Vibrational spectroscopy and DFT calculations of di‐amino acid cyclic peptides. Part I: cyclo(Gly‐Gly), cyclo(L‐Ala‐L‐Ala) and cyclo(L‐Ala‐Gly) in the solid state and in aqueous solution

Investigations of the vibrational spectra of cyclo(Gly‐Gly), cyclo(L‐Ala‐L ‐Ala) and cyclo(L ‐Ala‐Gly) are reported. Raman scattering and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra of solid‐state and aqueous protonated samples, as well as their corresponding N‐deuterated isotopomers, have been examined. In addition, density functional theory (DFT) (B3‐LYP/cc‐pVDZ) calculations of molecular structures and their associated vibrational modes were carried out. In each case, the calculated structures of lowest energy for the isolated gas‐phase molecules have boat conformations. Assignments have been made for the observed Raman and FTIR vibrational bands of the cyclic di‐amino acid peptides (CDAPs) examined. Raman polarization studies of aqueous phase samples are consistent with C₂ and C₁ symmetries for the six‐membered rings of cyclo(L‐Ala‐L‐Ala) and cyclo(L‐Ala‐Gly), respectively. There is a good correlation between experimental and calculated vibrational bands for the three CDAPs. These data are in keeping with boat conformations for cyclo(L‐Ala‐L‐Ala) and cyclo(L‐Ala‐Gly) molecules, predicted by the ab initio calculations, in both the solid and aqueous solution states. However, Raman spectroscopic results might infer that cyclo(L‐Ala‐Gly) deviates only slightly from planarity in the solid state. The potential energy distributions of the amide I and II modes of a cis‐peptide linkage are shown to be significantly different from those of the trans‐peptides. For example, deuterium shifts have shown that the cis‐amide I vibrations found in cyclo(Gly‐Gly), cyclo(L‐Ala‐L‐Ala), and cyclo(L‐Ala‐Gly) have larger N‐H contributions compared to their trans‐amide counterparts. Compared to trans‐amide II vibrations, cis‐amide II vibrations show a considerable decrease in N H character. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Vibrational spectroscopic studies of the structure of di‐amino acid peptides. Part II: cyclo(L‐Asp‐L‐Asp) in the solid state and in aqueous solution

Solid‐state protonated and N,O‐deuterated Fourier transform infrared (IR) and Raman scattering spectra together with the protonated and deuterated Raman spectra in aqueous solution of the cyclic di‐amino acid peptide cyclo(L ‐Asp‐L ‐Asp) are reported. Vibrational band assignments have been made on the basis of comparisons with previously cited literature values for diketopiperazine (DKP) derivatives and normal coordinate analyses for both the protonated and deuterated species based upon DFT calculations at the B3‐LYP/cc‐pVDZ level of the isolated molecule in the gas phase. The calculated minimum energy structure for cyclo(L ‐Asp‐L ‐Asp), assuming C₂ symmetry, predicts a boat conformation for the DKP ring with both the two L ‐aspartyl side chains being folded slightly above the ring. The CO stretching vibrations have been assigned for the side‐chain carboxylic acid group (e.g. at 1693 and 1670 cm⁻¹ in the Raman spectrum) and the cis amide I bands (e.g. at 1660 cm⁻¹ in the Raman spectrum). The presence of two bands for the carboxylic acid CO stretching modes in the solid‐state Raman spectrum can be accounted for by factor group splitting of the two nonequivalent molecules in a crystallographic unit cell. The cis amide II band is observed at 1489 cm⁻¹ in the solid‐state Raman spectrum, which is in agreement with results for cyclic di‐amino acid peptide molecules examined previously in the solid state, where the DKP ring adopts a boat conformation. Additionally, it also appears that as the molecular mass of the substituent on the C^α atom is increased, the amide II band wavenumber decreases to below 1500 cm⁻¹; this may be a consequence of increased strain on the DKP ring. The cis amide II Raman band is characterized by its relatively small deuterium shift (29 cm⁻¹), which indicates that this band has a smaller N H bending contribution than the trans amide II vibrational band observed for linear peptides. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Multiple Spectroscopic,Docking and Cytotoxic Study of a Synthesized 2,2′ Bipyridin Phenyl Isopentylglycin Pt(II) Nitrate Complex: Human Serum Albumin and Breast Cancer Cell Line of MDA-MB231 as Targets

In the present study, the biological activities of a new synthesized Pt(II)-complex, 2,2′ bipyridinphenyl isopentylglycin Pt(II) nitrate was investigated via its interaction with the most important blood carrier protein of human serum albumin (HSA), using fluorescence and Far-UV circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopic techniques and also molecular docking. Moreover, cytotoxicity activity of the complex was studied against breast cancer cell line of MDA MB231 using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The Pt(II)-complex has a strong ability to quench the intrinsic fluorescence of HSA through a static quenching mechanism. According fluorescence quenching data, the binding parameters of the interaction were calculated and showed that hydrophobic interaction has an important role. The molecular docking results in coherent with fluorescence measurements illustrated that Pt(II) complex can bind to HSA at one position that located in the hydrophobic cavity of groove between drug site I and II. Also, experimental data on driving force in binding site was confirmed whereas theoretical results demonstrated Pt(II) complexinteract to HSA by hydrophobic interaction. Far-UV-CD results showed that Pt(II)-complex induced an increasing in the content of α-helical structure of the protein and stabilized it. Also, MTT assay represented growth inhibitory effect of the complex toward the breast cancer cell line.     

Influence of the chloro substituent position on the triplet reactivity of benzophenone derivatives: a time‐resolved resonance Raman and density functional theory study

A nanosecond time‐resolved resonance Raman (ns‐TR³) spectroscopic investigation of the photoreduction reactions and ability of several chloro‐substituted benzophenone (Cl‐BP) triplets is described. The TR³ results show that the 3‐chlorobenzophenone (3‐Cl‐BP), 4‐chlorobenzophenone (4‐Cl‐BP) and 4,4′‐dichlorobenzophenone (4,4′‐dichloro‐BP) triplets exhibit similar hydrogen abstraction ability with the parent BP triplet. In 2‐propanol, the 3‐Cl‐, 4‐Cl‐ and 4,4′‐dichloro‐diphenylketyl (DPK) radicals were observed and they appear to react with dimethylketyl radicals at the para‐position to form a light absorption transient species. These transient species were characterized with TR³ spectra, and identified with the help of results from density functional theory calculations. In an acetontitrile/water (MeCN:H₂O) 1:1 mixed solvent, these DPK radicals were also observed but with slower formation rates. However, the 2‐Cl‐DPK radical was observed to form with a lower yield and a significantly slower formation rate than the other chloro‐substituted benzophenones examined here in 2‐propanol under the same experimental conditions. These results reveal that the 2‐chloro substituent reduces the hydrogen abstraction ability of the substituted BP triplet, which was not as expected based on the assumption that the electron‐withdrawing group could increase its photoreduction ability. This unusual ortho effect of the chlorine substitution is briefly discussed. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Proline as a charge stabilizing amino acid in peptide radical cations

Long distance electron transfer in proteins requires relay stations that can be transitorily oxidized or reduced. Although individual prolines cannot assume this function, because of their high ionization energy, it has been shown that polyprolines have the ability to transfer charges. In order to determine the role of the proline in the hole distribution and transport within a PheProPhe tripeptide, the radical cation of a model compound where the phenylalanines carry two or three methoxy groups, respectively, was generated by flash photolysis. Surprisingly, after equilibration, about two thirds of the holes were found to reside on the phen(OMe)₂ instead of the more easily oxidizable phen(OMe)₃ moiety. DFT calculations showed that, in most of the accessible conformations, the phen(OMe)₂^{? +}‐moiety profits more from stabilization by N‐ and/or O‐lone pairs of neighboring amide groups than the phen(OMe)₃^{? +} moiety can, which explains the apparently counterthermodynamic hole distribution. Similar calculations showed that, in several conformers of the natural PheProPhe radical cation, the unpaired electron is delocalized over two amide groups, by residing in a σ MO which links the N‐lone pair of the central proline unit with the O‐lone pair of a proximate amino acid, through hyperconjugation via the intervening C―C_α σ‐bond. The same pattern is found in a model compound, N‐acetylproline dimethylamide. It seems that prolines favor conformers which foster hyperconjugation of two amide groups, which lowers the ionization energy of peptides. One should thus consider such interacting amide groups as potential relay stations in the course of electron transfer in polyprolines. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Interactions of lactoferricin B derivatives with model cell membrane studied by Raman spectroscopy

In this work, we employed Raman spectroscopy to study the effect of the antimicrobial peptide lactoferricin B (LfB) on model cell membranes. We used two derivatives of LfB (RRWQWRMKKLG and RRWQWR) with broad‐spectrum activity against gram‐positive and gram‐negative bacteria, fungus, viruses and tumors. Raman spectra of the peptides showed no conformational change in the temperature range 4–60 °C. The positions of the amide I and amide III bands suggest that in an aqueous solution these peptides preferentially adopt a random coil‐like conformation. We also investigated the effect the peptides had on the melting behavior of model cell membranes composed of zwitterionic lipid dipalmitoylglycero‐phosphocholine (DPPC) and anionic lipid dipalmitoylglycero‐phosphoglycerol (DPPG). Raman CH stretching bands were used to follow the melting of the lipid vesicles. We found that the melting of DPPC lipid vesicles is not affected by the presence of the peptides, while the presence of the peptides reduced cooperativity of the phase transition for anionic DPPG vesicle, suggesting that both peptides interact strongly and specifically with this model cell membrane composed of anionic lipid. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Acid catalyzed intramolecular attack of β‐phenylthioureido group on amide function. Parallel formation of thiodihydrouracil and 4‐iminothiodihydrouracil. Different pathways in the Edman degradation reaction in the formation of six‐ versus five‐membered cyclic intermediates

Contrary to the cleavage of α‐phenylthioureido peptides 1 proceeding through intermediate 2‐anilinothiazolinone 2 , the b‐analog cis‐2‐(3‐phenylthioureido)cyclopentane‐carboxamide 5 forms transiently 4‐imino‐2‐thioxopyrimidine 6 . Monitoring amide cyclization and hydrolysis of iminopyrimidine 6 in acid by UV showed that an equilibrium between 5 and 6 was reached followed by slower conversion of both compounds into 2‐oxo‐4‐thioxopyrimidine 7 . Both processes were characterized by isosbestic points, the first due to parallel conversion of 5 into 6 and 7 (or 6 into 5 and 7 ) at a constant ratio while the second identical for both reactants – to conversion of equilibrated 5 and 6 into 7 . The special isosbestic points allowed the determination of the individual constants of Scheme 2. Further confirmation was obtained from NMR product analysis and following the cyclization of amide 5 in DMSO:DCl. Product 2‐oxo‐4‐ thioxopyrimidine 7 hydrolyzed reversibly to thioureido acid 8 . The cyclization rate of 8 allowed the participation of 6‐oxothiazine 10 formed by sulfur attack to be excluded. The absence of sulfur attack in the six‐membered case is explained by the longer C? S bond bringing about greater bond angle strain at the tetrahedral ring atoms due to the geometrical characteristics of five‐ and six‐membered rings with planar segments. The cyclizations of amide 5 to iminopyrimidine 6 and to thiodihydrouracil 7 are first order in [H⁺], while the reactions of protonated imine 6 H⁺ are zero order to amide and ?1 to thiodihydrouracil. The reaction orders can be reconciled by assuming a rate determining proton transfer from the tetrahedral intermediate in amide cyclization. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The quality control of two Pueraria species using Raman spectroscopy coupled with partial least squares analysis

The dried roots of Pueraria lobata (Puerariae Lobatae Radix; PLR) and Pueraria thomsonii (Puerariae Thomsonii Radix; PTR) are medicinal herbs that are used interchangeably in clinical practice, even though their chemical profiles are different. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop a rapid and non‐destructive method for the quality control of Pueraria species using Raman spectroscopy in combination with partial least squares analysis. Partial least squares‐discriminant analysis (PLS‐DA) was used to differentiate PLR from PTR, whereas partial least squares regression (PLSR) was used to predict the total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant capacities of the Pueraria species. Raman spectroscopy revealed that spectral characteristics of starch and polyphenols differentiated the two species, with the PLS‐DA model giving 100% classification accuracy for the tested samples. A significantly higher TPC (p < 0.001), 2,2′‐azino‐bis(3‐ethylbenzothiazoline‐6‐sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radical scavenging activity (p < 0.001) and cupric reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC; p < 0.001) were observed for PLR as compared to PTR. The high ratio of performance to deviation values (TPC: 9.84; ABTS: 7.11; CUPRAC: 7.13) indicated the PLSR models were robust for predicting TPC and antioxidant capacities. The loading plot revealed that the content of starch and polyphenols were important factors in differentiating PLR from PTR and predicting TPC and antioxidant capacities. The results demonstrate that Raman spectroscopy coupled with chemometrics is a rapid method for the quality control of PLR and PTR. These methods can be applied as a template for the quality control of other herbal medicines and products to promote the correct identification of herbs for clinical practice. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The protective effect of hydroxyl‐substituted Schiff bases on the radical‐induced oxidation of DNA

The protective effects of 18 hydroxyl‐substituted Schiff bases (SchOHs) on the oxidative damage of naked DNA induced by 2,2′‐azobis(2‐amidinopropane hydrochloride) (AAPH) were reported, in which SchOHs were prepared by condensing hydroxyl‐substituted aromatic aldehydes and anilines. The extent of the oxidative damage of DNA was followed by measuring the formation of thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS). Some SchOHs bearing only one hydroxyl group (prepared by salicylic aldehyde) protected DNA by decreasing the formation rate of TBARS. Other SchOHs inhibited the oxidation of DNA for a period, resulting in an inhibition period (t_inh) that was proportional to the concentration of SchOH, viz., t_inh = (n/R_i)[SchOH]. Thus, the stoichiometric factor (n) can be calculated if the initiation rate (R_i) was known. The n value of an SchOH was closed to the summation of the n from every structural feature in this SchOH, indicating that the antioxidant activity of SchOH was contributed from every structural feature in the molecule. Furthermore, the large conjugative system and para‐hydroxyl at benzilidene were good for the antioxidant activity of SchOHs. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Photoinduced electron‐transfer reactions of tris(2,2′‐bipyridine)ruthenium(II)‐based carbonic anhydrase inhibitors tethering plural binding sites

Tris(2,2′‐bipyridine)ruthenium(II) complex‐based carbonic anhydrase (CA) inhibitors, [Ru(bpy)₂(bpydbs)]²⁺ {bpy = 2,2′‐bipyridine and bpydbs = 2,2′‐bipyridinyl‐4,4′‐dicarboxilic acid bis[(2‐{2‐[2‐(4‐sulfamoylbenzoylamino)ethoxy]ethoxy}ethyl)amide]} and [Ru(bpydbs)₃]²⁺, tethering plural benzenesulfonamide groups have been prepared. The CA catalytic activity was effectively suppressed by these synthetic [Ru(bpy)₂(bpydbs)]²⁺ and [Ru(bpydbs)₃]²⁺ inhibitors, and their dissociation constants at pH = 7.2 and at 25°C were determined to be K_I = 0.93 ± 0.02 μM and K_I = 0.24 ± 0.03 μM, respectively. Next, 2 photoinduced electron‐transfer (ET) systems comprising a Ru²⁺‐CA complex and an electron acceptor, such as chloropentaamminecobalt(III) ([CoCl(NH₃)₅]²⁺) or methylviologen (MV²⁺) were studied. In the presence of CA and a sacrificial electron acceptor, such as pentaamminechlorocobalt(III) complex, the photoexcited triplet state of ³([Ru(II)]²⁺)* was quenched through an intermolecular photoinduced ET mechanism. In case of the [Ru(bpydbs)₃]²⁺‐CA‐MV²⁺ system, the photoexcited triplet state of ³([Ru(bpydbs)₃]²⁺)* was quenched by sacrificial quencher through an intermolecular photoinduced ET mechanism, giving the oxidized [Ru(bpydbs)₃]³⁺. Then the following intramolecular ET from the amino acid residue, Tyr6, near the active site of CA proceeded. We observed a transient absorption around at 410 nm, arising from the formation of a Tyr^?+ in the [Ru(bpydbs)₃]²⁺‐CA‐MV²⁺ system. These artificial Ru(II)‐CA systems may clearly demonstrate both intermolecular and intramolecular photoinduced ET reactions of protein and could be one of the interesting models of the ET proteins. Their photophysical properties and the detailed ET mechanisms are discussed in order to clarify the multistep ET reactions.     

Proline and hydroxyproline deposited on silver nanoparticles. A Raman,SERS and theoretical study

The Raman and surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectra of l ‐proline (Pro) and trans‐4‐hydroxy‐ l ‐proline (Hyp) were recorded. SERS spectra were obtained on colloidal Ag prepared by reduction with hydroxylamine. Allowing sufficient time for Pro and Hyp to adjust in the colloidal solution resulted fundamentally in obtaining unique and reproducible SERS spectra. Hyp stabilizes on the surface more rapidly than Pro. The spectral analysis indicates that Pro interacts with the Ag surface through the carboxylate group. The interaction of Hyp with the metal surface occurs through the amino, methylene and carboxylate moieties of the molecule. The spectroscopic results are supported by quantum chemical calculations, performed using extended Hückel theory (EHT) of the title compounds interacting with an Ag cluster model. The assignment of the Raman bands was supported by a normal coordinate analysis performed through Becke, three‐parameter, Lee–Yang–Parr/6‐311 G* + calculations. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Hydrogen bonds and polymerization in acrylamide under pressure

Acrylamide (C₃H₅NO), a hydrogen‐bonded amide, is an important compound from the point of view of basic and material research. It can be used as a model system for studying hydrogen bonding interactions in amides under pressure. As it is a monomer of polyacrylamide, an important polymer, high pressure investigation of polymerization in this material is also of interest. Our in‐situ high pressure Raman spectroscopic investigations of acrylamide carried out up to 17 GPa under quasi‐hydrostatic conditions indicate possible structural variations through the reconstruction of the N‐H‐‐‐O hydrogen bonds at pressures above 2.6 GPa. Emergence of several new spectral features at higher pressures indicate onset of polymerization. The characteristic polymer band becomes discernible at ~17 GPa. The increase in the relative intensity of the polymer peaks with respect to the monomer peaks on release to ambient conditions suggests that higher fraction of polymer is obtained on decompression. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Vibrational Spectroscopic Analysis of L,D-Dipeptides

Raman and infrared spectra of Boc-D-Leu-L-Leu-OMe, Boc-L-Ile-D-aIle-OMe and its N-deuterated derivative have been obtained. Normal mode frequencies on the models of these dipeptides have been calculated and the conformationally sensitive amide I, II, III and V modes are compared with the experimentally observed frequencies. The calculated frequencies are in good agreement with the observed frequencies. It is observed that the amide frequencies in these dipeptides are not very sensitive to their backbone conformation. This is in contrast to the well established conformational dependence of the amide modes in peptides, polypeptides and proteins. The normal mode calculations on these peptides also show absence of mixing in amide I and II modes, and hence lack of appreciable splitting in these modes due to transition dipole coupling.

     

Carminic acid: an antioxidant to protect erythrocytes and DNA against radical‐induced oxidation

This work explored the antioxidant effect of carminic acid (CarOH) on the oxidation of DNA and erythrocytes induced by 2,2′‐azobis(2‐amidinopropane hydrochloride) (AAPH). The half concentrations (IC₅₀) of CarOH to scavenge radicals were measured by reacting with 2,2′‐azinobis(3‐ethylbenzothiazoline‐6‐sulfonate) radical cation (ABTS^+?) and 2,2′‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH). The values of IC₅₀ were 8.0 and 26.0 µM when CarOH reacted with ABTS^+? and DPPH, respectively. CarOH was able to protect DNA against AAPH‐induced oxidative damage by decreasing the formation rate of thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS). In addition, CarOH protected human erythrocytes against AAPH‐induced hemolysis concentration dependently, during which one molecule of CarOH can trap almost three radicals. Moreover, quantum calculation revealed that the hydroxyl group at 6‐position played major role in trapping radicals. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Theoretical studies and antibacterial activity for Schiff base complexes

New ligand 4‐((2‐Hydroxy1‐naphthyl) methylene amino)‐1.5‐dimethyl‐2‐phenyl‐1H‐pyrazol‐3(2H)‐one (HL) was synthesized from the reaction of 2‐hydroxy‐1‐naphthaldehyde and 4‐aminophenaz one. A complexes of this ligand [VO(II)(HL)(SO₄)], [Pt(IV)(L)Cl₃], [Re(V)(L)Cl₃]Cl, and [M(II)(L)Cl] (M═Pd(II), Ni(II), Cu(II)) were synthesized. The resulted compounds were characterized by IR, NMR (¹H and ¹³C), mass spectrometry, element analysis, and UV‐Vis spectroscopy. Additionally, the spectroscopic studies revealed octahedral geometries for the Re(V), Pt(IV) complexes, and square pyramidal for VO(II), square planar for Pd(II) complex, and tetrahedral for the Ni(II) and Cu(II) complexes. Thermodynamic parameters (ΔE^*, ΔH^*, ΔS^*, ΔG^*, and K) were calculated using from the TGA curve Coats‐Red fern method. Therefore, hyper Chem‐8 program has been used to predict structural geometries of compounds in the gas phase. Finally, the synthesized Schiff base and its metal complexes were screened for their biological activity against bacterial species, 2 Gram‐positive bacteria (Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus) and 2 Gram‐negative bacteria (Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa).     

Raman study of a photochromic diarylethene molecule: a combined theoretical and experimental study

In this paper, the photochromic reaction of the 1,2‐bis(5′‐ethoxy‐2′‐(2″‐pyridyl) thiazolyl) compound (named DE) was studied by ultraviolet–visible absorption and various Raman spectroscopies associated with density functional theory calculations. To explain the growth of the visible absorption spectrum when the compound is irradiated with ultraviolet light, we suggest the existence of several conformations of the colored form. We also studied the vibrational spectroscopic properties of DE in different conditions such as powder, thin solid film, or in gold nanorods colloidal solutions. This compound is found photochromic in all these conditions. The theoretical Raman spectra of the open and closed forms reproduce fairly well the experimental data and help the complete assignment of the observed bands. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Vibrational spectra and crystal structure of the di‐amino acid peptide cyclo(L‐Met‐L‐Met): comparison of experimental data and DFT calculations

Experimental Raman and FT‐IR spectra of solid‐state non‐deuterated and N‐deuterated samples of cyclo(L ‐Met‐L ‐Met) are reported and discussed. The Raman and FT‐IR results show characteristic amide I vibrations (Raman: 1649 cm⁻¹, infrared: 1675 cm⁻¹) for molecules exhibiting a cis amide conformation. A Raman band, assigned to the cis amide II vibrational mode, is observed at ∼1493 cm⁻¹ but no IR band is observed in this region. Cyclo(L ‐Met‐L ‐Met) crystallises in the triclinic space group P1 with one molecule per unit cell. The overall shape of the diketopiperazine (DKP) ring displays a (slightly distorted) boat conformation. The crystal packing employs two strong hydrogen bonds, which traverse the entire crystal via translational repeats. B3‐LYP/cc‐pVDZ calculations of the structure of the molecule predict a boat conformation for the DKP ring, in agreement with the experimentally determined X‐ray structure. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Isosteres of peptides: boron analogs as dipolar forms of α‐amino acids – a theoretical study

Modification of peptides to produce peptidomimetics is of great interest, with the aim of designing potent, selective, and metabolically stable analogs having certain conformational properties. Organoboranes have been reported in the literature with a wide range of therapeutic applications. One of the therapeutically important class of molecules is amine‐carboxyboranes derived from amino acids by replacement of the Cα atom of an amino acid/peptide by boron. The conformational preferences of these peptides, with respect to backbone ω, ?, and ψ torsion angles, have been investigated by theoretical calculations. The amide bond in these molecules has the same geometry in the ground and transition states as the natural peptides. However, the boron isosteres of glycine and alanine peptides are less structured than their natural derivatives, but are distinguished by structures with a positive value for the ? angle, which is normally disfavored for natural peptides. This property could be used to build peptides with a geometry not usually seen in natural peptides. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Surface‐enhanced Raman scattering on colloid gels originated from low molecular weight gelator

Surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) on silver and gold colloid gels formed by a low molecular weight organic gelator, bis‐(S‐phenylalanine) oxalyl amide, was obtained. Strong Raman signals dominate in the SERS spectra of hydrogels containing silver nanoparticles prepared by citrate and borohydride reduction methods, whereas broad bands of low intensity are detected in the spectra of gold colloid gels. Resemblance between Raman spectrum of the crystalline substance and the SERS spectra of the silver nanoparticle–hydrogel composites implies the electromagnetic nature of the signal enhancement. A change in Raman intensity of the benzene and amide II bands caused by an increase in temperature and concentration indicates that the gelling molecules are strongly attached through the benzene moieties to the metal nanoparticles while participating in gel formation by intermolecular hydrogen bonding between the adjacent oxalyl amide groups. Transmission electron microscopy reveals a dense gel structure in the close vicinity of the enhancing metal particles for both silver colloid gels. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Rapid and Inexpensive Method for the Spectroscopic Determination of Innate Immune Activity of Crocodilians

We have employed a spectroscopic assay based on the hemolysis of sheep red blood cells (SRBCs) to assess the immune system of the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis). The assay is based on the hemolytic disruption of the SRBCs by the immunological proteins in the crocodilian serum. Incubation of 1% SRBCs (v/v) with alligator serum resulted in hemolysis that was measured at 540 nm in a microtiter plate reader. The hemolysis was concentration‐, time‐, and temperature‐dependent. This assay is rapid, inexpensive, easy to perform, requires small sample volumes, and is useful for evaluating the humoral immune response of crocodilians.