Capillary liquid chromatographic fingerprint used for discrimination of Zingiber montanum from related species

Fingerprint analysis using capillary liquid chromatography (CLC) has been developed for discrimination of Zingiber montanum (ZM) from related species, for example Z. americans (ZA) and Z. zerumbet (ZZ). By comparing the fingerprint chromatograms of ZM, ZA, and ZZ we could identify ZM samples and discriminate them from ZA and ZZ by using their marker peaks. We also combined CLC fingerprint with multivariate analysis, including principal-component analysis (PCA) and canonical variate analysis (CVA); all three species were discriminated successfully. This result indicates that CLC fingerprint analysis in combination with PCA and CVA can be used for discrimination of ZM samples from samples of related species.

Soft-templating synthesis and adsorption properties of mesoporous carbons with embedded silver nanoparticles

Mesoporous carbons containing silver nanoparticles have been successfully synthesized under acidic conditions by employing resorcinol and formaldehyde as carbon precursors and triblock copolymer EO₁₀₁PO₅₆EO₁₀₁ (Lutrol F127) as a soft template. Silver nanoparticles of ∼90 nm were added to the synthesis mixture to achieve 10 wt% and 20 wt% of Ag loading in the carbon. Also, tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) was introduced to the system in order to improve adsorption properties of the silver-carbon composites and to reinforce its structure. The resulting carbons with incorporated silver nanoparticles featured high surface areas, large total pore volumes and primary mesopores in the range between ∼6–7 nm.     

Bee Venom in Wound Healing

Bee venom (BV), also known as api-toxin, is widely used in the treatment of different inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis or multiple sclerosis. It is also known that BV can improve the wound healing process. BV plays a crucial role in the modulation of the different phases of wound repair. It possesses anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antifungal, antiviral, antimicrobial and analgesic properties, all of which have a positive impact on the wound healing process. The mentioned process consists of four phases, i.e., hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation and remodeling. The impaired wound healing process constitutes a significant problem especially in diabetic patients, due to hypoxia state. It had been found that BV accelerated the wound healing in diabetic patients as well as in laboratory animals by impairing the caspase-3, caspase-8 and caspase-9 activity. Moreover, the activity of BV in wound healing is associated with regulating the expression of transforming growth factor (TGF-β1), vascular endothelial growth factor and increased collagen type I. BV stimulates the proliferation and migration of human epidermal keratinocytes and fibroblasts. In combination with polyvinyl alcohol and chitosan, BV significantly accelerates the wound healing process, increasing the hydroxyproline and glutathione and lowering the IL-6 level in wound tissues. The effect of BV on the wounds has been proved by numerous studies, which revealed that BV in the wound healing process brings about a curative effect and could be applied as a new potential treatment for wound repair. However, therapy with bee venom may induce allergic reactions, so it is necessary to assess the existence of the patient’s hypersensitivity to apitoxin before treatment.     

Effect of Botanical Extracts on the Growth and Nutritional Quality of Field-Grown White Head Cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata)

Nutraceuticals and functional foods are gaining more attention amongst consumers interested in nutritious food. The consumption of foodstuffs with a high content of phytochemicals has been proven to provide various health benefits. The application of biostimulants is a potential strategy to fortify cultivated plants with beneficial bioactive compounds. Nevertheless, it has not yet been established whether the proposed higher plants (St. John’s wort, giant goldenrod, common dandelion, red clover, nettle, and valerian) are appropriate for the production of potential bio-products enhancing the nutritional value of white cabbage. Therefore, this research examines the impact of botanical extracts on the growth and nutritional quality of cabbage grown under field conditions. Two extraction methods were used for the production of water-based bio-products, namely: ultrasound-assisted extraction and mechanical homogenisation. Bio-products were applied as foliar sprays to evaluate their impact on total yield, dry weight, photosynthetic pigments, polyphenols, antioxidant activity, vitamin C, nitrates, micro- and macroelements, volatile compounds, fatty acids, sterols, and sugars. Botanical extracts showed different effects on the examined parameters. The best results in terms of physiological and biochemical properties of cabbage were obtained for extracts from common dandelion, valerian, nettle, and giant goldenrod. When enriched with nutrients, vegetables can constitute a valuable component of functional food.     

Investigation of a Homologous Series of Fatty Acids by TLC. Part III. Application of Terms Describing the Separation of Homologous Series of Saturated Fatty Acids in TLC

JPC – Journal of Planar Chromatography – Modern TLC - Fatty acids from pentanoic to tricosanoic have been separated on RP-18 HPTLC plates, with and without concentrating zone, with...     

Solubility of Solid 2,3-Dimethylbutane and Cyclopentane in Liquid Argon and Nitrogen at the Standard Boiling Points of the Solvents

The solubilities of solid 2,3-dimethylbutane and cyclopentene in liquid argon at a temperature of 87.3 K and in liquid nitrogen at 77.4 K have been measured by the filtration method. The hydrocarbon contents in solutions were determined using gas chromatography. GC–MS was used to identify impurities in solutes. The experimental value of the mole fraction solubility of solid 2,3-dimethyl-butane in liquid argon at 87.3 K is (8.26 ± 1.60) × 10^–6 and (2.77 ± 0.94) × 10^–8 in liquid nitrogen at 77.4 K. The experimental value of the mole fraction solubility of solid cyclopentene in liquid argon at 87.3 K is (5.11 ± 0.44) × 10^–6 and (4.60 ± 0.76) × 10^–8 in liquid nitrogen at 77.4 K. The Preston–Prausnitz method was used for calculation of the solubilities of solid hydrocarbons in liquid argon in the temperature range 84.0–110.0 K and in liquid nitrogen from 64.0 to 90.0 K. The solvent–solute interaction parameters l ₁₂ were also calculated. At 90.0 K liquid argon is a better solvent for investigated solid hydrocarbons than is liquid nitrogen.     

Estimation of the lipophilicity of antiarrhythmic and antihypertensive active 1-substituted pyrrolidin-2-one and pyrrolidine derivatives

The lipophilicity of some antiarrhythmic and antihypertensive active 1-[2-hydroxy- or 1-[2-acetoxy-3-(4-aryl-1-piperazinyl)propyl]pyrrolidin-2-one derivatives (1-12) has been investigated. Their lipophilicity (R(MO) and log k') was determined by reversed-phase thin-layer chromatography and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with mixtures of acetonitrile and Tris buffer as mobile phases. The partition coefficients of compounds 1-12 (log P(ScilogP)) were also calculated with the ScilogP program. Comparison of R(MO), log k' and calculated log D(7.0 ScilogP) values enabled calculation of clog D(7.0 TLC) and clog D(7.0 HPLC) values. Preliminary quantitative structure-activity relationship studies indicated that for active compounds there is a dependence between affinity for alpha(2)-adrenoceptors and their clog D(7.0 HPLC) values.     

Mathematical models of solute retention in gas chromatography as sources of thermodynamic data. Part III. Alkylbenzenes as the test analytes

Direct determination of thermodynamic data has always been a complicated and troublesome experimental task. Gas chromatography is among long-established working tools well suited to performing this particular task indirectly. Our own results were first presented in the papers by Ciazynska-Halarewicz and Kowalska (1,2), and this article is Part III in the series. Present experiments are carried out on low- and medium-polarity stationary phases at five different temperatures ranging from 323K to 423K. They enable determination of two thermodynamic properties of the alkylbenzenes, molar enthalpy of vaporization (DeltaH(vap)), and the chemical potential of partitioning of the methylene group between the two phases of the chromatographic system (Delta micro (p(-CH2-))). These properties are obtained from eight nonempirical models and, as is apparent from their derivation (3-7), the terms of the models have clearly defined physical meaning, which enables calculation of thermodynamic properties.     

Spontaneous formation of liquid crystalline phases and phase transitions in highly concentrated plasmid DNA

The liquid crystalline (LC) properties of two supercoiled plasmid DNA samples, pBSK (2958 bp) and pGEM (3000 bp), have been studied using polarised light microscopy (PLM), circular dichroism (CD) and UV–Vis spectroscopy. The influence of methods of isolation on plasmid LC behaviour is described, and using PLM we have demonstrated the spontaneous formation of cholesteric fingerprint-like textures. Preliminary studies of LC phase transitions in pGEM show the irreversibility of LC phase formation, as a consequence of changes in the tertiary structure of supercoiled plasmids. Using UV–Vis spectroscopy a hyperchromic effect was observed with increasing temperature. The CD spectra clearly showed structural changes, and probably mismatching of DNA bases, during cooling. Finally, we have observed an irreversible phase transition in plasmid DNA which is very different from that previously reported in linear DNA.