INTERACTION OF PHOTODYNAMICALLY INDUCED CELL KILLING and DARK CYTOTOXICITY OF RHODAMINE 123

Abstract— Loss of clonogenicity of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, murine L929 fibroblasts and human bladder carcinoma T24 cells caused by photodynamic treatment (PDT) with hematoporphyrin derivative (HPD) is synergistically enhanced by subsequent incubation with rhodamine 123 in the dark. For CHO and L929 cells this synergistic interaction can be explained by an increased uptake of rhodamine 123 as the result of the photodynamic treatment. With aluminum phthalocyanine (AIPc) as photosensitizer only additive effects were observed in the three cell lines. Incubation in the dark with rhodamine 123, followed by a photodynamic treatment with HPD, resulted in an antagonistic interaction with regard to loss of colony formation. With AIPc the combination of treatments resulted in an additive effect with L929 and T24 cells, whereas with CHO cells a slight antagonistic interaction was observed. An antagonistic effect was also observed in model experiments, treating histidine photodynamically with HPD and measuring oxygen consumption. A possible explanation of these results could be an interaction or complex formation of rhodamine 123 with HPD resulting in a diminished singlet oxygen production. With AIPc this does not take place.     

Kemp elimination in membrane mimetic reaction media: probing catalytic properties of catanionic vesicles formed from double-tailed amphiphiles

The rate-determining deprotonation of 5-nitrobenzisoxazole (Kemp elimination) by hydroxide is efficiently catalyzed by vesicles formed from dimethyldioctadecylammonium chloride (C(18)()C(18)()(+)()). Gradual addition of sodium didecyl phosphate (C(10)()C(10)()(-)()) leads to the formation of catanionic vesicles, which were characterized by cryo-electron microscopy, and their main phase transition temperatures (DSC) and zeta-potentials. Increasing percentages of C(10)()C(10)()(-)() in the vesicular bilayers decrease the catalysis of the Kemp elimination. A detailed kinetic analysis, supported by consideration of substrate binding site polarities and counterion binding percentages, suggest that the catalytic effects of C(18)()C(18)()(+)()/C(10)()C(10)()(-)() catanionic vesicles are primarily determined by the binding of catalytically active hydroxide ions to the vesicular surface area. The formation of neutral microdomains between 10 and 30 mol % of C(10)()C(10)()(-)() in the bilayer, as revealed by DSC, is not apparent from the catalytic effects found for these vesicles. Interestingly, the catalytic effects observed for 50 mol % C(10)()C(10)()(-)() in the catanionic vesicles indicate an asymmetric distribution of C(18)()C(18)()(+)() and C(10)()C(10)()(-)() over the bilayer leaflets. The overall kinetic results illustrate the highly complex mix of factors which determines catalytic effects on reactions occurring in biological cell membranes.     

A Proposal for Positive Cooperativity in Anion-Cation Binding in Yttrium and Lutetium Complexes Based on o-Amino-Substituted Phenolate Ligands. On the Way to Coordination Polymers by Self-Assembly. Molecular Structures of [ClLu(OAr)(3)Na] (X-ray) and [ClY(OAr')(3)Y(OAr')(3)Na] (X-ray and (89)Y-NMR)

Unique hetero(poly)metallic complexes [ClM(OAr)(3)Na] (M = Lu (3a), Y (3b)) and [ClY(OAr')(3)Y(OAr')(3)Na] (4) containing the bis (OAr = OC(6)H(2)(CH(2)NMe(2))(2)-2,6-Me-4) and mono (OAr' = OC(6)H(4)(CH(2)NMe(2))-2) o-amino-substituted phenolate ligands have been synthesized and characterized by NMR ((1)H, (13)C, and (89)Y) and X-ray structure determinations (3a and 4). Crystals of 3a are triclinic, space group P&onemacr;, with unit cell dimensions a = 10.706(1) ?, b = 14.099(2) ?, c = 18.882(3) ?, alpha = 93.48(1) degrees, beta = 99.49(1) degrees, gamma = 108.72(11) degrees, and Z = 2. The chlorine, lutetium, and sodium atoms in 3a lie on a pseudo-3-fold axis ( angleCl-Lu.Na = 177.82(5) degrees ) around which the three phenolate ligands are arranged in such a way that a "propeller-like" molecule with screw-type chirality results. Crystals of 4 are triclinic, space group P1, with unit cell dimensions a = 11.411(4) ?, b = 13.325(4) ?, c = 13.599(4) ?, alpha = 88.91(3) degrees, beta = 65.44(2) degrees, gamma = 72.77(3) degrees, and Z = 1. In 4 the chlorine, the two yttrium and the sodium atoms lie on a pseudo-3-fold axis (Cl-Y(1).Y(2).Na: angleCl-Y.Y = 179.36(8) degrees and angleY.Y.Na = 178.38(10) degrees ) around which the six phenolate ligands are arranged in two shells of three ligands. One shell bridges the yttrium atoms in an asymmetric fashion, while the second shell bridges the second yttrium and the sodium atom, resulting in two shells of opposite screw-type chirality. (1)H, (13)C, and (89)Y (for 3b and 4) NMR confirmed that the structures found for 3a and 4 in the solid state are retained in solution. For 4 (89)Y NMR showed two separate resonances (202.4 and 132.4 ppm), with (2)J(YY) = 0.4 Hz. The formation of 3a and 3b is described as resulting from positive cooperativity in anion-cation bonding: coordination of chloride anion to a neutral metal tris(phenolate) leads to preorganization of available binding sites in the resulting anionic complex for the binding of the sodium cation. In 4 this cooperativity is the driving force for the self-assembly of an anionic bimetallic molecular structure with available, preorganized binding sites for the capture of the cation. A proposal is made to use these observations for the possible synthesis of new coordination polymers.     

Liquid chromatographic method for nicarbazin in broiler feeds and premixtures: development, validation, and interlaboratory study

A reversed-phase liquid chromatography method for nicarbazin in broiler feeds and premixtures was developed, validated, and interlaboratory studied. The extraction solvent was an acetonitrile-methanol (1 + 1) mixture. For feedingstuffs, water was also added. The 4,4'-dinitrocarbanilide moiety of nicarbazin was detected at a wavelength of 350 nm. Recovery was > or =87%. At 20 mg/kg, the repeatability was 0.7% and the within-laboratory reproducibility was 2.7%. The limit of determination was <20 mg/kg. Other feed additives did not interfere in the assay that proved to be applicable to broiler feeds from different European Union countries. In an interlaboratory study, 4 positive broiler feeds, 1 blank pig feed, and 1 broiler premixture were analyzed by 19 laboratories using the method developed in this study. The relative standard deviation for repeatability (RSDr) of the feedingstuffs (20-240 mg/kg) varied between 2.6 and 10.2%. The HORRAT ranged between 0.70 and 1.22. Recoveries were 91-108%. Three laboratories detected small signals in the blind blank samples, ranging from 0.4 to 2 mg/kg. For the premixture, acceptable results for reproducibility could only be obtained after the sample weight and volume of extraction had been doubled. To avoid excessive dilution of the extracts, the range of the calibration curve had also been doubled. With this modified method, the RSDr was 5.7% and the HORRAT was 1.95 (10 laboratories).     

Molecular characterization of organically-bound sulfur in crude oils. A feasibility study for the application of Raney Ni desulfurization as a new method to characterize crude oils

Five crude oils with varying sulfur contents (0.1 – 4.7%) were characterized on a molecular level for organically-bound sulfur. Aromatic fractions were analyzed by GC-(MS) and asphaltene and polar fractions were analyzed by flash pyrolysis-GC-(MS). The polar fractions were also desulfurized with Raney Ni and the hydrocarbons formed were analyzed by GC-MS. Major sulfur compounds in the aromatic fractions were identified as alkylbenzo- and alkyldiben-zothiophenes. The flash pyrolyzates of the asphaltene contained alkylthiophenes and alkylbenzothiophenes as major compounds, depending on the thermal maturity of the oil. Generally, the sulfur-rich crude oils contained relatively more sulfur compounds. The flash pyrolyzates of polar fractions contained a variety of sulfur compounds (alkylthiolanes, alkylthianes, terpenoid sulfides, alkylbenzothiophenes) with substantial differences between different crude oils. Raney Ni desulfurization of the polar fraction yielded hydrocarbons dominated by n-alkanes, but isoprenoid alkanes, n-alkylcyclohexanes, mid-chain methylalkanes, tricyclic terpanes, hopanes and steranes were also present. These hydrocarbons show a potential to fingerprint crude oils since their distribution patterns are more characteristic than those of the hydrocarbons present in the saturated hydrocarbon fraction.     

Twists of genus three curves over finite fields

In this article we recall how to describe the twists of a curve over a finite field and we show how to compute the number of rational points on such a twist by methods of linear algebra. We illustrate this in the case of plane quartic curves with at least 16 automorphisms. In particular we treat the twists of the Dyck–Fermat and Klein quartics. Our methods show how in special cases non-Abelian cohomology can be explicitly computed. They also show how questions which appear difficult from a function field perspective can be resolved by using the theory of the Jacobian variety.