Proton translocation in monomolecular Langmuir-Blodgett films including 2-naphthol and 1,4-anthraquinone derivatives

The scope of the present work is the investigation of proton transport through monomolecular Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films. The films were formed from amphiphilic molecules: 2-naphtholo-6-sulfonamide of dodecylamine (N) and 1,4-anthraquinono-2 sulfonamide of dodecylamine (A). The 2-naphthol derivative can act as a proton donor due to excited state proton transfer (ESPT) and the 1,4-anthraquinone group can play the role of proton acceptor because of protonation of the reduced form if it is present. Absorption and emission spectra of LB films containing N and A were registered and separated into component bands. Individual absorption and emission peaks observed were assigned to given forms of chromophores. The behavior of different component bands reflects the state of anthraquinone dependent on proton concentration. A correlation of rate and efficiency of ESPT, with changes of the spectra of A, may be expected to yield information concerning the transport of protons from N to A. The influence of the donor-acceptor distance, sample humidity, film arrangement and the presence of protonophores (Gramicidin A) on proton transfer is studied. Our results indicate that the proton can be transported through the film but its concentration vanishes at the distance greater than 30 A. The efficiency of proton transfer depends strongly on water content, film structure and the presence of ion channels.     

Rosa platyacantha Schrenk from Kazakhstan—Natural Source of Bioactive Compounds with Cosmetic Significance

Plants belonging to the Rosa genus are known for their high content of bioactive molecules and broad spectrum of healing and cosmetic activities. Rosa platyacantha Schrenk is a wild-type species abundant in the mountainous regions of Kazakhstan. The phytochemical composition as well as the bioactivity of R. platyacantha extracts have not been fully investigated to date. In this study, various parts of R. platyacantha plant, collected in Almaty region, Kazakhstan, were used to prepare five hydroalcoholic extracts (R1–R5). The extracts were compared for the content of phytochemicals and selected biological activities, which are important for the potential cosmetic application of R. platyacantha. Extract R3, prepared from flower buds, showed the most significant antioxidant and tyrosinase inhibitory potential, decreasing the monophenolase and diphenolase activities of tyrosinase. Extract R3 showed also collagenase inhibitory activity and cytotoxicity against human melanoma cells A375, being less cytotoxic for noncancerous skin keratinocytes HaCaT. Analysis of fractions E and F, obtained from R3 extracts, revealed that quercetin, kaempferol, rutin, and their derivatives are more likely responsible for the tyrosinase inhibitory properties of R. platyacantha extracts.     

Implications of fast-time scale dynamics of human DNA/RNA cytosine methyltransferases (DNMTs) for protein function

The role of protein dynamics in the control of substrate recognition, catalysis, and protein–protein interactions is often underestimated. Recently, a number of studies have examined the contribution of protein dynamics to the thermodynamics of ligand binding in detail, mostly using NMR relaxation measurements and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The results unequivocally demonstrate that conformational dynamics play a pivotal role in the properties and functions of proteins, and ignoring this contribution is likely to lead to substantial errors when explaining the biological function of proteins and in predictions of the binding affinities of their cognate ligands. However, the details of the interplay between structure and dynamics and the way it affects the biological function of the target protein remain poorly understood. In this study, the changes in fast (picosecond-to-nanosecond time scale) dynamics of catalytic domains of four human cytosine DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs) were studied using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The results provide insight into the protein dynamics changes that occur upon binding of the cofactor, S-adenosylmethionine (SAM). Contrary to expectations, increased amplitude of motions of backbone amide (N–H) and terminal heavy atom (C–C) bond vectors was observed in all studied DNMTs upon binding of SAM. These results imply that the cofactor binding causes a global increase in the extent of protein dynamics in the short time scale. This global dynamic change constitutes a favourable entropic contribution to the free energy of SAM binding. These results suggest that cytosine DNA methyltransferases may exploit changes in their fast scale dynamics to reduce the entropic cost of the substrate binding.     

Influence of surface modification on thermal stability and flammability of cross-linked rubbers

The paper discusses the test results of thermal stability and flammability of cross-linked diene rubbers containing silica prepared “in situ” from alkoxysilane precursors. The effect of the surface modification of unfilled vulcanizates by means of aqueous solutions of halogens, boron and organo-phosphoric compounds on their flammability was also assessed. The thermal analysis has been performed in air with the use of derivatography. The flammability of vulcanizates has been determined by the method of oxygen index and in air. It has been found that the modification of the vulcanizates with tetraethoxysilane that makes it possible to form silica “in situ” considerably reduces the flammability of cross-linked rubbers. The surface modification of the vulcanizates with halide and organo-phosphoric compounds allows one to radically decrease their flammability. The boric flame-retardant agents are the most effective modifiers. The most beneficial results were obtained with the use of boric acid.     

Application of DLLME to Isolation and Concentration of Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs in Environmental Water Samples

Dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (DLLME) coupled with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry detection was applied for determination of selected anti-inflammatory pharmaceuticals: ibuprofen, ketoprofen, naproxen and diclofenac. Development of DLLME procedure included optimisation of several important parameters such as kind and volume of extracting and dispersive solvents as well as sample pH. Under optimised conditions a two-step extraction with sonication was used. Chloroform was applied as the extracting and acetone as dispersing solvent. Calibration curves ranges were 1–500 μg L^?1 for naproxen and ibuprofen and 0.25–500 μg L^?1 for ketoprofen and diclofenac with correlation coefficients at least 0.997. Limits of quantitation were from 0.5 to 10 ng L^?1. The developed analytical method was employed for determination of ibubrofen, ketoprofen, naproxen and diclofenac in river and tap water samples. The results showed that DLLME is a simple, rapid and sensitive analytical technique for the pre-concentration of trace amounts of pharmaceuticals in environmental water samples.     

The Synthesis and Antibacterial Activity of Novel 4‐Pyrrolidin‐3‐cyanopyridine Derivatives

2‐Bromo‐4‐(pyrrolidin‐1‐yl)pyridine‐3‐carbonitrile obtained from 2‐(1,3‐bis(pyrrolidin‐1‐yl)allylidene)malononitrile has been used as a substrate for the synthesis of new cyanopyridine derivatives: 2‐methoxy, 2‐phenoxy, 2‐aminoethylthio, and 2‐thioxo. 4‐(Pyrrolidin‐1‐yl)‐2‐thioxo‐1,2‐dihydropyridine‐3‐carbonitrile 7 in reaction with suitable alkyl and aminoalkyl halides gave respective sulfides. All synthesized compounds were evaluated for their antimicrobial activity against 26 aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. Determined minimal inhibitory concentration values ranged from 6.2 to 100 µg/mL. Derivatives 1 , 3 , 4 , 6 , and 12 were the most active compounds.     

Comparison of different extraction methods for the determination of α‐ and β‐thujone in sage (Salvia officinalis L.) herbal tea

Salvia officinalis L. (sage) is an important industrial plant used both for food and pharmaceutical purposes. The terpene fraction of this plant is responsible for many of its therapeutic and culinary properties. We used different extraction methods Tenax TA® purge and trap, headspace (HS) solid‐phase microextraction, HS sorptive extraction, and stir bar sorptive extraction to analyze the terpene fraction extracted from sage tea by GC–MS. Twenty compounds were identified, including α‐, β‐thujone, and several other oxygenated monoterpenes (1,8‐cineole, linalool, camphor, boneol, and bornyl acetate) and oxygenated sesquiterpenes (caryophyllene oxide, viridiflorol, humulene epoxide I, II, and III). Tenax TA® and HS sorptive extraction extracted a lower number of identified compounds, whereas HS solid‐phase microextraction allowed the complete extraction of volatiles with particular reference to α‐ and β‐thujone. The importance of the determination of thujones content in sage herbal tea is also discussed.     

Transparent titanium dioxide/block copolymer modified epoxy-based systems in the long scale microphase separation threshold

Microphase separated epoxy-based materials modified with an amphiphilic poly(styrene-block-ethylene oxide) diblock copolymer (PS-b-PEO) with low amount of PEO-block as well as ternary systems modified with this block copolymer and containing via sol–gel in situ synthesized TiO₂ nanoparticles were prepared and characterized. The obtained results indicate that block copolymer had enough amount of PEO-block in order to achieve microphase separated materials for a high range of PS-b-PEO contents, morphologies changing from spherical micelles to long wormlike micelles passing through vesicles upon increasing copolymer amounts. In the case of 20 wt.% inorganic/organic epoxy-based materials, addition of synthesized TiO₂ nanoparticles into PS-b-PEO-(DGEBA/MCDEA) system led to location of the nanoparticles in PEO-block/epoxy-rich confined between two microphase separated PS-block-rich phases. Designed highly transparent multiphase inorganic/organic epoxy-based materials possess interesting specific properties such as high UV shielding efficiency and high water repellence.     

New phosphorus-containing spherical carbon adsorbents as promising materials in drug adsorption and release

A simple method of preparation of new high surface area spherical carbon adsorbents is presented. The phosphoric acid activation upon hydrothermally formed spherules was employed to produce carbons having controlled high specific surface area (over 2100m(2)/g), large volumes of pores (1.2cm(3)/g), and high acidity. Prepared from sucrose materials show high adsorption capacities (i.e. 220mg/g(C)) toward paracetamol. It is proved that for these materials the contents of surface phosphorus are responsible for the reversibility of drug adsorption/release process.     

Influence of bond fixation in benzo-annulated N-salicylideneanilines and their ortho-C(=O)X derivatives (X = CH3, NH2, OCH3) on tautomeric equilibria in solution

1H, 13C, and 15N NMR spectra show that an ortho-C(=O)X group present in the molecules of N-salicylideneanthranilamide (X = NH2), methyl N-salicylideneanthranilate (X = OCH3), N-salicylidene-o-aminoacetophenone (X = CH3), and their benzo analogues have only a minor effect on the tautomeric OH/NH-equilibrium in solution. Only two of three possible tautomers were detected. Lability of the absent form was proved by theoretical calculations. Calculated energies show that the enolimino form (OH) is less stable than the enaminone (NH) form only for dibenzo-annulated N-salicylideneanilines. The population of each species in the tautomeric mixture was found to be inversely proportional to its energy. Application of the geometry-based aromaticity index HOMA shows that the effectiveness of the pi-electron delocalization in different rings in the molecule depends mostly on the position of benzo-annulation. Both the NH...O and N...HO hydrogen bonds present in the NH and OH tautomers, respectively, increase the aromaticity of the quasirings H-O-C=C-C=N and O=C-C=C-N-H and decrease the aromatic character of the fused benzene ring. These results seem to be reliable when N-salicylideneanilines studied are compared with naphthalene and their benzo-annulated derivatives, i.e., phenanthrene, anthracene, and triphenylene. An analysis of the effectiveness of pi-electron delocalization confirms that in all cases studied, the OH form is more stable. Although the HOMA values and calculated energies are not a criterion that allows determination of the dominating tautomer, both of these parameters correctly show the effect of changes in the molecular topology on tautomeric preferences.