Synthesis of antiproliferative Cephalotaxus esters and their evaluation against several human hematopoietic and solid tumor cell lines: uncovering differential susceptibilities to multidrug resistance

Deoxyharringtonine (2), homoharringtonine (3), homodeoxyharringtonine (4), and anhydroharringtonine (5) are reported to be among the most potent members of the antileukemia alkaloids isolated from the Cephalotaxus genus. Convergent syntheses of these four natural products are described, each involving novel synthetic methods and strategies. These syntheses enabled evaluation of several advanced natural and non-natural compounds against an array of human hematopoietic and solid tumor cells. Potent cytotoxicity was observed in several cell lines previously not challenged with these alkaloids. Variations in the structure of the ester chain within this family of alkaloids confer differing activity profiles against vincristine-resistant HL-60/RV+, signalling new avenues for molecular design of these natural products to combat multi-drug resistance.     

Dynamic Nuclear Polarization in the solid state: a transition between the cross effect and the solid effect

Proton Dynamic Nuclear Polarization (DNP) experiments were conducted on a 3.4 T homebuilt hybrid pulsed-EPR-NMR spectrometer, on static samples containing 10 mM or 40 mM TEMPOL in frozen glassy solutions of DMSO/water. During DNP experiments proton-NMR signals are enhanced with the help of microwave (MW) irradiation on or close to the Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) spectrum of the free radicals in the sample, transferring polarization from the free electrons to the nuclei. In the solid state a distinction is made between three DNP enhancement mechanisms: the Solid Effect (SE), the Cross Effect (CE) and Thermal Mixing (TM). In an effort to determine the dominant DNP mechanisms responsible for the enhancement of the nuclear signals, electron and nuclear spin-lattice relaxation rates, enhancement buildup times and microwave (MW) swept DNP spectra were measured as a function of temperature and MW irradiation strength. We observed lineshape variations of the DNP spectra that indicated changes in the relative contributions of SE-DNP and CE-DNP with temperature and MW power. Using a theoretical model describing the SE-DNP and CE-DNP the DNP spectra could be analyzed without involving the TM-DNP mechanism and the relative SE-DNP and CE-DNP contributions to the nuclear enhancement could be determined. From this analysis it follows that lowering the temperature beyond 20 K increases the SE-DNP and decreases the CE-DNP contributions. Possible explanations for this behavior are suggested.     

Interfacial tension of solid materials against dense carbon dioxide

In the Young equation, only two of the four unknowns are measurable. They are the liquid interfacial tension sigma lv and the contact angle theta. To solve this equation, another correlation is required. In solving this equation, a better understanding of the magnitude of the solid interfacial tension sigma sv and the solid-liquid interfacial tension sigma sl is expected. The possibility of a theoretical estimation of the contact angle theta is sought as an alternative to the experimental method. In this paper, an attempt to calculate the solid interfacial tension sigma sv is reported. It is based on the intermolecular interaction which is mathematically described in the parameter Phi sl according to Good. The calculated sigma sv values for PTFE, steel, and glass surrounded by dense carbon dioxide are verified by comparing those values obtained from aqueous and ethanolic systems. Furthermore, the solid interfacial tension sigma sv is also used to forecast the water drop contact angle theta. The calculated values are compared with the experimental measured ones.     

Densities against temperature of 17 organic liquids and of solid 2,2-dimethylpropane

Densities against temperature of liquids under their equilibrium vapor pressures are reported for three fluoromethanes, three aromatic hydrocarbons, four olefins, bicyclo[2,2,2]octane. 2-methyltetrahydrofuran, and {0.786(1,4-c-C₆H₈) + 0.214C₆H₆}. The volume change on melting 2,2-dimethylpropane at the triple-point temperature is 9.6 per cent. A density parameter for n-pentane by Das and coworkers (J. Chem. Eng. Data1977, 22, 3) has been corrected.     

Resonance raman effect of solid copper thiophosphate

The resonance Raman spectra of solid Cu₃PS₄ excited by seven lines of Ar⁺ and Kr⁺ lasers are reported. The excitation profiles of the Raman fundamentals and the first overtone of the totally symmetric vibration were obtained from the corrected intensity measurements. For some of these vibrations the maxima of the excitation profiles fell near the visible absorption peak. The anharmonicity constant for the totally symmetric mode is also computed.     

Anti-tumor immunostimulatory effect of heat-killed tumor cells

As a part of our ongoing search for a safe and efficient anti-tumor vaccine, we attempted to determine whether the molecular nature of certain tumor antigens would influence immune responses against tumor cells. As compared with freeze-thawed or formaldehyde-fixed tumor antigens, heat-denatured tumor antigens elicited profound anti-tumor immune responses and greatly inhibited the growth of live tumor cells. The heat-denatured tumor antigens induced a substantial increase in the anti-tumor CTL response in the absence of any adjuvant material. This response appears to be initiated by strong activation of the antigen-presenting cells, which may recognize heat-denatured protein antigens. Upon recognition of the heat-denatured tumor antigens, macrophages and dendritic cells were found to acutely upregulate the expression of co-stimulatory molecules such as B7.2, as well as the secretion of inflammatory cytokines such as IL-12 and TNF-alpha. The results of this study indicate that heat-denatured tumor extracts might elicit protective anti-tumor adaptive immune responses and also raise the possibility that a safe and efficient adjuvant-free tumor vaccine might be developed in conjunction with a dendritic cell-based tumor vaccine.     

N(4)-tolyl-2-benzoylpyridine-derived thiosemicarbazones and their palladium(II) and platinum(II) complexes: Cytotoxicity against human solid tumor cells

Complexes [Pt(2Bz4oT)Cl], [Pt(2Bz4mT)Cl], and [Pt(2Bz4pT)Cl] were prepared with N(4)-ortho-(H2Bz4oT), N(4)-meta-(H2Bz4mT), and N(4)-para-(H2Bz4pT) tolyl-2-benzoylpyridine-derived thiosemicarbazones. The thiosemicarbazones exhibited moderate anti-proliferative activity against HepG2 (hepatoma) and UACC-62 (melanoma) cancer cell lines, but showed high anti-proliferative effect against A431 (epithelial carcinoma) cancer cell lines. Upon coordination to platinum(II) the anti-proliferative activity decreases in all cases. The cytotoxicity of the previously prepared palladium(II) analogues [Pd(2Bz4oT)Cl], [Pd(2Bz4mT)Cl], and [Pd(2Bz4pT)Cl] was also investigated. As in the case of the platinum(II) complexes, coordination to palladium(II) did not lead to activity improvement. Investigations on the mechanism of cytotoxic action against A431 cells revealed that [Pd(2Bz4oT)Cl] induced DNA fragmentation and apoptosis while H2Bz4oT did not present this effect. The high anti-proliferative effect of the thiosemicarbazones and [Pd(2Bz4oT)Cl] against A431 cells, together with the pro-apoptotic effect of [Pd(2Bz4oT)Cl] suggests that these compounds have potential as chemotherapeutic drug candidates.     

Spatial confinement effect on the atomic structure of solid argon

Molecules confined in nanopores show unusual behavior not seen in bulk systems. The present paper reports on molecular dynamics simulations of unusual freezing behavior in confined Ar. Similar to bulk Ar, liquid Ar confined in pores with a diameter D>15sigma (5.1 nm), where sigma is the diameter of the Ar atom, crystallizes when the cooling rate is lower than a critical value (Qc). We also find that the spatial confinement does not have significant influence on Qc when D>15sigma (5.1 nm). In the pore of 10sigma (3.4 nm) in diameter, on the other hand, the behavior is dramatically changed. Crystalline Ar does not appear inside the pore even when the system is cooled at a rate lower than the Qc in the bulk system by over two orders of magnitude. Instead, amorphous Ar characterized by local icosahedral configurations is formed in the pore. We further find that, even when crystalline Ar is formed outside the pore, it does not grow deeply into the pore. This supports that the amorphous Ar is actually the most stable phase in the pore. It is well known that Ar is a poor glass former. Our finding that even such an amorphous Ar is the most stable in the pore suggests that, in any system, it is possible to prepare amorphous structure selectively by using nano-molds.     

Preliminary investigation of cytotoxic potential of 2-quinolone derivatives using in vitro and in vivo (solid tumor and liquid tumor) models of cancer

2-Quinolone analogs are powerful inhibitors of farnesyl transferase, and are a novel class of anticancer drugs. The present study focused on continual efforts to elucidate the anticancer activity of synthesized 2-quinolone derivatives without N-methyl or 3-aryl substitution. Three derivatives namely JST, JST2 and JST13 were synthesized in our lab and screened for in vitro and in vivo anticancer activities. Significant cytotoxicity was observed in MCF-7 cells treated with JST2 and JST13. Both the derivatives’ treatment showed damage to the DNA. In vivo studies for JST2 and JST13 were performed at two doses 100 and 200 mg/kg using Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (liquid) and Dalton lymphoma ascites (solid) models. Both derivatives showed a significant reduction in the tumor progression by increasing the mean life span and by improving the haematological profile and antioxidant status of the liver in a liquid tumor model. More prominent effect was observed in a solid tumor model by reduction in solid tumor weight and tumor volume.     

Protection of a protein against irradiation-induced degradation by additives in the solid state

The impact of ionizing radiation on a globular protein (porcine somatotropin, pST) in the solid state was studied using rate of dissolution, high-performance liquid chromatography, and Electron spin resonance (ESR) in the presence of different additives. o-Vanillin stabilized pST against irradiation-induced degradation whereas effects of trolox and isopropyl alcohol were less significant. Stabilization effect of o-vanillin has been related to the energy transfer from pST molecules to the additive which was facilitated by formation of covalent bonds between o-vanillin and pST molecules. Anticorrelation between the level of free radicals and chemical degradation (i.e. degradation increased with decrease in a free radical level) was observed in the presence of o-vanillin.     

Surface free energy of sulfur--revisited II. Samples solidified against different solid surfaces

The apparent surface free energy of yellow and orange samples of sulfur crystallized at the surface of gold, silicon, and Teflon and in air was evaluated from the advancing and receding contact angles of water. The samples were prepared by casting melted rhombic mineralogical specimen sulfur onto the surface of the above-noted solids. Yellow samples were obtained when just melted sulfur (ca. 120 degrees C) was cast onto the surfaces, and the orange ones, when the melted sulfur was heated longer to a higher temperature (ca. 160 degrees C) and then cast onto the surfaces. The obtained results show that the apparent surface free energy depends on which surface it crystallized. The greatest value is for the sample crystallized at the gold surface, which is 35% higher than that crystallized in air. Generally, the surface free energy of orange samples is slightly higher than that of yellow ones. It is believed that the differences in the energy result from changes in the packing and structural orientation of sulfur atoms on the surfaces.     

3D microgel with extensively adjustable stiffness and homogeneous microstructure for metastasis analysis of solid tumor

3D microgels with various mechanical properties have been important platforms tumor metastasis analysis, and widely adjustable stiffness is crucial for deeper researches. Herein, by mixing biodegradable polylactic acid (PLA) nanofibers in the modified alginate with different concentrations of Ca²⁺, we significantly enhance the stiffness range of microgels while retaining the pore size, which provides bionic microenvironment for tumor analysis. As a proof of concept, we simulated the mechanical characteristics of breast tumors by encapsulating cells in 3D microgels with diverse stiffness, and analyzed cellular behaviors of two typical breast cancer cell lines: MCF-7 and SUM-159. Results showed that with the addition of 2.0% (w/v) PLA short nanofibers, the Young's modulus of modified alginate increased more than three-fold. Besides preserving high survival and proliferation rates, both cells also displayed stronger migration ability in soft microgel spheres, where RT-qPCR analysis revealed the underlying changes at the genetic level. This systematic study demonstrated our method is powerful for creating widely adjustable 3D mechanical microenvironment, and the results of cellular behavior analysis shows its promising application prospects in tumorigenesis and progression.     

Ion trapping and its effect on the conductivity of LISICON and other solid electrolytes

Conductivity data for the lithium ion conducting solid electrolyte, LISICON, Li_2+2xZn_1?xGeO₄ over a particularly wide composition range, 0.15 < x < 0.85, and over the temperature range ～25 to 150°C show that both the activation energy and preexponential factor pass through maxima around x ～ 0.4 to 0.5, at which the preexponential factor exhibits anomalously high values, ～10¹³ ohm^?1 cm^?1 K. An explanation is offered which involves the trapping of mobile Li⁺ ions by the immobile sublattice at lower temperatures. This model also accounts for ageing effects observed at lower temperatures in which the conductivity decreases slowly with time. In the isostructural Li⁺ electrolytes, Li_3+xSi_xY_1?xO₄ (Y = P, As, V), the compositional dependence of both the preexponential factor and activation energy is less marked and no evidence for ion trapping effects is observed.