Limitations in the use of horseradish peroxidase as an enyzme probe in the development of a homogeneous immunoassay for aflatoxin B1

Horseradish peroxidase (HRPO) was used as a probe to quantitate aflatoxin B₁ by a homogeneous immunoassay. The conjugation of AFB₁ to HRPO resulted in 54% loss of enyzme activity. In the presence of AFB₁ specific antibodies, the HRPO-AFB₁ conjugate showed reversal of its lost enzyme activity by 12%. This positive modulatory effect of antibody on the enzyme activity was used as an analytical tool to quantitate AFB₁. The homogeneous assay carried out with free AFB₁ and HRPO-AFB₁ conjugate in the presence of antibodies indicated poor linearity as compared to the heterogeneous assay. It was observed that the number of HRPO-lysine residues involved in AFB₁ conjugation were 6–8. The low level of modulation of enzyme activity by antibody with respect to HRPO-AFB₁ conjugate, could possibly be attributed to the limited number of lysine residues in the HRPO molecule and its proximity to the active site of the enzyme. Thus, HRPO was found to be limiting as an enzyme with respect to the homogeneous enzyme immunoassay for AFB₁ analysis. The antibodies raised were specific for AFB₁, and showed excellent linearity even at high dilution for the detection of AFB₁ by ELISA indicating that antibodies per se were not the limiting factor.     

Electric field effect in diluted magnetic insulator anatase Co: TiO2

An external electric field induced reversible modulation of a room temperature magnetic moment and coercive field is achieved in an epitaxial and insulating thin film of dilutely cobalt-doped anatase TiO2. This first demonstration of an electric field effect in any oxide-based diluted ferromagnet is realized in a high quality epitaxial heterostructure of PbZr(0.2)Ti(0.8)O(3)/Co: TiO(2)/SrRuO(3) grown on (001) LaAlO3. The observed effect, which is about 15% in strength in a given heterostructure, can be modulated over several cycles. Possible mechanisms for electric field induced modulation of insulating ferromagnetism are discussed.     

Novel polycyclic heterocycles. XIV. 1,2-Dihydro-4-(trifluoromethyl)-3H-8H-quino[1,8-ab][4,1]benzoxazepin-3-one and its derivatives

Procedures for the isolation of 1,2-dihydro-4-(trifluoromethyl)-3H,8H-quino[1,8-ab][4,1]-benzoxazepine, 3 , from reaction mixtures containing 3 as the minor component, and the isomer, 1,2-dihydro-11-(trifluoromethyl)-3H,7H-quino[8,1-cd][1,5]benzoxazepin-3-one, 2 , as the major component, are described. The reactivity of 3 toward hydroxylamine and aromatic aldehydes has been investigated and the preparation of derivatives with those reactants is described.     

Cobalt perchlorate hexahydrate catalyzed one-pot synthesis of dihydropyrimidin-ones/-thiones through sonochemistry and its mechanistic study using density functional theory calculations

A cobalt(II) perchlorate hexahydrate coordinated synthesis of dihydropyrimidin-ones and -thiones through sonochemistry is developed. Herein, the reaction was demonstrated as a simple, efficient, and one-pot method for synthesizing a series of interesting 3,4-dihydropyrimidin-2(1H)-ones. Further, the reaction mechanism was investigated using mass spectrometry and density functional theory calculations suggesting that a Lewis acid character of cobalt(II) perchlorate hexahydrate plays a crucial role in coordinating carbonyl functionalities and stabilizing the polar intermediates like imine–enamine which further led to cyclized dihydropyrimidin-ones and -thiones. This methodology was further explored to synthesize a gram-scale synthesis of monastrol drug, a kinase inhibitor.     

Ruthenium(II) carbonyl complexes of dehydroacetic acid thiosemicarbazone: Synthesis, structure, light emission and biological activity

The reaction of [RuHCl(CO)(B)(EPh₃)₂] (where E = As, B = AsPh₃; E = P, B = PPh₃, py, pip, or mor) and dehydroacetic acid thiosemicarbazone (abbreviated as H₂dhatsc where H₂ stands for the two dissociable protons) in benzene under reflux afford a series of new ruthenium(II) carbonyl complexes containing dehydroacetic acid thiosemicarbazone of general formula [Ru(dhatsc)(CO)(B)(EPh₃)] (where E = As, B = AsPh₃; E = P, B = PPh₃, py, pip or mor; dhatsc = dibasic tridentate dehydroacetic acid thiosemicarbazone). All the complexes have been characterized by elemental analyses, FT-IR, UV-Vis, and ¹H NMR spectral methods. The thiosemicarbazone of dehydroacetic acid behaves as dianionic tridentate O, N, S donor and coordinates to ruthenium via phenolic oxygen of dehydroacetic acid, the imine nitrogen of thiosemicarbazone and thiol sulfur. In chloroform solution, all the complexes exhibit metal-to-ligand charge transfer transitions (MLCT). The crystal structure of one of the complexes [Ru(dhatsc)(CO)(PPh₃)₂] (1) has been determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction which reveals the presence of a distorted octahedral geometry in the complexes. All the complexes exhibit an irreversible oxidation (Ru^III/Ru^II) in the range 0.76-0.89 V and an irreversible reduction (Ru^II/Ru^I) in the range −0.87 to −0.97 V. Further, the free ligand and its ruthenium complexes have been screened for their antibacterial and antifungal activities. The complexes show better activity in inhibiting the growth of bacteria Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli and fungus Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger. These results made it desirable to delineate a comparison between free ligand and its ruthenium complexes.     

Comparative study of analytical methods for the determination of chromium in groundwater samples containing iron

Determination of chromium in groundwater samples containing iron may pose analytical problems due to sorption and fixation of chromium species onto Fe(III) hydroxides. Parks et al. (Water Res. 2004, 38, 2827) hypothesized that chromium species trapped inside Fe(III) hydroxides i.e. “fixed chromium” may not be soluble by HNO₃ digestion (APHA method 3030 B). In such cases, hydroxylamine digestion is required to release “fixed chromium”. To verify the hypothesis, we carried out this study on groundwater samples containing chromium and iron, using different methods of APHA and EPA. The results showed the presence of “fixed chromium”, ranged between 0.1 and 19.2 μg L^{− 1}, contributing 0.2 to 14.1% towards true total chromium. Digestion of samples with HNO₃ released Cr(III) bound to organic complexes, but not the “fixed chromium”. The hydroxylamine digestion released “fixed chromium”, but not the Cr(III) bound to organic complexes. Microwave digestion of samples with HNO₃ + HCl was effective for the release of both “fixed” and “Cr(III)-organic complexes”. Cr(III) was only adsorbed onto suspended matter, whereas Cr(VI), and Cr(III)-organic complexes were not adsorbed onto suspended matter due to their solubility. Sample pH, buffering capacity, and matrix have a significant influence on the adsorption and fixation of chromium species onto Fe(III) hydroxides.     

The ESI CAD fragmentations of protonated 2,4,6‐tris(benzylamino)‐ and tris(benzyloxy)‐1,3,5‐triazines involve benzyl–benzyl interactions: a DFT study

The electrospray ionization collisionally activated dissociation (CAD) mass spectra of protonated 2,4,6‐tris(benzylamino)‐1,3,5‐triazine (1) and 2,4,6‐tris(benzyloxy)‐1,3,5‐triazine (6) show abundant product ion of m/z 181 (C₁₄H₁₃⁺). The likely structure for C₁₄H₁₃⁺ is α‐[2‐methylphenyl]benzyl cation, indicating that one of the benzyl groups must migrate to another prior to dissociation of the protonated molecule. The collision energy is high for the ‘N’ analog (1) but low for the ‘O’ analog (6) indicating that the fragmentation processes of 1 requires high energy. The other major fragmentations are [M + H‐toluene]⁺ and [M + H‐benzene]⁺ for compounds 1 and 6, respectively. The protonated 2,4,6‐tris(4‐methylbenzylamino)‐1,3,5‐triazine (4) exhibits competitive eliminations of p‐xylene and 3,6‐dimethylenecyclohexa‐1,4‐diene. Moreover, protonated 2,4,6‐tris(1‐phenylethylamino)‐1,3,5‐triazine (5) dissociates via three successive losses of styrene. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicate that an ion/neutral complex (INC) between benzyl cation and the rest of the molecule is unstable, but the protonated molecules of 1 and 6 rearrange to an intermediate by the migration of a benzyl group to the ring ‘N’. Subsequent shift of a second benzyl group generates an INC for the protonated molecule of 1 and its product ions can be explained from this intermediate. The shift of a second benzyl group to the ring carbon of the first benzyl group followed by an H‐shift from ring carbon to ‘O’ generates the key intermediate for the formation of the ion of m/z 181 from the protonated molecule of 6. The proposed mechanisms are supported by high resolution mass spectrometry data, deuterium‐labeling and CAD experiments combined with DFT calculations. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Selective targeting of antibody conjugated multifunctional nanoclusters (nanoroses) to epidermal growth factor receptors in cancer cells

The ability of smaller than 100 nm antibody (Ab) nanoparticle conjugates to target and modulate the biology of specific cell types may enable major advancements in cellular imaging and therapy in cancer. A key challenge is to load a high degree of targeting, imaging, and therapeutic functionality into small, yet stable particles. A versatile method called thin autocatalytic growth on substrate (TAGs) has been developed in our previous study to form ultrathin and asymmetric gold coatings on iron oxide nanocluster cores producing exceptional near-infrared (NIR) absorbance. AlexaFluor 488 labeled Abs were used to correlate the number of Abs conjugated to iron oxide/gold nanoclusters (nanoroses) with the hydrodynamic size. A transition from submonolayer to multilayer aggregates of Abs on the nanorose surface was observed for 54 Abs and an overall particle diameter of ～60-65 nm. The hydrodynamic diameter indicated coverage of a monolayer of 54 Abs, in agreement with the prediction of a geometric model, by assuming a circular footprint of 16.9 nm diameter per Ab molecule. The targeting efficacy of nanoclusters conjugated with monoclonal Abs specific for epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) was evaluated in A431 cancer cells using dark field microscopy and atomic absorbance spectrometry (AAS) analysis. Intense NIR scattering was achieved from both high uptake of nanoclusters in cells and high intrinsic NIR absorbance of individual nanoclusters. Dual mode imaging with dark field reflectance microscopy and fluorescence microscopy indicates the Abs remained attached to the Au surfaces upon the uptake by the cancer cells. The ability to load intense multifunctionality, specifically strong NIR absorbance, conjugation of an Ab monolayer in addition to a strong r2 MRI contrast that was previously demonstrated in a total particle size of only 63 nm, is an important step forward in development of theranostic agents for combined molecular specific imaging and therapy.     

BF3·Et2O promoted selective synthesis of benzimidazoles

Benzimidazoles 3 , 6 and 9 have been synthesized selectively in excellent yields by cyclocondensation of β‐(3‐methyl‐5‐styryl‐4‐isoxazolyl amido) benzoic acids, acrylic acids and propionic acids with 1,2‐phenylene diamines by employing BF₃·Et₂O as the catalyst. When the same reaction was carried out in pyridine it resulted in mixture of products in each case ( 3 & 4 , 6 & 7 and 9 & 10 ). Other methods tried by using polyphosphoric acid, HCl, TFA also led to mixtures of 3 & 4 , 6 & 7 and 9 & 10 in each case, similar to that of pyridine reaction.     

Fabrication of Alginate-Based O/W Nanoemulsions for Transdermal Drug Delivery of Lidocaine: Influence of the Oil Phase and Surfactant

Transdermal drug delivery of lidocaine is a good choice for local anesthetic delivery. Microemulsions have shown great effectiveness for the transdermal transport of lidocaine. Oil-in-water nanoemulsions are particularly suitable for encapsulation of lipophilic molecules because of their ability to form stable and transparent delivery systems with good skin permeation. However, fabrication of nanoemulsions containing lidocaine to provide an extended local anesthetic effect is challenging. Hence, the aim of this study was to address this issue by employing alginate-based o/w nanocarriers using nanoemulsion template that is prepared by combined approaches of ultrasound and phase inversion temperature (PIT). In this study, the influence of system composition such as oil type, oil and surfactant concentration on the particle size, in vitro release and skin permeation of lidocaine nanoemulsions was investigated. Structural characterization of lidocaine nanoemulsions as a function of water dilution was done using DSC. Nanoemulsions with small droplet diameters (d < 150 nm) were obtained as demonstrated by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and cryo-TEM. These nanoemulsions were also able to release 90% of their content within 24-h through PDMS and pig skin and able to the drug release over a 48-h. This extended-release profile is highly favorable in transdermal drug delivery and shows the great potential of this nanoemulsion as delivery system.