Influence of RF power and nebulizer type on the intensity of the important cadmium lines in ICP spectroscopy

The authors studied the dependence of the net line intensity (x) on RF power (P) for three Cd lines with two different nebulizers a pneumatic and an ultrasonic nebulizer. The dependence of x on P was found to be different for the two nebulizer types and this difference is attributed to a difference in droplet size and a consequent difference in the rate of water introduction into the plasma associated with the two nebulizers.     

NMR and density functional studies of the stereoselective palladium catalyzed cyclocarbonylation of (1R,4R)-isolimonene

Carbonylation of (1R,4R)-isolimonene, catalyzed by [HPd(SnCl₃)(dppf)], involves the exo- and endo-carboncarbon double bonds to provide a cyclopentanone containing two new stereogenic centers with d.e. of 69%. It was shown that this diastereoselectivity arose from the two stereogenic centers of the substrate. Calculations carried out on the cyclization step show that the metal center of the palladium–acyl species coordinates the endocyclic double bond in the endo-position exclusively. The net charge distribution over the palladium center, the acyl carbon atom and the two carbon atoms of the CC bond determines the two nucleophilic attacks in this step.     

Investigation of Symphytum cordatum alkaloids by liquid-liquid partitioning, thin-layer chromatography and liquid chromatography-ion-trap mass spectrometry

From the alkalised crude extract of Symphytum cordatum (L.) W.K. roots, pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) were extracted as free tertiary bases and polar N-oxides in a merely one-step liquid-liquid partitioning (LLP) in separation funnel and subsequently pre-fractionated by preparative multiple-development (MD) thin-layer chromatography (TLC) on silica gel plates. In this way three alkaloid fractions of different polarities and retention on silica gel plates were obtained as: the most polar N-oxides of the highest retention, the tertiary bases of medium retention, and diesterified N-oxides of the lowest retention. The former fraction was reduced into free bases by sodium hydrosulfite and purified by LLP on Extrelut-NT3 cartridge. It was further analysed together with the two other fractions by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-ion-trap mass spectrometry with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) interface on XTerra C₁₈ column using a gradient elution. Based on MSⁿ spectra, 18 various alkaloids have been tentatively determined for the first time in this plant as the following types of structure: echimidine-N-oxide (three diasteroisomers), 7-sarracinyl-9-viridiflorylretronecine (two diasteroisomers), echimidine (two diasteroisomers), lycopsamine (two diasteroisomers), dihydroechinatine-N-oxide, dihydroheliospathuline-N-oxide, lycopsamine-N-oxide (three diasteroisomers), 7-acetyllycopsamine-N-oxide, symphytine-N-oxide (two diasteroisomers) and 2″,3″-epoxyechiumine-N-oxide.     

Achievement of ring inversion of myo-inositol derivatives due to silyloxy/silyloxy repulsion enhanced by the trans-substituents on both sides

The introduction of quite bulky trialkyl or diarylalkylsilyl groups into vicinal trans-hydroxy groups induced a conformational flip of certain multifunctionalized cyclohexane rings from the usual chair form possessing more equatorial substituents (equatorial-rich chair form) into another chair-form that has more axial substituents (axial-rich chair form). This realization was experimentally revealed by the conformational study of the synthetic myo-inositol derivatives possessing two tert-butyldimethylsilyl (TBS), two triisopropylsilyl (TIPS), or two tert-butyldiphenylsilyl (TBDPS) groups on an adjacent trans-diol. Among them, the cyclohexane rings of the 4,5-bis-O-TIPS-myo-inositol, 4,5-bis-O-TBDPS-myo-inositol, and 1,2,3,6-tetra-O-benzyl-4,5-bis-O-TBDPS-myo-inositol were in the axial-rich chair form. Comparison of the ring conformations also revealed that the order of the repulsion was OTBDPS/OTBDPS>OTIPS/OTIPS>OTBS/OTBS, and the silyloxy/silyloxy repulsion was enhanced when the two silyloxy groups were placed in the center of the contiguous four equatorial substituents.     

Solvent effects on the mixed aggregates of chiral 3-aminopyrrolidine lithium amides and alkyllithiums

The condensation of n-butyllithium on o-tolualdehyde in the presence of a chiral 3-aminopyrrolidine lithium amide led to the expected alcohol with ee strongly dependent on the solvent (THF, diethylether and toluene). A NMR and theoretical study of this effect was undertaken to rationalize these results. The addition of two equivalents of methyllithium to a 3-aminopyrrolidine [benzhydryl-(1-benzylpyrrolidin-3-yl)-amine] led, in THF-d₈ and at −90 °C, to an exo aza-norbornyl-type mixed aggregate, similar to that characterized previously between the lithium amide and n-butyllithium in the same solvent. In diethyl ether, a non-covalent complex presenting a comparable exo topology was obtained despite a ∼1 ppm high-field drift of the chemical shift of one of its two ⁶Li nuclei (Li²). The progressive addition of THF to the medium brought the Li² signal back to its original value, suggesting that this atom could also be the target of the incoming aldehyde. When reacting the same aminopyrrolidine with MeLi and BuLi in toluene, the expected lithium amide was recovered, apparently under two forms, which did not aggregate with the excess MeLi or BuLi until THF was added to the medium. Reacting the aminopyrrolidine with n-butyllithium, which is more soluble in toluene, led to a comparable complex. Finally, a discussion on the interaction between a mixed aggregate and the aldehyde, based on a theoretical analysis of the solvation energies of the two lithium atoms by three different ethers, is proposed.     

Kalihinols from two Acanthella cavernosa sponges: inhibitors of bacterial folate biosynthesis

Acanthella spp. sponges have been prolific sources of highly functionalized diterpene antibiotics. Two Acanthella cavernosa sponges were investigated based on the activity of their extracts in a screen designed to detect bacterial folate biosynthesis inhibitors. Bacillus subtilis PY79 strain harboring a lacZ reporter gene fusion to a trimethoprim-responsive promoter (PpanB) was used for the screen. The ability of kalihinols to inhibit bacterial folate biosynthesis was investigated resulting in preliminary structure activity relationships. Eight kalihinol type diterpenes were isolated from two Philippine Acanthella cavernosa specimens including two new 10- and 15-formamido-kalihinol F analogs.     

Identification and discrimination of Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria grown in blood and bile by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria colonies have been analyzed by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy using nanosecond laser pulses. LIBS spectra were obtained after transferring the bacteria from a nutrient-rich culture medium to a nutrient-free agar plate for laser ablation. To study the dependence of the LIBS spectrum on growth and environmental conditions, colonies were cultured on three different nutrient media: a trypticase soy agar (TSA) plate, a blood agar plate, and a medium chosen deliberately to induce bacteria membrane changes, a MacConkey agar plate containing bile salts. Nineteen atomic and ionic emission lines in the LIBS spectrum, which was dominated by inorganic elements such as calcium, magnesium and sodium, were used to identify and classify the bacteria. A discriminant function analysis was used to discriminate between the P. aeruginosa bacteria and two strains of E. coli: a non-pathogenic environmental strain and the pathogenic strain enterohemorrhagic E. coli 0157:H7 (EHEC). Nearly identical spectra were obtained from P. aeruginosa grown on the TSA plate and the blood agar plate, while the bacteria grown on the MacConkey plate exhibited easily distinguishable differences from the other two. All P. aeruginosa samples, independent of initial growth conditions, were readily discriminated from the two E. coli strains.     

Paper electrophoresis with surface-enhanced fluorimetric detection

Amorphous fumed silica was used as a fluorescence sensitizer coated on a filter-paper substrate for use in paper electrophoresis. The usefulness of the separation method was illustrated for a mixture of two polynuclear aromatic compounds of biological interest: benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) and benzo[a]pyrene-r-7,t-8,9,10-tetrahydrotetrol, a hydrolysis product of BaP—DNA adduct. These two compounds were well separated and an enhancement of the fluorescence intensity was also observed when the sensitizer was applied to filter-paper prior to electrophoretic separation.     

Copper Binding and Oligomerization Studies of the Metal Resistance Determinant CrdA from Helicobacter pylori

Within this research, the CrdA protein from Helicobacter pylori (HpCrdA), a putative copper-binding protein important for the survival of bacterium, was biophysically characterized in a solution, and its binding affinity toward copper was experimentally determined. Incubation of HpCrdA with Cu(II) ions favors the formation of the monomeric species in the solution. The modeled HpCrdA structure shows a conserved methionine-rich region, a potential binding site for Cu(I), as in the structures of similar copper-binding proteins, CopC and PcoC, from Pseudomonas syringae and from Escherichia coli, respectively. Within the conserved amino acid motif, HpCrdA contains two additional methionines and two glutamic acid residues (MMXEMPGMXXMXEM) in comparison to CopC and PcoC but lacks the canonical Cu(II) binding site (two His) since the sequence has no His residues. The methionine-rich site is in a flexible loop and can adopt different geometries for the two copper oxidation states. It could bind copper in both oxidation states (I and II), but with different binding affinities, micromolar was found for Cu(II), and less than nanomolar is proposed for Cu(I). Considering that CrdA is a periplasmic protein involved in chaperoning copper export and delivery in the H. pylori cell and that the affinity of the interaction corresponds to a middle or strong metal–protein interaction depending on the copper oxidation state, we conclude that the interaction also occurs in vivo and is physiologically relevant for H. pylori.     

Facile synthesis of benzamides to mimic an α-helix

A new α-helix mimetic was designed by using a benzamide as a rigid scaffold. It presents three functional groups corresponding to side chains of amino acids found at the i, i + 4, and i + 7 positions of an ideal α-helix, which are displayed on the same helical face. Its efficient synthesis was achieved by employing simple alkylation and amidation reactions which can be easily adapted for solid-phase synthesis. As a result, two tris-benzamides were produced to mimic two helical regions found in a peptide hormone, glucagon.     

Cornelian Cherry (Cornus mas L.) Extracts Exert Cytotoxicity in Two Selected Melanoma Cell Lines—A Factorial Analysis of Time-Dependent Alterations in Values Obtained with SRB and MTT Assays

Despite the fact that phytochemicals of Cornaceae species have long been discussed as possible auxiliary agents in contemporary treatment, the insights on their properties remain relatively scarce. This study focuses on Cornus mas L. (Cornelian cherry), the extracts of which are reported to exert a pleiotropic effect shown in both in vivo and in vitro studies. This study aimed to explore the cytotoxic effect of extracts from fruits of red (Cornus mas L. ‘Podolski’) and yellow (Cornus mas L. ‘Yantarnyi’ and ‘Flava’) Cornelian cherries on two melanoma cell lines (A375 and MeWo). The extracts were characterized in the context of the concentration of bioactive compounds of antioxidative properties. Cytotoxicity was investigated with the use of the following two assays: SRB and MTT. An additional, alternative protocol for the SRB assay was used in this study so as to account for possible bias. Cytotoxicity was assessed as a difference in the whole time series of cell viability, instead of analyzing differences in raw values (often found in the literature). Both extracts from Cornus mas L. induced cytotoxicity in both A375 and MeWo cell lines, although the response of these cells was different. Moreover, based on this study, there is no evidence for claiming a different magnitude of cytotoxicity between these two extracts.     

Heat revolution on photophysical properties and electroluminescent performance of Ir(ppy)3-doped bipolar host of oxadiazole derivatives attaching with inert group of tert-butyl moiety

Two bipolar materials,2,5-bis(2-(9H-carbazole-9-yl)phenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole(o-CzOXD)and 2,5-bis(2-(3',6'-di-tert-butyl-9H-carbazole-9-yl)phenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole(tBu-o-CzOXD),were synthesized according to reported methods.In parallel study,it was demonstrated that introduction of inert tert-butyl group improved material thermal stability,even though this modification only had a slight influence to the photophysical and electrochemical properties of these materials.A comparative study focusing on effects of heat treatment was carried out on the quartz glass substrates with vacuum deposited films containing one of the bipolar host doped with 6 wt%fac-tris(2-phenylpyridinato-N,C2’)iridium(Ir(ppy)3).Results show that when the two samples were heated,the absorption,emission,and photo images of the host:dopant system changed,with the o-CzOXD suffering more severe degradation under high temperature,which is consistent with their thermal stability.In addition,it was proved that the high temperature-annealed host:dopant system can enhance the emission of the dopant.This finding was used as a guideline to improve our device performance.We fabricated two types of phosphorescent organic light-emitting devices(PhOLEDs),one was based on o-CzOXD,the other was based on tBu-o-CzOXD.They had analogous structure.We investigated the effect of heat on device performance by selectively annealing.Although these two freshly prepared devices exhibited similar performance,when annealed at 90°C for 10 min,the OLEDs based on tBu-o-CzOXD showed significant performance enhancement,which can be attributed to the observation that annealing Ir(ppy)3 doped host can change film morphology and enhance the dopant emission.The maximum efficiencies of the freshly prepared tBu-o-CzOXD device were 25.8 cd A-1,23.1lm W-1,and 9.3%;whereas those for annealed device were 47.0 cd A-1,42.2 lm W-1,and 13.4%.     

Adsorption of four non-ionic cellulose derivatives on cellulose model surfaces

The adsorption of four commercial non-ionic cellulose derivatives onto two different model surfaces of cellulose fibres has been studied with surface plasmon reflectance. The model surfaces of cellulose were ultrathin films of either nano fibrillated cellulose or regenerated cellulose on Au(s). Partial least squares models were used in the analysis of the data and it was found that the type of cellulose model surface seems to be most important for both the total adsorption and the initial adsorption rate of the studied cellulose derivatives. It is believed that this can be explained by morphological differences between the surfaces, and it was found that the properties of the cellulose derivatives that affect the adsorption of the two types of cellulose surface differ. For adsorption onto a NFC-based model surface, the type of cellulose derivative and the polydispersity index (PDI) of the cellulose derivative seem to be the two most important variables for the observed adsorption of these cellulose derivatives. For the regenerated cellulose surface the three most important variables are the M _n of the cellulose derivatives, the DS _NMR of the methyl celluloses, and PDI of the cellulose derivatives. Thus the adsorption of cellulose derivatives on the NFC-based cellulose model surface is strongly affected by the type of substituent, while the same cannot be said for a surface regenerated from N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide. Additionally, the DS _NMR of methyl celluloses affects their adsorption differently on the investigated cellulose model surfaces.     

Synthesis of arylated chalcone derivatives via palladium cross-coupling reactions

A useful protocol for arylation of the olefin double bond of chalcones to afford tri- and tetra-substituted chalcone derivatives is reported. The protocol begins with the Heck reaction between chalcones and aryl iodides providing β-arylchalcones. This reaction tolerates various functional groups on both rings, as well as deactivated aryl iodides. The products are obtained in moderate to excellent yields and the (E)-β-arylchalcones (E:Z?>?96:4) can be isolated via precipitation. Competitive Heck reactions pointed to a significant effect of ring one substituents on the reaction rate, while substituents on ring two have a much smaller effect. To access α,β-diarylchalcones, a sequential bromination-Suzuki cross coupling strategy was applied to the β-arylated compounds which afforded double arylated chalcone derivatives in 60–99% yield over two steps.     

Hydroxylated terphenylphosphine ligands for palladium-catalyzed ortho-selective cross-coupling of dibromophenols, dibromoanilines, and their congeners with Grignard reagents

p-Terphenylphosphines bearing one or two hydroxy groups were used as ligands to palladium in the cross-coupling of dibromophenols, dibromoanilines, and their congeners with Grignard reagents. High ortho-selectivity that cannot be achieved using other phosphine ligands was observed. ortho-Preference was also observed in competitive cross-coupling reactions of two substrates. A significant effect of the concentration of the Grignard reagent on the ortho-selectivity was observed, when the hydroxylated terphenylphosphines were used. Kinetic studies on this effect showed that high concentrations of the Grignard reagent retard the cross-coupling reaction only at the para-position, but not at the ortho-position.     

Phytochemical Screening and Antioxidant Activity of Seven Native Species Growing in the Forests of Southern Chilean Patagonia

The genus Nothofagus is one of the most abundant in the subantarctic Patagonian forests. Five species inhabit these ecosystems, three evergreen (Nothofagus betuloides, Nothofagus dombeyi, and Nothofagus nitida) and two deciduous (Nothofagus pumilio and Nothofagus antarctica). This is the first report on the levels of secondary metabolites and the antioxidant capacity of Patagonian tree species growing in natural environments. The aim of this work was to carry out a phytochemical screening, to determine the antioxidant capacity, the sun protection factor, and the α-glucosidase and tyrosinase inhibitory activity of foliar extracts of the five previous species. Besides, Aristotelia chilensis and Berberis microphylla, two species of Patagonian shrubs growing in the same forests, were used as reference. N. dombeyi was the Nothofagus with the best antioxidant capacity. B. microphylla differed from all studied species. Moreover, the Nothofagus was split into two groups. N. betuloides and N. dombeyi are the most similar species to A. chilensis. The α-glucosidase was completely inhibited by all studied extracts. Furthermore, N. antarctica, N. pumilio, and N. nitida inhibited about 70% of the tyrosinase activity. All the results found in this study for the species of the genus Nothofagus support further research on their potential beneficial properties for human health.     

Rapid Screening of Lipase Inhibitors from Ophiopogonis Radix Using High-Performance Thin Layer Chromatography by Two Step Gradient Elution Combined with Bioautographic Method

In this study, a high-performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) method by two step gradient elution with two mobile phases was developed for the simultaneous analysis of seven constituents in Ophiopogonis Radix. The chromatography was performed on silica gel 60 F₂₅₄ plate with dichloromethane-methanol-ethyl acetate-water (70:25:12:3, v/v/v/v) and dichloromethane-methanol (300:1, v/v) as the mobile phase for two step gradient elution. Then, the HPTLC profiles were observed after derivatization with 10% sulfuric acid in ethanol solution. The obtained HPTLC images were further analyzed by chemometric approaches and the samples could be clustered based on regions and/or growth years, which were two important factors affecting the constituents in Ophiopogonis Radix. Furthermore, five compounds including ophiopogonin D, ophiopojaponin C, ophiopogonin D’, ophiopogonin C’ and methylophiopogonanone B were screened as potential lipase inhibitors from Ophiopogonis Radix by the HPTLC-bioautographic method. The binding modes and interactions between the five compounds and lipase were further explored by molecular docking analysis. The developed HPTLC method could be used for quality control of Ophiopogonis Radix and screening of the potential lipase inhibitors.     

Antibacterial Activity of a Kind of Novel Schiff Base and Its 3d,4f Complexes

The microcalorimetric method was used to study the antibacterial activity on the bacteria's multiplying metabolism and the non-multiplying metabolism. The metabolism thermogenic curves of Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), under the action of the synthesized Schiff base and its 3d,4f complexes (2L, 2LZnYb), were obtained. The results showed that the multiplying metabolism and the non-multiplying metabolism of bacteria could be analyzed by the thermogenic curves using the thermokinetic equations. On the multiplying metabolism, the two compounds (2L, 2LZnYb) have strong activity for E. coli. (IC₅₀ (half-inhibitory concentration) is 6.1 and 5.1 mg·L⁻¹, respectively) and weak activity for S. aureus (IC₅₀ is 310.1 and 595.9 mg·L⁻¹, respectively). The introduction of Zn and Yb with the compound slightly increased the inhibition on the multiplying metabolism of E. coli but greatly decreased the effect on that of S. aureus. The activity of these two compounds showed great difference on the non-multiplying metabolism. Regardless of E. coli or S. aureus, 2L showed a notable inhibition and MSC₅₀ (the minimum stationary-cidal concentration 50) of 2L was 6.4 and 209.7 mg·L⁻¹ for the two microorganisms, respectively. Thus, 2L may become a novel kind of potential antibacterial candidate.