Bioleaching of Nickel and Cobalt from Lateritic Chromite Overburden Using the Culture Filtrate of Aspergillus niger

Extraction of metals (Ni, Co) from chromite overburden of Sukinda mines of Orissa, India, with the culture filtrate of Aspergillus niger was studied. Results showed that the amounts of metals leached varied directly with reaction temperature and period of fermentation. The culture filtrate was analyzed for citric and oxalic acids, and contained only oxalic acid—the concentration of which increased with time. Although this acid played the major role in leaching of metals, other unidentified metabolites present in the culture filtrate influenced the dissolution of the metals significantly. Maximum recovery of metals from raw and roasted ore samples was achieved at 80 °C with the 21-day culture filtrate containing the highest amount of oxalic acid. Under identical experimental conditions, much higher amounts of the metals were leached from roasted ore. Microstructures of the ore particles were studied by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy; the bonding behaviors of metal compounds were identified by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy which showed that the metals were leached after chelation with oxalic acid.     

Odorless Preparation of Thioglycosides and Thio‐Michael Adducts of Carbohydrate Derivatives

A general, odorless, one‐pot methodology has been developed for the preparation of 1,2‐trans‐thioglycosides and thio‐Michael addition products of carbohydrate derivatives through triphenyl phosphine‐mediated cleavage of disulfides and reaction of the thiolate formed in situ with glycosyl bromides and glycosyl conjugated alkenes.     

Chemistry and Biology of Oligovalent β‐(1→2)‐Linked Oligomannosides: New Insights into Carbohydrate‐Based Adjuvants in Immunotherapy

A series of oligovalent carbohydrate assemblies (ranging from mono‐ to pentavalent), derived from three structurally different β‐linked or β‐(1→2)‐linked mannosides, has been chemically synthesized, and the respective compounds have been biologically evaluated in order to investigate their immunostimulatory properties. The Crich methodology for β‐mannosylation was successfully utilized to introduce the β‐linkages, and a click chemistry protocol was utilized to generate the oligovalent derivatives. A convenient protecting group strategy involving the simultaneous use of both p‐methoxybenzyl and benzylidene groups was employed, which allowed a simple and cost‐effective global deprotection step. The immunomodulatory properties of the synthesized multivalent mannosides were evaluated by assessing cytokine production in human white blood cell cultures. The Th2‐type cytokines interleukin‐4 and interleukin‐5 (IL‐4 and IL‐5), the Th1 cytokine interferon‐γ (IFN‐γ), the Treg cytokine IL‐10, and the pro‐inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor (TNF) were included in the screening. A single trivalent acetylated mannobiose derivative was identified as a potent inducer of Treg and Th1 immune response, resulting in strong IL‐10 and moderate IFN‐γ productions dose‐dependently, while inducing no Th2 cytokine response. The immunomodulatory properties of this trivalent mannoside were further studied in vitro in allergen (Bet v)‐stimulated human peripheral blood mononuclear cell cultures of birch pollen allergic subjects. Stimulation with birch pollen induced strong IL‐4 and IL‐5 responses, which could be suppressed by the trivalent acetylated mannobiose derivative. The IL‐10 response was also suppressed, whereas the production of IFN‐γ was strongly enhanced. The results suggest that the identified lead compound has suppressive effects on the Th2‐type allergic inflammatory response and shows potential as a possible lead adjuvant for the specific immunotherapy of allergies.     

Atomistic De-novo Inhibitor Generation-Guided Drug Repurposing for SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein with Free-Energy Validation by Well-Tempered Metadynamics

Computational drug design is increasingly becoming important with new and unforeseen diseases like COVID-19. In this study, we present a new computational de novo drug design and repurposing method and applied it to find plausible drug candidates for the receptor binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19). Our study comprises three steps: atom-by-atom generation of new molecules around a receptor, structural similarity mapping to existing approved and investigational drugs, and validation of their binding strengths to the viral spike proteins based on rigorous all-atom, explicit-water well-tempered metadynamics free energy calculations. By choosing the receptor binding domain of the viral spike protein, we showed that some of our new molecules and some of the repurposable drugs have stronger binding to RBD than hACE2. To validate our approach, we also calculated the free energy of hACE2 and RBD, and found it to be in an excellent agreement with experiments. These pool of drugs will allow strategic repurposing against COVID-19 for a particular prevailing conditions.     

Modification of Extended Open Frameworks with Fluorescent Tags for Sensing Explosives: Competition between Size Selectivity and Electron Deficiency

Three new electron‐rich metal–organic frameworks ( MOF‐1 – MOF‐3 ) have been synthesized by employing ligands bearing aromatic tags. The key role of the chosen aromatic tags is to enhance the π‐electron density of the luminescent MOFs. Single‐crystal X‐ray structures have revealed that these MOFs form three‐dimensional porous networks with the aromatic tags projecting inwardly into the pores. These highly luminescent electron‐rich MOFs have been successfully utilized for the detection of explosive nitroaromatic compounds (NACs) on the basis of fluorescence quenching. Although all of the prepared MOFs can serve as sensors for NACs, MOF‐1 and MOF‐2 exhibit superior sensitivity towards 4‐nitrotoluene (4‐NT) and 2,4‐dinitrotoluene (DNT) compared to 2,4,6‐trinitrotoluene (TNT) and 1,3,5‐trinitrobenzene (TNB). MOF‐3 , on the other hand, shows an order of sensitivity in accordance with the electron deficiencies of the substrates. To understand such anomalous behavior, we have thoroughly analyzed both the steady‐state and time‐resolved fluorescence quenching associated with these interactions. Determination of static Stern–Volmer constants (K_S) as well as collisional constants (K_C) has revealed that MOF‐1 and MOF‐2 have higher K_S values with 4‐NT than with TNT, whereas for MOF‐3 the reverse order is observed. This apparently anomalous phenomenon was well corroborated by theoretical calculations. Moreover, recyclability and sensitivity studies have revealed that these MOFs can be reused several times and that their sensitivities towards TNT solution are at the parts per billion (ppb) level.     

Insights into the AIEE of 1,8‐Naphthalimides (NPIs): Inverse Effects of Intermolecular Interactions in Solution and Aggregates

Systematic structural perturbation has been used to fine‐tune and understand the luminescence properties of three new 1,8‐naphthalimides (NPIs) in solution and aggregates. The NPIs show blue emission in the solution state and their fluorescence quantum yields are dependent upon their molecular rigidity. In concentrated solutions of the NPIs, intermolecular interactions were found to quench the fluorescence due to the formation of excimers. In contrast, upon aggregation (in THF / H₂O mixtures), the NPIs show aggregation‐induced emission enhancement (AIEE). The NPIs also show moderately high solid‐state emission quantum yields (ca. 10–12.7 %). The AIEE behaviour of the NPIs depends on their molecular rigidity and the nature of their intermolecular interactions. The NPIs 1 – 3 show different extents of intermolecular (π–π and C?H???O) interactions in their solid‐state crystal structures depending on their substituents. Detailed photophysical, computational and structural investigations suggest that an optimal balance of structural flexibility and intermolecular communication is necessary for achieving AIEE characteristics in these NPIs.     

Fine‐Tuning Dual Emission and Aggregation‐Induced Emission Switching in NPI–BODIPY Dyads

Three new NPI–BODIPY dyads 1 – 3 (NPI=1,8‐naphthalimide, BODIPY=boron‐dipyrromethene) were synthesized, characterized, and studied. The NPI and BODIPY moieties in these dyads are electronically separated by oxoaryl bridges, and the compounds only differ structurally with respect to methyl substituents on the BODIPY fluorophore. The NPI and BODIPY moieties retain their optical features in molecular dyads 1 – 3 . Dyads 1–3 show dual emission in solution originating from the two separate fluorescent units. The variations of the dual emission in these compounds are controlled by the structural flexibilities of the systems. Dyads 1 – 3 , depending on their molecular flexibilities, show considerably different spectral shapes and dissimilar intensity ratios of the two emission bands. The dyads also show significant aggregation‐induced emission switching (AIES) on formation of nano‐aggregates in THF/H₂O with changes in emission color from green to red. Whereas the flexible and aggregation‐prone compound 1 shows AIES, rigid systems with less favorable intermolecular interactions (i.e., 2 and 3 ) show aggregation‐induced quenching of emission. Correlations of the emission intensity and structural flexibility were found to be reversed in solution and aggregated states. Photophysical and structural investigations suggested that intermolecular interactions (e.g., π–π stacking) play a major role in controlling the emission of these compounds in the aggregated state.     

Thiol Modified Chitosan Self-Assembled Monolayer Platform for Nucleic Acid Biosensor

A self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of thiol modified chitosan (SH-CHIT), with thioglycolic acid (TGA) as a modifier to bestow thiol groups, has been prepared onto gold (Au)-coated glass plates for fabrication of the nucleic acid biosensor. The chemical modification of CHIT via TGA has been evidenced by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) studies, and the biocompatibility studies reveal that CHIT retains its biocompatible nature after chemical modification. The electrochemical studies conducted onto SH-CHIT/Au electrode reveal that thiol modification in CHIT amino end enhances the electrochemical behavior indicating that it may be attributed to delocalization of electrons in CHIT skeleton that participates in the resonance process. The carboxyl group modified end of DNA probe has been immobilized onto SH-CHIT/Au electrode using N-ethyl-N′-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodimide (EDC) and N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) chemistry for detection of complementary, one-base mismatch and non-complementary sequence using electrochemical and optical studies for Mycobacterium tuberculosis detection. It has been found that DNA-SH-CHIT/Au bioelectrode can specifically detect 0.01 μM of target DNA concentration with sensitivity of 1.69?×?10^?6 A μM^?1.     

Injectable Enzyme‐Based Hydrogel Matrix with Precisely Oxidative Stress Defense for Promoting Dermal Repair of Burn Wound

Burn wound healing remains a challenging health problem worldwide due to the lack of efficient and precise therapy. Inherent oxidative stress following burn injury is importantly responsible for prolonged inflammation, fibrotic scar, and multiple organ failure. Herein, a bioinspired antioxidative defense system coupling with in situ forming hydrogel, namely, multiresponsive injectable catechol‐Fe³⁺ coordination hydrogel (MICH) matrix, is engineered to promote burn‐wound dermal repair by inhibiting tissue oxidative stress. This MICH matrix serves as the special traits of “Fe‐superoxide dismutases,” small molecular antioxidant (vitamin E), and extracellular matrix (ECM) in alleviating cellular oxidative damage, which demonstrates precise scavenging on reactive oxygen species (ROS) of different cellular locations, blocking lipid peroxidation and cell apoptosis. In in vivo burn‐wound treatment, this MICH promptly integrates with injured surrounding tissue to provide hydration microenvironment and physicochemical ECM for burn wounds. Importantly, the MICH matrix suppresses tissue ROS production, reducing the inflammatory response, prompting re‐epithelization and neoangiogenesis during wound healing. Meanwhile, the remodeling skin treated with MICH matrix demonstrates low collagen deposition and normal dermal collagen architecture. Overall, the MICH prevents burn wound progression and enhances skin regeneration, which might be a promising biomaterial for burn‐wound care and other disease therapy induced by oxidative stress.