroinitiator. FTIR and ¹H-NMR confirmed the successful synthesis of the copolymer with better control over the molecular weight with a PDI (1.84). DSC and XRD results showed the reduction of crystallinity by 86.81%, making copolymer more compatible for drug delivery application. The synthesized copolymer was further converted to nano-micelles drug carrier having an average size of 96.08 ± 21.22 nm. The drug encapsulation efficiency achieved was 60.0 ± 1.7%, and nano-micelles rendered a slow and controlled release of naproxen with long-term storage stability.     

Ternary and binary copper(II) complexes: synthesis,characterization, ROS-inductive,proteasome inhibitory,and anticancer properties

Three ternary copper(II) complexes, [Cu(phen)(L-phe)Cl]·2H₂O, [Cu(phen)(L-leu)Cl]·4½H₂O, and [Cu(phen)(L-tyr)Cl]·3H₂O, and four binary copper(II) complexes, [Cu(phen)Cl₂]_, Cu(L-phe)₂·½H₂O, Cu(L-leu)₂·½H₂O, and Cu(L-tyr)₂·H₂O (where phen = 110-phenanthroline, L-phe = L-phenylalanine, L-tyr = L-tyrosine, L-leu = L-leucine and Cl^- = chloride), were synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, spectroscopic techniques (FTIR, UV–visible, fluorescence spectroscopy), magnetic susceptibility, molar conductivity, and lipophilicity measurement. X-ray diffraction determination of a single crystal of [Cu(phen)(L-tyr)Cl] showed two independent molecules in the asymmetric unit, each with the same distorted square pyramidal geometry about copper(II). p-Nitrosodimethylaniline assay revealed that the three ternary complexes were better inducers of reactive oxygen species over time than binary complexes, CuCl₂, and free ligands. All the copper(II) complexes in this series inhibited the three proteolytic activities in the order Trypsin-like > Caspase-like > Chymotrypsin-like. In terms of anticancer properties, the copper(II)-phen complexes had GI50 values of less than 4 μM against MCF-7, HepG2, CNE1 and A549 cancer cell lines, more potent than cisplatin.     

Metabolite assignment of ultrafiltered synovial fluid extracted from knee joints of reactive arthritis patients using high resolution NMR spectroscopy

Currently, there are no reliable biomarkers available that can aid early differential diagnosis of reactive arthritis (ReA) from other inflammatory joint diseases. Metabolic profiling of synovial fluid (SF)—obtained from joints affected in ReA—holds great promise in this regard and will further aid monitoring treatment and improving our understanding about disease mechanism. As a first step in this direction, we report here the metabolite specific assignment of ¹H and ¹³C resonances detected in the NMR spectra of SF samples extracted from human patients with established ReA. The metabolite characterization has been carried out on both normal and ultrafiltered (deproteinized) SF samples of eight ReA patients (n = 8) using high-resolution (800 MHz) ¹H and ¹H─¹³C NMR spectroscopy methods such as one-dimensional ¹H CPMG and two-dimensional J-resolved¹H NMR and homonuclear ¹H─¹H TOCSY and heteronuclear¹H─¹³C HSQC correlation spectra. Compared with normal SF samples, several distinctive ¹H NMR signals were identified and assigned to metabolites in the ¹H NMR spectra of ultrafiltered SF samples. Overall, we assigned 53 metabolites in normal filtered SF and 64 metabolites in filtered pooled SF sample compared with nonfiltered SF samples for which only 48 metabolites (including lipid/membrane metabolites as well) have been identified. The established NMR characterization of SF metabolites will serve to guide future metabolomics studies aiming to identify/evaluate the SF-based metabolic biomarkers of diagnostic/prognostic potential or seeking biochemical insights into disease mechanisms in a clinical perspective.     

Synthesis of Peptide Cysteine Dimedone Using Fmoc-Cys(Dmd)-OH: Glutathione Cysteine Dimedone as a Probe in Investigating the Sulfenic Acid Mediated Oxidation of Glutathione

Dimedone is the most widely used chemical probe for detection of cysteine sulfenic acid in peptides and proteins. The reaction of dimedone with cysteine sulfenic acid results in the formation of unique cysteine dimedone motif containing thioether bridge. Based on the structure of cysteine dimedone residue in polypeptide, a new building block of Fmoc-Cys(Dmd)-OH was developed for solid phase synthesis of peptide cysteine dimedone. Mass spectrometric sequencing of synthetic peptides have confirmed successful incorporation of cysteine dimedone in peptide chain using HBTU/HOBt as a coupling agent. The new method permits synthesis of peptides containing both cysteine thiol and cysteine dimedone in the same sequence which was difficult to achieve by conventional methods. The synthetic peptide of glutathione cysteine dimedone was used as a standard in probing the air-mediated oxidation of thiol to disulfide form of glutathione. The co-elution of standard peptide and reaction mixture of oxidation of glutathione in presence of dimedone using RP-HPLC have confirmed the formation of glutathione cysteine sulfenic as an intermediate in the air-mediated oxidation of glutathione. The synthetic peptides of cysteine dimedone may find application in the field of redox proteomics and generation of antibodies against modified cysteine residue.     

Theory of frequency modulation spectroscopy of coherent dark resonances

The interaction of a three-level atom in the A configuration with a frequency-modulated (FM) field is analyzed theoretically for the first time. The two-frequency model for solving the problem of frequency modulation spectroscopy of coherent dark resonances is described and analyzed for a three-level A system. The effectiveness of the two-frequency model is demonstrated by comparing the results obtained using this model with the results of solving the exact problem of interaction of a A system with an FM field, which can be solved by the density matrix method. It is shown that the simple two-frequency model corresponds to the exact solution and is in qualitative agreement with experimental data.     

The Legnaro Francium Magneto-Optical Trap

Hyperfine Interactions - Laser cooling and trapping of radioactive atoms represent the new frontier in atomic physics and a new powerful tool in nuclear physics. We are setting up at the...     

Laser photochemistry: The intramolecular cyclization of carvone to carvonecamphor

Kr-ion laser irradiation of carvone ($\text{1}$) at 350.7 and 356.4 nm gave carvonecamphor ($\text{2}$) in a much higher yield (88%) than in conventional photochemistry, while ($\text{3}$) was a primary photo-by-product.     

Optical relaxation effects on magnetic resonances in vapours oriented by broad-line laser excitation

Relaxation effects produced by the broad-band pumping laser light on magnetic resonances induced in oriented vapours are investigated. Experimental evidence of resonance bleaching by optical transverse relaxation in a sodium vapour pumped by multifrequency laser radiation is reported.