Changes in Isoflavone Profile from Soybean Seeds during Cheonggukjang Fermentation Based on High-Resolution UPLC-DAD-QToF/MS: New Succinylated and Phosphorylated Conjugates

In this study, thirty-eight isoflavone derivatives were comprehensively identified and quantified from the raw, steamed and fermented seeds of four selected soybean cultivars based on UPLC-DAD-QToF/MS results with reference to the previously reported LC-MS library and flavonoid database, and summarized by acylated group including glucosides (Glu), malonyl-glucosides (Mal-Glu), acetyl-glucosides (Ac-Glu), succinyl-glucosides (Suc-Glu) and phosphorylated conjugates (Phos) in addition to aglycones. Among them, Suc-Glu and Phos derivatives were newly generated due to fermentation by B. subtilis AFY-2 (cheonggukjang). In particular, Phos were characterized for the first time in fermented soy products using Bacillus species. From a proposed roadmap on isoflavone-based biotransformation, predominant Mal-Glu (77.5–84.2%, raw) decreased rapidly by decarboxylation and deesterification into Ac-Glu and Glu (3.5–8.1% and 50.0–72.2%) during steaming, respectively. As fermentation continued, the increased Glu were mainly succinylated and phosphorylated as well as gradually hydrolyzed into their corresponding aglycones. Thus, Suc-Glu and Phos (17.3–22.4% and 1.5–5.4%, 36 h) determined depending on cultivar type and incubation time, and can be considered as important biomarkers generated during cheonggukjang fermentation. Additionally, the changes of isoflavone profile can be used as a fundamental report in applied microbial science as well as bioavailability research from fermented soy foods.     

The Influence of Tyrosol-Enriched Rhodiola sachalinensis Extracts Bioconverted by the Mycelium of Bovista plumbe on Scopolamine-Induced Cognitive,Behavioral, and Physiological Responses in Mice

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is an age-related neurodegenerative disorder characterized by cognitive deficits, which are accompanied by memory loss and cognitive disruption. Rhodiola sachalinensis (RSE) is a medicinal plant that has been used in northeastern Asia for various pharmacological activities. We attempted to carry out the bioconversion of RSE (Bio-RSE) using the mycelium of Bovista plumbe to obtain tyrosol-enriched Bio-RSE. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of Bio-RSE on the activation of the cholinergic system and the inhibition of oxidative stress in mice with scopolamine (Sco)-induced memory impairment. Sco (1 mg/kg body weight, i.p.) impaired the mice’s performance on the Y-maze test, passive avoidance test, and water maze test. However, the number of abnormal behaviors was reduced in the groups supplemented with Bio-RSE. Bio-RSE treatment improved working memory and avoidance times against electronic shock, increased step-through latency, and reduced the time to reach the escape zone in the water maze test. Bio-RSE dramatically improved the cholinergic system by decreasing acetylcholinesterase activity and regulated oxidative stress by increasing antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT)). The reduction in nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)/heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) signaling in the brain tissue due to scopolamine was restored by the administration of Bio-RSE. Bio-RSE also significantly decreased amyloid-beta 1–42 (Aβ1–42) and amyloid precursor protein (APP) expression. Moreover, the increased malondialdehyde (MDA) level and low total antioxidant capacity in Sco-treated mouse brains were reversed by Bio-RSE, and an increase in Nrf2 and HO-1 was also observed. In conclusion, Bio-RSE protected against Sco-induced cognitive impairment by activating Nrf2/HO-1 signaling and may be developed as a potential beneficial material for AD.     

Electrochemiluminescence Mechanisms Investigated with Smartphone-Based Sensor Data Modeling,Parameter Estimation and Sensitivity Analysis

The present study introduces a unified framework combining a mechanistic model with a genetic algorithm (GA) for the parameter estimation of electrochemiluminescence (ECL) kinetics of the Ru(bpy)₃²⁺/TPrA system occurring in a smartphone-based sensor. The framework allows a straightforward solution for simultaneous estimation of multiple parameters which can be, otherwise, time-consuming and lead to non-convergence. Model parameters are estimated by achieving a high correlation between the model prediction and the measured ECL intensity from the ECL sensor. The developed model is used to perform a sensitivity analysis (SA), which provides quantitative effects of the model parameters on the concentrations of chemical species involved in the system. The results demonstrate that the GA-based parameter estimation and the SA approaches are effective in analyzing the kinetics of the ECL mechanism. Therefore, these approaches can be incorporated as analysis tools in the ECL kinetics study with practical application in the calibration of mechanistic models for any required sensing condition.     

Morphological transition of nanostructures of self-assembled block copolymers by stimuli-induced conformational changes in the hydrophilic block

The morphological control of nanostructures created by the self-assembly of macromolecular building blocks in solution has practical importance because the structural parameters of nanostructures greatly affect their physical and chemical behavior in solution, for example, pharmacokinetics. Herein, we report that the stimuli-induced changes to the conformation of the hydrophilic polymer block of a block copolymer (BCP), in this case branched-linear poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(styrene) BCPs, are translated to changes in the morphology of the BCP self-assemblies in solution. Specifically, the cone angle between the poly(ethylene glycol) arms in the tri-arm hydrophilic block equipped with pyridyl units in the scaffold can be changed by varying the self-assembly conditions, thus affecting the packing parameter (p) of the BCP. Upon increasing the cone angle by protonating the pyridyl units, the self-assembled BCP structures underwent changes consistent with a reduction in the p value. In contrast, the chelation of zinc metal cations (Zn²⁺) to the pyridyl groups resulted in the conformation of the hydrophilic block taking on a closed form, resulting in an apparent increase in the p value of the BCP. Our results could be applied to stimuli-dependent morphological transitions of other self-assembled BCP nanostructures in solution.     

Potential-induced wetting and dewetting in hydrophobic nanochannels for mass transport control

Wetting and dewetting transitions play a central role in controlling the hydrophobicity of the lining of biological channels in order to regulate aqueous solution permeation. Understanding of the operational characteristics of biological nanochannels led to experimental efforts to mimic their behavior and to achieve potential-induced, repeatedly-switchable wettability transitions in synthetic nanochannels in the early 2010s. Since then, research has identified conditions needed to produce reversible wettability transitions using a number of different environmental stimuli—such as light, pH, and electrostatic charge—in addition to potential. Furthermore, nascent understanding of the underlying phenomena in synthetic nanochannels was rapidly followed by practical applications, including oil–water separations, drug release, and electroactive flow control based on switchable wettability. More practical applications are being developed continuously, as the physical and chemical principles that govern hydrophobic gating at the nanoscale are further elucidated, making it possible to exploit wettability as a design element in nanofluidic systems.     

Targeted Degradation of Transcription Coactivator SRC-1 through the N-Degron Pathway

Aberrantly elevated steroid receptor coactivator-1 (SRC-1) expression and activity are strongly correlated with cancer progression and metastasis. Here we report, for the first time, the development of a proteolysis targeting chimera (PROTAC) that is composed of a selective SRC-1 binder linked to a specific ligand for UBR box, a unique class of E3 ligases recognizing N-degrons. We showed that the bifunctional molecule efficiently and selectively induced the degradation of SRC-1 in cells through the N-degron pathway. Importantly, given the ubiquitous expression of the UBR protein in most cells, PROTACs targeting the UBR box could degrade a protein of interest regardless of cell types. We also showed that the SRC-1 degrader significantly suppressed cancer cell invasion and migration in vitro and in vivo. Together, these results demonstrate that the SRC-1 degrader can be an invaluable chemical tool in the studies of SRC-1 functions. Moreover, our findings suggest PROTACs based on the N-degron pathway as a widely useful strategy to degrade disease-relevant proteins.     

Fabrication of polyurethane binders grafted with functional reactive plasticizers by a catalyst-free click reaction

The design of nonmigratory energetic plasticizers with low sensitivity and high performance is of great significance but challenging. Herein, two nonmigratory norbornane-based reactive plasticizers (NRPs) are attached covalently to poly(glycidyl azide-co-tetrahydrofuran) (PGT)-based polyurethanes (PUs), offering a reliable, self-stable, and alternative energy source originating from ring strain, while mitigating the dangers to the environment by preventing migration. A binary mixture of PGT and NRPs is thermodynamically miscible up to 50/50 w/w. The catalyst-free click reactivity of the NRPs toward PGT evaluated by the activation energy is verified by calculating the frontier molecular orbital energy levels. The absent weight loss of the pure NRPs evident from the measured thermal stability of the NRP/PGT-based PU binders indicated that the NRPs react completely with the PGT matrix. The tensile properties of the PGT-based PU binder by the inclusion of NRPs increased with increasing NRP content because of the increased number of triazole groups and the norbornane moiety. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci. 2020 , 58, 402–411     

The number of representations of integers by 4-dimensional strongly N-modular lattices

The Ramanujan Journal - In this article, we prove that a space of cusp forms of weight 2 with level N and real character $$\chi $$ has dimension 1 if and only if $$\chi $$ is trivial and N is in...     

Stereospecific synthesis of hydroxylated steroid side chains. Synthesis of 25,28-dihydroxy-7,8-dihydroergosterol and its c-24 epimer via [2,3] sigmatropic rearrangement.

An efficient, stereospecific synthesis of hydroxylated ergosterol and C-24 epi-ergosterol side chains has been developed using a C-20 keto-steroid as starting material. The side chain is elaborated via stereoselective hydroboration, asymmetric reduction and a stereospecific [2, 3] sigmatropic rearrangement.     

Microwave enhanced solvent-free synthesis of a library of quinoline derivatives

A minilibrary of 12 quinoline derivatives was synthesized in the presence of 0.1-0.5 equiv. of diphenylphosphate without any solvents. Each compound was obtained with high yield in 4 min of microwave irradiation.