Poly(Methyl Methacrylate) as a matrix for immobilization of lipase

Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) was found to be suitable for the immobilization of lipase fromCandida rugosa. The best result based on hydrolytic activity was obtained by adsorption of the purified unbuffered enzyme solution onto PMMA beads without any modification of the beads. Prolonged exposure of the protein to the beads increased its adsorption but the expressed activity decreased after 1 h of exposure. The magnitude of the immobilized activity also varied with the size of the beads. Immobilization of the lipase shifted its optimal reaction temperature from 37 to 45°C. The immobilized enzyme is also more stable than the free enzyme in solution. The operational half-life of the immobilized lipase packed in a column and assayed in a closed system is 40 d.     

BLUE LIGHT-EMITTING COIL-ROD-COIL BLOCK OLIGOMERS WITH RIGID p-HEXAPHENYL AS CHROMOPHORE

The synthesis and characterization of coil-rod-coil triblock oligomers, poly（ethylene oxide）-b-p-hexaphenyl-b- poly（ethylene oxide）, are described. The number of repeating ethylene oxide units in each flexible block are 3 （EO3-PHP- EO3）, 8 （EOs-PHP-EO8）, 13 （EO13-PHP-EO13）, and 17 （EO17-PHP-EO17）, respectively. The structures of these oligomers are confirmed by ^1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, EA, and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. The introduction of soluble poly（ethylene oxide） coils to the rigid p-hexaphenyl segment significantly improves the solubility of the oligomers, so they can form smooth thin films by spin-coating from their solutions. The oligomers are quite thermally stable and have 1% weight loss temperatures at above 340℃ under nitrogen. They can emit strong blue light in both solution and film state, and have fluorescence quantum yields of about 40% in chloroform. They are expected to have potential applications in optoelectronic devices.     

Separation of lidocaine and its metabolites by capillary electrophoresis using volatile aqueous and nonaqueous electrolyte systems

The separation of the basic drug lidocaine and six of its metabolites has been investigated both by using volatile aqueous electrolyte system, at low pH and by employing non-aqueous electrolyte systems. In aqueous systems, the best separation of the compounds under the investigated conditions was achieved by using the electrolyte 60 mM trifluoroacetic acid (TFA)/triethylamine (TEA) at pH 2.5 containing 15% methanol. With this electrolyte, all seven compounds were well separated with high efficiency and migration time repeatability. The separations with bare fused-silica capillaries and polyacrylamide-coated capillaries were compared with higher separation efficiency with the latter. On the other hand, near baseline separation of all the seven compounds was also obtained by employing the non-aqueous electrolyte, 40 mM ammonium acetate in methanol and TFA (99:1, v/v), with comparable migration time repeatability but lower separation efficiency relative to the aqueous system.     

Excited-state intramolecular proton transfer in o-hydroxybiaryls: a new route to dihydroaromatic compounds

An excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) from the phenol OH to the 7'-carbon on the naphthyl ring in o-(1-naphthyl)phenol (3) and 1-(1'-naphthyl)-2-naphthol (4) leads to efficient (Phi = 0.1-0.2) formation of the corresponding dihydrobenzoxanthenes (5 and 7) via quinone methide intermediates. This new reaction represents a clean, efficient, and high-yielding route to benzoxanthenes and dihydrobenzoxanthenes. A related ESIPT of similar efficiency has been detected at the 2'-aromatic position in these systems, by deuterium labeling studies.     

Proteomic analysis of apoptosis initiation induced by all-trans retinoic acid in human acute promyelocytic leukemia cells

The irreversible destiny of apoptosis in its early stage might play a critical role in the apoptosis of human acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) cell line induced by all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA). To characterize protein alterations during the apoptosis-initiation phase and to understand the metabolic status at that time, we investigated the protein profiles in the apoptosis-initiation phase of APL cell line HL-60 by proteomic analysis. ATRA-withdrawal was conducted to demonstrate that there was committed initiation phase of apoptosis triggered by 10(-6) M ATRA at day 3. Only after that time point, ATRA-treated cells irreversibly went to apoptosis. Also at that time point, the positive regulators of apoptosis such as STAT3 increased at protein level, whereas negative regulators (Bcl-2 and p-STAT3) decreased. In addition, caspase-3 also increased after that time. Furthermore, comparative proteomic analysis was utilized to examine the protein expression profiles during the initiation stage of apoptosis. Our results showed 12 upregulated and 7 downregulated proteins experiencing twofold alteration, including key regulators of signal transduction such as G-proteins and nucleic receptors, proteins related with metabolism, oxidation and reduction, proteins associated with the nucleus and cytoskeleton-related proteins. Some of them could be positive modulators to trigger apoptosis, whereas others could contribute to intracellular defense against apoptosis induced by exogenous triggers. The results above suggest that there is a subtle balance between apoptosis and the intracellular defense against apoptosis. Once the balance is disturbed, cells would irreversibly initiate to undergo the execution of apoptosis.     

Highly efficient separation of isomeric epoxy fatty acids by micellar electrokinetic chromatography

A capillary electrophoresis (CE) method has been developed for simple and direct separation of cis- and trans-12,13-epoxy-9(Z)-octadecenoic acid and 9,10-epoxy-12(Z)-octadecenoic acid isomers. Separation was performed in micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MEKC) using a buffer consisting of 25 mM borate (pH 9.20), 10 mM sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and 10% v/v acetonitrile. The key variables, concentrations of SDS and organic modifier, were optimized by the application of a factorial experimental design. The use of a low micellar concentration, just above critical micelle concentration (CMC), in a background electrolyte containing an organic modifier not only made it possible to dissolve and separate highly hydrophobic fatty acid isomers, but also resulted in improved separation efficiency and selectivity. Separation efficiency up to 4 x 10(5) theoretical plates/m was achieved under an optimized condition. Also investigated were the influence of temperature on separation and the effect of organic modifier concentration on the dynamic exchange of the analytes between micelles and the bulk of the buffer solution. Direct UV was applied for detection of the fatty acids.     

Supramolecular isomerism in the hydrogen-bonded network of (5<Emphasis Type="Italic">R</Emphasis>,10<Emphasis Type="Italic">R</Emphasis>)-3,8-dihydroxy-5,10-diethoxy-5,10-dihydrochromeno[5,4,3-<Emphasis Type="Italic">cde</Emphasis>]chromene monohydrate

A new compound (5R, 10R)-3,8-dihydroxy-5,10-diethoxy-5,10-dihydrochromeno[5,4,3-cde]chromene monohydrate was obtained from 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde in aerobic basic aqueous ethanol solution in the presence of manganese chloride and triethylamine and crystallized in orthorhombic P2₁2₁2₁ space group (denoted as 1). When 1 was recrystallized from aqueous methanol, it was transformed to another crystal (2) with the same composition but in P2₁/n space group. The drastic difference in the extensive hydrogen bond network makes 1 a 3D and 2 a 2D infinite supramolecular structure, respectively.     

Rh(II)-catalyzed formation and rearrangement of trifluoroacetyl-containing sulfur ylides

A facile, convenient, efficient, and high yielding Rh(II)-catalyzed formation and rearrangement of trifluoroacetyl-containing sulfur ylides are reported. It is a Rh₂(OAc)₄-catalyzed [2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement of sulfur ylide intermediates generated from α-diazo compounds.     

Native and stearic acid modified ceria-zirconia supports in normal and reversed-phase HPLC

Porous ceria-zirconia composite with narrow particle size distribution and large specific surface area was synthesized by a sol-gel process. Chromatographic properties of the native supports was investigated in normal phase mode for the separation of test mixtures of basic, neutral and acidic compounds. The new packing material exhibited polar and basic properties, which are suitable for the separation of basic compounds. Lypophilic packing has been obtained by the modification of the ceria-zirconia with stearic acid, which exhibited strong hydrophobicity relative to the native packing. Therefore, the modified ceria-zirconia behaves as a reversed-phase packing material. Different selectivity towards basic compounds was observed on the new packing compared to the native ceria-zirconia and conventional ODS stationary phase.     

High-dimensional architectures from the self-assembly of lanthanide ions with benzenedicarboxylates and 1,10-phenanthroline

Six new coordination polymers, [Eu(1,2-BDC)(1,2-HBDC)(phen)(H(2)O)](n) (1), [Eu(2)(1,3-BDC)(3)(phen)(2)(H(2)O)(2)](n).4nH(2)O (2), [Eu(1,4-BDC)(3/2)(phen)(H(2)O)](n) (3), [Yb(2)(1,2-BDC)(3)(phen)(H(2)O)(2)](n).3.5nH(2)O (4), [Yb(2)(1,3-BDC)(3)(phen)(1/2)](n) (5), and [Yb(2)(1,4-BDC)(3)(phen)(2)(H(2)O)](n) (6), were synthesized by hydrothermal reactions of lanthanide chlorides with three isomers of benzenedicarboxylic acid (H(2)BDC) and 1,10-phenanthroline (phen), and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. 1 has a 2-D herringbone architecture with a Z-shaped cavity. 2 and 5 have different 3-D networks, but both are formed by 1,3-BDC anions bridging metal centers (Eu or Yb) via carboxylate groups. 3 and 6 possess similar layer structures which are further constructed to form 3-D networks by hydrogen bonds and/or pi-pi aromatic interactions. 4 comprises 1-D chains that are further interlinked via hydrogen bonds, resulting in a 3-D network. In the three europium complexes, all the europium ions are eight-coordinated, while the coordination numbers of the ytterbium ions in other three-coordination polymers range from six to eight. Crystal data: for 1, monoclinic, space group P2(1)/c, with a = 12.565(6) A, b = 16.005(8) A, c = 12.891(6) A, beta = 102.173(8) degrees, and Z = 4; for 2, monoclinic, space group P2(1)/c, with a = 20.979(4) A, b = 11.5989(19) A, c = 20.810(3) A, beta = 110.391(3) degrees, and Z = 4; for 3, triclinic, space group P1, with a = 10.331(5) A, b = 10.887(5) A, c = 11.404(5) A, alpha = 107.660(7) degrees, beta = 91.787(7) degrees, gamma = 112.946(6) degrees, and Z = 2; for 4, triclinic, space group P1, with a = 11.517(5) A, b = 13.339(5) A, c = 13.595(6) A, alpha = 87.888(7) degrees, beta = 67.759(6) degrees, gamma = 68.070(6) degrees, and Z = 2; for 5, orthorhombic, space group C222(1), with a = 8.174(2) A, b = 24.497(7) A, c = 29.161(8) A, and Z = 8; for 6, triclinic, space group P1, with a = 10.349(3) A, b = 11.052(3) A, c = 19.431(6) A, alpha = 105.464(4) degrees, beta = 91.300(5) degrees, gamma = 93.655(5) degrees, and Z = 2. The magnetic properties of 1 and 4 were investigated. The photophysical properties of 1 were also studied.