Anti-biofouling properties of polymers with a carboxybetaine moiety

The resistance of random copolymers of BMA and CMB against biofouling was evaluated. The amount of proteins adsorbed onto the CMB copolymers was smaller than that onto other polymers (non-ionic polymers and copolymers of ordinary ionic monomers and BMA) and decreased with an increase in the content of CMB residues. Furthermore, there was a dramatic decrease in the number of cells (platelets and fibroblasts) that adhered to the CMB copolymers compared with that to other polymers. In contrast with this, CMB copolymers were slightly perturbative to both complement and coagulation systems. However, the overall results suggest that zwitterionic moieties are effective for making polymer materials biocompatible due to their excellent anti-biofouling property.     

Application of log D for the prediction of hydrophobicity in the advanced Marfey's method

In the advanced Marfey's method, the resolution between the diastereomers derivatized with 1-fluoro-2,4-dinitrophenyl-5-l-leucinamide (l-FDLA) and 1-fluoro-2,4-dinitrophenyl-5-d-leucinamide (d-FDLA) is reflected by the difference of hydrophobicity of the two functional groups at the asymmetric carbon. However, no effective method has been developed for the estimation of hydrophobicity so far. For this purpose, we introduced log D from the ACD Labs LogD and applied it to relatively simple primary amines, amino acids and secondary alcohols in the present study. It was found that the difference of the retention times (Δt_R) correlated with that of log D (Δlog D) for both diastereomers based on the obtained experimental results. Based on these results, the following procedure was proposed for the non-empirical determination of the absolute configuration of primary amines including amino acids and secondary alcohols: (1) estimate the hydrophobicity by the calculation of log D for the two substituent groups at the asymmetric carbon, (2) locate the trans-type arrangement of the two more hydrophobic substituents in the l-DLA derivative and judge the asymmetric carbon to be R or S in the trans-type that is eluted first, (3) derivatize the desired compound with l- or d-FDLA and analyze by LC/MS, and (4) compare the elution order with the prospective one and determine the absolute configuration at the asymmetric carbon. Furthermore, log D could also be used to predict the retention times of unavailable amino acids and small peptides, indicating that the combination of the advanced Marfey's method with log D would provide more reliable structural information on a mixture composed of amino acids and small peptides. The developed method is being applied to more complicated compounds.     

N-Ethynylation of Anilides Decreases the Double-Bond Character of Amide Bond while Retaining trans-Conformation and Planarity

Activated amide bonds have been attracting intense attention; however, most of the studied moieties have twisted amide character. To add a new strategy to activate amide bonds while maintaining its planarity, we envisioned the introduction of an alkynyl group on the amide nitrogen to disrupt amide resonance by nN→C_sp conjugation. In this context, the conformations and properties of N-ethynyl-substituted aromatic amides were investigated by DFT calculations, crystallography, and NMR spectroscopic analysis. In contrast to the cis conformational preference of N-ethyl- and vinyl-substituted acetanilides, N-ethynyl-substituted acetanilide favors the trans conformation in the crystal and in solution. It also has a decreased double bond character of the C(O)−N bond, without twisting of the amide. N-Ethynyl-substituted acetanilides undergo selective C(O)−N bond or N−C(sp) bond cleavage reactions and have potential applications as activated amides for coupling reactions or easily cleavable tethers.     

Dcdftbmd: Divide-and-Conquer Density Functional Tight-Binding Program for Huge-System Quantum Mechanical Molecular Dynamics Simulations

Dcdftbmd is a Fortran 90/95 program that enables efficient quantum mechanical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations using divide-and-conquer density functional tight-binding (DC-DFTB) method. Based on the remarkable performance of previous massively parallel DC-DFTB energy and gradient calculations for huge systems, the code has been specialized to MD simulations. Recent implementations and modifications including DFTB extensions, improved computational speed in the DC-DFTB computational steps, algorithms for efficient initial guess charge prediction, and free energy calculations via metadynamics technique have enhanced the capability to obtain atomistic insights in novel applications to nanomaterials and biomolecules. The energy, structure, and other molecular properties are also accessible through the single-point calculation, geometry optimization, and vibrational frequency analysis. The available functionalities are outlined together with efficiency tests and simulation examples. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

On the site-specificity of polycarbonyl complexes in Cu/zeolites: combined experimental and DFT study

The preferred Cu(+) sites and formation of mono-, di-, and tricarbonyl complexes in the Cu-FER were investigated at the periodic density functional theory level and by means of FTIR spectroscopy. The site-specificity of adsorption enthalpies of CO on Cu-FER and of vibrational frequencies of polycarbonyl complexes were investigated for various Cu(+) sites in Cu-FER. Large changes in the Cu(+) interaction with the zeolite framework were observed upon the formation of carbonyl complexes. The dicarbonyl complexes formed on Cu(+) in the main channel or on the intersection of the main and perpendicular channels are stable and both, adsorption enthalpies and CO stretching frequencies are not site-specific. The fraction of Cu(+) ions in the FER cage, that cannot form dicarbonyl can be determined from IR spectra (about 7% for the Cu-FER with Si/Al = 27.5 investigated here). The tricarbonyl complexes can be formed at the Cu(+) ions located at the 8-member ring window at the intersection of main and perpendicular channel. The stability of tricarbonyl complexes is very low (DeltaH degrees (0 K)>or=-4 kJ mol(-1)).     

High‐Resolution Electrochemical Mapping of the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction on Transition‐Metal Dichalcogenide Nanosheets

High‐resolution scanning electrochemical cell microscopy (SECCM) is used to image and quantitatively analyze the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) catalytically active sites of 1H‐MoS₂ nanosheets, MoS₂, and WS₂ heteronanosheets. Using a 20 nm radius nanopipette and hopping mode scanning, the resolution of SECCM was beyond the optical microscopy limit and visualized a small triangular MoS₂ nanosheet with a side length of ca. 130 nm. The electrochemical cell provides local cyclic voltammograms with a nanoscale spatial resolution for visualizing HER active sites as electrochemical images. The HER activity difference of edge, terrace, and heterojunction of MoS₂ and WS₂ were revealed. The SECCM imaging directly visualized the relationship of HER activity and number of MoS₂ nanosheet layers and unveiled the heterogeneous aging state of MoS₂ nanosheets. SECCM can be used for improving local HER activities by producing sulfur vacancies using electrochemical reaction at the selected region.     

Preparation and Function of Poly(acrylic acid)s Modified by Supramolecular Complex Composed of Porphinatoiron and a Cyclodextrin Dimer That Bind Diatomic Molecules (O2 and CO) in Aqueous Solution

Poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) is modified by 5‐(4‐β‐alanylaminophenyl)‐10,15,20‐tris(4‐sulfonatophenyl) porphinatoiron(III) to yield iron porphyrin‐bearing PAAs (FeP(n)s) through a condensation reaction. FeP(n)s were further functionalized by Py3CD, which is a per‐O‐methylated β‐cyclodextrin (CD) dimer with a pyridine linker and includes the porphyrin pendants to form ferric hemoCD‐P(n)s. Ferrous hemoCD‐P(3), having three porphyrin chromophores in a polymer chain, is shown to bind molecular oxygen (P_1/2=7.9±1.4 Torr) in aqueous solution at pH 7.0 and 25 °C, affording oxy‐hemoCD‐P(3). Oxy‐hemoCD‐P(3) is biphasically autoxidized to ferric hemoCD‐P(3), with 27 % of the dioxygen adducts being rapidly oxidized. The rate of autoxidation of oxy‐hemoCD‐P(15), having 15 porphyrin chromophores in a polymer chain, was much faster than that of oxy‐hemoCD‐P(3), thus suggesting self‐catalyzed autoxidation of oxy‐hemoCD‐P(n)s. Oxy‐hemoCD‐P(n)s are markedly stabilized by catalase, thereby indicating that hydrogen peroxide generated from oxy‐hemoCD‐P(n) accelerates the autoxidation. Most of the hemoCD‐P(3) molecules injected into the femoral vein of a rat remained in the body, though about 16 % of the hemoCD‐P(3) molecules were excreted in the urine as a carbon monoxide adduct.     

Protein nanotubes with an enzyme interior surface

This report describes the synthesis and enzyme activities of multilayered protein nanotubes with an α-glucosidase (αGluD) interior surface. The nanotubes were prepared by using an alternating layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly of human serum albumin (HSA) and oppositely charged poly-L-arginine (PLA) into a track-etched polycarbonate (PC) membrane (pore size=400 nm) followed by addition of αGluD as the last layer of the wall. Subsequent dissolution of the PC template yielded (PLA/HSA)(2)PLA/αGluD nanotubes. SEM measurements revealed the formation of uniform hollow cylinders with (413±17) nm outer diameter and (52±3) nm wall thickness. In aqueous media, the nanotubes captured a fluorogenic glucopyranoside, 4-methyl-umbelliferyl-α-D-glucopyranoside (MUGlc), into their one-dimensional pore space and hydrolyzed the substrate efficiently to form α-D-glucose. We determined the enzyme parameters (Michaelis constant, K(M), and catalytic constant, k(cat), values) of the protein nanotubes. The several-micrometers-long cylinders were of sufficient length to be spun down by centrifugation at 4000 g, so the product could therefore be easily separated. Similar biocatalysts were prepared by complexation of biotinylated-αGluD into HSA-based nanotubes bearing a single avidin layer as an internal surface. The obtained hybrid nanotubes also exhibited the same enzyme activity for the MUGlc hydrolysis.