Purification, biochemical characterization, and bioactive properties of a lectin purified from the seeds of white tepary bean (phaseolus acutifolius variety latifolius)

The present work shows the characterization of Phaseolus acutifolius variety latifolius, on which little research has been published, and provides detailed information on the corresponding lectin. This protein was purified from a semi-domesticated line of white tepary beans from Sonora, Mexico, by precipitation of the aqueous extract with ammonium sulfate, followed by affinity chromatography on an immobilized fetuin matrix. MALDI TOF analysis of Phaseolus acutifolius agglutinin (PAA) showed that this lectin is composed of monomers with molecular weights ranging between 28 and 31 kDa. At high salt concentrations, PAA forms a dimer of 63 kDa, but at low salt concentrations, the subunits form a tetramer. Analysis of PAA on 2D-PAGE showed that there are mainly three types of subunits with isoelectric points of 4.2, 4.4, and 4.5. The partial sequence obtained by LC/MS/MS of tryptic fragments from the PAA subunits showed 90-100% identity with subunits from genus Phaseolus lectins in previous reports. The tepary bean lectin showed lower hemagglutination activity than Phaseolus vulgaris hemagglutinin (PHA-E) toward trypsinized human A and O type erythrocytes. The hemagglutination activity was inhibited by N-glycans from glycoproteins. Affinity chromatography with the immobilized PAA showed a high affinity to glycopeptides from thyroglobulin, which also has N-glycans with a high content of N-acetylglucosamine. PAA showed less mitogenic activity toward human lymphocytes than PHA-L and Con A. The cytotoxicity of PAA was determined by employing three clones of the 3T3 cell line, demonstrating variability among the clones as follows: T4 (DI?? 51.5 μg/mL); J20 (DI?? 275 μg/mL), and N5 (DI?? 72.5 μg/mL).     

Analytical theory of the catalytic mechanism in square wave voltammetry at disc electrodes

A simple analytical expression is presented for the study of the first-order catalytic mechanism using Square Wave Voltammetry (SWV) at disc electrodes. These electrodes are extensively used in electrochemical studies but modelling the electrochemical response at this geometry is complex and usually requires the use of sophisticated numerical methods. By contrast, the analytical solution presented in this work is easy to compute and it is applicable to any size of the disc and for arbitrary kinetics of the catalytic reaction. The effects of the electrode size, the homogeneous rate constants, the frequency and the square wave amplitude on the SWV response are analyzed. Criteria are given for the detection of the steady-state response as well as procedures for the extraction of the catalytic rate constant from the value of the peak current. The theory is applied to obtain the kinetics of the reduction of the anion nitrite by an electrogenerated heteropolyanion [P(W(3)O(10))(4)](4-) at gold microdiscs.     

Influence of the percentage of acetylation on the assembly of LbL multilayers of poly(acrylic acid) and chitosan

The Layer-by-Layer (LbL) self-assembly of polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs) formed by poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and chitosan (CHI) of two different percentages of acetylation (AC) has been studied by dissipative quartz crystal microbalance (D-QCM) and ellipsometry. The results point out that the non-linear growth (exponential growth) of the films is not modified by the percentage of acetylation of the CHI (AC). The comparison of the thickness obtained by D-QCM and by ellipsometry has allowed us to calculate the water content of the films showing that the multilayers are highly hydrated. This agrees with the values of the complex shear modulus obtained from the analysis of D-QCM data that are in the MPa range, and show a transition from a viscous to mainly elastic behavior depending on the charge density of the CHI chains. The monomer surface density in each layer (obtained from the combination of ellipsometry and differential refractive index measurements) indicated that the mechanism of charge compensation depends on the percentage of acetylation of the CHI. It was found that the adsorption kinetics is a bimodal process with characteristic times that depend on the number and nature of each layer. The load capacity of the multilayers for a β-blocker, propranolol, was found to be higher for the lowest acetylation degree.     

Gelatin renaturation and the interfacial role of fillers in bionanocomposites

This work describes a systematic study of gelatin-sepiolite structural bionanocomposites to show how the renaturation level of the biopolymer is highly dependent on the type of mineral particle used. The aim of the work is to prove that chemical interactions between both components (hydrogen and covalent bonding) determine the organization level of the biopolymer which in turn results in drastic differences in the elastic properties of the prepared bionanocomposites. To assess this, several systematic modifications were introduced into the silicate structure and surface, generating four derivatives. Two derivatives prepared by thermal treatments, monohydrated sepiolite and protoenstatite, and two chemically modified sepiolites, amino and epoxy terminated, were prepared and used as the inorganic (or hybrid) phase in the bionanocomposites. The thermal and chemical modifications performed on the sepiolite surface induced a dramatic decrease in the renaturation level as determined by DSC and FTIR techniques. On the other hand, untreated sepiolite induced a higher renaturation level in the polypeptide, probably due to the alignment of the collagen-like triple helix along sepiolite external surface channels. The measured mechanical properties of the studied compositions confirm that the renaturation level of gelatin is a key factor in understanding the elastic properties of bionanocomposites. These results suggest that mineral particles introduced in the polypeptide matrix provide an effective control over the matrix crystallinity giving rise to tunable mechanical properties of the final bionanocomposite.     

Nitrosyl induces phosphorous-acid dissociation in ruthenium(II)

The trans-[Ru(NO)(NH(3))(4)(P(OH)(3))]Cl(3) complex was synthesized by reacting [Ru(H(2)O)(NH(3))(5)](2+) with H(3)PO(3) and characterized by spectroscopic ((31)P-NMR, δ = 68 ppm) and spectrophotometric techniques (λ = 525 nm, ε = 20 L mol(-1) cm(-1); λ = 319 nm, ε = 773 L mol(-1) cm(-1); λ = 241 nm, ε = 1385 L mol(-1) cm(-1); ν(NO(+)) = 1879 cm(-1)). A pK(a) of 0.74 was determined from infrared measurements as a function of pH for the reaction: trans-[Ru(NO)(NH(3))(4)(P(OH)(3))](3+) + H(2)O ? trans-[Ru(NO)(NH(3))(4)(P(O(-))(OH)(2))](2+) + H(3)O(+). According to (31)P-NMR, IR, UV-vis, cyclic voltammetry and ab initio calculation data, upon deprotonation, trans-[Ru(NO)(NH(3))(4)(P(OH)(3))](3+) yields the O-bonded linkage isomer trans- [Ru(NO)(NH(3))(4)(OP(OH)(2))](2+), then the trans-[Ru(NO)(NH(3))(4)(OP(H)(OH)(2))](3+) decays to give the final products H(3)PO(3) and trans-[Ru(NO)(NH(3))(4)(H(2)O)](3+). The dissociation of phosphorous acid from the [Ru(NO)(NH(3))(4)](3+) moiety is pH dependent (k(obs) = 2.1 × 10(-4) s(-1) at pH 3.0, 25 °C).     

A comparative photophysical and photochemical study of nitropyrene isomers occurring in the environment

Ground state absorption, first excited-singlet state, and properties of reactive intermediates of mononitropyrene isomers encountered in the atmospheric aerosol have been studied under different conditions that could mimic the environment. The nitro group can present different orientations relative to the pyrene ring depending on its geometric location and could induce differences in the photochemistry of the isomers. The 2-NO(2)Py isomer has the largest red shift and lowest oscillator strength in the UV-visible band associated with the nitro group. The isomers show very low fluorescence yields (10(-3)-10(-4)). Only 1-NO(2)Py and 4-NO(2)Py have phosphorescence emission (Φ(p) ≈ 10(-4)), indicating that the lowest triplet state decays mainly through effective radiationless channels. Laser photolysis produces a low-lying triplet state (τ(T) = 10(-5)-10(-6) s), a long-lived pyrenoxy radical, and a PyNO(2)H radical in solvents in which the triplet can abstract a hydrogen atom. Similar triplet yields were calculated (0.1-0.6) for the isomers, while significant differences in the relative yield of the long-lived species were determined. Differences in the quenching rate constants of the triplet by water and phenols suggest a strong hydrogen-bond interaction with the nitro group in the C-2 position, which provides for radiationless deactivation routes.     

Role of Kupffer cells in thioacetamide-induced cell cycle dysfunction

It is well known that gadolinium chloride (GD) attenuates drug-induced hepatotoxicity by selectively inactivating Kupffer cells. In the present study the effect of GD in reference to cell cycle and postnecrotic liver regeneration induced by thioacetamide (TA) in rats was studied. Two months male rats, intraveously pretreated with a single dose of GD (0.1 mmol/Kg), were intraperitoneally injected with TA (6.6 mmol/Kg). Samples of blood and liver were obtained from rats at 0, 12, 24, 48, 72 and 96 h following TA intoxication. Parameters related to liver damage were determined in blood. In order to evaluate the mechanisms involved in the post-necrotic regenerative state, the levels of cyclin D and cyclin E as well as protein p27 and Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen (PCNA) were determined in liver extracts because of their roles in the control of cell cycle check-points. The results showed that GD significantly reduced the extent of necrosis. Noticeable changes were detected in the levels of cyclin D1, cyclin E, p27 and PCNA when compared to those induced by thioacetamide. Thus GD pre-treatment reduced TA-induced liver injury and accelerated the postnecrotic liver regeneration. These results demonstrate that Kupffer cells are involved in TA-induced liver and also in the postnecrotic proliferative liver states.     

Synthesis,characterization, and thermal behavior of palladium(II) coordination compounds containing isonicotinamide

Palladium(II) coordination compounds of general formula trans-[PdX₂(isn)₂], X = Cl⁻ (1), N₃ ⁻ (2), SCN⁻ (3), NCO⁻ (4), isn = isonicotinamide; were synthesized and characterized in solid state by elemental analysis, infrared spectroscopy, and simultaneous TG–DTA. TG experiments reveal that the compounds 1–4 undergo thermal decomposition in three or four stages, yielding Pd⁰ as final residue, according to calculus and identification by X-ray powder diffraction.     

Synthesis,characterization, thermal studies,and DFT calculations on Pd(II) complexes containing <Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-methylbenzylamine

This work describes the synthesis, characterization, and the thermal behavior investigation of four palladium(II) complexes with general formulae [PdX₂(mba)₂], in which mba = N-methylbenzylamine and X = OAc⁻ (1), Cl⁻ (2), Br⁻ (3) or I⁻ (4). The complexes were characterized by elemental analysis, infrared vibrational spectroscopy, and ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance. The stoichiometry of the complexes was established by means of elemental analysis and thermogravimetry (TG). TG/DTA curves showed that the thermodecomposition of the four complexes occurred in 3–4 steps, leading to metallic palladium as final residue. The palladium content found in all curves was in agreement with the mass percentages calculated for the complexes. The following thermal stability sequence was found: 3 > 2 > 4 > 1. The geometry optimization of 1, 2, 3, and 4, calculated using the DFT/B3LYP method, yielded a slightly distorted square planar environment around the Pd(II) ion made by two anionic groups and two nitrogen atoms from the mba ligand (N1 and N2), in a trans-relationship.     

Water-soluble IrIII N-heterocyclic carbene based catalysts for the reduction of CO2 to formate by transfer hydrogenation and the deuteration of aryl amines in water

Two new water-soluble [IrI(2)(AcO)(bis-NHC)] complexes (NHC=N-heterocyclic carbene) incorporating a sulfonate functionality have been synthesized. The two complexes have been tested in the reduction of CO(2) with H(2) and iPrOH, and their activity has been compared with similar species without the sulfonate moiety. In both reactions, the complex with the two abnormally bound NHCs shows the best catalytic efficiencies, due to the higher σ-electron-donor character of the ligand. Remarkably, the activities obtained for the reduction of CO(2) under the transfer hydrogenation conditions are the best reported to date in terms of TON value (max. TON=2700). The two new complexes have also shown very good activity in the selective deuteration of arylamines, a process that is known to proceed through a chelate assisted N-directed process.