Stress‐Induced Domain Wall Motion in a Ferroelastic Mn3+ Spin Crossover Complex

Domain wall motion is detected for the first time during the transition to a ferroelastic and spin state ordered phase of a spin crossover complex. Single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction and resonant ultrasound spectroscopy (RUS) revealed two distinct symmetry‐breaking phase transitions in the mononuclear Mn³⁺ compound [Mn(3,5‐diBr‐sal₂(323))]BPh₄, 1. The first at 250 K, involves the space group change Cc→Pc and is thermodynamically continuous, while the second, Pc→P1 at 85 K, is discontinuous and related to spin crossover and spin state ordering. Stress‐induced domain wall mobility was interpreted on the basis of a steep increase in acoustic loss immediately below the the Pc‐P1 transition     

1H spin–lattice relaxation in water solution of 209Bi counterparts of Gd3+contrast agents

ABSTRACT

¹H spin–lattice relaxation studies of water solutions of Bismuth-ethylenediamine-tetraacetic acid (Bi-EDTA), Bismuth-ethylenediamine-tetrakis(methylenephosphonic) acid (Bi-EDTP), Bismuth-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetic acid (Bi-DOTA), Bismuth-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetrakis(methylenephosphonic acid) (Bi-DOTP) and Bismuth-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7-triacetic acid (Bi-DO3A) have been performed in order to compare Quadrupole Relaxation Enhancement (QRE) effects with Paramagnetic Relaxation Enhancement (PRE) from the perspective of exploiting the first one as a novel contrast mechanism for Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). The selected compounds can be considered as ²⁰⁹Bi counterparts of Gd³⁺ complexes. The relaxation experiments have been performed in a broad frequency range of 5?kHz–30?MHz. The relaxation contribution associated with QRE has been extracted from the data and compared with PRE. Similarities and differences between the two effects have been discussed.     

Metal ion-driven synthesis of polyaniline composite doped with metallic nanocrystals at the boundary of two immiscible liquids

In this work, silver and gold–polyaniline composite materials were chemically synthesized at the nitrobenzene/water interface. Aniline (monomer) was dissolved in nitrobenzene and the oxidizing agent (either silver (I) or gold (III)) was dissolved in water. Metals, which were formed during the reaction were in nano- and microcrystalline forms and were partially embedded in the polymer. The forms of gold and silver crystallites found in the synthesized composites differed significantly. The rate of growth of the PANI-Ag and -Au composites and their morphologies depended on concentration of the reagents in both phases. The average size of the gold crystals was smaller compared to silver and was in the range of 20–25 nm. The obtained composite materials were characterized by cyclic voltammetry, scanning electron microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. The pernigraniline species of polyaniline dominated in the entire volume of the PANI-Au composite and in parts of the PANI-Ag material located at the aqueous solution side, while partially oxidized emeraldine was the main component of PANI-Ag at the organic phase side.     

Rapid biochemical profiling of endothelial dysfunction in diabetes,hypertension and cancer metastasis by hierarchical cluster analysis of Raman spectra

Raman spectroscopy is a label free, versatile, simple and fast method that is increasingly used to detect pathological changes in the cells and tissues that could be useful in medical diagnostics. In this work, we tested the hypothesis that Raman spectroscopy may serve to detect endothelial dysfunction in murine models of lifestyle diseases associated with endothelial dysfunction. For that purpose, we analysed spectra from ex vivo vessels taken from mice with diabetes, hypertension and cancer metastasis. We extracted 50–70 random, single spectra, recorded in 0.2 s, from endothelium of mice with diseases and respective control animals and subjected them to hierarchical cluster analysis. Independently on the sample preparation protocol, very good discrimination was obtained for three‐tested murine models, i.e. diabetes, hypertension and cancer metastasis. Obtained sensitivity and specificity parameters were between 93% and 96% (with the exception of sensitivity in the diabetes model equalled to 88%). Our results show that single, random spectra of endothelium, recorded in less than a second, contains enough information on biochemical content of the endothelium to detect endothelial dysfunction. Furthermore, we demonstrated that biochemical profile of the endothelial dysfunction in diabetes, hypertension or cancer metastasis differs with a very high specificity and sensitivity. This conclusion can be a good starting point for the development of in vivo fast diagnostic methodology of endothelium in the future. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Assessment of the content of phenolics and antioxidant action of inflorescences and leaves of selected species from the genus Sorbus sensu stricto

In order to find new sources of natural antioxidants, the antioxidant potential of 70% methanolic extracts from the inflorescences and leaves of 16 species from the genus Sorbus s.s. was evaluated using two complementary in vitro test systems: the DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical-scavenging assay and the AAPH [2,2￠-azobis-(2-amidinopropane)dihydrochloride]-induced linoleic acid (LA) peroxidation test. The radical-scavenging capacities of the extracts towards the DPPH radical were in the range of 0.25-0.86 millimolar Trolox? equivalents/g dry weight. They were significantly correlated (r=-0.8089, p<0.001) with the results of the LA-peroxidation test, indicating the Sorbus extracts to be universal antioxidants. Significant linear correlations were also found between the different antioxidant potentials and total phenolic contents as estimated by the Folin-Ciocalteu method and further verified by serial determinations of proanthocyanidins, chlorogenic acid isomers and flavonoids (?rêin the range of 0.71-0.95, p<0.001). Cluster analysis of the data matrix identified the ten samples (inflorescences of S. aucuparia, S. pohuashanensis, S. decora, S. koehneana, S. commixta, S. gracilis, and S. sitchensis, and the leaves of S. wilfordii, S. pogonopetala, and S. gracilis) exhibiting the highest antioxidant activity and total phenolic levels and therefore the greatest potential as effective sources for natural health products.     

Striking capacitance of carbon/iodide interface

Exceptional electrochemical behavior of carbon/iodide interface has been demonstrated and successfully used in supercapacitor application. This efficient charge storage is based on specific sorption of iodide ions as well as stable reversible redox reactions connected with various possible oxidation states of iodine from ?1 to +5. An intriguing effect of iodide ions has been observed for positive electrode operating in a narrow range of potential and giving extremely high capacitance values exceeding 1840 F/g. As opposed to typical pseudocapacitance effects, which are often characterized by some diffusion limitations and observed only at moderate regimes, our two-electrode system can be loaded until 50 A/g supplying still 125 F/g. Amazing capacitance of carbon/iodide interface has also been confirmed during long-term cycling (over 10 000 cycles). For the first time, such an innovative electrochemical system was successfully used for supercapacitor performance. The iodide ions play a useful dual role, i.e. electrolytic solution with a good ionic conductivity as well as a source of pseudo-capacitive effects.     

A structure-activity relationship study of compounds with antihistamine activity

A structure-activity relationship (SAR) analysis of H(1)-, H(2)- and H(3)-antihistamine activity was carried out and chromatographic data of 2-[2-(phenylamino)thiazol-4-yl]ethanamine, 2-(2-benzyl-4-thiazolyl)ethanamine, 2-(2-benzhydrylthiazol4-yl)ethanamine, 2-(1-piperazinyl- and 2-(hexahydro-1H-1,4-diazepin-1-yl)benzothiazole, 2-(1-piperazinyl)benzothiazole, 2-[4-(1-alkyl)piperidinyl]benzothiazole, 2-(N,N',N'-dimethylalkyl-1,2-ethanediamino)benzothiazole, 2[1-(4-aminopiperidinyl)]benzothiazole, 2-[2-phenyl-4-thiazolyl]ethanamine derivatives and selected H(1)- and H(2)-antihistamine drugs were obtained. NP TLC and RP2 TLC plates (silica gel NP 60F(254) and silica gel RP2 60F(254) silanized precoated), impregnated with a solution of aspartic acid (L-Asp) and a solution of an analogue of aspartic acid (propionic acid), were used in two developing solvents as H(1)-, H(2)- and H(3)-antihistaminic interaction models. The lipophilicity data of the examined compounds were obtained and used in the SAR assay. Biochromatographic tests using TLC plates impregnated with solutions of asparic acid or propionic acid were found to be a source of useful data for the qualitative analysis of compounds with different structures, demonstrating activity to histamine H(1)-, H(2)- and H(3)-receptors. The four presented discriminant models based on biochromatographic studies are an efficient tool in the SAR analysis for initial prediction of compound activity direction within histamine receptors.     

Parameters characterizing acid-base equilibria between cell membrane and solution and their application to monitoring the effect of various factors on the membrane

The cell membrane is an extremely complicated object. It participates in a large number of equilibria. For this reason, it is impossible to determine the parameters of all of them. It is the purpose of this work to define a limited number of averaged parameters in order to describe the equilibria between cell membrane components and environmental components. These parameters are the total acidic functional group concentration as well as the basic group concentration and their association constants with hydrogen or hydroxyl ions. The parameters were determined using the pH dependence of the electric surface charge density. The usefulness of these parameters was checked by studying the effect of green tea on liver cells in ethanol poisoning. Ethanol provokes an increase in concentration of functional groups, positively and negatively charged, as well as an increase in the basic groups association constant and a decrease in acidic groups association constant. Administering green tea partly compensates the changes provoked by ethanol poisoning. The parameters proposed in this work, C(TA), C(TB), K(AH) and K(BOH), are suited for monitoring the changes caused by various factors.     

Copper(II) binding by fragments of alpha-synuclein containing M1-D2- and -H50-residues; a combined potentiometric and spectroscopic study

Stability constants and ligand donor sets of the copper(II) complexes of the NH2-29-56(L1)(AA30GKTKEGVLYV40GSKTKEGVVH50GVATVA56-NH2), NH2-M29-D30-56(L2) and Ac-M29-D30-56(L3) fragments of alpha-synuclein were determined in aqueous solution for 1 : 1 metal-to-ligand molar ratio in the pH range 2.5-10.5. The tyrosine residue in the 39th position of the alpha-synuclein fragments does not take part in the coordination of the metal ion. The potentiometric and spectroscopic data (UV-Vis, CD, EPR) show that acetylation of the amino terminal group induces significant changes in the coordination properties of the L3 fragment compared to that of the L2 peptide. When the amino group is blocked (L3) the imidazole nitrogen of the histidine residue acts as an anchoring site and at higher pH the 3N {N(Im),2N-} and 4N {N(Im),3N-} complexes are formed. The L1 peptide at physiological pH forms in equilibrium 3N {NH2,N-,CO,N(Im)} and 4N {NH2,2N-,N(Im)} complexes. For the L2 peptide the coordination of the copper(II) ions starts from the N-terminal Met residue and with increasing of pH the Asp residue in second position of amino acid sequence coordinates and stabilizes significantly the 2N complex as a result of chelation through the beta-carboxylate group. At physiological pH the 3N {NH2,N-,beta-COO-,N(Im)} coordination mode dominates. At pH above 6 the results for the L2 fragment suggest the formation of 3N and 4N complexes (in equatorial plane) and the involvement of the lateral NH2 group of Lys residue in the axial coordination of Cu(II) ion. In CD spectra sigma (epsilon-NH2-Lys) --> Cu(II) charge transfer transition is observed. The stability constants for the L2 fragment of alpha-synuclein of the 4N {NH2,2N-,N(Im)} and {NH2,3N-} complexes are higher about 1.5 and 0.7 orders of magnitude, respectively, by comparison to those of the L1 peptide. This increase may be explained by the involvement of the epsilon-NH2 group of Lys residue in the coordination sphere of metal ion.     

Ψ-density topology

We study the notion of ψ-density point and ψ-density topologies for non-decreasing continuous functions ψ. Also basic properties of ψ-approximately continuous functions are considered.