The Enantiomer Separations of Allethrone and Propargyllone Using Two Long Chain Acylated β-Cyclodextrin Derivatives as CGC Capillary Stationary Phases

Using two β-cyclodextrin derivatives (CDs) with long chain of acyl groups as chiral stationary phases (CSPs) of capillary gas chromatography (CGC), the enantiomers of racemic allethrone and propargyllone were well resolved after derived with acetyl chloride. The enantiomer excess values (e.e.%) of 1S-allethrone and 1S-propargyllone were also determined successfully using these CDs.     

Study of inclusion complex formation between a cationic surfactant, two cyclodextrins and a drug

In this study inclusion of hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (HTAB) with α-, and β-cyclodextrin (CD) in the presence and the absence of bromhexine (BH) was investigated using ion-selective electrode method. The association constants of HTAB with CDs were determined by potentiometry and were close to literature values. The obtained results indicated that α-CD formed 1:1 and 1:2 inclusion complexes, but β-CD formed only a 1:1 inclusion complex. In the presence of drug, the interaction between CDs and HTAB decreased, because both drug and HTAB could interact with CDs. The results showed that the interaction between drug and CDs are greater than HTAB and CDs. The stoichiometry of the inclusion complexes, the critical aggregation concentration (CAC), the monomer surfactant concentration of HTAB, [HTAB]_f, and also the effect of the inclusion complex on the micellization process of the HTAB were determined by conductivity measurements.     

Supramolecular Control of Ester Hydrolysis in Poly(ethylene glycol)‐Interlocked Hydrogels

Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)‐interlocked hydrogels were prepared by linking the PEG with α‐cyclodextrins (α‐CDs) threaded onto a PEG chain having ester linkages at the terminals (hydrolyzable polyrotaxane). These hydrogels were examined to clarify the effect of ionic strength of phosphate buffers, pH, and the addition of ethanol on erosion time in relation to inclusion states of α‐CDs with the ester linkages. The most characteristic phenomenon of the hydrogel erosion was observed in an ethanol/PBS cosolvent system: the time to reach the complete erosion time was shortened with decreasing water content. NMR analysis revealed that the ester linkages were exposed to the aqueous environment due to the aggregation of α‐CDs. These results suggest that the movement of α‐CDs in the polyrotaxanes from the terminal ester region to the another region gives the ester linkages a chance to interact with water.

     

CdS纳米晶@碳点复合物膜的电致化学发光

采用热解柠檬酸法制备碳点(CDs),并将之与表面无包裹剂的CdS纳米晶(CdS NCs)超声复合制备CdS纳米晶@碳点(CdS NCs@CDs)复合物。研究了复合物膜阴极电致化学发光(ECL),探讨了CDs对CdS纳米晶膜ECL增强的机理。CDs分散性良好、尺寸在1.5~4 nm之间;与粒径约为4 nm的CdS纳米晶按体积比2∶3复合后,在360 nm光激发下复合物具有最强的荧光发射且表现为CDs的荧光。同时,复合物膜产生归属于激发态CdS纳米晶的最强的ECL发射,且ECL发光峰起置电势正移至-1.05 V。复合物膜的ECL发射是pH依赖的,在pH值为6时,复合物膜具有最大的ECL强度,为CdS纳米晶膜ECL强度的19倍。这种ECL增强源于CDs能束缚大量电子产生局域电场从而促进近邻CdS纳米晶激发态的形成与弛豫。     

An artificial molecular chaperone: poly-pseudo-rotaxane with an extensible axle

Poly-pseudo-rotaxanes CDs contains as a subset 1 (CDs; cyclodextrins, 1; poly(delta-valerolactone) having single beta-CD at the end of the polymer chain) initiate polymerization of delta-valerolactone (delta-VL) in the solid state when CDs (alpha-CD, beta-CD, and 2,6-di-O-methyl-beta-CD) are threaded onto the polymer chain. 1 without threaded CDs did not show any polymerization ability for delta-VL. An adamantane molecule (Ad) inhibited the polymerization ability of CDs contains as a subset 1 for delta-VL, indicating that beta-CD at the end of CDs contains as a subset 1 could not bind delta-VL because the beta-CD cavity was occupied by Ad. It should be noted that the insertion reaction and the polymerization took place inside the beta-CD cavity at the end of CDs contains as a subset 1 and that the formation of poly-pseudo-rotaxane is necessary for the initiation of delta-VL. The structures of beta-CD contains as a subset 1 and 1 were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction measurements and solid-state NMR spectroscopies. The polymer chain of beta-CD contains as a subset 1 was found to elongate in the solid state, whereas the polymer chain of 1 formed a random coil conformation. 1 was deactivated for the polymerization by blocking the active cavity of beta-CD with the polymer chain. CDs threaded onto 1 are immune to the initiation of delta-VL directly but have an essential role to fold the polymer chain in a proper way as an artificial chaperone.     

Encapsulation of alkylparabens with natural and modified α- and β-cyclodextrins

The inclusion complexation between methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben with α-CD, β-CD, hydroxypropyl α-cyclodextrin and hydroxypropyl β-cyclodextrin were carried out by UV–Vis, steady state and time-resolved fluorescence, FT-IR, ¹H NMR techniques and semi-empirical method (PM3). The drug molecules are all given one emission maximum in water where as dual emission in all the CDs. CDs study revealed that the paraben molecules were formed 1:1 inclusion complex. The aliphatic side chain is present in the hydrophilic part whereas hydroxyl group is present in the hydrophobic part of the CD cavity. Nanosecond time-resolved studies indicated that paraben exhibited biexponential decay in water whereas triexponential decay in CDs solution. The complexation energy, thermodynamic parameters and HOMO–LUMO energy structure were calculated using quantum chemical calculation.     

Pheophytin Derived Near‐Infrared‐Light Responsive Carbon Dot Assembly as a New Phototheranotic Agent for Bioimaging and Photodynamic Therapy

Carbon dots (CDs), a kind of phototheranostic agent with the capability of simultaneous bioimaging and phototherapy [i.e., photodynamic therapy (PDT) or photothermal therapy (PTT)], have received considerable attention because of their remarkable properties, including flexibility for surface modification, high biocompatibility, low toxicity and photo‐induced activity for malignant tumor cells. Among numerous carbon sources, it has been found that natural biomass are good candidates for the preparation of CD phototheranostic agents. In this study, pheophytin, a type of Mg‐free chlorophyll derivative and also a natural product with low toxicity, was used as a raw carbon source for the synthesis of CDs by using a microwave method. The obtained hydrophobic CDs exhibited a maximum near‐infrared (NIR) emission peak at approximately 680 nm, and high singlet oxygen (¹O₂) generation with a quantum yield of 0.62. The self‐assembled CDs from the as‐prepared CDs with DSPE‐mPEG2000 retained efficient ¹O₂ generation. The obtained carbon dot assembly was not only an efficient fluorescence (FL) imaging agent but also a smart PDT agent. Our studies indicated that the obtained hydrophilic CD assembly holds great potential as a new phototheranostic agent for cancer therapy. This work provides a new route for synthesis of CDs and proposes a readily available candidate for tumor treatment.     

Separation of enantiomers of norephedrine by capillary electrophoresis using cyclodextrins as chiral selectors: comparative CE and NMR studies

In this study, the enantiomer migration order (EMO) of norephedrine (NEP) in the presence of various CDs was investigated by CE. NMR and CE techniques were used to analyze the mechanism of the chiral recognition between NEP enantiomers and four CDs, i.e., native α-CD, β-CD, heptakis(2,3-di-O-acetyl-6-O-sulfo)-β-CD (HDAS-β-CD), and heptakis(2,3-di-O-methyl-6-O-sulfo)-β-CD (HDMS-β-CD). EMO was reversed in the presence of α-CD and β-CD, although only minor differences in the structures of the complexes formed between NEP and these CDs could be derived from rotating frame nuclear Overhauser experiments (ROESY). The complexes between the enantiomers of NEP and the sulfated CDs, HDMS-β-CD, and HDAS-β-CD, were substantially different. However, EMO of NEP was identical in the presence of these CDs. HDAS-β-CD proved to be the most suitable chiral selector for the CE enantioseparation of NEP.     

Use of water spin-spin relaxation rate to probe the solvation of cyclodextrins in aqueous solutions

1H spin-spin relaxation rate constant, R2, of water was measured by using the Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill sequence in aqueous solutions of native cyclodextrins (alpha, beta, and gamma-CD) and chemically modified CDs in order to probe the structuring of the water surrounding these cyclic carbohydrate molecules. R2 values for water in solutions containing glucose and dextran were also measured for comparison. A two-site model for bonded and free water molecules was used to fit the results for the dependence of R2 on the solute concentrations. The order of relaxation rates for water in aqueous solution at a fixed specific hydroxyl group concentration is glucose>dextran congruent with CDs. No significant difference was observed for R2 of water in solutions containing native CDs, which indicates that the size and nature of the cavity has a small effect on the spin-spin relaxation times of water. The lower relaxation rate for water in CD solutions was attributed to the intramolecular hydrogen bonding formed between the secondary hydroxyl groups that line the rim of the CDs. For comparison, the relaxation rates for water in solutions of two chemically modified CDs were also studied.     

Study on inclusion interaction of piroxicam with beta-cyclodextrin derivatives

The inclusion behavior of piroxicam (PX) with beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD), hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin (HP-beta-CD), and carboxymethyl-beta-cyclodextrin (CM-beta-CD) was investigated by using steady-state fluorescence and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technique. The various factors affecting the inclusion process were examined in detail. The remarkable fluorescence emission enhancement upon addition of CDs suggested that cyclodextrins (CDs) were most suitable for inclusion of the uncharged species of PX. The stoichiometry of the PX-CDs inclusion complexes was 1:1, except for beta-CD where a 1:2 inclusion complex was formed. The formation constants showed the strongest inclusion capacity of beta-CD. NMR showed the inclusion mode of PX with CDs.     

荧光碳点的合成及对酿酒酵母的毒性研究

以葡萄糖为碳源采用溶剂热法合成了荧光碳点。紫外吸收光谱、荧光光谱以及透射电镜照片表明,所合成的荧光碳点发光性能优异,分散性好,且无团聚现象。荧光碳点原溶液出现浓度淬灭现象,稀释60倍情况下荧光最强。以酿酒酵母为模型生物,考察了不同生长时期(调整期、对数期早期、对数期中期)的酿酒酵母与不同浓度的荧光碳点共培养后的生长曲线。结果表明,即使荧光碳点浓度在27.75 mmol.L-1条件下也没有影响酵母菌的生长曲线,可认为基本没有细胞毒性。比较了相同荧光强度下的荧光碳点与CdTe量子点对酿酒酵母的细胞毒性,结果表明荧光碳点的毒性显著低于量子点的毒性。     

Novel Anti‐Microbial Host‐Guest Complexes Based on Cationic β‐Cyclodextrin Polymers and Triclosan/Butylparaben

The preparation of novel cationic β‐cyclodextrin polymers (CPβCDs) and its complexes with butylparaben and triclosan were reported in this paper. FT‐IR and two‐dimensional (2D) ¹H–¹H gradient correlated spectroscopy (gCOSY) NMR spectra confirmed that the antibiotics could be included inside the lipophilic cavities of CPβCDs. The water solubility of the antibiotics was improved significantly after inclusion with CPβCDs. The results also suggest that it was easier for butylparaben, which had relatively small molecular size, to form the complexes with CPβCDs than triclosan. Due to the targeting effect after the inclusion with cationic CPβCDs, the anti‐microbial activity of butylparaben was also enhanced substantially. However, similar improvement was not obvious for triclosan.

     

Enantioseparation of chiral allenic acids by micellar electrokinetic chromatography with cyclodextrins as chiral selector

Enantioseparation of chiral aryl allenic acids by micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) with cyclodextrins (CDs) as chiral selectors was described. The screen of chiral selectors (beta-CD, gamma-CD, and hydroxypropyl (HP)-gamma-CD) showed that the enantioseparation was not only dependent on the type of CD but also the presence of 2-propanol in the buffer. In order to optimize the operational parameters, the effect of the concentration of CDs, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), and 2-propanol, as well as the buffer ionic strength and pH on enantioseparation were studied. It was proved that the concentration of CDs, 2-propanol, and the buffer ionic strength were the critical parameters. Under optimal conditions, baseline separations of all seven allenic acid enantiomers were achieved. Furthermore, the method validation in terms of repeatability, linearity, limit of detection (LOD), and limit of quantitation (LOQ) were performed. Using the present method, the optical purity of a nonracemic sample with the enantiomeric excess (e.e.%) value of 99.65% was determined.     

Influence of the presence of methyl cyclodextrins in high-performance liquid chromatography mobile phases on the separation of beta-carboline alkaloids

The presence of cyclodextrins (CDs) in the mobile phase alters the chromatographic equilibria and induces a secondary chemical equilibrium associated to the chromatographic separation by HPLC. In this study the influence of the presence of CDs in the mobile phase as chemically modified beta-CDs, i.e. 2,3-di-O-methyl-beta-cyclodextrin (DMbeta-CD) and 2,3,6-tri-O-methyl-beta-cyclodextrin (TMbeta-CD) on the separation of the alkaloids norharmane, harmane and harmine is described. These beta-carboline alkaloids are chemically and structurally related and their quantitation by RP-HPLC is of interest due to their biological and pharmacological properties. Two stationary phases (methyl-, C(1) and octadecyl-, C(18)) were employed, with methanol:buffered aqueous solution and ethanol:buffered aqueous solution as mobile phases. The role of tert-butyl alcohol as a mobile phase modifier and also as an inclusion complex stabiliser was also considered. The concentrations of DMbeta-CD and TMbeta-CD vary from 0 to 17 mM. The presence of increasing amounts of CDs in the mobile phase reduces the retention factor. The changes observed in the retention factor allow the determination of the alkaloid/CD apparent association constants, whose magnitude is influenced by the chemical and structural properties of the guest molecules but also by the composition of the mobile phase. Assuming a 1:1 stoichiometry for the inclusion complexes, the apparent association constants obtained were higher for norharmane and for both DMbeta-CD and TMbeta-CD. The strength of the complexes is higher for DMbeta-CD than for TMbeta-CD and this behaviour can be explained considering the steric problems associated to the permethylated-beta-CDs. Besides significant differences in the magnitude of the apparent association constants were observed for the two stationary phases employed and thus can be related to the adsorption of CDs on the stationary phase. A significant reduction in the proportion of organic solvent in the mobile phase (50%) without a decrease in the selectivity or resolution of the separation is a favourable consequence of the presence of the CDs in the mobile phase.     

Milk-Derived Carbon Quantum Dots: Study of Biological and Chemical Properties Provides Evidence of Toxicity

Carbon dots (CDs) are carbon-based zero-dimensional nanomaterials that can be prepared from a number of organic precursors. In this research, they are prepared using fat-free UHT cow milk through the hydrothermal method. FTIR analysis shows C=O and C-H bond presence, as well as nitrogen-based bond like C-N, C=N and –NH₂ presence in CDs, while the absorption spectra show the absorption band at 280 ± 3 nm. Next, the Biuret test was performed, with the results showing no presence of unreacted proteins in CDs. It can be said that all proteins are converted in CDs. Photo luminance spectra shows the emission of CDs is 420 nm and a toxicity study of CDs was performed. The Presto Blue method was used to test the toxicity of CDs for murine hippocampal cells. CDs at a concentration of 4 mg/mL were hazardous independent of synthesis time, while the toxicity was higher for lower synthesis times of 1 and 2 h. When the concentration is reduced in 1 and 2 h synthesized CDs, the cytotoxic effect also decreases significantly, ensuring a survival rate of 60–80%. However, when the synthesis time of CDs is increased, the cytotoxic effect decreases to a lesser extent. The CDs with the highest synthesis time of 8 h do not show a cytotoxic effect above 60%. The cytotoxicity study shows that CDs may have a concentration and time–dependent cytotoxic effect, reducing the number of viable cells by 40%.     

Toxicity and bio-distribution of carbon dots after single inhalation exposure in vivo

CDs caused the injury in the lung and liver after single inhalation exposure at 5 mg/kg dosages in mice.     

Properties and the inclusion behavior of 6-O-alpha-D-galactosyl- and 6-O-alpha-D-mannosyl-cyclodextrins

The novel heterogeneous branched cyclodextrins (CDs), 6-O-alpha-D- galactosyl-alpha, -beta, and -gamma CDs (Gal-alpha, -beta, and -gamma CDs) and 6-O-alpha-D-mannosyl-alpha, -beta, and -gamma CDs (Man-alpha, -beta, and -gamma CDs) dissolved sufficiently in water and in 10-50% (v/v) methanol aqueous solutions, as did the homogeneous branched CDs, 6-O-alpha-D-glucosyl-alpha, -beta, and -gamma CDs (Glc-alpha, -beta, and -gamma CDs). The solubilities of heterogeneous branched CDs were higher than those of each parent non-branched CDs. The hemolytic activities of heterogeneous and homogeneous branched CDs were lower than those of each parent non-branched CDs and the hemolytic activity became weaker in the order of non-branched CD > Man-CD > Glc-CD > Gal-CD in each series of alpha, beta, and gamma CD. AL type solubility-phase diagrams were displayed in the formation of inclusion complexes of the guest compounds of small size (methyl benzoate, estriol, and dexamethasone) with Gal-, Man-, and Glc-CDs, and marked differences among the three kinds of branched CDs could not be detected. However, solubility-phase diagrams between these branched CDs and the insoluble guest compounds of large cyclic structure (cyclosporin A, tacrolimus, and amphotericin B) showed AP type, and the improvement of water solubilities of these guest compounds with three kinds of branched CDs was enhanced in the order of Man-CDs > Glc-CDs > Gal-CDs.     

Enantiomer separation of drugs by capillary electrophoresis using mixtures of beta-cyclodextrin sulfate and neutral cyclodextrins

Direct separation of enantiomers of drugs was investigated by capillary electrophoresis employing mixtures of charged cyclodextrin derivatives (CDs) and electrically neutral CDs (i.e., dual CD system). Among various charged CDs employed, it was found that beta-CD sulfate showed relatively wide enantioselectivity for a wide variety of drugs under acidic conditions. Then separation of enantiomers was performed by employing beta-CD sulfate and the effect of the addition of electrically neutral CDs to the buffers containing beta-CD sulfate was investigated. Through the addition of electrically neutral CDs to the buffers containing the charged CD, resolution of most of the enantiomers was improved, compared with those with the charged CD alone. It was also found that the ring size (alpha, beta, gamma,), the substitution groups and the concentration of the additional electrically neutral CDs affected the enantioselectivity. For example, alpha-CD addition was effective for the separation of enantiomers of chlorpheniramine and hydroxypropyl-beta-CD was effective for the enantiomer separation of trimetoquinol isomer. The application of the method in optical purity testing is also briefly mentioned.     

Chiral separation of N-imidazole derivatives, aromatase inhibitors, by cyclodextrin-capillary zone electrophoresis. Mechanism of enantioselective recognition

Baseline separation of ten new, substituted [1-(imidazo-1-yl)-1-phenylmethyl)] benzothiazolinone and benzoxazolinone derivatives with one chiral center was achieved using cyclodextrin-capillary zone electrophoresis (CD-CZE). A method for the enantiomeric resolution of these compounds was developed using neutral CDs (native alpha-, beta-, gamma-CDs or alpha-, beta-, gamma-hydroxypropyl (HP)-CDs) as chiral selectors. Operational parameters including the nature and concentration of the chiral selectors, pH, ionic strength, organic modifiers, temperature, and applied voltage were investigated. The use of neutral CDs provides enantiomeric resolution by inclusion of compounds in the CD cavity. The HP-alpha-CD and HP-beta-CD were found to be the most effective complexing agents and allowed efficient enantiomeric resolutions. Optimal separation of N-imidazole derivatives was obtained using 50 mM phosphate buffer at pH 2.5 containing either HP-alpha-CD or HP-beta-CD (7.5-12.5 mM) at 25 degrees C, with an applied field of 0.50 kV.cm(-1) giving resolution factors Rs superior to 1.70 with migration times of the second enantiomer less than 13 min. The same enantiomer migration order observed for all molecules can be related to a close interaction mechanism with CDs. The influence of structural features of the solutes on Rs and tm was studied. The lipophilic character (log kw) of the solutes and the apparent and averaged association constants of inclusion complexes for four compounds with the six different CDs led us to rationalize the enantioseparation mechanisms. The conclusions were corroborated with reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) on chiral stationary phases (CSPs) based on CDs.     

由蚕砂制备的碳量子点在不同激发、pH、金属离子、温度及极性环境下的荧光性质研究

碳量子点作为一种新兴的荧光纳米材料,具有粒径分布均匀、光稳定性好、激发-发射波长可调控、表面可修饰等优良的性质,兼具低毒性、生物相容性好等优点,在分析检测和生物成像等领域展现出广阔的应用前景。而蚕砂是家蚕的干燥粪便,简单易得。利用蚕砂作为碳量子点制备原料,采用微波合成的方法制备得到了一种平均水合粒径为4.86 nm,含氮、硫修饰的碳量子点材料,可作为针对激发波长、pH、金属离子浓度、温度及溶剂极性的变化有着显著响应特性的碳量子点型荧光探针。该探针的荧光最大发射波长随激发波长或pH的增加而红移;荧光强度随温度或pH的降低而增加;随着金属离子,特别是铜离子的加入而逐渐降低,并随着EDTA络离子的加入而逐渐回复。在多种溶剂中该探针均具有较好的溶解度,当换用不同极性的溶剂时,随着溶剂极性的增加荧光发射波长逐渐红移。荧光性质随多重环境参数变化为该碳量子点在未来的生物检测和成像领域提供了广阔的应用前景。