Micelles for signal enhancement and novel selectivity of dansyl amino acids

Fluorescence intensity of various chemical species is enhanced in the microenvironment provided by micelles. Parameters which affect fluorescence intensities are examined by using dansyl (Dns) amino acids as the probe. The retention behavior of Dns-amino acids in micellar LC is examined by using ion-exchange-induced stationary phases. The type and concentration of micellar agent and modifier ion as well as concentration of acetonitrile in the mobile phase affect the retention and signal intensity of Dns-amino acids. The order of elution of Dns-amino acids obtained with the micellar mobile phase is very different from that observed in conventional reversed-phase LC. Fluorescence intensities of Dns-amino acids are enhanced by the micellar mobile phase.     

Designing the selectivity of the fluorescent detection of amino acids: a chemosensing ensemble for histidine

The imidazole group of histidine deprotonates and bridges the two CuII centers of a dimetallic polyamine macrocyclic complex, displacing the previously bound and quenched fluorescent indicator I. Thus, histidine recognition is signaled by the revival of the fluorescence of I. Selectivity with respect to other natural amino acids is achieved by choosing an indicator of tuned affinity toward the dicopper(II) receptor.     

Effects of linker amino acids on the potency and selectivity of dimeric antimicrobial peptides

Conformational flexibility induced by proline and aminocaproic acid can increase anticancer activity and antimicrobial activity of dimeric antimicrobial peptides with reduced hemolytic activity. This study will contribute to the design of efficient antimicrobial peptides.     

Methylthiohydantoin amino acids: chromatographic separation and comparison to phenylthiohydantoin amino acids

Most phenylthiohydantoin (PTH) amino acids and most methylthiohydantoin (MTH) amino acids may be separated from one another by thin-layer chromatography (TLC) using the same sequential development technique with the same two solvents. Similarly, a single solvent system may be used in high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to separate most PTH-amino acids and most MTH-amino acids. When both TLC and HPLC separations are performed on a sample, all MTH-and PTH-amino acids can be uniquely identified. Since many solid-phase protein sequencing techniques generate both MTH-and PTH-amino acids, these analytical systems simplify identification of the amino acid derivatives. Although the chromatographic properties of MTH-and PTH-amino acids are similar, they are not identical (contrary to a previous report).     

Cyclization of acetylenic derivatives of aromatic carboxylic acids

The Cu(I)-catalyzed intramolecular cyclization of 1-phenylethynyl-and 1-hexyn-1-yl-anthraquinone-2-carboxylic acid is a 6-endo-dig-addition, whereas the reaction for 1-(3-phenoxypropyn-1-yl)anthraquinone-2-carboxylic acid proceeds in a directionally nonspecific way. It is shown that the cyclization of vicinal acetylenic derivatives of aromatic carboxylic acids leads to the formation of the more stable of the possible cyclic structures.Institute of Chemical Kinetics and Combustion, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, 630090 Novosibirsk. Novosibirsk State University, 630090 Novosibirsk. Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk, Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 9, pp. 2138–2146, September, 1992.     

Alkylation of amino acids and glutathione in water by o-quinone methide. Reactivity and selectivity.

o-Quinone methide (1) has been produced in water both thermally and photochemically from (2-hydroxybenzyl)trimethylammonium iodide (2). Michael addition reactions of 1 to various amines, and sulfides, including amino acids and glutathione have been carried out, obtaining alkylated adducts (3-16) in fairly good to quantitative yields. The reaction rate and selectivity of 1 toward nitrogen and sulfur nucleophiles, in competition with the hydration reaction, have been investigated at different pH by laser flash photolysis technique. The observed reactivity spans 7 orders of magnitude on passing from water (kNu = 5.8 M-1 s-1) to the most reactive nucleophile (2.8 x 10(8) M-1 s-1, 2-mercaptoethanol under alkaline conditions). These are the first direct reaction rate measurements of nucleophilic addition to the parent o-quinone methide (1). Competition experiments provided strong kinetic support to the involvement of free 1 as an intermediate in both thermal and photochemical reactions. Furthermore, several alkylation adducts regenerate 1 either by heating (9, 10, 13, and 14) or by irradiation (9, 11-13, 16). Such a thermal and photochemical reversibility of the alkylation process opens a new perspective for the use and application of such adducts as o-QM molecular carriers.     

Empirical and ab initio calculations of thermochemical parameters of amino acids: IV. Non-Typical amino acids: Hydroxyamino acids, thioamino acids, and heterocyclic amino(imino) acids

Using a set of computational methods we calculated the basic thermochemical characteristics of the fifteen non-typical L-??-amino acids of hydroxyaminocarboxylic and thioaminomonocarboxylic series, and of some heterocyclic amino(imino)carboxylic acids.     

Abc amino acids: design, synthesis, and properties of new photoelastic amino acids

Photoisomerizable amino acids provide a direct avenue to the experimental manipulation of bioactive polypeptides, potentially allowing real-time, remote control of biological systems and enabling useful applications in nanobiotechnology. Herein, we report a new class of photoisomerizable amino acids intended to cause pronounced expansion and contraction in the polypeptide backbone, i.e., to be photoelastic. These compounds, termed Abc amino acids, employ a photoisomerizable azobiphenyl chromophore to control the relative disposition of aminomethyl and carboxyl substituents. Molecular modeling of nine Abc isomers led to the identification of one with particularly attractive properties, including the ability to induce contractions up to 13 A in the backbone upon trans --> cis photoisomerization. This isomer, designated mpAbc, has substituents at meta and para positions on the inner (azo-linked) and outer rings, respectively. An efficient synthesis of Fmoc-protected mpAbc was executed in which the biaryl components were formed via Suzuki couplings and the azo linkage was formed via amine/nitroso condensation; protected forms of three other Abc isomers were prepared similarly. An undecapeptide incorporating mpAbc was synthesized by conventional solid-phase methods and displayed characteristic azobenzene photochemical behavior with optimal conversion to the cis isomer at 360 nm and a thermal cis --> trans half-life of 100 min at 80 degrees C.     

Solvation parameters for amino acids

Atomic radii have been derived for the common amino acid side chains using a solvent interaction potential (SIP) based on quantum mechanically derived charges. Solvation energies calculated using these parameters are compared with those obtained using other sets of radii and charges, and from alternative methods. The differences from the experimental solvation energies for the nonionizable residues are all less than 10 kJ mol⁻¹. The largest error in the solvation energy occurs for acetic acid (−16.0 kJ mol⁻¹). For the charged side chain systems the difference from experiment are all less than 10 kJ mol⁻¹. SIP parameters for the aminoacetaldehyde derivatives of the common amino acids are presented. These are used in the calculation of the relative binding energies of six benzamidine inhibitors with trypsin. ©1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Comput Chem 20: 428–442, 1999     

Organic reactions in strong alkalis-II Fission of di-ethylenic and acetylenic acids

Linoleic and stearolic acid give myristic acid, together with small amounts of palmitic acid, on treatment with molten potassium hydroxide. These, and similar reactions of other acetylenic acids, are discussed.     

High selectivity in new chiral separations of dansyl amino acids by cyclodextrin derivatives in electrokinetic chromatography

Enantiomeric pairs of 11 dansyl derivatives of alpha-amino acids were used as analytes in electrokinetic chromatography to test the ability as chiral selectors of two pure derivatives of beta-cyclodextrin: the ethylendiamine derivative in primary position (CDen) and a member of a new class of receptors, the cysteamine-bridged hemispherodextrin THCMH. The selectivity obtained by the presence of the hemispherodextrin, appears particularly promising as shown by the large values of resolution obtained. The importance of a detailed analysis of these data is discussed in terms of suggestions for a rational approach to separation science.     

A singlet oxygen self-reporting photosensitizer for cancer phototherapy

Photodynamic cancer therapy has attracted great attention with the increasing threat of tumors, and improving its therapeutic efficacy is highly desirable. However, due to the highly efficient intersystem crossing potency to generate singlet oxygen (¹O₂), high-efficiency photosensitizers often suffer from weak fluorescence and excess injury to normal tissue. To overcome these obstacles, here we show a reliable self-reporting strategy for real-time monitoring of therapeutic progression. As a proof of concept, a molecular dyad is designed by connecting benzo[a]phenoselenazinium (NBSe) to rhodamine (Rh), namely Rh-NBSe, where the fluorescence of the Rh unit is initially suppressed by the fluorescence resonance energy transfer mechanism, but enabled to recover as feedback signal once the reaction with photosensitized ¹O₂ takes place. The observed fluorescence increases by irradiation in vitro and in vivo successfully reflect the real-time ¹O₂ generation speed in photodynamic therapy. In addition, the favorable therapeutic advantages of Rh-NBSe are also verified, for example, the high Φ_Δ (0.8) and the low IC₅₀ (0.2 μM, 6 J cm⁻²). Based on the therapeutic ability and real-time ¹O₂ self-reporting ability, Rh-NBSe demonstrates significant potential for self-regulating phototherapy.

Photodynamic cancer therapy has attracted great attention with the increasing threat of tumors, and improving its therapeutic efficacy is highly desirable.     

Evaluation of the enantiomeric selectivity in the chiral ligand-exchange chromatography of amino acids by a computational model

The chromatographic resolution of enantiomeric amino acids is accomplished on a reversed phase column using aqueous mobile phase containing the chiral reagent N,N-dimethyl-S-phenylalanine-Cu(II). The separation is a result of the whole interaction between the diastereomeric complex surface and the mixed stationary phase realized by the dynamic coating of the RP-18 carbon chains layer. The elution order seems to be related to the different water coordination capability on copper ion in the formation of the mixed ternary complexes.     

Some thermodynamic parameters for hydroxy amino acids: Bicine and tricine

pK values of N,N-dihydroxyethylglycine (bicine) and N-[tris(hydroxymethyl)methyl]-glycine (tricine) have been determined by the Irving-Rossotti method in an aqueous medium at 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, and 50°C and at different ionic strengths (I = 0.1, 0.5, and 1.0). Plots between pK_a(NH) and 1/T for various ionic strengths have been obtained and the values of slopes have been used to calculate the ΔH, ΔS, and ΔG for the dissociation reactions of bicine and tricine. The ΔH, ΔS, and ΔG values for bicine were found to be 10.6 ± 0.6 kcal mol^?1, ?1.9 ± 1.8 e.u., and 11.1 ± 0.06 kcal mol^?1, respectively, and for tricine 11.2 ± 0.6 kcal mol^?1, 1.6 ± 1.6 e.u., and 10.7 ± 0.06 kcal mol^?1, respectively. The pK_a(NH) values decrease with rise in temperature but the influence of ionic strength is not significant.     

Incorporation of extra amino acids in peptide recognition probe to improve specificity and selectivity of an electrochemical peptide-based sensor

We investigated the effect of incorporating extra amino acids (AA) at the n-terminus of the thiolated and methylene blue-modified peptide probe on both specificity and selectivity of an electrochemical peptide-based (E-PB) HIV sensor. The addition of a flexible (SG)₃ hexapeptide is, in particular, useful in improving sensor selectivity, whereas the addition of a highly hydrophilic (EK)₃ hexapeptide has shown to be effective in enhancing sensor specificity. Overall, both E-PB sensors fabricated using peptide probes with the added AA (SG-EAA and EK-EAA) showed better specificity and selectivity, especially when compared to the sensor fabricated using a peptide probe without the extra AA (EAA). For example, the selectivity factor recorded in the 50% saliva was ∼2.5 for the EAA sensor, whereas the selectivity factor was 7.8 for both the SG-EAA and EK-EAA sensors. Other sensor properties such as the limit of detection and dynamic range were minimally affected by the addition of the six AA sequence. The limit of detection was 0.5 nM for the EAA sensor and 1 nM for both SG-EAA and EK-EAA sensors. The saturation target concentration was ∼200 nM for all three sensors. Unlike previously reported E-PB HIV sensors, the peptide probe functions as both the recognition element and antifouling passivating agent; this modification eliminates the need to include an additional antifouling diluent, which simplifies the sensor design and fabrication protocol.     

Applications of nanomaterials in liquid chromatography: opportunities for separation with high efficiency and selectivity

During recent decades, great efforts have been made to improve the chemical stability, selectivity, and separation efficiency of stationary phases in liquid chromatography. Significant progress has been achieved, especially after the introduction of nanomaterials into separation science. This review covers the applications of nanomaterials playing various roles in liquid chromatography. Future possibilities for developing nanomaterial-based stationary phases are also discussed.     

Altered membrane amino acids composition in human colorectal cancer tissue

Cancer transformation is characterized by changes in cell metabolism, which can alter the structure and function of cell membrane components, including integral membrane proteins. Qualitative and quantitative estimations of integral membrane protein are necessary for studies aimed at understanding their modifications under pathological conditions.