Antimicrobial Effect and Cytotoxic Evaluation of Mg-Doped Hydroxyapatite Functionalized with Au-Nano Rods

Hydroxyapatite (HA) is the main inorganic mineral that constitutes bone matrix and represents the most used biomaterial for bone regeneration. Over the years, it has been demonstrated that HA exhibits good biocompatibility, osteoconductivity, and osteoinductivity both in vitro and in vivo, and can be prepared by synthetic and natural sources via easy fabrication strategies. However, its low antibacterial property and its fragile nature restricts its usage for bone graft applications. In this study we functionalized a MgHA scaffold with gold nanorods (AuNRs) and evaluated its antibacterial effect against S. aureus and E. coli in both suspension and adhesion and its cytotoxicity over time (1 to 24 days). Results show that the AuNRs nano-functionalization improves the antibacterial activity with 100% bacterial reduction after 24 h. The toxicity study, however, indicates a 4.38-fold cell number decrease at 24 days. Although further optimization on nano-functionalization process are needed for cytotoxicity, these data indicated that Au-NRs nano-functionalization is a very promising method for improving the antibacterial properties of HA.     

Development and application of electrochemical sensor of boron-doped diamond (BDD) modified by drop casting with tin hexacyanoferrate

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - This work presents the development and characterization of an electrochemical sensor of tin hexacyanoferrate (SnHCF), produced from the modification by...     

A Jocic-type approach for a practical and scalable synthesis of pyrrolonaphthoxazepine (PNOX)-based potent proapoptotic agents

We developed a Jocic-type protocol for the construction of the pyrrolonaphthoxazepine (PNOX) core. After an initial investigation based on the isolation of a trichloromethyl carbinol derivative, we shifted our attention towards a multicomponent single-step protocol. Screening of a variety of bases and solvents led to the identification of the optimum conditions for the preparation of the key α-aryloxy carboxylic acids to undergo intramolecular cyclization. The novel chemical route significantly improved overall yields for the preparation of PNOX-based compounds and was successfully extended to the preparation of 1,4-benzoxazinone-based templates.     

Asymmetric synthesis and structure-activity studies of the fungal metabolites colletorin A,colletochlorin A and their halogenates analogues

The first asymmetric total synthesis of both enantiomers of the natural products colletorin A and colletochlorin A is presented. The proposed methodology is based on the coupling reaction between highly substituted aromatic Gilman cuprates and optically active allyl bromides, in turn obtained by Sharpless asymmetric dihydroxylation. The latter ensured a high degree of regio- and stereocontrol in the enantioselective step of the synthesis. The same synthetic strategy has been also applied for the preparation of differently halogenated synthetic analogues of colletochlorin A in high enantiomeric purity. The enantioselective synthesis of colletorin A and colletochlorin A allows to reliably assign their absolute configuration. Preliminary assessment of their herbicidal and insecticidal properties evidence the possibility to modulate the bioactivity of these compounds, highlighting its dependence on both the absolute stereochemistry and the halogen nature.     

Vibrational analysis of amino acids and short peptides in hydrated media. 3. Successive KL repeats induce highly stable beta-strands capable of forming non-H-bonded aggregates

Circular dichroism (CD) and Raman scattering were applied to the aqueous solution of minimalist LK peptides constructed with successive KL repeats leading to the following generic primary sequence: (KL)nK. Three peptides of this family, a 3-mer (n=1), a 9-mer (n=4), and a 15-mer (n=7), are analyzed in this report. Raman spectra of the 3-mer (KLK, a random chain) and its labile-hydrogen deuterated species yield a set of interesting information for analyzing longer peptides of this series. Although the CD spectrum of the 9-mer (KLKLKLKLK) reveals a signal traditionally assigned to a random structure, the corresponding Raman spectrum allows finding a mixture of conformations in solution, adopting predominantly beta-type structures. This fact proves the utility of Raman spectroscopy to eliminate eventual ambiguity concerning conformational assignments in peptides based only on the use of CD technique. Finally, the 15-mer (KLKLKLKLKLKLKLK) gives rise to CD and Raman spectra clearly assignable to a beta-type structure. On the basis of all the observed results on the 15-mer, we can confirm that this peptide may exist as isolated beta-strands at low concentration (sub-micromolar), flat-oriented at the air/water interface, whereas at high concentrations (millimolar), non-H-bonded immersible aggregates might be formed. A hypothetical model for these beta-strand aggregates could be proposed as stabilized by an interior hydrophobic core and a hydrophilic external face, formed by leucine and lysine side chains, respectively.     

Combining Imine Condensation Chemistry with [3,3] Diaza-Cope Rearrangement for One-Step Formation of Hydrolytically Stable Chiral Architectures

Dynamic covalent chemistry (DCC) has, in recent years, provided valuable tools to synthesize molecular architectures of increasing complexity. We have also taken advantage of imine DCC chemistry to prepare TPMA -based supramolecular cages for molecular recognition applications. However, the versatility of this approach has as a major drawback the intrinsic hydrolytic lability of imines, which hampers some applications. We present herein a synthetic strategy that combines the advantages of a thermodynamic-driven formation of a supramolecular structure using imine chemistry, together with the possibility to synthetize chiral hydrolytically stable structures through a [3,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement. A preliminary mechanistic analysis of this one-pot synthesis and the scope of the reaction are also discussed.     

Nanostructure-Driven Indocyanine Green Dimerization Generates Ultra-Stable Phototheranostics Nanoparticles

Indocyanine green (ICG) is the only near-infrared (NIR) dye approved for clinical use. Despite its versatility in photonic applications and potential for photothermal therapy, its photobleaching hinders its application. Here we discovered a nanostructure of dimeric ICG (Nano-dICG) generated by using ICG to stabilize nanoemulsions, after which ICG enabled complete dimerization on the nanoemulsion shell, followed by J-aggregation of ICG-dimer, resulting in a narrow, red-shifted (780 nm→894 nm) and intense (≈2-fold) absorbance. Compared to ICG, Nano-dICG demonstrated superior photothermal conversion (2-fold higher), significantly reduced photodegradation (−9.6 % vs. −46.3 %), and undiminished photothermal effect (7 vs. 2 cycles) under repeated irradiations, in addition to excellent colloidal and structural stabilities. Following intravenous injection, Nano-dICG enabled real-time tracking of its delivery to mouse tumors within 24 h by photoacoustic imaging at NIR wavelength (890 nm) distinct from the endogenous signal to guide effective photothermal therapy. The unprecedented finding of nanostructure-driven ICG dimerization leads to an ultra-stable phototheranostic platform.     

Structure and dynamics of a partially folded protein are decoupled from its mechanism of aggregation

A common strategy to study the mechanism of amyloid formation is the characterization of the structure and dynamics of the precursor state, which is in most cases a partially folded protein. Here we investigated the highly dynamic conformational state formed by the protein domain HypF-N at low pH, before aggregation, using fluorescence, circular dichroism, and NMR spectroscopies. The NMR analysis allowed us, in particular, to identify the regions of the sequence that form hydrophobic interactions and adopt an alpha-helical secondary structure in the pH-denatured ensemble. To understand the role that this residual structure plays in the aggregation of this protein, we probed the mechanism of aggregation using protein engineering experiments and thus identified the regions of the sequence of HypF-N that play a critical role in the conversion of this dynamic state into thioflavin T-binding and beta-sheet containing protofibrils. The combination of these two complementary approaches revealed that the aggregation of pH-denatured HypF-N is not structure-dependent, meaning that it is not driven by the regions of the protein that are either less or more protected in the initial partially folded state. It is, by contrast, promoted by discrete protein regions that have the highest intrinsic propensity to aggregate because of their physicochemical properties.