Preparation of in-house reference material of benzylpenicillin in milk and results of a Brazilian proficiency testing scheme

Two milk test materials containing benzylpenicillin and a benzylpenicillin-free material were prepared and used for the operation of a Brazilian proficiency testing (PT) scheme according to the requirements of ISO/IEC 17043. The PT scheme was designed to include laboratories in charge of confirmatory analysis as well as screening analysis. Sets of sample vials, benzylpenicillin-free and spiked items containing 0.2 g of lyophilized milk, were distributed to each participant. Of 20 participants who reported screening data, 18 accomplished satisfying results, providing evidence of the capability of Brazilian laboratories to produce reliable qualitative information. The assigned value (robust average calculated from 6 results) and its uncertainty were (8.28 ± 0.52) μg/L. Participants’ performance was evaluated using z-scores. A small number of participants were able to report quantitative benzylpenicillin results, and consequently care should be taken in the interpretation of the laboratory’s performance, considering the statistical nature of z-scores. Long-term stability testing on remaining PT items showed that a stable benzylpenicillin quality control material was produced and can be used for internal quality control or validation purposes.     

The essential oil constituents and antimicrobial activity of Anthemis aciphylla BOISS. var. discoidea BOISS

The essential oil of aerial parts, leaves and flowers of the endemic Anthemis aciphylla BOISS. var. discoidea BOISS. (Asteraceae) were obtained by hydrodistillation. The oils were analyzed both by GC and GC-MS on a polar column. The monoterpenes alpha-pinene (9-49%) and terpinen-4-ol (22-32%) were characterized as the main constituents. An unknown component isolated from the essential oil was characterized by means of MS, HR-MS, FT-IR, 1D- and 2D-NMR techniques as isofaurinone (1). Furthermore, the biological activity of the essential oils was evaluated in various human pathogenic microorganisms using the broth microdilution method. Weak to moderate inhibitions (0.06-1.0 mg/ml) was observed.     

Synthesis,Characterization and Bactericidal Properties of Poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone-co-Maleic anhydride-co-N-Isopropyl acrylamide)

Summary: Radical-initiated terpolymerization of maleic anhydride (MA), N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone (NVP) with N-isopyropyl acrylamide (NIPA) has been prepared as a way to obtain new water-soluble polymers. Structure, composition and thermal behaviour of synthesized terpolymers were determined by FTIR, UV-vis, ¹H NMR spectroscopy, elemental analysis (N content), differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis, gel permeation chromatography analysis (GPC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD). The terpolymer composition-structure-property relationship indicates that the semicrystalline structure of terpolymers with different reaction times, degrees of crystallinity, and thermal behaviour depends on the content of carboxyl and amide-containing monomer linkage. The antimicrobial activities the terpolymers were evaluated against pathogen bacteria: Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella enteridis, Streptococcucs faecalis, Eschericia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The antimicrobial activity was explored by the well-diffusion technique. All the studied polymers, containing biologically active moieties in the form of ionized cyclic amide and carboxylic acid groups, were more effective against Gram-positive than Gram-negative bacteria. The bactericidal effect of terpolymers against Gram negative bacteria increased with the increasing reaction times.     

Sandwich-type aptasensor employing modified aptamers and enzyme-DNA binding protein conjugates

The use of aptamers in various analytical applications as molecular recognition elements and alternative to antibodies has led to the development of various platforms that facilitate the sensitive and specific detection of targets ranging from small molecules and proteins to whole cells. The goal of this work was to design a universal and adaptable sandwich-type aptasensor exploiting the unique properties of DNA binding proteins. Specifically, two different enzyme-DNA binding protein conjugates, GOx-dHP and HRP-scCro, were used for the direct detection of a protein using two aptamers for target capture and detection. The specific dsDNA binding sequence for each DNA binding protein tag was incorporated in the form of a hairpin at one end of each aptamer sequence during the synthesis step. Detection was accomplished by an enzymatic (GOx/HRP) cascade reaction after the binding of each enzyme conjugate to its corresponding binding sequence on each aptamer. The proposed sandwich-type aptasensor was validated for the detection of thrombin, which is one of the most commonly used model targets with known dual aptamers. The limit of detection accomplished was 0.92 nM which is comparable with other colorimetric platforms reported in the literature. The sensitivity of the aptasensor was easily modulated by changing the number of dsDNA binding sites incorporated in the aptamer sequences, thus controlling the enzyme stoichiometry. Finally, the potential use of the proposed sensing approach for real sample testing was demonstrated using spiked human plasma and no significant matrix effects were observed when up to 2% plasma was used.

     

Electrochemical and in situ spectroelectrochemical properties of metal-free and metallophthalocyanines containing α-naphtholbenzein groups on the peripheral positions

Phthalocyanine (Pc) compounds-containing α-naphtholbenzein units have been synthesized and characterized by spectroscopic data and elemental analysis. The redox properties of the compounds were investigated by cyclic and square wave voltammetry, controlled-potential coulometry and in situ spectroelectrochemistry in DMSO and compared with the free phthalonitrile ligand. The Pc compounds displayed common metal and/or ring-based reduction and oxidation processes. However, electrochemical measurements clearly suggested that the substituents involving anthraquinone units are redox active and so have a considerable effect on the redox processes of these compounds.     

Phosphorus–nitrogen compounds part 33: in vitro cytotoxic and antimicrobial activities,DNA interactions,syntheses, and structural investigations of new mono(4-nitrobenzyl)spirocyclotriphosphazenes

The condensation reactions of hexachlorocyclotriphosphazene, N₃P₃Cl₆, with N-alkyl-N′-mono(4-nitrobenzyl)diamines (1–3), NO₂PhCH₂NH(CH₂) _n NHR₁ (R₁ = CH₃ or C₂H₅), led to the formation of the mono(4-nitrobenzyl)spirocyclotriphosphazenes (4–6). The tetra-pyrrolidino (4a–6a), piperidino (4b–6b), and 1,4-dioxa-8-azaspiro[4,5]decaphosphazenes (4c–6c) were prepared from(for) the reactions of partly substituted compounds (4, 5, and 6) with excess pyrrolidine, piperidine, and 1,4-dioxa-8-azaspiro[4,5]decane (DASD), respectively. The partly substituted geminal (4d and 5d) and cis-morpholino (6d) phosphazenes were isolated from the reactions of excess morpholine in boiling THF and o-xylene, but the expected fully substituted compounds were not obtained. The structures of all the phosphazene derivatives were determined by elemental analyses, MS, FTIR, ¹H, ¹³C{¹H}, ³¹P{¹H} NMR, HSQC, and HMBC techniques. The crystal structures of 4, 6, 4a, and 5a were verified by X-ray diffraction analysis. In addition, in vitro cytotoxic activities of fully substituted phosphazenes (4a–6c) against HeLa cervical cancer cell lines (ATCC CCL-2) and the compounds 4a and 4c against breast cancer cell lines (MDA-MB-231) and L929 fibroblast cells were evaluated, respectively. Apoptosis effect was determined by MDA-MB-231 cancer cell lines and fibroblast cells. The MIC values of the compounds were in the ranges of 9.8–19.5 µM. The compounds 6, 5a, 6a, 5b, and 6d have greater MIC activity against bacterial and yeast strain. The investigation of DNA binding with the phosphazenes was studied using plasmid DNA. The phosphazene derivatives inhibit the restriction endonuclease cleavage of plasmid DNA by BamHI and HindIII enzymes. BamHI and HindIII digestion results demonstrate that the compounds bind with G/G and A/A nucleotides.     

Effect of acrylamide concentration on the kinetics of oxidation of tartaric acid by cerium(IV) in sulfuric-perchloric acid media

The kinetics of oxidation of tartaric acid by Ce(IV) in the absence and presence of acrylamide has been investigated spectrophotometrically in aqueous H₂SO₄–HClO₄ media at a constant ionic strength 2.0M and 25°C. Oxidation of tartaric acid in both cases was first order with respect to Ce(IV). Kinetic data showed that the reaction involves the formation of an unstable complex and an intermediate free radical. The activation parameters were calculated to be E _a =91.3±0.4 kJ-mol^–1, S=20.2±1.0 J-mol^–1-K^–1, H=88.8±0.4 kJ-mol^–1. A polymerization mechanism is discussed.     

Novel hydrogel membrane based on copoly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate/p-vinylbenzyl-poly(ethylene oxide)) for biomedical applications: properties and drug release characteristics

The aim of this study was to synthesize and characterize a novel biocompatible polymeric membrane system and demonstrate its potential use in various biomedical applications. Synthetic hydrogels based on poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate), poly(HEMA), have been widely studied and used in biomedical fields. A novel copolymer hydrogel was prepared in the membrane form using 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate monomer (HEMA) and a macromonomer p-vinylbenzyl-poly(ethylene oxide) (V-PEO) via photoinitiated polymerization. A series of poly(HEMA/V-PEO) copolymer membranes with different compositions was prepared. The membranes were characterized using infrared, thermal and SEM analysis. The thermal stabilities of the copolymer membranes were found to be lowered by an increase in the ratio of macromonomer (V-PEO) in the membrane structure. Because of the incorporation of PEO segments, the copolymers exhibited significantly higher hydrophilic surface properties than pure poly(HEMA), as demonstrated by contact angle measurements. Equilibrium swelling studies were conducted to investigate the swelling behavior of the membranes. The equilibrium water uptake was reached in about 4 h. Moreover, the blood protein adsorption and platelet adhesion were significantly reduced on the surface of the PEO containing copolymer membranes compared to control pure poly(HEMA). Drug release experiments were performed in a continuous release system using model drug (vancomycin) loaded copoly(HEMA/V-PEO) membranes. A specific poly(HEMA/V-PEO) membrane formulation possessing the highest PEO content (with a HEMA:V-PEO (mmol:mmol) feed ratio of 112:1 and loaded with 40 mg antibiotic/g polymer) released about 81% of the total loaded drug in 24 h at pH 7.4. This membrane composition provided the best results and can be considered as a potential candidate for a transdermal antibiotic carrier and various biomedical and biotechnological applications.