Molecular Insights into the Antistress Potentials of Brazilian Green Propolis Extract and Its Constituent Artepillin C

Propolis, also known as bee-glue, is a resinous substance produced by honeybees from materials collected from plants they visit. It contains mixtures of wax and bee enzymes and is used by bees as a building material in their hives and by humans for different purposes in traditional healthcare practices. Although the composition of propolis has been shown to depend on its geographic location, climatic zone, and local flora; two largely studied types of propolis: (i) New Zealand and (ii) Brazilian green propolis have been shown to possess Caffeic Acid Phenethyl Ester (CAPE) and Artepillin C (ARC) as the main bioactive constituents, respectively. We have earlier reported that CAPE and ARC possess anticancer activities, mediated by abrogation of mortalin-p53 complex and reactivation of p53 tumor suppressor function. Like CAPE, Artepillin C (ARC) and the supercritical extract of green propolis (GPSE) showed potent anticancer activity. In this study, we recruited low doses of GPSE and ARC (that did not affect either cancer cell proliferation or migration) to investigate their antistress potential using in vitro cell based assays. We report that both GPSE and ARC have the capability to disaggregate metal- and heat-induced aggregated proteins. Metal-induced aggregation of GFP was reduced by fourfold in GPSE- as well as ARC-treated cells. Similarly, whereas heat-induced misfolding of luciferase protein showed 80% loss of activity, the cells treated with either GPSE or ARC showed 60–80% recovery. Furthermore, we demonstrate their pro-hypoxia (marked by the upregulation of HIF-1α) and neuro-differentiation (marked by differentiation morphology and upregulation of expression of GFAP, β-tubulin III, and MAP2). Both GPSE and ARC also offered significant protection against oxidative stress and, hence, may be useful in the treatment of old age-related brain pathologies.     

Crystallization of copper sulphate

Results of the studies of copper sulphate pentahydrate batch crystallization in the temperature range from 70 down to 30 °C are presented. In some of the experiments, free sulphuric acid has been added. The metastable zone width, nucleation and growth kinetic parameters, as well as the system kinetic constant were determined and compared with the data published in the literature.     

Photoinduced Specific Acylation of Phenolic Hydroxy Groups with Aldehydes

A convenient method is reported to specifically acylate phenolic hydroxyl groups through a radical pathway. When a mixture of an aldehyde and a phenol in ethyl acetate is irradiated with blue light in the presence of iridium and nickel bromide catalysts at ambient temperature, phenoxyl and acyl radicals are transiently generated in situ and cross‐couple to furnish an ester. Aliphatic hydroxy groups remain untouched under the reaction conditions.     

Preparation and physical properties of flame retardant acrylic resin containing nano-sized aluminum hydroxide

Poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA) shows high strength and transparency but is a flammable material. In this study, the surface of aluminum hydroxide was modified with methacrylate containing phosphoric acid moieties before dispersion in MMA, and organic-inorganic nano-hybrid materials were obtained by bulk polymerization in the presence of the surface-modified aluminum hydroxide. The resulting hybrid materials retained the high transparency of PMMA, with transparency values similar to that of pure PMMA. Moreover, the flame resistance of the hybrid materials was improved in comparison with that of pure PMMA, with depression of the horizontal burning rate becoming a maximum at an inorganic content of 3 wt%. These results suggest that the use of aluminum hydroxide surface-modified with phosphoric acid groups is an efficient method for obtaining good performance fire-resistant polymer materials.     

Hydroxyapatite-supported copper(II)-catalyzed azide-alkyne [3+2] cycloaddition with neither reducing agents nor bases in water

Copper(II)-exchanged hydroxyapatite, prepared by ion-exchanging of Ca(II) in calcium hydroxyapatite [Ca₁₀(PO₄)₆(OH)₂] with Cu(NO₃)₂ at 70 °C in water, functions as a reusable heterogeneous catalyst with neither reducing agents nor bases for azide-alkyne [3+2] cycloaddition at 50 °C in water under air.     

Phase Separation in Methylsiloxane Sol-Gel Systems in a Small Confined Space

The organo-siloxane gel with co-continuous structure derived from methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS) was synthesized in a confined space between parallel plates by inducing spinodal decomposition during sol-gel transition. The resultant gel morphology was 3-dimensionally observed by laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM). The sliced LSCM photographs revealed that the confined gels have inhomogeneity perpendicular to the plate, exhibiting a layered structure. The layered structure can be divided into three regions according to their morphology; interface, near-surface layer, bulk phase. The organo-siloxane depletion layer had formed in the vicinity of both hydrophobic and hydrophilic plates, and the bulk phase had formed slight away from the plates exhibited co-continuous structure. In addition, the confined gels exhibited no shrinkage during drying process that resulted in the larger domain size compared to the monolithic gel. The attractive interaction between the plates and the resultant organo-siloxane phase accounts for the inhibition of shrinkage of confined gels.     

An Isolable Radical Anion of an Organosilicon Cluster Containing Only σ Bonds

The radical anion of octa‐tert‐butyloctasilacubane was generated and isolated. The EPR spectrum showed the satellites due to the tertiary ¹³C nuclei of the eight tert‐butyl groups. The X‐ray crystallographic analysis showed that the Si? Si bonds are shortened and the Si? C bonds are elongated compared with those of octa‐tert‐butyloctasilacubane. These results are well explained by the distribution of an unpaired electron in the singly occupied molecular orbital (SOMO).     

Role of the interface in multicomponent materials

Studies of the relationship between interfacial structure and mechanical properties in multicomponent materials are reviewed in this article. The following categories are considered for role of the interface in multicomponent systems: Interpenetrating polymer network(IPN), catalytic effect of silane coupling agent, morphological differences of filler surface, particle-particle interaction and particle size of the filler. The interfacial role in terms of the reinforcement mechanism of the composite and the behavior in the melt state is also discussed in the multicomponent system.     

Polyether-bridged bis(tert-butyl nitroxide) paramagnetic hosts showing receptor ability to calcium(II) and barium(II) ions

The title compounds, Ph2bNO and Ph3bNO, were designed as a biradical paramagnetic host, and their chelation ability was confirmed by inclusion of a size-matched alkaline-earth metal ion. The crystal structures of [Ca(hfac)₂(Ph2bNO)] and [Ba(hfac)₂(Ph3bNO)] were determined, where Hhfac stands for 1,1,1,5,5,5-hexafluoropentane-2,4-dione. The solution electron paramagnetic resonance spectra showed switching behavior. Five lines were found for Ph3bNO and charecterized as the hyperfine splitting due to the two nitrogen atoms. After addition of barium(II) ion, the spectrum turned to be three lines. Removal of the barium ion recovered the five line pattern. The present system can be regarded as a reversible magnetic-coupling switch by means of a supramolecular technique.     

Monte carlo simulations for blue-phase structure in liquid crystals

Blue-phase liquid crystals form three-dimensional structures in a self-organizing manner and are similar to living tissue structures such as the teeth of mice and collagen tissues. This study presents numerical results regarding the conditions under which blue-phase liquid crystals occur. The Monte Carlo simulations are performed by employing an improved Lennard–Jones potential that considers anisotropy and chirality. The conditions for the formation of the blue phase, which vary with respect to the chirality, are examined first. The relationship between the anisotropic parameters and the chiral parameter for the formation of the blue phase is discussed. Identical blue-phase structures are obtained, even when the cell size and molecular number are varied drastically. This discussion is useful for considering the scale-up problem, which is almost always a difficult issue for molecular-scale simulations.