Oxidative reactivity of S-nitrosoglutathione with Hantzsch 1,4-dihydropyridine

[formula: see text] S-Nitrosoglutathione oxidized 4-substituted Hantzsch 1,4-dihydropyridines in CH3CN/H2O or CH3CN/phosphate aqueous buffer solution to give aromatic products in various yields.     

Sonochemical route for self-assembled V2O5 bundles with spindle-like morphology and their novel application in serum albumin sensing

Novel self-assembled V2O5 bundles with highly ordered superstructures and spindle-like morphology were synthesized by a rapid high-yielding sonochemical method. The as-prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, a field-emission scanning electron microscope, and a transmission electron microscope. The spindle-like V2O5 bundles are composed of several tens of homogeneous nanowires with diameters of 30-50 nm and lengths of 3-7 microm. A sensitive resonance light scattering method for the detection of bovine serum albumin (BSA) based on the self-assembled V2O5 bundles was developed. The results of the polarized resonance light scattering demonstrated that the Cabannes factor for the V2O5 bundles-BSA aggregates was BSA concentration-dependent.     

First principles study of microscopic structures and layer-anion interactions in layered double hydroxides intercalated various univalent anions

Density functional theory has been used to investigate microscopic structures and electronic properties of LDHs containing F⁻, Cl⁻, Br⁻, I⁻, OH⁻, , , . Both electrovalent bonds and covalent bonds were found in the layer. For halogen anions, the strength of interaction was accorded with electronegative intensity. And the LUMOs dispersed throughout the interlayer region. While for complicated anions, the strength was accorded with the discrepancy of electronegative intensity between center atom and bonding atoms, the LUMOs almost localized in interlayer anions. p Orbital of metal cations and s orbital of anions provided major contributions to electrovalent parts of system, while s orbital of metal cations and p orbital of anions provided major contributions to covalent parts. This has the further significance in Forcefield design for LDHs simulation. Multiple hydrogen bonds were existed in LDHs-X system. The more the number of multiple hydrogen bonds formed, the weaker the strength of single multi-hydrogen bonds was. Multiple hydrogen bonds will bring stronger interaction between interlayer guest anion and host LDHs-layer than single hydrogen bond.     

DNAzyme amplification of molecular beacon signal

This paper reports an improved catalytic molecular beacon. Addition of the target oligonucleotide activates a DNA enzyme (DNAzyme), which, in turn, activates multiple copies of molecular beacons (MB) and gives rise to a strong fluorescence signal. In a previous design, the activated DNAzyme could oligomerize, especially dimerize, and result in inactivation of the DNAzyme. The current design avoids this problem, upon activated by the target DNA, the DNAzyme will stay constantly active. With the improved method, a detection of 10 pM DNA has been demonstrated, which is 1000 times more sensitive than the method previously reported.     

New biocompatible polypyrrole-based films with good blood compatibility and high electrical conductivity

A novel O-butyryl chitosan (OBCS)-grafted polypyrrole (PPy) film was described. The immobilization was accomplished by photocrosslinking the OBCS onto PPy films under ultraviolet light irradiation. The surfaces of OBCS-grafted PPy film were characterized by attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy and electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA). The blood compatibility of the OBCS-grafted PPy film was evaluated by platelet-rich plasma (PRP) contacting experiments and protein adsorption experiments in vitro. These results have demonstrated that the surface with immobilized OBCS shows much less platelet adhesive and fibrinogen adsorption compared to the control surface. The bulk conductivity values of PPy films were measured by a modified four-probe method. The composite films have both good blood compatibility and high electrical conductivity that make them suitable for using as potential biomaterials, such as electrically conducting blood vessel and functionally haemocompatible substrate of biosensor used directly in whole blood.     

Oil phase evaporation-induced self-assembly of hydrophobic nanoparticles into spherical clusters with controlled surface chemistry in an oil-in-water dispersion and comparison of behaviors of individual and clustered iron oxide nanoparticles

We report a general method for preparing nanoparticle clusters (NPCs) in an oil-in-water emulsion system mediated by cetyl trimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), where previously only individual nanoparticles were obtained. NPCs of magnetic, metallic, and semiconductor nanoparticles have been prepared to demonstrate the generality of the method. The NPCs were spherical and composed of densely packed individual nanoparticles. The number density of nanoparticles in the oil phase was found to be critical for the formation, morphology, and yield of NPCs. The method developed here is scalable and can produce NPCs in nearly 100% yield at a concentration of 5 mg/mL in water, which is approximately 5 times higher than the highest value reported in the literature. The surface chemistry of NPCs can also be controlled by replacing CTAB with polymers containing different functional groups via a similar procedure. The reproducible production of NPCs with well-defined shapes has allowed us to compare the properties of individual and clustered iron oxide nanoparticles, including magnetization, magnetic moments, and contrast enhancement in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We found that, due to their collective properties, NPCs are more responsive to an external magnetic field and can potentially serve as better contrast enhancement agents than individually dispersed magnetic NPs in MRI.     

Phase behavior of poly(sulfobetaine methacrylate)-grafted silica nanoparticles and their stability in protein solutions

Biocompatible and zwitterionic poly(sulfobetaine methacrylate) (PSBMA) was grafted onto the surface of initiator-modified silica nanoparticles via surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization. The resultant samples were characterized via nuclear magnetic resonance, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. Their molecular weights and molecular weight distributions were determined via gel permeation chromatography after the removal of silica by etching. Moreover, the phase behavior of these polyzwitterionic-grafted silica nanoparticles in aqueous solutions and stability in protein/PBS solutions were systematically investigated. Dynamic light scattering and UV-visible spectroscopy results indicate that the silica-g-PSBMA nanoparticles exhibit an upper critical solution temperature (UCST) in aqueous solutions, which can be controlled by varying the PSBMA molecular weight, ionic strength, silica-g-PSBMA nanoparticle concentration, and solvent polarity. The UCSTs shift toward high temperatures with increasing PSBMA molecular weight and silica-g-PSBMA nanoparticle concentration. However, increasing the ionic strength and solvent polarity leads to a lowering of the UCSTs. The silica-g-PSBMA nanoparticles are stable for at least 72 h in both negative and positive protein/PBS solutions at 37 °C. The current study is crucial for the translation of polyzwitterionic solution behavior to surfaces to exploit their diverse properties in the development of new, smart, and responsive coatings.