Galactose-Grafted 2D Nanosheets from the Self-Assembly of Amphiphilic Janus Dendrimers for the Capture and Agglutination of Escherichia coli

High aspect ratio, sugar-decorated 2D nanosheets are ideal candidates for the capture and agglutination of bacteria. Herein, the design and synthesis of two carbohydrate-based Janus amphiphiles that spontaneously self-assemble into high aspect ratio 2D sheets are reported. The unique structural features of the sheets include the extremely high aspect ratio and dense display of galactose on the surface. These structural characteristics allow the sheet to act as a supramolecular 2D platform for the capture and agglutination of E. coli through specific multivalent noncovalent interactions, which significantly reduces the mobility of the bacteria and leads to the inhibition of their proliferation. Our results suggest that the design strategy demonstrated here can be applied as a general approach for the crafting of biomolecule-decorated 2D nanosheets, which can perform as 2D platforms for their interaction with specific targets.     

210Po in the environment: insight into the naturally occurring polonium isotope

Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry - Polonium is rapidly emerging as an international environmental health concern primarily because of the recent rise in hydraulic fracturing...     

Integrating CuO−Fe2O3 Nanocomposites and Supramolecular Assemblies of Phenazine for Visible‐Light Photoredox Catalysis

A photoredox catalytic ensemble consisting of CuO‐Fe₂O₃ nanocomposites and oligomeric derivative of phenazine has been developed. The prepared system acts as an efficient photoredox catalyst for C?N bond formation reaction via SET mechanism under ‘green’ conditions (aerial environment, mixed aqueous media, recyclable), requiring less equivalents of base and amine substrate. The present study demonstrates the significant role of supramolecular assemblies as photooxidants and reductants upon irradiation and their important contribution towards the activation of the metallic centre through energy transfer and electron transfer pathways. The potential of oligomer 4 : CuO‐Fe₂O₃ has also been explored for C?C bond formation reactions via the Sonogashira protocol.     

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.     

Existence of unimodular elements in a projective module

(1) Let R be an affine algebra over an algebraically closed field of characteristic 0 with $\dim (R)=n$. Let P be a projective $A=R[T_1,?,T_k]$-module of rank n with determinant L. Suppose I is an ideal of A of height n such that there are two surjections $\alpha :P?I$ and $?:L\oplus A^{n?1}?I$. Assume that either (a) $k=1$ and $n\ge 3$ or (b) k is arbitrary but $n\ge 4$ is even. Then P has a unimodular element (see 4.1, 4.3).(2) Let R be a ring containing $\mathbb{Q}$ of even dimension n with height of the Jacobson radical of $R\ge 2$. Let P be a projective $R[T,T^{?1}]$-module of rank n with trivial determinant. Assume that there exists a surjection $\alpha :P?I$, where $I?R[T,T^{?1}]$ is an ideal of height n such that I is generated by n elements. Then P has a unimodular element (see 3.4).     

Polyoxometalate-Engineered Building Blocks with Gold Cores for the Self-Assembly of Responsive Water-Soluble Nanostructures

The controlled assembly of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) with the size of quantum dots into predictable structures is extremely challenging as it requires the quantitatively and topologically precise placement of anisotropic domains on their small, approximately spherical surfaces. We herein address this problem by using polyoxometalate leaving groups to transform 2 nm diameter gold cores into reactive building blocks with hydrophilic and hydrophobic surface domains whose relative sizes can be precisely tuned to give dimers, clusters, and larger micelle-like organizations. Using cryo-TEM imaging and ¹H DOSY NMR spectroscopy, we then provide an unprecedented “solution-state” picture of how the micelle-like structures respond to hydrophobic guests by encapsulating them within 250 nm diameter vesicles whose walls are comprised of amphiphilic AuNP membranes. These findings provide a versatile new option for transforming very small AuNPs into precisely tailored building blocks for the rational design of functional water-soluble assemblies.     

Serendipitous discovery of light-induced (<Emphasis Type="Italic">In Situ</Emphasis>) formation of an Azo-bridged dimeric sulfonated naphthol as a potent PTP1B inhibitor

Background

Protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) like dual specificity phosphatase 5 (DUSP5) and protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) are drug targets for diseases that include cancer, diabetes, and vascular disorders such as hemangiomas. The PTPs are also known to be notoriously difficult targets for designing inihibitors that become viable drug leads. Therefore, the pipeline for approved drugs in this class is minimal. Furthermore, drug screening for targets like PTPs often produce false positive and false negative results.

Results

Studies presented herein provide important insights into: (a) how to detect such artifacts, (b) the importance of compound re-synthesis and verification, and (c) how in situ chemical reactivity of compounds, when diagnosed and characterized, can actually lead to serendipitous discovery of valuable new lead molecules. Initial docking of compounds from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), followed by experimental testing in enzyme inhibition assays, identified an inhibitor of DUSP5. Subsequent control experiments revealed that this compound demonstrated time-dependent inhibition, and also a time-dependent change in color of the inhibitor that correlated with potency of inhibition. In addition, the compound activity varied depending on vendor source. We hypothesized, and then confirmed by synthesis of the compound, that the actual inhibitor of DUSP5 was a dimeric form of the original inhibitor compound, formed upon exposure to light and oxygen. This compound has an IC₅₀ of 36 μM for DUSP5, and is a competitive inhibitor. Testing against PTP1B, for selectivity, demonstrated the dimeric compound was actually a more potent inhibitor of PTP1B, with an IC₅₀ of 2.1 μM. The compound, an azo-bridged dimer of sulfonated naphthol rings, resembles previously reported PTP inhibitors, but with 18-fold selectivity for PTP1B versus DUSP5.

Conclusion

We report the identification of a potent PTP1B inhibitor that was initially identified in a screen for DUSP5, implying common mechanism of inhibitory action for these scaffolds.

     

Stability and bonding of carbon(0)-iron−N2 complexes relevant to nitrogenase co-factor: EDA-NOCV analyses

The factors/structural features which are responsible for the binding, activation and reduction of N₂ to NH₃ by FeMoco of nitrogenase have not been completely understood well. Several relevant model complexes by Holland et al. and Peters et al. have been synthesized, characterized and studied by theoretical calculations. For a matter of fact, those complexes are much different than real active N₂-binding Fe-sites of FeMoco, which possesses a central C(4-) ion having an eight valence electrons as an μ₆-bridge. Here, a series of [(S₃C(0))Fe(II/I/0)-N₂]^n- complexes in different charged/spin states containing a coordinated σ- and π-donor C(0)-atom which possesses eight outer shell electrons [carbone, (Ph₃P)₂C(0); Ph₃P→C(0)←PPh₃] and three S-donor sites (i.e. ^-S-Ar), have been studied by DFT, QTAIM, and EDA-NOCV calculations. The effect of the weak field ligand on Fe-centres and the subsequent N₂-binding has been studied by EDA-NOCV analysis. The role of the oxidation state of Fe and N₂-binding in different charged and spin states of the complex have been investigated by EDA-NOCV analyses. The intrinsic interaction energies of the Fe−N₂ bond are in the range from −42/−35 to −67 kcal/mol in their corresponding ground states. The S₃C(0) donor set is argued here to be closer to the actual coordination environment of one of the six Fe-centres of nitrogenase. In comparison, the captivating model complexes reported by Holland et al. and Peter et al. possess a stronger π-acceptor C-ring (S₂C_ring donor, π-C donor) and stronger donor set like CP₃ (σ-C donor) ligands, respectively.