Fungistatic activity of Zanthoxylum rhoifolium Lam. bark extracts against fungal plant pathogens and investigation on mechanism of action in Botrytis cinerea

Plant-derived compounds are emerging as an alternative choice to synthetic fungicides. Chloroform–methanol extract, obtained from the bark of Zanthoxylum rhoifolium, a member of Rutaceae, showed a fungistatic effect on Botrytis cinerea, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, Alternaria alternata, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides and Clonostachys rosea, when added to the growth medium at different concentrations. A fraction obtained by gel separation and containing the alkaloid O-Methylcapaurine showed significant fungistatic effect against B. cinerea and S. sclerotiorum, two of the most destructive phytopathogenic fungi. The underlying mechanism of such an inhibition was further investigated in B. cinerea, a fungus highly prone to develop fungicide resistance, by analysing the expression levels of a set of genes (BcatrB, P450, CYP51 and TOR). O-Methylcapaurine inhibited the expression of all the analysed genes. In particular, the expression of BcatrB gene, encoding a membrane drug transporter involved in the resistance to a wide range of xenobiotic compounds, was strongly inhibited (91%).     

Ion pair recognition of quaternary ammonium and iminium salts by uranyl-salophen compounds in solution and in the solid state

Efficient ditopic receptors for quaternary ammonium and iminium salts have been obtained upon functionalization of the uranyl-salophen unit with conformationally flexible side arms bearing phenyl or beta-naphthyl substituents. Binding affinities in chloroform solution have been measured for a large number of quaternary salts comprising tetramethylammonium (TMA), tetrabutylammonium (TBA), acetylcholine (ACh), N-methylpyridinium (NMP), and N-methylisoquinolinium (NmiQ) cations. Recognition of the anion partner is ensured by coordination to the hard Lewis acidic uranyl center, whereas cation-pi/CH-pi interactions of the quaternary ions are established with the aromatic pendants. The role of the cation-anion interactions on the dynamics of exchange between the free and complexed species is discussed. Solid-state structures have been obtained for a few salt-receptor combinations. In the solid state, side-armed receptor molecules form assemblies that enclose ion pair aggregates of varying composition and structure, including AChCl dimers, two different kinds of tetrameric (TMA)Cl clusters, and unidimentional salt strips of (NMP)Br. The lack of side arms as preferential binding sites for the polar quaternary cations prevents association patterns of the kinds formed with the side-armed receptors, as shown by the crystal structure of the complex of (TMA)Cl with the parent uranyl-salophen receptor.     

Studies on structure characterization of tryptophan melanin: Comparison between filament and curie-point pyrolysis gas chromatography/mass spectrometry

Structural studies of a synthetic melanin, obtained by means of performic acid oxidation of tryptophan, were carried out by pyrolysis gas chromatography/mass Spectrometry (Py-GC/MS). To identify the best pyrolysis conditions, both Curie-point pyrolysis and filament pyrolysis were employed and the effects of pyrolysis temperatures and times were studied. Using the first approach, various compounds were identified: toluene, ethylbenzene, styrene, indole, methylindole, ethylindole, phenol, cresol and ethylphenol. Using filament pyrolysis some interesting differences could be observed. Whereas toluene, ethylbenzene, phenol, cresol and methylindole were found, neither indole nor ethylindole was detected. Instead, new pyrolysis products were evident, such as methylpyrrole and indolin-2-one. Hence filament pyrolysis seems to activate different thermal decomposition pathways of the melanin under study. It is suggested that tryptophan melanin is a polymer containing indole and hydroxyindole derivatives as subunits.     

Uranyl-salophen based ditopic receptors for the recognition of quaternary ammonium halides

Uranyl-salophen complexes endowed with aromatic side arms behave as very efficient ditopic receptors towards tetralkylammonium halides as a result of a combination of Lewis acid-base and cation-pi interactions.     

Imaging intracellular viscosity by a new molecular rotor suitable for phasor analysis of fluorescence lifetime

The arsenal of fluorescent probes tailored to functional imaging of cells is rapidly growing and benefits from recent developments in imaging strategies. Here, we present a new molecular rotor, which displays strong absorption in the green region of the spectrum, very little solvatochromism, and strong emission sensitivity to local viscosity. The emission increase is paralleled by an increase in emission lifetime. Owing to its concentration-independent nature, fluorescence lifetime is particularly suitable to image environmental properties, such as viscosity, at the intracellular level. Accordingly, we demonstrate that intracellular viscosity measurements can be efficiently carried out by lifetime imaging with our probe and phasor analysis, an efficient method for measuring lifetime-related properties (e.g., bionalyte concentration or local physicochemical features) in living cells. Notably, we show that it is possible to monitor the partition of our probe into different intracellular regions/organelles and to follow mitochondrial de-energization upon oxidative stress.     

Molecular Recognition of Carbonyl Compounds by Uranyl-salophen Based Neutral Receptors Driven by Van Der Waals Forces

The complexation of the salophen-uranyl metallocleft 2 and of its half-cleft analogue 3 with enones and other carbonyl compounds was assessed in chloroform by UV-Vis titration and, occasionally, by FT-IR measurements. Complexes with receptors 2 and 3 are in all cases more stable than those with the control unsubstituted uranyl-salophen 1 , showing that in addition to the primary binding force provided by coordination of the carbonyl oxygen to the uranium, a significant driving force for complexation, typically in the range of 2-3 kcal/mol, results from van der Waals interactions of the guest with the aromatic walls. Replacement of the phenyl group in 3 with larger aromatic residues to give 4 and 5 , led to enhanced complex stabilities, due to more extended contact surfaces between host and guest.     

Palladium-catalyzed reaction of aryl iodides with acetic anhydride. A carbon monoxide-free synthesis of acetophenones

[reaction: see text] The palladium-catalyzed reaction of aryl iodides with acetic anhydride provides a straightforward and experimentally simple carbon monoxide-free route to acetophenones. The reaction tolerates a wide range of functionalized aryl iodides. Acetophenones are isolated in excellent yield with a variety of neutral, slightly electron-rich, and slightly electron-poor aryl iodides, whereas moderate yields are obtained with aryl iodides containing strongly electron-withdrawing substituents.     

Nitrogen,phosphorus and organics removal in two vertical flow experimental wetlands receiving pretreated municipal wastewater

Pollutants removal in two vertical flow experimental wetlands receiving pre-treated municipal wastewater was investigated. Laboratory investigations using microcosms were also carried out in order to identify key processes regulating pollutants removal. Results obtained from experimental wetlands seem to confirm the ability of a single stage installation, where nitrification and denitrification processes are jointly optimised using a gravel medium, always wet but not saturated with water. Results obtained from microcosm investigations show the prominent role of O2 supply, of microbial activity and of bio-available C from vegetal metabolism in the nitrogen removal.