Towards peptide-substituted titanocene anticancer drugs

An alkyne-substituted fulvene was transformed via hydridolithiation followed by transmetallation with titanium tetrachloride into bis-[p-(prop-2-ynyloxy)-benzyl-cyclopentadienyl] titanium(IV) dichloride. Single crystals of this titanocene derivative could be obtained and the structure determined by X-ray diffraction. It showed that this compound crystallises in the space group C2/c with four molecules in the monoclinic cell. The alkyne-substituted titanocene dichloride derivative was then subject to a copper-catalysed azide-alkyne cycloaddition with its azide-functionalised methylester-protected phenylalanine reaction partner in order to form a linking triazole. This reaction was performed under anhydrous conditions employing a dichloromethane/acetonitrile solvent mixture with copper(I) iodide and 2,6-lutidine as the catalyst system. Under these conditions the adduct between the protein mimic and the titanocene was formed without hydrolysing the titanium dichloride moiety.     

AN ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION ACTION SPECTRUM FOR IMMEDIATE PIGMENT DARKENING

The wavelength dependence for immediate pigment darkening (IPD) was investigated by exposing the midback skin of volunteers to a series of incremental fluences of narrow waveband radiation isolated by band-pass filters in the310–400 nm region. The threshold IPD fluence for each waveband was determined by visual assessment of the skin responses immediately after each exposure. The action spectrum, constructed from the mean threshold fluences, was broad and extended from 320 nm to 400 nm with a peak at around 340 nm. No IPD could be evoked at 310 nm, even after erythemogenic fluences. The spectrum was similar in each of the three skin types investigated (III, IV, V). The broad nature of the action spectrum within the UVA region suggests that IPD may serve as an alternative endpoint for measuring photoprotection against these wavelengths.     

Bacterial cellulose/triethanolamine based ion-conducting membranes

New bacterial cellulose (BC)–triethanolamine (TEA) ion-conducting membranes have been prepared and characterized. The samples were obtained by soaking BC membranes in triethanolamine aqueous solutions and drying. The scanning electron microscopy pictures revealed that the incorporation of TEA in BC membranes covers the cellulose microfibrils. Raman spectra exhibited BC and TEA characteristic group frequencies and thermal analysis evidenced an influence of TEA content on the sample thermal stability. The ion-conductivity as a function of the temperature showed an Arrhenius behavior increasing from 1.8 × 10^?5 S/cm at room temperature to 7.0 × 10^?4 S/cm at 80 °C for the BC–TEA 1 M sample.     

Dispersion of T1 and T2 Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Relaxation in Crude Oils

Crude oils, which are complex mixtures of hydrocarbons, can be characterized by nuclear magnetic resonace diffusion and relaxation methods to yield physical properties and chemical compositions. In particular, the field dependence, or dispersion, of T₁ relaxation can be used to investigate the presence and dynamics of asphaltenes, the large molecules primarily responsible for the high viscosity in heavy crudes. However, the T₂ relaxation dispersion of crude oils, which provides additional insight when measured alongside T₁, has yet to be investigated systematically. Here we present the field dependence of T₁‐T₂ correlations of several crude oils with disparate densities. While asphaltene and resin‐containing crude oils exhibit significant T₁ dispersion, minimal T₂ dispersion is seen in all oils. This contrasting behavior between T₁ and T₂ cannot result from random molecular motions, and thus, we attribute our dispersion results to highly correlated molecular dynamics in asphaltene‐containing crude oils.     

Development of a Simple and Fast Electrochemical Method for Screening and Stoichiometric Determination of Dimenhydrinate

Dimenhydrinate (DIM) is a salt composed by the combination of two active pharmaceutical ingredients: diphenhydramine (DIP) and 8‐chlorotheophylline (CTP). In this work, the use of batch injection analysis with multiple pulse amperometric detection (BIA‐MPA) was proposed for the first time for fast stoichiometric determination of DIM. DIP (cation) and CTP (anion) were determined simultaneously in pharmaceutical samples with a simple and fast injection procedure (70 injections h^?1). Additional strategies were also proposed for rapid screening of samples containing the DIM salt. By a simple injection of a sample into the BIA system (without using of calibration curve), reliable information about stoichiometry of the DIM salt (1 : 1; DIP:CTP) and presence or absence of interfering species (electroactive) can be achieved.     

Effectiveness of natural and synthetic blocking reagents and their application for detecting food allergens in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays

Blocking is an important step before an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) can be performed. It reduces non-specific binding to the microtiter plate to a minimum. For detecting food allergens by means of ELISA, the problem with protein blocking solutions is obvious. The blocker might interfere with the antibodies of the assay and leads to false positive results. Therefore, other blocking solutions are greatly needed. There are some alternatives like synthetic blockers or carbohydrates. Comparisons of these different blocking agents, namely proteins, carbohydrates, and synthetic blockers, were made at different reaction conditions. The incubation periods and temperatures were varied, as well as the pH. The best combinations were evaluated and compared, in respect of their blocking efficiency. The two best non-proteinaceous blockers, i.e. polyvinylalcohol and Ficoll, were subsequently applied to ELISA tests for the determination of α-casein and peanut. The study showed that Ficoll and PVA did as well as BSA in buffer solution. Therefore, they can be considered as alternative blocking reagents for ELISA, especially for the detection of food allergens.     

Adhesion forces between hybrid colloidal particles and concanavalin A

Hybrid particles of poly(methyl methacrylate) and carboxymethylcellulose, PMMA/CMC, were attached to atomic force microscopy cantilevers and probed against concanavalin A (ConA) films formed either on Si wafers or on CMC substrate. Regardless of the substrate, the approach curves showed different inclinations, indicating that the probe first touches a soft surface and then a hard substrate. The distance corresponding to the soft layer was estimated as 20 +/- 10 nm and was attributed to the CMC layers attached to the hybrid particles surfaces. Probing PMMA/CMC particles against ConA adsorbed onto Si wafers yielded retract curves with a sawlike pattern. The average range of adhesion forces (maximum pull-off distance) and mean adhesion force were estimated as 100 +/- 40 nm and -11 +/- 7 nN, respectively, evidencing multiple adhesions between CMC sugar residues and ConA. However, upon probing against ConA adsorbed onto CMC substrates, the mean pull-off distance and mean adhesion force were reduced to 37 +/- 18 nm and -3 +/- 1 nN, respectively, indicating that the ConA molecules immobilized onto CMC films are less available to interact with the hybrid particle than the ConA molecules adsorbed onto Si wafers. Another set of experiments, where PMMA/CMC particle probed against ConA-covered Si wafers in the presence of mannose, showed that the addition of mannose led to a considerable decrease in the mean adhesion force from -11 +/- 7 to -3 +/- 1 nN. Two hypotheses have been considered to explain the effect caused by mannose addition. The first suggested the desorption of ConA from the substrate so that the hybrid particle would probe bare Si wafer (weak adhesion). The second proposed the adsorption of mannose onto the ConA layer so that mannose layer would probe against another mannose layer, leading to low adhesion forces. In situ ellipsometry and capillary electrophoresis have been applied to check the hypotheses.     

MALDI‐MS of flavonoids: a systematic investigation of ionization and in‐source dissociation mechanisms

Matrix assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) is a technique widely employed in the analysis of proteins and peptides, and nowadays it has also been applied to small molecules. There is little significant information regarding the in‐source dissociation processes on MALDI for natural products. Twenty‐six flavonoids (flavanones, flavones and flavonols) were analyzed by MALDI using different methods (with different matrices) and without matrix to comprehend the in‐source reactions and establish good analysis methods for these compounds. Depending on the class, structure and the laser intensity applied, methoxylated flavonoid aglycones can eliminate methyl radicals (˙CH₃) in the source, such as flavonols, but lithium 2,4‐dihydroxybenzoate matrix suppresses the ˙CH₃ eliminations and retro‐Diels–Alder cleavages in the source. All of the flavonoid O‐glycosides evaluated herein eliminated the sugar in source, even in the presence of the matrix, and its product radical ions ([M‐H‐sugar]^?˙) were observed in the negative mode. The flavone C‐glycosides suffered intense dissociation, which was reduced by the addition of a matrix and the application of low laser intensity, mainly in the negative mode. Depending on the hydroxyl substituents, the [M‐H‐H]^?˙ ion was observed with variable relative intensity in the spectra. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Novel zirconocene anticancer drugs?

From the reaction of Super Hydride (LiBEt₃H) with 6-(4-methoxyphenyl) fulvene (1a), 6-(2-fluoro-4-methoxyphenyl) fulvene (1b), and 6-(4-N,N-dimethylaminophenyl) fulvene (1c) lithiated cyclopentadienide intermediates (2a-c) were synthesised. These intermediates were then transmetallated to zirconium with ZrCl₄ to give benzyl-substituted zirconocenes bis-[(4-methoxybenzyl)cyclopentadienyl] zirconium(IV) dichloride (3a), bis-[(2-fluoro-4-methoxybenzyl)cyclopentadienyl] zirconium(IV) dichloride (3b) and bis-[(4-N,N-dimethylaminobenzyl)cyclopentadienyl] zirconium(IV) dichloride (3c). All three zirconocenes were characterised by single crystal X-ray diffraction and preliminary in vitro cell tests were performed with the zirconocene derivatives on the LLC-PK cell line in order to determine their cytotoxicity. Zirconocenes 3b and 3c did not show cytotoxicity up to a concentration of 170 μM, while 3a exhibited an IC50 value of 57 μM against LLC-PK.