Synthesis and physicochemical characteristics of a liver-targeted conjugate of fluorodeoxyuridine monophosphate with lactosaminated human albumin

In previous experiments fluorodeoxyuridine monophosphate (FUdRMP) was conjugated with lactosaminated human albumin (L-HSA). Fluorodeoxyuridine (FUdR) is an anticancer agent and L-HSA is a hepatotropic carrier of drugs obtained by the covalent linkage of lactose residues to the albumin molecule. The conjugate was synthesised via the imidazolide of FUdRMP at alkaline pH. Peripheral venous administration of L-HSA-FUdRMP produced enhanced FUdR levels in hepatic blood and might accomplish a non-invasive loco-regional chemotherapy of liver micrometastases. In the present paper some physicochemical characteristics of L-HSA-FUdRMP are reported. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis indicated that the coupling reaction did not cause covalent aggregation of the L-HSA molecules. 31P NMR spectra of the conjugate showed that FUdRMP was linked to L-HSA by phosphoamide bonds to lysine and histidine residues, and the area of the peak due to the lysine bond represented more than 80% of the spectrum of L-HSA-FUdRMP. MALDI analysis revealed a partial degradation of the peptide backbone of the conjugate which could not be detected using other methods of analysis. The degradation was not caused by the coupling of lactose molecules to albumin, but rather a consequence of FUdRMP conjugation with L-HSA. This fragmentation was dependent on the pH of the medium used for the FUdRMP coupling reaction. By decreasing the pH to 7.5, conjugates were obtained with a lower drug load but with a substantially reduced fragmentation, which should be preferred for a clinical use of L-HSA-FUdRMP.     

Metal complexes of 2-(2′-or 8′-quinolyl)benzimidazoles and benzothiazoles

Summary The copper(II), cobalt(II) and nickel(II) chloride and bromide complexes with the ligands 2-(2-quinolyl)-benzimidazole (qbi), 2-(4-methyl-2-quinolyl)benzimidazole (mqbi), 2-(4-methyl-8-quinolyl)benzothiazole (m'q'bt) have been prepared and characterized by analytical methods, magnetic measurements as well as by electronic absorption, e.s.r. and far i.r. spectra. Complexes of various stoichiometries have been isolated, namely MLX₂ (all cobalt complexes with exception of the bromide qbi complex; the chloride and bromide nickel m'q'bt and mq'bt complexes), ML₂X₂ (M=Co,L=qbi and X=Br; M=Ni, L=mqbi, X=Cl or Br, M=Ni, L=qbi, X=Cl) and ML₃X₂(M=Ni, L=qbi or mqbi, X=Br). The cobalt ion has a distorted tetrahedral N₂X₂ coordination in all the CoLX₂ complexes, whereas Co(qbi)₂Br₂ is six-coordinate. The following conclusions may be drawn for the nickel complexes: in those with the 11 metal-to-ligand molar ratio the metal ion is four-or five-coordinate; in those with the 12 and 13 ratios the metal ion is hexa-coordinate, being essentially bound to four nitrogen atoms with halogens, oxygens from water or methanol or nitrogen atoms (from the third ligand) occupying the axial positions.     

Fast catalytic epoxidation with H(2)O(2) and [gamma-SiW(10)O(36)(PhPO)(2)](4-) in ionic liquids under microwave irradiation

Olefin epoxidation by [gamma-SiW10O36(PhPO)2]4- and H2O2 occurs in hydrophobic ionic liquids (ILs), with yields and selectivity up to >99%. The catalytic IL phase is recyclable. Under MW irradiation the reaction occurs with up to 200 turnovers per minute. Simultaneous cooling is instrumental for quantitative H2O2 conversion.     

Gain recovery dynamics and photon-driven transport in quantum cascade lasers

Quantum cascade lasers are semiconductor devices based on the interplay of perpendicular transport through the heterostructure and the intracavity lasing field. We employ femtosecond time-resolved pump-probe measurements to investigate the nature of the transport through the laser structure via the dynamics of the gain. The gain recovery is determined by the time-dependent transport of electrons through both the active regions and the superlattice regions connecting them. As the laser approaches and exceeds threshold, the component of the gain recovery due to the nonzero lifetime of the upper lasing state in the active region shows a dramatic reduction due to the onset of quantum stimulated emission; the drift of the electrons is thus driven by the cavity photon density. The gain recovery is qualitatively different from that in conventional lasers due to the superlattice transport in the cascade.     

Phase stability and homogeneity in undoped and Mn‐doped LiFePO4 under laser heating

Thermal stability and phase homogeneity of the triphylite LiFePO₄ compound were investigated by means of Raman spectroscopy. A detailed check of phase homogeneity of undoped samples obtained from different preparation routes—hydrothermal, sol–gel, and solid state synthesis—and Mn‐doped compounds from solid‐state synthesis was performed by means of a mapping of the Raman spectra. The triphylite compositional and structural properties were carefully investigated also with the help of structural refinements and magnetic techniques, which also allowed us to reveal and identify the impurity phases formed together with the olivine LiFePO₄. The effect of laser irradiation on the triphylite thermal stability was thoroughly investigated and related to the synthesis route, to the doping, and to the sample homogeneity. The thermal stability of iron oxides, present both as synthesis products and as consequence of the irradiation itself, was also analyzed following the magnetite→maghemite→hematite phase transformation. All the experimental observations concur in indicating that the effectiveness of the laser heating on these compounds mainly depends on grain size and the degree of order of the olivine structure, the highest thermal stability being displayed in the case of the nonhomogenous undoped samples obtained from solid‐state preparation, which show a highly ordered triphylite phase. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.