FLUORESCENCE SPECTRAL CHANGES OF HEMATOPORPHYRIN DERIVATIVE UPON BINDING TO LIPID VESICLES, Staphylococcus aureus AND Escherichia coli CELLS

Abstract— The binding of hematoporphyrin derivated (Hpd) to lipid vesicles and bacterial membranes was determined by fluorescence spectroscopy. The fluorescence measurements of Hpd in aqueous solutions showed two bands at 613 and 677 nm. In lipid environments of lecithin vesicles the fluorescence spectrum was shifted to 631 and 692 nm, respectively. Hpd was rapidly bound to the cell membrane of Staphylococcus aureus while much less binding occurred in the presence of Escherichia coli. At the same time, spheroplasts of both bacteria were shown to bind Hpd to a similar extent. These results are well correlated with the photoinactivation of the gram positive bacteria with Hpd while the gram negative cells were shown to be resistant. The pH dependence of both Hpd binding to S. aureus as well as the photodynamic inhibitory effect of the same bacteria are similar. It is concluded that the segregation of Hpd to the cell membrane is a prerequisite for its photodynamic effect.     

Mass spectrometric analysis of ceramide perturbations in brain and fibroblasts of mice and human patients with peroxisomal disorders

In this study, the levels and composition of ceramides in brains of newborn mice lacking peroxisomes (Pex5-/-, Zellweger mice) were analyzed using normal-phase high-performance liquid chromatography/atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry (HPLC/APCI-MS). Total ceramide compositions were found to be comparable to that of control animals. However, a minor ceramide species, containing hexacosanoic/hexacosenoic acid as the amide fatty acid, was 9-fold increased. Also, in the sphingomyelin-derived ceramides this species was elevated. Subsequent analysis of extracts from fibroblasts of Pex5-/- mice and mice with a defective peroxisomal beta-oxidation (lacking D-specific multifunctional protein 2 (MFP2)), revealed, again, a similar rise in this particular ceramide. Further, this ceramide was elevated in human X-ALD fibroblasts as well. Whether C26:1/0-ceramide is linked to some of the pathology seen in Zellweger syndrome remains to be investigated. However, an increase in this sphingolipid can be considered as a diagnostic criterion for diseases caused by defects in peroxisome biogenesis or peroxisomal beta-oxidation.     

Discovery of O-GlcNAc transferase inhibitors

O-GlcNAcylation of serine and threonine residues is a dynamic and essential post-translational modification involved in signaling pathways in eukaryotes. Studies of O-GlcNAcylation would be aided by small-molecule inhibitors of O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT), the sole enzyme know to mediate this modification, but discovery of such molecules has been hampered by poor expression of cloned OGT and lack of suitable high-throughput screens. This Communication describes the development an expression system to access large amounts of the catalytic domain of OGT and the implementation of a fluorescence-based substrate analogue displacement assay that has led to the discovery of a set of OGT inhibitors. This work lays the foundation for both structural and functional analysis of the catalytic domain of OGT.     

Single Crystals of NaPrTe2 with LiTiO2‐Type Structure

During attempts to synthesize rare‐earth nitride tellurides black and bead‐shaped single crystals of the title compound sodium praseodymium(III) ditelluride (NaPrTe₂) were obtained as a by‐product by reacting a mixture of praseodymium, sodium azide (NaN₃) and tellurium at 900 °C for seven days in evacuated torch‐sealed silica vessels. NaPrTe₂ crystallizes cubic (space group: Fd3¯m, Z = 16; a = 1285.51(9) pm, V_m = 79.96(1) cm³/mol, R₁ = 0.028 for 146 unique reflections) and exhibits the Na⁺ and Pr³⁺ cations in slightly distorted octahedra of six telluride anions (d(Na—Te) = 325 pm, d(Pr—Te) = 317 pm) each. The main characteristics of this new structure type for alkali‐metal rare‐earth(III) dichalcogenides can be derived from the rock‐salt type structure (NaCl, cubic closest‐packed Te^2— arrangement, all octahedral voids occupied with Na⁺ and Pr³⁺) with alternating layers consisting of Na⁺ and Pr³⁺ cations in a ratio of 3:1 and 1:3, respectively, piled along the [111] direction.     

Mirror image nanostructures

Chiral molecules that self-assemble to form chiral supramolecular structures exhibit interesting structural features reminiscent of tertiary and quaternary structures of proteins and have applications in catalysis and nonlinear optics. Often, these structures are hierarchical, with their chiral structure difficult to interpret on the molecular scale. In this communication, we observe chiral assembling molecules that form well-defined helices with a pitch of 28 nm. We observe the behavior in both R- and S-enantiomers of the molecule, forming mirror image nanostructures. The molecular chirality is determined by the dimethyloctyl alkyl coil of the molecule and is located more than 4 nm from the hydrogen-bonding segment. The nanostructures observed are not hierarchical, which could be a result of the significant separation between the stereocenter and hydrogen-bonding dendron. The subtle structural modification at the periphery of the molecule biases the supramolecular assembly, which is driven primarily by strong hydrogen-bonding and pi-pi stacking interactions.     

Beiträge zur Chemie der Pyrrolpigmente, 26. Mitt.: Zur anaeroben Photochemie von Gallenpigmenten: Die Lumineszenz von Gallenpigment-Partialstruktursystemen und integralen Farbstoffen

The luminescence properties of about twentyfive model compounds representing the three main partial structures of bile pigments (namely pyrromethenes, pyrromethenones and methylenepyrrolylmethylenepyrrolinones) as well as tripyrrines and the geometrical isomers of aetiobiliverdin-IV- are reported. In these compounds there is usually only a very faint or even no fluorescence and phosphorescene as the pathway of deexcitation. Vibrational internal conversion and photoisomerizations at the exocyclic double bonds are the main anaerobic paths of radiationless decay of the excited states.

H. Falk, K. Grubmayr, E. Haslinger, T. Schlederer undK. Thirring, Mh. Chem.109, 1451 (1978).     

Time-dependent pump-probe spectra of NeBr2

Time- and frequency-resolved pump-probe measurements on NeBr2 have been performed to better characterize its fragmentation dynamics on the B electronic state for vibrational levels in the energy region of the transition from direct vibrational predissociation to intramolecular vibrational relaxation dynamics. Above nu'=20 of the Br2 stretching mode, it was observed that the dependence of lifetime on the vibrational quantum number deviates from the energy-gap law by leveling off in the range of 10 psE transitions of the complex. These transitions are shifted 20 cm(-1) to lower energy from the free Br2 resonances, indicating an E state Ne-Br2 bond energy of 82 cm(-1). Measurements of NeBr2 vibrational predissociation via the delta nu=-2 channel were also performed for nu'=27, 28, and 29. The closing of the delta nu=-1 channel leads to an increase in the lifetimes of these vibrational levels. A new Nd:yttrium aluminum garnet pumped dual optical parametric oscillator/optical parametric amplifier system is described that allows us to conveniently record time-delayed pump-probe spectra with 2-cm(-1) spectral resolution and 15-ps time resolution.     

Kinetic modeling of the adsorption rate of a gaseous adsorbate on a granular adsorbent by ultra-rapid-scanning Fourier transform infrared spectrometry

A novel method for determining the rates of adsorption of gaseous adsorbates on granular adsorbents in the millisecond time regime is described. Mixtures of the adsorbate and nitrogen are passed through a solenoid valve and 100 mg of the adsorbent for periods of (typically) 100 ms. The concentration of the adsorbate passing into a low-volume, long path length gas cell is measured with an ultra-rapid-scanning Fourier transform infrared spectrometer capable of gathering 200 mid-infrared spectra per second with 6-cm(-1) resolution. The pressure of the gas entering the cell is measured simultaneously with a capacitance manometer. A dynamic mathematical model was developed to analyze and describe the results in terms of a Langmuir isotherm. The success of this approach is demonstrated by the estimation of the rate of adsorption of vapor-phase acetaldehyde on aminopropylsilylated granular silica gel.     

Beiträge zur Chemie der Pyrrolpigmente, 19. Mitt.: Die elektrochemische Oxidation von Pyrromethenonen und Pyrromethenen (Gallenpigment-Partialstrukturen)

The electrochemical oxidation of arylmethylene-pyrrolinones, pyrromethenones and pyrromethenes as representative bile pigment partial structure models was investigated by means of a rotating disc platinum electrode using acetonitrile as the solvent. Two different oxidation reactions were found. The first reaction being a reversible one-electron oxidation with compounds of the arylmethylene-pyrrolinone series and pyrromethenones which are unsubstituted in position 5 of the pyrrole ring. A two step reaction (the first one reversible, the second irreversible) on the other hand was found to be typical for pyrromethenones bearing a methyl group in this position.Through protonation the first step is at a higher potential, whereas the second one is lowered and becomes reversible. The resulting oxidation pattern can be interpreted analogous to the oxidation of hydroquinones in aprotic solvents.The geometrical isomers of a pyrromethenone were oxidized at appr. the same potential, but there is a strong dependence of the potential of the first oxidation step on the substitution: a higher degree of alkylation favours oxidation by lowering the oxidation potential.

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Three-dimensional nonlinear optical chromophores based on metal-to-ligand charge-transfer from ruthenium(II) or iron(II) centers

In this article, we describe a series of new complex salts in which electron-rich transition-metal centers are coordinated to three electron-accepting N-methyl/aryl-2,2':4,4' ':4',4' '-quaterpyridinium ligands. These complexes contain either Ru(II) or Fe(II) ions and have been characterized by using various techniques, including electronic absorption spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry. Molecular quadratic nonlinear optical (NLO) responses beta have been determined by using hyper-Rayleigh scattering at 800 nm and also via Stark (electroabsorption) spectroscopic studies on the intense, visible d --> pi* metal-to-ligand charge-transfer bands. The latter experiments reveal that these putatively octupolar D(3) chromophores exhibit two substantial components of the beta tensor which are associated with transitions to dipolar excited states. Computations involving time-dependent density-functional theory and the finite field method serve to further illuminate the electronic structures and associated linear and NLO properties of the new chromophoric salts.