PHOTOBEHAVIOR OF EUGLENA GRACILIS: ACTION SPECTRUM FOR THE STEP-DOWN PHOTOPHOBIC RESPONSE OF INDIVIDUAL CELLS

Abstract—Light-induced behavioral responses of Euglena gracilis have been investigated in single cells by means of a video system coupled to an optical microscope. Light intensity-effect curves at different wavelengths in the near UV and visible range have been determined. From these curves the action spectrum for the step-down photophobic response of Euglena has been calculated. From a comparison with the results obtained using a population method by means of a phototaxigraph, it is concluded that a single photomotile reaction is responsible for cell accumulation, brought about by trapping in the light spot and possibly by phototaxis towards scattered light from organisms already in the light field.     

Study of polymer treatment with tetrafluoromethane plasma: Reactivity of fluorinated species on model surfaces

Polyolefins and their model molecules, some n-alcanes, have been modified by a tetrafluoromethane microwave plasma. The chosen molecules are high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and hexatriacontane (HTC), low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and paraffin, and polycaprolactone (PCL) and octadecyl octadecanoate (ODO). It has been found, except for paraffin, that the model surfaces have the same behavior as the corresponding polymers. Plasma modification is described as the sum of two mechanisms: degradation and fluorination. These reactions seem to be competitive and parallel. Degradation and fluorination rates are dependent on treatment time and are practically independent on substrate position. A domain of fluorination exists near the edge of plasma, whatever the substrate in or outside plasma. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Photodynamic treatment with fractionated light decreases production of reactive oxygen species and cytotoxicity in vitro via regeneration of glutathione

Photodynamic therapy removes unwanted or harmful cells by overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Fractionated light delivery in photodynamic therapy may enhance the photodynamic effect in tumor areas with insufficient blood supply by enabling the reoxygenation of the treated area. This study addresses the outcome of fractionated irradiation in an in vitro photodynamic treatment (PDT) system, where deoxygenation can be neglected. Our results show that fractionated irradiation with light/dark intervals of 45/60 s decreases ROS production and cytotoxicity of PDT. This effect can be reversed by addition of 1,3-bis-(2-chlorethyl)-1-nitrosurea (BCNU), an inhibitor of the glutathione reductase. We suggest that the dark intervals during irradiation allow the glutathione reductase to regenerate reduced glutathione (GSH), thereby rendering cells less susceptible to ROS produced by PDT compared with continuous irradiation. Our results could be of particular clinical importance for photodynamic therapy applied to well-oxygenated tumors.     

Reaction of the stable silylene Si[(NCH2But)2C6H4-1,2] with lithium amides

The thermally stable silylene Si[(NCH2But)2C6H4-1,2] 1 undergoes oxidative addition reactions with the lithium amides LiNRR'(R = SiMe3, R' = But; R = SiMe3, R' = C6H3Me2-2,6; R = R' = Me or R = R' = Pri) to afford the new lithium amides Li(THF)2[N(R)Si(SiMe3){(NCH2But)2C6H4-1,2}][R = But2 or R = C6H3Me2-2,6 (3a)] or the new tris(amino)functionalised silyllithiums Li(THF)x[Si{(NCH2But)2C6H4-1,2}NRR'][R = SiMe3, R' = C6H3Me2-2,6, x = 2 (3); R = R'= Me, x = 3 (4) or R = R' = Pri, x = 3 (5)]. Compounds 4 and 5 are stable at ambient temperature but compound 3 is thermally labile and converts into 3a upon heating. The pathway for the formation of 2 and 3 is discussed and the X-ray structures of 2-5 are presented.     

Formation of M2+(O2)(C3H8) species in alkaline-earth-exchanged Y zeolite during propane selective oxidation

The adsorption of oxygen and d2-propane (CH3CD2CH3) on a series of alkaline-earth-exchanged Y zeolite at room temperature was studied with in situ infrared spectroscopy. Surprisingly at room temperature, oxygen adsorption led to the formation of supercage M2+(O2) species. Further, at low propane coverage, propane was found to adsorb linearly on Mg2+ cations, but a ring-adsorption structure was observed for propane adsorbing on Ca2+, Sr2+, and Ba2+ cations. It is demonstrated that O2 and propane can simultaneously attach to one active center (M2+) to form a M2+(O2)(C3H8) species, which is proposed to be the precursor in thermal propane selective oxidation. Selectivity to acetone in the propane oxidation reaction decreases with increasing temperature and cation size due to the formation of 2-propanol and carboxylate ions. An extended reaction scheme for the selective oxidation of propane over alkaline earth exchanged Y zeolites is proposed.     

Photocatalyzed [2 + 2 + 2]-cycloaddition of nitriles with acetylene: an effective method for the synthesis of 2-pyridines under mild conditions

The photocatalyzed [2 + 2 + 2]-cycloaddition of nitriles with 2 equiv of acetylene to 2-pyridines can be carried out under mild conditions and represents a valuable extension to common synthetical methods. For the ideal wavelength range (350-500 nm), lamps as well as sunlight can be used. Working at room temperature and in organic solvents such as toluene or hexane as well as in water gives satisfying results in many cases. However, it is also possible to vary the solvent and the reaction temperature of the photocatalyzed synthesis and to choose, with respect to the specific substrate, specific requirements for this particular reaction and general requirements of the method. This simple and selective method derives its potential mainly from the large variety of applicable nitriles. Suitable substrates include (functionalized) aliphatic and aromatic nitriles as well as cyanamides derived from secondary amines.     

PRIMARY DNA DAMAGE, HPRT MUTATION AND CELL INACTIVATION PHOTOINDUCED WITH VARIOUS SENSITIZERS IN V79 CELLS

DNA strand breaks and hypoxanthine guanine phosphoribosyl transferase (HPRT) mutants were measured in parallel in photochemically treated (PCT) cells and compared at the same level of cell survival. Chinese hamster fibroblasts (V79 cells) were either incubated with the lipophilic dyes tetra(3—hydroxyphenyl)porphyrin (3THPP) and Photofrin II (PII), the anionic dye meso -tetra(4—sulfonatophenyl)porphine (TPPS₄) or the cationic dye meso -tetra( N -methyl-4-pyridyl)porphine ( p -TMPyPH₂ before light exposure. In the cells, the lipophilic dyes were localized in membranes, including the nuclear membrane, while the hydrophilic dyes were taken up primarily into spots in the cytoplasm. In addition, the hydrophilic TPPS₄ was distributed homogeneously throughout the whole cytoplasm and nucleoplasm. According to the HPRT mutation test, the mutagenicity of light doses survived by 10% of the cells was a factor of six higher in the presence of 3THPP than of PII, whereas for X-rays it was a factor of three higher than for PCT with 3THPP. Light exposure in the presence of the hydrophilic dyes TPPS₄ and p -TMPyPH₂ was not significantly mutagenic. There was no correlation between the induced rates of HPRT mutants and of DNA strand breaks. Thus, TPPS₄ was the most efficient sensitizer with regard to DNA strand breaks when compared at the same level of cell survival, followed by 3THPP, PII and p -TMPyPH₂. Hence, the rate of DNA strand breaks cannot be used to predict the mutagenicity of PCT.     

Synthesis and Crystal Structure of Cesium Hexamminesodium Decahydro‐closo‐decaborate‐Ammonia(1/1), Cs[Na(NH3)6][B10H10]·NH3

Cs[Na(NH₃)₆][B₁₀H₁₀]·NH₃ was synthesised from cesium and disodium‐decahydro‐closo‐decaborate Na₂B₁₀H₁₀ in liquid ammonia, from which it crystallized in form of temperature sensitive colorless plates (triclinic, P1¯, a = 8.4787(7) Å, b = 13.272(1) Å, c = 17.139(2) Å, α = 88.564(1)°, β = 89.773(1)°, γ = 81.630(1)°, V = 1907.5(3) ų, Z = 4). The compound is the first example of an alkali metal boranate with two different types of cations. The decahydro‐closo‐decaborate dianions [B₁₀H₁₀]^2— and the cesium cations form a equation/tex2gif-stack-1.gif[Cs₂(B₁₀H₁₀)₂]^2— layer parallel to the ac plane. These layers are separated by N—H···N‐hydrogen bonded hexamminesodium cations.     

Enantioseparations of polyhalogenated 4,4’-bipyridines on polysaccharide-based chiral stationary phases and molecular dynamics simulations of selector–selectand interactions

2’-(4-Pyridyl)- and 2’-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-TCIBPs (TCIBP = 3,3’,5,5’-tetrachloro-2-iodo-4,4’-bipyridyl) are chiral compounds that showed interesting inhibition activity against transthyretin fibrillation in vitro. We became interested in their enantioseparation since we noticed that the M-stereoisomer is more effective than the P-enantiomer. Based thereon, we recently reported the enantioseparation of 2’-substituted TCIBP derivatives with amylose-based chiral columns. Following this study, herein we describe the comparative enantioseparation of both 2’-(4-pyridyl)- and 2’-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-TCIBPs on four cellulose phenylcarbamate-based chiral columns aiming to explore the effect of the polymer backbone, as well as the nature and position of substituents on the side groups on the enantioseparability of these compounds. In the frame of this project, the impact of subtle variations of analyte and polysaccharide structures, and mobile phase (MP) polarity on retention and selectivity was evaluated. The effect of temperature on retention and selectivity was also considered, and overall thermodynamic parameters associated with the analyte adsorption onto the CSP surface were derived from van ’t Hoff plots. Interesting cases of enantiomer elution order (EEO) reversal were observed. In particular, the EEO was shown to be dependent on polysaccharide backbone, the elution sequence of the two analytes being P-M and M-P on cellulose and amylose tris(3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamate), respectively. In this regard, a theoretical investigation based on molecular dynamics (MD) simulations was performed by using amylose and cellulose tris(3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamate) nonamers as virtual models of the polysaccharide-based selectors. This exploration at the molecular level shed light on the origin of the enantiodiscrimination processes.