Novel synthesis of substituted N-(3-aryl-1,8-naphthyridin-2-yl) and N,N′-bis(3-aryl-1,8-naphthyridin-2-yl)benzene-1,4-diamines and 2-(4-((3-aryl-1,8-naphthyridin-2-yl)amino)phenyl)isoindoline-1,3-diones and their biological evaluation

A straightforward and highly efficient series of new substituted 3-aryl-1,8-naphthyridine derivatives 3a–e, 4a–e, and 6a–e were synthesized. Condensation dissimilar quantities of 2-chloro-3-aryl-1,8-naphthyridine 1a–e with benzene-1,4-diamine 2 and sodium ethoxide refluxing in ethanol solvent yielded the compounds 3a–e and 4a–e. The 2-(4-((3-aryl-1,8-naphthyridin-2-yl)amino)phenyl)isoindoline-1,3-diones 6a–e were obtained by treatment of compounds 3a–e with phthalic anhydride 5 in refluxing N,N-dimethylformamide is described. All synthesized compounds evaluated for their antimicrobial activity. The structures of the compounds have been proven on the established of spectral (IR, ¹H NMR, and ¹³C NMR) data and elemental analyses. The reaction will be characterized by good efficacy, easy workup, simple purification of the products, and availability of catalyst.     

Modification of natural fibers from Thespesia lampas plant by in situ generation of silver nanoparticles in single-step hydrothermal method

Ligno-cellulosic fibers have a great market and propose higher value addition and options to develop various products but they do not have inherent antimicrobial properties. In this study, a simple hydrothermal method was applied to build up antimicrobial properties to natural fibers by in situ-generating silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in them. Herein, the ligno-cellulosic Thespesia lampas natural fibers were selected to develop antimicrobial activity using silver nitrate (AgNO₃) solution by hydrothermal method. The modified fibers were characterized by SEM, FTIR, XRD, TGA, and antibacterial activity tests. The modified fibers had spherical AgNPs with an average size of 95?nm. The thermal stability of the modified fibers was higher than that of the unmodified fibers. The modified fibers exhibited good antibacterial activity against both the Gram negative and Gram positive bacteria. These modified fibers can be considered as fillers in polymer matrices to make antibacterial composites.     

The synthesis of a pyrido[2,3-c]pyridazine: A cinnoline related to 6-fluoronalidixic acid

An analog of the pyrido[2,3-c]pyridazine ring system, 1-ethyl-6-fluoro-1,4-dihydro-7-methyl-4-oxopyrido-[2,3-c]pyridazine-3-carboxylic acid ( 13 ), related to both Cinoxacin ( 1 ) and nalidixic acid ( 2 ), has been synthesized. The reductive ring closure of 2-chloro-α-diazo-6-methyl-5-nitro-β-oxo-3-pyridinepropanoic acid, ethyl ester ( 7 ), proved to be the key reaction providing entry into the ring system.     

Synthesis and photophysical characterization of heterocyclic dihydrotetracenes and their utility in the fluorescence imaging of HeLa cells

Aza- and oxa-dihydrotetracenes were prepared in one step from 1,4-dicyanodibenzodioxins in good yields. These molecules represent the first examples of heterocyclic dihydrotetracenes with push-pull character. Aza-dihydrotetracene 18H showed a strong red-shifted absorbance maxima at 472?nm, nearly equal in intensity to the parent band at 260?nm, in polar DMSO medium. The fluorescence emission spectrum of aza-dihydrotetracene 18H had an emission maximum at 525?nm with a broad band stretched out as far as 650?nm. The fluorescence emission quantum yield was almost as strong as the known fluorescent standard 1,3-diphenylisobenzofuran. The aza-dihydrotetracenes exhibited in vitro cytotoxicity against the HeLa cell line and were non-toxic against the normal HaCaT cell line. The fluorescence emerging from HeLa cells incubated with aza-dihydrotetracene 18H was very strong and helped detect the cells microscopically using appropriate filters.     

A Comparative study on synthesis, characterization and photocatalytic activities of MgO and Fe/MgO nanoparticles

MgO and Fe/MgO particles in the nanometer-size regime have been successfully synthesized by a hydrothermal crystallization process using dodecyl benzenesulphonic acid as a surfactant. The prepared catalysts were characterized in details by multiform techniques: XRD, SEM, TEM, UV-DRS, TGA-DSC, BET surface area, and EPR spectroscopy. Comparative photocatalytic activity of the samples was evaluated through the photodegradation of Acid Blue 80 dye under sunlight. The results of the photocatalytic degradation of Acid Blue 80 dye in aqueous solution demonstrated that Fe ions doping greatly improved the photocatalytic efficiency of MgO nanoparticles. Most interestingly, this is the first time that it has been observed that the Fe/MgO system is quite an effective visible light active catalyst.     

Two‐Dimensional Crowding Uncovers a Hidden Conformation of α‐Synuclein

The intrinsically disordered protein (IDP), α‐synuclein (αS), is well‐known for phospholipid membrane binding‐coupled folding into tunable helical conformers. Here, using single‐molecule experiments in conjunction with ensemble assays and a theoretical model, we present a unique case demonstrating that the interaction–folding landscape of αS can be tuned by two‐dimensional (2D) crowding through simultaneous binding of a second protein on the bilayer surface. Unexpectedly, the experimental data show a clear deviation from a simple competitive inhibition model, but are consistent with a bimodal inhibition mechanism wherein membrane binding of a second protein (a membrane interacting chaperone, Hsp27, in this case) differentially inhibits two distinct modules of αS–membrane interaction. As a consequence, αS molecules are forced to access a hidden conformational state on the phospholipid bilayer in which only the higher‐affinity module remains membrane‐bound. Our results demonstrate that macromolecular crowding in two dimensions can play a significant role in shaping the conformational landscape of membrane‐binding IDPs with multiple binding modes.     

Green synthesis and antibacterial evaluation of some new 1-aryl-3-(1-aryl-1<Emphasis Type="Italic">H</Emphasis>-[1,2,3]triazol-4-yl)-propenones

A new series of 1-aryl-3-(1-aryl-1H-[1,2,3]triazol-4-yl)propenones (6a–6j) was synthesized by condensation of substituted acetophenones (5a–5c) with substituted 1-aryl-1H-[1,2,3]triazole-4-carbaldehydes (4a–4d) in the presence of potassium hydroxide under conditions of grinding and microwave irradiation. All the newly synthesized compounds were characterized by the IR, NMR, and mass spectroscopic analyses and their antibacterial activity against gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial strains was evaluated. Among the compounds synthesized, better activity was exhibited by 6a, 6c, 6f, 6g, and 6i.     

Helical conformational specificity of enzymatically synthesized water-soluble conducting polyaniline nanocomposites

A novel template guided enzymatic approach has been developed to synthesize optically active conducting polyaniline (PANI) nanocomposites in the presence of H2O2 as an oxidant, using (+) and (-) 10-camphorsulfonic acid (CSA) as a dopant and chiral inductor. The formation of chiral polyaniline in the nanocomposites was confirmed by circular dichroism (CD). Interestingly, the CD spectra of nanocomposites formed either with (+) or with (-) CSA show the enzyme itself plays a critical role in controlling the stereospecificity of the polyaniline (PANI) in the nanocomposite. The enzyme used for the polymerization of aniline in the nanocomposite was horseradish peroxidase (HRP). It was shown that this enzyme prefers a specific helical conformation, regardless of whether induced chirality in the complex CSA-aniline is from (+) or (-) CSA. UV-vis spectra show that the polyaniline is in the conducting form, and transmission electron micrographs (TEM) show that the nanocomposites are dispersed nicely with particle size dimensions in the range of 20-50 nm. Electron diffraction patterns of these chiral polymer nanocomposites suggest that these nanocomposites are in both crystalline and amorphous states.     

Role of white light in reversing UV-B-mediated effects in the N2-fixing cyanobacterium Anabaena BT2

The effects of various irradiances of artificial UV-B (280-315 nm) in the presence or absence of visible light (photosynthetically active radiation) on growth, survival, 14CO2 uptake and ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (RuBISCO) activity were studied in the N2-fixing cyanobacterium Anabaena BT2. We tested the hypothesis whether or not visible radiation offers any protection against UV-B-induced deleterious effects on growth and photosynthesis in Anabaena BT2. Attempts were also made to determine the irradiances of UV-B where inhibitory effects could be mitigated by simultaneous irradiation with visible light. Exposure of cultures to 0.2 W m(-2) or higher irradiance of UV-B caused inhibition of growth and survival and growth ceased above 1.0 W m(-2). 14CO uptake and RuBISCO activity were found to be more sensitive to UV-B and around 60% reduction in 14CO2 uptake and RuBISCO activity occurred after exposure of cultures to 0.4 W m(-2) for 1 h. However, growth, 14CO2 uptake and RuBISCO activity were nearly normal when UV-B (0.4 W m(-2)) and visible light (14.4 W m(-2)) were given simultaneously. Blue radiation (450 nm) was found to be the most effective in photoreactivation against UV-B, better than UV-A or any other light wavelength band. Our results demonstrate that the studied cyanobacterium possesses active photoreactivation mechanism(s) against UV-B-mediated damage which in turn probably allow survival under natural conditions in spite of being continuously exposed to the UV-B component present in the solar radiation. Continued growth of many algae and cyanobacteria in the presence of intense solar UV-B radiation under natural conditions seems to be due to the active role of photoreactivation.     

Rapid label-free visual assay for the detection and quantification of viral RNA using peptide nucleic acid (PNA) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs)

A rapid label-free visual assay for the detection of viral RNA using peptide nucleic acid (PNA) probes and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) is presented in this study. Diagnosis is a crucial step for the molecular surveillance of diseases, and a rapid visual test with high specificity could play a vital role in the management of viral diseases. In this assay, the specific agglomerative behavior of PNA with gold nanoparticles was manipulated by its complementation with viral RNA. The assay was able to detect 5–10 ng of viral RNA from various biological samples, such as allantoic fluids, cell culture fluids and vaccines, in 100 μl of test solution. The developed assay was more sensitive than a hemagglutination (HA) test, a routine platform test for the detection of Newcastle disease virus (NDV), and the developed assay was able to visually detect NDV with as little as 0.25 HA units of virus. In terms of the specificity, the test could discriminate single nucleotide differences in the target RNA and hence could provide visual viral genotyping/pathotyping. This observation was confirmed by pathotyping different known isolates of NDV. Further, the PNA-induced colorimetric changes in the presence of the target RNA at different RNA to PNA ratios yielded a standard curve with a linear coefficient of R² = 0.990, which was comparable to the value of R² = 0.995 from real-time PCR experiments with the same viral RNA. Therefore, the viral RNA in a given samples could be quantified using a simple visual spectrophotometer available in any clinical laboratory. This assay may find application in diagnostic assays for other RNA viruses, which are well known to undergo mutations, thus presenting challenges for their molecular surveillance, genotyping and quantification.