Disposable screen-printed sensors for determination of duloxetine hydrochloride

A screen-printed disposable electrode system for the determination of duloxetine hydrochloride (DL) was developed using screen-printing technology. Homemade printing has been characterized and optimized on the basis of effects of the modifier and plasticizers. The fabricated bi-electrode potentiometric strip containing both working and reference electrodes was used as duloxetine hydrochloride sensor. The proposed sensors worked satisfactorily in the concentration range from 1.0 × 10^-6-1.0 × 10^-2 mol L^-1 with detection limit reaching 5.0 × 10^-7 mol L^-1 and adequate shelf life of 6 months. The method is accurate, precise and economical. The proposed method has been applied successfully for the analysis of the drug in pure and in its dosage forms. In this method, there is no interference from any common pharmaceutical additives and diluents. Results of the analysis were validated statistically by recovery studies.     

Antibacterial, antifungal and cytotoxic activities of two flavonoids from Retama raetam flowers

We have investigated the antibacterial, antifungal and cytotoxic activities of two flavonoids isolated from Retama raetam flowers using the disc diffusion and micro-dilution broth methods. The cytotoxic activity was tested against Hep-2 cells using the MTT assay. The compounds licoflavone C (1) and derrone (2) were active against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli (7.81-15.62 μg/mL) and showed important antifungal activity. Strong antifungal activity against Candida species (7.81 μg/mL) was for example found with compound 2. The tested compounds also showed strong cytotoxicity against Hep-2 cells. These two compounds may be interesting antimicrobial agents to be used against infectious diseases caused by many pathogens.     

Replacement surgery with unnatural amino acids in the lock-and-key joint of glutathione transferase subunits

Proteins contain amino acid residues essential to structure and function. Ribosomal protein synthesis is typically limited to the 20 amino acids of the genetic code, but posttranslational chemical modifications can greatly expand the diversity of side chain functionalities. In this investigation, a natural aromatic residue in the lock-and-key joint at the subunit interface of the dimeric glutathione transferase P1-1 was replaced by an S-alkylcysteine residue to give a functional enzyme. Introduction of Cys in the key position inactivates the enzyme, but subsequent alkylation of this residue enhances the catalytic efficiency up to 27,000-fold. Combinatorial modification of Cys by a mixture of reagents facilitated identification of an n-butyl group as the most efficient activator. Alkylation also enhanced binding affinity for active-site ligands and stabilized the enzyme against chemical denaturation and thermal inactivation.     

Metabolisation of eutypine by plant tissues: an HPLC determination

Eutypine, 4-hydroxy-3-(3-methyl-3-butene-1-ynyl) benzaldehyde, is a toxin produced by Eutypa lata, the causal agent of eutypa dieback of grapevine. The tolerance of some grapevine cultivars to the disease has been ascribed to the potential reduction of eutypine into its corresponding non-toxic alcohol, eutypinol. In the present study, eutypine biotransformation in different tissues of grapevine was investigated by HPLC and LC-MS. Grape callus tissues were able to biotransform eutypine into eutypinol within the first 3 h of culture. The grape plantlets cultured in vitro can also transform eutypine into eutypinol. Grape plantlet leaves do not have any effect on the uptake of eutypine, which goes through the tissues following a concentration gradient. Results revealed that the toxicity of eutypine in grape tissues is an active process showing that eutypinol is rapidly metabolised into other compounds. The use of micro-cuttings and in vitro plants showed that eutypine strongly accumulates in the bottom part of the diseased plant stems.     

The Influence of the Extent of Enzymatic Hydrolysis on Antioxidative Properties and ACE-Inhibitory Activities of Protein Hydrolysates from Goby (Zosterisessor ophiocephalus) Muscle

Antioxidant properties and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activities of protein hydrolysates from goby (Zosterisessor ophiocephalus) muscle, with different degrees of hydrolysis (DH) from 5 to 25 %, prepared by treatment with crude proteases extract from smooth hound intestines, were investigated. Goby protein hydrolysates (GPHs) are rich in Gly and Thr, which accounted for 14.1–15 % and 11.6–13.2 % of the total amino acids, respectively. The antioxidant activities of GPHs were investigated by using several in vitro assay systems. All GPHs exhibited significant metal chelating activity and DPPH free radical-scavenging activity, and inhibited linoleic acid peroxidation. For the ACE-inhibitory activity, as the DH increased, the activity of GPHs increased. The obtained results revealed that antioxidant and ACE-inhibitory activities of GPHs were influenced by the degree of hydrolysis. A medium degree of enzymatic hydrolysis was appropriate to obtain GPHs with good antioxidant activity, while small peptides were essential to obtain high ACE inhibitory activity.     

Automated Sequential‐injection Chemiluminescence Determination of Glucosamine Sulphate via Luminol‐Hydrogen Peroxide System

A highly sensitive automated sequential‐injection chemiluminescence (SIA‐CL) method for determination of glucosamine sulphate (GLS) was developed. The goal of the present work is the evaluation of the enhancement effect of the investigated drug glucosamine sulphate on the chemiluminescence reaction between luminol and H₂O₂ in alkaline medium of 1.0 × 10^?2 mol L^?1 sodium hydroxide at pH 11. The experimental conditions affecting the CL reaction such as the sequence of the reagents, concentrations, flow rate and aspirated volumes of reactants were systematically investigated and optimized. Under optimum conditions 50 μL of 1.0 × 10^?3 mol L^?1 luminol, 30 μL of a GLS test solution and 50 μL of 1.0 × 10^?2 mol L^?1 H₂O₂ were used and the luminescing zone was pushed into the detector at a flow rate 100 μL s^?1. The proposed method recorded high sensitivity, accuracy and simplicity that could be clarified as linear concentration range 1.0‐2000 ng mL^?1 with rectilinear part (r = 0.9992, n = 9) and limit of detection 0.3 ng mL^?1, along with relative standard deviation 1.3%. It was found that the developed method can be used directly to determine the investigated drug GLS in its pharmaceutical dosage forms and in spiked serum and urine by diluting the samples for a 1000 fold. The obtained results were statistically analyzed and compared with those obtained by the reported method.     

Study of the Inhibition Efficiency for Some Novel Surfactants on the Carbon Steel (Type H-11) Pipelines in 0.5 M HCl Solution by Potentiodynamic Technique

In this article, three deferent surfactants as corrosion inhibitor were prepared in two steps. In the first step, maleic anhydride was amidated with dodecylamine to produce 2-ene-4-dodecanamide butanoic acid. In the second step, the resulting product was further esterified with different molecular weights of polyethylene glycol (m.wt. = 200, 400, and 600), namely, polyoxy ethylenyl-x-ene-4-dodecanamide butanoic acid, where x = 2, 4, or 6 according to molecular weights of polyethylene glycol used). The chemical structures of these inhibitors were confirmed by FTIR and ¹H NMR. The corrosion inhibition effect of the synthesized inhibitors has been investigated on the carbon steel (type H-11) pipelines in 0.5 M HCl solution by the potentiodynamic polarization method. From the obtained results, it was found that the maximum inhibition efficiency (90.44%) was exhibited by polyoxy ethylenyl-6-ene-4-dodecanamide butanoic acid, while the minimum inhibition efficiency (79.84%) was obtained by polyoxy ethylenyl-2-ene-4-dodecanamide butanoic acid at 200 ppm and 35°C. Also, the values of activation energy and thermodynamic parameters were calculated and discussed. Adsorption of the synthesized inhibitors was found to follow the Langmuir's adsorption isotherm. Mixed physical and chemical adsorption mechanism is proposed.     

Radiation Synthesis of Superabsorbent Hydrogels Based on Chitosan and Acrylic Acid for Controlled Drug Release

Superabsorbent hydrogels based on the natural polymer chitosan and acrylic acid (CS/AAc) was prepared using ⁶⁰Co gamma radiation as a source of initiation and crosslinking. The factors, which affect the preparation of CS/AAc hydrogels such as irradiation dose, CS/AAc ratios, and acrylic acid monomer concentrations, to get the best optimum conditions, were investigated. The kinetic studies of the swelling of CS/AAc hydrogel showed that it follows a Fickian type of water diffusion. The Fickian constant value ‘n’ was more than 0.5 with a high swelling capacity of 300 g/g as superabsorbent hydrogel. In addition, the suitability of CS/AAc hydrogel as carrier material for the drug Chlortetracycline-HCl has been investigated by adsorption isotherm studies. The performance of drug release from hydrogel systems, influenced by acrylic acid ratio and the effect of pH of the medium was studied.     

Removal of Some Pesticides from Aqueous Solutions using PVP/(AAc-co-Sty) Hydrogels Prepared by Gamma Radiation

Poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone)/(acrylic acid-co-styrene) [PVP/(AAc-co-Sty)] hydrogels were prepared by γ-irradiation to design as adsorptive systems. The adsorption of agricultural pesticides Fluometuron (FH), Thiophanate Methyl (TF) and Trifluralin (TI) on radiation-induced graft copolymeric adsorbents has been studied. The prepared hydrogels were characterized by FT-IR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the thermal properties were studied by using thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The ionic character of the prepared hydrogel was improved by treatment with alkaline (NaOH), sulfonation (Sf) and alkaline/sulfonation (NaOH/Sf). The swelling as a function of PVP concentration, AAc/Sty composition, irradiation dose, temperature and pH were studies. The adsorption of pesticides on the hydrogel matrix under different conditions was studied to determine which factors have the most affect and control the adsorption capacity of hydrogel. AAc/Sty composition, type of pesticide, temperature, concentration and pH of pesticide feed solution are greatly affect the pesticide uptake. It was found that the prepared hydrogels have a great efficiency to recover the pesticides from their solutions, the maximum pesticide uptake was found to be in the sequence: TI > TF > FH. The results concluded that the alkaline/sulfonation- treated PVP/(AAc-co-Sty) hydrogels possess high efficiency for removal of pesticides.     

Molecular and Biochemical Characterization in Rauvolfia tetraphylla Plantlets Grown from Synthetic Seeds Following In Vitro Cold Storage

Synseed technology is one of the most important applications of plant biotechnology for in vitro conservation and regeneration of medicinal and aromatic plants. In the present investigation, synseeds of Rauvolfia tetraphylla were produced using in vitro-proliferated shoots upon complexation of 3 % sodium alginate and 100 mM CaCl₂. The encapsulated buds were stored at 4, 8, 12, and 16 °C and high conversion was observed in synseeds stored at 4 °C for 4 weeks. The effect of different medium strength on in vitro conversion response of synseed was evaluated and the maximum conversion (80.6 %) into plantlets was recorded on half-strength woody plant medium supplemented with 7.5 μM 6-benzyladenine and 2.5 μM α-naphthalene acetic acid after 8 weeks of culture. Plantlets with well-developed shoot and roots were hardened and successfully transplanted in field condition. After 4 weeks of transfer to ex vitro conditions, the performance of synseed-derived plantlets was evaluated on the basis of some physiological and biochemical parameters and compared with the in vivo-grown plants. Short-term storage of synthetic seeds at low temperature had no negative impact on physiological and biochemical profile of the plants that survived the storage process. Furthermore, clonal fidelity of synseed-derived plantlets was also assessed and compared with mother plant using rapid amplified polymorphic DNA and inter-simple sequence repeats analysis. No changes in molecular profiles were found among the regenerated plantlets and comparable to mother plant, which confirm the genetic stability among clones. This synseed protocol could be useful for in vitro clonal multiplication, conservation, and short-term storage and exchange of germplasm of this antihypertensive drug-producing plant.