Quantitative analysis of Gd@C<Subscript>82</Subscript>(OH)<Subscript>22</Subscript> and cisplatin uptake in single cells by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

Cisplatin is a commonly used chemotherapeutic drug in cancer treatment, whereas Gd@C₈₂(OH)₂₂ is a new nanomaterial anti-tumor agent. In this study, we determined intracellular Gd@C₈₂(OH)₂₂ and cisplatin after treatment of Hela and 16HBE cells by single cell inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (SC-ICP-MS), which could provide quantitative information at a single-cell level. The cell digestion method validated the accuracy of the SC-ICP-MS. The concentrations of Gd@C₈₂(OH)₂₂ and cisplatin in cells at different exposure times and doses were studied. The SC-ICP-MS is a promising complement to available methods for single cell analysis and is anticipated to be applied further to biomedical research.

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Graphical Abstract The quantitative results of Gd@C₈₂(OH)₂₂ in single cells determined by SC-ICP-MS and acid digestion method, respectively

     

Quantum-chemical modeling of endohedral derivatives of buckminsterfullerenes Gd@C<Subscript>60</Subscript>(CHR)<Subscript>2</Subscript> and Gd@C<Subscript>80</Subscript>(CHR)<Subscript>2</Subscript>

The structural energies of the endohedral derivatives of buckminsterfullerenes Gd@C₆₀(CHR)₂ and Gd@C₈₀(CHR)₂ were calculated by quantum-chemical methods – semiempirical PM3 and nonempirical RHF SCF MO LCAO with the S. Huzinaga MINI minimum basis set and GAMESS software.     

Synthesis and in vivo study of metallofullerene based MRI contrast agent

Gd@C₈₂(OH)₄₀ has been developed as a new generation of MRI contrast agent. But recently, it was found that Gd@C₈₂(OH) _x with a larger number of OH (x>36) would lead to cage break and hence, release of highly toxic Gd ions. We synthesized the more stable Gd@C₈₂(OH) _x with less OH-number, Gd@C₈₂(OH)₁₆, and studied its proton relaxivity and MRI images. The results indicate that Gd@C₈₂(OH)₁₆ also gives high proton relaxivity, even higher than that of (NMG)₂-Gd-DTPA. The bio-distribution indicated that Gd@C₈₂(OH)₁₆ tends to be entrapped in the liver and kidney and remained in tissue for about 2 hours. The results suggest that the more stable metallofullerene derivative Gd@C₈₂(OH)₁₆ can be the potential candidate of the new MRI contrast agent.     

Voltammetric Behavior of Water‐Soluble Endohedral Metallofullerene Derivatives

Voltammetric behavior of water‐soluble endohedral metallofullerene derivatives Gd@C₈₂(OH)₅(NHCH₂COOH)₉ (GN) and Gd@C₈₂(OH)₆(NHCH₂CH₂SO₃H)₈ (GS) was characterized in 0.1 M KCl solution by CV and DPV. They showed similar redox behavior, that is, a reversible electroreduction process on HMDE was found; in the mean time, an irreversible oxidation process and an irreversible reduction process on GC electrodes were also observed. The results reveal that these two water‐soluble endohedral metallofullerene derivatives have good electron donating ability and poor electron accepting ability due to hydroxy groups, aminoacetic acid and aminoethyl sulfonic acid connected to the C₈₂ cage in comparison with Gd@C₈₂.     

Rapid analysis technique for strontium,thorium, and uranium in urine samples

The electronic properties of the metal atoms encaged in a fullerence cage were investigated using synchrotron X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Systematic variations in photoemission of valence band of Gd@C₈₂, Gd@C₈₂(OH)₁₂, and Gd@C₈₂(OH)₂₂ were observed in Gd 5p levels. The results suggest that the electronic properties of the inner metal atom can be efficiently modulated by surface chemistry of the fullerene cage.     

Synthesis of pyrrolidine ring-fused metallofullerene derivatives

The azomethine ylide generated from the reaction of sarconsine and formaldehyde adds to Gd@C₈₂ to give the mono- through octo-adducts, while the direct interaction of sarcosine with Gd@C₈₂ yields only the mono-adduct, which is characterized by HPLC, MALDI-TOF MS, UV-Vis-NIR and FT-IR. The reaction mechanism for this reaction is proposed to be a 1,3-dipolar addition.     

Electrochemical properties of Gd@C82 and its anions

Cyclic voltammogram (CV) and differential pulse voltammogram (DPV) of Gd@C₈₂ were measured by using mixed solvent system and low temperature. The sixth and seventh electron transfers for Gd@C₈₂ were observed under this condition. Analysis of its electrochemical data and the changes of its UV–VIS–NIR spectrum indicated that Gd@C₈₂(n−) (n=1,3) anions had been generated by chemical method.     

Metallofullerenol Inhibits Cellular Iron Uptake by Inducing Transferrin Tetramerization

Herein, A549 tumor cell proliferation was confirmed to be positively dependent on the concentration of Fe³⁺ or transferrin (Tf). Gd@C₈₂(OH)₂₂ or C₆₀(OH)₂₂ effectively inhibited the iron uptake and the subsequent proliferation of A549 cells. The conformational changes of Tf mixed with FeCl₃, GdCl₃, C₆₀(OH)₂₂ or Gd@C₈₂(OH)₂₂ were obtained by SAXS. The results demonstrate that Tf homodimers can be decomposed into monomers in the presence of FeCl₃, GdCl₃ or C₆₀(OH)₂₂, but associated into tetramers in the presence of Gd@C₈₂(OH)₂₂. The larger change of SAXS shapes between Tf+C₆₀(OH)₂₂ and Tf+FeCl₃ implies that C₆₀(OH)₂₂ is bound to Tf, blocking the iron‐binding site. The larger deviation of the SAXS shape from a possible crystal structure of Tf tetramer implies that Gd@C₈₂(OH)₂₂ is bound to the Tf tetramer, thus disturbing iron transport. This study well explains the inhibition mechanism of Gd@C₈₂(OH)₂₂ and C₆₀(OH)₂₂ on the iron uptake and the proliferation of A549 tumor cells and highlights the specific interactions of a nanomedicine with the target biomolecules in cancer therapy.     

Visible and near-IR spectroscopy of endohedral Gd@C82(C 2v ) and Ho@C82(C 2v ) metallofullerenes and their monoanions

Solutions of endohedral Gd@C₈₂(C _2v ) and Ho@C₈₂(C _2v ) metallofullerenes are studied by means of visible and near-IR spectroscopy upon their conversion from neutral to the anionic form via a redox reaction with the electron donor potassium perchlorotriphenylmethide K(18-crown-6)[C(C₆Cl₅)₃]. The concentrations of the studied solutions of endohedral Gd@C₈₂(C _2v ) and Ho@C₈₂(C _2v ) metallofullerenes in o-dichlorobenzene were determined from the spectroscopic data, and their molar extinction coefficients are calculated.

     

Kinetics and reaction mechanism of phenol hydroxylation catalyzed by La-Cu<Subscript>4</Subscript>FeAlCO<Subscript>3</Subscript>

The present work synthesizes La-Cu₄FeAICO₃ catalyst under microwave irradiation and characterizes its structure using XRD and IR techniques. The results show that the obtained La-Cu₄FeAICO₃ has a hydrotalcite structure. In the phenol hydroxylation with H₂O₂ catalyzed by La-Cu₄FeAICO₃, the effects of reaction time and phenol/H₂O₂ molar ratio on the phenol hydroxylation, and relationships between the initial hydroxylation rate with concentration of the catalyst, phenol, H₂O₂ and reaction temperature are also investigated in details. It is shown the phenol conversion can reach 50.09% (mol percent) in the phenol hydroxylation catalyzed by La-Cu₄FeAICO₃, under the reaction conditions of the molar ratio of phenol/H₂O₂1/2, the amount ratio of phenol/catalyst 20, reaction temperature 343 K, reaction time 120 min, 10 ml_ distilled water as solvent. Moreover, a kinetic equation of v = k[La-Cu₄FeAlCO₃][C₆H₅OH][H₂O₂]. and the activation energy of E _a=58.37 kJ/mol are obtained according to the kinetic studies. Due to the fact that the HO-Cu⁺-OH species are detected in La-Cu₄FeAICO₃/H₂O₂ system by XPS, the new mechanism about the generation of hydroxyl free radicals in the phenol hydroxylation is proposed, which is supposed that HO-Cu⁺-OH species are transition state in this reaction.     

Anodic processes occurring upon V<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>5</Subscript> electrodeposition

Kinetics of the anodic processes occurring upon V₂O₅ electrodeposition from VOSO₄ solutions containing Na⁺ ions was studied by the method of polarization curves. The mechanism of their formation was suggested, based on the analysis of the morphology of the deposit surface.     

Size‐Selective Complexation and Extraction of Endohedral Metallofullerenes with Cycloparaphenylene

A new strategy for the non‐chromatographic extraction of metallofullerenes from solutions of arc‐processed raw soot is based on the size‐selective complexation with cycloparaphenylene (CPP). [11]CPP has a high affinity for M_x@C₈₂ (x=1, 2); for example, Gd@C₈₂ can be selectively extracted from a fullerene mixture by the addition of [11]CPP. This approach should open new opportunities in metallofullerene chemistry, including for the bulk extraction of metallofullerenes.     

Theoretical and Quantitative Structural Relationship Studies of Electrochemical Properties of the Nanostructures of Cis-Unsaturated Thiocrown Ethers and Their Supramolecular Complexes [X-UT-Y][M@C82] (M˭Ce,Gd)

The endohedral lanthanidofullerenes, an important type of organolanthanides, are stabilized by the delocalization of the negative charges on the cages of fullerenes. Since the discovery of these classes of carbon compounds and their unusual structures and properties of these molecules, many potential applications have been suggested. Unsaturated thiocrown ethers with cis-geometry are a group of crown ethers that, in light of the size of their cavities and their conformational restriction compared to a corresponding saturated system (1–9), demonstrate interesting properties for physicochemical studies. Endohedral lanthanidofullerenes M@C_x (x = 82 and M = Ce, Gd) were introduced as a new class of the spherical fullerene group with unique properties. Formation of endohedral metallofullerenes is thought to involve the transfer of electrons from the encapsulated metal atom(s) to the surrounding fullerene cage. Two of these molecules are the Ce@C₈₂ (10) and Gd@C₈₂ (11). The supramolecular complexes of 1–9 with Ce@C₈₂ (10) and Gd@C₈₂ (11) have been shown to possess a host–guest interaction for electron transfer processes, and these behaviors have previously been reported. Topological indices have been successfully used to construct effective and useful mathematical methods for finding good relationships between structural data and the various chemical and physical properties. To establish a good structural relationship between the structures of 1–9 and M@C_x that were introduced here, an index that is represented as μ_cs was utilized. This index is the ratio of summation of the number of carbon atoms (n_c ) and the number of sulfur atoms (n_s ) to the product of these two numbers for 1–9. In this study, the relationship between this index and oxidation potential ( ^oxE₁ ) of 1–9, as well as the free energy of electron transfer (ΔG_et , by the Rehm-Weller equation) between 1–9 and 10 and 11 as [X-UT-Y][Ce@C₈₂] (12) and [X-UT-Y][Gd@C₈₂] (13) complexes, is presented.

Supplemental materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of Phosphorus, Sulfur, and Silicon and the Related Elements to view the free supplemental file.     

Reaction of perfluorobenzocycloalkenes with SiO<Subscript>2</Subscript>-SbF<Subscript>5</Subscript> and skeleton transformations of their carbonyl derivatives in SbF<Subscript>5</Subscript> medium

The reaction of perfluorinated benzocyclobutene and tetraline with SiO₂-SbF₅ led to the formation in a high yield of their mono- and further dicarbonyl derivatives. The monocarbonyl derivatives on heating with SbF₅ underwent disproportionation into the corresponding perfluorobenzocycloalkenes and diketones. Both mono- and diketones in the SbF₅ medium are liable to suffer skeleton rearrangements yielding five- and six-membered oxygen-containing heterocycles and/or products of the opening of the alicyclic fragment of the substrate, and from the perfluorobenzocyclobutenone compounds were also obtained with a number of carbon atoms greater than that of the initial ketone.     

Thermodynamic properties of silicate glasses and melts: VI. System SrO-B<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript>-SiO<Subscript>2</Subscript>

For the melts of the system SrO-B₂O₃-SiO₂ the processes of vaporization were studied by the method of high-temperature mass-spectrometry and the values of activities of components and their Gibbs energies of formation, and also corresponding excess functions were determined. Negative deviations from ideal behavior are observed in the melts of the studied system at 1720 and 1800 K.     

Mechanism and kinetics of formation of La<Subscript>2</Subscript>SrFe<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>7</Subscript> and Nb<Subscript>2</Subscript>SrFe<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>7</Subscript>

Phase formation processes in the systems Ln₂O₃-SrO-Fe₂O₃ (Ln = La, Nd) in air in the temperature range 1200–1500°C were studied. The synthesis of the complex ferrites La₂SrFe₂O₇ and Nb₂SrFe₂O₇ involves the formation of the intermediate compounds LnFeO₃ and LnSrFeO₄ and occurs by the same mechanism as the synthesis of the corresponding aluminates, but much faster.     

Effect of cerium dioxide on the properties of monolithic CuO-ZnO-CeO<Subscript>2</Subscript>/Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript>/cordierite catalysts in methanol decomposition

Cerium dioxide as a component of CuO-ZnO-CeO₂/Al₂O₃/cordierite catalysts stabilizes their action in the decomposition of methanol by preventing carbon deposition on the surface and facilitating hydrogen formation with selectivity and yield in the range 85–96%. The optimal indices for this reaction are obtained for a CeO₂-CuO/Al₂O₃/cordierite sample prepared using an ammonium precursor for cerium, (NH₄)₂Ce(NO₃)₆. This catalyst displays enhanced reductive capacity relative to the analogous CeO₂-CuO composition prepared using Ce(NO₃)₃·6H₂O.     

Direct hydroxylation of benzene to phenol by supported vanadium substitution polyoxometalates using H<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>2</Subscript> as oxidant

A practical method for the direct hydroxylation of benzene to phenol catalyzed by supported vanadium-substituted polyoxometalates using H₂O₂ as an oxidant is described. Three vanadium-doped polyoxometalate Na₂H₃PMo₁₀V₂O₄₀·xH₂O catalysts were designed and prepared through support on graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄), montmorillonite, and activated carbon and named as CN-PMoV₂, M-PMoV₂, and C-PMoV₂, respectively. Their characterization was elucidated through the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). This heterogeneous catalyst demonstrated promising activity in the hydroxylation of benzene to phenol with H₂O₂. Especially, CN-PMoV₂ catalyst was highly active and selective even under mild conditions. Moreover, CN-PMoV₂ catalyst still has a certain catalytic effect even after three instances of repeated use.     

Metal oxide-modified ZnO/SiO <Subscript>2</Subscript> catalysts for cyclo-dehydrogenation of ethylenediamine with propyleneglycol to 2-methylpyrazine

Metal oxide-modified ZnO /SiO2 catalysts were studied for the cyclo-dehydrogenation of ethylenediamine with propyleneglycol to 2-methylpyrazine at 633 K. The ZnO/SiO₂ catalyst showed fairly good ethylenediamine conversion and quantitative propyleneglycol conversion with about 60 mol% of 2-methylpyrazine selectivity, which is due to the existence of large amount of unconverted intermediate, 2-methylpiperazine. Metal oxide (CuO, NiO, Co₃O₄)-modified ZnO/SiO₂ catalysts were prepared to facilitate the dehydrogenation of 2-methylpiperazine to 2-methylpyrazine. About 82 mol% of 2-methylpyrazine selectivity was achieved on CuO and Co₃O₄ modified ZnO/SiO₂ catalysts, with significant increases of pyrazine selectivity. The catalytic properties of the metal oxidemodified ZnO/SiO₂ catalysts, pretreated with hydrogen gas as in the cyclo-dehydrogenation, were compared using the well-known probe reaction, the dehydrogenation/ dehydration of cyclohexanol to cyclohexanone or phenol/cyclohexene. The selectivities of pyrazine in the cyclo-dehydrogenation on the metal oxide-modified ZnO/SiO₂ catalysts were correlated with the phenol selectivities of the probe reaction. It is proposed that the metallic site of catalyst is responsible for the formation of pyrazine from ethylenediamine dimerization. The improved 2-methylpyrazine yield on CuO/ZnO/SiO₂ catalyst was explained by the proper adjustment of catalytic properties, which could be differentiated by the phenol selectivity in the cyclohexanol probe reaction. Thus, the large enhancement of 2-methylpiperazine dehydrogenation to 2-methylpyrazine and the suppression of excess pyrazine formation are supposed to occur on the metallic Cu formed in situ during the reaction during the cyclo-dehydrogenation of ethylenediamine with propyleneglycol.     

Alum (KAl(SO<Subscript>4</Subscript>)<Subscript>2</Subscript> · 12H<Subscript>2</Subscript>O) Catalyzed One-Pot Synthesis of Coumarins under Solvent-Free Conditions

Summary. Alum (KAl(SO₄)₂ · 12H₂O) is used as an efficient catalyst in the Pechmann condensation of phenol derivatives with β-keto esters leading to the formation of coumarins in excellent yields under solvent-free conditions. This methodology offers significant improvements for the synthesis of coumarins with regard to the yield of products, simplicity in operation, and green aspects by avoiding toxic catalysts and solvents.