Bioanalysis of (E)-5-(2-bromovinyl)-2'-deoxyuridine

(E)-5-(2-Bromovinyl)-2'-deoxyuridine is an antiviral drug that is experimentally used for modulation of the antitumour effect of fluoropyrimidines, such as ftorafur and 5-fluorouracil. The isolation of the analyte, in the presence of 5-fluorouracil, from the matrix is performed either by means of a simple protein precipitation (plasma) or by means of a liquid-liquid extraction with ethyl acetate (urine). Following pretreatment, the analyte is analysed by reversed-phase chromatography and quantified by absorbance detection at 307 nm. The minimum detectable concentration in plasma and urine samples is ca. 6 ng/ml. The recovery after deproteination of plasma samples is 75%, while after liquid-liquid extraction of urine the recovery amounts 92%. The degree of protein binding of the analyte, measured by ultrafiltration, is found to be 97%. These data allow the bioanalysis of (E)-5-(2-bromovinyl)-2'-deoxyuridine for pharmacokinetic studies.     

SYNTHESIS AND CONFORMATIONAL STUDIES OF A NUMBER OF SATURATED BICYCLIC SIX-MEMBERED RING PHOSPHITES

Abstract

An ¹H NMR study of the conformation of the dioxaphosphorinane ring of a number of diastereoisomeric bicyclic saturated six-membered ring phosphites (3ab-10ab) has been performed. The dioxaphosphorinane ring of these phosphites is transannelated with a tetrahydrofuran, cyclopen-tane, tetrahydropyran or cyclohexane ring. The substituent on the phosphorus atom is a methoxy or phenoxy group. It is shown that the cis isomers 3a-10a prefer a chair conformation of the dioxaphosphorinane ring, independent of the substituent on the phosphorus atom and of the nature of the transannelated ring. In contrast, for the trans isomers 3b-10b a twist rather than a chair conformation of the dioxaphosphorinane ring is preferred. The fraction of the twist conformer in the trans isomers is mainly determined by the substituent on phosphorus. The size and composition of the transannelated ring are relatively unimportant in this respect. For both cis and trans isomers the preferred geometry is solvent-independent. The measured ^3JPOCH couplings of the cis isomers 3a-10a are used to formulate an expression for the dependence of such couplings upon dihedral angles in bicyclic phosphites.     

Efficient Green‐Light‐Emitting Electrochemical Cells Based on Ionic Iridium Complexes with Sulfone‐Containing Cyclometalating Ligands

A new approach to obtain green‐emitting iridium(III) complexes is described. The synthetic approach consists of introducing a methylsulfone electron‐withdrawing substituent into a 4‐phenylpyrazole cyclometalating ligand in order to stabilize the highest‐occupied molecular orbital (HOMO). Six new complexes have been synthesized incorporating the conjugate base of 1‐(4‐(methylsulfonyl)phenyl)‐1 H‐pyrazole as the cyclometalating ligand. The complexes show green emission and very high photoluminescence quantum yields in both diluted and concentrated films. When used as the main active component in light‐emitting electrochemical cells (LECs), green electroluminance is observed. High efficiencies and luminances are obtained at low driving voltages. This approach for green emitters is an alternative to the widely used fluorine‐based substituents in the cyclometalating ligands and opens new design possibilities for the synthesis of green emitters for LECs.     

Microbial adhesion to poly(ethylene oxide) brushes: influence of polymer chain length and temperature

Glass surfaces were modified by end-grafting poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) chains having molecular weights of 526, 2000, or 9800 Da. Characterization using water contact angles, ellipsometry, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirmed the presence of the PEO brushes on the surface with estimated lengths in water of 2.8-, 7.5-, and 23.7-nm, respectively. Adhesion of two bacterial (Staphylococcus epidermidis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and two yeast (Candida albicans and Candida tropicalis) strains to these brushes was studied and compared to their adhesion to bare glass. For the bacterium P. aeruginosa and the yeast C. tropicalis, adhesion to the 2.8-nm brush was comparable to their adhesion on bare glass, whereas adhesion to the 7.5- and 23.7-nm brushes was greatly reduced. For S. epidermidis, adhesion was only slightly higher to the 2.8-nm brush than that to the longer brushes. Adhesion of the yeast C. albicans to the PEO brushes was lower than that to glass, but no differences in adhesion were found between the three brush lengths. After passage of an air bubble, nearly all microorganisms adhering to a brush were removed, irrespective of brush length, whereas retention of the adhering organisms on glass was much higher. No significant differences were found in adhesion nor retention between experiments conducted at 20 and those conducted at 37 degrees C.     

(3R,4S)‐3‐Phenyl‐1‐[(R)‐1‐phenyl­ethyl]‐4‐[(R)‐1‐phenylethyliminomethyl]azetidin‐2‐one

The configuration of the chiral ring atoms of the title compound, C₂₆H₂₆N₂O, obtained in an enantioselective synthesis, has been established relative to the known R configuration of the α‐methyl­benzyl moieties. The crystal packing involves a two‐dimensional network of C—H?π interactions between the aromatic rings.     

Imaging the In Vivo Degradation of Tissue Engineering Implants by Use of Supramolecular Radiopaque Biomaterials

For in situ tissue engineering (TE) applications it is important that implant degradation proceeds in concord with neo‐tissue formation to avoid graft failure. It will therefore be valuable to have an imaging contrast agent (CA) available that can report on the degrading implant. For this purpose, a biodegradable radiopaque biomaterial is presented, modularly composed of a bisurea chain‐extended polycaprolactone (PCL2000‐U4U) elastomer and a novel iodinated bisurea‐modified CA additive (I‐U4U). Supramolecular hydrogen bonding interactions between the components ensure their intimate mixing. Porous implant TE‐grafts are prepared by simply electrospinning a solution containing PCL2000‐U4U and I‐U4U. Rats receive an aortic interposition graft, either composed of only PCL2000‐U4U (control) or of PCL2000‐U4U and I‐U4U (test). The grafts are explanted for analysis at three time points over a 1‐month period. Computed tomography imaging of the test group implants prior to explantation shows a decrease in iodide volume and density over time. Explant analysis also indicates scaffold degradation. (Immuno)histochemistry shows comparable cellular contents and a similar neo‐tissue formation process for test and control group, demonstrating that the CA does not have apparent adverse effects. A supramolecular approach to create solid radiopaque biomaterials can therefore be used to noninvasively monitor the biodegradation of synthetic implants.     

Comprehensive inter‐laboratory calibration of reference materials for δ18O versus VSMOW using various on‐line high‐temperature conversion techniques

Internationally distributed organic and inorganic oxygen isotopic reference materials have been calibrated by six laboratories carrying out more than 5300 measurements using a variety of high‐temperature conversion techniques (HTC) a in an evaluation sponsored by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC). To aid in the calibration of these reference materials, which span more than 125‰, an artificially enriched reference water (δ¹⁸O of +78.91‰) and two barium sulfates (one depleted and one enriched in ¹⁸O) were prepared and calibrated relative to VSMOW2 b and SLAP reference waters. These materials were used to calibrate the other isotopic reference materials in this study, which yielded:

Quasi-periodic stability of normally resonant tori

We study quasi-periodic tori under a normal-internal resonance, possibly with multiple eigenvalues. Two non-degeneracy conditions play a role. The first of these generalizes invertibility of the Floquet matrix and prevents drift of the lower dimensional torus. The second condition involves a Kolmogorov-like variation of the internal frequencies and simultaneously versality of the Floquet matrix unfolding. We focus on the reversible setting, but our results carry over to the Hamiltonian and dissipative contexts.     

EC–SPE–stripline-NMR analysis of reactive products: a feasibility study

Flow-through electrochemical conversion (EC) of drug-like molecules was hyphenated to miniaturized nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) via on-line solid-phase extraction (SPE). After EC of the prominent p38α mitogen-activated protein kinase inhibitor BIRB796 into its reactive products, the SPE step provided preconcentration of the EC products and solvent exchange for NMR analysis. The acquisition of NMR spectra of the mass-limited samples was achieved in a stripline probe with a detection volume of 150 nL offering superior mass sensitivity. This hyphenated EC–SPE–stripline-NMR setup enabled the detection of the reactive products using only minute amounts of substrate. Furthermore, the integration of conversion and detection into one flow setup counteracts incorrect assessments caused by the degradation of reactive products. However, apparent interferences of the NMR magnetic field with the EC, leading to a low product yield, so far demanded relatively long signal averaging. A critical assessment of what is and what is not (yet) possible with this approach is presented, for example in terms of structure elucidation and the estimation of concentrations. Additionally, promising routes for further improvement of EC–SPE–stripline-NMR are discussed.