Synthetic studies of cystobactamids as antibiotics and bacterial imaging carriers lead to compounds with high in vivo efficacy

There is an alarming scarcity of novel chemical matter with bioactivity against multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacterial pathogens. Cystobactamids, recently discovered natural products from myxobacteria, are an exception to this trend. Their unusual chemical structure, composed of oligomeric para-aminobenzoic acid moieties, is associated with a high antibiotic activity through the inhibition of gyrase. In this study, structural determinants of cystobactamid''s antibacterial potency were defined at five positions, which were varied using three different synthetic routes to the cystobactamid scaffold. The potency against Acinetobacter baumannii could be increased ten-fold to an MIC (minimum inhibitory concentration) of 0.06 μg mL⁻¹, and the previously identified spectrum gap of Klebsiella pneumoniae could be closed compared to the natural products (MIC of 0.5 μg mL⁻¹). Proteolytic degradation of cystobactamids by the resistance factor AlbD was prevented by an amide-triazole replacement. Conjugation of cystobactamid''s N-terminal tetrapeptide to a Bodipy moiety induced the selective localization of the fluorophore for bacterial imaging purposes. Finally, a first in vivo proof of concept was obtained in an E. coli infection mouse model, where derivative 22 led to the reduction of bacterial loads (cfu, colony-forming units) in muscle, lung and kidneys by five orders of magnitude compared to vehicle-treated mice. These findings qualify cystobactamids as highly promising lead structures against infections caused by Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial pathogens.

Structure–activity relationship studies of the natural product cystobactamid at four different positions led to novel imaging probes and analogs with superior antibacterial activities and in vivo efficacy.     

Time-resolved in situ studies of the formation of cubic mesoporous silica formed with triblock copolymers

The mechanism of formation of two different cubic mesoporous silica materials formed with Pluronic triblock copolymers is investigated with in situ time-resolved small-angle synchrotron X-ray scattering, in situ time-resolved 1H nuclear magnetic resonance, and time-resolved transmission electron microscopy. The materials studied are the micellar cubic (Imm) SBA-16 formed with Pluronic F108 and the bicontinuous cubic (Iad) silica material formed with Pluronic P103 and NaI. The formation mechanisms of the two cubic structures are shown to be dissimilar. For the Imm material, in the early stages of the synthesis, flocs of unordered micelles are observed, but areas where the micelles have started to order are also present. With time, there is an increase in order; however, there is a coexistence of unordered micelles and ordered material all through this study. The bicontinuous cubic silica is formed via a different path. The system is phase-separated already before the addition of the silica source, which implies that a concentrated phase is present, acting as the structure director of the Iad structure. The results are compared with earlier reports on the formation of the hexagonal SBA-15 material.     

Synergism and foaming properties in mixed nonionic/fatty acid soap surfactant systems

The synergism and foaming behavior of a mixed surfactant system consisting of a nonionic surfactant (polyethoxylated alkyl ether C(n)E(m)) and a fatty acid soap (sodium oleate) were studied. The micellar interaction parameter (the beta-parameter) was determined from the cmc following the approach of Rubingh's regular solution theory. For both the C(12)E(6)/sodium oleate and the C(14)E(6)/sodium oleate mixtures, the results indicate a fairly strong attractive interaction (negative beta-values), which were in agreement with previous data reported for other nonionic/anionic surfactant systems. The characteristics of the foam produced from the surfactants were evaluated using a glass column equipped with a series of electrodes measuring the conductance of the foam, which enabled the water content of the foam to be determined. From these measurements, since the total foam volume was almost the same for all concentrations and surfactants, we compared the amount of liquid in the foam produced under dynamic foaming and the ability of the foam to entrain the liquid after the airflow was switched-off (static foam stability). The amount of liquid in the foam 100 s after the air was switched-off followed the order NaOl > C(12)E(6) > C(14)E(6). Also, the mixtures had the same foam volumes as the pure surfactants at the same concentration. However, both mixtures had higher concentrations of liquid in the foam when the mole fraction of the nonionic surfactant in the mixed surfactant system was greater than about >0.3 in the solution.     

Comparison of hexamethylenedithiocarbamate and tetramethylenedithiocarbamate as flotation reagents for the concentration of zinc

A procedure for zinc flotation separation from fresh water prior to its determination by atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) has been developed. Hexamethyleneammonium hexamethylenedithiocarbamate (HMA-HMDTC) added to the first precipitate collector of hydrated Fe(III) oxide (Fe₂O₃· xH₂O) gives the second precipitate collector of Fe(HMDTC)₃. After addition of a surfactant, the precipitate of collectors is separated from the water phase by a stream of air bubbles, dissolved by strong acid and the solution then tested by AAS. The experimental parameters (amount of collector used, pH, ionic strength, type of foaming reagent, ζ potential, induction time etc.) affecting the flotation efficiency were optimized. At a pH of 6, Zn is separated quantitatively (98.5%) by addition of 5 mg Fe(III) and 3 mL 0.1 mol/L HMA-HMDTC to the sample. Results are compared with those obtained by ammonium tetramethylenedithiocarbamate.     

Spectrophotometric and potentiometric determination of acidic constants of oxo-phenyl pyridinium monoxime and dioxime

The UV absorption spectra of 1-(1-hydroxyimino-2-oxo-2-phenyl) pyridinium chloride (compound I) and 1-(1-hydroxyimino-2-oxo-2-phenyl)-4-hydroxyiminomethyl pyridinium chloride (compound II) in water solution at differentpH values have been measured. The spectral changes, with changingpH, in aqueous solutions are attributed to the dissociation of individual functional groups of the compounds. The mixed acidic constants (pKa) of the investigated monoxime and dioxime, have been determined spectrophotometrically in the series ofBritton-Robinson's buffer solutions in thepH range 3.0–5.19 and 7.70–9.90 (t=25±0.5°C,I=0.2). The followingpKa values have been obtained for monoximepKa ₁=4.30 and for dioximepKa ₁=4.28,pKa ₂=8.36.Thermodynamic acidic constants (pKa) have been determined on the basis of potentiometric titrations and they have been found to bepKa ₁=4.32 for compound I andpKa ₁=4.27,pKa ₂=8.51 for compound II. The values obtained by transferringpKa intopKa are in good agreement with the values obtained potentiometrically.

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Spektrophotometrische und potentiometrische Bestimmung der Aciditätskonstanten von Oxo-Phenyl-Pyridinium-Monooxim und -Dioxim

Zusammenfassung Die UV-Absorptionsspektren von 1-(1-Hydroxyimino-2-oxo-2-phenyl)-pyridiniumchlorid (Verbindung I) und 1-(1-Hydroxyimino-2-oxo-2-phenyl)-4-hydroxyiminomethylpyridiniumchlorid (Verbindung II) wurden in wäßrigen Lösungen bei verschiedenenpH-Werten aufgenommen. Die Änderungen in den Spektren, die in wäßrigen Lösungen mit derpH-Änderung entstehen, können der Dissoziation der einzelnen funktionellen Gruppen der untersuchten Verbindungen zugeschrieben werden. Die Mischaciditätskonstanten (pKa) des untersuchten Monooxims und Dioxims wurden spektrophotometrisch in einer Reihe vonBritton-Robinson-Pufferlösungen inpH-Intervallen 3.0–5.19 und 7.70–9.90 (t=25±0.5°C;I=0.2) bestimmt: für das MonooximpKa ₁=4.30 und für DioximpKa ₁=4.28 undpKa ₂=8.36. Die thermodynamischen Aciditätskonstanten (pKa) wurden aufgrund der potentiometrischen Titration berechnet:pKa ₁=4.32 für die Verbindung I undpKa ₁=4.27 undpKa ₂=8.51 für die Verbindung II. Die durch ÜbertragungpKa inpKa erhaltenen Werte sind mit den über die potentiometrische Methode erhaltenen Werten in guter Übereinstimmung.

     

On the formation of discoidal versus threadlike micelles in dilute aqueous surfactant/lipid systems

In a recent study, we showed that the surfactant 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylethanolamine-N-[methoxy(polyethylene glycol)-2000 (DSPE-PEG2000) induced mixed micelles of either threadlike or discoidal shape when mixed with different types of lipids. In this study, we have exchanged the PEG-lipid for the more conventional surfactants octaethylene glycol monododecyl ether (C12E8), hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). Cryo-TEM investigations show that also these surfactants are able to induce the formation of long-lived discoidal micelles. Generally, the preference for either discoidal or threadlike micelles can be tuned by the choice of lipids and environmental conditions in much the same way as observed for the lipid/PEG-lipid system. Our investigation showed, furthermore, that the choice of surfactant may influence the type of mixed micelles formed. It is argued that the formation of discoidal rather than threadlike micelles may be rationalized as an effect of increasing bending rigidity. Our detailed theoretical model calculations show that the bending rigidity becomes significantly raised for aggregates formed by an ionic rather than a nonionic surfactant.     

Persistency in the assignment and transportation problems

LetG = (U,V,E) be a bipartite graph with weights of its edgesc _ij . For the assignment and transportation problem given by such a graph we propose efficient procedures for partitioning the edge setE into three classes:E _o is the set of edgesij withx _ij = 0 for each optimum solution (0-persistent edges);E ₁ is the set of edges withx _ij > 0 and constant for each optimum (1-persistent edges) andE _w is the set of edges such that there are two optimum solutions x, x withx _ij x _ij ¹ (weakly persistent edges).     

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering imaging of single living lymphocytes with multivariate evaluation

This paper is aimed to show the possibility to determine individual organic compounds introduced into single living cells with surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). Surface enhancement was achieved with gold colloids that were allowed to diffuse into lymphocytes. An introduced analyte, rhodamine 6G, could be imaged together with for example nucleotides and amino acids of the cell. Multivariate evaluation of surface-enhanced Raman images proved to be a powerful tool for the separation of spectral information of various intracellular components. The principal component analysis (PCA) enabled identification of spectra containing different chemical information and separation of the spectral contribution of rhodamine 6G from the complex cellular matrix.     

Systems of Kowalevski type and discriminantly separable polynomials

Starting from the notion of discriminantly separable polynomials of degree two in each of three variables, we construct a class of integrable dynamical systems. These systems can be integrated explicitly in genus two theta-functions in a procedure which is similar to the classical one for the Kowalevski top. The discriminantly separable polynomials play the role of the Kowalevski fundamental equation. Natural examples include the Sokolov systems and the Jurdjevic elasticae.     

Simplified batch equilibration for D/H determination of non‐exchangeable hydrogen in solid organic material

Hydrogen isotopic analysis of organic materials has been widely applied in studies of paleoclimate, animal migration, forensics, food and flavor authentication, and the origin and diagenesis of organic matter. Hydrogen bound to carbon (C‐H) generally retains isotopic information about the water present during organic matter synthesis and associated biosynthetic fractionations, but hydrogen bound to other elements (O, S, or N) can readily exchange with atmospheric water vapor and reflects recent exposure to water or vapor. These two pools must be separated to obtain meaningful information from isotope ratios of organic materials. Previously published analytical methods either replace exchangeable H chemically or control its isotopic composition, usually by equilibration with water or waters of known isotopic composition. In addition, the fraction of H that is exchangeable can vary among samples and is itself of scientific interest. Here we report an improved and automated double‐equilibration approach. Samples are loaded in a 50‐position autosampler carousel in an air‐tight aluminum equilibration chamber. Water vapor of known isotopic composition is pumped through the chamber at 115°C for at least 6 h. After flushing with dry N₂ and being cooled, the carousel is rapidly transferred from the equilibration chamber to a He‐purged autosampler attached to a pyrolysis elemental analyzer connected to an isotope ratio mass spectrometer. By equilibrating two aliquots of each sample with two isotopically distinct waters, it is possible to calculate both (1) the D/H ratio of non‐exchangeable H, and (2) the fraction of H that is exchangeable. Relative to previous double‐equilibration techniques, this approach offers significant reductions in sample size and labor by allowing simultaneous equilibration of several tens of samples. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.