Chemical composition and biological activity of Salvia verbenaca essential oil

Salvia verbenaca L. (syn. S. minore) is a perennial herb known in the traditional medicine of Sicily as "spaccapetri" and is used to resolve cases of kidney stones, chewing the fresh leaves or in decoction. The chemical composition of the essential oil obtained from aerial parts of S. verbenaca collected in Piano Battaglia (Sicily) on July 2009, was analyzed by GC and GC-MS. The oil was strongly characterized by fatty acids (39.5%) and carbonylic compounds (21.2%), with hexadecanoic acid (23.1%), (Z)-9-octadecenoic acid (11.1%) and benzaldehyde (7.3%) as the main constituents. The in vitro activity of the essential oil against some microorganisms in comparison with chloramphenicol by the broth dilution method was determined. The oil exhibited a good activity as inhibitor of growth of Gram + bacteria.     

Microscopic evaluation of proliferative disorders in the gerbil female prostate: evidence of aging and the influence of multiple pregnancies

The gerbil female prostate is located paraurethrally and has all the histological components of the male prostate, like secretor epithelium and fibromuscular stroma. This gland, like the prostate in males, is targeted by testosterone action, which promotes morphofunctional development. Furthermore, estrogens are required to maintain the male and female prostate and this gland presents both estrogen receptors (ER-α and ER-β). In the present work the structural and morphometric-stereological and serological aspects, as well as the quantification of the incidence, multiplicity and percentage of acini affected by different lesions were analyzed. Animals were divided into four groups: five adult nuliparous (AN) gerbils; five adult multiparous (AM) gerbils; five senescent nulliparous (SN) gerbils; five senescent multiparous (SM) gerbils, and were weighed and sacrificed by CO(2) inhalation. The ventral prostate was dissected out, weighed and fixed to perform histological and morphometric-stereological analysis and quantification of prostate disorders. A high rate of lesions, mainly dysplasia, was identified in tissue from senescent multiparous and adult multiparous animals. Prostatitis was found mainly in SN animals, while dysplasia, hyperplasia, neoplasia, PIA and adenocarcinoma were common in SM ones. Although the proliferative lesion incidence was high in AN group, it was highest in the SM group. The hormonal events which occur due to the estrous cycle in female gerbils (after and before each pregnancy) may be responsible for the high number of lesions observed in our study and all the data presented herein lead us to assume that pregnancy promotes augmentations in both the incidence and the multiplicity of proliferative disorders in the gerbil female prostate since progesterone levels remain high during pregnancy.     

Testicular structure and description of the seminal pathway in Leporinus macrocephalus (Anostomidae, Teleostei)

The present study examined the testicular structure and the seminal pathway in freshwater fish Leporinus macrocephalus (Garavello and Britski, 1988). Twenty-five specimens of this species were studied. Testicular structure was analyzed using light and transmission electron microscopy. The testicular main ducts were examined by means of conventional histology, corrosion–cast technique and scanning electron microscopy. Additional techniques were applied for polysaccharides histochemistry and immunohistochemistry for androgen receptor. The testicular parenchyma was classified as the anastomosing tubular testis type with spermatogonia occurring along the lengths of the seminiferous tubules. The seminiferous tubules emptied directly into the testicular main ducts. The wall of the testicular main ducts in L. macrocephalus consisted of three layers: epithelium, connective tissue and peritoneum. The epithelium changed from simple cuboidal to pseudostratified. The histochemical analysis revealed the presence of granules PAS positive in the epithelial cells. The immunoreactivity to androgen receptor was noted in the testicular main ducts through all cytoplasmic areas of epithelial cells.     

Application of 3 μm particle-based amylose-derived chiral stationary phases for the enantioseparation of potential histone deacetylase inhibitors

In this work, we report on the difference in performance of the two 3 μm particle-based Chiralpak IA-3 and Chiralpak AD-3 chiral stationary phases (CSPs) in the direct resolution of four racemic cinnamyl 2-aminoanilides, endowed with histone deacetylase inhibitory activity. The 3 μm CSPs were explored to determine if they could provide an effective resolution of enantiomers in presence of alcoholic eluents such as pure methanol, ethanol and 2-propanol. Temperature variable enantioselective HPLC and subsequent van't Hoff analysis were performed. In most of cases the van't Hoff plots were found to show a non-linear behaviour. The knowledge of the enantiomeric elution order associated with the data coming from enantioselective HPLC permitted to advance some hypothesis about the groups involved in chiral recognition mechanism.     

A simple, sensitive and efficient assay for the determination of D- and L-lactic acid enantiomers in human plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography

A new method for the simultaneous determination of D- and L-lactic acid in human plasma has been developed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence detection. This method is based on the reaction of lactic acid with (2S)-2-amino-3-methyl-1-[4-(7-nitro-benzo-2,1,3-oxadiazol-4-yl)-piperazin-1-yl]-butan-1-one (NBD-PZ-Val) in the presence of O-(7-azobenzotriazol-1-yl)-1,1,3,3-tetramethyluronium hexafluorophosphate (HATU) and N-ethyldiisopropylamine (DIEA) to produce fluorescent diastereomeric derivatives that were easily monitored fluorimetrically at λ(ex)=490 nm and λ(em)=532 nm. The separation was achieved by use of a C18 analytical column (Synergy Hydro 150 mm x 3 mm i.d., 4 μm). The calibration curve was linear over the on-column concentration range of 10-200 μmol/L for D-lactic acid and 0.5-4.0 mmol/L for L-lactic acid. The sensitivity was good with a limit of detection of 5.24 μmol/L for D-lactic acid and 0.15 mmol/L for L-lactic acid. The analytical method was successfully applied to human plasma samples from normal healthy subjects.     

Sequential directed epoxydation-acidolysis from glycals with MCPBA. A flexible approach to protected glycosyl donors

4,6-Di-O-protected glucal and allal derivatives react with MCPBA to afford manno- and allo-1-O-m-chlorobenzoate derivatives, respectively, as a result of a syn epoxidation directed by the allylic hydroxyl group, and consecutive ring-opening by m-ClBzOH. When glucal and allal derivatives are fully protected, initial epoxidation proceeds mainly anti to the allylic group to give, after ring-opening, the corresponding pyranosyl chlorobenzoates. Stereoselectivity in the reaction of fully protected galactal derivatives was complete, although only a moderate increase in the syn epoxidation product was observed in 4,6- and 3,4-di-O-protected derivatives. 1-O-m-Chlorobenzoate 18 was selectively protected and activated as donor in the synthesis of disaccharide 21.     

Slurry sampling and high-resolution continuum source flame atomic absorption spectrometry using secondary lines for the determination of Ca and Mg in dairy products

The present paper proposes a simple and fast analytical procedure for the sequential multi-element determination of Ca and Mg in dairy products employing sampling slurry and high resolution-continuum source flame atomic absorption spectrometry (HR-CS FAAS). Considering the high concentration of these species in these matrices, the analytical measurements were carried out at the secondary lines of 239.856 and 202.852 for Ca and Mg, respectively. The experimental conditions established for the preparation of the slurries during the optimization step were: 2.0 mol L^{− 1} hydrochloric acid, sonication time of 20 min and sample mass of 1.0 g for a slurry volume of 25 mL. Experiments demonstrated that the analytical curves can be established using the external calibration technique employing aqueous standards. The method allows the determination of Ca and Mg with limits of quantification of 0.038 and 0.016 mg g^{− 1}, respectively. The precision was evaluated under reproducibility and repeatability conditions and expressed as relative standard deviation. The results varied from 2.7 to 2.9% (all tests with n = 10) and using a yogurt sample containing Ca and Mg concentrations of 1.40 and 0.13 mg g^{− 1}, respectively.The accuracy was confirmed by the analysis of a certified reference material of non-fat milk powder furnished by the National Institute of Standard and Technology. The proposed method was applied for the determination of Ca and Mg in yogurt, cow milk and milk powder samples. The samples were also analyzed after complete acid digestion and Ca and Mg determination by HR-CS FAAS. No statistical difference was observed between the results obtained by both of the procedures performed.     

Biheteroaromatic diphosphine oxides-catalyzed stereoselective direct aldol reactions

A highly stereoselective direct aldol condensation of ketones to aromatic aldehydes was realized; the trichlorosilyl enolether generated in situ in the presence of tetrachlorosilane is activated by catalytic amounts of an enantiomerically pure biheteroaromatic phosphine oxide to react with aldehydes, coordinated as well as activated by the chiral cationic hypervalent silicon species. This Lewis acid-mediated Lewis base-catalyzed transformation allowed, starting from two carbonyl compounds, to directly synthesize β-hydroxy ketones generally with high anti stereoselectivity and up to 93% ee for the anti isomer.     

Alcohols immobilization onto 2-chlorotritylchloride resin under microwave irradiation

The immobilization of alcohols onto 2-chlorotritylchloride resin using microwave irradiation was studied. Three different Fmoc-aminoalcohols were tested: the phenol-like Fmoc-tyramine, the primary alcohol Fmoc-ethanolamine, and the secondary alcohol Fmoc-4-hydroxypiperidine. Several reaction conditions were evaluated: different bases, reaction times, temperatures, and concentrations. Microwave immobilization resulted is effective in binding to the resin all three types of alcohols with loadings which were superior or comparable to the ‘classical’ methods in shorter time and without employing toxic and racemizing reagents. This method resulted also useful for the immobilization, through the hydroxyl group, of FmocTyrOAll, FmocSerOAll, and FmocThrOAll, important building blocks for the synthesis of cyclic peptides.     

Electrokinetic techniques applied to electrochemical DNA biosensors

Electrokinetic techniques are contact-free methods currently used in many applications, where precise handling of biological entities, such as cells, bacteria or nucleic acids, is needed. These techniques are based on the effect of electric fields on molecules suspended in a fluid, and the corresponding induced motion, which can be tuned according to some known physical laws and observed behaviours. Increasing interest on the application of such strategies in order to improve the detection of DNA strands has appeared during the recent decades. Classical electrode-based DNA electrochemical biosensors with combined electrokinetic techniques present the advantage of being able to improve the working electrode's bioactive part during their fabrication and also the hybridization yield during the sensor detection phase. This can be achieved by selectively manipulating, driving and directing the molecules towards the electrodes increasing the speed and yield of the floating DNA strands attached to them. On the other hand, this technique can be also used in order to make biosensors reusable, or reconfigurable, by simply inverting its working principle and pulling DNA strands away from the electrodes. Finally, the combination of these techniques with nanostructures, such as nanopores or nanochannels, has recently boosted the appearance of new types of electrochemical sensors that exploit the time-varying position of DNA strands in order to continuously scan these molecules and to detect their properties. This review gives an insight into the main forces involved in DNA electrokinetics and discusses the state of the art and uses of these techniques in recent years.